Welcome to House of History. Last week we've looked at the prehistory of the territories
that would eventually be united in the state of Prussia and the Teutonic Order, the Warrior
Monks that colonized it. Their atrocities left permanent marks on the lands.
Yet it was the Teutonic Knights whose Grand Master, Albrecht of Brandenburg-Ansbach, in
1525, decided to use the Reformation as a pretence to secularize and claim the territories
for himself and name himself 'Duke of Prussia'. It was the beginning of a long reign of the
territory by the ambitious Hohenzollern clan, already Margraves of Brandenburg.
This week, we'll look at the Hohenzollern dynastic history, how they became Margraves
of Brandenburg and their ambition as a family. Welcome to the complete history of Prussia.
-intro-
The First Hohenzollerns
It was (in part) thanks to the prudence and ambition of the Hohenzollern clan that led
to the unpromising territory of Brandenburg-Prussia to become one of Europe’s most powerful
states. The Hohenzollern family was originally from Swabia, a region in south-west Germany.
Around the end of the twelfth century they had settled in Franconia and for the next
2 centuries, they enjoyed the title of Burgraves of Nuremberg. It wasn't really a position
of rule, they were more or less nobility in name. As Burgraves, over the years they managed
to acquire territorial domains in and around Ansbach and Bayreuth in the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1417 Frederick Hohenzollern, Burgrave of Nuremberg, a small and wealthy territory,
purchased Brandenburg from its then sovereign, Emperor Sigismund. He had helped Sigismund
to get elected as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. 400.000 Hungarian gold guilders were
paid, and in turn, it brought the Hohenzollerns land as well as prestige. His new title was
Frederick the First, Elector of Brandenburg, a hereditary title. Brandenburg was one of
the 7 electorates of the Holy Roman Empire. - then a patchwork of states and domains.
Prince-Electors were members of the electoral college that elected the Holy Roman Emperor.
Frederick suddenly gained much more power than he had as a simple Burgrave: he was 1
of the 7 Princes that elected the Emperor. While at first sight, it is easy to see this
as a reward only with positives, it indeed was a considerable promotion, but it was a
burden at the same time. Brandenburg, after all, Brandenburg had the reputation of the
poorest of German regions, with robber barons and crime flourishing due to the lack of central
authority. In fact, it didn't take long for Frederick to leave Brandenburg, frustrated
with his inability to tame the rogue nobility. His son, Johann the Alchemist, threw in the
towel as well. For decades, this Wild East remained untamed territory that was hardly
interesting to the Hohenzollerns. It was Frederick II ‘Irontooth’ that eventually
managed to settle in the Margravate and rule over its people from 1440 onwards, no better
or worse than other princes at that time. His nickname ‘Irontooth’ doesn’t leave
much to the imagination as to how he tamed the unruly bunch in Brandenburg. As time went
on, the Hohenzollerns spent their time planning strategic marriages and securing inheritance
claims around the Holy Roman Empire. By doing so they managed to claim parts of Pomerania
and Silesia, though these territories did not bring the family much at first sight.
But then, by pure chance, the family acquired the biggest of them all: Prussia. And to be
honest, it really was pure chance.
The Hohenzollerns in Prussia
Now, last episode we closed off with Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Albrecht von
Brandenburg-Ansbach, managed to become Duke of Prussia, which was an enfeoffment from
the Polish King. He betrayed his former post and ruled over Prussia, unopposed, for decades.
Ironically, this Grand Master of a militant Christian order now reformed and secularized
Prussia and its political institutions. Also ironically, up until then, the Hohenzollerns
had nothing to do with the Teutonic Order... at all. During the change of alliance, we'll
call it, of Albrecht, Brandenburg was ruled by Joachim Nestor, Albrecht’s cousin. And
no, Joachim did not even have contact with his kinsman during that time. They hadn’t
planned it, there were no secret plots to lay claim to the territory... it was just
a Grand Master that betrayed his order, and a family ruling Brandenburg was fortunate
the Grand Master belonged to their family. Suddenly, a massive and rich territory fell
into their lap and prospects started to manifest themselves. Because, well, it didn’t really
fell into the lap of the Brandenburg-branch of the Hohenzollern’s just yet...
Whereas Albrecht used the Reformation to lay claim to ecclesial property in Prussia, Joachim
Nestor was a staunch opponent of the Reformation. His brother, the Archbishop of Magdeburg and
Mainz, enjoyed Joachim's support -against!- the Reformation. This put them in the camp
of Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Fifth. When it came to imperial politics the Hohenzollerns
decided to remain neutral. Once Joachim Nestor and his brother got wind
of what their cousin was doing in Prussia, they severely condemned his actions. 10 years
after Albrecht laid claim to Prussia as its duke, Joachim Nestor passed away. His son,
Joachim Hector, became Elector of Brandenburg and, admittedly, this Joachim certainly seized
the opportunity with Prussia. The first thing he did was convert to Lutheranism,
following in his mother’s footsteps, though it was against his own religious convictions.
He had foreseen that it was for the best, and it would be. He was very slow to impose
Lutheranism on his territory. Over in Prussia to the east, in 1568 the old Duke Albrecht
passed away after reigning over Prussia for 43 years. His son, the dim-witted 16-year-old
Albrecht Frederick succeeded him and became Duke of Prussia.
Over in Brandenburg, in the 33 years Joachim Hector had sat on the throne, thanks to cunning
politics and painstaking efforts, he achieved a co-enfeoffment of the Prussian inheritance
with the Polish king due to his marriage to Princess Hedwig of Poland. As he passed in
1571, his son and successor, Johann Georg, launched a policy of economic strengthening
and marriage politics. Realizing politics was a dirty game, he wanted to make doubly
sure his branch came into the inheritance of the Duchy of Prussia. He ensured his son,
Joachim Frederick, and grandson, Joachim Sigismund were married to the daughters of Albrecht
Frederick, the new Duke of Prussia. Johann Georg passed away in 1598 and was succeeded
by his son, Joachim Frederick. Now, Johann Sigismund was first to marry Anna
of Prussia. Unfortunately for him, his new father-in-law, the Duke, lived for another
50 years. Johann Sigismund’s father, Joachim Frederick did manage to ensure co-regency
over Prussia due to the Duke’s mental infirmity. And to make doubly sure no other family could
lay claim to the inheritance, Joachim Frederick married the younger sister of his son's wife.
The father was now the brother-in-law of the son, while his wife now doubled as the mother
in law of her older sister. Confusing business. In the end, it would be the Joachim Hector’s
great-grandson, Johann Sigismund, to finally see the inheritance claims come to fruition.
Because in 1618 Albrecht Frederick Duke of Prussia passed away and Johann Sigismund (finally)
came into the inheritance. Prussia and Brandenburg were now united under the same Hohenzollern,
nearly 100 years after Grand Master Albrecht had decided he preferred to be Duke of Prussia
over Grand Master and over 200 years after the first Hohenzollerns received Brandenburg
from Emperor Sigismund. In retrospect, it looks like all this rapidly
developed and perhaps people want to entertain the thought all of this was premeditated.
But no generation was sure what the next one would bring, and it was pure chance that eventually
a Hohenzollern Prussian state was to be established. Alright, if you managed to keep up with that,
it is worth having a closer look at the short reign of Johann Sigismund, the man that was
the first Elector of Brandenburg to double as Duke of Prussia, thus creating Brandenburg-Prussia.
The First Interesting Hohenzollern
Frederick the Great, in his History of the House of Brandenburg, wrote that the history
of his house only really became interesting with the electorship of Johann Sigismund.
It wasn't due to his cunning personality (because he didn't have one), his prosperous and great
ruling abilities (he wasn't much of an inspiring ruler), or the length of his reign (he reigned
for just 11 years). No, Johann reigned from 1608 to 1619, he drank and ate himself to
an early grave. At the age of 47, he passed away, having been unable to rule directly
for several years already. What makes him so interesting, then? Well, it was under this...
I'd say less than capable rule, that the two great inheritance claims came to fruition.
The future generations of House Hohenzollern were offered prospects to... if used right,
play a very significant role in the European theatre in the future. He wasn’t just a
vassal of the Holy Roman Emperor anymore, but a Duke, ruling over Prussia, although
the territory remained under Polish sovereignty. Before we get to the inheritance claims, marriage
politics continued. In 1605 Joachim Frederick betrothed his 10-year-old grandson Georg Wilhelm
to the 8-year-old daughter of Frederick IV, the Elector Palatine. The Palatine had one
of the best military apparatuses at the time and the Elector hoped it would bring him aid
with the future inheritance claims in the West as you can see on this map. A treaty
between the Dutch Republic, Palatine and Brandenburg was concluded - 5000 men would stand ready
to occupy and safe-keep the territories once it was passed to Johann Sigismund - who ascended
as Elector of Brandenburg in 1608, following his father’s death.
The first claim came to fruition in 1609, thanks to Johann Sigismund’s marriage to
Duchess Anna of Prussia. It was the claim to Jülich-Cleves in the West. Anna was the
niece of John William of Jülich-Kleve and there was a pact within that family that properties
passed down the female line. Suddenly Johann Sigismund, thanks to his wife, could lay claim
to lands in the west, far removed from Brandenburg. European marriage politics back then were
very odd and prone to chance, I’m sure you’ll agree.
It was a rather controversial claim and led to Brandenburg being dragged in Great Power
Politics: France, Polish-Lithuania, Sweden and Holland were all quarrelling in the region.
What followed was an incredibly complicated display of power politics. The assassination
of the French king in 1610 was the only thing that prevented a major war breaking out over
the territories. In the end, the territories were divided between the Elector and the other
claimant, the Duke of Pfalz-Neuburg.* The last decades of the Elector’s life are
filled with anecdotes of drunken bouts, obesity and growing lethargic. The second claim came
to fruition a year before Johann's death in 1618: the Prussian inheritance in the East,
again thanks to his marriage. Suddenly, Brandenburg was dragged into Swedish-Polish power politics
due to inheriting Eastern Prussia. The Brandenburg Hohenzollern branch received an enormous new
territory, but with it, new conflicts, demands and dangers.
After his death in 1619 his son, Georg Wilhelm, succeeded him and would reign for 22 years.
A quick study of this map shows the unusual distance between the territories now united
under one ruler. Over 700 kilometres of roads and tracks, many through impassable swamps
and foreign territory. There was no promise that these lands would once constitute a great
European power. The Hohenzollerns didn't immediately realize
the great potential bestowed upon them. As a matter of fact, 1618 saw the outbreak of
what would become three decades of religious and dynastic wars in the Holy Roman Empire.
The Thirty Years' War would preoccupy the new ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, Georg Wilhelm
with entirely different constraints and problems…
Brandenburg-Prussia and the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in human history. Caused
by both religious tensions and geopolitical motivation, it saw the near-complete destruction
of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. It was very well possible it would never recover
from the ravaging troops. Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II fought against Protestant forces
both internal and external to his empire. Initially, the new elector Georg Wilhelm,
a timid and indecisive ruler, declared Brandenburg’s neutrality. He figured that was his best bet
for survival. That did not stop rebellious forces from trekking through it. Brandenburg,
after all, had no natural borders, as we have seen on the map.
After 8 years of suffering the plunder by foreign soldiers in Brandenburg, Georg Wilhelm
finally allied himself with the Emperor - which ironically devastated the lands more as the
Imperial supreme commander, Count Albrecht von Wallenstein was notorious for extracting
provisions and lodgings for his troops. These now eagerly used Brandenburg as a base for
their war effort. In 1630 Sweden entered the war. The Swedish
king, Gustavus Adolphus, now twisted Georg Wilhelm’s arm in switching sides and supporting
the Swedes. The Elector had no choice but to do so. One reason for switching, besides
Swedish intimidation, was the fact that the Imperial forces sacked the city of Magdeburg.
The Elector’s uncle happened to be the administrator of the city. It resulted in the deaths of
over 20.000 civilians and defenders and is considered the worst massacre of the entire
war. Nevertheless, 2 years later in 1632, the Swedish
king was killed in battle and the prospects of wars switched again. So did the Elector,
who in 1635 once again joined the Emperor. Unfortunately for the Elector, the balance
of power shifted again during concluding this treaty. The Swedes gained the upper hand again.
For the last 4 years of his life, he tried to expel the Swedes from Brandenburg, who
now considered themselves ‘Lords of the Mark’. If that wasn’t bad enough, during
this time, even his own troops started razing his cities and lands. See, Georg Wilhelm had
hired mercenaries in despair against the Swedes but was unable to pay them which resulted
in these sell-swords ensuring their own payment from his lands. It got so bad that the Elector
was forced to flee his own territory in 1637. A broken man, he fled to his Duchy, Prussia,
as Brandenburg was overtaken by the Swedes and mutinying troops. During this time key
cities lost up to ⅔ of their populations, some even over 80 per cent. Brandenburg was
turned into a plundered, burning mess. But not Prussia. Not that territory to the
east, to which the Elector fled. The Duchy to the east had survived the Thirty Years'
War more or less unscathed. As a result, it became the centre, albeit temporary, of the
Hohenzollern lands and the economic basis for the reconstruction of Brandenburg. Up
until his death in 1640, Georg Wilhelm would stay in Königsberg. After his death his son,
Frederick Wilhelm presided over the resurgence of the Hohenzollern lands. This new elector
would reign over his lands for the next 48 years. When he ascended, Brandenburg stood
‘on the edge of the abyss’ with virtually all its territories occupied and the Thirty
Years’ War not even over for another 8 years. The only way to protect his territories, the
new Elector figured, was to create a flexible, disciplined fighting force. It became the
overwhelming central tenet of his entire reign. This new Elector of Prussia would go down
in the history books as Frederick ‘The Great Elector’. Next week we’ll examine the
Thirty Years’ War and Brandenburg’s role a bit more in depth, and at the reign of Frederick
Wilhelm, who pulled Brandenburg-Prussia out of the mud, although it was marked by non-stop
war. If that sounds interesting, consider subscribing to my channel.
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