Home Region:  Central Europe (Europe)

Electorate of Brandenburg

D G PT OTHER  de_hohenzollern_1 / de_brandenburg_1

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Preceding:
No Polity found. Add one here.

Succeeding:
1618 CE 1870 CE Brandenburg-Prussia (de_hohenzollern_2)    [None]
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The era from 1415 to 1618 in Brandenburg was marked by the gradual emergence of a centralized state, the strategic territorial expansion, and the foundational development of what would become one of Europe’s most powerful dynasties. The Hohenzollerns’ political strategies, combined with significant cultural and religious shifts, transformed Brandenburg from a marginal margraviate into a significant power, which would play a central role in the subsequent centuries of European history. [1]


The Hohenzollern era in Brandenburg began with Frederick I’s elevation to Elector of Brandenburg in 1415, granted by Emperor Sigismund as a reward for his support against the Hussites, changing the Margraviate of Brandenburg to the Electorate of Brandenburg. [1]

One of the pivotal figures of this era was Frederick II Elector of Brandenburg, who reigned from 1440 to 1470. Known as "Frederick the Iron," he centralized authority, reduced the power of the local nobility, and established a more cohesive state. His efforts laid the groundwork for the transformation of Brandenburg into a more centralized territorial state. [2]


Under Elector Joachim II (1535-1571), Brandenburg officially adopted Lutheranism, aligning itself with the Protestant states within the Empire. This religious shift not only reflected the broader European religious transformations but also served as a political tool to assert greater independence from imperial Catholic influences and to consolidate internal governance. [3]




John Sigismund’s accession in 1608 marked the beginning of Brandenburg’s expansion into the Duchy of Prussia. His acceptance of the Prussian dukedom in 1618 through inheritance established the personal union between Brandenburg and Prussia. [4]

[1]: Hansjoachim Wolfgang Koch, A History of Prussia (New York: Barnes & Noble, 1978). Zotero link: FS2NYAJR

[2]: Deutsche Biographie, “Friedrich II. - Deutsche Biographie,” Zotero link: 9GPFMNB8

[3]: Mathis Leibetseder, Joachim II. von Brandenburg: Kurfürst Zwischen Renaissance Und Reformation, Veröffentlichungen aus den Archiven Preussischer Kulturbesitz. Forschungen Band 15 (Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2022). Zotero link: ZI9KVPJI

[4]: Heinz Immekeppel, Das Herzogtum Preussen von 1603 Bis 1618, Studien zur Geschichte Preussens Bd. 24 (Köln: G. Grote, 1975). Zotero link: XUFQZXAA

General Variables
Identity and Location
Utm Zone:
33 U  
Original Name:
Electorate of Brandenburg  
Capital:
Berlin  
Alternative Name:
Margraviate of Brandenburg  
Markgrafschaft Brandenburg  
Temporal Bounds
Political and Cultural Relations
Suprapolity Relations:
de_hohenzollern_1 vassalage to de_empire_3 1415 CE 1453 CE
Succeeding Entity:
Brandenburg-Prussia  
Preceding Entity:
Succeeding: Brandenburg-Prussia (de_hohenzollern_2)    [None]  
Degree of Centralization:
loose 1415 CE 1539 CE
confederated state 1539 CE 1618 CE
Language
Linguistic Family:
Indo-European  
Language:
German  
Religion
Religion Genus:
Christianity  
Religion Family:
Catholicism 1415 CE 1539 CE
Protestantism 1539 CE 1618 CE
Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Hierarchical Complexity
Professions
Bureaucracy Characteristics
Law
Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Transport Infrastructure
Special-purpose Sites
Information / Writing System
Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Information / Money
Information / Postal System
Information / Measurement System
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology
Religion Tolerance Nothing coded yet.
Human Sacrifice Nothing coded yet.
Crisis Consequences Nothing coded yet.
Power Transitions Nothing coded yet.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Electorate of Brandenburg (de_hohenzollern_1) was in:
Home NGA: None

General Variables
Identity and Location

Original Name:
Electorate of Brandenburg


Alternative Name:
Margraviate of Brandenburg
Alternative Name:
Markgrafschaft Brandenburg

Temporal Bounds
Political and Cultural Relations
Suprapolity Relations:
de_hohenzollern_1 vassalage to de_empire_3
1415 CE 1453 CE

Succeeding Entity:
Brandenburg-Prussia

Preceding Entity:
Electorate of Brandenburg [de_hohenzollern_1] ---> Brandenburg-Prussia [de_hohenzollern_2]

Degree of Centralization:
loose
1415 CE 1539 CE

The Electorate of Brandenburg’s degree of centralization saw gradual increases during this period, particularly as the Hohenzollerns worked to consolidate their control over the territory and diminish the power of the local nobility, known as the Junkers.

Initially, the Hohenzollerns faced a fragmented state with significant autonomy held by local nobles. Frederick I, the first Hohenzollern Elector of Brandenburg, and his successors worked to centralize authority but were often constrained by the power of the estates.

Albert Achilles’s establishment of the Dispositio Achillea in 1473, which ensured that Brandenburg would remain united under a single ruler, was a crucial step towards centralization.
Joachim II introduced the Lutheran Reformation to Brandenburg in 1539, which, alongside centralizing religious authority, also allowed for the consolidation of secular power as church properties were secularized and brought under Elector control.

After 1656 the outright bypassing of the Estate rule and the establishment of new governance structures by the territorial lord mark a definitive move towards a ’unitary state’.

[1]

[1]: Johannes Schultze, Die Mark Brandenburg, 2e ed. (Berlin: Duncker und Humblot, 1989). Zotero link: TBJ2MH6T

Degree of Centralization:
confederated state
1539 CE 1618 CE

Language
Linguistic Family:
Indo-European


Religion
Religion Genus:
Christianity

Religion Family:
Catholicism
1415 CE 1539 CE
Religion Family:
Protestantism
1539 CE 1618 CE

Joachim II introduced the Lutheran Reformation to Brandenburg in 1539. [1]

[1]: Johannes Schultze, Die Mark Brandenburg, 2e ed. (Berlin: Duncker und Humblot, 1989). Zotero link: TBJ2MH6T



Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Hierarchical Complexity
Professions
Bureaucracy Characteristics
Law
Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Transport Infrastructure
Special-purpose Sites
Information / Writing System
Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Information / Money
Information / Postal System
Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology

Human Sacrifice Data
Human Sacrifice is the deliberate and ritualized killing of a person to please or placate supernatural entities (including gods, spirits, and ancestors) or gain other supernatural benefits.
- Nothing coded yet.
- Nothing coded yet.
Power Transitions