- 1415-1440: Elector of Brandenburg
- 1397-1427: last Burgrave of Nuremberg
- 1398-1448: Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
- 1420-1448: Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
- 1396: Veteran of Battle of Nicopolis
- 1415: Participant of Council of Constance
- House of Wettin
- House of Hohenzollern
Friedrich I. Hohenzollern von Brandenburg, Kurfürst von Brandenburg, Burggraf von Nürnberg, Markgraf von Brandenburg-Ansbach, Markgraf von Brandenburg-Kulmbach, was born 21 September 1372 in Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany to Friedrich V. von Nürnberg (1333-1398) and Elisabeth von Meißen (1329-1375) and died 21 September 1440 Kadolzburg, Bavaria, Germany of unspecified causes. He married Elisabeth von Bayern-Landshut (1383-1442) 18 September 1401 JL in Schongau, Bavaria, Germany.
Biography
Frederick (Middle High German: Friderich,[1] Standard German: Friedrich; 21 September 1371 – 20 September 1440) was the last Burgrave of Nuremberg from 1397 to 1427 (as Frederick VI), Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach from 1398, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach from 1420, and Elector of Brandenburg (as Frederick I) from 1415 until his death. He became the first member of the House of Hohenzollern to rule the Margraviate of Brandenburg.
Burgrave Frederick, 15th century portrait
Frederick was born in Nuremberg, the second-born son of Burgrave Frederick V (1333–1398) and the Wettin princess Elisabeth of Meissen. He entered early into the service of his brother-in-law, the Habsburg duke Albert III of Austria. After Albert's death in 1395, he fought on the side of the Luxembourg king Sigismund of Hungary against invading Ottoman forces. He and his elder brother John, husband of Sigismund's sister Margaret of Bohemia, fought in the 1396 Battle of Nicopolis where they suffered a disastrous defeat.
After Frederick returned to Nuremberg, he divided the Franconian inheritance from his father with his brother John, who received the Principality of Bayreuth, while Frederick kept the Principality of Ansbach; the brothers ruled jointly in the Burgraviate of Nuremberg. At first Frederick tried to mediate in the imperial confusion between Sigismund's elder half-brother, the German king Wenceslaus, and the party of Elector Rupert III of the Palatinate, but from September 1399 he fought on the side of Rupert, husband of his sister Elizabeth, nonetheless. Wenceslaus was eventually deposed and Rupert elected King of the Romans on 21 August 1400.
Frederick resumed his rule of Ansbach in 1409 and after heavy feuding, entered into the service of King Sigismund. In 1410, the death of Rupert, King of the Germans, left the throne of the Holy Roman Empire vacant. Sigismund enlisted Frederick's help in obtaining the throne. At the time, Jobst of Moravia ruled Brandenburg and thus was one of the prince-electors who had the right to vote for the new king. However, Sigismund disputed Jobst's claim to Brandenburg and his right to vote in the imperial election. Sigismund claimed these rights for himself and designated Frederick to represent him as elector of Brandenburg in the imperial election of 20 September 1410. While Sigismund won this initial vote, Jobst of Moravia won the support of a majority of electors in an election in October 1410 and himself claimed the imperial throne. Jobst's death under suspicious circumstances in January 1411 cleared the way for Sigismund's recovery of Brandenburg and his undisputed election as king of the empire later that year. In gratitude for Frederick's services, King Sigismund made him Oberster Hauptmann and Verwalter der Marken (1411). With an iron hand Frederick fought against the rebellious nobility of the March of Brandenburg (in particular, the Quitzow family) and, in the end, restored security. Frederick also became a member of the Parakeet Society and of the League of Constance.
At the Council of Constance (30 April 1415) Sigismund granted Frederick the titles of Margrave and Prince-elector of Brandenburg. On 21 October 1415 the Brandenburg states meeting in a Landtag asked him to rule in Berlin. The king awarded him the formal enfeoffment of the margravate on 18 April 1417. As Frederick did not agree with the forcible action of Sigismund against the Hussites, relations between them cooled.
Constant feuding with the nobility of Brandenburg led Frederick to withdraw to his castle at Cadolzburg in 1425 and transfer the regency of the margravate to his son John in 1426 (Frederick, however, remained elector). After 1427 he organized the imperial war against the Hussites and subsequently provided substantial assistance in the mediation of the Compacta of Prague at the Council of Basel (30 November 1433).
Upon his death in 1440, Frederick was succeeded as elector by his second-eldest son, Frederick II.
Family and children
He married Elisabeth von Bayern-Landshut (1383-1442), daughter of Duke Frederick of Bavaria-Landshut and Maddalena Visconti.
Their children were:
- Elisabeth, married:
- John "the Alchemist" , Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. Married in 1416 Princess Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg (1405–1465)
- Cäcilie von Brandenburg (c1407-1449), married:
- in Berlin 30 May 1423 Duke William III of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1392–1482).
- Barbara von Brandenburg (c1409-?)
- Margarete von Brandenburg (c1410-1465), married:
- in 1423 to Duke Albert V, Duke of Mecklenburg (1397–1423);
- in Ingolstadt 20 July 1441 to Louis VIII, Duke of Bavaria (1403–1445);
- in 1446 to Count Martin of Waldenfels (d. 1471).
- Magdalene von Brandenburg (c1412-1454), married in Tangermünde 3 July 1429 to Duke Frederick of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1418–1478).
- Frederick II (1413–1471), Elector of Brandenburg
- married in 1441 Princess Catherine of Saxony (1421–1476)
- Albrecht III. Achilles von Brandenburg (1414-1486), Elector of Brandenburg, married:
- in 1446 Princess Margarete of Baden (1431–1457)
- in 1458 Princess Anna of Saxony (1437–1512)
- Sofie von Brandenburg (1416-1416)
- Dorothea von Brandenburg (1420-1491), , married: in 1432 Duke Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg (1417–1477)
- Frederick "the Fat" , Lord of Altmark, married in 1449 Princess Agnes of Pomerania (1436–1512)
Children
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Elisabeth von Nürnberg (1358-1411) | 1358 | 26 June 1411 Heidelberg | Ruprecht III. von der Pfalz (1352-1410) |
| Margarete von Hohenzollern (1363-1406) | 1363 | 1406 | Hermann von Hessen (1341-1413) |
| Anna von Nürnberg (c1361-aft1392) | |||
| Beatrix von Zollern (1362-1414) | 1362 Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany | 10 June 1414 Perchtoldsdorf, Lower Austria, Austria | Albrecht III. von Habsburg (1348-1395) |
| Katharina von Nürnberg (c1363-1409) | |||
| Agnes von Nürnberg (c1365-aft1429) | |||
| Johann III. von Nürnberg (c1369-1420) | 1369 | 11 June 1420 Plassenburg | Margaret von Böhmen (1373-1410) |
| Friedrich I. von Brandenburg (1372-1440) | 21 September 1372 Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany | 21 September 1440 Kadolzburg, Bavaria, Germany | Elisabeth von Bayern-Landshut (1383-1442) |
| Veronika von Nürnberg (c1375-c1422) | 1375 | 1422 | Barnim VI. von Pommern (c1365-1405) |
See Also
- Friedrich Hohenzollern
- House of Wettin
- House of Hohenzollern
Notable Ancesters
Notable Descendants
- Kings of Denmark
- Charles III of the United Kingdom (1948-)
Bibliographies
- Mast, Peter: Die Hohenzollern - Von Friedrich III. bis Wilhelm II., Graz, Wien, Köln 1994
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg
- Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg at thePeerage
- Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg, Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/Friedrich-I-Kurf%C3%BCrst-von-Brandenburg/4786136463460024221, retrieved 22 June 2023
Royal Succession Charts
Friedrich I. von Brandenburg (1372-1440) Born: 21 September 1371 Died: 20 September 1440
| ||
| German nobility | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frederick V |
Burgrave of Nuremberg as Frederick VI 1397–1427 with John III (1397–1420) |
Burgraviate abolished Titular title remained held
by Elector of Brandenburg |
| New title Division of inheritance
from Frederick V |
Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach 1398–1440 |
Succeeded by Albert Achilles |
| Preceded by Sigismund |
Elector of Brandenburg 1415–1440 |
Succeeded by Frederick II |
| Margrave of Brandenburg 1417–1426 |
Succeeded by John the Alchemist | |
| Preceded by John III |
Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach 1420–1440 | |
References
- ^ Anon. (1506). Was mein gnediger herre Margraf Friderich zu Brandenburg etc. vber die von Nurmberg dreyer artigkel der stock ploch hewser vnd glaitehalben vor de pund zu Thunawerd hat lassen furpringen vnnd die von Nurmberg zu anttwort geben auch die punds Rethe dorinn gehandelt haben Egidij Anno etc. VI. Nürnberg: Hieronymus Höltzel. pp. 1. http://bildsuche.digitale-sammlungen.de/index.html?c=viewer&bandnummer=bsb00011592.
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |
Thurstan, Phlox, Rtol, MainTour
|
