Brandenburg interregnum

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The Battle of Mühldorf of 1322 decided the succession in Reich and Mark . The Jewish e handwriting presented the events as a duel between Louis IV. , And Frederick I represent.

The Märkische or Brandenburgische Interregnum lasted from 1319/1320 to 1323. During this time no recognized elector ruled over the Mark Brandenburg .

Course of the interregnum

Several confused, confusing, chronologically difficult to understand years raged between the territorial rulers of the Ascanians and Wittelsbachers . They went down in history as the Brandenburg Interregnum . Strictly speaking, it began in 1320, but the dispute over the inheritance had already flared up a year earlier. In August 1319 Waldemar , Margrave of Brandenburg (1308-1319) died of a fever . News of his unexpected death spread like wildfire. While the country complained, the neighbors hoped for rich booty. The rise of Brandenburg one of the most powerful princes -owner in the Holy Roman Empire , they hurt for a long time as an eyesore.

Heinrich II. Was the last male Ascanian of the Brandenburg line. A note in a chronicle made at the time claimed that the childless Waldemar had accepted him as his heir. No other written source confirmed this statement, and no party acted accordingly. Apparently the elector had neglected to give his cousin feudal rights and thus to arrange the succession. The imperial political circumstances created additional difficulties. No agreement had been reached at the royal election in 1314. Since then, Ludwig IV from the House of Wittelsbach and Friedrich I from the House of Habsburg - Waldemar had voted for him - fought for the throne . Thus there was no recognized king who could give an enfeoffment.

The guardianship of Heinrich the child was the best way to substantiate claims . First acted Wartislaw IV. , Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast (1309-1326). Influential circles of the estates of the Mark over Oder supported him , at their head Hasso von Wedel . The Pomeranian invaded the country, took possession of his father's distant relative and already exercised sovereign rights on September 4, 1319 - a very common practice at the time. Soon after uncertificated he also in the country Lebus . Rudolf I , Duke of Saxony-Wittenberg (1298–1356) became his adversary . The Ascanian was male related to Heinrich the child. The lack of affiliation with the Brandenburg line actually ruled out an entitlement. In addition to the Lausitz mark , he brought Zauche , Havelland , Teltow and Barnim under his control by the beginning of 1320 . The individual landscape union stands endorsed the approach, whether voluntarily or under duress is unsettled.

Rudolf I , Duke of Saxony-Wittenberg

The neighbors caused a dismemberment on all sides. On August 10, 1319, Waldemar exchanged his Sagan - Krossen area for Schwiebus - Züllichau . The case of the childless death of the elector envisaged an attack on both areas before the dukes of Silesia-Glogau . The clause took effect in the same month. Günther of Käfernburg , Council on markgräf union court , tried at least Sagan Krusty recover. Heinrich IV. , Duke of Silesia-Glogau (1312–1342) prevented this. In addition, as the husband of Mechthilds von Brandenburg , the sister of Agnes von Brandenburg , he registered a claim to the mark. Heinrich I , Duke of Silesia-Jauer (1312-1346), as the son of Beatrix, daughter of Otto V , did the same . He took over the Land of Görlitz without any legal claim. The land to the west of Budissin was seized by John , King of Bohemia (1311–1346) with the approval of the estates. Only the enfeoffment by Ludwig IV on September 13, 1320 legitimized the procedure. The military advance of Bohemia into the Lausitz region was unsuccessful. The House of Wettin also claimed this imperial territory .

The situation in the north was no better. Even before Waldemar was buried, Heinrich II , Prince of Mecklenburg (1302-1329 ) moved into the castles of Wredenhagen and Lübz because of the Peace of Templin (November 24, 1317) . His penetration into the Prignitz took place without authorization. Bit by bit he brought cities and nobility on his side. On August 20, 1319, the first nobles signed service contracts, including two Quitzows . In 1319/1320 Droyseke von Kröcher and Redeke von Redern ceded the pledge for 20,000  marks over large parts of the Prignitz - Havelberg , Kyritz , Perleberg and Pritzwalk - as well as the little country Grabow and the patches of the same name on the Elde . On September 21, 1319, the von Alsleben family, together with the Ländchen, town and castle, submitted to Mecklenburg. Günzel Gans zu Putlitz recognized the new sovereign on November 2nd. The joined Henry III. , Bishop of Havelberg (1319-1324). With that, the transition was dry. Probably moved in September 1319, Henry II. Of Mecklenburg with agreement of his brother Rudolf I to Uckerland one. He forced cities and vassals to pay homage . The advance met resistance. The dukes of Pomerania also tried to assert interests here, in doing so they occupied the area around Prenzlau and Pasewalk . Ulrich II, Count von Lindow-Ruppin invaded the north of the Havelland . Access to Unterhavel and Rathenow was intended to establish a connection between the Ruppin rule and its southern territories.

The Wittum of the surviving margravines was an essential factor . The Annas of Austria , Hermann's widow and now Duchess of Silesia -Breslau included Werben on the Elbe , town and district of Seehausen , town and district of Arneburg . Agnes of Brandenburg, widow Waldemar fell medium Brandenburg City Altlandsberg , Berlin - Kölln , Koepenick , Liebenwalde , Mittenwalde in Teltow , Rathenow, Spandau and Teltow , also in the Elbe-Havel-Winkel , the city Sandau the Ländchen Kamern . Beyond the stream came Tangermünde , Stendal , Salzwedel and the three bears their circles and Osterburg and Gardelegen added. The local Brandenburg landscape only grew together under the name Altmark ( Antiqua Marchia ) at this time .

The mentioned lands west of the Elbe included the original Allod of the Ascanians and the current fiefdom of the Archbishop of Magdeburg . The prince-bishop had agreed to the prescription. He could therefore initially not claim the territory himself or re-assign it. Rudolf I, on the other hand, found a way to take the extensive Wittum Agnes von Brandenburg for himself - as the oldest Agnat he declared himself to be their guardian. The plan did not work because Waldemar's widow evaded it through a quick marriage at the end of 1319 to Otto , Prince of Braunschweig (1318–1344). The situation for Anna of Austria was even more pressing. Your Wittum aroused the desires of Heinrich II. Von Mecklenburg, Otto II. , Prince of Lüneburg (1277-1330) and Rudolf. Albrecht I , Bishop of Halberstadt (1304-1324) and relative of Rudolf, bribed with 1000 marks , issued an unlawful mortgage on April 6, 1320 for the three. The project failed. Nevertheless, the method was still used several times. Otto II von Lüneburg had himself enfeoffed at around the same time by Nikolaus , Bishop of Verden (1312–1331), with the Seehausen circle and Wische .

Expansion of the Mark Brandenburg at the end of Askanier time

Meanwhile, Rudolf I was able to consolidate his position. The Zauche, also once Ascanian allod and now Erzmagdeburg fiefdom, looked at Burchard III. , Archbishop of Magdeburg (1307–1325) as fallen home. At the beginning of 1320 the Duke of Saxony-Wittenberg prevailed. It had to be doubted that he got the child under his control at the same time as Heinrich. Both Rudolf (March 5, 1320, June 11) and Wartislaw IV. (March 14) issued notifications in the boy's name. Nevertheless, Ludwig IV, as the Brandenburger's uncle, disliked Rudolf's increase in legitimacy. Especially since this as the grandson of Rudolf VI. von and son Agnes von Habsburg were on the opposite side in terms of imperial politics. Therefore, the Wittelsbach declared on June 18, 1320 Henry II. For mature . However, his loan from the mark did not take place. Only once did he act independently - together with his mother Agnes von Wittelsbach in a donation to the Sabinen Monastery in Prenzlau . The host city was in the Pomeranian sphere of influence. Soon afterwards, in July 1320, Heinrich II died. The cause of death was an illness that limited his viability from the beginning. On the other hand, there were rumors of poisoning . In any case, the Ascanian era in Brandenburg ended with him, but this was not yet certain at that time.

With Agnes von Wittelsbach, widow of Heinrich I of Brandenburg and sister Ludwig IV., The Mark Landsberg and the Palatinate County of Saxony remained as Wittum . Her brother awarded these two imperial territories, the imperial castles Kyffhausen and Allstedt , to Bernhard II , Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (1287-1323) on September 27, 1320 . Agnes von Wittelsbach was entitled to lifelong usufruct . In a separate document, Bernhard vowed to return the four fiefs in the event of an enfeoffment with the Margraviate of Brandenburg, including the electoral vote and the office of treasurer . Apparently he also wanted to succeed him in the country and Ludwig IV tried to resign him.

As early as the spring of 1320, the rural towns of Mecklenburg fell away. During the advance of the Pomeranian dukes in July 1320, they also conquered the neighboring Eberswalde . On July 27, Wartislaw IV of Pomerania-Wolgast concluded an alliance with Heinrich I of Silesia-Jauer that promised him the previous property and his partner the rest. The agreement was apparently directed against the alliance between Heinrich II. Von Mecklenburg and Rudolf I von Sachsen-Wittenberg. Prenzlau and Pasewalk sought protection from Christoph II , King of Denmark (1319-1326). In his name Otto I , Duke of Pomerania-Stettin (1295-1344) and Wartislaw IV signed a contract with the two cities on August 23. In it they assured that they would withdraw against reimbursement of costs if a unanimously elected king gave the land to a prince with better rights. An agreement was reached with Templin on the same day . The man from Mecklenburg answered promptly, marched into the Uckerland, took the latter city (homage on October 1st) and other places. Towards the end of 1320, Heinrich II moved from Mecklenburg in Pomerania to Stettin . At the imperial level, the Dukes of Pomerania strove for liberation from the Brandenburg fiefdom. Ludwig IV made a corresponding promise that he would not keep. The trick also served to achieve the goal of taking their land on August 16 from Conrad IV , Bishop of Cammin (1317-1324) as a fief.

Idealized representation of Ludwig IV , Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

After the cessation of guardianship over Heinrich the child, Rudolf I looked for new ways to legally underpin his rule. He hired Jutta von Kranichfeld , abbess of the Quedlinburg monastery (1308–1347). Five documents dated September 19, 1320 from Rudolf's law firm said that he received the Zauche, the Teltow and the Nauen from their hands . The deceased margraves should have previously owned it as a fief. This was simply a lie. Since only copies and drafts have survived, and the abbess required the approval of the convention , the legal act probably did not take place. As a new argument, Rudolf listed his marriage to Jutta von Brandenburg. As the daughter of Otto V, she passed the Ascanian inheritance to her sons. In a treaty dated August 24, 1321, 23 cities followed this view. Their listing (Altlandsberg, Beelitz in der Zauche , Beeskow , Berlin, Bernau , Altstadt Brandenburg , Neustadt Brandenburg , Kölln, Eberswalde, Frankfurt , Fürstenwalde , Görzke , Guben , Köpenick, Luckau , Mittenwalde im Teltow, Müncheberg , Nauen, Rathenow, Sommerfeld in the [Nieder-] Lausitz , Spandau, Strausberg and [Treuen-] Brietzen ) outlined his sphere of influence, which included Havelland, Zauche, Barnim, Land Lebus, Teltow and Mark Lausitz. His sons were considered the real rulers, the Wittum of Agnes von Brandenburg remained unaffected.

The year 1322 saw some alliances and battles. Heinrich II. Von Mecklenburg agreed on May 11th a service contract with Heinrich III. , Count of Schwerin . In it he left him the little country, town and castle of Lenzen. On May 29, 1322, the dukes of Lüneburg and Braunschweig divided the west Elbe Wittum of Agnes of Brandenburg among themselves for the future. The Guelphs did not have any authorization to dispose of the territories after the death of Agnes . The Pomeranian dukes allied themselves on May 5, 1321 with Wizlaw III. , Prince of Rügen (1302–1325), with the Bishop of Cammin and on June 11, 1322 with the Lords of Werle . The army succession in the service of the Danish king was directed against the efforts of Heinrich II of Mecklenburg in the Uckerland. Peace should only be made after certain cities and towns have been conquered. Johann II. , Lord of Werle-Güstrow (1316–1337) and Johann III. , Herr von Werle-Goldberg (1316–1350) were previously on the side of Heinrich II of Mecklenburg. All three were from House Obodrites . The current rivals fought on December 31, 1322 a battle in the Prignitz. The latter drove Johann von Wenden out of Fretzdorf Castle , which is the documentary name for the Lords of Werle. For lack of success they quickly dissolved the alliance they had entered into.

Most of the actors managed to tear pieces out of the Mark Brandenburg. The archbishop of Magdeburg was one of the losers; his feudal rights were neglected. The decisive impulse to end the interregnum came from the Reich. On September 28, 1322 Ludwig IV was victorious in the battle of Mühldorf . In doing so, he eliminated his Habsburg opponent Friedrich I and fought for freedom of action. Chroniclers reported that Ludwig IV offered the prospect of Brandenburg to Johann von Böhmen from Luxembourg for the support he had provided. In April 1323 he urged him to keep his promise. Thereupon the German king settled the matter in his own way. The Reichstag in Nuremberg provided the framework in the same month. There he declared his 7-year-old son, Ludwig I, to be the new sovereign , bypassing all rivals . He was less motivated by the expansion of the Wittelsbach power , but more by slowing down the House of Luxembourg. It took a correspondingly long time for written confirmation. It did not take place until the beginning of 1327, backdated to June 24, 1324. The controversy over the mark was long in the next round.

Location in the country

The extinction of the Brandenburg Ascanians heralded a nearly century of turmoil. The danger during the interregnum radiated into the region. In 1321 Hermann II , Bishop of Schwerin (1315-1322) refused a papal summons to Rome . Due to the general confusion, discord and insecurity, his church and diocese were threatened with decay in their absence. The individual Brandenburg regions concluded peace agreements. In altmärk een Wittums the area Markgräfinnen widows signed eight cities and the Castle SAT the agreement (December 21, 1321, January 22, 1322). Unlike the others, the area did not suffer any fighting. In the Mark over Oder , Bärwalde in the Neumark , Königsberg in the Neumark , Mohrin and Schönfließ in the Neumark sought protection in a city ​​union (April 23, 1320).

Assessment of the interregnum

The assessments agreed on one point: The Margraviate of Brandenburg only barely escaped complete disintegration during the interregnum .

Gerd Heinrich saw an awakened sense of home as a stabilizing factor. The Märker saw themselves increasingly as a unit. The myths about the founding of the country Albrecht the Bear and the struggles of his successors had an effect. The output in favor of the Wittelsbachs prevented askanische total domination in the northeast of the realm and a uniform expansion of the inner country rule .

Jan Winkelmann started with the rapid breakup after the founding dynasty died out and the subjugation of the Brandenburg landscapes under new rulers . He evaluated this as evidence of a lack of internal consolidation of power and the uncertain feudal situation of the Ascanian lands. The first led to a lack of national awareness, the latter made it easier for the neighboring princes to access. The historian said the Mark Brandenburg at this time the status of a territorial state from, but each site were in varying intensity and duration under the overall domination of the Marquis .

literature

alphabetically ascending

Individual evidence

The terms of office are mostly taken from Wikipedia .

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Johannes Schultze: The Mark Brandenburg. 2nd volume . 4th edition, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-428-13480-9 , I. The mark under the Wittelsbach house. 1. The Inheritance Controversy (1319–1323), pp. 9–24.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Helmut Assing: The sovereignty of the Ascanians, Wittelsbachers and Luxembourgers (middle of the 12th to the beginning of the 15th century) . In: Brandenburg history . Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-05-002508-5 , The end of the Ascanians, the Brandenburg interregnum and the transfer of the margraviate to the Wittelsbachers (1308 to 1323/24), pp. 132-136.
  3. ^ A b Lew Hohmann: Conquerors, settlers and robber barons 928–1411 . In: The Brandenburgers . Be.Bra Verlag, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-930863-47-2 , pp. 10-27.
  4. ↑ a b c Jan Winkelmann: The Mark Brandenburg of the 14th century . 1st edition, Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86732-112-9 , The Mark Brandenburg in the 14th century. A time of ongoing crises? On the concept of crisis, pp. 56–63, here pp. 59–63.
  5. ↑ Johannes Schultze: The Mark Brandenburg. 1st volume . 4th edition, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-428-13480-9 , 22. Margrave Woldemar Sole Ruler (1317-1319), pp. 233-242, Schwiebus-Züllichau: pp. 237-238, Günther von Käfernburg: pp. 239–240.
  6. ↑ Marek Wejwoda: Mighty neighbor's plaything? "The Lausitz" in the 14th century . In: Heinz-Dieter Heimann , Klaus Neitmann , Uwe Tresp (eds.): The Lower and Upper Lusatia - Contours of an integration landscape. Volume I: Middle Ages (= The Lower and Upper Lusatia - Contours of an Integration Landscape ). 3 volumes, Lukas Verlag für Kunst- und Geistesgeschichte, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-86732-160-0 , pp. 191–203, here pp. 192–193.
  7. ↑ a b Lieselott Enders : The Prignitz. History of a Kurmark landscape from the 12th to the 18th century (= Klaus Neitmann [Hrsg.]: Publications of the Brandenburg State Main Archives . Volume 38). 1st edition, Verlag für Berlin-Brandenburg, Potsdam 2000, ISBN 3-935035-00-4 , A. The political conditions. 1. The sovereignty of the secular princes. Instability, pp. 127-131.
  8. ^ Gerd Heinrich: Brandenburg culture atlas . 4th edition, Hendrik Bäßler Verlag, Berlin 2015, ISBN 978-3-930388-63-9 , Brandenburg in the late Middle Ages, parts of the country and historical sites, pp. 10-11.
  9. ↑ Gerd Heinrich (Ed.): Appendix . In: Berlin and Brandenburg . 3rd edition, Alfred Kröner Verlag, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-520-31103-8 , lists of bishops of the Brandenburg dioceses, pp. 500–501.
  10. ↑ Gerd Heinrich : The Counts of Arnstein (= Reinhold Olesch , Walter Schlesinger , Ludwig Erich Schmitt [Hrsg.]: Mitteldeutsche Forschungen . Volume 21). Böhlau Verlag, Cologne / Graz 1961, DNB 451926129 , 2nd part. Formation and training of the lords of the Counts of Arnstein, Counts of Barby and Counts of Lindow. VII. The Counts of Lindow-Ruppin. B. The property, pp. 341–379, here p. 358.
  11. ↑ Rosemarie Baudisch: Geographical foundations and historical-political structure of Brandenburg . In: Brandenburg history . Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-05-002508-5 , landscapes. Altmark, p. 22.
  12. ↑ Johannes Schultze: The Mark Brandenburg. 2nd volume . 4th edition, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-428-13480-9 , I. The mark under the Wittelsbach house. 2. Margrave Ludwig I under guardianship (1323–1333), pp. 25–50.
  13. ↑ Michael Menzel: The Wittelsbach house power expansion in Brandenburg, Tyrol and Holland . In: German Archive for Research into the Middle Ages. Volume 61 . Böhlau Verlag, Kölln 2005, Brandenburg, pp. 107–127.
  14. ↑ Michael Menzel: Die Stiftslehen der Mark (1196-1449) . In: Yearbook for the history of Central and Eastern Germany. Volume 52 . K. G. Saur, Munich 2007, Chapter II, pp. 63-72.
  15. ^ Lew Hohmann: Conquerors, settlers and robber barons 928-1411 . In: The Brandenburgers . Be.Bra Verlag, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-930863-47-2 , Die Mark in Acht und Bann, pp. 28-29.
  16. ↑ Joachim Stephan: The Brandenburg nobility in the late Middle Ages . In: Clemens Bergstedt, Heinz-Dieter Heimann , Knut Kiesant, Peter Knüvener, Mario Müller, Kurt Winkler (eds.): In dialogue with robber barons and beautiful Madonnas. The Mark Brandenburg in the late Middle Ages . Accompanying volume for the exhibition association Raubritter and Schöne Madonnen (= Heinz-Dieter Heimann, Klaus Neitmann on behalf of the Brandenburg Historical Commission and Brandenburg State Main Archives [ed.]: Studies on Brandenburg and Comparative State History . Volume 6). 1st edition, Lukas Verlag für Kunst- und Geistesgeschichte, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86732-118-1 , Adel und Landesherr, pp. 299–304, here p. 299.
  17. ↑ Joachim Stephan: The Brandenburg nobility in the late Middle Ages . In: Clemens Bergstedt, Heinz-Dieter Heimann , Knut Kiesant, Peter Knüvener, Mario Müller, Kurt Winkler (eds.): In dialogue with robber barons and beautiful Madonnas. The Mark Brandenburg in the late Middle Ages . Accompanying volume for the exhibition association Raubritter and Schöne Madonnen (= Heinz-Dieter Heimann, Klaus Neitmann on behalf of the Brandenburg Historical Commission and Brandenburg State Main Archives [ed.]: Studies on Brandenburg and Comparative State History . Volume 6). 1st edition, Lukas Verlag für Kunst- und Geistesgeschichte, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86732-118-1 , The new noble upper class: die Schlossgesessenen, pp. 298–299.
  18. ↑ a b Gerd Heinrich: Historical introduction . In: Berlin and Brandenburg . 3rd edition, Alfred Kröner Verlag, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-520-31103-8 , VI. The Late Middle Ages, pp. XXXVI – XLII, here pp. XXXVI – XXXVII.
predecessor Office successor
Henry II Margrave of Brandenburg
1320-1323 		Ludwig I.