Johann Sigismund (Brandenburg)

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Elector Johann Sigismund of Brandenburg, around 1610 Signature Johann Sigismund (Brandenburg) .PNG
Copper engraving with the portrait of Johann Sigismund from the Theatrum Europaeum from 1662
Coat of arms of Johann Sigismund von Brandenburg on the town hall of Srokowo (German Drengfurth )

John Sigismund, Margrave of Brandenburg (* 8. November 1572 in Halle , † December 23, 1619 . Jul / 2. January  1620 greg. In Berlin ) from the sex of the Hohenzollern was Elector of Brandenburg 1608-1619 and administrator of the Duchy of Prussia , with which he was enfeoffed in 1612.

Life

Johann Sigismund was the eldest son of the administrator of Magdeburg, Joachim Friedrich von Brandenburg , and his wife Katharina von Brandenburg-Küstrin . He grew up under the significant influence of his grandfather, the Elector Johann Georg . At his court he received a religious education based on the Lutheran creed.

In 1588 he temporarily left his parents' castle in Wolmirstedt and accompanied his younger brother to Strasbourg in order to underline his claims to the cathedral chapter there together with several other high imperial nobles. After a brief cavalier tour , he returned to Wolmirstedt in 1589.

After his marriage, he lived with his wife Anna von Prussia in Zechlin , from where he traveled several times with his family to his mother-in-law Maria Leonora von Prussia in Königsberg to hunt there.

With the beginning of his reign in Brandenburg in 1608, the fall of the inheritance on the Lower Rhine in 1609 and the tough negotiations with Poland about the Duchy of Prussia, his personal weaknesses became increasingly apparent: he was unwilling to make decisions, and went hunting and playing cards in the woods for weeks and months Back in Prussia, the government left governors and was easily influenced by people close to him. His initially happy marriage was shattered, whereby he avoided disputes with his energetic wife as much as possible.

In 1616 the elector suffered a stroke from which he was not supposed to recover. In 1619 he handed over the business of government to his eldest son, Prince Elector Georg Wilhelm , before his death .

Acquisition of the Duchy of Prussia

Like his father Joachim Friedrich, Johann Sigismund also acquired the trustee through his father-in-law Duke Albrecht Friedrich of Prussia and thus the administration in the Duchy of Prussia, which is part of the Kingdom of Poland. Only after high monetary payments and considerable concessions for the Catholics in Königsberg was King Sigismund III. of Poland in 1612 ready to transfer the duchy to him as a Polish fiefdom . With Albrecht Friedrich's death in 1618 the Franconian-Prussian Hohenzollerns died out. Their inheritance fell to the Brandenburg Hohenzollern and thus to Johann Sigismund, who, however, was already severely impaired and died the following year.

Claims to Jülich-Kleve-Berg

After the Klevian ducal house died out in January 1609, Johann Sigismund, as guardian of his wife Anna of Prussia, raised the claim to the sole inheritance of the United Duchies of Jülich-Kleve-Berg .

Against his will, his brother Ernst , whom he had sent to the Lower Rhine as governor, concluded a contract in June 1609 with Wolfgang Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg , who also raised inheritance claims, about a joint government in the disputed areas.

After the failure of an attack Brandenburg soldiers on Dusseldorf to displace Wolfgang William and the invasion of a Spanish army under Ambrosius Spinola came in 1614 to the Treaty of Xanten , where Johann Sigismund time being the sole government in Duchy of Cleves and the counties of Mark and Ravensberg awarded was .

Since the emperor did not recognize the hereditary claims of Brandenburg and Palatinate-Neuburg, the use of the title "Duke in Jülich, Kleve and Berg" by Johann Sigismund was not legally permissible at the imperial level. On Diets Brandenburg had therefore no right to vote in Prince College for the Duchy of Cleves to.

Conversion to Calvinism

On Christmas Day 1613 (December 25, 1613 July / January 4,  1614 greg. ) Johann Sigismund converted from the Lutheran to the Reformed confession in the Berlin Cathedral , an event that is one of the most important in Brandenburg-Prussian history. Previous studies were based on a political or religious motivation of the elector. Taking into account regional historical studies as well as more recent findings on the “Second Reformation” and the personality of Johann Sigismund, recent research assumes that this conversion was a result of the influence of a group of people on the elector. With the help of a "personal bridge" ( Gerhard Oestreich ), which mainly included councilors (including Adam Gans Edler zu Putlitz ), preachers and court masters, the Calvinist action party in the west of the empire made several and ultimately successful attempts to bring Brandenburg into the To integrate the network of the "Protestant internationalism" ( Heinz Schilling ) that developed around 1600 , initially influencing the brothers Ernst and Johann Georg von Brandenburg and his son Georg Wilhelm .

In the pamphlet “Confessio Sigismundi” (also called “Marchia”), written by his court preacher Martin Füssel in 1614, he allowed his country children not to understand this conversion and thus established an exception to the formula cuius regio eius religio provided for in the Augsburg religious peace of 1555 . Because of the extremely fierce resistance of the Brandenburg clergy (for example during the Berlin tumult in 1615), the population remained almost entirely Lutheran. The ruling house insisted that the members of the ruling class (high officials and officers) convert to Calvinism. One speaks therefore in Brandenburg of a " court Calvinism ".

Monument in the Siegesallee

Monument to Johann Sigismund, around 1901

For the former Berliner Siegesallee , the sculptor Peter Breuer designed monument group 23 with a statue of Johann Sigismund as the main figure, which was unveiled on August 30, 1901. As minor figures, the statue was assigned busts of the Oberburggrave Fabian von Dohna and the Privy Councilor and Governor Thomas von dem Knesebeck , who had tried to strike a balance between Lutherans and Calvinists . The main character, depicted with a calm, serious face and a steadfast posture, emphasizes Johann Sigismund's steadfast stance in matters of faith. The plump figure in Spanish-Dutch costume with wide harem pants characterized the contemporary criticism as a " Falstaff figure ". The statue has been preserved, but has a chipped face and other significant damage. It has been in the Spandau Citadel since May 2009 .

progeny

In 1594 Johann Sigismund married Anna of Prussia (* 1576, † 1625), the eldest daughter of Duke Albrecht Friedrich of Prussia and his wife Marie Eleonore von Jülich-Kleve-Berg . He had eight children with her:

  • Georg Wilhelm (1595–1640), Elector and Margrave of Brandenburg
⚭ 1616 Princess Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (1597–1660)
⚭ 1614 Duke Friedrich Ulrich of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1591–1634)
⚭ 1620 King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden (1594–1632)
⚭ 1. 1626 Prince Gábor Bethlen of Transylvania (1580–1629)
⚭ 2. 1639 Duke Franz Karl of Saxony-Lauenburg (1594–1660)
  • Joachim Sigismund (1603-1625)
  • Agnes (1606-1607)
  • Johann Friedrich (1607-1608)
  • Albrecht Christian (* / † 1609)

literature

  • Johannes Schultze:  Johann Sigismund. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 10, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1974, ISBN 3-428-00191-5 , p. 475 f. ( Digitized version ).
  • Udo Krolzik:  Johann Sigismund. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 3, Bautz, Herzberg 1992, ISBN 3-88309-035-2 , Sp. 178-181.
  • Theodor HirschJohann Sigismund . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1881, pp. 169-175.
  • Reinhold Koser : History of Brandenburg politics up to the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 (= history of Brandenburg-Prussian politics. Vol. 1). 2nd Edition. Stuttgart / Berlin 1913.
  • Heinz Immekeppel: The Duchy of Prussia from 1603 to 1618 (= studies on the history of Prussia. Vol. 24). Diss. Phil. Bonn 1975, Cologne / Bonn 1975.
  • Bodo Nischan : Prince, People, and Confession. The Second Reformation in Brandenburg. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia 1994, ISBN 0-8122-3242-9 .
  • Andreas Gautschi , Helmut Suter: About hunting, drinking and governing. Reminiscences from the life of Elector Johann Sigismund von Brandenburg, quoted from old letters. CA Starke, Limburg 2006, ISBN 3-7980-0609-1 .
  • Axel Gotthard : Between Lutheranism and Calvinism (1598–1640). In: Frank-Lothar Kroll (Ed.): Prussia's rulers. From the first Hohenzollern to Wilhelm II. 2nd edition. Munich 2001, pp. 74-94.
  • Franz Josef Burghardt : Brandenburg and the Lower Rhine Estates 1615–1620. In: Research on Brandenburg and Prussian history. NF 17, 2007, pp. 1-95.
  • Wolfgang Neugebauer : Brandenburg-Prussia in the early modern period, politics and state formation in the 17th and 18th centuries. In: ders. (Ed.): Handbuch der Prußischen Geschichte. Vol. 1: The 17th and 18th centuries and major themes in the history of Prussia. Campus, Berlin, New York 2009, pp. 113–410.
  • Franz Josef Burghardt : Between Fundamentalism and Tolerance. Calvinist influences on Elector Johann Sigismund von Brandenburg before his conversion (= historical research. Vol. 96). Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3428137978 .
  • Franz Josef Burghardt : Brandenburg 1618–1688. Court Calvinism and Territory Complex. In: Herman J. Selderhuis, J. Marius J. Lang van Ravenswaay (eds.): Reformed Majorities in Early Modern Europe. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-525-55083-0 , pp. 111-138.

Web links

Commons : Johann Sigismund  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. In the older literature it was repeatedly claimed that his father Joachim Friedrich had sent him to study at the university in Strasbourg; different: FJ Burghardt, Between Tolerance and Fundamentalism, pp. 17–22.
  2. For details on this, A. Gautschi u. H. Suter: About hunting, drinking and governing.
  3. H. Immekeppel: The Duchy of Prussia from 1603-1618 .
  4. Johann Sigismund's claim to power and his wife Anna were expressed in numerous ordinances for the Lower Rhine duchies, e. B. in: “Conuoy order, like the same through the transilluminated… Mr. Johans Sigismunden, Marggraffen zu Brandenburg… Vnd Frawen Annen Pfaltzgräffin near the Rhine… and Mr. Ernsten Marggraffen zu Brandenburg… in the Furstenthumben Gulich and Berg, also belonging Countschaft Rauenßberg auff allen : also in: and against outgoing goods and goods on water and land to the better defension of these obscured princes and lands and stimulated good or true bite to other modest and further regulation made and implemented ”. Buyß, Dusseldorff 1610. Digitized edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf
  5. Since there were disputes again and again because of the annual alternating filling of vacancies and because of the allocation of rights and benefices, several further contracts were necessary between Margrave Ernst and Count Palatine Wolfgang Wilhelm, for example in 1612: Des Churfursten zu Brandenburg / In Preussen / to Gulich / Cleue / Berg / etc. pulled ... Vnd Frawen Annen / Pfaltzgräuin by the Rhine / In Bavaria / to Gulich / Cleue vnd Berg / etc. Hertzogin ... those in power: Mr Ernsten Marggrauen zu Brandenburg… Vnnd Mr Wolffgang Wilhelms Pfaltzgrauen by Rhine / ... to whom so from their FF. GG. protection vnd screen to Mulheim hot to settle down eager. I. Freedom and privileges granted. Buyß, Dusseldorff 1612. Digitized edition
  6. Not until 1666 was the final division of the estate between Brandenburg and Pfalz-Neuburg achieved in the Treaty of Kleve , which the emperor also did not recognize.
  7. ^ FJ Burghardt, Between Fundamentalism and Tolerance .
  8. Nevertheless, in the period that followed, tensions arose again and again between the reformed electoral house and the Lutheran regional church, which was only established under the reign of King Friedrich Wilhelm III. could be settled by Prussia. For detailed information on Court Calvinism since Johann Sigismund: Franz Josef Burghardt , Brandenburg 1618-1688. Court Calvinism and Territory Complex ; see literature.
  9. Uta Lehnert: The Kaiser and the Siegesallee. Réclame Royale , Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1998, p. 184f ISBN 3-496-01189-0
predecessor Office successor
Joachim Friedrich Elector of Brandenburg and Duke in Prussia
1608–1619
Georg Wilhelm