![Arms of Brandenburg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Arms_of_Brandenburg.svg)
This article lists the Margraves and Electors of
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
.
The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
. It was created in 1157 as the
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg (german: link=no, Markgrafschaft Brandenburg) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe.
Brandenburg developed out o ...
by
Albert the Bear
Albert the Bear (german: Albrecht der Bär; 1100 – 18 November 1170) was the first margrave of Brandenburg from 1157 to his death and was briefly duke of Saxony between 1138 and 1142.
Life
Albert was the only son of Otto, Count of Bal ...
, Margrave of the
Northern March
The Northern March or North March (german: Nordmark) was created out of the division of the vast ''Marca Geronis'' in 965. It initially comprised the northern third of the ''Marca'' (roughly corresponding to the modern state of Brandenburg) and ...
. In 1356, by the terms of the
Golden Bull
A golden bull or chrysobull was a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, most notably by the Holy Roman Emperors. The term was originally coined for the golden seal (a ''bull ...
of
Charles IV, the Margrave of Brandenburg was given the permanent right to participate in the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
of the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
with the title of
Elector
Elector may refer to:
* Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors
* Elector, a member of an electoral college
** Confederate elector, a member of ...
(german: Kurfürst).
The early rulers came from several different dynasties, but from 1415 Brandenburg and its successor states were ruled by the
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
for over 500 years. From 1618 onward, Brandenburg was ruled in
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...
with the
Duchy of Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the Prussia (region), region of P ...
. The Hohenzollerns raised Prussia to a kingdom as the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
in 1701, and from then on Brandenburg was ''de facto'' treated as part of the kingdom even though it was legally still part of the Holy Roman Empire. The titles of Margrave of Brandenburg and Elector of Brandenburg were abolished along with the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and Brandenburg was formally integrated into Prussia. Despite this, the Prussian kings still included the title "Margrave of Brandenburg" in their royal style. From 1871 to 1918 the Hohenzollerns were also
German Emperor
The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the offi ...
s.
Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg
House of Ascania
The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt.
The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss ...
Partitions of Brandenburg under Ascanian rule
Table of rulers
House of Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...
Luxemburg Dynasty
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzol ...
Partitions of Brandenburg under Hohenzollern rule
Table of rulers
(Note: here, the numbering of the princes is the same for all principalities, as all were titled Margraves of Brandenburg, despite the different parts of land and its particular numbering of the rulers. The princes are numbered by the year of their succession.)
Titular Margraves of Brandenburg after 1806
This includes Kings of Prussia with the title of Margrave of Brandenburg (1806–1918) and pretenders to the throne of Prussia (1918–present)
Family tree
Upper Presidents of Brandenburg
In 1815 Brandenburg was constituted as the Prussian
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg (german: Provinz Brandenburg) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1945. Brandenburg was established in 1815 from the Kingdom of Prussia's core territory, comprised the bulk of the historic Margraviate of Brandenburg ...
without a sovereign ruler, but with
Upper Presidents appointed by the central Prussian government. The upper president carried out central prerogatives on the provincial level and supervised the implementation of central policy on the lower levels of administration.
*1815–1824:
Georg Friedrich Christian von Heydebreck (1765–1828)
*1825–1840:
Friedrich Magnus von Bassewitz (1773–1858)
*1840–1842: vacancy
*1842–1848:
August Werner von Meding
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo (astrology), Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin ...
(1792–1871)
*1848–1849:
Robert von Patow
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
(1804–1890), per pro
*1849–1850: vacancy
*1849–1850:
August Hermann Klemens Freiherr Wolff von Metternich (1803–1872), per pro
*1850–1858:
Eduard Heinrich von Flottwell (1786–1865)
*1859–1862: Eduard Heinrich von Flottwell (1786–1865)
*1862:
Werner Ludolph Erdmann von Selchow Werner may refer to:
People
* Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name
Fictional characters
* Werner (comics), a German comic book character
* Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Ra ...
(1806–1884)
*1862–1879:
Gustav Wilhelm von Jagow
Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to:
* Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film
* ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short car ...
(1813–1879)
*1879–1899:
Heinrich von Achenbach Heinrich may refer to:
People
* Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...
(1829–1899)
*1899–1905:
Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg
Theobald Theodor Friedrich Alfred von Bethmann Hollweg (29 November 1856 – 1 January 1921) was a German politician who was the chancellor of the German Empire from 1909 to 1917. He oversaw the German entry into World War I. According to biog ...
(1856–1921)
*1905–1909:
August von Trott zu Solz
August Bodo Wilhelm Clemens Paul von Trott zu Solz (29 December 1855 – 27 October 1938) was a German politician.
Born in Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) into the noble Trott zu Solz family, he became Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Pru ...
(1855–1938)
*1909–1910:
Friedrich Wilhelm von Loebell Friedrich may refer to:
Names
* Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich''
* Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich''
Other
* Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Year ...
(1855–1931)
*1910–1914:
Alfred von Conrad
Alfred may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series
* ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne
* ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák
*"Alfred (Interlu ...
(1852–1914)
*1914–1917:
Rudolf von der Schulenburg (1860–1930)
*1917–1919: Friedrich Wilhelm von Loebell (1855–1931)
*1919–1933:
Adolf Maier
Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...
(1871–1963)
*1933–1936:
Wilhelm Kube
Wilhelm Kube (13 November 1887 – 22 September 1943) was a Nazi official and German politician. He was an important figure in the German Christian movement during the early years of Nazi rule. During the war he became a senior official in the o ...
(1887–1943)
*1937–1945:
Emil Stürtz
Emil Stürtz (15 November 1892 – missing 21 April 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and politician who served as the ''Gauleiter'' in Brandenburg from 1936 to 1945.
Early life
Stürtz was born in Wieps, a village outside of Allenste ...
(1892–1945), since 1936 per pro
Land Directors of Brandenburg
Since 1875, with the strengthening of
self-rule
__NOTOC__
Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...
within the provinces, the urban and rural
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
elected representatives for the provincial diets (
Provinziallandtag
The Provinces of Prussia (german: Provinzen Preußens) were the main administrative divisions of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. Prussia's province system was introduced in the Stein-Hardenberg Reforms in 1815, and were mostly organized from duchies a ...
e). These parliaments legislated within the competences transferred to the provinces. The provincial diet of Brandenburg elected a provincial executive body (government), the provincial committee (Provinzialausschuss), and a head of province, the land director (
Landesdirektor).
[In other Prussian provinces the same office used to be called Landeshauptmann (about in en, land captain). Cf. article: "Landesdirektor", in: ''Der Große Brockhaus: Handbuch des Wissens in zwanzig Bänden'': 21 vols.; Leipzig: Brockhaus, 151928–1935; Bd. 11 (1932), p. 71.] Self-rule was abolished under the Nazi dictatorship.
*1876–1896:
Albert Erdmann Karl Gerhard von Levetzow
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
(1827–1903),
German Conservative Party
The German Conservative Party (german: Deutschkonservative Partei, DkP) was a right-wing political party of the German Empire founded in 1876. It largely represented the wealthy landowning elite Prussian Junkers.
The party was a response to Ge ...
*1896–1912:
Otto Karl Gottlob von Manteuffel (1844–1913), German Conservative Party
*1912–1930:
Joachim von Winterfeldt-Menkin (1865–1945)
*1930–1933:
Hugo Swart
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...
(1885–1952)
Post-monarchy
After the defeat of Nazi Germany in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Brandenburg, which had previously been merely a province of
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
, re-emerged as a German
''Land''.
Prime Minister of Brandenburg, 1945–1952
*
Karl Steinhoff (SPD/SED), 1945–1949.
*
Rudolf Jahn
Rudolf (Rudi) Jahn (4 November 1906 – 30 September 1990) was a German politician ( KPD, SED) and Minister-President of Brandenburg (1949–1952). He was born in Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the ...
(SED), 1949–1952.
After being abolished in a reorganization of the territories administered by the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(East Germany), the ''Land'' Brandenburg was restored in the prelude to
German unification
The unification of Germany (, ) was the process of building the modern German nation state with federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without multinational Austria), which commenced on 18 August 1866 with adoption of t ...
in 1990.
Ministers President of Brandenburg, 1990 to date
*
Manfred Stolpe
Manfred Stolpe (16 May 1936 – 29 December 2019) was Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs of Germany from 2002 until 2005. Before, he was Ministerpräsident of the state Brandenburg from 1990 until 2002. Stolpe was, after ...
(SPD), 1990–2002.
*
Matthias Platzeck
Matthias Platzeck (born 29 December 1953) is a German politician. He was Minister President of Brandenburg from 2002 to 2013 and party chairman of the SPD from November 2005 to April 2006.
On 29 July 2013 Platzeck announced his resignation fr ...
(SPD), 2002–2013
*
Dietmar Woidke
Hubert Dietmar Woidke (born 22 October 1961) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Since August 2013, Woidke has served as Minister President of Brandenburg.
Political career
Woidke has been a member of the SPD ...
(SPD), since 2013.
Notes
See also
*
List of rulers of Prussia
The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandenburg, Rulers of, List of
Rulers of Brandenburg, List of
Rulers of Brandenburg, List of
*
*
Lists of German nobility
Lists of nobility of the Holy Roman Empire
Rulers of Brandenburg, List of
Lists of European rulers
Lists of nobility
Nob
, also known by the name NoB, is a Japanese singer. He is the former lead singer of the band Make-Up and a Project.R member.
Overview
With Make-Up, he recorded several songs for the anime ''Saint Seiya'', including the first opening song " ...