Otto III, nicknamed ''the pious'' (1215 – 9 October 1267 in
Brandenburg an der Havel
Brandenburg an der Havel (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417.
With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...
) was Margrave of Brandenburg jointly with his elder brother
John I John I may refer to:
People
Religious figures
* John I (bishop of Jerusalem)
* John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople
* John I of Antioch (died 441)
* Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505
* Pope John I, P ...
until John died in 1266. Otto III then ruled alone, until his death, the following year.
The reign of these two
Ascanian margraves was characterized by an expansion of the margraviate, which annexed the remaining parts of
Teltow
Teltow () is a town in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany.
Geography
Teltow is part of the agglomeration of Berlin. The distance to the Berlin city centre is , while the distance to Potsdam is .
The Teltow Canal links th ...
and
Barnim
Barnim () is a district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) Poland, the district of Märkisch-Oderland, the city state of Berlin and the districts of Oberhavel and Uckermark.
History
The name "Barnim" emerg ...
, the
Uckermark
The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, which straddles the Uckermark (district), Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau.
...
, the Lordship of
Stargard
Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; ) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 2021 it was inhabited by 67,293 people. It is situated on ...
, the
Lubusz Land
Lubusz Land (; ) is a historical region and cultural landscape in Poland and Germany on both sides of the Oder river.
Originally the settlement area of the Lechites, the swampy area was located east of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and ...
and parts of the
Neumark
The Neumark (), also known as the New March () or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945 except some villages o ...
east of the
Oder
The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...
. They consolidated the position of Brandenburg within the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, which was reflected in the fact that in 1256, Otto III was a candidate to be elected
King of the Germans
This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in ...
. They founded several cities and developed the twin cities of
Cölln
Cölln () was the Twin cities, twin city of Old Berlin (Alt-Berlin) from the 13th century to the 18th century. Cölln was located on the Fischerinsel, Fisher Island section of Spree Island, opposite Altberlin on the western bank of the River ...
and
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. They expanded the Ascanian castle in nearby
Spandau
Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs of Berlin, boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence (geography), confluence of the Havel and Spree (river), Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smalle ...
and made it their preferred residence.
Before their death, they divided the margraviate in a Johannine and an Ottonian part. The Ascanians were traditionally buried in the
Lehnin Abbey
Lehnin Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery in Lehnin in Brandenburg, Germany. Founded in 1180 and secularization, secularized during the Protestant Reformation in 1542, it has accommodated the ''Luise-Henrietten-Stift'', a Protestant deacone ...
in the Ottonian part of the country. In 1258, they founded a
Cistercian
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
monastery named Mariensee, where members of the Johannine line could be buried. In 1266, they changed their mind and founded a second monastery, named Chorin, 8 km southwest of Mariensee. John was initially buried at Mariensee; his body was moved to Chorin in 1273.
After the Ottonian line died out in 1317, John I's grandson
Waldemar
Waldemar, Valdemar, Valdimar, or Woldemar is an Old High German given name. It consists of the elements ''wald-'' "power", "brightness" and ''-mar'' "fame".
The name is considered the equivalent of the Latvian name Valdemārs, the Estonian name ...
reunited the margraviate.
Life
Regency and guardianship
Otto was the younger son of
Albert II of the Brandenburg line of the House of Ascania and Mechthild (Matilda) of Lusatia, daughter of Count
Conrad II of Lusatia
Margrave Conrad II of Lusatia, also known as ''Margrave Konrad II of Landsberg'' (before 1159 – 6 May 1210), was a member of the House of Wettin. He was Count of Eilenburg and Margrave of Lusatia from 1190 until his death. From 1207, he was ...
, a junior line of the
House of Wettin
The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynas ...
. Since both Otto and his two-year older brother
John I John I may refer to:
People
Religious figures
* John I (bishop of Jerusalem)
* John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople
* John I of Antioch (died 441)
* Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505
* Pope John I, P ...
were minors when their father died in 1220, Emperor
Frederick II transferred the regency to Archbishop
Albert I Albert I may refer to:
People Born before 1300
* Albert I, Count of Vermandois (917–987)
* Albert I, Count of Namur ()
* Albert I of Moha
*Albert I of Brandenburg (), first margrave of Brandenburg
* Albert I, Margrave of Meissen (1158–1195)
*Al ...
of Magdeburg. The guardianship was taken up by the children's first cousin once removed, Count
Henry I of Anhalt
Henry I ( 1170 – 1252), a member of the House of Ascania, was Count of Anhalt from 1212 and the first ruling Anhalt prince from 1218 until his death.
Life
He was the oldest son of Count Bernhard of Anhalt probably by his first wife Judith ...
, the older brother of Duke
Albert I Albert I may refer to:
People Born before 1300
* Albert I, Count of Vermandois (917–987)
* Albert I, Count of Namur ()
* Albert I of Moha
*Albert I of Brandenburg (), first margrave of Brandenburg
* Albert I, Margrave of Meissen (1158–1195)
*Al ...
of Saxony, a cousin of Albert II. As the sons of Duke
Bernard III of Saxony, they were the closest relatives, and Henry had the older rights.
In 1221, their mother, Countess Matilda, purchased the regency from the Archbishop of Magdeburg for 1900 silver
Mark
Mark may refer to:
In the Bible
* Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark
* Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels
Currencies
* Mark (currency), a currenc ...
s and then ruled jointly with Hernry I.
[Stefan Warnatsch: ''Geschichte des Klosters Lehnin ...'', p. 62] The Archbishop of Magdeburg then traveled to Italy, to visit Emperor Frederick II and Duke Albert I of Saxony attempted to grab power in Brandenburg, causing a rift with his brother Henry I. The Saxon attack presented an opportunity for Count Palatine
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...
to get involved. Emperor Frederick II managed to prevent a feud, urging them to keep the peace.
After Matilda died in 1225, the brothers ruled the Margraviate of Brandenburg jointly. John I was about twelve years old at the time, and Otto III was ten. They were knighted on 11 May 1231 in
Brandenburg an der Havel
Brandenburg an der Havel (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417.
With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...
and this is generally taken as the beginning of their reign.
Domestic policies
After the death of Count Henry of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1227, the brothers supported his nephew, their brother-in-law
Otto the Child
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded fr ...
, who was only able to prevail against Hohenstaufen claims and its vassals by force of arms. In 1229, there was a feud with former regent Archbishop Albert, which ended peacefully. Like their former opponents and defenders, they appeared at the Diet of Mainz in 1235, where the
Public Peace of Mainz was proclaimed.
After the dispute over the kingship between
Conrad IV
Conrad (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the only son of Emperor Frederick II from his second marriage with Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem. He inherited the title of King of Jerusalem (as Conrad II) up ...
and
Henry Raspe
Henry Raspe (; – 16 February 1247) was the Landgrave of Thuringia from 1231 until 1239 and again from 1241 until his death. In 1246, with the support of the Papacy, he was elected King of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV, but his conteste ...
the brothers recognized
William II of Holland
William II (February 1227 – 28 January 1256) was the Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1234 until his death. He was elected anti-king of Germany in 1248 and ruled as sole king from 1254 onwards.
Early life
William was the eldest son and heir ...
as king in 1251. They first exercised Brandenburg's electoral privilege in 1257, when they voted for king
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, Kingdom of León, León and Kingdom of Galicia, Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the April 1257 Imperial election, election of 1 ...
. Although Alfonso was not elected, the fact that they were able to vote illustrates the growing importance of Brandenburg, which had been founded only a century earlier, in 1157, by
Albert the Bear
Albert the Bear (; 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 Ballenstedt, and Eilika of Sa ...
. When John and Otto came to power, Brandenburg was considered an insignificant little principality on the eastern border. By the 1230s, the Margraves of Brandenburg had definitely gained the heritable post of Imperial Chamberlain and the indisputable right to vote in the election of the
King of the Germans
This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in ...
.
[Lutz Partenheimer: ''Albrecht der Bär ...'', p. 195]
Developing the country
John I and his brother Otto III developed the territory of their margraviate and expanded market towns and castles, including
Spandau
Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs of Berlin, boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence (geography), confluence of the Havel and Spree (river), Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smalle ...
,
Cölln
Cölln () was the Twin cities, twin city of Old Berlin (Alt-Berlin) from the 13th century to the 18th century. Cölln was located on the Fischerinsel, Fisher Island section of Spree Island, opposite Altberlin on the western bank of the River ...
and
Prenzlau
Prenzlau (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, in north-eastern Germany, the administrative seat of Uckermark District. It is also the centre of the historic Uckermark region.
Geography
The town is located on the Ucker river, about north of Berlin. ...
into towns and centers of commerce. They also expanded
Frankfurt an der Oder
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Marchian dialects, Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With a ...
and John I awarded it city status in 1253.
The Teltow War and the Treaty of Landin
Between 1230 and 1245, Brandenburg acquired the remaining part of
Barnim
Barnim () is a district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) Poland, the district of Märkisch-Oderland, the city state of Berlin and the districts of Oberhavel and Uckermark.
History
The name "Barnim" emerg ...
and the southern
Uckermark
The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, which straddles the Uckermark (district), Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau.
...
up to the
Welse
Welse is a river of Brandenburg, Germany. It flows into the Hohensaaten-Friedrichsthaler Wasserstraße, a shipping canal parallel to the Oder, north of Schwedt. It is 66 km long, and has its source 2 km northwest of the centre of Friedrichswal ...
river. On 20 June 1236, the Margraviate acquired the Lordships of
Stargard
Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; ) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 2021 it was inhabited by 67,293 people. It is situated on ...
,
Beseritz
Beseritz () is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the Nort ...
and
Wustrow by the
Treaty of Kremmen
The Treaty of Kremmen was signed on 20 June 1236 by Duke Wartislaw III of Pomerania, recognizing the seigniory of the Brandenburg margraves over his Duchy of Pomerania-Demmin, and ceding the terrae Stargard, Wustrow and Beseritz to Brandenburg. ...
from Duke
Wartislaw III Wartislaw III (Polish: Warcisław III) (c. 1210 – 17 May 1264) was a Griffin duke of Pomerania-Demmin. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children ...
of Pomerania. Later that year, the brothers initiated the construction of
Stargard Castle, to secure the northernmost part of their territory.
From 1239 to 1245, the brothers fought the
Teltow War against the
Margraves of Meissen
This article lists the margraves of Meissen, a march and territorial state on the eastern border of the Holy Roman Empire.
History
King Henry the Fowler, on his 928–29 campaign against the Slavic Glomacze tribes, had a fortress erected on ...
of the
House of Wettin
The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynas ...
. At stake was a
Slavic
Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to:
Peoples
* Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia
** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples
** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples
** West Slav ...
castle at
Köpenick
Köpenick () is a historic town and locality (''Ortsteil'') in Berlin, situated at the confluence of the rivers Dahme and Spree in the south-east of the German capital. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially ado ...
, a former headquarters of the Sprewanen tribe, located at the confluence of the
Spree
Spree may refer to: Film and television
* ''The Spree'', a 1998 American television film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
* ''Spree'' (film), a 2020 American film starring Joe Keery
* "Spree" (''Numbers''), an episode of the television show ''Number ...
and
Dahme rivers, at the time, it was just east of
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
; today it's part of the city. It dominated the
Barnim
Barnim () is a district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) Poland, the district of Märkisch-Oderland, the city state of Berlin and the districts of Oberhavel and Uckermark.
History
The name "Barnim" emerg ...
and
Teltow
Teltow () is a town in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany.
Geography
Teltow is part of the agglomeration of Berlin. The distance to the Berlin city centre is , while the distance to Potsdam is .
The Teltow Canal links th ...
areas. In 1245, the brothers managed to take both castle a Köpenick and a fortress at
Mittenwalde
Mittenwalde () is a town in the Dahme-Spreewald district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 30 km southeast of Berlin (centre).
On May 28, 1562, the town of Mittenwalde lent Berlin 400 guilders, a debt which has never been repaid, tho ...
. From this base, they could expand further to the east. In 1249, they acquired the
Lubusz Land
Lubusz Land (; ) is a historical region and cultural landscape in Poland and Germany on both sides of the Oder river.
Originally the settlement area of the Lechites, the swampy area was located east of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and ...
and reached the river
Oder
The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...
.

In 1250, the brothers closed the
Treaty of Landin
The Treaty of Landin was signed in Landin, Germany in 1250 between Barnim I of Pomerania-Stettin, the Ascanian margraves Johann I and Otto III of Brandenburg. Barnim I was accepted as co-ruler of Wartislaw III of Pomerania-Demmin by the Margra ...
with the Dukes of Pomerania. Under this treaty, they received the northern part of the Uckermark (), north of the Welse river and the districts of
Randow
Randow (Lech Leciejewicz: Słowianie zachodni : z dziejów tworzenia się średniowiecznej Europy. Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, 1989, p. 58. ) is a river in the Uckermark region of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern region of Mecklenb ...
and Löcknitz, in exchange for the half of the Lordship of
Wolgast
Wolgast () is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river (or strait) Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast that can be accessed ...
that John I had received as
dowry
A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage.
Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
from King
Waldemar II of Denmark when he married his first wife, Sophia. This treaty is considered the birth of the Uckermark as a part of Brandenburg.
Otto joined
King Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1255 in the
Prussian Crusade
The Prussian Crusade was a series of 13th-century campaigns of Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Crusades, crusaders, primarily led by the Teutonic Knights, to Christianization, Christianize Forced conversion, under duress the Prussian mythol ...
, and helped establish
Königsberg
Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
.
Policies to stabilize the Neumark
During the first third of the 13th century German settlers were recruited by Duke
Leszek I the White
Leszek the White (; c. 1184/85 – 24 November 1227) was Prince of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland in the years 1194–1198, 1199, 1206–1210, and 1211–1227. During the early stages of his reign, his uncle Duke Mieszko III the Old and cou ...
to settle the
Neumark
The Neumark (), also known as the New March () or as East Brandenburg (), was a region of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its successors located east of the Oder River in territory which became part of Poland in 1945 except some villages o ...
. After he died in 1227, the Polish central government collapsed, allowing the Margraves of Brandenburg to expand eastwards. They acquired land east of the
Oder
The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...
and expanded their domain further east to the river
Drawa
The Drawa () is a river and popular aquatic trail in Poland, 192 km long. The surface of its catchment area amounts to 3291 km2. The Drawa begins its course at Lake Krzywe in Drawsko Landscape Park and ends it in Noteć below Krzyż ...
and north to the river
Persante. In 1257, John I founded the town of
Landsberg (now called ) as an alternative river crossing across the
Warta
The river Warta ( , ; ; ) rises in central Poland and meanders greatly through the Polish Plain in a north-westerly direction to flow into the Oder at Kostrzyn nad Odrą on Poland's border with Germany. About long, it the second-longest riv ...
, competing with the crossing in the Polish town of
Santok
Santok (German : ''Zantoch'') is a village in Gorzów County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Santok.
Geography
Santok is located at the confluence of the Noteć and W ...
, detracting from the considerable revenues Santok made from foreign trade (custom duties, fees from the market operation and storage fees), similar to the way
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
had been founded to compete with
Köpenick
Köpenick () is a historic town and locality (''Ortsteil'') in Berlin, situated at the confluence of the rivers Dahme and Spree in the south-east of the German capital. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially ado ...
. In 1261, the Margraves purchased
Myślibórz
Myślibórz (; ) is a town in northwestern Poland, in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is the capital of the Myślibórz County, with a population of 11,867.
It is home to the first monastery of the Congregation of Sisters of Merciful Jesus and a ...
() from the
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...
and began developing the town to their power center in the Neumark.
To stabilize their new possessions, the Margraves used the tried and tested Ascanian policy of founding monasteries and settlements. As early as 1230, they supported the Polish Count Dionysius Bronisius when he founded the
Cistercian
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
Paradies Monastery near
Międzyrzecz
Międzyrzecz (; , , ) is a town in western Poland, on the Obra (river), Obra and Paklica river, with 17,667 inhabitants (2020). The capital of Gmina Międzyrzecz and Międzyrzecz County. Since the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998, it ha ...
() as a ''filiation'' of the monastery at Lehnin. Their cooperation with the Polish count provided border security against Pomerania and prepared the economy of the area for integration into the Neumark. Among the settlers in the Neumark was the ''
von Sydow'' family, who were later ennobled. the small town of
Cedynia
Cedynia (; , ) is a small historic town in Poland, and the administrative seat of Gmina Cedynia in Gryfino County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is situated close to the Oder river and the border with Germany. The town is known for the 972 B ...
(; today in the Polish Voivodeship of
West Pomerania) was enfeoffed to the noble ''von Jagow'' family.
The historian Stefan Warnatsch has summarized this development and the attempts of the Ascanians to gain access to the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
from the middle Oder and the Uckermark as follows: ''The great success of the territorial expansion in the 13th century was largely due to the great-grandsons of
Albert the Bear
Albert the Bear (; 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 Ballenstedt, and Eilika of Sa ...
.. The design of their reign reached much further spatially and conceptually then that of their predecessors''. According to Lutz Partenheimer: ''
round 1250 the Ascanians had pushed back their competitors from Magdeburg, Wettin, Mecklenburg, Pomerania, Poland and the smaller competitors on all fronts''.
However, John I and Otto III failed to produce the strategically important connection to the Baltic Sea.
Development in the Berlin area
The development of the Berlin area is closely related to the other policies of the two Margraves. The two founding cities of Berlin (
Cölln
Cölln () was the Twin cities, twin city of Old Berlin (Alt-Berlin) from the 13th century to the 18th century. Cölln was located on the Fischerinsel, Fisher Island section of Spree Island, opposite Altberlin on the western bank of the River ...
and
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
) were founded relatively late. The settlements began around 1170 and achieved city status around 1240. Other settlement in the area, such as
Spandau
Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs of Berlin, boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence (geography), confluence of the Havel and Spree (river), Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smalle ...
and
Köpenick
Köpenick () is a historic town and locality (''Ortsteil'') in Berlin, situated at the confluence of the rivers Dahme and Spree in the south-east of the German capital. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially ado ...
, date back to the Slavic period (from about 720) and these naturally had a greater strategic and political importance than the young merchant towns Cölln and Berlin. For a long time the border between the territories of the
Slavic
Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to:
Peoples
* Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia
** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples
** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples
** West Slav ...
tribes Hevelli and Sprewanen crossed straight through the area of today's Berlin. Around 1130,
Spandau
Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs of Berlin, boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence (geography), confluence of the Havel and Spree (river), Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smalle ...
was an eastern outpost of the
Hevelli
The Hevelli or Hevellians/ Navellasîni (sometimes ''Havolane''; or ''Stodoranen''; or ''Stodoranie''; or ''Stodorané'') were a tribe of the Polabian Slavs, who settled around the middle Havel river in the present-day Havelland region of Bra ...
under
Pribislav. When Pribilav died in 1150, Spandau fell to Brandenburg under the terms of an inheritance treaty between
Pribislav and
Albert the Bear
Albert the Bear (; 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 Ballenstedt, and Eilika of Sa ...
. Brandenburg did not acquire Köpenick until 1245.
Residence at Spandau

In 1229, the Margraves of Brandenburg lost a battle against their former guardian, the archbishop of Magdeburg at the
Plauer See, close to their residence in
Brandenburg an der Havel
Brandenburg an der Havel (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417.
With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...
. They escaped to the fortress at Spandau. In the following years, the brothers made Spandau their preferred residence, next to
Tangermünde
Tangermünde (; ) is a historic town on the Elbe River in the district of Stendal (district), Stendal, in the northeastern part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The town has land area of around 89.87 sq.km (34.70 sq.mi) and a population of 10,283 people ...
in the
Altmark
:''See German tanker Altmark for the ship named after Altmark and Stary Targ for the Polish village named Altmark in German.''
The Altmark (; English: Old MarchHansard, ''The Parliamentary Debates from the Year 1803 to the Present Time ...'', Vo ...
. Between 1232 and 1266, seventeen stays at Spandau have been documented, more than at any other town.
Albert the Bear probably expanded the fortress island at Spandau eastwards before or shortly after his victory against a certain ''Jaxa'' (this was probably
Jaxa of Köpenick
Jaxa of Köpenick (sometimes ''Jaksa'' or ''Jacza of Copnic'', , Jaksa being an early Sorbian and/or Polish form of ''James'') (fl. 1151–1157) was a prince of the West Slavic Sprevan Principality of Copnic. He was an opponent of Albert the B ...
) in 1157. Towards the end of the 12th century, the Ascanians moved the fortress about a kilometer to the North, to the location of today's
Spandau Citadel
The Spandau Citadel () is a fortress in Berlin, Germany, one of the best-preserved Renaissance military structures of Europe. Built from 1559–94 atop a medieval fort on an island near the meeting of the Havel and the Spree, it was design ...
, probably because of a rising ground water table. The presence of an Ascanian fortress on this site in 1197 has been established. John I and Otto III expanded the fortress and promoted the ''civitas'' in the adjacent settlement. They gave it city rights in 1232 or earlier. They founded the
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
nunnery
A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community.
The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Comm ...
of St. Mary in 1239. The ''Nonnendammallee'', one of the oldest streets in Berlin and as ''Nonnendamm'' part of a
trade route
A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over land or water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a singl ...
as early as the 13th century, is still a reminder of the former nunnery
Expansion of Cölln and Berlin
According to the current state of research, no evidence has been found that a Slavic settlement existed in the area around the twin towns of Berlin and Cölln. The
ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
across the largely swampy Berlin Glacial Valley gained importance during the Slavic-German transition period, when John I and Otto III settled the sparsely populated plateaus of Teltow and Barnim with local Slavs and German immigrants.
According to Adriaan von Müller, the strategic importance of Cölln and Berlin, and the reason for the foundation was probably to form a counterweight to Köpenick, a secure trading hub held by the
Wettin (dynasty)
The House of Wettin () was a dynasty which included Saxon monarch, kings, Prince Elector, prince-electors, dukes, and counts, who once ruled territories in the present-day German federated states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynas ...
s with its own trade routes to the north and east. The broad ford across two or even three river arms away could best be protected by fortified settlements on both river banks. The Margraves protected the route to
Halle across the northwestern Teltow plateau by a chain of
Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the most important military orders in Western Christianity. They were founded in 11 ...
villages:
Marienfelde
Marienfelde () is a locality in southwest Berlin, Germany, part of the Tempelhof-Schöneberg borough. The former village, incorporated according to the Greater Berlin Act of 1920, today is a mixed industrial and residential area.
Geography
The ...
,
Mariendorf
Mariendorf () is a locality in the southern Tempelhof-Schöneberg borough of Berlin.
Geography
Mariendorf is situated between the localities of Tempelhof in the north and Marienfelde and Lichtenrade in the south. To the west it shares a border ...
, Rixdorf and
Tempelhof
Tempelhof () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. It is the location of the former Tempelhof Airport, one of the earliest commercial airports in the world. The former airport and surroundings are now a park call ...
. After the Ascanians defeated the Wettins in the
Teltow War of 1245, the importance of Köpenick decreased, took an increasingly central position in the developing trading network.
According to Winfried Schich, we can assume the ''Berlin and Cölln owe their development as urban settlements to the structural changes in this area due to the expansion during the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...
, which led both to a denser population and a reorganization of long-distance trade routes.
..The dilluvial plateaus of Teltow and Barnim with their heavy and relatively fertile soils, were systematically settled and put under the plow during the reign of Margraves John I and Otto III.'' During the first phase of settlement, the lowland areas along the river with their lighter soils seem to have been the preferred places of settlement.
According to the of 1280, Berlin and other places were ''built'' () by John I and Otto III. Since their reign had started in 1225, the period around 1230 is considered the founding period of Berlin. Recent archaeological research has uncovered evidence of late 12th century
market towns
A market town is a Human settlement, settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...
in both Cölln and Berlin. Ninety graves were excavated in the
St. Nicholas Church, the oldest building in Berlin, with foundations dated 1220-1230 and some of these graves could also be from the late 12th century. This implies that the two Margraves did not actually found the cities of Cölln and Berlin, although they did play a decisive role in the early expansion of the cities.
Among the privileges granted to the two cities by the Margraves were Brandenburg Law (including absence of tolls, free exercise of trade and commerce, hereditary property rights) and in particular the
staple right
The staple right, also translated stacking right or storage right, both from the Dutch , was a medieval right accorded to certain ports, the staple ports. It required merchant barges or ships to unload their goods at the port and to display them f ...
, which gave Cölln and Berlin an economic advantage of Spandau and Köpenick. The Margraves gave the ''Mirica'', the Cölln Moor, with all usage rights to the citizens of Cölln. The connection of the Margraves with Berlin is also evidenced by their choice of Hermann von Langele as their
confessor
In a number of Christian traditions, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, a confessor is a priest who hears the confessions of penitents and pronounces absolution.
History
During the Diocletianic Persecut ...
. This Hermann von Langele was the first known member of the
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
convent at Berlin. He is mentioned as a witness in a deed issued by the Margrave in Spandau in 1257.
Otto's death
Otto III died on 9 October 1267 at his residence in
Brandenburg an der Havel
Brandenburg an der Havel (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417.
With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...
. Although the traditional Ascanian grave site at
Lehnin Abbey
Lehnin Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery in Lehnin in Brandenburg, Germany. Founded in 1180 and secularization, secularized during the Protestant Reformation in 1542, it has accommodated the ''Luise-Henrietten-Stift'', a Protestant deacone ...
was situated in his half of the Margraviate, he preferred to be buried in the church of the
Dominican monastery in
Strausberg
Strausberg () is a Town#Germany, town in Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, located east of Berlin. With a population of about 27,000 it is the largest town in the district of Märkisch-Oderland.
History
Strausberg was founded ''circa'' 1240, and ...
he had founded in 1252. The Ascanians had neglected Lehnin Abbey with regards to gifts and donations since the regency of their mother, who was probably not very close to the Abbey on the
Zauche
Utrata (; ) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Izbicko, within Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Izbicko, north-west of Strzelce Opolskie, and south-east of the re ...
plateau.
The historian
Otto Tschirch writes about Otto's death: ''
..Otto III's preferred residence, apart from the castle on the cathedral island, appears to have been the margrave's court in the New Town (i.e. west of the river) in Brandenburg an der Havel, on the spot where later the St. Pauli Monastery was built. He met his death here, a few months after his older brother John, who died in the second half of 1266. After he had attended Sunday mass, he died in the presence of numerous
Dominican friars. for whom he had a special fondness. This is why the court was later donated to the Dominican Order, who built a monastery on this spot. His wife,
Beatrice of Bohemia
Beatrice of Bohemia (; 1225–1290) was a daughter of King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia and his wife Kunigunde of Hohenstaufen.
She married Margrave Otto III and was the mother of:
* John III "of Prague" (1244-1268)
* Otto V "the Tall" (-1298)Joh ...
, and his two older sons,
John III and
Otto V, brought his body to
Strausberg
Strausberg () is a Town#Germany, town in Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, located east of Berlin. With a population of about 27,000 it is the largest town in the district of Märkisch-Oderland.
History
Strausberg was founded ''circa'' 1240, and ...
, where he was buried in the choir of the Dominican church he had founded, according to his solemn last wishes''
Inheritance and descendants
The joint rule of the Margraves ended in 1258 with a division of their territory. A cleverly managed division and continued consensual policy prevented the Margraviate from falling apart. The preparations for the reorganization may have begun in 1250, when the Uckermark was acquired, but no later than 1255, when John I married Jutta (Brigitte), the daughter of Duke
Albert I of Saxony-Wittenberg.
Johannine and Ottonian line
Chorin Abbey - Grave laying and power politics

The politics of marriage and 1258 consummated division of the state government led to the joint foundation of the monastery of ''Mariensee'' on a former island in the
Parsteiner See
Parsteiner See is a lake in the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve in Brandenburg, Germany. At an elevation of 44 m, its surface area is 10.03 km2. It is located in the municipality of Parsteinsee, Barnim
Barnim () is a district in Bran ...
lake on the northeastern edge of today's
Barnim
Barnim () is a district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) Poland, the district of Märkisch-Oderland, the city state of Berlin and the districts of Oberhavel and Uckermark.
History
The name "Barnim" emerg ...
. Until then, deceased Margraves of Brandenburg had been buried at
Lehnin Abbey
Lehnin Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery in Lehnin in Brandenburg, Germany. Founded in 1180 and secularization, secularized during the Protestant Reformation in 1542, it has accommodated the ''Luise-Henrietten-Stift'', a Protestant deacone ...
, in the Ottonian part of the Margraviate. The monastery of Mariensee was meant to provide the Johannine line with a burial place of their own. Construction of the monastery began in 1258 with monks from Lehnin. Even before Mariensee was completed in 1273, a decision was made to move to a new location approximately five miles to the southwest with the new name
Chorin Abbey
Chorin Abbey (Kloster Chorin) is a former Cistercian abbey near the village of Chorin in Brandenburg, Germany. It was founded by the Ascanian margraves in 1258 and had far-reaching influence on the northern edge of the Ascanians' sphere of inf ...
. When John I died in 1266, he was initially buried at Mariensee. In 1273, his body was moved to Chorin Abbey. It appears that in 1266, John I arranged for the monastery to move and that he donated rich gifts to the new Chorin Abbey, including the village of
Parstein. His sons later confirmed these donations for the benefit of their father's soul and their own.
As with all monasteries founded by the Ascanians, political and economic considerations played an important rôle, alongside the pastoral aspects. A Slavic
circular rampart
A circular rampart () is an embankment built in the shape of a circle that was used as part of the defences for a military fortification, hill fort or refuge, or was built for religious purposes or as a place of gathering.
The period during which ...
existed on the island, to the west of the monastery. John I and Otto III probably used this rampart as a castle against their Pomeranian competitors. The monastery was meant to provide central and administrative functions. ''"Both the foundation itself and the location in a regional centre 'across' the trade route
..in a populated area are to be interpreted as the result of political calculations"''.
Dividing the Margraviate
When the Margraviate was divided, John I received
Stendal
The Hanseatic City of Stendal () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of the Stendal District and the unofficial capital of the Altmark region.
Geography
Situated west of the Elbe valley, the Stendal town centre is located ...
and the
Altmark
:''See German tanker Altmark for the ship named after Altmark and Stary Targ for the Polish village named Altmark in German.''
The Altmark (; English: Old MarchHansard, ''The Parliamentary Debates from the Year 1803 to the Present Time ...'', Vo ...
, which was considered the "cradle" of Brandenburg, and would remain a part until 1806. He also received the
Havelland
Geographically, the Havelland () is the region around which the River Havel flows in a U-shape between Oranienburg to the northeast and Rhinow to the northwest. The northern boundary of the Havelland is formed by the River Rhin and the Rhin Cana ...
and the
Uckermark
The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, which straddles the Uckermark (district), Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau.
...
. His brother Otto III received
Spandau
Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs of Berlin, boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence (geography), confluence of the Havel and Spree (river), Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smalle ...
,
Salzwedel
Salzwedel (, officially known as Hansestadt Salzwedel; ) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salzwedel is located on the Ger ...
,
Barnim
Barnim () is a district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) Poland, the district of Märkisch-Oderland, the city state of Berlin and the districts of Oberhavel and Uckermark.
History
The name "Barnim" emerg ...
, the
Lubusz Land
Lubusz Land (; ) is a historical region and cultural landscape in Poland and Germany on both sides of the Oder river.
Originally the settlement area of the Lechites, the swampy area was located east of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and ...
and
Stargard
Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; ) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 2021 it was inhabited by 67,293 people. It is situated on ...
. The most important factors in this division were revenue and the number of
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
s; geographical factors played only a subordinate rôle. Their successors as
Margraves of Brandenburg
This article lists the Margraves and Prince-elector, Electors of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg during the time when Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the prima ...
,
Otto IV "with the Arrow",
Waldemar "the Great" and
Henry II "the Child" all stem from the Johannine line. Otto's sons and grandsons and John's younger sons also styled themselves "Margrave of Brandenburg" and as such co-signed official document — for example, John's sons
John II John II may refer to:
People
* John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499)
* John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672)
* John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302)
* John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318)
* John II Komnenos (1087–114 ...
and
Conrad
Conrad may refer to:
People
* Conrad (name)
* Saint Conrad (disambiguation)
Places
United States
* Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community
* Conrad, Iowa, a city
* Conrad, Montana, a city
* Conrad Glacier, Washington
Elsewher ...
so-signed in 1273 the decision to move Mariensee monastery to Chorin — however, they remained "co-regents".
The Ottonian line died out in 1317 with the death of Margrave
John V John V may refer to:
* Patriarch John V of Alexandria or John the Merciful (died by 620), Patriarch of Alexandria from 606 to 616
* John V of Constantinople, Patriarch from 669 to 675
* Pope John V (685–686), Pope from 685 to his death in 686
...
in Spandau, so that Brandenburg was reunited under Waldemar the Great. The Johannine line died out only three years later, with the death of Henry the Child in 1320, ending Ascanian rule in Brandenburg. In 1290, nineteen Margraves of the two lines had gathered on a hill near
Rathenow
Rathenow () is a town in the district of Havelland (district), Havelland in Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, with a population of 24,063 (2020).
Overview
The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Go ...
; in 1318 only two Margraves were left alive: Waldemar and Henry the Child. The last Ascanian in Brandenburg, the eleven-year-old Henry the Child, only played a minor rôle and was already at the mercy of the various houses trying to grab power in the upcoming power vacuum.
Marriage and issue
In 1244, Otto III married
Beatrix
Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "ble ...
(), a daughter of King
Wenceslaus I of Bohemia
Wenceslaus I (; c. 1205 – 23 September 1253), called One-Eyed, was King of Bohemia from 1230 to 1253.
Wenceslaus was a son of Ottokar I of Bohemia and his second wife Constance of Hungary.
Marriage and children
In 1224, Wenceslaus married ...
.
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (, ; , ; ; or ''Milsko''; ) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the north, it makes up the region of Lusatia, named after the Polabian Slavs, Slavic ''Lusici'' tribe. Both parts of Lusatia a ...
came to Brandenburg via this marriage. They had the following children:
*
John III "of Prague" (1244–1268)
*
Otto V "the Tall" (-1298)
*
Albert III (-1300)
*
Otto VI "the Short" (-1303)
* Kunigunde (died ), married:
: in 1264 to
Béla, Duke of Slavonia
Béla ( 1249 –1269) was the youngest and favorite child of King Béla IV of Hungary. His father appointed him Duke of Slavonia in 1260, but he only started to govern his duchy from 1268. He died childless.
Early life
Béla was the youngest ...
(1245-1269)
: in 1273 to
Waleran IV, Duke of Limburg
*
Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
Animals
* Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder
* Mathilda (gastropod), ''Mathilda'' (gastropod), a genus of gastropods in the family Mathildidae
* Matilda (horse) (1824–1 ...
(d. 1316), married in 1266 to Duke
Barnim I
Barnim I the Good ( 1217/1219 – 13 November 1278), from the Griffin dynasty, was a Duke of Pomerania (''ducis Slauorum et Cassubie'') from 1220 until his death.
Life
Son of Duke Bogislaw II and Miroslava of Pomerelia, he succeeded to the Duc ...
of Pomerania (-1278)
According to some historians his daughter was Agnes (Agnieszka), who was engaged in 1278 to
Bolko I of Opole
Bolko I of Opole (; before 21 October 1258 – 14 May 1313), was a Duke of Opole from 1282 (until 1284 with his brother as co-ruler), Niemodlin and Strzelce Opolskie until his death.
He was the third son of Władysław, Duke of Opole- Racibórz, ...
. Other historians rejected this hypothesis.
Double statue of the brothers at the Siegesallee

The double statue depicted on the left stood in the
Siegesallee
The Siegesallee (, ''Victory Avenue'') was a broad boulevard in Berlin, Germany. In 1895, Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered and financed the expansion of an existing avenue, to be adorned with a variety of marble statues. Work was completed in 1901.
A ...
in the
Großer Tiergarten
The Tiergarten (, ), formal German name: (, or deer park, game hunting park), is a prominent park in Berlin's inner-city area, located completely in the district of the same name. It is one of the most popular parks in the city and at in ...
in Berlin. The ''Siegesallee'' was a ''grand boulevard'' commissioned by Emperor
Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...
in 1895 with statues illustrating the history of Brandenburg and Prussia. Between 1895 and 1901, 27 sculptors led by
Reinhold Begas
Reinhold Begas (15 July 1831 – 3 August 1911) was a German sculptor.
Biography
Begas was born in Berlin, son of the painter Carl Joseph Begas. He received his early education (1846–1851) studying under Christian Daniel Rauch and Ludwig Wi ...
created 32 statues of Prussian and Brandenburg rulers, each 2.75 high. Each statue was flanked by two smaller busts representing people who had played an important rôle in the life of the historic ruler.
The central statue in group 5 was the double statue of John and Otto. On the left was a bust of
provost
Provost may refer to:
Officials
Ecclesiastic
* Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official
* Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official
Government
* Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...
Simeon of Cölln, who was a witness, on 28 October 1237, together with bishop Gernand of Brandenburg, of the oldest deed in which Cölln is mentioned. On the right was a bust of
Marsilius de Berlin, the first recorded mayor () of Berlin. He was simultaneously mayor of Cölln.
[Winfried Schich: ''Das mittelalterliche Berlin'', ... p. 141.]
The choice of the secular and ecclesiastical leaders of Berlin and Cölln as flanking characters for John and Otto underscores the pivotal rôle the city of Berlin played in the lives of the Margraves in the opinion of
Reinhold Koser, the historian who did the research for the ''Siegesallee''. Koser regarded the founding and development of the city as the Margrave's most important policy, more so than the expansion the principality and the founding of the monastery. he was also impressed by the consensus which characterised their joint rule, as presented in the Chronicle of 1280. According to Koser, the sculptor
Max Baumbach
Max Baumbach (28 November 1859, Wurzen – 4 October 1915, Berlin) was a German sculptor.
Life
He studied at the Prussian Academy of Arts under Fritz Schaper and Karl Begas. In 1885, he began presenting his own exhibitions throughout German ...
was responsible for the decision to make the founding of Berlin the central theme of the double statue, rather than the expansion or the founding of the monastery.
John I depicted sitting on a stone, with the city charter of Berlin and Cölln spread across his knees. The younger Otto III stand beside him, pointing to the deed with one hand, while his other arm rests on a spear. ''The outstretched arms and bowed head suggest the brothers' protection and promotion of the twin cities. The fact that the two young men are depicted as mature men was seen by Koser as legitimized by the right of artistic freedom''. Two adolescents would not have been able to adequately express the founding of a future world city, from the perspective of the late 19th century interpretation of history.
[Uta Lehnert: ''Der Kaiser und ...'', p. 115]
The overall architecture of the statue group maintains a
romanticistic style. According to Uta Lehnert, the two eagles show characteristics of the
Jugendstil
(; "Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany, Austria and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German and Austrian cou ...
.
Ancestry
References
Primary references
* Heinrici de Antwerpe
''Can. Brandenburg., Tractatus de urbe Brandenburg'' edited and elucidated by Georg Sello, in: ''22. Jahresbericht des Altmärkischen Vereins für vaterländische Geschichte und Industrie zu Salzwedel'', Magdeburg, 1888, issue 1, p. 3-35, internet version by Tilo Köhn with transcriptions and translation.
* ''Chronica Marchionum Brandenburgensium'', ed. G. Sello, ''FBPrG I'', 1888.
* Schreckenbach, ''Bibliogr. zur Gesch. der Mark Brandenburg'', vols. 1–5, Publications of the State Archive at Potsdam, vol. 8 ff, Böhlau, Cologne, 1970–1986
Secondary references
* Tilo Köhn (publisher): ''Brandenburg, Anhalt und Thüringen im Mittelalter. Askanier und Ludowinger beim Aufbau fürstlicher Territorialherrschaften'', Böhlau, Cologne, Weimar and Vienna, 1997,
* Helmut Assing: ''Die frühen Askanier und ihre Frauen'', Kulturstiftung Bernburg, 2002,
* Wolfgang Erdmann: ''Zisterzienser-Abtei Chorin. Geschichte, Architektur, Kult und Frömmigkeit, Fürsten-Anspruch und -Selbstdarstellung, klösterliches Wirtschaften sowie Wechselwirkungen zur mittelalterlichen Umwelt'', with contributions by Gisela Gooß, Manfred Krause and Gunther Nisch, with extensive bibliography, in the series ''Die Blauen Bücher'', Königstein im Taunus, 1994,
* Felix Escher: ''Der Wandel der Residenzfunktion. Zum Verhältnis Spandau – Berlin. Das markgräfliche Hoflager in askanischer Zeit'', in: Wolfgang Ribbe (ed.): ''Slawenburg, Landesfestung, Industriezentrum. Untersuchungen zur Geschichte von Stadt und Bezirk Spandau'', Colloqium-Verlag, Berlin, 1983,
* Uta Lehnert: ''Der Kaiser und die Siegesallee. Réclame Royale'', Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin, 1998,
*
* Uwe Michas: ''Die Eroberung und Besiedlung Nordostbrandenburgs'', in the series: ''Entdeckungen entlang der Märkischen Eiszeitstraße'', vol. 7, Gesellschaft zur Erforschung und Förderung der märkischen Eiszeitstraße (ed.), Eberswalde, 2003, .
* Adriaan von Müller: ''Gesicherte Spuren. Aus der frühen Vergangenheit der Mark Brandenburg'', Bruno Hessling Verlag, Berlin, 1972,
* Lutz Partenheimer: ''Albrecht der Bär – Gründer der Mark Brandenburg und des Fürstentums Anhalt'', Böhlau Verlag, Cologne, 2001,
* Jörg Rogge: ''Die Wettiner'', Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart, 2005,
* Winfried Schich: ''Das mittelalterliche Berlin (1237–1411)'', in: Wolfgang Ribbe (ed.): ''Veröffentlichung der Historischen Kommission zu Berlin: Geschichte Berlins'', vol. 1, Verlag C.H. Beck, Munich, 1987,
* Winfried Schich: ''Die Entstehung der mittelalterlichen Stadt Spandau'', in: Wolfgang Ribbe (ed.): ''Slawenburg, Landesfestung, Industriezentrum. Untersuchungen zur Geschichte von Stadt und Bezirk Spandau'', Colloqium-Verlag, Berlin, 1983,
* Oskar Schwebel: ''Die Markgrafen Johann I. und Otto III.'', in: Richard George (ed.): ''Hie gut Brandenburg alleweg! Geschichts- und Kulturbilder aus der Vergangenheit der Mark und aus Alt-Berlin bis zum Tode des Großen Kurfürsten'', Verlag von W. Pauli’s Nachfolger, Berlin, 190
Online
* Harald Schwillus and Stefan Beier: ''Zisterzienser zwischen Ordensideal und Landesherren'', Morus-Verlag, Berlin, 1998,
* Otto Tschirch: ''Geschichte der Chur- und Hauptstadt Brandenburg a. d. Havel. Festschrift zur Tausendjahrfeier der Stadt 1928/29'', 2 vols, Brandenburg an der Havel, 1928; reprinted: 1936, 1941
* Stephan Warnatsch: ''Geschichte des Klosters Lehnin 1180–1542'', in the series ''Studien zur Geschichte, Kunst und Kultur der Zisterzienser'', vol. 12.1, Lukas Verlag, Berlin, 2000 (also: thesis, Free University, Berlin, 1999),
Footnotes
{{authority control
Margraves of Brandenburg
House of Ascania
13th-century German nobility
1215 births
1267 deaths