Editing Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg

{{Short description|Elector of Bradenburg from 1415 to 1440}}
{{more footnotes|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Frederick I
| image        = GLAMonTour-Jagdschloss Grunewald-4801.jpg
| caption      = Frederick I as depicted on the ''Cadolzburger Altar'' (by the ''Meister des Cadolzburger Altars'', c. 1425-1430)
| succession   = [[List of margraves and electors of Brandenburg|Elector of Brandenburg]]
| reign        = 30 April 1415 – 20 September 1440
| predecessor  = [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund of Luxembourg]]
| successor    = [[Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick II]]
| house        = [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]]
| father       = [[Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg]]
| mother       = [[Elisabeth of Meissen]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut]]|1401}}
| birth_date   = {{birth_date|1371|9|21|df=yes}}
| birth_place  = [[Free Imperial City of Nuremberg]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1440|9|20|1371|9|21|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Cadolzburg]] Castle, [[Principality of Ansbach]]
| issue        =  [[Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brzeg-Legnica and Cieszyn|Elisabeth, Duchess of Brzeg-Legnica and Cieszyn]]<br>[[John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach]]<br>[[Cecilia of Brandenburg|Cecilia, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]]<br>[[Margaret of Brandenburg (1410–1465)|Margaret, Duchess of Mecklenburg]]<br>[[Magdalene of Brandenburg (1412–1454)|Magdalene, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]<br>[[Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg]]<br>[[Albert III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg]]<br>[[Dorothea of Brandenburg (1420–1491)|Dorothea, Duchess of Mecklenburg]]<br>[[Frederick of Altmark|Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg]]
}}
'''Frederick''' ([[Middle High German]]: ''Friderich'',<ref>{{Cite book|title = Was mein gnediger herre Margraf Friderich zu Brandenburg etc. vber die von Nurmberg dreyer artigkel der stock ploch hewser vnd glaitehalben vor de pund zu Thunawerd hat lassen furpringen vnnd die von Nurmberg zu anttwort geben auch die punds Rethe dorinn gehandelt haben Egidij Anno etc. VI|last = Anon.|publisher = Hieronymus Höltzel|year = 1506|location = Nürnberg|pages = 1|url = http://bildsuche.digitale-sammlungen.de/index.html?c=viewer&bandnummer=bsb00011592}}</ref> [[German Standard German|Standard German]]: ''Friedrich''; 21 September 1371 &ndash; 20 September 1440) was the last [[Burgrave of Nuremberg]] from 1397 to 1427 (as '''Frederick VI'''), Margrave of [[Principality of Ansbach|Brandenburg-Ansbach]] from 1398, Margrave of [[Principality of Bayreuth|Brandenburg-Kulmbach]] from 1420, and [[List of rulers of Brandenburg|Elector of Brandenburg]] (as '''Frederick I''') from 1415 until his death. He became the first member of the [[House of Hohenzollern]] to rule the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]].

== Biography ==
[[File:Friedrich I. von Brandenburg.jpg|thumb|Burgrave Frederick, 15th century portrait]]
Frederick was born in [[Nuremberg]], the second-born son of Burgrave [[Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg|Frederick V]] (1333&ndash;1398) and the [[House of Wettin|Wettin]] princess [[Elisabeth of Meissen]]. He entered early into the service of his brother-in-law, the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] duke [[Albert III, Duke of Austria|Albert III of Austria]]. After Albert's death in 1395, he fought on the side of the [[House of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]] king [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund of Hungary]] against invading [[Ottoman Wars in Europe|Ottoman]] forces. He and his elder brother [[John III, Burgrave of Nuremberg|John]], husband of Sigismund's sister [[Margaret of Bohemia, Burgravine of Nuremberg|Margaret of Bohemia]], fought in the 1396 [[Battle of Nicopolis]] where they suffered a disastrous defeat.

After Frederick returned to Nuremberg, he divided the [[Franconia]]n inheritance from his father with his brother John, who received the [[Principality of Bayreuth]], while Frederick kept the [[Principality of Ansbach]]; the brothers ruled jointly in the [[Burgraviate of Nuremberg]]. At first Frederick tried to mediate in the imperial confusion between Sigismund's elder half-brother, the German king [[Wenceslaus of Bohemia|Wenceslaus]], and the party of Elector [[Rupert, King of Germany|Rupert III of the Palatinate]], but from September 1399 he fought on the side of Rupert, husband of his sister [[Elisabeth of Nuremberg|Elizabeth]], nonetheless. Wenceslaus was eventually deposed and Rupert elected [[King of the Romans]] on 21 August 1400.

Frederick resumed his rule of Ansbach in 1409 and after heavy feuding, entered into the service of King Sigismund. In 1410, the death of [[Rupert, King of the Germans]], left the throne of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] vacant. Sigismund enlisted Frederick's help in obtaining the throne.  At the time, [[Jobst of Moravia]] ruled Brandenburg and thus was one of the [[prince-electors]] who had the right to vote for the new king. However, Sigismund disputed Jobst's claim to Brandenburg and his right to vote in the imperial election. Sigismund claimed these rights for himself and designated Frederick to represent him as elector of Brandenburg in the [[Imperial election of September 20, 1410|imperial election of 20 September 1410]]. While Sigismund won this initial vote, Jobst of Moravia won the support of a majority of electors in an election in October 1410 and himself claimed the imperial throne. Jobst's death under suspicious circumstances in January 1411 cleared the way for Sigismund's recovery of Brandenburg and his undisputed election as king of the empire later that year. In gratitude for Frederick's services, King Sigismund made him ''Oberster Hauptmann'' and ''Verwalter der Marken'' (1411). With an iron hand Frederick fought against the rebellious nobility of the [[Marches|March]] of Brandenburg (in particular, the [[Quitzow]] family) and, in the end, restored security. Frederick also became a member of the [[Parakeet Society]] and of the [[Parakeet Society|League of Constance]].

At the [[Council of Constance]] (30 April 1415) Sigismund granted Frederick the titles of [[Margrave]] and [[Prince-elector]] of Brandenburg. On 21 October 1415 the Brandenburg states meeting in a ''[[Landtag]]'' asked him to rule in [[Berlin]]. The king awarded him the formal enfeoffment of the margravate on 18 April 1417. As Frederick did not agree with the forcible action of Sigismund against the [[Hussites]], relations between them cooled.

Constant feuding with the nobility of Brandenburg led Frederick to withdraw to his castle at [[Cadolzburg]] in 1425 and transfer the regency of the mark to his son [[John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach|John]] in 1426 (Frederick, however, remained elector). After 1427 he organized the imperial war against the Hussites. He is best known for joining the papal legate [[Julian Cesarini]] in August 1431 to attack the Hussites in the disastrous [[Battle of Domažlice]]. He subsequently provided substantial assistance in the mediation of the [[Hussites#The Council of Basel and Compacta of Prague|Compacta of Prague]] at the [[Council of Basel]] (30 November 1433).

Upon his death in 1440, Frederick was succeeded as elector by his second-eldest son, [[Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick II]].

== Family and children ==
He married [[Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut]] (1383–13 November 1442, Ansbach), daughter of Duke [[Frederick, Duke of Bavaria|Frederick of Bavaria-Landshut]] and [[Maddalena Visconti]] in 1401. Their children were:
# [[Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brzeg-Legnica and Cieszyn|Elisabeth]] (1403&ndash;31 October 1449, [[Legnica|Liegnitz]]), married:
## in [[Konstanz]] 1418 Duke [[Louis II of Brieg]] and [[Legnica]] (1380/5–1436);
## in 1438 Duke [[Wenzel I of Teschen]] (1413/18–1474).
# [[John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach|John "the Alchemist"]] (1405–1465), Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.
## married in 1416 Princess Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg (1405–1465)
# [[Cecilia of Brandenburg|Cecilia]] (c. 1405&ndash;4 January 1449), married:
## in [[Berlin]] 30 May 1423 Duke [[William the Victorious, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|William III of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (1392–1482).
# [[Margaret of Brandenburg (1410–1465)|Margaret]] (1410&ndash;27 July 1465, [[Landshut]]), married:
## in 1423 to Duke [[Albert V, Duke of Mecklenburg]] (1397–1423);
## in [[Ingolstadt]] 20 July 1441 to [[Louis VIII, Duke of Bavaria]] (1403–1445);
## in 1446 to Count [[Martin of Waldenfels]] (d. 1471).
# [[Magdalene of Brandenburg (1412–1454)|Magdalene]] (c. 1412 &ndash;27 October 1454, [[Scharnebeck]]), married:
## in Tangermünde 3 July 1429 to Duke [[Frederick II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Frederick of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (1418–1478).
# [[Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick II]] (1413–1471), Elector of Brandenburg
## married in 1441 Princess [[Catherine of Saxony, Electress of Brandenburg|Catherine of Saxony]] (1421–1476)
# [[Albert III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg|Albert Achilles]], (1414–1486), Elector of Brandenburg, married:
## in 1446 Princess [[Margarete of Baden]] (1431–1457)
## in 1458 Princess [[Anna of Saxony (1437–1512)]]
# Sofie, born and died 1417.
# [[Dorothea of Brandenburg (1420–1491)|Dorothea]] (9 February 1420&ndash;19 January 1491, [[Rehna]]), married:
## in 1432 Duke [[Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg]] (1417–1477)
# [[Frederick of Altmark|Frederick "the Fat"]] (c. 1424&ndash;6 October 1463, [[Tangermünde]]), Lord of Altmark, married:
## in 1449 Princess Agnes of Pomerania (1436–1512)

==Ancestry==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2019}}
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
| boxstyle_1 = background-color: #fcc;
| boxstyle_2 = background-color: #fb9;
| boxstyle_3 = background-color: #ffc;
| boxstyle_4 = background-color: #bfc;
| 1 = 1. '''Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg'''
| 2 = 2. [[Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg]]
| 3 = 3. [[Elisabeth of Meissen]]
| 4 = 4. [[John II, Burgrave of Nuremberg]]
| 5 = 5. Elisabeth of Henneberg-Schleusingen
| 6 = 6. [[Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen]]
| 7 = 7. [[Mathilde of Bavaria, Margravine of Meissen|Mathilde of Bavaria]]
| 8 = 8. [[Frederick IV, Burgrave of Nuremberg]]
| 9 = 9. Margaret of Carinthia
| 10 = 10. [[Berthold VII, Count of Henneberg-Schleusingen]]
| 11 = 11. Adelheid of Hesse
| 12 = 12. [[Frederick I, Margrave of Meissen]]
| 13 = 13. Elisabeth of Lobdaburg-Arnshaugk
| 14 = 14. [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor]]
| 15 = 15. [[Beatrix of Silesia-Glogau]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
*Mast, Peter: ''Die Hohenzollern - Von Friedrich III. bis Wilhelm II.'', Graz, Wien, Köln 1994

== External links ==
{{commons category|Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Hohenzollern]]|21 September|1371|20 September|1440}}
{{s-reg|de}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg|Frederick V]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Burgrave of Nuremberg]] |regent1=[[John III, Burgrave of Nuremberg|John III]] | years=1397–1427 | years1=1397–1420}}
{{s-non | reason=Burgraviate abolished| reason2=Title retained}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-new | reason=Division of inheritance}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach]] |  years=1398–1440}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Albert III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg|Albert Achilles]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef | rows=2 | before=[[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Elector of Brandenburg]] | years=1415–1440}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick II]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Margrave of Brandenburg]] |  years=1417–1426}}
{{s-aft | rows=2 | after=[[John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach|John the Alchemist]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef | before=[[John III, Burgrave of Nuremberg|John III]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach]] | years=1420–1440}}
{{s-end}}

{{Electors of Brandenburg}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 01, Elector of Brandenburg}}
[[Category:1371 births]]
[[Category:1440 deaths]]
[[Category:Prince-electors of Brandenburg]]
[[Category:House of Hohenzollern]]
[[Category:Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
[[Category:Margraves of Bayreuth]]
[[Category:Burgraves of Nuremberg]]
[[Category:People of the Hussite Wars]]
[[Category:15th-century German people]]
[[Category:Imperial Army (Holy Roman Empire) personnel]]
[[Category:Christians of the Battle of Nicopolis]]
[[Category:Burials at Heilsbronn Abbey]]