Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia

Albert Frederick (1553–1618) was Duke of Prussia from 1568 until his death and the first ruler of the duchy as a secular, hereditary state.

Connect

Duchy of Prussia: A Baltic duchy established in 1525 from the secularized lands of the Teutonic Order in Prussia. Albert Frederick inherited this state in 1568 and ruled it until his death.
George Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach: A Hohenzollern prince who served as regent of the Duchy of Prussia from 1578 until 1603. He governed Prussia during Albert Frederick’s incapacity and kept its administration functioning.
Guardianship of Albert Frederick: The arrangement under which relatives and appointed officials governed Prussia during Albert Frederick’s mental incapacity. It transferred effective authority from the duke to regents while preserving his title.
John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg: Elector of Brandenburg from 1608 to 1619 and Duke of Prussia from 1618 to 1619. He succeeded Albert Frederick in Prussia, joining the duchy and Brandenburg under one ruler.
Albert, Duke of Prussia: The last Grand Master of the Teutonic Order in Prussia and the first Duke of Prussia, ruling from 1525 to 1568. His father founded the duchy and secured its inheritance for Albert Frederick.
Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg: Elector of Brandenburg from 1598 to 1608 and Duke of Prussia from 1605 to 1608. He became Albert Frederick’s son-in-law and succeeded to Prussian rule after his death.
Prussian Homage: The oath of allegiance owed by the Duke of Prussia to the Polish monarch as overlord. It defined the formal relationship between Albert Frederick and the Polish Crown.
Personal union of Brandenburg and Prussia: The dynastic union begun in 1618 when the Hohenzollern electors of Brandenburg acquired the Duchy of Prussia. Albert Frederick’s death brought the duchy under Brandenburg’s ruler.
Treaty of Kraków: The 1525 treaty that ended the Polish–Teutonic War and established the Duchy of Prussia under Polish suzerainty. It established the political arrangement under which Albert Frederick’s duchy existed.
Anna Maria of Brunswick-Lüneburg: A German noblewoman who became Duchess of Prussia through her 1568 marriage to Albert Frederick. She was Albert Frederick’s wife and the mother of his two daughters.