Margraviate of Brandenburg

A principality of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1157, it became the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1356 and formed the core of the later Kingdom of Prussia.

Albert the Bear: A member of the House of Ascania who ruled as margrave of Brandenburg from 1157 until his death in 1170. His acquisition of Brandenburg and recognition as margrave established the principality.
March (territory): A border territory in medieval Europe, often governed by a ruler charged with defending and expanding a frontier. Brandenburg's original role as an imperial march shaped its military and administrative duties.
House of Ascania: A medieval German dynasty that ruled Brandenburg from its establishment until the extinction of its Brandenburg line in 1320. Its rule transformed the frontier territory into a hereditary principality.
Electorate of Brandenburg: A prince-electorate of the Holy Roman Empire formed when Brandenburg's ruler received electoral status in 1356. It was the margraviate's constitutional successor and retained its territorial core.
Duchy of Prussia: A Baltic duchy established in 1525 from the lands of the Teutonic Order, outside the Holy Roman Empire. Unlike Brandenburg, it lay beyond the Empire and supplied the Hohenzollerns a separate sovereign title.
March of the Billungs: A medieval frontier territory in northeastern Saxony, created to extend East Frankish authority among Slavic peoples. Its earlier frontier role preceded the shifting imperial marches from which Brandenburg emerged.
Margrave: A noble ruler of a march, a frontier territory of the medieval Holy Roman Empire. The title described Brandenburg's ruler and reflected the principality's frontier origins.
Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg: An Ascanian margrave who ruled Brandenburg from 1308 to 1319 and briefly returned from retirement in 1348. His death without a surviving heir accelerated the end of Ascanian rule.
Prussia: A historical state in northern Central Europe whose rulers later united Brandenburg with the Prussian duchy. The Hohenzollern rulers built Prussia around Brandenburg's political and territorial resources.
Pomerania: A historic Baltic region divided among duchies and neighboring states along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. Competition over this neighboring region repeatedly shaped Brandenburg's borders and dynastic policy.

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