Brandenburg-Schwedt
Encyclopedia
Brandenburg-Schwedt was a cadet line of the Hohenzollerns
of Brandenburg-Prussia
who administered territories in the north of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
. They owned territories in Schwedt
-Vierraden
(Uckermark
and Neumark
) and Wildenbruch (Hinterpommern), but did not have sovereign rights.
(1618-1648), Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
, mortgaged the Schwedt region to the Counts of Varrensbach for 25,000 Thaler
. Electress Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
, the second wife of the elector, recovered the territory for 26,500 Thaler and granted it to her oldest son, Philip William
. The youngest of her sons was Christian Ludwig
, the honoree of the Brandenburg Concertos
. Through the purchase of more estates, the territory was expanded to include three towns, three castles, 33 villages, and 24 farmsteads.
Dorothea dedicated herself to the reconstruction of Schwedt's castle after the Thirty Years' War, as well as the economic development of the town and its surroundings. Dutch
experts and French
Huguenots were invited to cultivate tobacco
in Spring 1686. By the end of the 18th century, the Uckermark, with an area of 44 km², was the largest coherent tobacco region of Germany
. Its three cigar manufactories were the most important economic factors in the region.
Margrave Philip William
(ruled 1688-1711), intensively cultivated his dominion and furnished the castle at great expense. The brisk building activity was continued by his successor, Margrave Frederick William (ruled 1731-1771), who began to develop Schwedt into a residential seat for the cadet line.
Philip William's youngest son, Frederick Henry (ruled 1771-1788), the last Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, developed Schwedt into a cultural center. After his death in 1788, the cadet line's territory reverted to the Kingdom of Prussia
.
For a few years beginning in 1794, the castle of Schwedt was the residence of King Frederick William II of Prussia
's second son, Prince Frederick Louis Charles of Prussia.
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
of Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
who administered territories in the north of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
. They owned territories in Schwedt
Schwedt
Schwedt is a city in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the largest city of the district Uckermark near the Oder river on the border with Poland.-Overview:...
-Vierraden
Vierraden
Vierraden was the name of a small town in the northeast of the German state of Brandenburg.On October 26, 2003, it was incorporated into the city of Schwedt , which is about 3 kilometers to the south...
(Uckermark
Uckermark
Uckermark is a Kreis in the northeastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Barnim and Oberhavel, the districts Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Vorpommern-Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and to the east Poland . It is the largest district of Germany areawise...
and Neumark
Neumark
Neumark comprised a region of the Prussian province of Brandenburg, Germany.Neumark may also refer to:* Neumark, Thuringia* Neumark, Saxony* Neumark * Nowe Miasto Lubawskie or Neumark, a town in Poland, situated at river Drwęca...
) and Wildenbruch (Hinterpommern), but did not have sovereign rights.
Overview
Because of a lack of money after the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
(1618-1648), Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
|align=right|Frederick William was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia – and thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia – from 1640 until his death. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as the "Great Elector" because of his military and political prowess...
, mortgaged the Schwedt region to the Counts of Varrensbach for 25,000 Thaler
Thaler
The Thaler was a silver coin used throughout Europe for almost four hundred years. Its name lives on in various currencies as the dollar or tolar. Etymologically, "Thaler" is an abbreviation of "Joachimsthaler", a coin type from the city of Joachimsthal in Bohemia, where some of the first such...
. Electress Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , known as the House of Glücksburg for short, is a German ducal house, junior branches of which include the royal houses of Denmark and Norway, the deposed royal house of Greece, and the heir to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms The House...
, the second wife of the elector, recovered the territory for 26,500 Thaler and granted it to her oldest son, Philip William
Philipp Wilhelm (Brandenburg-Schwedt)
Philip William, Prince in Prussia was a Prussian Prince, the first Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt and governor of Magdeburg from 1692 to 1711.-Biography:...
. The youngest of her sons was Christian Ludwig
Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Christian Ludwig was a margrave of Brandenburg and a military officer of Brandenburg-Prussia's Hohenzollern dynasty. The title of Margrave of Brandenburg was given to princes of the Prussian royal house and did not express a territorial or allodial status...
, the honoree of the Brandenburg Concertos
Brandenburg concertos
The Brandenburg concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig, margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, in 1721 . They are widely regarded as among the finest musical compositions of the Baroque era...
. Through the purchase of more estates, the territory was expanded to include three towns, three castles, 33 villages, and 24 farmsteads.
Dorothea dedicated herself to the reconstruction of Schwedt's castle after the Thirty Years' War, as well as the economic development of the town and its surroundings. Dutch
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
experts and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Huguenots were invited to cultivate tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
in Spring 1686. By the end of the 18th century, the Uckermark, with an area of 44 km², was the largest coherent tobacco region of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Its three cigar manufactories were the most important economic factors in the region.
Margrave Philip William
Philipp Wilhelm (Brandenburg-Schwedt)
Philip William, Prince in Prussia was a Prussian Prince, the first Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt and governor of Magdeburg from 1692 to 1711.-Biography:...
(ruled 1688-1711), intensively cultivated his dominion and furnished the castle at great expense. The brisk building activity was continued by his successor, Margrave Frederick William (ruled 1731-1771), who began to develop Schwedt into a residential seat for the cadet line.
Philip William's youngest son, Frederick Henry (ruled 1771-1788), the last Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, developed Schwedt into a cultural center. After his death in 1788, the cadet line's territory reverted to the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
.
For a few years beginning in 1794, the castle of Schwedt was the residence of King Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:...
's second son, Prince Frederick Louis Charles of Prussia.