200 



Prussia, castle of Nuremburg. They seem, even in that rude 

 ^-^ V "" age, to have been distinguished for prudence, economy, 

 and a well-regulated desire of improving their heredi- 

 tary importance. They found means to render the 

 office of burg-grave hereditary in their family ; in 1248, 

 they obtained the principalities of Bayreuth and Ans- 

 pach, in Franconia; and, in 1415, Frederick, burg- 

 grave of Nuremburg, purchased the margraviate of 

 Brandenburg, for the sum of 400,000 ducats.* Fre- 

 derick was now raised to the dignity of elector, and 

 arch-chamberlain of the holy Roman empire ; and the 

 purchase of Brandenburg was, two years after it was 

 made, sanctioned and confirmed to him and his family 

 .at the diet of Constance. But he was not possessed of 

 the full extent of Brandenburg ; the New Mark being 

 in the hands of the Teutonic Knights, f Frederick, 

 instead of adhering to the feudal practice of leaving 

 his whole possessions to his oldest son, at the expence 

 of his other children, divided his territories among his 

 children, nearly in an equal degree. The spirit of the 

 feudal times was soon, however, resorted to; and in 

 1 473, it was agreed that the electorate- of Brandenburg 

 should from that date remain undivided, and should 

 descend to the nearest heir male. Frederick was sue- 

 ceeded as elector by his second son of the same name ; 

 the oldest having been disinherited because he had ap- 

 plied himself too ardently in endeavouring to find out 

 the philosopher's stone. Frederick, the second elector, 

 was a man of uncommon merit, prudence, and equity. 

 He refused, for example, the crown of Poland, when 

 offered him by the people, because, as he conceived 

 Casimir, son of the late king, to have a prior claim, 

 he declared he would not accept of it unless that 

 prince refused it. This generosity was not with- 

 out its advantages. The states of Lower Lusatia, ad- 

 miring his conduct, made to him a voluntary surrender 

 of their country. Lusatia, however, being a fief of 

 Bohemia, war was immediately declared to recover it. 

 This attempt was not entirely successful, for though 

 the Bohemian king recovered Lusatia, he was obliged, 

 by a treaty concluded in 1462, to yield the perpetual 

 sovereignty of other states to the elector. Frederick 

 having thus augmented his dominions, and having pur- 

 chased the New Mark from the Teutonic Knights for 

 100,000 florins, he resigned his crown to his son Albert, 

 of whom we have already spoken, as grand-master of 

 the Teutonic order. 



Character And Albert,, in many respects was not unworthy of 

 of Albert, being elevated to so eminent an office among this war- 

 like and brave people. His name stood as high as that 

 of any monarch in Europe. He had routed and taken 

 prisoner Louis, duke of Bavaria. He had gained no 

 fewer than eight battles against the Nuremburgers. 

 At the siege of Greifenberg he had performed prodi- 

 gies of valour, having leaped from the walls into the 

 town, and defended himself till his men forced the 

 gates and came to his assistance. He had also it seems 

 gained the prize at seventeen tournaments ; and &o 

 high and indisputable were his merits, that the em- 

 peror entrusted to him almost the whole direction of the 

 empire. It was a person thus distinguished that the Teu- 

 tonic knights raised to the dignity of grand-master of 



U S S I A. 



Frederick, 

 William, 



their order. Notwithstanding, however, all the confi- Prussia. 

 dence they showed towards him, he disappointed their ^~~^s~~- 

 hopes, and did not in any sense sustain the high cha- 

 racter he had before acquired. The result has already 

 been mentioned. The interests of the order were be- 

 trayed and destroyed ; and having become protestant, 

 and promised allegiance to Poland, he obtained the 

 title of Duke, and the sovereignty of Prussia, for him- 

 self and descendants. The Prussian annals are barren 

 and uninteresting for a considerable time after this date. 

 John Sigismund, elector of Brandenburg, who married 

 Anne, daughter of Albert, duke of Prussia, died in 1619, 

 and was succeeded by his son Frederick William. It was 

 during this reign hostilities commenced between the Ca- 

 tholics and Protestants, which is commonly called lite 

 thirty years nar. George William acted a very weak and 

 fluctuating part, and though a protestant, would not 

 have hesitated to sacrifice his principles, and abandon 

 the cause which he had espoused, had it more tho- 

 roughly promoted his safety, or secured his aggrandize- 

 ment. He was succeeded on his death, in 1640, by 

 his son Frederick William, usually denominated the 

 Great ; a prince of great decision of character, of great 

 military talents, and eminent personal bravery ; and 

 though only twenty years of age on his accession, be- 

 gan to repair the losses and destruction occasioned by 

 the wars in which his father had been engaged. He 

 concluded a treaty of peace with Gustavus Adolphus 

 of Sweden, who agreed to evacuate the territories of 

 Prussia which he had seized upon. By treaties also 

 made with the Hessians and Dutch, he added consider- 

 ably to the extent of his dominions ; and in the mean- 

 while continued to adhere steadfastly to the Protestant 

 cause. The powers of Europe, however, wished to 

 bring to a termination a war which had raged so long 

 with the most unrelenting severity, and which was ex- 

 hausting the resources of their several dominions, 

 without acquiring them any solid advantage in re- 

 turn. A treaty was therefore concluded in l6'47, 

 commonly called the peace of Westphalia, by which, 

 among other arrangements, the bishoprics of Min- 

 den, Halberstadt, Magdeburg, and Camin, and the 

 lordships of Hochenstein and Richenstein were ceded 

 to the Duke of Prussia. Prussia, however, was not 

 destined to remain long at peace. The Swedes hav- 

 ing invaded Pomerania, part of which had been assign- 

 ed to Prussia by the treaty of Westphalia, Frederick 

 William marched to oppose them ; defeated them with 

 great slaughter ; and ultimately carried his victorious 

 arms into Sweden, where the enemy experienced se- 

 veral signal defeats, and might have been almost extir- 

 pated, had an interposition not been made in their fa- 

 vour by the celebrated generals of France, Turenne and 

 Conde. Peace was in consequence agreed upon by the 

 contending parties ; and it was stipulated, that the 

 Duke of Prussia should possess the customs in all the 

 ports of Further Pomerania, with the cities of Camin, 

 Gortz, Greifenberg, and Wildenbruck. With this 

 treaty, which was called thepeace of St.Germains, termi- 

 nated the military career of Frederick William, who 

 passed the remainder of his days in tranquillity, and in 

 promoting the best interests of his dominions. Few 



* The margraviate of Brandenburg was founded in 927, by the Emperor Henry I. and was first conferred on Sigefroy, his brother-in- 

 law. From its institution till, as mentioned above, it was puichased by Albert, burg-grave of Nuremburg, no fewer than eight different 

 families successively held the office of margrave of Brandenburg. The margraves of Brandenburg, after the year 1100, enjoyed the dignity 

 and title of elector and duke. 



f It may not be improper to state, that Brandenburg is subdivided into New Mark, OKI Mark or Alte Mark, Middle Mark, and 

 Ucker Mark. 



