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Brandenburg.] G E R M A N T. 631
in the days o^ AÜHrt the Bear had mnde themfclvcr, rnnftcrs, together with
a confideruble part of the Nemnark and Lcbus.
Thefe Princes governed at firft in co;nmon, biu in 1262 thev fhared
the countries among them, and each of them founded a feparate line,
namely, yohn the elder line, and Otto III the younger. Henry, who died
in 1320, was the lall: ]Vlarggra\e of Brandenburg of the Afcavian race.
Upon his death the Emperor Lewis of Bavaria conferred ihe Mark, with t!ie
approbation of the States of the Empire on his fon heivis the EUer, who was
at that time under-age, but this Prince afterwards ceded it to his brothers
Lewis the Roman and Otto, who in 1356 were aUb inverted therewith by
the Emperor Charles IV. Otto led an irregular life, and fell at variance
with his father-in-Law the Emperor Charles IV. to whom in 1373 he was
obliged to cede the Mark of B'-andenburg in lieu of a debt of 200, ccö
dollars, which had never been difcharged. The Emperor caufed homage
to be paid by the Mark to his fon Wenzel, but the latter arriving in 1378 to
be King of Bohemia, he ceded the Mark to his brother Sigifmund, who in
1388 mortgaged it to Jobfl, Marggrave of Moravia, for the fum of 20,000
Bohemian guldens, and this laft again to Willia?n, Marggrave of Mijhia.
The Neiimark was mortgaged by the Emperor Sigifmund in the year
1402 to the T'eufo/iick order in Priißia. After the death of the Maiggrave
'Jobji \\\Q Mark oi Brandenburg reverted in 141 1 to the Emperor Sigijmund,
who in the very fame year ceded it again by way of mortgage to Frederick V.
(or VI.) Burggrave of Nürnberg, and in 141 5, hereditarily and in property
with all its appurtenances, to the eledforate and the arch-chamberlain's effice.
Of this Burggrave and new Eleöor, as alfo of his anceftors, we have
treated above in the circle of Franconia under the articles Cidmbach and
Onolzbach, in p. 41 2, 493. His eldcft fon, the Marggrave Joh?:, religned the
eledtorate to his brother Frederick. This Elector, namely Frederick II.
made a ftipulation in 1442 with the Dukes of Mecklenburg, by virtue of
which on the total extindion of the ducal male-line of Mecklenburg, all the
faid Dukes territories fall to the electoral houfe of Brandenburg; for which
reafon the Mecklenburg fubjeds alfo ought to pay homage to our Elector
and his heirs. In 1455 Frederick purchaled the Neumark of the Teutonick
order; and in 1469 ceded the eleftorate to his brother the Marggrave Albert,
who for his bravery was fliled both the German Achilles and XJlyffes.
The latter was alfo poffefTed of the Franconian principalities of Cidmbach
and Onolzbach, which he bequeathed to his two younger fons, but kit the
eledlorate of Brandenburg to the eldeft ion, 'John the Great, who accordingly
took pofTeflion of it in i486. To him fucceeded in 1499 his fon
John Joachim I. who in 1 524 feized as fuperior the vacant county of Ruppin^
and died in i 535. Under the fon and fuccefTor of the laft in the eledorate,
namely Joachim II. and his brother, John of Kußrin, the Reformation in
the Mark was undertaken with much prudence.. The Eledor John George,
foil