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In 1415, the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund granted his family territory the Electorate of Brandenburg to his confidant Frederick of ansbach Domain, and the Hohenzollern family rose from then on. Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg, was the ancestor of the future King of Prussia and influenced the history of Germany for more than 500 years. How Frederick I led the rise of the Hohenzollern dynasty, the captain will tell you in detail.
First, born into the nobility
Frederick I
Frederick was born on 21 September 1371 in Nuremberg, Holy Roman Empire, the second son of Frederick V, Count of Nuremberg, and Princess Elizabeth Meissen. At that time, the Hohenzollern family was only an ordinary nobleman in the German region, and did not have much influence in the empire, but successive heads of the family expanded their territory by supporting the Holy Roman Emperor, which made the family's power in Germany continue to expand.
Albrecht III
In 1389, at the age of eighteen, Frederick bid farewell to his parents and went to Austria to visit his sister Beatrice of Nuremberg, where he found a position with his brother-in-law, Duke Albrecht III of Austria. At that time, the Habsburgs had become one of the great nobles of Germany and had a great influence on the situation in Germany, so Frederick was very envious of his brother-in-law Albrecht III and set a lofty ambition to revitalize the Hohenzollern family.
Second, serve the emperor
Sigismund
Albrecht III died in 1395, after the Ottoman Empire had besieged Constantinople, leading Pope Boniface IX to call for and launch a crusade to save the Eastern Roman Empire. Frederick saw this as an opportunity to improve himself, so he left Austria and joined his brother John in the Crusade with King Sigismund (John's brother-in-law). Frederick became acquainted with Sigismund and served him, which had a major impact on his future fate.
Battle of Nikopolis
In 1396, the Crusaders suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Nikopolis, most of which were killed or captured, but Frederick and the John brothers and Sigismund were lucky to escape, and John desperately saved the life of his brother-in-law Sigismund, making the Hohenzollern family and the Luxembourg family more close.
Ruprecht
When Frederick V died in 1398, Frederick and his brother John divided the family territory equally, with John receiving Kulmbach and Frederick gaining Ansbach, but the two brothers were close and still ruled the Nuremberg State together. A battle for the throne then broke out in the Holy Roman Empire, and The Elector of The Palatinate, Ruprecht III, with the support of the German princes, challenged King Wenzel I of the Roman people in an attempt to seize the throne.
Wenzel I
Ruprecht III (Frederick's brother-in-law) and Wenzel I (Brother-in-law John, Brother Sigismund) were both relatives of the Hohenzollern family, so Frederick actively reconciled their contradictions in order to increase his prestige, but without success. Frederick then chose to support Ruprecht III, and John chose to support Wenzel I. Although divided into different camps, the brothers Frederick and John privately remained united in order to defend the interests of the Hohenzollern family.
In 1407, Frederick clashed with the free city of Rothenburg due to territorial disputes, and immediately led a large army to besiege the city. In 1408, Frederick was overwhelmed by a heavy debt burden and had to negotiate peace with Rothenburg, who was equally exhausted. Subsequently, King Ruprecit III of the Roman people intervened to mediate and ended the war by playing fifty boards against each of the two warring sides. Frederick again turned to Sigismund and worked for him in order to solve the financial crisis in exchange for financial support.
Yobst, Moravia
When Ruprecht III died in 1410, the German princes elected a new king of the Roman people. Frederick then actively supported Sigismund and urged him to ascend the throne. Sigismund's cousin, Jobst of Moravian, Elector of Brandenburg, was a strong rival to him, and he questioned Jobst's legitimacy and right to vote in Brandenburg, appointing Frederick as Brandenburg's representative. Yobst was still elected, but died the following year.
Third, become an elector
Brandenburg
In 1411, Sigismund was so pleased that he had both taken back the Electorate of Brandenburg from his cousin Jobst and was elected king of the Roman people, so he appointed him governor of Brandenburg in order to thank Frederick for his help, giving him almost the same powers as the Elector of Brandenburg. A large-scale rebellion then broke out in Brandenburg, and Frederick learned the lessons of the Battle of Rothenburg and adopted a flexible and ingenious foreign policy, alliing with the Princes of Brunswick-Lüneburg and other princes, and relying on their support to quell the rebellion.
Electoral state of Brandenburg
In 1415, Sigismund officially crowned Frederick as Elector of Brandenburg at the Council of the Grand Dukes of Constance, and the Electorate of Brandenburg became the domain of the House of Hohenzollern. Frederick had a very close relationship with Sigismund at the time, serving as regent of the Holy Roman Empire during his visits (which did not conform to the laws of Holy Rome) and as the heir to the king of the Roman people in his opinion. It can be seen that the Hohenzollern family thus became a greater German nobleman and began to have a greater influence on Germany.
Fourth, participate in mediation
Poland
When John died in 1420, Frederick was able to inherit Kulmbach and reunite the family domain. In 1421, Frederick allied and married Poland in order to recover East Brandenburg, which was controlled by the Teutonic Knights, and to obtain foreign aid from the Kingdom of Poland.
At that time, the Holy Roman Empire broke out in the Hussite War, Sigismund tried to suppress the Hussite revolt, frederick suggested that he reconcile with the Hussites, and that Poland provide assistance to the Hussites. Sigismund therefore considered Frederick to have betrayed him and was very dissatisfied with him. But Frederick was grateful for Sigismund's reuse and remained loyal to him.
Hussite War
In 1425, the elderly Frederick chose to retire and let his eldest son, John of Brandenburg, run the affairs. In 1427, Sigismund lost several defeats in the Hussite Wars, so Frederick went out to help him fight against the Hussites, and also actively promoted the reconciliation of the moderate followers of the Hussites with the emperor, contributing greatly to ending the Hussite Wars.
In 1437, Frederick discovered that John of Brandenburg was unable to govern the electorate and made his second son Frederick II his heir. When Frederick died in 1440, Frederick II became Elector of Brandenburg, dividing the family territory with his older brother John of Brandenburg and his younger brother Albrecht III, but the three brothers remained united in accordance with their father's will, ensuring that the strength of the Hohenzollern family remained undiminished.
In general, Frederick, by defecting to the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, won the Electorate of Brandenburg, one of the seven electors, and made the Hohenzollern family a great German nobleman, laying a solid foundation for the rise of the Hohenzollern dynasty.