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| Frederick II | |
|---|---|
 Posthumous engraving of Frederick II, 16th century | |
| Elector of Brandenburg | |
| Reign | 20 September 1440 – 10 February 1471 |
| Predecessor | Frederick I |
| Successor | Albert III Achilles |
| Born | (1413-11-19)19 November 1413 Tangermünde castle,Margraviate of Brandenburg |
| Died | 10 February 1471(1471-02-10) (aged 57) Neustadt an der Aisch,Bavaria |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Dorothea of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg Margaret of Brandenburg Johan of Brandenburg |
| House | Hohenzollern |
| Father | Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg |
| Mother | Elisabeth of Bavaria |
Frederick II of Brandenburg (German:Friedrich II.) (19 November 1413 – 10 February 1471), nicknamed "the Iron" (der Eiserne) and sometimes "Irontooth" (Eisenzahn), was aPrince-elector of theMargraviate of Brandenburg from 1440 until his abdication in 1470, and was a member of theHouse of Hohenzollern.
Frederick II was born at Tangermünde Castle (German:Burg Tangermünde), whenTangermünde was within theMargraviate of Brandenburg, toFrederick I, Brandenburg's first Hohenzollern ruler, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter ofFrederick, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut, andMaddalena Visconti. The latter was a daughter ofBernabò Visconti andBeatrice della Scala. As the second son, his brothers includedJohn the Alchemist andAlbert Achilles, both of whom also ruled Brandenburg asmargraves.
In 1421, at age 8, Frederick was betrothed toHedwig Jagiellon, but she died on 8 December 1431, before the marriage could take place.
When Frederick I retired in 1437, he compensated his incapable eldest son John with thePrincipality of Bayreuth while Frederick II assumed the government of Brandenburg. Unlike his father, he turned away from imperial politics and concentrated on his efforts to pacify the nobility andtowns of the electorate. Quarrels with the city ofBerlin began in 1440 with his plans to build a new residence on theCölln island of theSpree river. In 1448 theBerliner Unwille (indignation) against the cession of the city's territory for an electoral stronghold culminated in open revolt, when the citizens flooded the excavation of the futureStadtschloss. Nevertheless, Frederick II prevailed, had the palace built and thecity's rights decisively curtailed.
In 1453, Frederick II, in his position as the Margrave of Brandenburg, was sent a letter from Rhodes, penned by the Grand Master of the Knights of St John, notifying him of the Fall of Constantinople and requesting he send them support so as to allow them to continue to combat the Turkish threat. His response is unknown.[1]
In 1454 and 1455, he concluded theTreaties of Cölln and Mewe and thereby re-gained theNeumark (New March) from theTeutonic Order state. Weary of the long struggle with theDuchy of Pomerania, he abdicated in 1470 in favour of his younger brother Albert Achilles, he retired to the Bayreuth Principality and died one year later inNeustadt an der Aisch.
On 11 June 1441, Frederick II marriedCatherine ofSaxony (1421 – 23 August 1476), a daughter ofElector Frederick I of Saxony andKatharina of Brunswick-Lüneburg. They had three children (and Frederick had one bastard):
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Media related toFrederick II, Elector of Brandenburg at Wikimedia CommonsFrederick II, Elector of Brandenburg Born: 19 November 1413 Died: 10 February 1471 | ||
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| Preceded by | Elector of Brandenburg 1440–1470 | Succeeded by |
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