Eric of Brandenburg
| Eric of Brandenburg | |
|---|---|
| Noble family | House of Ascania |
| Father | John I, Margrave of Brandenburg |
| Mother | Sophia of Denmark |
| Born | c. 1245 |
| Died | 21 December 1295 |
Eric of Brandenburg (c. 1245 – 21 December 1295) was Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1283 until his death.
Eric was a younger son of Margrave John I of Brandenburg. From an early age, he was destined for a career in the clergy. In the 1360s and 1370s, he appears in documents as canon and dean of the Monastery St. Boniface and St. Maurice in Halberstadt. His brothers, the Margraves of Brandenburg, tried, undoubtedly for political reasons, to have him appointed as canon and later as archbishop in Magdeburg. On 20 June 1264, Pope Urban IV ordered the chapter in Magdeburg to accept Eric as a canon, however, the chapter ignored this order. Later attempts to gain a foothold in the archbishopric were also unsuccessful. On 1 May 1272, archbishop Conrad II of Magdeburg created a defensive alliance with the Princes of Werle, Rugia and Mecklenburg, against the Margraves of Brandenburg.
After Conrad II died in 1272, a split occurred in the cathedral chapter in Magdeburg. One party preferred Eric, who was supported by his brother Margrave Otto and his cousin Duke Albert of Brunswick. The other party preferred Canon Burchard of Querfurt. The two parties were at the brink of war when a settlement was reached: neither candidate was elected, instead the post was offered to Günther I of Schwalenberg. Peace, however, did not last long. War soon broke out between the newly elected archbishop and Margrave Otto IV, who was defeated and captured in the Battle of Frohse on 10 January 1278. The feud against Magdeburg continued after his release.
Eric was finally elected in 1283, after Günther had abdicated in 1278 and his successor, Bernard of Wölpe, resigned in 1282. He only held the archbishop's chair for twelve years; however, this period turned out to be highly significant for the constitutional history of the city. There were many feuds early in his reign, and fighting them was expensive. The citizens of Magdeburg were initially unhappy with his election, because they viewed him as the brother of the bellicose Margrave; the city had often suffered hardships during his many wars.
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