John I, Margrave of Brandenburg
| John I | |
|---|---|
| Margrave of Brandenburg | |
Monument to John I (sitting) and his brother Otto III in the Siegesallee in Berlin,
by Max Baumbach. |
|
| Margrave of Brandenburg | |
| Reign | 1220–1266 |
| Predecessor | Albert II |
| Successor | Otto III |
| Born | c. 1213 |
| Died | 4 April 1266 |
| Burial | Mariensee monastery |
| Spouse | Sophie of Denmark Jutta of Saxony |
| Issue |
John II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal Otto IV, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal Eric, Archbishop of Magdeburg Conrad, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal Helene, Margravine of Landsberg Hermann, Bishop of Havelberg Agnes, Queen of Denmark, Countess of Holstein-Plön Henry I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal Matilda, Duchess of Pomerania Albert |
| House | House of Ascania |
| Father | Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg |
| Mother | Matilda of Lusatia |
John I, Margrave of Brandenburg ( c. 1213 – 4 April 1266) was from 1220 until his death Margrave of Brandenburg, jointly with his brother Otto III "the Pious".
The reign of these two Ascanian Margraves was characterized by an expansion of the Margraviate, which annexed the remaining parts of Teltow and Barnim, the Uckermark, the Lordship of Stargard, the Lubusz Land and parts of the Neumark east of the Oder. They consolidated the position of Brandenburg within the Holy Roman Empire, which was reflected in the fact that in 1256, Otto III was a candidate to be elected King of the Germans. They founded several cities and developed the twin cities of Cölln and Berlin. They expanded the Ascanian castle in nearby Spandau and made it their preferred residence.
Before their death, they divided the Margraviate in a Johannine and an Ottonian part. The Ascanians were traditionally buried in the Lehnin Abbey in the Ottonian part of the country. In 1258, they founded a Cistercian monastery named Mariensee, where members of the Johannine line could be buried. In 1266, they changed their mind and founded a second monastery, named Chorin, 8 km southwest of Mariensee. John was initially buried at Mariensee; his body was moved to Chorin in 1273.
After the Ottonian line died out in 1317, John I's grandson Waldemar reunited the Margraviate.
John was the elder son of Albert II of the Brandenburg line of the House of Ascania and Mechthild (Matilda), the daughter of Margrave Conrad II of Lusatia, a junior line of the House of Wettin. Since both John and his two years younger brother Otto III were minors when their father died in 1220, Emperor Frederick II transferred the regency to Archbishop Albert I of Magdeburg. The guardianship was taken up by the children's first cousin once removed, Count Henry I of Anhalt, the older brother of Duke Albert I of Saxony, a cousin of Albert II. As the sons of Duke Bernhard III of Saxony, they were the closest relatives, and Henry had the older rights.
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