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Johann der Alchimist von Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Markgraf von Brandenburg-Kulmbach, was born 1406 to Friedrich I. von Brandenburg (1372-1440) and Elisabeth von Bayern-Landshut (1383-1442) and died 16 November 1464 Baiersdorf, Germany of unspecified causes. He married Barbara von Sachsen-Wittenberg (1405-1465) 27 May 1416 JL .

Biography

John, nicknamed the Alchemist (German: Johann der Alchimist; 1406 – 16 November 1464) was a Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and served as the peace-loving Margrave of Brandenburg after the abdication of his father, Frederick I, the first member of the House of Hohenzollern to rule Brandenburg.

John was the eldest son of Friedrich I. von Brandenburg (1372-1440), and Elisabeth von Bayern-Landshut (1383-1442), daughter of Frederick, Duke of Bavaria, and his second wife Maddalena Visconti.

After marrying Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg (1405–1465), daughter of Rudolf III, Duke of Saxe-Wittenberg, John hoped to eventually succeed to Saxe-Wittenberg once its line of Ascanian dukes died out. When this happened in November 1422, however, Emperor Sigismund was on poorer terms with the Hohenzollerns and was only willing to compensate John with a monetary payment.

John began participating in governmental affairs in Brandenburg in 1424. Frustrated by disputes with the feudal nobility, Frederick I retired to his castle at Cadolzburg in Franconia in 1425, granting the regency of Brandenburg to John at a Landtag in Rathenow on January 13, 1426, while retaining the electoral dignity for himself.

John was poorly received by the populace of Brandenburg, as his administration was incompetent, leading to unrest in the countryside. Rather than governing, John was more interested in artificially creating gold through alchemy, thereby receiving the cognomen "the Alchemist". In 1433, a revised version of the alchemical treatise Buch der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit of Ulmannus was prepared for John. Realizing the danger Brandenburg was in, Frederick I granted John Franconian lands in Brandenburg-Kulmbach on June 7, 1437, territory rich with mines that furnished materials for the Alchemist's hobby. The governance of Brandenburg passed to Frederick I's second-oldest son, Frederick II.

After the death of Frederick I in 1440, John inherited all of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, including the castle of Plassenburg in Kulmbach. In his later years, he allowed Christopher of Bavaria to administer his possessions in the Upper Palatinate until Christopher's death in 1448. John ruled as Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach until abdicating in 1457, which allowed him to dedicate himself toward studying alchemy and the environs of Franconia. He died in Castle Scharfeneck near Baiersdorf in 1464.

Family and children

John of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg had four children:


Children


Offspring of Johann der Alchimist von Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Barbara von Sachsen-Wittenberg (1405-1465)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Barbara von Brandenburg (1423-1481) 1423 7 November 1481 Ludovico III Gonzaga (1412-1478)
Rudolf von Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1424-1424)
Elisabeth von Brandenburg (1425-1465)
Dorothea von Brandenburg (1430-1495) 1430 10 November 1495 Kalundborg Christopher III of Denmark (1416-1448)
Christian I of Denmark (1426-1481)



Siblings


Offspring of Friedrich I. von Brandenburg (1372-1440) and Elisabeth von Bayern-Landshut (1383-1442)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Elisabeth von Brandenburg (1403-1449) 1403 21 October 1449 Louis II of Brzeg (c1383-1436)
Wenceslaus I of Cieszyn
Johann der Alchimist von Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1406-1464) 1406 16 November 1464 Baiersdorf, Germany Barbara von Sachsen-Wittenberg (1405-1465)
Cäcilie von Brandenburg (c1407-1449) 1407 4 January 1449 Wilhelm I. von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1392-1482)
Barbara von Brandenburg (c1409-?)
Margarete von Brandenburg (c1410-1465)
Magdalene von Brandenburg (c1412-1454) 1412 27 October 1454 Scharnebeck Friedrich II. der Fromme von Braunschweig-Lüneburg (c1408-1478)
Friedrich II. von Brandenburg (1413-1471) 19 November 1413 Tangermünde, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany 10 February 1471 Neustadt an der Aisch, Bavaria, Germany Katharina von Sachsen (1421-1476)
Albrecht III. Achilles von Brandenburg (1414-1486) 9 November 1414 Tangermünde, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany 11 March 1486 Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany Margarete von Baden (1431-1457)
Anna von Sachsen (1437-1512)
Sofie von Brandenburg (1416-1416)
Dorothea von Brandenburg (1420-1491) 9 March 1420 Berlin, Germany 19 January 1491 Rehna, Germany Heinrich IV. zu Mecklenburg (1417-1477)
Friedrich III. von Brandenburg (1424-1463) 1424 6 October 1463 Tangermünde, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Agnes von Pommern (c1436-1512)


See Also

Some information in this article or section has not been verified and may not be reliable.
Please check for any inaccuracies, and modify and cite sources as needed.

Notable Ancesters

Notable Descendants

Bibliographies

External Links


Royal Succession Charts


Johann der Alchimist von Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1406-1464)
Born: 1406 Died: 16 November 1464
Preceded by
Frederick I
Margrave of Brandenburg
1426–1440
Succeeded by
Frederick II
Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
1440–1457
Succeeded by
Albrecht Achilles


References



Footnotes (including sources)

Thurstan, Phlox, Rtol, MainTour


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