View source for Principality of Bayreuth

{{Short description|Immediate territory of the Holy Roman Empire}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name            = {{native name|de|Fürstentum Bayreuth/Markgraftum Brandenburg-Kulmbach}}
|conventional_long_name = Principality of Bayreuth/<br>Margraviate of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
|common_name            = Bayreuth
|era                    = [[Middle Ages]]
|status                 = [[Principality]]
|empire                 = Holy Roman Empire
|year_start             = 1398
|year_end               = 1791
|event_start            = Partitioned from [[Burgraviate of Nuremberg]]
|date_start             = &nbsp;<br>21 January
|event1                 = Reunited with [[Brandenburg-Ansbach|Ansbach]]
|date_event1            = 1420–40
|event2                 = Joined [[Franconian Circle]]
|date_event2            = 1500
|event3                 = Partitioned in twain
|date_event3            = 1655–1726
|event4                 = Line extinct; inherited by Ansbach
|date_event4            = &nbsp;<br>20 January 1769
|event_end              = Ansbach and Bayreuth sold to [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]
|date_end               = &nbsp;<br>2 December
|p1                     = Burgraviate of Nuremberg
|flag_p1                = Burgraves of Nuremberg (Eigener Entwurf Version 2).svg
|s1                     = Kingdom of Prussia
|flag_s1                = Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia (1750-1801).svg
|image_coat             = Wappen Brandenburg Ansbach Kulmbach Bayreuth.jpg
| symbol                = House of Hohenzollern#Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1398–1604), later Brandenburg-Bayreuth (1604–1791)
| coa_size              = 120px
|image_map              = Principality of Bayreuth.png
|image_map_caption      = Principality of Brandenburg-Bayreuth as at 1791, when it was sold to [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]
|capital                = [[Kulmbach]] until 1604,<br>[[Bayreuth]] from 1604
|leader1                = [[John III, Burgrave of Nuremberg]]
|year_leader1           = 1398–1420 (first)
|leader2                = [[Christian Frederick Charles Alexander, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|Christian Frederick,<br>Margrave of<br>Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
|year_leader2           = 1769–91 (last)
|title_leader           = Margrave
|footnotes              = <!--- Accepts wikilinks --->
}}
The '''Principality of Bayreuth''' ({{langx|de|Fürstentum Bayreuth}}) or '''Margraviate of Brandenburg-Bayreuth''' (''Markgraftum Brandenburg-Bayreuth'') was an [[Imperial immediacy|immediate]] territory of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], ruled by a [[Duchy of Franconia|Franconian]] branch of the [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]] dynasty. Since Burgrave [[Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick VI of Nuremberg]] was enfeoffed with the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]] in 1415/17, the Hohenzollern princes transferred the [[margrave|margravial]] title to their Franconian possessions, though the principality never had been a [[March (territorial entity)|march]]. Until 1604 they used [[Plassenburg]] Castle in [[Kulmbach]] as their residence, hence their territory was officially called the '''Principality of Kulmbach''' or '''Margraviate of Brandenburg-Kulmbach''' until the Empire's dissolution in 1806.

==Geography==
[[File:Ostfranken um 1400.png|thumb|left|East Franconian territories around 1400, Burgraviate of Nuremberg in blue]]
The Kulmbach-Bayreuth principality arose from the northern uplands (''Oberland'') of the former [[Burgraviate of Nuremberg]], while the southern lowlands (''Unterland'') formed the [[Principality of Ansbach]]. The final border demarcation was settled by the 1541 [[House Treaty of Regensburg]], adding some smaller ''Unterland'' territories to Bayreuth.  However, it was not connected with the ''Oberland'' core territory stretching up to the [[Franconian Forest]] and the [[Fichtel Mountains]]. Mountainous and densely wooded, most of the lands were of less agricultural use, nevertheless mineral resources, predominantly [[iron ore|ore]] deposits led to the construction of numerous [[mining|mines]].

Beside the residence [[Bayreuth]], the separate ''Oberland'' and ''Unterland'' territories were administered from [[Hof, Bavaria|Hof]] and [[Neustadt an der Aisch]] respectively.

== History ==
The principality arose upon the death of the Hohenzollern burgrave [[Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg|Frederick V of Nuremberg]] on 21 January 1398, when his lands were partitioned between his two sons: the elder, Burgrave [[John III, Burgrave of Nuremberg|John III]] received Kulmbach-Bayreuth and the younger, [[Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick VI]], received the [[Principality of Ansbach]].

The two principalities were once again united under the younger son, Frederick, after John's death on 11 June 1420. At the [[Council of Constance]] in 1415, Emperor [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]] vested Frederick with the hereditary title of an [[Prince-elector|Elector]] of Brandenburg (as Frederick I). Frederick finally sold his burgravial title to the citizens of the [[Free Imperial City of Nuremberg|Imperial City of Nuremberg]]. On his death in 1440, his territories were again divided between his sons: the eldest, [[John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach|John the Alchemist]] had waived his right of primogeniture and succeeded his father in Kulmbach-Bayreuth, while the second, [[Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick Irontooth]], received the Brandenburg electorate. Ansbach passed to the third son [[Albrecht III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg|Albert Achilles]].

As John the Alchemist had no male heirs, he renounced his rights in 1457, whereupon Kulmbach-Bayreuth fell to his brother, Albert Achilles. When the eldest brother, the Brandenburg elector Frederick Irontooth abdicated in 1470, Albert united all Hohenzollern territories under his rule. After Albert's death in 1486 the Franconian principalities were finally partitioned according to his ''[[Dispositio Achillea]]'' disposition, passing to the younger sons of his second marriage with [[Anna of Saxony, Electress of Brandenburg|Anna of Saxony]], Margrave [[Siegmund, Margrave of Bayreuth|Siegmund]] and his brother [[Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|Frederick II]].

===Elder line===
[[File:Plassenb.jpg|thumb|262px|Plassenburg in Kulmbach]]
While the Brandenburg electorate became the power base for the rising Hohenzollern dynasty, the Principality of Kulmbach-Bayreuth was held by Frederick's descendants, temporarily in [[personal union]] with Ansbach. The rulers were commonly known as the Margraves of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (though Bayreuth is nowhere near Brandenburg). Kulmbach-Bayreuth became part of the [[Franconian Circle]] in 1500.

After in 1541 the ambitious Margrave [[Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach|Albert Alcibiades]] assumed the rule over Kulmbach-Bayreuth, he barged onto the battlegrounds of the [[Schmalkaldic War]], several times switching sides between Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] and the Lutheran princes of the [[Schmalkaldic League]]. In 1552 he sparked the [[Second Margrave War]] against Nuremberg and the neighbouring [[Prince-bishop]]rics of [[Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg|Würzburg]] and [[Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg|Bamberg]]. His soaring plans to re-establish the medieval [[Duchy of Franconia]] under his rule ended with his utter defeat and an [[Imperial ban]] in 1554.

Albert was succeeded by his cousin Margrave [[George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|George Frederick]] in 1557, who from 1577 als ruled in the [[Duchy of Prussia]] as regent for his incapable Hohenzollern relative Duke [[Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia]]. With George Frederick's death in 1603, the elder Bayreuth line became extinct. He left his successor, Margrave [[Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Christian]], younger son of the Brandenburg elector [[John George, Elector of Brandenburg|John George]], an orderly and functioning state.

===Younger line===
Margrave Christian took his residence in Bayreuth; in 1655 he was succeeded by his grandson [[Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Christian Ernst]], who gained power and influence on Imperial politics in the military rank of a [[Field marshal]]. In 1705 his son Prince [[George William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|George William]] founded the ''[[Ordre de la Sincerité]]'', predecessor to the Prussian [[Order of the Red Eagle]]. Margrave [[Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Frederick]], ruling from 1735, and his wife [[Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Wilhelmine of Prussia]], both patrons of arts and sciences, had the Bayreuth residence largely rebuilt in a distinct [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] style (''Markgrafenstil''), including the erection of the [[Margravial Opera House]] finished in 1748. A university was founded in 1742 and relocated to [[University of Erlangen-Nuremberg|Erlangen]] the next year.
[[File:Preussen-FdG.jpg|thumb|262px|Bayreuth and Ansbach (blue) as part of Prussia]]
The younger line of the Brandenburg-Bayreuth margraves died out in 1769 with the death of [[Frederick Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Frederick Christian]], whereafter Bayreuth and Ansbach were once again ruled in personal union by Margrave [[Charles Alexander, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|Charles Alexander]]. On 2 December 1791, Charles Alexander signed a treaty with King [[Frederick William II of Prussia]], whereby he ceded his principalities to the Prussian state against a lifelong annuity. He married socialite [[Elizabeth Craven]] and retired to private life in [[Kingdom of England|England]], while Bayreuth and Ansbach were governed by the Prussian minister [[Karl August von Hardenberg]].

Occupied by [[First French Empire|French]] troops during the [[War of the Fourth Coalition]], Prussia had to cede Bayreuth according to the 1807 [[Treaties of Tilsit|Treaty of Tilsit]]. At the 1808 [[Congress of Erfurt]], the French emperor [[Napoleon]] offered it for sale to the newly established [[Kingdom of Bavaria]]; it changed owners in 1810 against a payment of 15 million francs.

==Margraves==
* 1398: [[John III, Burgrave of Nuremberg|John III of Nuremberg]]
* 1420: [[Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg|Frederick I of Brandenburg]]
* 1440: [[John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach|John IV ''the Alchemist'']]
* 1457: [[Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg|Albert I ''Achilles'']] (also Margrave of Brandenburg from 1470)
* 1486: [[Siegmund, Margrave of Bayreuth|Siegmund]]
* 1495: [[Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|Frederick III]] (also Margrave of Ansbach as Friedrich I)
* 1515: [[Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Casimir]]
* 1527: [[Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach|Albert Alcibiades]]
* 1553: [[George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|George Frederick]] (also Margrave of Ansbach)
* 1603: [[Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Christian]]
* 1655: [[Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Christian Ernst]]
* 1712: [[George William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|George William]]
* 1726: [[George Frederick Charles, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|George Frederick Charles]] (previously Margrave of Kulmbach from 1708)
* 1735: [[Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Frederick]]
* 1763: [[Frederick Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Frederick Christian]]
* 1769: [[Charles Alexander, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|Charles Alexander]] (to 1791; also Margrave of Ansbach)

== See also ==
* {{Section link|Germans in the American Revolution|Ansbach-Bayreuth}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Doehla |first=Johann Conrad |date=1990 |title=A Hessian Diary of the American Revolution |location=Norman and London |publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]] |others=Translated, Edited, and with an Introduction by Bruce E. Burgoyne from the 1913 Bayreuth edition by W. Baron von Waldenfels |isbn=0-80612254-4 |oclc=722636758 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/hessiandiaryofam00dohl }}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.exulanten.com/delta.html The Ansbach-Bayreuth Army in America] at Exulanten.com
* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/German_States1.html German States to 1918, A–E] on WorldStatesmen.org
* {{cite web |last=Marek |first=Miroslav |url=http://genealogy.euweb.cz/hohz/hohenz1.html |title= House of Hohenzollern (1 of 2) |publisher= Genealogy.EU}} on Genealogy.eu
* {{cite web |last=Marek |first=Miroslav |url=http://genealogy.euweb.cz/hohz/hohenz2.html |title= House of Hohenzollern (2 of 2) |publisher= Genealogy.EU}}
* [http://www.tacitus.nu/historical-atlas/regents/germany/nurnberg.htm Ansbach and Bayreuth]

{{Swabian League}}
{{Franconian Circle}}
{{Portal bar|Holy Roman Empire}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayreuth}}
[[Category:Margraves of Bayreuth| ]]
[[Category:1398 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:1390s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1792 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Bayreuth]]
[[Category:Former states and territories of Bavaria]]
[[Category:Franconian Circle]]
[[Category:Lists of nobility of the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Principalities of the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1398]]