George William (German: Georg Wilhelm) (13 November 1595 - December 1, 1640) of the Hohenzollern dynasty was margrave and elector of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia (1619-1640). His reign was marked by ineffective governance during the Thirty Years' War. November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... Events January 30 - William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet is performed for the first time. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... The House of Hohenzollern is a German dynasty of electors, kings, and emperors of Prussia, Germany, and Romania. ... Margrave is the English and French form of the German title Markgraf (from Mark march and Graf count) and certain equivalent nobiliary (princely) titles in other languages. ... The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst (singular) Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg (Sorbian/Lusatian: Brandisborska) is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... Royal and Ducal Prussia in the second half of 16th century Ethnic map Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with its major subdivisions as of 1619, superimposed on present-day national borders Ducal Prussia or Brandenburg-Prussia was since 1525 the eastern part of the land called Prussia, officially referred to as Terra... Events May 13 - Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after having been accused of treason. ... Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631). ...

Biography

Early life

Born in Cölln on the Spree, George William was the son of Margrave John Sigismund and Anna of Prussia. His maternal grandfather was Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia. This article is about Cölln on an island of the Spree. ... The Spree (Slavic Å preva or Å preja, older form Sprevja, Sorbish Sprowja) is a river in Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin, Germany. ... John or Johann Sigismund Hohenzollern (1572-1619) succeeded his father Joachim Friedrich as margrave of Brandenburg and duke of Ducal Prussia in 1608. ... Albert Frederick (7 May 1553- 28 August 1618) was duke of Ducal Prussia from 1568 until his death. ...

In 1616 George William married Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate. Their only son Frederick William later became known as the "Great Elector". Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg. ... The prince-electors or electoral princes of the Holy Roman Empire — German: Kurfürst (singular) Kurfürsten (plural) — were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Emperors of Germany. ...

Rule

In 1619 George William inherited the March of Brandenburg and Ducal Prussia. During the Thirty Years' War, he tried to remain neutral between the Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire and the Protestant principalities. As his sister Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg was queen of Sweden, George William had to maneuver between requests of assistance from his Protestant brother-in-law King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and his own Protestant counsellors on one side and his Catholic chancellor Count Adam von Schwarzenberg on the other. Mark or march (or various plural forms of these words) are derived from the Frankish word marka (boundary) and refer to an area along a border, e. ... The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631). ... The Holy Roman Empire and from the 16th century on also The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ... Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing the splitting away from the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe—a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg was the daughter of Elector Johann Sigismund of Brandenburg. ... Gustav II Adolf (also known as Gustaf Adolf den store or Gustavus II Adolphus) (December 9, 1594 – November 6, 1632 O.S.), widely known by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus and referred to by Protestants as the Lion of the North, was King of Sweden from 1611 until his death. ...

Despite his attempts at neutrality, he was forced by Gustavus Adolphus to join the Protestant forces in 1631. His rule was largely weak and ineffective however, as much of Brandenburg-Prussia's government responsibilities were left with Schwarzenberg as the country suffered greatly during the war. Protestant and Catholic troops alike burned and plundered the region as the population was decimated. After the Swedish defeat at the Battle of Nordlingen on September 6, 1634, George William withdrew Brandenburg from the war and signed the Peace of Prague with Emperor Ferdinand II on May 30, 1635. Leaving Schwarzenberg in charge of the government, George William retreated in 1637 to the relatively safe region of Ducal Prussia where he lived in retirement until his death at Königsberg in 1640. He was succeeded by Frederick William. // Events February 5 - Roger Williams emigrates to Boston. ... The Brandenburg-Prussian state was formed in 1618 when the Duchy of Prussia came under the control of the Elector of Brandenburg (part of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation). ... The Battle of Nördlingen refers to two battles during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). ... This article is about the day of the year. ... Events Moses Amyrauts Traite de la predestination is published Curaçao captured by the Dutch Treaty of Polianovska First meeting of the Académie française The witchcraft affair at Loudun Jean Nicolet lands at Green Bay, Wisconsin Opening of Covent Garden Market in London English establish a settlement... Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (July 9, 1578 – February 15, 1637), of the house of Habsburg, ruled 1620-1637. ... May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ... Events February 10 - The Académie française in Paris is expanded to become a national academy for the artistic elite. ... Events February 3 - Tulipmania collapses in Netherlands by government order February 15 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor December 17 - Shimabara Rebellion erupts in Japan Pierre de Fermat makes a marginal claim to have proof of what would become known as Fermats last theorem. ... Map of Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad (Russian: ), until 1945 known by its German name Königsberg , then briefly as Kenigsberg (Russian: ), is a seaport city, capital and main city of the Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. ...

Legacy

His great-great-grandson Frederick II the Great later wrote about him, that this was the unluckiest time, it is a shame that Georg Wilhelm did not put up an army, before the combatants of the Thirty Years War destroyed the land, where the ravages can still be witnessed so many years later. Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ...

References

• Wedgwood, Cicely V. The Thirty Years War, New York, 1961.