We have said nothing of the Ascanier Markgraves, Electors of
Brandenburg, all this while; nor, in these limits, can we now or
henceforth say almost anything. A proud enough, valiant and diligent
line of Markgraves; who had much fighting and other struggle in the
world,--steadily enlarging their border upon the Wends to the north; and
adjusting it, with mixed success, against the WETTIN gentlemen, who are
Markgraves farther east (in the LAUSITZ now), who bound us to the south
too (MEISSEN, Misnia), and who in fact came in for the whole of modern
Saxony in the end. Much fighting, too, there was with the Archbishops of
Magdeburg, now that the Wends are down: standing quarrel there, on the
small scale, like that of Kaiser and Pope on the great; such quarrel as
is to be seen in all places, and on all manner of scales, in that era of
the Christian World.
None of our Markgraves rose to the height of their Progenitor, Albert
the Bear; nor indeed, except massed up, as "Albert's Line," and with
a History ever more condensing itself almost to the form of LABEL, can
they pretend to memorability with us. What can Dryasdust himself do
with them? That wholesome Dutch cabbages continued to be more and
more planted, and peat-mire, blending itself with waste sand, became
available for Christian mankind,--intrusive Chaos, and especially Divine
TRIGLAPH and his ferocities being well held aloof:--this, after all, is
the real History of our Markgraves; and of this, by the nature of
the case, Dryasdust can say nothing. "New Mark," which once meant
Brandenburg at large, is getting subdivided into Mid-Mark, into
UCKERmark (closest to the Wends); and in Old Mark and New much is
spreading, much getting planted and founded. In the course of centuries
there will grow gradually to be "seven cities; and as many towns,"
says one old jubilant Topographer, "as there are days in the
year,"--struggling to count up 365 of them.
OF BERLIN CITY.
In the year (guessed to be) 1240, one Ascanier Markgraf "fortifies
Berlin;" that is, first makes Berlin a German BURG and inhabited outpost
in those parts:--the very name, some think, means "Little Rampart"
(WEHRlin), built there, on the banks of the Spree, against the Wends,
and peopled with Dutch; of which latter fact, it seems, the old dialect
of the place yields traces. [Nicolai, _Beschreibung der Koniglichen
Residenzstadte Berlin und Potsdam_ (Berlin, 1786), i. pp. 16, 17 of
"Einleitung." Nicolai rejects the WEHRLIN etymology; admits that the
name was evidently appellative, not proper, "The Berlin," "To the
Berlin;" finds in the world two objects, one of them at Halle, still
called "The Berlin;" and thinks it must have meant (in some language of
extinct mortals) "Wild Pasture-ground,"--"The SCRUBS," as we should call
it.--Possible; perhaps likely.] How it rose afterwards to be chosen for
Metropolis, one cannot say, except that it had a central situation for
the now widened principalities of Brandenburg: the place otherwise is
sandy by nature, sand and swamp the constituents of it; and stands on
a sluggish river the color of oil. Wendish fishermen had founded some
first nucleus of it long before; and called their fishing-hamlet COLN,
which is said to be the general Wendish title for places FOUNDED ON
PILES, a needful method where your basis is swamp. At all events, "Coln"
still designates the oldest quarter in Berlin; and "Coln on the Spree"
(Cologne, or Coln on the Rhine, being very different) continued, almost
to modern times, to be the Official name of the Capital.
How the Dutch and Wends agreed together, within their rampart, inclusive
of both, is not said. The river lay between; they had two languages;
peace was necessary: it is probable they were long rather on a taciturn
footing! But in the oily river you do catch various fish; Coln, amid its
quagmires and straggling sluggish waters, can be rendered very strong.
Some husbandry, wet or dry, is possible to diligent Dutchmen. There is
room for trade also; Spree Havel Elbe is a direct water-road to Hamburg
and the Ocean; by the Oder, which is not very far, you communicate with
the Baltic on this hand, and with Poland and the uttermost parts of
Silesia on that. Enough, Berlin grows; becomes, in about 300 years,
for one reason and another, Capital City of the country, of these many
countries. The Markgraves or Electors, after quitting Brandenburg, did
not come immediately to Berlin; their next Residence was Tangermunde
(MOUTH of the TANGER, where little Tanger issues into Elbe); a much
grassier place than Berlin, and which stands on a Hill, clay-and-sand
Hill, likewise advantageous for strength. That Berlin should have
grown, after it once became Capital, is not a mystery. It has quadrupled
itself, and more, within the last hundred years, and I think doubled
itself within the last thirty.
MARKGRAF OTTO IV., OR OTTO WITH THE ARROW
One Ascanier Markgraf, and one only, Otto IV. by title, was a Poet
withal; had an actual habit of doing verse. There are certain so-called
Poems of his, still extant, read by Dryasdust, with such enthusiasm as
he can get up, in the old _Collection of Minne-singers,_ made by MANESSE
the Zurich Burgermeister, while the matter was much fresher than it
now is. [Rudiger von Manesse, who fought the Austrians, too, made his
_Sammlung_ (Collection) in the latter half of the fourteenth century; it
was printed, after many narrow risks of destruction in the interim,
in 1758,--Bodmer and Breitinger editing;--at Zurich, 2 vols. 4to.]
Madrigals all; MINNE-Songs, describing the passion of love; how Otto
felt under it,--well and also ill; with little peculiarity of symptom,
as appears. One of his lines is,
_"Ich wunsch ich were tot,_
I wish that I were dead:"
--the others shall remain safe in Manesse's _Collection._
This same Markgraf Otto IV., Year 1278, had a dreadful quarrel with
the See of Magdeburg, about electing a Brother of his. The Chapter had
chosen another than Otto's Brother; Otto makes war upon the Chapter.
Comes storming along; "will stable my horses in your Cathedral," on
such and such a day! But the Archbishop chosen, who had been a fighter
formerly, stirs up the Magdeburgers, by preaching ("Horses to be stabled
here, my Christian brethren"), by relics, and quasi-miracles, to a
furious condition; leads them out against Otto, beats Otto utterly;
brings him in captive, amid hooting jubilations of the conceivable kind:
"Stable ready; but where are the horses,--Serene child of Satanas!"
Archbishop makes a Wooden Cage for Otto (big beams, spars stout enough,
mere straw to lie on), and locks him up there. In a public situation in
the City of Magdeburg;--visible to mankind so, during certain months
of that year 1278. It was in the very time while Ottocar was getting
finished in the Marchfeld; much mutiny still abroad, and the new Kaiser
Rudolf very busy.
Otto's Wife, all streaming in tears, and flaming in zeal, what shall
she do? "Sell your jewels," so advises a certain old Johann von Buch,
discarded Ex-official: "Sell your jewels, Madam; bribe the Canons of
Magdeburg with extreme secrecy, none knowing of his neighbor; they will
consent to ransom on terms possible. Poor Wife bribed as was bidden;
Canons voted as they undertook; unanimous for ransom,--high, but humanly
possible. Markgraf Otto gets out on parole. But now, How raise such a
ransom, our very jewels being sold? Old Johann von Buch again indicates
ways and means,--miraculous old gentleman:--Markgraf Otto returns, money
in hand; pays, and is solemnly discharged. The title of the sum I could
give exact; but as none will in the least tell me what the value is, I
humbly forbear.
"We are clear, then, at this date?" said Markgraf Otto from his
horse, just taking leave of the Magdeburg Canonry. "Yes," answered
they.--"Pshaw, you don't know the value of a Markgraf!" said Otto. "What
is it, then?"--"Rain gold ducats on his war-horse and him," said Otto,
looking up with a satirical grin, "till horse and Markgraf are buried in
them, and you cannot see the point of his spear atop!"--That would be a
cone of gold coins equal to the article, thinks our Markgraf; and rides
grinning away. [Michaelis, i. 271; Pauli, i. 316; Kloss; &c.]--The
poor Archbishop, a valiant pious man, finding out that late strangely
unanimous vote of his Chapter for ransoming the Markgraf, took it so
ill, that he soon died of a broken heart, say the old Books. Die he
did, before long;--and still Otto's Brother was refused as successor.
Brother, however, again survived; behaved always wisely; and Otto at
last had his way. "Makes an excellent Archbishop, after all!" said the
Magdeburgers. Those were rare times, Mr. Rigmarole.
The same Otto, besieging some stronghold of his Magdeburg or other
enemies, got an arrow shot into the skull of him; into, not through;
which no surgery could extract, not for a year to come. Otto went about,
sieging much the same, with the iron in his head; and is called Otto MIT
DEM PFOILE, Otto SAGITTARIUS, or Otto with the Arrow, in consequence.
A Markgraf who writes Madrigals; who does sieges with an arrow in
his head; who lies in a wooden cage, jeered by the Magdeburgers, and
proposes such a cone of ducats: I thought him the memorablest of those
forgotten Markgraves; and that his jolting Life-pilgrimage might stand
as the general sample. Multiply a year of Otto by 200, you have, on easy
conditions, some imagination of a History of the Ascanier Markgraves.
Forgettable otherwise; or it can be read in the gross, darkened with
endless details, and thrice-dreary, half-intelligible traditions, in
Pauli's fatal Quartos, and elsewhere, if any one needs.--The year of
that Magdeburg speech about the cone of ducats is 1278: King Edward the
First, in this country, was walking about, a prosperous man of forty,
with very LONG SHANKS, and also with a head of good length.
Otto, as had been the case in the former Line, was a frequent name
among those Markgraves: "Otto the Pious" (whom we saw crusading once in
Preussen, with King Ottocar his Brother-in-law), "Otto the Tall," "Otto
the Short (PARVUS);" I know not how many Ottos besides him "with
the Arrow." Half a century after this one of the ARROW (under his
Grand-Nephew it was), the Ascanier Markgraves ended, their Line also
dying out.
Not the successfulest of Markgraves, especially in later times.
Brandenburg was indeed steadily an Electorate, its Markgraf a KURFURST,
or Elector of the Empire; and always rather on the increase than
otherwise. But the Territories were apt to be much split up to younger
sons; two or more Markgraves at once, the eldest for Elector, with other
arrangements; which seldom answer. They had also fallen into the habit
of borrowing money; pawning, redeeming, a good deal, with Teutsch
Ritters and others. Then they puddled considerably,--and to their loss,
seldom choosing the side that proved winner,--in the general broils of
the Reich, which at that time, as we have seen, was unusually anarchic.
None of the successfulest of Markgraves latterly. But they were
regretted beyond measure in comparison with the next set that came; as
we shall see.