Chapter VIII. ASCANIER MARKGRAVES IN BRANDENBURG.
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.