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Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg
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- This article is about Frederick II of Brandenburg. See Frederick II for other rulers
Frederick II (German: Friedrich II.; 19 November 1413 - 10 February 1471), nicknamed "the Iron" (der Eiserne) and sometimes "Irontooth" (Eisenzahn), was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1440 until his abdication in 1470, and was a member of the House of Hohenzollern.
Biography
Frederick II was born in Tangermünde to Frederick I, Brandenburg's first Hohenzollern ruler, and his wife Elizabeth of Bavaria-Landshut. His maternal grandparents were Frederick, Duke of Bavaria and Maddalena Visconti. The latter was a daughter of Bernabò Visconti and Beatrice della Scala.
Frederick II brothers included John the Alchemist, and Albert Achilles, both of whom also ruled Brandenburg as margraves.
In 1421, at age 8, Frederick was betrothed to Princess Jadwiga of Lithuania; but she died on 8 December 1431, before the marriage could take place. She was purportedly poisoned by her stepmother Sophia of Halshany.
On 11 June 1441, Frederick II married Katharina of Saxony, a daughter of Frederick I, Elector of Saxony and Katharina Braunschweig-Lüneburg. They had four children:
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