There must always be a Duke in Prussia
Map of Prussia ducal Prussia is yellow royal prussia is white made by Caspar Henneberger
The reign of Albrecht Friedrich of Prussia
When Albrecht Friedrich became Duke in Prussia in March 1568 he was just 14 years old four years short of being an adult. His father and his mother died on the same day. This tragic day was the first really horrible day in his life and it wouldn’t be the last. According to the last will of Albrecht I Duke in Prussia and the laws of the duchy his leading four Oberräte (councilors) would take over the government affairs while his liege lord the King of Poland would be the legal guardian of the Teenager. So while Albrecht Friedrich grieved his late parents, four councilors ruled the duchy. These four men however had not the best intentions for young Albrecht Friedrich in mind as they would rather rule and care for their own interests.
On his first Landtag as Duke he encountered a great opposition among the estates. The negotiations for a three year long tax lasted months even though he needed the money to pay for accumulated debts. Thrown into the business of being a Reformation Era Prince with his parents dead and no relatives near him - yes without any real friends he fell into a Depression. Starting in late 1568 he began to be melancholic at times so melancholic hat no dance drink or story could lift him up anymore.
The government of ducal Prussia proved to be hard for the Councilors and Albrecht as well as the nobles, patricians, and churchmen said that Albrecht was mature enough to rule on one day to disobey the orders of the Councilors and appealed to the Councilors again if Albrecht Friedrich ordered them to do something they did not want to do. Before Albrecht Friedrich became unfit for ruling due to his growing mental illness he courted Maria Eleonore the daughter of Johann Wilhelm of Cleves and Jülich in 1572. The couple married in 1573 and they had seven children although only one son and five daughters lived to see adulthood.
Depression and the regency of Georg Friedrich
After the wedding Georg Friedrich of Brandenburg Ansbach visited the young duke as Georg Friedrich was his legal heir if the duke would produce none. In that time Albrecht’s mental state deteriorated further. At times he couldn’t drink or eat anything and at other times he drank and ate more than ever before. Sometimes he would attack people surrounding him and after that he would try to apologize for his actions. It became clear that Albrecht Friedrich was unfit to rule Prussia.
After the prussian laws and customs there would have to be a regency council made up out of the four highest councilors and the three mayors of Königsberg. Georg Friedrich wanted the regency for himself but he would have to wait until 1577. King Steven Bathory of Poland made Georg the regent in that year to the dismay of the estates. Just like the all dukes in Prussia before him the duke-regent had to fight the estates for everything. Luckily for him when the estates appealed to the King they lost.
Copper engraving of Fischhausen Castle and its small town
During the regency of Georg Friedrich the actual duke was retired in Fischhausen a Castle west of Königsberg at the Vistula Lagoon. Away from the court no one really cared for him in Prussia or what he thought about the political affairs of the duchy. Only his wife hoped for recovery and even saw signs for that. Sadly Albrecht Friedrich did not ever recover from his mental illness. He attracted attention of the estates and his regent however when his son was born and actually survived the early childhood as he had already had a son that died early. But Wilhelm Friedrich von Brandenburg-Preußen was born on the 4th July of 1585 and would outlive his father and his regent. Georg Friedrich died in 1603 after which Wilhelm would succeed him as regent of his father.
So yeah this isn't my first attempt at a timeline now I'm way older than when I tried the last time. I hope someone is interested in this little baltic timeline and that my english is good enough.
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