House Treaty of Gera
By Gera house contract in the succession of Brandenburg, in the Franconian territories of the Hohenzollern was governed by binding at the end of the 16th century.
The Gera house contract was a Hohenzollern House cal law and came about because Elector Johann Georg had violated the stipulations made in the dispositions of Achillea Brandenburg in his will. In these provisions, the indivisibility of Brandenburg had been prescribed as a binding principle of succession. Johann Georg, however, had testamentary determined that parts of the cord should be ( the Neumark and Crossen ) separated from it and given to his two younger sons.
Immediately after the death of John George in 1598 his eldest son and successor, Elector Joachim Friedrich operation, however, the abolition of the will and consulted to the Margrave George Frederick of Brandenburg- Ansbach. This was the last descendant of the elder line of the Franconian Hohenzollern and ruled the two margraviates Brandenburg -Ansbach and Brandenburg- Kulmbach, but had no own offspring. The result of the discussion was the Gera house contract: He foresaw that the two stepbrothers Joachim Friedrichs heritage should compete in the two Franconian principalities after the death of Georg Friedrich. However Coupled with this was their renunciation of the Brandenburg possessions provided for them, making the testament of John George was invalid.
After the Gera house contract had finally been accepted by all parties, it was ratified on April 29, 1599 in Magdeburg. The most important paragraph of the agreement was that each Brandenburg elector should always inherit the entire and undivided Mark, because this was seen as an integral part of the electoral dignity. By this point the prescribed already in the Dispositio Achillea indivisibility of Mark Brandenburg was restored and strengthened. For the younger sons of Johann Georg compensation associated with the repeal of the paternal Testament was to be able to enter the Hohenzollern in the succession of the Frankish possessions. After the death of George Frederick they were having both margraviates as hereditary secundogenitures. Which Principality then everyone could take over from them, they resolved (as was also previously practiced in the Dispositio Achillea ) with each other.