Spandau is the margrave's easternmost stronghold, where the Spree runs into the Havel.
Albert the Bear took over the Slav castle (the Spandauer Burgwall) in 1157 and rebuilt it; a new Ascanian castle just north of old Spandau is probably the one meant when Otto II's charter of 1197 names Everard as Vogt there, the first record of the place. Round 1200 the people of the castle suburb were probably being moved to the site of the later old town, where a first church (St Moritz) may have stood. The Vogt keeps the castle, judges the district and watches the Spree crossing towards the Teltow and the Barnim.
Whether Everard is still Vogt on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.
Who he is
- Name
- Everard (Everardus advocatus in Spandowe)
- Title
- Vogt (advocatus) of Spandau, the margrave's officer for the castle and its district
- Since
- by 1197
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Not pinned (a ministerialis of the margrave by office; origin unknown)
- Confidence
- medium
de.wikipedia (Berlin-Spandau): first mention of Spandau in Otto II's charter of 1197 naming 'Everardus advocatus in Spandowe'.
Overlord
Margrave Otto II.
What it holds
- Spandau castle (the new Ascanian castle north of old Spandau)
- The castle district on the Havel and the lower Spree
- The Havel and Spree crossings
How it was acquired
By office from the margrave.
Allies and rivals
Faces the unsettled Teltow and Barnim and the Slav castle of Köpenick up the Spree.
How things stand that morning
The margrave's Vogtei; Everard attested in 1197, not pinned for January 1200. Not a town: Spandau is first called a town on 7 March 1232.
Wealth
Tolls of the crossings; fishing; rents of the district.
Military
The castle; a frontier post towards the east. No figures.
Threats
- Raids from the Barnim and the Spree valley
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- During 1200Remains the margrave's frontier castle.Depends on: Peace on the Spree. Stopped by: A raid from the east.
Places of note
- Spandau castle: Vogtei seat; first named 1197.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: One charter mention (1197) and archaeology.
On the map: The district's extent in 1200 is not known; drawn small.
Primary sources for Brandenburg (Otto II)
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Pegau; Annals of Magdeburg (12th and 13th centuries; Pegau continued to 1227). The annals of the Wettin lands and of Magdeburg. Read online
- Chronicle of the Lauterberg (Petersberg near Halle), Konrad of Lauterberg (about 1225). The house chronicle of the Wettin foundation on the Lauterberg, sharp-tongued and well informed on Saxony, Meissen and Magdeburg. Read online
- Deeds of the archbishops of Magdeburg (main text to 1142, continued in the 13th and 14th centuries). The Magdeburg house history, with a continuation covering Archbishop Ludolf of Kroppenstedt (1192 to 1205), a firm supporter of Philip who hosted the king's Christmas court at Magdeburg on 25 December 1199. Read online
- Pomeranian charter book, volume 1, 786 to 1253 (documents of 786 to 1253, edited 1868). All known charters for Pomerania and Rügen to 1253. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.