The Ascanian dynasty of the rulers of Brandenburg began with Albert the Bear who inherited the territory from its last Wendish ruler, Pribislav, in 1150.
Albert, and his descendants the House of Ascanian, then made considerable progress in Christianizing and Germanizing the lands. As a borderland between German and Slavic cultures, the country was known as the March of Brandenburg at this time.
In 1320 the Brandenburg Ascanian line came to an end.
