Margrave Christian took his residence in Bayreuth; in 1655 he was succeeded by his grandson Christian Ernst, who gained power and influence on Imperial politics in the military rank of a Field marshal.
In 1705 his son Prince George William founded the Ordre de la Sincerité, predecessor to the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle.
Margrave Frederick, ruling from 1735, and his wife Wilhelmine of Prussia, both patrons of arts and sciences, had the Bayreuth residence largely rebuilt in a distinct Baroque style (Markgrafenstil), including the erection of the Margravial Opera House finished in 1748.
A university was founded in 1742 and relocated to Erlangen the next year.

The younger line of the Brandenburg-Bayreuth margraves died out in 1769 with the death of Frederick Christian, whereafter Bayreuth and Ansbach were once again ruled in personal union by Margrave Charles Alexander.
On 2 December 1791, Charles Alexander signed a treaty with King Frederick William II of Prussia, whereby he ceded his principalities to the Prussian state against a lifelong annuity.
He married socialite Elizabeth Craven and retired to private life in England, while Bayreuth and Ansbach were governed by the Prussian minister Karl August von Hardenberg.

Occupied by French troops during the War of the Fourth Coalition, Prussia had to cede Bayreuth according to the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit.
At the 1808 Congress of Erfurt, the French emperor Napoleon offered it for sale to the newly established Kingdom of Bavaria; it changed owners in 1810 against a payment of 15 million francs.
Margrave Christian took his residence in Bayreuth; in 1655 he was succeeded by his grandson Christian Ernst, who gained power and influence on Imperial politics in the military rank of a Field marshal. In 1705 his son Prince George William founded the Ordre de la Sincerité, predecessor to the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle. Margrave Frederick, ruling from 1735, and his wife Wilhelmine of Prussia, both patrons of arts and sciences, had the Bayreuth residence largely rebuilt in a distinct Baroque style (Markgrafenstil), including the erection of the Margravial Opera House finished in 1748. A university was founded in 1742 and relocated to Erlangen the next year.
The younger line of the Brandenburg-Bayreuth margraves died out in 1769 with the death of Frederick Christian, whereafter Bayreuth and Ansbach were once again ruled in personal union by Margrave Charles Alexander. On 2 December 1791, Charles Alexander signed a treaty with King Frederick William II of Prussia, whereby he ceded his principalities to the Prussian state against a lifelong annuity. He married socialite Elizabeth Craven and retired to private life in England, while Bayreuth and Ansbach were governed by the Prussian minister Karl August von Hardenberg.
Occupied by French troops during the War of the Fourth Coalition, Prussia had to cede Bayreuth according to the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit. At the 1808 Congress of Erfurt, the French emperor Napoleon offered it for sale to the newly established Kingdom of Bavaria; it changed owners in 1810 against a payment of 15 million francs.
Principality of Bayreuth