Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia[lower-alpha 1] (German: Königreich Preußen, pronounced [ˈkøːnɪkʁaɪç ˈpʁɔʏsn̩] ^ⓘ) was a kingdom that constituted the German state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.[5] It was the driving force behind the unification of Germany in 1866 and was the leading state of the German Empire until its dissolution in 1918.[5] Although it took its name from the region called Prussia, it was based in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Its capital was Berlin.[6]

Quick facts: Kingdom of PrussiaKönigreich Preußen (Ge... ▼

Kingdom of Prussia Königreich Preußen (German)
1701–1918
State flag (1803–1892) Coat of arms (1701–1871)
Anthem:  Borussia "Prussia" (1820–1830) Preußenlied "Song of Prussia" (1830–1840) Royal anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz "Hail to thee in the Victor's Crown" (1795–1918)
The Kingdom of Prussia within the German Confederation in 1815 The Kingdom of Prussia within the German Empire in 1871
Status	Kingdom[note 1]
Capital	Berlin Königsberg (1806–07)
Common languages	Official: German Neo-Latin (until 1806) Polish (only in GD of Posen 1815–1848) Minorities: Low German Danish East Frisian North Frisian Polish Kashubian Slovincian Silesian Czech Moravian Upper Sorbian Lower Sorbian Polabian Lithuanian Old Prussian (until 18th century) Kursenieki Yiddish French Dutch
Religion	Statewide majority: Protestantism[1] (Lutheran and Calvinist; Prussian United after 1817. State religion.) Majority in some territories: Catholicism[note 2] Other minorities: Judaism Eastern Orthodoxy
Demonym(s)	Prussian
Government	Absolute monarchy (until 1848) Semi-constitutional monarchy (from 1848)
King
• 1701–1713 (first)	Frederick I
• 1888–1918 (last)	Wilhelm II
Minister-Presidenta
• 1848 (first)	A. H. von Arnim-Boitzenburg
• 1918 (last)	Max von Baden
Legislature	Landtag
• Upper house	Herrenhaus
• Lower house	Abgeordnetenhaus
Historical era	New Imperialism World War I
• Coronation of Frederick I	18 January 1701
• Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire	6 August 1806
• Formation of German Confederation	8 June 1815
• Constitution adopted	5 December 1848
• North German Confederation Treaty	18 August 1866
• German Empire proclaimed	18 January 1871
• Free State of Prussia proclaimed	9 November 1918
• Abdication of Wilhelm IIb	28 November 1918
Area
1871[2]	348,779 km2 (134,664 sq mi)
Population
• 1756[3]	4,500,000
• 1816[2]	10,349,031
• 1871[2]	24,689,000
• 1910[4]	40,169,219
Currency	1701–1750 Reichsthaler 1750–1857 Thaler 1857–1873 Vereinsthaler 1873–1914 Goldmark 1914–1918 Papiermark
Preceded by Succeeded by Margraviate of Brandenburg Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Duchy of Prussia Brandenburg-Prussia Principality of Neuchâtel Royal Prussia Swedish Pomerania Free City of Danzig Duchy of Warsaw Electorate of Hesse Free City of Frankfurt Duchy of Nassau Kingdom of Hanover Duchy of Holstein Duchy of Schleswig Saxe-Lauenburg Lands of the Bohemian Crown Duchies of Silesia County of Kladsko Free City of Danzig Duchy of Warsaw Canton of Neuchâtel Free State of Prussia Free City of Danzig Second Polish Republic First Czechoslovak Republic Belgium Denmark Klaipėda Region Territory of the Saar Basin
^a During the North German Confederation (1866–1871) and German Empire (1871–1918), the Minister-President of Prussia was also the Chancellor of Germany. ^b Statement of Abdication of William II Sovereign kingdom (former Ducal Prussia only 1701–1772; East Prussia, West Prussia, South Prussia, Netze District, New East Prussia, Lauenburg and Bütow Land and Starostwo of Draheim 1795–1806; East Prussia, West Prussia, Grand Duchy of Posen 1815–1866) Vassal semi-independent of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1701–1772, Lauenburg and Bütow Land and Starostwo of Draheim only) Associate of the Swiss Confederation (1707–1806, County of Neuchatel only) Vassal of the Holy Roman Empire (1701–1806, all territories except those listed above) State of the Continental System under occupation by the First French Empire (1806–1813, without the lost County of Neuchâtel and territories ceded to the Duchy of Warsaw or the Free City of Danzig) Member of the Swiss Confederation (1814–1848; County of Neuchatel 1814–1857) Federated state of the German Confederation (1815–1866, only territories previously in the Holy Roman Empire, as well as Lauenburg and Bütow Land and Starostwo of Draheim) Federated state of the North German Confederation (1866–1871, as a whole, king holding the Bundespräsidium) Federated state of the German Empire (1871–1918, as a whole, king holding the Bundespräsidium as the German Emperor) Ermland West Prussia South Prussia Netze District New East Prussia Grand Duchy of Posen Province of Posen Lauenburg and Bütow Land Starostwo of Draheim Rhine Province Province of Westphalia Upper Silesia County of Glatz

History of Brandenburg and Prussia
Northern March (965 – 983) Lutician federation (983 – 12th century) Old Prussians (pre – 13th century) Margraviate of Brandenburg (1157–1618) Teutonic Order (1224 – 1525) Elector of Brandenburg (1356 – 1806) Duchy of Prussia (1525 – 1618) Malbork Voivodeship and Prince-Bishopric of Warmia within Royal (Polish) Prussia (Poland 1454/1466 – 1772) Brandenburg-Prussia (1618 – 1701) Kingdom of Prussia (1701 – 1918) Free State of Prussia (1918 – 1947)
Present
Działdowo area (from 1918) Klaipėda Region (1920–1939, from 1945) Warmia, Masuria within Recovered Territories (from 1945) Kaliningrad Oblast (from 1945) Berlin and Brandenburg (1947–1952, from 1990)

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The kings of Prussia were from the House of Hohenzollern. Brandenburg-Prussia, predecessor of the kingdom, became a military power under Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, known as "The Great Elector".[7][8][9][10] As a kingdom, Prussia continued its rise to power, especially during the reign of Frederick II "the Great".[11] Frederick the Great was instrumental in starting the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), holding his own against Austria, Russia, France and Sweden and establishing Prussia's dominant role among the German states, as well as establishing the country as a European great power through the victories of the powerful Prussian Army.[12][13] Prussia made attempts to unify all the German states (excluding the German cantons in Switzerland) under its rule, and whether Austria would be included in such a unified German domain became an ongoing question. After the Napoleonic Wars led to the creation of the German Confederation, the issue of unifying the German states caused the German revolutions of 1848–1849, with representatives from all states attempting to unify under their own constitution.[5] Attempts to create a federation remained unsuccessful and the German Confederation collapsed in 1866 when the Austro-Prussian War ensued between its two most powerful member states.

Prussia was subsequently the driving force behind establishing in 1866 the North German Confederation, transformed in 1871 into the unified German Empire and considered the earliest continual legal predecessor of today's Federal Republic of Germany.[5] The North German Confederation was seen as more of an alliance of military strength in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War but many of its laws were later used in the German Empire. The German Empire successfully unified of all the German states aside from Austria and Switzerland under Prussian hegemony[5] due to the defeat of Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. The war united all the German states against a common enemy, and with the victory came an overwhelming wave of nationalism which changed the opinions of some of those who had been against unification.

With the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Kingdom of Prussia was transformed into the Free State of Prussia.