Article - Prussia, the New Kid on the Block
Brandenburg and Prussia were devastated during the Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1640). It would take decades for the areas to recover. By the beginning of the 18th century, things were greatly improved.
Brandenburg - Prussia 1618 - 1701 (political designation in the early modern era)
Brandenburg - Prussia 1618 (beginning of the Thirty Years' War)
All of the following are fathers - sons up to Frederick William II (nephew of Frederick the Great)
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, reigned 1640 - 1688
Frederick William was a staunch pillar of the Calvinist faith, associated with the rising commercial class. Frederick William managed to rebuild his war-ravaged territories. In contrast to the religious disputes that disrupted the internal affairs of other European states, Brandenburg-Prussia benefited economically from the policy of religious tolerance adopted by Frederick William. He promoted religious toleration and through the Edict of Potsdam (1685) he encouraged 20,000 French Protestants to immigrate to his realms after Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes. With the help of French subsidies, he built up an army of 40,000 to defend the country. He saw the importance of trade and promoted it vigorously. His shrewd domestic reforms gave Prussia a strong position in the post-Westphalian political order of north-central Europe, setting Prussia up for elevation from duchy to kingdom, achieved under his son and successor.
Frederick I Elector of Brandenburg (1688 - 1713) & First King in Prussia (1701 - 1713)
Frederick I elevates Prussia from a Duchy to a Kingdom, and as the Holy Roman Emperor loses control over Brandenburg, Frederick gains total control of both (essentially making them both Prussia). Frederick moved the capital of Prussia from Königsberg Prussia to Berlin.
Frederick was a patron of the arts and learning. The Akademie der Künste (Academy of Art) in Berlin was founded by Frederick in 1696, as was the Academy of Sciences in 1700, though the latter was closed down by his son as an economic measure; it was reopened in 1740 by his grandson, Frederick II.
Frederick William I reigned 1713 - 1740
Frederick William I concerned himself with every aspect of his relatively small country, planning to satisfy all that was needed for Prussia to defend itself. His rule was absolutist and he was a firm autocrat. He practiced rigid management of the treasury, never started a war, and led a simple and austere lifestyle, in contrast to the lavish court his father had presided over. At his death, Prussia had a sound exchequer and a full treasury, in contrast to the other German states. Frederick William intervened briefly in the Great Northern War, allied with Peter the Great of Russia, in order to gain a portion of Swedish Pomerania. More significantly, aided by his close friend Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau, the "Soldier-King" made considerable reforms to the Prussian army's training, tactics and conscription program—introducing the canton system, and greatly increasing the Prussian infantry's rate of fire through the introduction of the iron ramrod. Frederick William's reforms left his son Frederick with the most formidable army in Europe, which Frederick used to increase Prussia's power.
Frederick II (the Great) reigned 1740 - 1786
An "enlightened absolutist" monarch, Frederick greatly expanded Prussia's borders by military conquest, instituted modern reforms in law, education, and government administration, and was a patron of the arts, sciences, and philosophy.
Frederick William II reigned 1786 - 1797 (nephew of Frederick the Great)
Prussia, 1788 (at the death of Frederick the Great)
No comments:
Post a Comment