Prussia was a historical region in Europe that bordered the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It became a great military power during the late 1800s. It united various German states as a single nation. However, Prussia's influence lessened after World War I (1914–18).

Early history

The early Prussians were mainly hunters and cattle breeders. They were related to Latvians and Lithuanians and lived in tribes in the region between the lower Vistula and Niemen rivers. They worshiped more than one god.

In the 13th century, German-speaking knights of the Teutonic Order conquered the Prussians. The knights brought the religion of Christianity to them, and many German families settled in their region. By the mid-14th century the majority of the people living in Prussia spoke German.

Under Polish control

In 1386 Poland and Lithuania joined forces. During the 1400s, they defeated the Teutonic Knights in a series of wars. In 1466, Poland acquired the regions of Prussia that lay to the west of the lower Vistula River. The part of Prussia that lay to the east of the Vistula was left to the Teutonic Order on the condition that the order's grand master, or chief officer, should hold it as an estate to the Polish crown. This part came to be known as East Prussia. Poland also established a corridor known as Royal Prussia between East Prussia and the German lands in the west.

In 1526 Albert of Hohenzollern, the grand master of the Teutonic Order, dissolved the order. He accepted Polish rule and changed East Prussia into the territory of a duke. In 1618 this territory passed into the hands of John Sigismund, the Hohenzollern prince of Brandenberg. The union of Brandenberg and East Prussia laid the foundation of the future Kingdom of Prussia.

Establishment of the kingdom

John Sigismund's grandson, Frederick William of Brandenberg, ruled the region from 1640 to 1688. He was called the Great Elector and managed to end Poland's control over East Prussia in 1660. Frederick William's son, Frederick I, ruled from 1688 to 1713. In 1701 he secured for himself the title of “king in Prussia.” Berlin was made the capital of his kingdom. The son of Frederick I, Frederick William I, brought more regions under his control and also improved the army.

Further expansion

The next in line was Frederick II the Great who proved to be a military genius. He reigned from 1740 to 1786. He won recognition for making Prussia a major European power. He added many lands and improved the judicial and educational systems. He also promoted the arts and sciences.

Frederick William II (ruled 1786–97) continued to expand the territory, but he and his son Frederick William III (ruled 1797–1840) did not have a strong military like Frederick II the Great. In 1806, the armies of Napoleon I, the emperor of France, fought with the Prussian army and crushed it. However, the Prussian king's chief minister, Karl Stein, helped reorganize the army and government. This allowed Prussia to take part in the final overthrow of Napoleon in 1813–15. As a result, Prussia got back most of the territories it had lost to the French and added others. After 1815, Prussia stretched from the Niemen River in the east to the Elbe River in the west. West of the Elbe it possessed large territories in western Germany.

Acquiring a constitution

Frederick William III promised to introduce a new constitution in May 1815 but failed to carry out his promise. During the reign of Frederick William IV (reigned 1840–61), in March 1848, a republican revolution broke out in Germany. The Prussian army stopped the fighting. However, a liberal government was set up, and a Constituent Assembly was called. This move failed and the army reoccupied Berlin. In December the assembly was dissolved. Finally the king imposed a constitution in February 1850. Prussia received a parliament with two chambers. The Upper Chamber was made up of representatives of the land owners and members nominated by the king. Taxpayers elected the members of the Lower Chamber. The constitution remained unchanged until 1918.

World power

Frederick William IV was succeeded by his brother, William I, in 1861. With the help of his minister of war, Albrecht von Roon, William brought back Prussia's military excellence. In 1862 Otto von Bismarck, a member of the Prussian legislature, was brought into the government. He created the plan that brought Germany together. Prussia went to war against Denmark in 1864, Austria in 1866, and France in 1870. These wars brought Prussia more territory. Further, the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) established Prussia's position as the leading state within the German Empire. In January 1871, the Prussian king was declared Emperor William I of the new German Empire. The history of Prussia merged with that of Germany.

World War I

William I died in 1888. After the short reign of his son Frederick III, William II became emperor. In 1890 he forced Bismarck to resign in order to govern more directly himself. When World War I began in 1914, friendships made during and after Bismarck's era put Germany on the side of Austria-Hungary. At the end of the war, William II was forced to give up his position as German emperor and king of Prussia.

The treaty of peace ended Prussia's political supremacy. It lost a large part of its area. A republican form of government was established in 1918, and Prussia became part of the German Weimar Republic. Its powers were limited, and it had little influence on the government. After Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, the Prussian constitution was set aside and its legislature ended, although Prussia remained a unit for administrative purposes.

The end

Germany was defeated in World War II. It came under the control of the victors—Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and France. A part of its territory was given to Poland. On March 1, 1947, Prussia was officially abolished.