Home Region:  Central Europe (Europe)

Brandenburg-Prussia

D G PT OTHER  de_hohenzollern_2 / de_brandenburg_2

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Preceding:
1415 CE 1618 CE Electorate of Brandenburg (de_hohenzollern_1)    [None]
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Succeeding:
No Polity found. Add one here.

This period marks the rise of Brandenburg-Prussia from a principality to a leading European power, culminating in the unification of Germany, laying the groundwork for the modern German state.

It started with the personal union of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia under John Sigismund of the Hohenzollern dynasty in 1618. This union expanded Brandenburg’s territorial reach and changed its political and religious landscape, combining Prussia’s Lutheran territories with the predominantly Calvinist Brandenburg. [1]

The Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which concluded the Thirty Years’ War, marked a turning point, granting Brandenburg-Prussia significant territorial expansions and sovereignty over its affairs, free from Imperial interference. [2]


Under the "Great Elector" Frederick William (1640-1688), Brandenburg-Prussia underwent a series of sweeping reforms aimed at centralizing authority. He is credited with laying the administrative foundations of the Prussian state. [3]

Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg was coronated as King Frederick I in Prussia in 1701. The elevation to kingdom status was part of the Treaty of Utrecht and a reward for Prussia’s alliance with the Holy Roman Empire during the War of the Spanish Succession. By becoming a king, Frederick I aimed to elevate Prussia’s prestige and influence among European powers. [4]


The 18th century saw the rise of Prussia as a major military power under the leadership of Frederick William I and his son, Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great. Frederick William I’s focus on military organization and state infrastructure further strengthened Prussia’s foundations, while Frederick the Great’s military successes, particularly during the Silesian Wars and the Seven Years’ War, established Prussia as a leading European power and expanded its territories significantly [5]




The Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna in 1815 reshaped the European political landscape. The reforms initiated in response to the Napoleonic occupation, including the abolition of serfdom, the reform of the judiciary, and the introduction of municipal self-governance, modernized the Prussian state and society. [6]


The 19th century was marked by the growing sentiments of nationalism and liberalism across Europe, leading to the revolutions of 1848. In Prussia, these revolutionary currents led to demands for constitutional government and national unification. While the immediate revolutionary fervor was subdued, the seeds for German unification were sown. [7]


The unification of Germany was achieved under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian Prime Minister, through a series of diplomatic maneuvers and three decisive wars: the Danish War (1864), the Austro-Prussian War (1866), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). The victory in the Franco-Prussian War and the proclamation of the German Empire in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles in January 1871 marked the culmination of Brandenburg-Prussia’s rise from a small principality to the heart of a unified German state. [8]

[1]: Heinz Immekeppel, Das Herzogtum Preussen von 1603 Bis 1618, Studien zur Geschichte Preussens Bd. 24 (Köln: G. Grote, 1975). Zotero link: XUFQZXAA

[2]: Arndt, Der Dreißigjährige Krieg. Zotero link: PULFEDKX

[3]: Barbara Beuys, Der Große Kurfürst: der Mann, der Preußen schuf, Rororo rororo - Sachbuch 7820 (Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt-Taschenbuch-Verl, 1984). Zotero link: G9K39WS5

[4]: Otto Hintze, Die Hohenzollern und ihr Werk: 1415 - 1915, Reprint d. Originalausg. Berlin, Parey, 1915 / mit e. Geleitw. von W. Knopp u.e. Vorw. von W. Hubatsch. (Hamburg Berlin: Parey, 1987). Zotero link: 83G7KCF2

[5]: Biographie, “Friedrich der Große - Deutsche Biographie.” Zotero link: AF7NP8Z9

[6]: Heinz Duchhardt, Der Wiener Kongress: die Neugestaltung Europas 1814/15, Beck’sche Reihe. Wissen 2778 (München: C.H. Beck, 2013). Zotero link: KQ7ZZYPE

[7]: Dieter Hein, Die Revolution von 1848/49, 6., durchgesehene und aktualisierte Auflage., C.H. Beck Wissen 2019 (München: C.H. Beck, 2019). Zotero link: F929SJQT

[8]: Helmut Böhme, Die Reichsgründung (Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 1967). Zotero link: TD42N4CS

General Variables
Identity and Location
Utm Zone:
33 U  
Original Name:
Brandenburg-Prussia  
Capital:
Berlin  
Alternative Name:
Kingdom of Prussia 1701 CE 1870 CE
Brandenburg-Preußen  
Temporal Bounds
Peak Years:
[1,740 CE ➜ 1,786 CE]  
Duration:
[1,618 CE ➜ 1,870 CE] 1618 CE 1870 CE
Political and Cultural Relations
Succeeding Entity:
Germany - Hohenzollern Dynasty  
Preceding Entity:
Preceding:   Electorate of Brandenburg (de_hohenzollern_1)    [None]  
Language
Religion
Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Hierarchical Complexity
Professions
Bureaucracy Characteristics
Law
Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Transport Infrastructure
Special-purpose Sites
Information / Writing System
Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Information / Money
Information / Postal System
Information / Measurement System
Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology
Religion Tolerance Nothing coded yet.
Human Sacrifice Nothing coded yet.
Crisis Consequences Nothing coded yet.
Power Transitions Nothing coded yet.

NGA Settlements:

Year Range Brandenburg-Prussia (de_hohenzollern_2) was in:
Home NGA: None

General Variables
Identity and Location

Original Name:
Brandenburg-Prussia


Alternative Name:
Kingdom of Prussia
1701 CE 1870 CE
Alternative Name:
Brandenburg-Preußen

Temporal Bounds
Peak Years:
[1,740 CE ➜ 1,786 CE]

Frederick the Great’s military campaigns, particularly the Silesian Wars against Austria, resulted in substantial territorial gains and demonstrated Prussian military prowess. His administrative and economic reforms modernized the Prussian state. [1]

[1]: Biographie, “Friedrich der Große - Deutsche Biographie.” Zotero link: AF7NP8Z9


Duration:
[1,618 CE ➜ 1,870 CE]
1618 CE 1870 CE

Political and Cultural Relations
Succeeding Entity:
Germany - Hohenzollern Dynasty

Preceding Entity:
Electorate of Brandenburg [de_hohenzollern_1] ---> Brandenburg-Prussia [de_hohenzollern_2]

Language
Religion

Social Complexity Variables
Social Scale
Hierarchical Complexity
Professions
Bureaucracy Characteristics
Law
Specialized Buildings: polity owned
Transport Infrastructure
Special-purpose Sites
Information / Writing System
Information / Kinds of Written Documents
Information / Money
Information / Postal System
Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)
Fortifications
Military use of Metals
Projectiles
Handheld weapons
Animals used in warfare
Armor
Naval technology

Human Sacrifice Data
Human Sacrifice is the deliberate and ritualized killing of a person to please or placate supernatural entities (including gods, spirits, and ancestors) or gain other supernatural benefits.
- Nothing coded yet.
- Nothing coded yet.
Power Transitions