Brandenburg-Prussia

Brandenburg Prussia

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Brandenburg-Prussia

Brandenburg-Prussia was a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which supreme power is absolutely or nominally lodged in an individual, who is the head of state, often for Life tenure or until abdication, and "is wholly set apart from all other members of the state." The person who heads a monarchy is called a monarch....
established by the personal union

Personal union

A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states are governed by the same monarch, while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct....
between the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg

Margraviate of Brandenburg

The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
in 1618.

The monarchy was ruled by the branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty

House of Hohenzollern

The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of Prince-elector, kings, and emperors of Prussia, Germany, and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century....
that had earlier ruled Brandenburg. The term Brandenburg-Prussia refers to this monarchy from its establishment until 1701, after which it is usually known as the Kingdom of Prussia

Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia was a Germany monarchy from 1701 to 1918 and, from 1871, was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising almost two-thirds of the area of the empire....
. The term "Brandenburg-Prussia" is sometimes used to describe this Brandenburg-led state after 1701, but it is known simply as "Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was, most recently, a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. This state had for centuries substantial influence on Germany and European history....
" after 1806.

Margraviate of Brandenburg had been the seat of the main branch of the Hohenzollerns since 1415.

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Brandenburg-Prussia was a German

Germany

Monarchy

Personal union

Margraviate of Brandenburg

House of Hohenzollern

Kingdom of Prussia

Prussia

History

The Margraviate of Brandenburg had been the seat of the main branch of the Hohenzollerns since 1415. Its rulers had enjoyed the influential rights of prince-electors

Prince-elector

The Prince-Electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of Imperial election the Holy Roman Emperors....
in the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
since 1356.

The Duchy of Prussia was created through the secularization of the Prussian monastic state of the Teutonic Knights

Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights

The monastic state of the Teutonic Knights , sometimes known in English by the German term Ordensstaat , or "Order-State", was formed during the Teutonic Knights' conquest of the pagan West-Baltic Old Prussians in the 13th century....
. It was a vassal of the Kingdom of Poland and was governed by Duke Albert of Prussia, a member of a cadet branch

Cadet branch

Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasty and nobility families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have historically been passed from a father to his firstborn...
of the House of Hohenzollern. After Albert's death in 1568, the duchy passed to his feeble-minded son, Albert Frederick

Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia

Albert Frederick was duke of Duchy of Prussia from 1568 until his death. He was a son of Albert of Prussia and Anna Marie of Brunswick-L?neburg....
. Because of the duke's sickness, Prussia was governed by the regent

Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present or debilitated....
s George Frederick

George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach

George Frederick the Elder was Margrave of Principality of Ansbach and Principality of Bayreuth, as well as Regent of Duchy of Prussia. He was the son of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and a member of the House of Hohenzollern....
(1577–1603) and Joachim Frederick

Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg

Joachim Frederick was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from the House of Hohenzollern.Joachim Frederick was born in C?lln to John George, Elector of Brandenburg, and Sophie, Princess of Legnica ....
(1603–1618).

Albert Frederick's daughter Anna married Joachim Frederick's son, John Sigismund, and the main Hohenzollern branch in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
was granted the right of succession to the duchy. The Electors of Brandenburg inherited the Duchy of Prussia upon Albert Frederick's death in 1618, but the duchy continued to be held as a fief under the Polish Crown until 1657.

During the reign of the ineffective George William

George William, Elector of Brandenburg

George William of the Hohenzollern dynasty was margrave and Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and duke of Duchy of Prussia . His reign was marked by ineffective governance during the Thirty Years' War....
(1619–1640), the Hohenzollern lands suffered in the Thirty Years' War

Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe....
. Sweden

Swedish Empire

Sweden was, between 1611 and 1718, one of the great powers of Europe. In modern historiography this period is known as the Swedish Empire, or stormaktstiden ....
compelled George William to join Sweden as an ally, and Sweden occupied substantial territory in Brandenburg-Prussia. Consequently, Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
armies repeatedly ravaged Brandenburg and other Hohenzollern lands. George William's successor, Frederick William

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg

Frederick William was the Prince-elector of Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duke of Duchy of Prussia from 1640 until his death. He was of the House of Hohenzollern and is popularly known as the Great Elector because of his military and political skill....
, concluded a peace agreement with Sweden. Although Sweden had occupied the Duchy of Pomerania

Duchy of Pomerania

The Duchy of Pomerania was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern borders of the Baltic Sea. It existed from the 12th century till mid 17th century and was ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania ....
, Brandenburg had the right of succession upon the death of its childless duke, Bogislaw XIV, in 1637. Frederick William cultivated an alliance with the Dutch Republic

Dutch Republic

The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in about the same location as the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is the successor state....
. In the 1648 Peace of Westphalia

Peace of Westphalia

The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two Peace treaty of Osnabr?ck and M?nster, signed on May 15 and October 24, 1648, respectively, and written in Latin, that ended both the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Revolt between Spain and the Dutch Republic....
, with Dutch support, Frederick William won possession of Farther Pomerania

Farther Pomerania

Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania or Eastern Pomerania is a historical Pomeranian region, which before the Oder-Neisse line comprised the eastern part of the Duchy of Pomerania later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East....
, the bishoprics of Halberstadt

Bishopric of Halberstadt

The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic Church diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages....
and Minden

Bishopric of Minden

The Bishopric of Minden was a Roman Catholic Church diocese and a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Minden.The diocese was founded by Charlemagne in 803, after he had conquered the Saxons....
and the right of succession to the Archbishopric of Magdeburg

Archbishopric of Magdeburg

The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic Church archdiocese within the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Magdeburg and it was located along the Elbe River....
. The exact Swedish-Brandenburgian border in Pomerania

Pomerania

Pomerania is a historical region on the south coast of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdansk in the East....
was settled in the Treaty of Stettin (1653)

Treaty of Stettin (1653)

The Treaty of Stettin in 1653 settled a territorial dispute of Brandenburg and Sweden in Pomerania, arisen from the Thirty Years' War and the extinction of the House of Pomerania....
. By 1680, these territories and the Bishopric of Kammin had been incorporated into Brandenburg-Prussia. Taking advantage of the difficult position of Poland against Sweden during the Northern Wars

Northern Wars

The Northern Wars is a name sometimes used for the series of conflicts between Sweden and its adversaries Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , Russia , Prussia , the Holy Roman Empire and Denmark-Norway ....
, Frederick William obtained full sovereignty

Sovereignty

File:Leviathan gr.jpgSovereignty is the exclusive right to control a government, a State, a people, or oneself. A sovereign is a supreme lawmaking authority....
for Brandenburg over Prussia from King Wladyslaw IV Vasa

Wladyslaw IV Vasa

Wladyslaw IV was the son of Sigismund III Vasa and his wife, Anna of Austria . Wladyslaw IV reigned as King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from November 8, 1632, to his death in 1648....
of Poland in the Treaty of Wehlau

Treaty of Wehlau

The Treaty of Wehlau was a treaty signed in the eastern Prussian town of Wehlau between Poland and Brandenburg-Prussia during The Deluge on September 19, 1657....
in 1657. The rights of the Polish Crown meant that the duchy would legally revert back to Poland if the Hohenzollern dynastic line became extinct; this clause, which was to be renewed at each country's change of ruler, expired by 1700.

In 1675 King John III Sobieski

John III Sobieski

John III Sobieski was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania....
of Poland concluded with France

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
a secret pact, in which Poland would attack Prussia while France would pressure the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
to return territories to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
. Upon the ending of hostilities with the Ottoman Turks

Ottoman Turks

The Ottoman Turks were the subdivision of the Ottoman Muslim Millet that dominated the ruling class of the Ottoman Empire. Reliable information about the early history of the Ottomans is scarce....
, Poland could then attack Brandenburg or France's rival Austria

Habsburg Monarchy

The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austria branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918....
. However, Sobieski was opposed by the Papacy, by Polish gentry who saw the Ottomans as the greater threat, and by Polish magnate

Magnate

Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities....
s bribed by Berlin and Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
, and Sobieski's plans for war with Prussia dissipated.

The location of the Duchy of Prussia outside the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
— within which no ruler could call himself king, aside from the ruler of Bohemia

Kingdom of Bohemia

The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country in Central Europe. It was formally established in 1212 by the Golden Bull of Sicily issued by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, by promoting the Duchy of Bohemia to the kingdom status, although some former rulers of Bohemia enjoyed a non-hereditary royal title....
— allowed Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg

Frederick I of Prussia

Frederick I , of the House of Hohenzollern dynasty, was Prince-elector of Brandenburg and the first King in Prussia ....
to become "king in Prussia

King in Prussia

King in Prussia was a title used by the Elector of Brandenburg from 1701 to 1772. Subsequently they used the title King of Prussia.The Prince-Elector of Brandenburg was a subject of the Holy Roman Emperor....
" in 1701, in return for assisting Emperor Leopold I

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor Habsburg , Holy Roman emperor, King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, was the second son of the emperor Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor and his first wife Maria Anna of Spain....
in the War of the Spanish Succession

War of the Spanish Succession

War of the Spanish Succession was a war fought in 1701-1714, in which several European powers combined to stop a possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under a single Bourbon monarch, upsetting the European Balance of power in international relations....
. This severed all links to Poland, and the first Prussian king was the last ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia who spoke fluent Polish

Polish language

Polish , an official language of Poland, has the largest number of speakers of any West Slavic languages. Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner through most of Poland, and it has a regular orthography....
. In 1773 the former duchy was reorganized into the province of East Prussia

Province of East Prussia

The Province of East Prussia was a provinces of Prussia of Prussia from 1773-1829 and 1878-1945. Composed of the historical region East Prussia, the province's capital was Kaliningrad....
, while most of the Polish province of Royal Prussia

Royal Prussia

Royal Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Poland from 1466 and then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1772. Royal Prussia included Pomerelia, Chelmno Land, Malbork Voivodeship, Gdansk, Torun, and Elblag....
became West Prussia

West Prussia

West Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773–1824 and 1878–1919/20 which was created out of the earlier Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth province of Royal Prussia....
. In 1815, Brandenburg, from which the kingdom was ruled, was itself reorganized as the Prussian Province of Brandenburg

Province of Brandenburg

The Province of Brandenburg was a Provinces of Prussia of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. Its capital was originally Potsdam, before moving to Berlin in 1827, then back to Potsdam in 1843 and finally in Berlin-Charlottenburg in 1918....
.

Brandenburg-Prussia

History

See also