HistoryofPrussia
In1226,theterritoryofDukeKonrad(amemberoftheTeutonicOrder),sonoftheKingofPolandandheadoftheDuchyofMazovia,wasalsoattackedbythePrussians,takingthisasanopportunity,TheTeutonicKnightslaunchedtheEasternExpeditioninPrussiafornearly200years,andsuccessivelyestablishedthefortressesofTorun,Marienburg,Kulm,andElpin,conqueredtheareaswherethePrussianslivedandforcedthemtobelieveinChristianity,useGerman.
TheHohenzollernfamilyestablishedtheDuchyofPrussiaatthebeginningofthe16thcentury,anditwaschangedtotheKingdomofPrussiaatthebeginningofthe18thcentury.Later,itssuccessivekingscontinuedtoexpandtheirterritories,extendingfromEasternEuropetocentralandwesternGermany.
Inthemid-nineteenthcentury,theKingdomofPrussiabegantheindustrialrevolutionandbecamethemostdevelopedvassalstateofcapitalisteconomyinGermany.
TheGermanEmpireestablishedin1871wasactuallyanexpansionofthePrussiankingdom.Prussiaoccupies2/3oftheterritoryand3/5ofthepopulationintheempire.AftertheFirstWorldWar,theGermanEmpiredisintegrated,PrussiabecameastateoftheWeimarRepublic,anditspowerwasreduced.
AfterHitlerseizedpowerinGermanyinthe1930s,heabolishedthePrussianConstitution.
AfterWorldWarII,thenorthernpartofEastPrussiawasmergedintotheSovietUnion(nowtheenclaveoftheRussianFederation-KalininOblast),thesouthernpartwasputunderPoland,andtheremainingpartwasputintotheirrespectiveoccupationareasbyBritain,FranceandtheSovietUnion.Theybecamepartofthepresent-dayBrandenburgandNorthRhine-Westphalia,HesseandRhineland-Palatinate.
OnMarch1,1947,theAlliedforcesformallyabolishedthePrussianestablishment.Fromnowon,PrussiansarerarelyusedtorefertoGermans.
ListofKingsofPrussia
ThefollowingarethekingsoftheKingdomofPrussia.PrussiawaspromotedtoakingdomduringthereignofFrederickI.BecausehepromisedtohelptheHolyRomanEmperorLeopoldI,theemperorpromotedhistitlebyelectortoking.Priortothis,PrussiahadestablishedthePrincipalityofPrussia,whichbelongedtoPoland,whichwaslatermergedwiththeElectorateofBrandenburg.
AllPrussianmonarchsbelongtothe Hohenzollerndynasty.
FrederickIreignedfrom1701-1713
FrederickWilliamIreignedfrom1713-1740
FredericII
FrederickWilhelmIIreignedfrom1786to1797
FriederWilhelmIIIreignedfrom1797to1840Reign
FrederickWilliamIVreigned1840-1861
WilliamIreigned1861-1888
FrederickIII
WilliamII1888-1918Reigned
HeirtotheThroneofPrussia
WilliamII1918-1940
PrinceWilliam1940-1951
PrinceLouisFerdinand1951-1994
PrinceGeorgFriedrich1994Sofar
OfficialwebsiteoftheHohenzollernfamilyofPrussia