This article is about the specific polity Brandenburg-Prussia and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was a composite Monarchy in the Holy Roman Empire, resulted from the personal union of the duchy of Prussia and the Electorate of Brandenburg.
Summary
The roots of Prussia can be traced back to the Holy Roman Empire and the rise of the Hohenzollern dynasty. During the Middle Ages, Germany was highly fragmented, with power divided among hundreds of sovereign territories. The Hohenzollerns, originally from the region of Franconia, steadily built up their holdings and influence, first as Electors of Brandenburg and eventually as Kings of Prussia.
The Hohenzollerns were distinguished by their strong commitment to the state and military power. Under leaders like Frederick William, the "Great Elector" (1640-1688), and Frederick the Great (1740-1786), Prussia developed into a major European power. They built up an efficient bureaucracy and a formidable army, making Prussia a model of administrative centralization and military strength.
In the 19th century, Prussia played a pivotal role in the unification of Germany. Under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck, Prussia defeated Austria in 1866 and established the North German Confederation, paving the way for the creation of the German Empire in 1871. Bismarck maneuvered Prussia into a position of dominance, making King William I the first German Emperor.
Bismarck's success in unifying Germany under Prussian leadership was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it fulfilled the long-held dream of German nationalists. On the other, it perpetuated the authoritarian, militaristic tendencies of the Prussian state, which would have lasting consequences for the future of Germany.
The Prussian model was characterized by a strong central government, a powerful civil service, and a formidable military. Bismarck consolidated the Prussian system at the national level, creating a German Empire that was essentially an enlarged Prussia.
The Prussian state was dominated by the landed aristocracy, the Junkers, who wielded tremendous political and economic influence. The Junkers formed the officer corps of the Prussian army and occupied key positions in the government bureaucracy. This landed elite was highly conservative, resistant to democratic reforms, and committed to the preservation of their privileges.
Bismarck was the architect of German unification and the dominant figure in the new German Empire. As chancellor, he pursued a Realpolitik approach focused on advancing Prussian/German interests through pragmatic, sometimes ruthless means. He outmaneuvered rival powers, fought the Catholic Church, and suppressed socialist movements, all in the name of strengthening the state.
Bismarck's success came at a price, however. His authoritarian tendencies and hostility to democratic forces laid the groundwork for future political instability in Germany. The Reichstag (parliament) was relatively weak, with the emperor and chancellor wielding most of the real power. This imbalance would have grave consequences as Germany moved into the 20th century.
The unification of Germany under Prussian leadership ushered in the period of the Second Reich, or German Empire, which lasted from 1871 to 1918.
Establishment
January 1619: The Electors of Brandenburg inherited the Duchy of Prussia upon Albert Frederick's death in 1618.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
The Elector of Brandenburg inherited the Duchy of Prussia upon Duke Albert Frederick's death in 1618.
Was a war of succession in the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg between Brandenburg and the Palatinate.
January 1631: The County Ravenstein came to the Catholic Duchy of Palatinate-Neuburg in 1630.
2.1.Treaty of Cleve
Was a treaty between Palatinate-Neuburg and Brandenburg that officially paritioned the Duchy of Jülich-Cleves-Mark and ended the War of the Jülich Succession.
September 1666: In 1666 the Treaty of Kleve was ratified, which significantly reduced the conflict between Pfalz-Neuburg and Brandenburg. With this settlement, the Duchy of Kleve and the counties of Mark and Ravensberg fell to the Elector of Brandenburg, Friedrich Wilhelm. The Count Palatine Philipp Wilhelm received the duchies of Jülich and Berg as well as the small Flemish dominions of Wijnendale west of Ghent and Breskesand on the extreme southwestern Scheldt island.
Were a series of wars in Europe (and the overseas possessions of European countries) the 16th, 17th and early 18th that started after the Protestant Reformation. Although the immediate causes of the wars were religious, the motives were complex and also included territorial ambitions.
3.1.Thirty Years' War
Was a war that took place mainly in central Europe between 1618 and 1648. The war began as a religious conflict between Catholics and Protestant in the Holy Roman Empire but then escalated into a conflict for the hegemony in Europe between Habsburg Spain and Austria, Sweden and France.
3.1.1.Swedish Period
Was the third main period of the Thirty Years' War. It started with the intervention of the Kingdom of Sweden.
May 1631: After the Swedish occupation of Frankfurt an der Oder in April 1631, Pomerania, Mecklenburg, Brandenburg and Saxony signed alliance treaties with Sweden.
3.1.2.Franco-Swedish Period
Was the fourth main period of the Thirty Years' War. It started with the intervention of the Kingdom of France.
3.1.2.1.North German Front (Sweden)
Was the north German front during the Franco-Swedish period of the Thirty Years' War.
October 1636: The Battle of Wittstock took place during the Thirty Years' War near the town of Wittstock on October 4, 1636. A Swedish-allied army commanded jointly by Johan Banér and Alexander Leslie decisively defeated a combined Imperial-Saxon army, led by Count Melchior von Hatzfeld and the Saxon Elector John George I.
November 1637: After the death of Swedish King Ferdinand II, his son and successor Ferdinand III brought the Swedish troops back to Pomerania, leaving the territories occupied by Sweden in Germany.
December 1643: In 1643 Swedish general Torstensson invaded Moravia for the second time.
January 1644: In 1643, when the Torstensson War broke out, the Swedish military focused entirely on Denmark and thus enabled an imperial offensive to Jutland.
November 1644: In 1644 Swedish field marshal Torstenson led his army for the third time into the heart of Germany and routed the imperials at the battle of Jüterbog.
January 1645: At the beginning of January 1645 the Swedes broke into Bohemia.
September 1646: The exausted Swedish army led by Field Marshal Torstensson left Germany in the early summer of 1646 and returned to Sweden.
July 1647: The Imperial Army liberated the fortress of Egra (today known as Cheb in the Czech Republic) from Swedish occupation.
June 1648: In May 1648, there was the last major field battle of the Thirty Years' War between French-Swedish and Imperial-Bavarian armies near Augsburg.
3.1.3.Peace of Westphalia
Were a series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War. Catholics and Protestants were redefined as equal in the territories of the Holy Roman Empire. There were major territorial adjustments. In particular, France, Sweden and Brandenburg had major territorial gains, and several religious territories of the Holy Roman Empire were secularized.
October 1648: With the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, Further Pomerania was assigned to Brandenburg-Prussia who held the rights for inheritance (Province of Pomerania (1653-1815)). Hither Pomerania stayed with the Swedish Empire and henceforth became known as Swedish Pomerania. The border was settled in the Treaty of Stettin (1653).
October 1648: The Halberstadt Prince-Bishopric is secularized as a principality for Brandenburg.
October 1648: The Minden Prince-Bishopric is secularized as a principality for Brandenburg.
October 1648: With the Peace of Westphalia Sweden received Western Pomerania (henceforth Swedish Pomerania), Wismar, and the Prince-Bishoprics of Bremen and Verden as hereditary fiefs. Sweden evacuated the remnant territories it had occupied in the Holy Roman Empire.
A series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe from the 16th to the 18th century.
4.1.Second Northern War
Was a war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden (along with their respective allies) over the hegemony in the Baltic Sea.
January 1656: In 1656, during the Second Northern War, the "Great Elector" of Brandenburg, Frederick William, was forced to join the Swedish camp and became a Swedish vassal for the Duchy of Prussia and Ermland. This decision was a strategic move to protect his territories from Polish and Russian threats.
November 1656: The Treaty of Labiau was a treaty signed between Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg and Charles X Gustav of Sweden. With several concessions, the most important being the elevation of Frederick William I from a Swedish vassal to a full sovereign in the Duchy of Prussia and in Ermland (Ermeland, Warmia).
Was a war between the Kingdom of France and the Dutch Republic.
5.1.French invasion of the Dutch Republic
Was the French invasion of the Dutch Republic during the Franco-Dutch War.
June 1672: French forces conquer Burick.
December 1673: Münster and Cologne left the war in November. With the war expanding into the Rhineland and Spain, French troops withdrew from the Dutch Republic, retaining only Grave and Maastricht.
5.2.Scanian War
Was a war that saw Denmark and Brandenburg-Prussia fight against Sweden.
5.2.1.Swedish-Brandenburg War
Was the fight between Brandenburg-Prussia and Sweden in the first part of the Scanian War, when Swedeish troops invaded Brandenburg.
December 1674: In 1674, during the Scanian War, Swedish troops led by King Charles XI marched through Pasewalk and invaded the Uckermark region in Brandenburg, Germany. This military occupation was part of Sweden's campaign against the Holy Roman Empire and its allies.
March 1675: At the end of January 1675, Carl Gustav Wrangel assembled his forces near Prenzlau and, on 4 February, crossed the Oder with his main body heading for Pomerania and Neumark. Swedish troops occupied Stargard in Pommern, Landsberg, Neustettin, Kossen and Züllichau.
May 1675: Löcknitz, a town in Pomerania, was captured by the Swedish Army in 1675. The fortified castle, held by Colonel Götz and his 180-man garrison, surrendered after a day of shelling. This event was part of the ongoing conflict between Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire during the Scanian War.
June 1675: Following the capture of Löcknitz, the Swedes pushed rapidly south and occupied Neustadt, Wriezen and Bernau. .
June 1675: A majority of the March of Brandenburg was in Swedish hands.
June 1675: The Brandenburg army reached Rathenow.
June 1675: The Battle of Nauen in 1675 was part of the Scanian War between Sweden and Brandenburg-Prussia. The Swedish rearguard, led by General Rutowski, clashed with the Brandenburg vanguard, led by General von Spaen, resulting in the recapture of the town by Brandenburg-Prussia.
June 1675: The Battle of Fehrbellin was fought on June 18, 1675 (Julian calendar date, June 28th, Gregorian), between Swedish and Brandenburg-Prussian troops.
July 1675: Havelland including Havelberg is occupied by Swedish troops.
August 1675: The remnants of the Swedish left the occupied territories in Brandenburg and went back to Swedish Pomerania.
5.2.2.Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Was a peace treaty between France and the Electorate of Brandenburg at the end of the Scanian War.
July 1679: The strip of land on the east side of the Oder, except for Gollnow and Altdamm, was given to Brandenburg.
January 1622: Brandenburg acquires Ravenstein.
January 1681: The Magdeburg Archbishopric is secularised as Duchy for Brandenburg.
January 1701: On 17 January 1701, Frederick dedicated the royal coat of arms, the Prussian black eagle, and motto, "suum cuique". On 18 January, he crowned himself and his wife Sophie Charlotte in a baroque ceremony in Königsberg Castle.
Disestablishment
January 1701: On 17 January 1701, Frederick dedicated the royal coat of arms, the Prussian black eagle, and motto, "suum cuique". On 18 January, he crowned himself and his wife Sophie Charlotte in a baroque ceremony in Königsberg Castle.
Selected Sources
Dreißigjähriger Krieg. Austria Forum. Retrieved on 30 march 2024 on https://austria-forum.org/af/AustriaWiki/Drei%C3%9Figj%C3%A4hriger_Krieg
Frost, R. I. (2000): The Northern Wars: War, State and Society in Northeastern Europe 1558-1721, London (UK), p. 210
Panhuysen, L. (2009): Rampjaar 1672: Hoe de Republiek aan de ondergang ontsnapte, Uitgeverij Atlas
Schmidt, G. (2006): Der Dreißigjährige Krieg, Munich (Germany), p. 65
Spindler, M. (2017): Geschichte Schwabens bis zum Ausgang des 18. Jahrhunderts, Munich (Germany), p. 266
Westfälischer Friede - Vertrag von Osnabrück, https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Westf%C3%A4lischer_Friede_%E2%80%93_Vertrag_von_Osnabr%C3%BCck
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Brandenburg-Prussia
