Prussia is one of the most historically controversial states in continental Europe. On the one hand, we have a once powerful state under whose flag all of Germany was united. On the other hand, the kingdom had not only ups, but also downs. The country was disbanded after the fall of the Third Reich, and previously suffered under the yoke of the Teutons. What is the legacy of Prussian history?
Geographic location
Unlike most states of the Old World, Prussia is searched on the map for purely political reasons. The linguistic feature, so common for identifying other states, works very poorly here, as in general in the countries of Germanic culture.
The B altic Sea, located in the north of the country, played an important role for Prussia. It was there that the first settlements appeared. Prussia's borders have changed many times throughout history, from a (relatively) small duchy to the main part of Bismarck's Second Reich.
Huge impactrendered to Prussia by neighboring countries - Lithuania (Lithuanians are more blood brothers to the Prussians than the Germans) and Poland. The second built a lot of intrigues to its northwestern neighbor during its independence. Poland repeatedly subjugated his territories.
Finding the main lands of this lost state, Prussia, is now easy. They belong to the Russian Federation and are the Kaliningrad region. Its center is the old Koenigsberg, known as Kaliningrad since 1946.
Ancient times
A huge role in the emergence of Prussia, as in all European history, was played by the leader of the Huns Attila. It was the emergence of his empire that forced the Aestians living on the shores of the B altic Sea to rise. Ancient authors wrote about them. The Estians left free territory for the Prussians, who until then were located only within the framework of modern Kaliningrad.
The history of Prussia in the form in which we know it now is impossible without the appearance of the German brothers Bruten and Wiedevud. Their existence remains in question, but it is the presence of such rulers, who created a strong society from the tribe with developed social relations and built a vertical of power, that explains the sharp jump in the development of the Prussians. As a result, in the cultural tradition, they turned out to be brothers to the Germans, and not to the closest peoples - the Poles and Lithuanians.
Christianization
A small Polish principality from the XI century tried to expand its lands at the expense of pagan Prussians. However, they were extremely successful defenders. Perhaps the territory of Prussia would have remainedgame-free feudal Europe, if under the pretext of Christianization (at the invitation of the Polish prince and the personal blessing of the Pope) it would not have been invaded by the legendary Teutonic Order.
The Lithuanian order received its own state, in which it was fully authorized to carry out the Christianization of the pagan population, which turned out to be robbery, torture and violence for the Prussians.
Expansion of territory
Thanks to the active build-up of power directly by the Teutons themselves and their absorption of other knightly orders, Prussia itself expanded on the map. At some point, most of the B altic States belonged to the state of the Teutonic Order.
Inside, this country was a rigid Catholic state with, to put it mildly, a huge bias in church power. In fact, the Teutonic Order was subordinate (through the master) to the Pope, so the state was under the complete control of the Vatican.
Building a kingdom
Until the sixteenth century, the state of the Teutonic Order existed. It waged many wars - sometimes successful, expanding their state, but the closer the timeline to modern times, the more often the Teutons conceded on the battlefield.
Especially hard was their defeat in the Thirteen Years' War against Poland. This was the final blow to the Teutonic Order - the desire to maintain power and get away from the wrath of the Pope. Master Albrecht of Brandenburg adopted Protestantism, thanks to which Prussia became a secular state. He also became a vassal of the Polish king. Former master didmany useful things for the state. For example, he carried out social reform and opened the first university. In addition, thanks to him, Prussia is the first state in history with a dominant Protestant faith at the official level.
The Duchy of Prussia did not last long - the son of Albrecht was ill and after the death of his father could not take the throne, and then died unexpectedly. The next heir to the duchy was the Polish king.
Kingdom of Prussia within Poland
Having received new lands at his disposal, the ruler thought what Prussia would become. The kingdom seemed to be the best option, as it significantly increased the prestige of the monarch. He was now twice ruler.
Like any kingdom within a kingdom, Prussia was quite independent. It had its own laws, its own court. Even its army functioned separately from the Polish one. In addition, the territories of the state grew rapidly, as the king of Prussia understood that only by gathering powerful and strong support around him, they could resist Poland and return to their German roots.
However, such drastic measures were not required. At the time of the formation of Prussia as a German state, Poland was at war with Sweden, and she needed the help of the allies. The Brandenburg prince Friedrich Wilhelm I agreed to lend a helping hand to his neighbors on the condition that he would receive Prussia - the land that he, as the largest German prince, considered primordially German, which means thathis.
Thanks to this deal, the Principality of Brandenburg-Prussia was formed, which was destined to play a huge role in the political life of Europe in the future.
Independent Kingdom of Prussia
Thanks to his efforts and the legacy of his father, the son of the Prince of Brandenburg, conquering more and more land, and with it influence, was crowned. Frederick I ascended the throne in 1701, demonstrating to the world that Prussia was now an independent kingdom.
The maximum historical dawn of Prussia fell on the reign of Friedrich. He is still considered one of the greatest kings of Europe, because he carried out many reforms - he strengthened the economy of Prussia, thanks to which the treasury was able to finance the army with astronomical sums. He also carried out profound changes in education, the state apparatus and military affairs.
Due to the huge number of wars, in which the king of Prussia somehow needed to intervene, his state was overgrown with more and more lands, creating a reputation for the Prussians as one of the leading nations of the Old World. Only once did Prussia lose - the Russian Empire took part of the B altic states for itself after losing the battles against it during the Seven Years' War. However, even this defeat was not serious - under a peace treaty between Frederick II and Peter III, these lands returned to the Prussians very soon.
Unfortunately, after a powerful flowering, a rapid decline followed. The new king, Frederick II, could not hold power over such a huge state. His reign significantly weakened Prussia, but his son marked the final loss of Prussia's leading role in Europe.
But you can't really blame him for that either. The kings of Prussia would not have been able to withstand the avalanche of Napoleon's army. It swept away every state in its path. After the Napoleonic era, Prussia was restored in much smaller territories, and it seemed that she was destined to live out her life until the complete loss of statehood, if not…
German Empire
The great Otto von Bismarck, oddly enough, was a Prussian. With his appearance on the political scene, one can stop naming the Prussian kings - now they played no role in comparison with the "Iron Chancellor".
Bismarck was the minister-president of Prussia and a passionate admirer of the idea of a unified German state. At that time, this seemed impossible - the German territory could fit a dozen warring small states and one weakened Austria. However, Bismarck would not have been a great ruler if he had not had a clear and unshakable plan.
Step by step, he increased the power of Prussia, fighting with Denmark and taking away its territories. Bismarck needed only an excuse to attack Austria, and he turned up - a military conflict in Italy led to a seven-week war between Austria and Prussia, which ended in the unification of 21 German states and the creation of the German Empire. King Wilhelm I of Prussia became the Kaiser, and Bismarck became his Chancellor.
The German Empire has become one of the main states of the world. Not the last role inits composition was occupied by Prussia. The kingdom has sunk into oblivion, but it was the Prussians who set the cultural and political tone of the empire.
Unfortunately, Wilhelm II was not such a far-sighted politician. He removed Bismarck from office, and then began to pursue a policy full of conservatism at home and filled with harsh statements, an aggressive foreign one. Having quarreled with the Russian and British crowns, he led Germany to isolation.
These events were the main prerequisites for the outbreak of the First World War, after which the Second Reich fell forever. The November uprising tore apart Germany, making Prussia one of the small independent states that were forced to repay the debts of their big parent.
But as always happens in the history of Germany, when the chroniclers were ready to put an end to the history of a single state, a new personality appears on the horizon, who is destined to gather all the Germans around him.
Third Reich
Prussia was one of the central regions of the Third Reich.
Despite the fact that Hitler did not divide Germany, an exception was made for this region.
In the state united by the Nazis, Prussia received autonomy, but had it only on paper. In fact, either Hitler or one of the heads of the Reichstag was the head of the autonomy, depending on the specific date.
It was in the Third Reich that Prussia finally blurred the boundaries of an independent state. Now she was part of Germany, even herthe former capital - Berlin - has long ceased to be associated with it.
After the defeat of Germany in World War II, part of the territory of Prussia, including the old Koenigsberg, was ceded to the USSR. The remaining territories remained with the GDR and the FRG.
Prussia at the end of World War II
Prussia in 1945 was no longer anything at all. As a separate state, it did not exist even in theory, being considered a losing Germany. So the sun went down for one of the most influential powers in Europe. Or is there another unexpected twist ahead of us? After all, before the advent of Bismarck, Prussia prophesied the same thing.
Result
Prussia is one of the most controversial pages of German history. The state that laid the foundation for the existence of modern federal Germany, in fact, was independent for an incredibly small amount of time.
However, every time Prussia reappeared on the map, even in its smallest borders, it invariably proved that it is she who is the true strength of Germany, her heart and brain.
Somehow the story got ironic again - the Prussians, the inhabitants of the B altics, whom we must classify as Lithuanians and Estonians, are Germans even more than the Germans themselves. This is the mystery of Prussian history, but also its fascination - in endless victories and defeats in the fight against paradoxes.
