The Prussian Kingdom existed from 1701 to 1918. It was ruled by the Hohenzollern dynasty for the entirety of its existence. From beginning to end there were a total of ten kings that ruled as the Prussian monarchy. It began with Frederick I declaring himself king, and it ended with William II’s abdication.
The first King of Prussia was Frederick I. He was born in Königsberg, Prussia on July 11, 1657. It was an ambition of his to become king, and in 1701 he succeeded due to a treaty between Prussia and Austria. He was 44 years old at the time of his succession. He was the son of Frederick William, the Great Elector. During his reign, he made allies with England, Holland, and Austria, while being against France. Possibly the biggest …show more content…
Prussia experienced quite a growth while under his rule. He was the exact opposite of his father when it came to his position on Austria. Prussia found themselves fighting against Austria and its allies in multiple wars, which led to them being a respectable military power in Europe. This was helped by diplomatic stratagems, and his late father making the Prussian army next to perfect during his reign. The War of Prussian Succession was definitely a marker of this great military. With an army of about 140,000 men, Prussia captured Silesia, an Austrian region that is now part of Poland, and conquered Bohemia, though later he was forced out and a treaty was made between Prussia and Bohemia in 1748. He practiced enlightened absolutism, a form of absolute monarchy that was practiced during the Enlightenment and inspired by some of its ideals. During his lifetime, he wrote an essay in defense of this system. Enlightened absolutism works on the basis of a social contract rather than divine right, though some enlightened absolute monarchies rejected this. Frederick the Great believed in education and rejected ignorance and prejudice. He supported religious freedom and quite gifted in music and art. He died on August 17, …show more content…
Ed. Robert Guisepi. History World International. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
"Frederick I". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 29 Feb. 2016
"Frederick William I". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 29 Feb. 2016
"Frederick II". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2016
"enlightened despotism". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2016
Wikipedia contributors. "Enlightened absolutism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 Feb. 2016. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.
"Prussia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 02 Mar. 2016
Wikipedia contributors. "List of monarchs of Prussia." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.
Biography.com Editors. "Frederick I Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
History.com Staff. "Frederick II." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 17 Mar.