What country is Prussia? What is the relevant history?

Prussia (German: Preu? en； Old Prussian: Pr ū sa; Polish: Prusy；; Lithuanian: Purse; ; Latin: Borussia or Prutenia) is a historical place name in Europe, which generally refers to the Prussian kingdom between17th century and19th century. Prussia is sometimes synonymous with the spirit and culture of modern Germany, because it rose and unified Germany in just 200 years and established the Second Reich.

Early history

The ancient inhabitants of Prussia were old Prussians, belonging to the Baltic race, belonging to the same race as Latvians and Lithuanians. /kloc-in the 0/2nd century, the German colonial movement entered the east coast of the Baltic Sea. 1 170, Bowser Law, Duke of Pomerania, established his first colony in Prussia, namely the Oliwa Abbey near Danzig. The monastery was burned down by the Prussians. 1226, the territory of Duke Conrad (a member of the Teutonic Order), the son of the Polish king and the leader of the Principality of Mazovia, was also attacked by Prussians. Taking this as an opportunity, the Teutonic Knights launched a crusade in Prussia for nearly 200 years, and successively established Torun, marienburg, Coulm and Elpin fortresses, conquered the areas where Prussians lived and forced them to believe in Christianity and use German. /kloc-After the 6th century, the Prussians became extinct.

Prussia under the Teutonic Order nominally belongs to the papal territory, but the pope only enjoys nominal suzerainty. In order to attract settlers, the Teutonic Order established a series of free cities in its territory according to the laws of the Hanseatic League. 1379 Knights of Dayton joined the Hanseatic League.

1370, the Polish royal family died. 1386, the daughter of Polish King Hedwig married the Grand Duke of Lithuania, and Poland and Lithuania joined hands. Since then, a series of attacks against Teutonic knights guarding its harbor have begun. In the Battle of Tannenburg on July 5, 14 10, the Teutonic Order was defeated by the joint forces of Poland and Lithuania and was forced to sign the first Torun Peace Treaty. In addition to paying 6 million Groshin compensation, it also placed Danzig under Polish sovereignty. 1466 The Teutonic Knights were defeated again and forced to cede West Prussia including Danzig and marienburg in the second Torun Peace Treaty. These areas are called "Royal Prussia". The Teutonic Order retained the remaining territory of Prussia, but was forced to serve the Polish king and become a vassal state of Poland.

15 12, Albert from Brandenburg was elected as the leader of the Teutonic Order. 1525, he announced his conversion to Lutheranism, thus cutting off contact with the Vatican, the nominal patriarch of the Order. Later, he announced that the Teutonic Knights were secularized and changed to Prussia. Albert became the Duke of Prussia and the secular monarch under the highest power in Poland.

Albert Frederick, Albert's son, died childless, so the Prussian Principality was inherited by his eldest daughter's husband, John sigismund (belonging to the Hohensolen family) and established the Brandenburg-Prussia Principality. This laid the foundation for the development of Hornsolon dynasty in the future. In the Swedish-Polish War in 660, Friedrich William, the great elector of Brandenburg, abolished Poland's suzerainty over Prussia and established a centralized political system.

Prussian kingdom

Found a state

170 1 year, Friedrich III (son of Friedrich William), the great elector of Brandenburg, supported the Habsburg dynasty of Austria to declare war on the Bourbon dynasty of France in exchange for the title of king. On 65438+ 10 18, Friedrich III was crowned King Frederick I of Prussia in Koenigsberg, and the glorious history of Prussia for more than 200 years began.

Rise and expansion

Inheriting the tradition of Teutonic knights' military autocracy, Prussia's army has always been famous for its strict discipline and high education quality, especially Frederick II (that is, frederick the great) is famous for his arrogance and bravery. He ascended the throne in 1740, that is, seven months after he ascended the throne, and attacked Silesia, which triggered the Austrian war of succession to the throne. Through the war, Frederick II established the personal honor of "military genius" and turned Prussia into a military country. Frederick II also accepted Voltaire's enlightenment thought, improved the judicial and educational system, encouraged freedom of religious belief, and promoted the development of science and art. By the time Frederick II died in 1786, Prussia had become one of the powerful countries in Europe, and the efficiency and integrity of its administrative institutions were the first in Europe.

After Frederick II's nephew Friedrich Wilhelm Ⅱ succeeded to the throne, he bought off the Marquis of ansbach and the Marquis of Bayreuther, and carved up Poland for the second and third time. After the French Revolution, Prussia joined the anti-French alliance, but was defeated by the French army and forced to agree to France's annexation of Prussia territory west of the Rhine River in 1795. His son Friedrich Wilhelm Ⅲ (acceded to the throne in 1797) participated in the anti-French wars in 1806 and 10, and was defeated by Napoleon in Jena and forced to flee to Koenigsberg. 1807, Prussia and France concluded a peace treaty in Tilsit, Nieman River, and Prussia ceded160,000 square kilometers of land, including most of Poland's territory (the second and third partition of Poland, the southern half of Poland's territory for the first time) and all the territory west of the Elbe River, and paid reparations1300,000 francs.

After the fiasco of 1806, Prussian Prime Minister Carl Stein began to carry out reforms, including allowing citizens to participate in politics to awaken their nationalist feelings; Release serfs; Implement local autonomy; Reorganize central government agencies, etc. Friedrich Wilhelm University was founded in Berlin on 1809, and Gerhard von scharnhorst began to reform the Prussian army. Since then, Prussia's patriotism has been high. 18 12 winter, Napoleon's army was defeated from Russia, and Prussia joined the anti-French alliance again in the following year, and declared war on France in March 18 17, 10/0/October 24, Prussia, Austria and Russia. Pu Jun defeated the French again at Waterloo. According to the territorial adjustment of the Vienna Conference, Prussia's territory extended from the Meirmaier River to the Rhine River, becoming the only powerful country with German-speaking residents in the German Confederation and one of the European powers.

1834, Prussia established the German Customs Union in Germany, and all German states joined the Union except Austria and Hamburg. During the European Revolution in 1848, King Friedrich William IV announced the establishment of a "free government". Convened a constitutional convention and refused to accept the title of "German Emperor" given by the German Confederation Parliament. However, after the European Revolution in 1848, Frederick William IV returned to autocratic rule.

1857 Frederick William IV suffers from mental illness, and his brother William is the Regent. 186 1 Frederick William IV died, and the Regent ascended the throne, known as William I in history. 1862 clashed with the National Assembly because of the budget and tax issues needed for military reform. He planned to abdicate, but withdrew his life at the suggestion of former ambassador to France Bismarck. Bismarck expressed his support for military reform and said that if he was appointed as Prime Minister, he would force military reform and a new military service system at all costs. 1862 On September 22nd, William I appointed Bismarck as Prime Minister.

German Empire: Rise and Fall

After Bismarck came to power, he set out to plan the great cause of German reunification. Bismarck advocated the establishment of a "small Germany" that excluded Austria. Prussia defeated Denmark and Austria in 1864 and 1866, led the northern German federation and the southern German states in 1870, and now defeated France. 187 1 year 1 month 65438+8 years, that is, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the kingdom of Prussia/kloc-0, William I ascended the throne in the mirror gallery of Versailles, France, became the emperor of the German Empire, and announced the establishment of the German Empire headed by the kingdom of Prussia, the so-called Zweite Empire.

Because Prussia has 2/3 of the population and 3/5 of the territory of the German Empire, and far exceeds other kingdoms and principalities in the empire in military, economic and industrial aspects, the German Empire has become an expanded version of the Kingdom of Prussia. Each state enjoys autonomy in internal affairs and finance, but gives diplomatic, military (except Bavaria) and customs power to the central government of the German Empire. Prussian history has since been incorporated into the history of the German Empire.

1888, William I's son Friedrich IV der Aufrichtige died after 99 days in office-his grandson William II succeeded to the throne and became the third generation emperor of the German Empire. Its rule ended in Germany's defeat in the First World War.

1918165438+1On October 7th, a revolution took place in Bavaria and the king abdicated. A revolution broke out in Berlin immediately, demanding that the Kaiser abdicate. At that time, William II personally commanded the battle in the German base camp in Siba, Belgium. After learning about the revolution, he tried to give up the title of German emperor and keep the title of Prussian king, but the army commander Hindenburg advised him to abdicate completely. In order to avoid further turmoil, German Chancellor Prince Max von Baden announced that the Kaiser abdicated before noon on1October 9, 165438, and handed over the post of Chancellor to German Social Democratic Party leader friedrich ebert on the same day. William II went into exile in Holland, and the German Empire and Prussia Kingdom perished. 165438+1October 1 1, Germany surrendered to the allied forces.

Prussia from 19 19 to 1947.

Due to the civil war between the Spartan Corps and the provisional government of the Berlin Social Democratic Party, Albert convened the National Assembly in Weimar in 19 19, and adopted the interim German Constitution Weimar Constitution in February 10. According to Weimar Constitution, Prussia became a state of Germany, namely "Prussian Free State" (Freistaat Preu? ), the implementation of local autonomy, its territory is the territory of the former Prussian kingdom.

/kloc-in the 1920s, the government of the Prussian Free State was mostly led by the German Social Democratic Party and the Catholic Central Party. 1932, the Nazi Party gained an advantage in the elections of the German Parliament and Prussia. Hermann G?ring became the Speaker of the German Parliament and the Speaker of Prussia, and mastered the Prussian Ministry of the Interior and the police. 193365438+1October 30th, when the Nazi Party came to power, the German local autonomy system was abolished, the Prussian Constitution was abolished, the national parliament and legislature were dissolved, and only the administrative units were left.

During the Second World War, the leaders of the Allies and the Soviet Union reached a consensus after many meetings that Prussia was the birthplace of German militarism, the base camp of German officers and brave nobles, and the source of German autocratic and aggressive thoughts, which must be eliminated. American President Roosevelt said at the Tehran Conference that "Prussia should be reduced and weakened as much as possible", while Churchill thought that "Prussia, the evil core of German militarism, must be separated from the rest of Germany". The Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference established the principle that East Prussia should be merged into Poland and the Soviet Union, and the post-war Prussian organizational system in Germany should be abolished.

On March 1947 and 1 day, the Supreme Council of Allied Military Control over Germany officially ordered the abolition of the Prussian organizational system. The territory of the former Prussian countries was incorporated into Poland and the Soviet Union, as well as the occupied areas of Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet Union. The property of the former Prussian national government was divided between the Allies and the Soviet Union.

1949 After the establishment of the German Democratic Republic, Brandenburg, Saxony-anhalt and the eastern half of mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were established in the former Prussian territory (1952, the German Democratic Republic abolished the state-level organizational system and set up special zones). In the Federal Republic of Germany, the states established in the former Prussian territory include North Rhine-westfalen and Schleswig-Holstein. In addition, Lower Saxony, rheinland-pfalz, Hesse, Baden-Wü rttemberg and Saarland all have former Prussian kingdoms and Prussian territories. In Prussia, which was merged into Poland and the Soviet Union, German residents have basically been moved out.

Prussian territory

The ancient Prussia region only includes the western Prussia region south of Lithuania today, the territory of the former East Prussia region in Kaliningrad, Russia, with Danzig as the center, west of the mouth of the Vistula River in northeast Poland. 1295 The Teutonic Knights who occupied Prussia bought Pomerania and Danzig. 1308, Newmark bought it from the elector of Brandenburg, and Prussia was bordered by the Holy Roman Empire. Danzig and West Prussia were ceded to Poland in the15th century.

16 18 The Principality of Prussia was merged into Brandenburg, and when the Kingdom of Prussia was founded in 170 1, its territory was centered on Berlin, the capital of Prussia, including Brandenburg, Pomerania, Newmark and Altemark, and hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in southern Germany. /kloc-In the 8th century, Prussia successively acquired the former Pomerania, Posen and Silesia from Sweden, Poland and Austria. After dividing Poland three times, Prussia gained New East Prussia, South Prussia, Danzig, Torun and the western and central parts of Poland including Warsaw. 1806 After Prussia was defeated by Napoleon, it was forced to cede Poland, where France established the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. After Napoleon's defeat, at the Vienna Conference in 18 15, Prussia lost Bayreuther, ansbach, Neuchatel (joining Switzerland), East Friesland, hildesheim and other territories, and the Grand Duchy of Warsaw was annexed by Russia except a small piece of territory centered on Posen in the west. As compensation, Prussia gained two-fifths of the territory of Saxony, as well as the territories of Hanover, Bishop Mü nster, Westphalia, the Rhineland on the east and west sides of the Rhine, Salouis and Saarbrü cken in western Germany.

/kloc-in the 9th century, after the war, Prussia successively annexed Hesse-Rhine, Schleswig, Holstein, Frankfurt and other kingdoms, principalities and free cities. By the time the German Empire was founded in 187 1, the kingdom of Prussia had 22 provinces, including most of the present-day German territory except Bavaria, Baden and Wü rttemberg, as well as western and northern Poland.

After the First World War, Posen Province, West Prussia and Danzig, which belonged to Prussia, were ceded to Poland, the Mermaire region was ceded to Lithuania, the northern part of Schleswig was returned to Denmark, and the southern end of the Rhineland region was merged into the Saar region. After World War II, East Prussia, Silesia and Pomerania in the east were merged into the Soviet Union and Poland according to the Oder-Nice River line set by the Allies. Prussia was merged into West Germany in the west and East Germany in the middle. Geographically, organized Prussia no longer exists.