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List of rulers of Prussia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of the rulers of the former German state of Prussia, originally territories on the Baltic Sea which the Teutonic Knights had conquered from of Poland and Lithuania, which later became a duchy under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Poland, an independent duchy, an independent kingdom, a kingdom within the German Empire, and a constituent state of Germany.
The history of Prussia was, from 1618 onwards, closely tied to that of the Margraviate of Brandenburg; the ruler of Prussia was also Elector of Brandenburg from 1618 to 1806. For a list of earlier rulers of Brandenburg, see Rulers of Brandenburg.
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| Hohenzollern Dukes of Prussia | |||
| Image | Name | Reign | Comments |
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Albert | 1525-1568 | Grandson of Albert III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg of the House of Hohenzollern. Last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. Having become a Lutheran, he received from the King of Poland the secular title of "Duke of Prussia". |
| Albert Frederick | 1568-1618 | Son of Albert I. | |
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With the death of Albert Frederick in 1618, the rule of the Duchy of Prussia passed to his son-in-law and distant cousin, the Elector John Sigismund, who belonged to the senior branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty that ruled the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Though Margraviate and Duchy remained legally distinct, the combined lands are sometimes known as Brandenburg-Prussia. |
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John Sigismund | 1618-1619 | Elector of Brandenburg from 1608. Married Anna, Duchess of Prussia, daughter of Albert Frederick. |
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George William | 1619-1640. | Son of John Sigismund and Anna. |
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Frederick William | 1640-1688. | Son of George William. In 1657, Frederick William obtained from the King of Poland recognition of his complete sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia, which thereby became an independent state, though Poland retained the right of reversion should the Hohenzollern dynasty die out. The relative rights of the Duke of Prussia and the King of Poland were established in a series of treaties that were renewed on each change of ruler, down to 1698 (accession of Augustus II of Poland). |
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Frederick | 1688-1701. | Son of Frederick William. In 1701 he was crowned "King in Prussia", marking the complete independence of Prussia from all Polish ties, but limiting his sovereignty to the former territory of Ducal Prussia. |
| Hohenzollern Kings in and of Prussia | |||
| Image | Name | Reign | Comments |
|
Frederick I | 1701–1713. | Separated Prussia from Poland completely and assumed sovereign status as "King in Prussia" in 1701. |
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Frederick William I | 1713–1740. | Son of Frederick I. Known as "the soldier king" (German: Der Soldatenkönig). Reformed the army and limited the state expenditure not related to the armed forces. |
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Frederick II | 1740–1786. | Consequent on his annexation of Royal Prussia in the 1772 partition of Poland, Frederick the Great changed his title to "King of Prussia" rather than "King in Prussia". |
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Frederick William II | 1786–1797. | Nephew of Frederick II. Augmented Prussian territory by further annexations of Polish lands. |
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Frederick William III | 1797–1840. | Son of Frederick William II. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, he lost the title of Elector of Brandenburg, but was able to incorporate his territories in Brandenburg into the Kingdom of Prussia. Despite losses in the Napoleonic wars, at the Congress of Vienna Prussia's territory in Germany was greatly increased, making it the dominant power of northern Germany. |
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Frederick William IV | 1840–1861. | Son of Frederick William III. During the revolutions of 1848-9, he was given the chance to become King of Germany, but turned down the offer. |
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William I | 1861–1888. | Brother of preceding. Prussia annexed further territories as a result of the Second War of Schleswig in 1864 and the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, and became the dominant power in the North German Confederation. Following victory in the Franco-Prussian War, William I was proclaimed German Emperor in 1871, while retaining the title and powers of King of Prussia. |
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Frederick III | 1888. | Son of preceding, Also German Emperor. Died after only 99 days from throat cancer. Hence the year 1888 is also known as Year of Three Emperors. |
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William II | 1888–1918. | Son of preceding. The engagement of Germany in the First World War (1914) led to the destruction of the German Empire and of the Kingdom of Prussia in just four years, leading to William's abdication and exile and the fall of the House of Hohenzollern from power. |
Although the German Empire no longer existed as a monarchy, its constituent states continued to exist as republics within the Germany of the Weimar Republic. The Prussian republic was known as the Free State of Prussia.
- Paul Hirsch (SPD) 1918-1920
- Otto Braun (SPD) 1920-1921
- Adam Stegerwald (Centre) 1921
- Otto Braun (SPD) 1921-1925
- Wilhelm Marx (Centre) 1925
- Otto Braun (SPD) 1925-1932
In 1932, the German Chancellor, Franz von Papen, overthrew the Prussian government in the Preußenschlag.
- Franz von Papen (no party) 1932
- Kurt von Schleicher (no party) 1932-1933
- Franz von Papen (DNVP) 1933
With the seizure of power by the Nazis, the German states lost their power and became merely formal administrative units.
- Hermann Göring (NSDAP) 1933-1945
After the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, Germany's internal boundaries were reorganized into Länder, and the state of Prussia no longer existed. The original Prussia was divided between Poland and the Soviet Union.