Absolutism in prussia, History

Assignment Help:

Absolutism in Prussia

A slightly different form of absolutism developed in the 1700's in the German- speaking kingdom of Prussia. Originally a small region known as the principality of Brandenburg, it was ruled by a noble family named Hohenzollern, who had their court at the small city of Berlin. In the mid-1600s, they seemed unlikely to become powerful rulers. After the Thirty Years War, their lands were devastated and moreover, although they were Calvinist, most of their territory had remained Lutheran.

However, Prince Frederick William saw a way to overcome these problems. Rather than relying on nobles to help him rule his various regions, which ranged from the agricultural region of Prussia to the east to the commercial port city of Konigsberg in the west, he decided to establish a single government over the entire region and to assess taxes equally on all of it, paid into a single treasury. With this money, he developed an army, which was small compared to the armies of Austria or France during the Thirty Years War. However, he did not dissolve it after the end of the war, instead using it to enter into other, smaller wars and thereby win more territory -- and eventually he was able to unite all of his territories.

To pay for and command this army, he turned to the nobles in the regions of Brandenburg and Prussia, called Junkers. Junkers were somewhat like the Polish nobles or the English gentry in that there were many of them so their estates were not that large. To make money from these smaller estates, they would have to ensure that those who worked the land would be reduced from peasants back to the status of serfs. Frederick William authorized the nobles to re-feudalize Prussia in return for which the nobles would serve in his army as officers and the serfs as soldiers. 


Related Discussions:- Absolutism in prussia

Major court cases john marshall oversaw, What are the names of the 4 major ...

What are the names of the 4 major court cases John Marshall oversaw? What did his court's decisions protect?

Describe how the ideals of the homeric epics, Describe how the ideals of th...

Describe how the ideals of the Homeric epics-as reflected in literature, sculpture, and even pottery-might have shaped your self identity.

Industrial revolution and the scientific revolution, What historical connec...

What historical connections do you see between the Industrial Revolution and the Scientific Revolution?

Union address william jefferson clinton, State Of The Union Address (1999) ...

State Of The Union Address (1999) William Jefferson Clinton 1. What are the presidents priorities for 1999? - 2. Approval ratings for the president soared to over 70 percent aft

Immigrant greeks, Immigrant Greeks formed a new social elite immediately up...

Immigrant Greeks formed a new social elite immediately upon arriving in various countries created an divide between them and the local population. The Zeno were one of these immigr

Identify person of the renaissance, From the humanist perspective, "genius"...

From the humanist perspective, "genius" is a critically important quality. Identify another person of the Renaissance (described in Chapters 14 or 15) who would fulfill the qualiti

The supreme court''s ruling in the case of marbury, The Supreme Court's rul...

The Supreme Court's ruling in the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) A. stated that Congress had no authority to expand the power of the Supreme Court. B. stated that the Supreme

The escalation of indian wars and violence, The escalation of indian wars a...

The escalation of indian wars and violence on the frontier can be attributed to a. competition for land by both indian and white settlers b. disruption of the deerskin trade c.

What advantages did athens and sparta each, What advantages did Athens and ...

What advantages did Athens and Sparta each have in the Peloponnesian War? What was the result?

Focus of democratic-republicans 1800 presidential campaign, Which of the fo...

Which of the following was NOT a focus of the Democratic-Republicans 1800 presidential campaign: The virtues of an agrarian society; States rights; Frugal and simple government; or

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd