3& _ P R U S S J A.
!H istor.iç a :
.E poch.s.
diftindtion. T h e fucceflîon. o f thefe potentates, o f various families,
and th e ir p e tty wars would little intereft the reader. .
2. T h e empèror Charles IV , in- I 3j7i3 ,-Jiffigned Brandenburg, to, his
1415» being th en emperor o f G ermany,
fold this Margravate and Electorate. to Frederic burgraye o f Nuremburg,
for 4 0 0 ,0 0 0 ducats". Frederic, the anccftor o f .the prefent reigning
■race, displayed confiderabl e abilities. ,
.3. J oachim II , elector o f Brandenburg, embraced the L utheran
•religion i n a j g g l which has (nice been the ruling fyftehi o f the {fote.
. . 4 .n Jo h n Sigifinond b rom e s du k e 9$ : Pruffia in, i6i8>,t!-;This(.fuc-
çeffian 'will’ be .explained u n d e r th e -next diyifion fo |ïj ‘h ifto ri^ d
epochs.'1- ,
: .^. Frederic W illiam , furnamed the great, eledfcor, .fucjceeded his
father cine 4 6 4 0 ,; and in 1656. compelled th e king .of Tc^^nd, it^ d e e lg re
Pruffia an independent ftate, it having formerly been held offoe-Po.Mfh
Sovereigns. T h is prince is h ighly praifed b y Mi* f o s f
.author o f Memoirs o f th e houfe o f Brandenburg, .as theiohief founder
o f the power o f th a t family. H e was fucceçded in ii-68& by h-is, fon, -
| i 6. Frederic HI, who fupporting the pmperor ;in f ;the> contgjf. fo rJfo e
SpanifK fucceffioB, jyas b y h im declared k in g o f Pruffia ; under-which
title he -was proclaimed at Kanigfberg,* cm, the 18th idaiy o£ Janùâcy,
* 7 0 1 , he-himfelf placing th e Crown upon his headU’
7* -Frederic William II afcended th e throne in 171^!;*- and in 1721
founded th e c ity o f Potfdam. B u t he was iretnarkable as. the
father o f th a t great prince Frederic II,* who afcended the-.throne in
%^40, and died in 1786, after a long a n d iglorious-foighi; foeiMoft-
roetoorable and lad in g event o f which was th e ' acquifitiôn fofoSiiefia
from the houfe- o f Auftria in 1742.
-8. T h e fliort reign o f his nephew is known to l every reader. T h e
fa ilu re o f‘ th e Pruffian ta&ics in France and Pplaqd convinced Europe
th a t the g re a t Frederic had been the foul o f the machine. But thefe
^checks were recompenfed by the completion of th e Pruffian acquisitions
* In the regal genealogy the name.of Frederic alone is confidered as d id in â from that o f
^Frédéric-William. -
in
in Poland. T h e reign o f his fou, the p relent monarch, has hitherto
been diftitfguiftied rather, by-prudence than enterprise. . f
*. T h e hiflorical epochs o f I Pruffia proper, are not cferqt'ving -of 'much
elucidation. ■ T h e know 1 edgeiiofuthe ;apeients> concerning -this; country
haS‘.*a&sady ffi^etti:explamed.l.^i(yfffint<d^&i, o f hifforyfoin the Middle
'ages,-- difcl'ofes«'atifhe motkh o ffo feV iftu lh th e Prmzzfoa; Slavonic nation,
who were afterwards fubdued'iby th e knights o f th e Teutonic ,order.
Thisforder ©rigihatedhA D. m g®%h iri th e lc fo ip jp f the-jGyufaders
»bpfore A c c ^ o p j ^ c ^ h , f f e m , fo n fe .Giti^epshof L fo edfoand Bremen,
whp'united. t&reli&vpjthe wants o f the ir jQ e jm ap 'b re th ren . /-Next year .
a ffiull o f iaftitdtiofo obtained n om (the- Poj}<^-w during. J^eH^ tp
•wear ai-bfock' c'r®fo ©n a ^wMtfc m an t^ i|an d |||h -fp llow th e ru fo o f- Sr:
Augiffon, with .all th e privileges granted tc^fo.e, knights templars. T h e
.e-riuf4des to Paleftine having,foiled, the rkhigMS dfoe^y^hlhefo; enter-
-prize againft .the pagans -of th e N-. I^f jG^rnany,-,-A .T ). 1^227 j/andj in
a few years ’conquered Pruffia, andT founded .fe^fra ||dtie s. ^
.d. 2. “T h e knights .thus-eftablifhed, ip B-ruffias, dfredted;, th e ir -.efforts
againft th e Lithuanians, and other- p ag an s' in th e e'afh f B u t* repeated
wars with Poland^ were lefo fo^tprrate; and ahoutff 1446 th e four chief
asides ..of P fu ffia „ ;E lb in ^ T h o rn y ,Kjonig|fbtf|-g!„and Dantzipk, withdrew
fo e ir ajldgiarte6*f r q n p th e Teutonic Qfd er^ and claimed foj&,p;rpte6tion o f
Poland^ -
i f 1m 1466 Gafimir king o f Roland durc^d -foe Teutonfo order, to
abandon to him the. eaftern part' o f Pruffia, and to pay h omage for the
weftern part.
4. Albeit? o f Brandenburg, grand-mafter offhe" order,- ohtamhd p m
Msi maternal uncle,’ SigifmundPMng o f 'hP n lan d ,v fo ^ '^ e jg d ita ry in-,
veftiture ot „all,that fo e .o rd e r pofieffed inyTfoffia, 'a n d e^hfoaced fo e
Lu th eran religion. B ut particular grand-mafters, continue to be appointed
by the emperor o f Germany.. ,
5. In Jpafoim II ^ e ^ io r of Brandenburg h ad'obtained from -th d 1
Eolifh, monarch the fucceffifon to the. d u c h y , o f Rtuffia, infogfe thq
pofieflor died withotit heirs j'. b u t this addirioh- o f power arad territory
did not. take- place till 1 6 4 ^ whenjjphil.Sigifxnund elefitpf.of Bran--
denburg^