Europe · Reformation to revolution
Duchy of Prussia
1525–1701
Created in 1525 when Albert of Hohenzollern, last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, secularised the Order's Prussian territory and did homage to the Polish crown as hereditary duke (the "Prussian Homage"), converting to Lutheranism — the first state to adopt Protestantism officially. It was a Polish fief with its capital at Königsberg.
- Existed
- 1525–1701
- Shown on the map
- 1526–1618
- Peak area
- 38k km²
- Region
- Europe
Early modern phase (cross-reference Parts 5 and 8)
Created in 1525 when Albert of Hohenzollern, last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, secularised the Order's Prussian territory and did homage to the Polish crown as hereditary duke (the "Prussian Homage"), converting to Lutheranism — the first state to adopt Protestantism officially. It was a Polish fief with its capital at Königsberg. In 1618 it passed to the Brandenburg Hohenzollerns (Brandenburg-Prussia). By the Treaty of Wehlau (1657) and Peace of Oliwa (1660), the Great Elector Frederick William gained full sovereignty (ending Polish suzerainty). In 1701 Elector Frederick III crowned himself "King in Prussia" (Frederick I), founding the Kingdom of Prussia.
Common questions
- What was the Duchy of Prussia?
- Created in 1525 when Albert of Hohenzollern, last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, secularised the Order's Prussian territory and did homage to the Polish crown as hereditary duke (the "Prussian Homage"), converting to Lutheranism — the first state to adopt Protestantism officially. It was a Polish fief with its capital at Königsberg.
- When did the Duchy of Prussia exist?
- The Duchy of Prussia existed 1525–1701. On this map it is drawn 1526–1618.
- How large was the Duchy of Prussia?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Duchy of Prussia covered about 38,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each territory as the primary basis, with Encyclopædia Britannica, EBSCO Research Starters, the New World Encyclopedia, UNESCO, and academic works including Henry Kamen's *Spain, 1469–1714* and Shaul Stampfer's study of Khmelnytsky-era Jewish casualties. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Duchy of Prussia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Prussia
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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