Monarchy of Prussia
König von Preußen
Royal Coat of arms
Wilhelm I
Details
StyleHis Majesty
First monarchAlbert (as Duke)
Last monarchWilhelm II
Formation10 April 1525
Abolition9 November 1918
ResidenceKönigsberg Castle
Stadtschloss, Berlin (last)
AppointerHereditary
Pretender(s)Georg Friedrich

The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman Catholic crusader state and theocracy located along the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The Teutonic Knights were under the leadership of a Grand Master, the last of whom, Albert, converted to Protestantism and secularized the lands, which then became the Duchy of Prussia.

The Duchy was initially a vassal of the Kingdom of Poland, as a result of the terms of the Prussian Homage whereby Albert was granted the Duchy as part of the terms of peace following the Prussian War. When the main line of Prussian Hohenzollerns died out in 1618, the Duchy passed to a different branch of the family, who also reigned as Electors of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire. While still nominally two different territories, Prussia under the suzerainty of Poland and Brandenburg under the suzerainty of the Holy Roman Empire, the two states are known together historiographically as Brandenburg-Prussia.

Following the third Northern War, a series of treaties freed the Duchy of Prussia from vassalage to any other state, making it a fully sovereign Duchy in its own right. This complex situation (where the Hohenzollern ruler of the independent Duchy of Prussia was also a subject of the Holy Roman Emperor as Elector of Brandenburg) laid the eventual groundwork for the establishment of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. For diplomatic reasons, the rulers of Prussia called themselves King in Prussia from 1701 to 1772. They still nominally owed fealty to the Emperor as Electors of Brandenburg, so the "King in Prussia" title (as opposed to "King of Prussia") avoided offending the Emperor. Additionally, calling themselves "King of Prussia" implied sovereignty over the entire Prussian region, parts of which were still part of Poland.

As the Prussian state grew through several wars and diplomatic moves throughout the 18th century, it became apparent that Prussia had become a Great Power in its own right. By 1772, the pretense was dropped, and the style "King of Prussia" was adopted. The Prussian kings continued to use the title "Elector of Brandenburg" until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, reflecting the legal fiction that their domains within the empire were still under the ultimate overlordship of the Emperor. Legally, the Hohenzollerns ruled Brandenburg in personal union with their Prussian kingdom, but in practice they treated their domains as a single unit. The Hohenzollerns gained de jure sovereignty over Brandenburg when the empire dissolved in 1806, and Brandenburg was formally merged into Prussia.

In 1871, in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, the German Empire was formed, and the King of Prussia, Wilhelm I was crowned German Emperor. From that point forward, though the Kingdom of Prussia retained its status as a constituent state of the empire (by far the largest and most powerful), all subsequent Kings of Prussia also served as German Emperor, and that title took precedence.

Duchy of Prussia (1525–1701)

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Albert(1490-05-17)17 May 1490 – 20 March 1568(1568-03-20) (aged 77)10 April 152520 March 1568Grand Master of Teutonic Knights, granted the title of Duke of PrussiaHohenzollernAlbert, Duke of Prussia
Albert Frederick(1553-05-07)7 May 1553 – 27 August 1618(1618-08-27) (aged 65)20 March 156827 August 1618Son of AlbertHohenzollernAlbert Frederick, Duke of Prussia
John Sigismund(1572-11-08)8 November 1572 – 23 December 1619(1619-12-23) (aged 47)27 August 161823 December 1619Son in law and second cousin thrice removed of Albert Frederick, also Elector of BrandenburgHohenzollernJohn Sigismund, Duke of Prussia
George William(1595-11-13)13 November 1595 – 1 December 1640(1640-12-01) (aged 45)23 December 16191 December 1640Son of John Sigismund, also Elector of BrandenburgHohenzollernGeorge William, Duke of Prussia
Frederick William
  • the Great Elector
(1620-02-16)16 February 1620 – 29 April 1688(1688-04-29) (aged 68)1 December 164029 April 1688Son of George William, also Elector of BrandenburgHohenzollernFrederick William, Duke of Prussia
Frederick I(1657-07-11)11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713(1713-02-25) (aged 55)29 April 168818 January 1701Son of Frederick William, also Elector of BrandenburgHohenzollernFrederick I, Duke of Prussia

Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918)

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Frederick I
  • the Mercenary King[1]
(1657-07-11)11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713(1713-02-25) (aged 55)18 January 170125 February 1713Son of Frederick William, also Elector of BrandenburgHohenzollernFrederick I of Prussia
Frederick William I
  • the Soldier King
(1688-08-14)14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740(1740-05-31) (aged 51)25 February 171331 May 1740Son of Frederick IHohenzollernFrederick William I of Prussia
Frederick II
  • the Great
(1712-01-24)24 January 1712 – 17 August 1786(1786-08-17) (aged 74)31 May 174017 August 1786Son of Frederick William IHohenzollernFrederick II of Prussia
Frederick William II(1744-09-25)25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797(1797-11-16) (aged 53)17 August 178616 November 1797Nephew of Frederick II, Grandson of Frederick William IHohenzollernFrederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William III(1770-07-03)3 July 1770 – 7 June 1840(1840-06-07) (aged 69)16 November 17977 June 1840Son of Frederick William IIHohenzollernFrederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William IV(1795-10-15)15 October 1795 – 2 January 1861(1861-01-02) (aged 65)7 June 18402 January 1861Son of Frederick William III; also President of the Erfurt Union (1849–1850)HohenzollernFrederick William IV of Prussia
Wilhelm I(1797-03-22)22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888(1888-03-09) (aged 90)2 January 18619 March 1888Brother of Frederick William IV, Son of Frederick William III; also President of the North German Confederation (1867–1871) and German Emperor (from 1871)HohenzollernWilhelm I of Prussia
Frederick III(1831-10-18)18 October 1831 – 15 June 1888(1888-06-15) (aged 56)9 March 188815 June 1888Son of Wilhelm I; also German Emperor; only Prussian monarch to rule for less than one yearHohenzollernFrederick III of Prussia
Wilhelm II(1859-01-27)27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941(1941-06-04) (aged 82)15 June 18889 November 1918
(abdicated)
[2]		Son of Frederick III; also German Emperor; also last King of Prussia and last German EmperorHohenzollernWilliam II of Prussia

Timeline

William II, German EmperorFrederick III, German EmperorWilliam I, German EmperorFrederick William IV of PrussiaFrederick William III of PrussiaFrederick William II of PrussiaFrederick the GreatFrederick William I of PrussiaFrederick I of PrussiaFrederick William, Elector of BrandenburgGeorge William, Elector of BrandenburgJohn Sigismund, Elector of BrandenburgAlbert Frederick, Duke of PrussiaAlbert, Duke of Prussia

Pretenders to the Prussian throne since 1918

Family tree

Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg
Albrecht III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg
John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg
Joachim I Nestor, Elector of BrandenburgFrederick I
of Ansbach
and Bayreuth
1460–1536		Sophia
Jagiellon
1464–1512
Albert
1490-1525-1568		Anna Marie
of Brunswick-
Lüneburg
1532–1568		Joachim II Hector, Elector of BrandenburgSophie of
Brandenburg-
Ansbach-
Kulmbach
1485–1537		Frederick II
of Legnica
1480–1547		Casimir of
Brandenburg-
Bayreuth
1481–1527		Susanna
of Bavaria
1502–1543		Hedwig of
Münsterberg
and Oleśnica
1508–1531		George of
Brandenburg-
Ansbach
1484–1543		Emilie
of Saxony
1516–1591
Albert
Frederick
1553-1568-1618		Marie Eleonore
of Cleves
1550–1608		John George
of Brandenburg
1525-1598		Sophie
of Legnica
1525–1546		Marie of
Brandenburg-
Kulmbach
1519–1567		Frederick III,
Elector
Palatine
1515–1576		William I
of Nassau-
Dillenburg
1487–1559		Anna Maria of
Brandenburg-
Ansbach
1526–1589		George Frederick
regent
1539-1577-1603
Anna Sophia
of Prussia
1527–1591		Eleanor
of Prussia
1583–1607		Joachim
Frederick of
Brandenbrug
regent
1546-1605-1608		Catherine of
Brandenburg-
Küstrin
1549–1602		Louis VI,
Elector
Palatine
1539–1583		William I
of the
Netherlands
1533–1584		Elisabeth
of Nassau-
Dillenburg
1542–1603		Sabine of
Württemberg
1549–1581		John VI
of Nassau-
Dillenburg
1536–1606
Magdalene of
Brandenburg
1582–1616		Anna
of Prussia
1576–1625		John Sigismund
1572-1618-1619
regent
1611–1618		Anna Maria of
the Palatinate
1561–1589		Frederick IV,
Elector
Palatine
1574–1610		Louise Juliana
of Nassau
1576–1644		John Albert I
of Solms-
Braunfels		John VII
of Nassau-
Siegen
1561–1623		John VII of
Mecklenburg
1558–1592
Anne Eleonore
of Hesse-
Darmstadt
1601–1659		George
William
1595-1619-1640		Elizabeth
Charlotte
of the Palatinate
1597–1660		Frederick V
Elector
Palatine
1596–1632		Frederick
Henry of
Orange
1584–1617		Amalia
of Solms-
Braunfels
1602–1675		Maurice of
Hesse-Kassel
1572–1632		Juliane
of Nassau-
Siegen
1587–1643
George William
of Saxe-
Lauenburg
1624–1705		Ernest
Augustus
of Hanover
1629–1698		Sophia of the
Palatinate
1630–1714		Frederick
William
1620-1640-1688		Louise
Henriette
of Orange
1627–1667		John Albert of
Mecklenburg
1590–1636
Sophia
Dorothea
of Celle
1666–1726		George I
of Great
Britain
1660–1727		Sophia
Charlotte
of Hanover
1688–1705		Frederick I
1657-1688-1713		Catherine
of Sweden
1584–1638		John Casimir
of Kleeburg
1589–1652
Caroline
of Ansbach
1683–1737		George II of
Great Britain
1683–1760		Sophia
Dorothea
of Hanover
1687–1757		Frederick
William I
1688–1713-1740		Louis IX
of Hesse-
Darmstadt
1719–1790		Eleonora
Catherine of
Zweibrücken
1626–1692		Frederick
of Hesse-
Eschwege
1617–1655		Elisabeth
Sophie of
Mecklenburg
1613–1676
Frederick,
Prince of Wales
1707–1751		Augusta of
Saxe-Gotha
1719–1772		Charles Louis
Frederick of
Mecklenburg
1708–1752		Elisabeth
Albertine
of Saxe-
Hildburghausen
1713–1761		Christine
of Hesse-
Eschwege
1648–1702		Ferdinand
Albert I of
Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
1636–1687
George III of
the United
Kingdom
1738–1820		Charlotte of
Mecklenburg-
Strelitz
1744–1818		Charles II of
Mecklenburg-
Strelitz
1741–1816		Antoinette of
Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
1696–1762		Ferdinand
Albert II of
Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
1680–1735		Amalie
of Hesse-
Darmstadt
1754–1832
Augustus
William of
Prussia
1722–1758		Luise of
Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
1722–1780		Frederick II
the Great
1712-1740-1786		Elisabeth
Christine
of Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
1715–1797		Philippine
Charlotte
of Prussia
1716–1801		Charles I of
Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
1713–1780		Louise
of Hesse-
Darmstadt
1757–1830		Caroline
of Baden
1776–1841
William IV
of the United
Kingdom
1765–1837		Sophie
Antoinette
of Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
1724–1802		Frederica
Louisa of
Hesse-
Darmstadt
1751–1805		Frederick
William II
1744-1786-1797		Elizabeth
Christine of
Brunswick-
Woldenbüttel
1746–1840 
Augusta
of Great
Britain
1737–1813		Charles
William of
Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
1735–1806		Francis of
Saxe-Coburg-
Saalfeld1750–1806		Frederick
William III
1770-1797-1840		Louise of
Mecklenburg-
Strelitz
1776–1810		Charles
Frederick of
Saxe-Weimar-
Eisenach
1783–1853
Caroline of
Brunswick-
Wolfenbüttel
1768–1821		George IV of
the United
Kingdom
1762–1830		Frederick
of York and
Albany
1763–1827		Frederica
Charlotte
of Prussia
1767–1820
Edward
of Kent and
Strathearn
1767–1820		Victoria of
Saxe-Coburg-
Saalfeld
1786–1861		Emich Carl
of Leiningen
1763–1814		Ernerst I of
Saxe-Coburg
and Gotha
1784–1844		Louise of
Saxe-Gotha-
Altenburg
1800–1831		William I
the Great
1797-1861-1888		Augusta
of Saxe-
Weimar-
Eisenach
1811–1890		Caroline
Matilda
of Great
Britain
1751–1775		Frederick
William IV
of Prussia
1795-1840-1861		Elisabeth
Ludovika
of Bavaria
1801–1873
Victoria of
the United
Kingdom
1819–1901		Albert of
Saxe-Coburg
and Gotha
1819–1861		Louise
Augusta
of Denmark
1771–1843		Frederick
Christian II
of Schleswig-
Holstein
1765–1814
Feodora of
Leiningen
1807–1872		Ernest I of
Hohenlohe-
Langenburg
1794–1860		Victoria of
the United
Kingdom
1840–1901		Frederick III
1831-1888-1888		Louise
Sophie of
Danneskiold-
Samsøe
1796–1867		Christian
August II of
Augustenburg
1798–1869
Adelheid of
Hohenlohe-
Langenburg
1835–1900		Frederick VIII
of Schleswig-
Holstein
1829–1880		Frederick
Francis II of
Mecklenburg-
Schwerin
1823–1883		Augusta
Reuss of
Köstritz
1822–1862		Alexander II
of Russia
1818-1855-1881		Maria of
Hesse and
by Rhine
1824–1880
Augusta
Victoria of
Schleswig-
Holstein
1858–1921		William II
1859-1888-1918-1941
in pretence
1918–1941		Frederick
Francis III of
Mecklenburg
Schwerin
1851–1897		Marie of
Mecklenburg-
Schwerin
1854–1920		Vladimir
Alexandrovich
of Russia
1847–1909		Maria
Alexandrovna
of Russia
1853–1920		Alfred of
Saxe-Coburg
and Gotha
1844–1900
Wilhelm
in pretence
1882-1941-1951		Cecilie of
Mecklenburg-
Schwerin
1886–1945		Kirill
Vladimirovich
of Russia
1876–1938		Victoria
Melita of
Saxe-Coburg
and Gotha
1876–1936
Louis
Ferdinand
in pretence
1907-1951-1994		Kira
Kirillovna
of Russia
1909–1967
Donata
of Castell-
Rüdenhausen
1950–2015		Louis
Ferdinand
of Prussia
1944–1977
Georg
Friedrich
in pretence
1976-1994-

See also

References

Bibliography

  • Hull, Isabel V. (2004), The Entourage of Kaiser Wilhelm II, 1888–1918.
  • Horne, Charles F. (2009), Source Records of the Great War, Kessinger Publishing, ISBN 978-1104855536, archived from the original on 2023-01-25, retrieved 2016-03-23
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