In the beginning there was only Brandenburg a territory encompassing some 40,000 square and centered on the city of Berlin. This was the heartland of the state that would late be known as Prussia.
On 18 January 1701, Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg was crowned ‘King in Prussia’ in the city of Konigsberg.
The celebrations began on 15 January in Konigsberg, when heralds wearing blue velvet livery emblazoned with the new royal coat of arms passed through the city, proclaiming the Duchy of Prussia a sovereign kingdom.
The Kingdom was made up of thirteen provinces, including West Prussia, Eats Prussia, Brandenburg (Berlin), Hanover, Rhine, Saxony, and others.
With the unification of Germany by Bismarck in 1871, the Kingdom of Prussian became part of the German Empire, or a state within a state, albeit by far the most important part of the Empire.
Berlin was the capital of both the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire.
In 1795, Poland was partitioned and was annexed into the Kingdom of Prussia, with Warsaw becoming the capital of the province of South Prussian.
Early history Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918)
