Berlin comes under the rule of the Hohenzollern dynasty, the ruling house of Brandenburg in 1415. In the beginning, Brandenburg was one of seven electoral states of the Holy Roman Empire.
There was a territory encompassing some 40,000 square kilometers and centered on the city of Berlin.
This was the heartland of the state that would later known as Prussia.
Prussia did not become a kingdom till the year 1701. Previous to that time it was governed by dukes. Its ancient inhabitants were called Borussi, from whom the country took the name of Prussia.
Frederick Wilhelm ruled Brandenburg form 1640 to 1688 and he took several steps that help chart Brandenburg’s rise to the status of a European powerhouse.
His first order of business was to increase Berlin’s safety by turning it into a garrison town encircled by fortifications with 13 bastions. He also levied a new sales tax using, the money to build new neighborhood.
In 1701, his son Freidrich III, crowned himself as Friedrich I, King in Prussia. He made Berlin a royal residence and the capital of the new state of Prussia.
The capital Berlin situated on the river Spree, a river by the way, with a very merry name. It has a splendid palace, where the king resides, a fine University, where a great many young men are educated, and several places of public amusement.
Friedrich I was succeeded by Friedrich William, who reigned until 1740. Under these rulers Berlin city became a city of increasing importance and Prussia began its rise, culminating in its dominance of Germany.
In 1740, Freidrich II, known as Frederick the Great came to power. Berlin became, under the rule of ‘philosopher on the throne’, a center of Enlightment thinkers like Moses Mendelssohn.
On September 1806, Berlin was occupied by French troops. French occupation was uneventful, interrupted only by a minor and unsuccessful military rebellion and ending with the collapse of Napoleon’s empire.
On March 18, 1848 citizens gathered outside his place to present their demands. The soldiers who dispersed them accidentally fired two shots and the demonstration became a revolution.
In 1871, Berlin became capital of the newly founded German Empire.
History of Berlin as a Prussia capital city
