Given the traumas suffered by the Hohenzollerns and their diverse possessions in the Thirty Years War, the subsequent rise of Prussia to major power status is remarkable. The factors which lay behind the transformation of what was once an obscure rag-bag of territories are diverse and complex. Historians have often sought and found an explanation for this dramatic turnaround in fortunes in the singular character and deeds of a succession of Hohenzollern rulers from the ‘Great Elector’ Frederick William to Frederick the ‘Great.’ An unswerving focus on the actions of rulers has limitations, however, since it tends to obscure important non-personal features of history. This module will explore the rise of Prussia by investigating the many factors which led to its transformation from the effects of the rule of individual Hohenzollerns to the political, economic, military, social, religious, scientific and cultural forces which influenced the development of the state. Particular attention will be paid to the distinct military, bureaucratic and religious cultures which emerged in Prussia during this period and had considerable bearing on its development. The degree to which Prussia was exemplary or anomalous as a German and European state will be explored throughout.

• Christopher Clark, Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia 1600-1947 (London, 2007)

• Philip G. Dwyer, ed., The Rise of Prussia 1700-1830 (London, 2000)

• Derek McKay, The Great Elector (London, 2001)

• Theodor Schieder, Frederick the Great (London, 2000)

• Peter H. Wilson, Absolutism in Central Europe (London, 2000)

Course Structure

1. Introduction. Brandenburg-Prussia and Europe in the Early Seventeenth Century.
2. The Great Elector and the Emergence of Prussia.
3. Monarchy and Majesty: The Court of Frederick I, King in Prussia.
4. The Consolidation of the State under Frederick William I.
5. The Variegated Reign of Frederick the Great.
6. Prussian Society.
7. Prussia as a Military State.
8. The Refinement of Bureaucracy.
9. Religion and Piety, Tolerance and Obedience.
10. Science and Learning.
11. Conclusions. Prussia: Archetype or Anomaly?