1525-1618 1660-1795






Duchy in Prussia, 1618-1660



In 1618, the male line of the Prussian branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty ended, and the Duchy in Prussia joined the Duchy of Brandenburg in DYNASTIC UNION. The Dukes continued to reside in Berlin respectively Potsdam (both in Brandenburg).
While the 30 years war was raging in the Empire, devastating the Duchy of Brandenburg, the Swedish-Polish war affected Poland. In 1629, Poland ceded the cities of MEMEL, PILLAU and Elbing - the first two located in the Duchy in Prussia - to Sweden. The customs revenues of these cities formed a valuable addition to Sweden's state budget, until Sweden ceded them back to Poland in 1635.
After the PEACE OF WESTPHALIA, Duke Friedrich Wilhelm, the GREAT ELECTOR (1640-1688) made Brandenburg's STANDING ARMY his first priority. In the PEACE OF OLIVA 1660, ending the Swedish-Polish War of 1655-1660, Poland renounced it's sovereignty over the Duchy in Prussia, making the Duchy an independent state (which still was in dynastic union with the Duchy of Brandenburg).



EXTERNAL
LINKS 		Timeline Northeast Prussia, from euronet
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on January 1st 2002, last revised on November 11th 2004

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