| − | '''Prussia''' was a former [[Germany|German]] state in eastern Europe dating back to the union of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg (with its capital [[Berlin]]) in 1618. It became a kingdom in 1701, and by military prowess became a major power under [[Frederick the Great]]. It expanded rapidly, winning new territory after each major war. Later, under Chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck]] Prussia defeated [[Denmark]], [[Austria]] and [[France]], and in 1871 it became the core of a new German empire. It included East Prussia, Brandenburg, Pomerania, Silesia, a large part of Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hannover, Westphalia, Hesse-Nassau, the Rhine Province, and the [[Hohenzollern]] Lands in southwest Germany. The total area was 113,000 square miles (293,000 km<sup>2</sup>), second in Europe in size and population only to [[Russia]]. The Hohenzollern family ruled the Prussian lands from the 11th century to 1918. | + | '''Prussia''' was a former [[Germany|German]] state in eastern Europe dating back to the union of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg (with its capital [[Berlin]]) in 1618. It became a kingdom in 1701, and by military prowess became a major power under [[Frederick the Great]]. It expanded rapidly, winning new territory after each major war. Later, under Chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck]] Prussia defeated [[Denmark]], [[Austria]] and [[France]], and in 1871 it became the core of a new German empire or [[Second Reich]]. It included East Prussia, Brandenburg, Pomerania, Silesia, a large part of Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hannover, Westphalia, Hesse-Nassau, the Rhine Province, and the [[Hohenzollern]] Lands in southwest Germany. The total area was 113,000 square miles (293,000 km<sup>2</sup>), second in Europe in size and population only to [[Russia]]. The Hohenzollern family ruled the Prussian lands from the 11th century to 1918. |