Prussia (Preußen), German Empire Genealogy

Originally " Preussen" referred to the geographical area that had been settled by a Baltic tribe, the ''Pruzzen. ''This area later became the Duchy of Preussen [Prussia], a Polish fiefdom, which was obtained by the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1618. In 1701 the margrave of Brandenburg assumed the title of "king" for himself and his succesors. Thus, Prussia became a kingdom, and eventually included all the property controlled by this dynasty. Land holdings expanded steadily to include the area around Magdeburg and Halberstadt in Saxony, and western areas such as Kleve, Mark, and Ravensberg.

Prior to 1815 Prussia was divided into fourteen provinces. In many cases, the provincial boundaries changed significantly over time. Understanding these boundary changes is crucial for effective family history research.

In 1871 Preussen (Kingdom of Prussia) contained the following provinces:

Brandenburg | Hannover | Hessen-Kassel | Hessen-Nassau | Hohenzollern | Ostpreussen | Rheinland | Pommern | Posen | Provinz Sachsen | Schlesien | Schleswig-Holstein | Westfalen | Westpreussen

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