Prussia in the 18th Century Trivia Quiz

Answer: Austria

Frederick II (1740-1786) came to the throne in 1740 as did Maria Theresa in Austria as a result of the Pragmatic Sanction, which allowed for the succession of a female to rule the Habsburg Dynasty in case of no male in the line of succession. Frederick took advantage of the dispute by other states, namely Bavaria, and occupied Silesia in a two month campaign against Austria and then defended it for the next two years. Allied with France, Sweden and several smaller states, the war ended with the Peace of Breslau in 1742 which ceded most of Silesia to Prussia, although there would be two more wars in the 18th century over this territory.

Answer: Saxony

The core territory of Brandenburg-Prussia, or Prussia as would become known as, was Brandenberg with the capital in Berlin. East Prussia with its provincal capital of Koenigsberg was added to the kingdom before the 18th century, and Pomerania was added in 2 stages, prior to Frederick's reign. Saxony on the other hand was its own soveriegn state, and would not be fully incorporated with Prussia until the creation of the North German Confederation in 1866, after the Austro-Prussian war.

Answer: Calvinist

While the majority of the population of Prussia was indeed Lutheran, the monarchy was decidedly Calvinist after conversion in the 17th century. After the Thirty Years' War, the Roman Catholic church would primarily be more dominant in the annexed Polish regions and parts of Silesia.

Answer: The Soldier King

Frederick William I was nicknamed "the Soldier King" as it was he who was largely responsible for the building of a large army which his son Frederick the Great later used in the Silesian wars. Louis XIV was know as the "the Sun King", and Frederick the Great was sometimes refered to as "the Philosopher King". There may or may not have been a real Lion King, other than the Disney movie!

Answer: Prussia won but was finanicially exhausted

With Britain's support and with the ability of Frederick the Great to annually be able to recruit an army and motivate it to continue to fight, the major powers by 1763 lost interest in continuing the fight. Prussia won, but Frederick the Great and Prussia's army went home to a finanically and physically weakened nation that took decades to recover. Prussia had come close to defeat in 1759, when the Russian army briefly occupied Berlin. Prussia benefitted from the accession, in Russia in 1762, of Peter III and then Catherine the Great.

They decided that a devastating defeat for Prussia would mainly benefit Austria - something they did not want.

Answer: 1786

Frederick the Great reigned from 1740 to 1786, as arguably the greatest monarch in Prussian history. He started the codification of Prussian law (completed in 1794, after his death) and encouraged education for all.

Answer: Immanuel Kant

Prussia was greatly involved in the European enlightenment in the 2nd half of the 18th century led by the philosopher, Immanuel Kant, from the city of Koenigsberg who taught us to "Have the courage to use your own reason."

Answer: 3

Poland was partitioned in 1772, 1793, and again in 1795 with Russia and Prussia being involved in all 3 and Austria involved in the First and Third partitions. Poland's territorial status would change several times over the course of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Answer: Highly agricultural with urban areas of textile Industry

While Prussia's annexation of Silesia added siginicant coal deposits to the state the Prussian economy was heavily based on agriculture and the Junker/serf relationship. The economy was not not particularly strong as roads were still developing, and tariffs between neighoring states were complex.

Answer: Frederick William III

After Frederick the Great died in 1786, Frederick William II took the throne for eleven years until 1797. Then Frederick William III saw the century out as King and was the reigning monarch throughout the Napoleonic wars in the early 1800s.