In little more than two centuries Prussia rose from medieval obscurity and the devastation of the Thirty Years War to become the dominant power of continental Europe. Her rulers rose from Electors to Kings, and from Kings to Emperors. It is a dramatic story, and H. W. Koch fills a major gap in English-language literature with this comprehensive account. It traces the origins and rise of the Prussian state from the thirteenth century to the causes and consequences of its incorporation into the German Empire.

H.W. Koch

Preface 1 The Teutonic Order 2 Brandenburg and Prussia 3 The Great Elector 4 From duchy to kingdom 5 Frederick William I 6 Frederick the Great 7 Prussian absolutism in crisis 8 The Prussian Reform Movement 9 The War of Liberation 10 Restoration 11 Frederick William IV 12 Prussia and Germany 1860-1871 13 Prussia in Germany 14 The end of Prussia