File:A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools (1914) (14784147202).jpg

Identifier: historyofmediaev00davi (find matches)
Title: A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Davis, William Stearns, 1877-1930 McKendrick, Norman Shaw, 1876- jt. auth
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Publisher: Boston, New York (etc.) Houghton Mifflin Company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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is obscureprincipality. In 1648, the Electorate of Brandenburg seemed to representone of the poorest and least progressive states in the all butdissolved Holy Roman Empire. Its rulers of the Hohen-zollern dynasty had obtained the land in the fifteenth century,and in Luthers day had become Protestants. Their territorieswere ill-compacted, unfertile, and sparsely populated. Therewere few sizable cities, and little commerce and industry. Theinhabitants were mostly unkempt, oafish peasants inhabit-ing the sandy plain lands, or brave but stupid and inactivepetty nobles (Junkers), who in their boorish fox-huntingtraits greatly resembled the English country squires. TheHohenzollern dynasty of electors had done little to distinguishitself since gaining power, and yet in some respects progresshad been made. The Hohenzollerns had never wasted theirpower upon distant and chimerical military enterprises; their 1 Scratch a Russian and you will find a Tartar, Napoleon is said to haveremarked. i;P;i
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s ISPi g W 342 HISTORY OF EUROPE lands had emerged from the Thirty Years War rather less rav-aged than were many other quarters of Germany; and theyhad annexed the Duchy of Prussia. This large vassal state ofPoland had been ruled before the Reformation by the GrandMaster of the Knights of the Teutonic Order.1 In 1525, theGrand Master had accepted Protestantism and taken the titleof Duke. In 1618, the last Duke of Prussia died, and hisdominions went to his kinsman, the Elector of Brandenburg.Prussia and Brandenburg were by no means contiguous, —a great piece of Poland intervened. Still, in the aggregate theHohenzollerns ruled a considerable state. In 1648, the Peace ofWestphalia gave them the Duchy of Eastern Pomerania. Theyhad also several scattered enclaves elsewhere in North Ger-many.2 These heterogeneous lands were now to fall into thepower of a great statesman who was to organize them into aformidable monarchy. 195. The Great Elector, Frederick William (1640 88).Frederick Willia

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