Prussia (1850-67) Country Guide
The territory of the Kingdom of Prussia included the provinces of West Prussia; East Prussia; Brandenburg; Saxony; Pomerania; Rhineland; Westphalia; Silesia; Lusatia; Schleswig-Holstein; Hanover; Hesse-Nassau; and a small detached area in the south called Hohenzollern, the ancestral home of the Prussian ruling family.
1657 – After an invasion by the Swedes, Poland surrendered sovereignty over Ducal Prussia which then became the Kingdom of Prussia headed by the Hohenzollern line.
1701 – Frederick William’s son, Elector Frederick III, upgraded Prussia from a duchy to a kingdom and crowned himself King Frederick I.
1772 – under King Friedrich II (Frederick the Great), the Kingdom of Prussia consisted of the provinces of Brandenburg, Pomerania, Danzig, West Prussia and East Prussia (modern day East Germany, northern Poland, and a small portion of the Soviet Union).
1870 – Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck orchestrated the unification of the German states.
1871 – France is defeated in the Franco-Prussian War making Germany a world power.
1888 – Wilhelm II, the last of the Hohenzollern dynasty, becomes Emperor of Germany (Kaiser) and rules until Germany’s defeat in World War I.
Prussia, or Preußen, in German, was a German Kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and a Constitutional Monarchy from 1848 to 1918. Though there were independent kingdoms and duchies within its borders, Prussia comprised almost all of the North German Confederation and about 2/3 of the total area of the German Empire in 1871. Being the largest and most dominant of the German kingdoms, the King of Prussia became the German Emperor, when the German Empire was formed in 1871.
Prussian borders changed often. At the height of its power in the mid-1700s, Prussia successfully expanded in size multiple times, thanks to its highly effective military.
Prussia was increasingly consolidated into Germany and started losing its distinctive identity. The unification of Prussian and German lands continued and Prussia was officially abolished in 1947.
Currency: 12 pfennig = 1 silbergroschen, 30 silbergroschen = 1 thaler (1850); 60 kreuzer = 1 gulden (added in 1867)
The first stamps for the Kingdom of Prussia shown above were issued in around 1850 and featured a right-facing portrait of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia. They were engraved on paper with a laurel wreath watermark, and were imperforate. The background behind the portrait consists of crossed lines.
Three more stamps were issued in April 1857. These new were typographed on unwatermarked paper and were imperforate. The background behind the portrait is solid.
In 1858 and 1859 four stamps were issued. These were typographed on unwatermarked paper and were imperforate. The background behind the portrait consists of crossed lines.
Again, with a rich history, Prussia is an area I would like to explore further. The only stamps I have are the ones above. When, and if, I get more I will add to the page and provide additional information. As a beginning collector I am struggling to illustrate the pages but at the same time do not want to use images that are not my own or those from collectors I know (and I don’t know any around me.) so it is difficult to build these pages properly.
That being said I am also avoiding larger countries. This site is in no way intended to be a catalog. It is more to show beginning collectors a little behind the country itself and the subject matter on the stamps. It is hoped that it will interest some to begin collecting stamps themselves.
There was an Prussian Army infantry regiment consisting of really tall men called the “Potsdam Giants”. Frederick Wilhelm I , also known as the Soldier King, was obsessed with giant looking soldiers so he created a regiment around them. To qualify you needed to be at least 6′ 2″.
Though some of the soldiers volunteered for service of their own volition, many were kidnapped, sold, or bred into the regimen. Fathers were rewarded for surrendering their sizable sons; landowners for their towering farm hands. Even children weren’t spared: A red scarf was wrapped around the necks of newborn babies, “marking” them as a future prospect if they were thought to become unusually tall.
Of course, Prussia is no more. So without further ado I present to you my pick for a fun thing to do in Germany…..
Neuschwanstein Castle, the favorite retreat of the “fairy-tale king,” Ludwig II of Bavaria was commissioned as a homage to Richard Wagner (also a favorite of Adolph Hitler). The castle was designed by theatrical set designer Christian Jank.
In 1886 the castle was almost complete. Around the same time Ludwig was pronounced insane and arrested by the State Commissioner. The next day Ludwig asked the Commissioner to take a walk with him.go on a walk in the woods with him. Later both were found dead in a lake later that evening. Ludwig never lived to see his castle completed, nor for that matter, did Wagner.
Tom – we have family ties to Prussia. Our 5th great grandpa Valentin Klein was from Brotterode Thüringen (part of Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau). He was a Hessian soldier who eventually settled in Nova Scotia. Also, I have a seen a few records from mid or late 1800’s of people with the Heckbert surname who immigrated to USA and who listed their place of birth as Prussia. However, I haven’t been able to connect these Heckberts with our Heckbert family (yet).
Yes, I am fascinated with that and Edward Heckbert’s time in the West Indies in the early 1800’s. Another story to ferret out someday. Lots to learn. Nice to see you added (yet) and have not given up. That will be a hard one to connect!
I agree, I am also interested in the history of Martinique (Guadeloupe) from Edward Heckbert’s time (1808-1815). Another country that might be of interest to our family history is Suriname (formerly part of Dutch Guiana) on the north east coast of South America. It is just speculation that we might be related, but there were Hecberts (former slaves) living in Suriname in the early 1800’s. However, some of their descendants used (still use) the Heckbert surname spelling. Suriname is not all that far from Martinique, etc. and we do know that Edward was widowed by the time he arrived in Halifax NS in 1815. Just a long shot really to think there is a connection but can’t rule it out. I’ve been in touch with descendants of the Hecbert family (who lived in Suriname but now lived in the Netherlands). Our only hope of proving (or ruling out) any connection is through dna testing. So, any stamps from Suriname/Dutch Guiana or from Martinique?
Lol, I have no stamps from Suriname, literally one stamp from Martinique and two from Guadeloupe. How sad is that? Those few stamps, however, will allow me to write about the country and add to the page if/should I get more. That is really interesting. I didn’t know of the connection to there! That’s exciting and a reason for me to research it!