Prussia

Prussia Prussia was a German kingdom and was located on the southern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was bordered by Lithuania and Poland. This territory got its name from the Baltic tribe of the Prussen, who settled in this region until the Teutonic Knights colonized it in 1200. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the lands that later became the state of Prussia were inhabited by various Germanic tribes. In the medieval era, the borders of the Prussian territories changed frequently, but Prussia was divided between the regions of Brandenburg-Prussia, East Prussia, and West Prussia. After the mid-10th century, Brandenburg and West Prussia were incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire, but East Prussia remained separated from the rest of Germany by Poland. The people who lived within Prussia were usually called Prussi or Borussi. The Prussians were mostly related to the Lithuanians and inhabited the area between the Vistula and the lower Niemen Rivers. These people lived peacefully until conflicts arrived in the 10th century. In the 10th century, the Saxons entered Eastern Europe in attempt to convert all Prussians into Christianity. They failed, and Prussia lived peacefully again. But in 997, the Christian faith took over Europe because of the Saxons and their victory, which caused Prussia and Europe to convert into Christianity. The Saxons conquered the land and controlled the country. During this conquering, the Prussian people were mostly exterminated. By the 15th century, the Saxons were driven out of West Prussia and many of the Prussian lands west of Vistula River were brought under Polish rule. Then, after the negotiations of the Congress of Vienna, Prussia emerged as the major German power of Western Europe. By 1844, almost all German states were economically linked with Prussia. Under King William I and his prime minister, Prussia became the largest kingdom of the German Empire, containing two-thirds of the German population. About a century later, in 1947, the Allied Control Council for Germany abolished the state of Prussia. The USSR claimed the northern part of East Prussia, and Poland claimed the rest of Prussia.