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So what happened to the Prussians?

Germany wouldn’t exist without Otto von Bismarck, and it was nearly destroyed by Kaiser Wilhelm II – both of them Prussians.

Prussia during the early 19th century, the most powerful German state
Kaiser Wilhelm II was the last Prussian King
Otto von Bismarck
The Prussian coat of arms, on a wall in Goerlitz, east Germany.

You don’t come across them in news headlines much these days, but it wasn’t so long ago that the Prussians were a dominant force in European politics, and the architects of modern Germany.

They took their name from the Old Prussians, effectively the tribes of the Baltic States, who were eventually conquered by the Teutonic Knights back in the 13th century. The Knights settled the land we now know as Poland with migrants from more Germanized regions of central Europe, and eventually established the Kingdom of Prussia, which covered a huge swathe of territory right across from the Dutch border to what is now Lithuania, including pretty much all of what we now consider northern and eastern Germany.

While the regions further south were riven with religious dispute and busy with the cultivation of vines, this largely flat and protestant north turned out to be excellent at wheat production, and the land-owning dynasties developed sophisticated trade links and transport to the North Sea ports.

The driving force in the uniting of the German states

Their wealth was considerable and their leadership was strong, primarily under Frederick the Great in the 18th century, who established Berlin and nearby Potsdam as his power base (a large exhibition on Frederick will open in 2012 in the Neues Palais to mark his 300th anniversary).

He was followed by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in the 19th century, and it was the latter who was the driving force in uniting all the various German principalities into the state we know as Germany today.

Prussians were the dominant force in that new state, but it was their King, Kaiser Wilhelm II, an impetuous, impatient man, who effectively globalised the First World War (by joining the Austrian declaration of war on Serbia after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand) because he thought the English and French were seeking his annihilation. That was the beginning of the end for Prussia; the Kaiser abdicated at the end of the war, and the Prussian state was abolished by the Nazis.

So while there’s no place called Prussia any more, the word ‘Prussian’ is still out there in general useage, but has become more generic, used to describe someone good at giving and obeying orders, being punctual, proper, disciplined, punctual, and honest. As well as rather blinkered, inflexible and unimaginative. As well as a kind of blue.

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60 responses to “So what happened to the Prussians?”

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  1. What do you mean “as well as kind of blue” – is this Blue as in Conservative or Blue as in risque ?

  4. yes my great grandfather was franz from protestant prussia,fled with wife ,Hannah Louisa
    to london mid 1800’s from uprisings,a blacksmith and my grandad william and his sister Emma who became a catholic nun they converted due to being put in a catholic orphanage in London at St Pancras i suppose a workhouse?Not sure…i do posess some of those Prussian qualities i can feel them.

  6. My heritage and family are from east prussia, when they say,”are you blue?”
    It is slang for “GAY”.

  7. Descendant of the Hohenzollern House here. Believe it or not many of us are still quite proud of our Prussian heritage.

  8. I’m just doing some research on my great grandmother, Victoria Malinowski (Prus). The Prus led me to this web site as I’m trying to trace the Prus meaning.

  10. And there are many Prussian decendants in Australia as well.
    I have Lange heritage who came out with Pastor Kavel to Adelaide, South Australia

  11. I have never been to Germany, But it is a Beautiful country, its culture is great it has some of the best foods & drinks to offer in the world. I have read so many books on Germany & Prussia, it’s great rivers & landscapes, if anyone is thinking of going do, it will as often happens change your life for the better.

  14. i’m a zimbabwean but a German at heart. i love German history and i think Prussian lands should be given back Germany so as to avoid future conflicts

  15. Ray Davis, as per your comment, we’re related. I too. They came out in the 1840’s seeking refuge from persecution. I have always wanted to know what was being asked of them back in Prussia? I imagine it was to put the emperor in the good book and like real Christians they refused and were then forced to leave?
    They were sponsored out by English charity went to Hamburg, Liverpool (I believe) and landed in Adelaide (Australia). Hahndorf was named after the Dutch born Captain Hahn, who was by all reports a very worthy man.

  16. My grandmother was Prussian and very proud of it. She came to the US in
    about 1910 at the age of 14 with her parents. They settled in Minnesota
    and in the early 20’s married my grandfather and she moved to Palouse,Wa.
    where my grandfather was living. In Palouse they along with my Great grandfather who helped settle
    Palouse were tremendous wheat farmers specializing in Russian
    Rye. Today there are still a few Lynds there. Grandma’s original
    name was Rose Riesgraf.

  17. My great grandparents &my grandparents all lived in Prussia,my grandparents left &settled down in Wisconsin then eventually California. It’s amazing looking @the old pictures. When I talk about Prussia ppl don’t know what the hell I am talking about I have even been told that there was no Prussia & this was said by a English teacher

  18. Prussians were a mix of nationalities. After the knights wiped out the original Prussians, the land was settled by Germans, Poles, Lithuanians and Latvians. Since the nobility was mostly German they adopted Germanic culture. That is not to say that Polish influence can be dismissed as for centuries Prussia was part of Polish kingdom. Many Prussians were descended from Slavic people. ( example Erich Manstein von Lewinski German WW2 Field Marshall ) To best describe Prussians as an ethnic entity would be “northern Europeans” who have been Germanized.

  20. My birth family were originally from Prussia. Charles Henry Dobloge came out to Australia in 1854 and disembarked at Morten Bay. Now Brisbane Queensland. His last name was changed to Doblo.

  21. Great grandmother Magdelina (“Lena”) Hildebrand m. Wilhelm Wohlhuter. She always bristled when called German. Would correct you and advise she was “Prussian”. She immigrated to Chicago sometime in the 1800’s.Know very little of her but that she stood 6′ tall and was a STERN personality as matriarchal family figure. Blue eyes that were almost clear.All of the grandchildren were terrified of her.

  23. True…and if you add in the actual history of Prussia it would be a horror story. It’s as tho’ the rest of the planet exterminated Prussia. I believe there is maybe one building and one manhole cover left in one town/village.Many of Prussian heritage pilgrimage back and weep over the fact they had to bring nothing but memories to their homeland. I believe the Russians actually were quite brutal and moved “outsiders” into the region as tho’ to sterilize the land. Scary …but sound familiar? Still going on. And of the few that are left, the memories are shared less and less and fading.
    In our family we hold tightly to the few pieces of “RS Prussia” porcelain we have. Like it’s proof it existed.

  24. My grandmothers maiden name was GRIGOLEIT Doris Eliza her father was Henry and his father was Arthur from PRUSSIA I would love any information I can get on them my grandmothers father Henry migrated to Victoria AUSTRALIA

  25. It’s really too bad that no-one really cares about the East Prussian territories anymore (Königsberg etc., they belong to both German and Polish peoples, just like before ww2, and not to Russia. These blasted thieves have enough territory already (Russia is huge, and at least one third of it is fit for agriculture, and they have a population of a hundred and fifty million, half of that of the U.S and not even twice that of Germany..) Too bad everyone has grown weak, allowing the criminal Russian government to steal (and keep) territory that is not theirs..

  26. My Great-great grandparents left the Pomerania region of Prussia in 1865 via Hamburg. They left the city of Gervin (now Gorawino in Poland). Last year I drove through Gorawino which is still a small town of less than 1,000. I have been trying to find out what happened to the Harmann’s (Prussian spelling) who stayed behind. I assume they were kicked out after WWII when the area was given to Poland and ended up in East Germany. My family ended up in Wisconsin and most still live there.

  27. Sadly, from what history has shown us, the Russian “government”, has been criminal since before the Tzars and under all who have come since. This would seem to predate many of the WW1 and WW2 governments.( It seems odd that all the earths’ continents perpetuate civil unrest and upheaval within its’ own boundaries all in the names of religion, race and greed.
    South America…North America…African Continent…Middle East…Far East…Europe.)
    The thing I have difficulty with is how Germany can be what they were, and Prussia gets voted out of existence. Patton was right when it came to Russia after WW2 it seems.
    Apologies for any ignorance. Just my 2 cents.

  28. Question…if Otto Bismark was such a great(?) leader, why would he push for German unification to the extent that he scammed the French into the Franco/Prussian war?

  29. So if Otto and Wilhelm were Prussian, and their actions negatively impacted Prussia, wouldn’t that be one more case of destruction from within?

  30. My grandfather was from Bromberg, Provinz Posen, Prussia. He settled in North Dakota then came to Minnesota. I am very proud of my Prussian heritage. I enjoy Prussian
    that was passed down from my gra

  31. My mother, father and I lived in Clifton, NJ. I was approx. 4yrs. old then.
    My grandmother came over with a beautiful doll for me which I named Anna after her but I never liked
    the doll….why? I sort of heard disagreements between my parents and my father’s mother, my grandmother.
    Well we never saw the woman again.
    This woman, my grandmother was Prussian, named Anna Popovich, Russian Orthodox, married my
    father’s father. I never knew my father’s father, Julius Sauer, a Protestant German.
    My father was Emil Julius Sauer. Being the first child, I was named, according to tradition, even being a girl, with the same initials as my father, however, according to tradition, My first name is initialed after my father’s middle name and my middle name is initialed after my father’s first name.
    ie, he was Emil Julius Sauer, I am Judith Ellen Sauer, Ti—.
    My father always said his mother, the Prussian was a strong business woman, had vision, handled a company (don’t know what) and owned a large two story plus a good attic beautiful home which I remember as amazing. I was a little girl but the few times I was there walked around in amazement. It was in Passaic, NJ
    right next to Clifton or in Clifton and was ultimately run over with a very unsavory population. My cousin
    drove me there about 18 yrs. ago and we had the windows down, for me to take pictures but rolled them up and left. My strong Prussian Grandmother Anna and German grandfather, Julius would have been very sad indeed….actually angry for the city gov’t to allow such destruction.
    At any rate, my grandmother, Anna Popovich, had a father who taught Russian, German and Hungarian
    at a University in Hungary. Someday, I hope to get to Salt Lake City and “do the family search”.
    According to my father, his Prussian Mother was a religious Russian Orthodox in which church my father was raised, even though his father was Protestant. (my father’s uncles made violins in Germany)
    His Prussian mother, Anna Popovich was strick, religious, intelligent and spoke several languages.
    She disapproved of my mother because she wasn’t educated, consequently my mother married a wealthy man who owned Anderson Lumber Co in Passaic, NJ (so I’ve been told, she never ever mentiioned it)
    Somehow, my father was unhappy because he loved her too. My mother divorced her husband and married my father and I came along two years later. If anyone knows more of this story: tiger_judy@sbcglobal.net
    My parents and I lived in Clifton, summer home in Upper Lake Erskine. I have two younger sisters.
    I went to Centenary Jr. College in Hackettstown, NJ, married an AF Officer and when in San Jose, CA
    went back to college, San Jose State University, receiveing my BS in Interior Design and teaching there for four years. My father always said he wished his mother had known me because I am ‘Just like his Mother” : )

    The Mormons have created unbelievable records where anyone can find their own personal history.

    It can be done on line but I would prefer talking with someone who can help me.
    Judith

  32. Wow!! I am amazed at how many Prussians made their way to Australia. My mother was Prussian Hedwig Klara Erdmann born in Benern, Heilsberg. Arrived in Australia in 1957 at Bonegilla later moving to Sydney and eventually Perth, Western Australia.

    My Oma’s family name is Rautenberg. I know one of her brothers moved to West Germany before the war.

    My mum never talked about the war and sadly I know very little about her life what they experienced during the war. Although I do know that when they were fleeing from the Russians, they were being shot at from both sides the land and sea.

    A cousin has sent some German documentaries of the poor families/people trying to flee from the Russians and it is very sad. The little that I have been able to watch clearly stripped of their homes etc. shows not only Prussians but Lithuanians etc. being turned back to their homeland. Only to be starved to death. Mothers would go without food so the children could survive, who where then forced into almost slavery working on farms and treated extremely bad

    To top it off the Russians destroyed most of the documents at the registry offices as though these people never even existed. If there was one thing the Prussians/Germans were good at, it was keeping records.

    I am very proud of my Prussian ancestry and so are my children, funnily enough we also have those Prussian traits.

  33. Merriest of Holidays to All!
    It creates pride and intense pain to know how they were virtually exterminated by their own leaders from the rest of Germany,led into grief, loss and strife from the French by their own leaders and then the Russians with global permission after WW2.
    But Pride…YES! My Daughter and Son are 30ish and even they are awed at how Prussia lives in Prussian hearts with our porcelain, customs, stories and folk traditions.
    My Grossmere would bristle when she was called German. She would quietly correct whoever that she was Prussian. That kind of quiet elderly lady intensity that we all heard even in a busy room. (and she was 6 foot tall and lived to be 94)
    Those small memories of a people who had seen too much we carry with us with a smile. No hate or anger. Those are the things that lost us to begin with.Not of our doing. Now we can control the outcome in shared memories and family traditions.
    So, no repeats or we lose them again.
    Be safe this Holiday season!

  34. My mums name is Louise Elanore, she was told she was named after her past relatives. Her nana was supposed to have been a Prussian princess who ended up in South Africa from Germany, penniless and not knowing anyone. My great Grandfather gave her 4 kids and left her so my grandfather was an oirphan I googled that there were princess Elanore and Queen Louise of Prussia. They are probably distant family. I am not sure as I googled Prussia but not a lot is shown about it. I am very interested just for family tree sake and most sites you have to pay for. I am living in New Zealand. Any info would be invaluable

  35. There is a free site. A little difficult to navigate but quite helpful. I believe it to be an affiliate of the Mormon Church which has some amazingly in depth records. Many things will feedback ancestors of similar names and years so you have to really look at what you enter.
    Start by googling familysearch.org
    Good Luck!

  36. Apparently my great great grandmother was East Prussian and moved to London in mid 1800s. Can someone point me in the right direction of where I can find the history behind why she would have left? I’m googling but I’m having trouble finding the answer. Many thanks…

  37. Going back to Prussian Blue (I have only just discovered this particular page), Prussian Blue is almost certainly named because it was the dye used for Prussian Army uniforms. Prussian Blue was arguably the first wholely synthetic dyestuff. Officially now called Iron(II,III) hexacyanoferrate(II,III) (I was a chemist in a much earlier life), it used to be commonly called ferric ferrocyanide among chemists. Making it and dying a piece of cloth with it at the same time was a standard lab experiment when teaching in schools in the 1980s. I first learnt about it during my own school days as the product of testing to iron(II) and iron (III) ions in solution.

    Much more on this fascinating material at , including the fact that the word ‘cyanide’ is derived from the Greek word for blue.

  38. My ancestry has also been traced back to Prussia. Ten generations back, Herman Groethausen came to the New World from Prussia in the year of 1701. I wonder what happened in Prussia at that time that a family would pick up roots and bravely immigrate to the New World? The name was changed to Greathouse some time after they settled in the Province of Pennsylvania.

  40. My Grandmother is of Prussian Royalty, she was smuggled over during the war, to this day she tells me about it. I am wanting to search further into this. She is still alive and would like to find more evidence about my family.

  41. My Grandmothers maiden name is Rathnow. We are having a hard time finding any information, We know her family came from Prussia. Any help would be wonderful.

  42. Try familysearch.org …free and based in Utah…will need names and some rather broad info of/on deceased family member names. Gives a lot of options and date ranges to allow the searcher to pinpoint w/what they have. Good Luck!
    Debra

  44. same reason why my great gran 1898 was smuggled out of prussia only for her children grandchildren to be murderd here in the uk

  46. war crimes should be made against the culprits all my prussian family royal line are dead the british monachy have hatred to me and wont even tell me where my princess g grans graves are or her daughter or her son

  50. i know what your talking about my mother had a visit from an officer in uk who tore up the photos of the old dukes and princes of prussia even behind photos unscrewed in 2016 my palace photo is being disputed with hatred so why did they steal the photocopy and come back for the origonal?

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