The Protestant Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern ruled as Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia from 1415 until 1918. The first King in Prussia succeeded his father as Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg in 1688. The Electorate of Brandenburg was part of the Holy Roman Empire, while the Duchy of Prussia – formerly a fief of the Crown of Poland – lay outside the Empire’s borders. The Duchy had been inherited by the Hohenzollern Prince-Electors of Brandenburg in 1618 and was ruled in personal union.
In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. Because the Hohenzollerns’ sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia was dependant upon succession in the male line (and would return to the Polish crown if there were no male heirs to succeed), Friedrich I agreed to style himself King in Prussia and not King of Prussia. In 1772, King Friedrich II in Prussia, through several battles and wars, united the various parts of his kingdom, taking the title King of Prussia.
In 1871, the German Empire, consisting of four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities, three free Hanseatic cities, and one imperial territory, was proclaimed. The King of Prussia was also the German Emperor (Kaiser). In the aftermath of World War I, Prussia had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia abdicated on November 9, 1918. On November 10, 1918, Wilhelm Hohenzollern crossed the border by train and went into exile in the Netherlands, never to return to Germany.
The Kingdom of Prussia had territory that today is part of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. All or parts of the following states of today’s Germany were part of the Kingdom of Prussia: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein.
- Holy Roman Empire, German Confederation, North German Confederation, and the German Empire Explained
- The Constituent States of the German Empire
- Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles
Below is an indexed listing with links to the biographical articles about the Prussian Royal Family at Unofficial Royalty. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed. Also listed below are links to Prussian Royal Wedding articles, Prussian Miscellaneous Articles, and Prussian Content Areas.
House of Hohenzollern – Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia (1415-1918)
Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918)
Family of Friedrich I, King in Prussia
- Friedrich I, King in Prussia (Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg 1688 – 1701, King in Prussia 1701 – 1713)
- Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel, Electoral Princess of Brandenburg (1st wife of Friedrich I, one daughter)
- Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, Queen in Prussia (2nd wife of Friedrich I)
- Notable Issue: Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia (see below)
- Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen in Prussia (3rd wife of Friedrich I, no issue)
Family of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia
- Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia (reigned 1713 – 1740)
- Sophie Dorothea of Hanover, Queen in Prussia (wife of Friedrich Wilhelm I)
- Notable Issue: Friedrich II, King of Prussia (see below)
- Notable Issue: Louise Ulrika of Prussia, Queen of Sweden
Family of Friedrich II, King of Prussia
- Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia (reigned 1740 – 1786)
- Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, Queen of Prussia (wife of Friedrich II, no issue)
Family of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
- Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia (grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, reigned 1786 – 1797)
- Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia (1st wife of Friedrich Wilhelm II, one daughter)
- Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia (2nd wife of Friedrich Wilhelm II)
- Notable Issue: Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia (see below)
- Notable Issue: Wilhelmina of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
Family of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
- Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia (reigned 1797 – 1840)
- Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia (wife of Friedrich Wilhelm III)
- Notable Issue: Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia (see below)
- Notable Issue: Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia (see below)
- Notable Issue: Charlotte of Prussia, Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia
- Notable Issue: Alexandrine of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg- Schwerin
Family of Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia
- Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia (reigned 1840 – 1861)
- Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia (wife of Friedrich Wilhelm IV, no issue)
Family of Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia
- Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia (King of Prussia 1861 – 1888, German Emperor 1871 – 1888)
- Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empress, Queen of Prussia (wife of Wilhelm I)
- Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia (see below)
- Luise of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Baden
Family of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia
- Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia (reigned 1888)
- Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia (wife of Friedrich III)
- Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia (see below)
- Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen
- Heinrich of Prussia
- Sigismund of Prussia
- Viktoria of Prussia, Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe
- Waldemar of Prussia
- Sophie of Prussia, Queen of the Hellenes
- Margarete of Prussia, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel
Family of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia
- Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia (reigned 1888 – 1918, abdicated, monarchy abolished)
- Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, German Empress, Queen of Prussia (1st wife of Wilhelm II, seven children)
- Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia
- Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, German Crown Princess, Crown Princess of Prussia (wife of Crown Prince Wilhelm)
- Eitel Friedrich of Prussia
- Adalbert of Prussia
- August Wilhelm of Prussia
- Oskar of Prussia
- Joachim of Prussia
- Viktoria Luise of Prussia, Princess of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick
- Hermine Reuss of Greiz (2nd wife of Wilhelm II, no issue)
Pretenders to the Throne
- LAST REIGNING: Wilhelm II, King of Prussia, German Emperor
- Former: Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, German Crown Prince
- Former: Ludwig Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia
- Current: Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia
Other Prussian Royals
- Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange (granddaughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia)
- Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia)
- Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau (granddaughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia)
- Marie of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria (granddaughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia)
- Charlotte of Prussia, Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen (granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia)
- Louise Margaret of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught (granddaughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia)
- Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Oldenburg (great-granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia)
Prussian Royal Weddings
- Wedding of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal
- Wedding of Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia and Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught
Prussian Miscellaneous Articles
- Berlin Cathedral in Berlin, Germany
- Berlin City Palace (Berliner Stadtschloss)
- Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) and the Temple of Antiquities in Potsdam, Germany
- Kingdom of Prussia: An Overview