The monarchs of the century whose names are best known are the Georges I, II, III, in England and Louis XV in France. The Eng fish were ruled for nearly. 100 years by kings who could not spealc their language, or but as a foreign tongue, and whose interests were rnuch more in their German Hanoverian dominions and mistresses than their English people. Perhaps the political conditions of the time are best illustrated by the fact that their rule caused comparatively little disaffection in England itself, though fortunately it provoked the American Revolution, which brought in dependence to the United States. Louis XV, succeeding to the magnificent dominions created by the genius of Louis XIV, whose personality subjugated the French people and set an un fortunate example for other European mon archs, proved utterly unworthy of his great position and allowed himself to be ruled by designing mistresses. His reign increased the debt and the taxes of the French nation until Louis XVI fell heir to•an impossible situation. In spite of Louis XV's wealcness, France at the end of his reign (1774) had even more ter ritory than at the death of his grandfather, Louis XIV (1715). Social conditions had how ever. sunk to a level almost indescribable and the reaction against them was inevitable and could not be long delayed.
Certain great political changes which took place in the 18th century had far-reaching effects on subsequent generations, some of which are only worlcing out to legitimate conclusions. in our own titne. Apart from the creation of: the American Republic, Itself of greatest signi ficance for the course of civilization, the three most important political changes were the estab lishment of Prussia as a kingdom (1701), the rise of Russia to be a great European power which began under Peter the Great (d. 1725), and the establishment of British power in India which led eventually to the erection of the British Empire. In the light of recent events probably the first of these must be considered the most important. The electorate of Brandenburg, whose ruler was one of those privileged to elect the emperor, came under the Hohenzol lern family late in the Middle Ages. It was a narrow strip of territory less than 50 miles east and west of the little town of Berlin. It is the special pride of the family that each one of the reigning heads added something to his ancestral domain. The ruler was known only as Margrave and was considered of no special importance in German life. Prussia which fell to them by inheritance at the beginning of the 17th century had been originally ruled by the Teutonic Knights who had conquered its pagan inhabitants in a Crusade in the 13th century and continued to rule it through their grand master. At the time of the religious revolt in Germany in the early 16th century the Teutonic Order was dissolved, and their lands were secularized and out of them the duchy of Prussia erected, the grand master of the time occupying what had hitherto been an elective office now becoming the Duke of Prussia with the right of inheritance. He was a relative of
the Elector of Brandenburg and when this branch of the Hohenzollerns died out the duchy was united to Brandenburg, the Hohenzollerns now ruling over such distant provinces as Cleves and Mark in the Rhineland and Prussia far to the east. The great elector as he is called suc ceeded in welding these widely separated ter ritories into a strong state. His son, Frederick I, obtained from the emperor, for military aid rendered, permission to change his title from elector to king though he was but king in Prussia as he did not rule over the whole of Prussia, but he preferred this title because his Prussian doininions were outside the Imperial limits and he was more independent. After the partition of Poland his title became King of Prussia.
His son, Frederick William I, though noted more for his eccentricities and for his rude boorish manners than for interest in anything higher, consolidated the Prussian dominions, created an army of nearly 100,000 men, drilled and trained probably better than any other sol diers of the time. He was almost miserly in his penuriousness with regard to anything except military expenses, reduced the number of his court servants, coined the family silver and sold most of the royal jewels at auction. He left his son, Frederick II, a magnificent army and a well-filled military chest. Frederick II, to be known in history as the. Great, whose in terest in literature and the arts had disgusted his father in his youth, had no sooner ascended the throne .(1740), at the age of 28, than he proceeded to use the military advantages which his father had secured for him to the utmost. Maria Theresa having ascended the throne in Austria the same year, Fredericic, taking ad vantage of the expected weakness of a female ruler, without any reasonable grounds laid claim to Silesia and began the War of the Aus trian Succession. He enlarged his territories in every way that he could, showed great military genius in his campaigns and devoted himself to the encouragement of arts and sciences, the building of public structures for music and libraries and built a series of palaces, not all of them in good architectural taste, but not behind that of the century in which he lived. He especially enriched the city of Berlin with public buildings and though he encouraged French more than German literature did much for the intellectual life of the Prussian people. Under him Prussia became an important power in Europe.