In 1701, a duke crowned himself king and transformed Prussia into a European power
Eager to elevate his status among European royalty, Duke Frederick III orchestrated a grand coronation in 1701 that turned a duchy into the Kingdom of Prussia and altered European history.
Frederick I achieved a massive diplomatic victory on January 18, 1701, when he crowned himself 'King in Prussia' at Königsberg. At the time, he was merely the Elector of Brandenburg, but he leveraged his military support for the Holy Roman Emperor to secure the royal title. Because his land was outside the Empire's borders, he found a legal loophole to call himself a king.
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