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Pommern HistoryTimeline |
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Earliest known history: The Goths, a Germanic tribe, were living in what was to be Pomerania during the time of Christ.
| 5th & 6th Century | The Slavic tribes of Pomerani and
Kasubi moved westward on the shores of the Baltic Sea and
took over the area. They called it Pomorze. Teutonic Knights invited by Poland to conquer and Christianize the Prusi tribes. |
| 1231-1287 | Teutonic Knights conquered all of East Prussia and built a fortress. |
| 1348-1365 | Bubonic plague (black death) spread over Europe, killing over 25 million Europeans. |
| 1410 | Teutonic Knights were defeated by the Poles. |
| 1450 | About the time the Bible was printed in Latin. 180 printed, 48 survive. |
| 1517 | Martin Luther (1483-1546) wrote 95 theses which challenged the pope's authority, start of Protestant Reformation. |
| 1541 | Calvinist religion (Reformed) founded by John Calvin (1509-1564) in Geneva, Switzerland. |
| 1555 | Peace of Augsburg allowed individual princes to dictate religion of his realm. |
| 1563 | Catholic priests are ordered to start recording baptism and marriage records. |
| 1563 | Counter-Reformation, Catholic attempt to regain lost members, land and church property. |
| 1583 | Catholic areas switch to Gregorian calendar, Prussia in 1612, last Protestant areas in 1700. |
| 1618 | Brandenburg received land along Baltic (Duchy of Prussia) later named East Prussia. |
| 1618-1648 | Thirty Years' War, a war between Catholics and Lutherans, ended as a war between Protestant princes against Holy Roman Empire. |
| 1648 | Peace of Westphalia to end Thirty Years' War. Alsace became part of France. Sweden received West Pomerania and parts of northwestern Germany. Catholic, Lutheran and Calvinist religions were allowed. |
| 1700-1721 | Great Northern War between Sweden and Russia over control of the Baltic Sea. Denmark, Poland and Saxony were involved in the fighting. |
| 1701 | Ruler of Brandenburg became first "King in Prussia" in Königsberg. |
| 1714 | The ruler of Hanover became King of England. |
| 1720 | Landgrave of Hess became King of Sweden through marriage. Stettin and the Oder River estuary returned to Prussia from Sweden. |
| 1740-1748 | Prussia seized Silesia from Austria during War of the Austrian Succession. |
| 1756-1763 | Seven Years' War, with Prussia against the alliance of Austria, France and Russia with Prussia as the victor. Austria wanted the return of Silesia. |
| 1764-1767 | Many Germans migrated to the Volga River region of Russia. |
| 1772 | First division of Poland by Prussia, Russia and Austria. West Prussia (excluding Danzig and Thorn) and the Ermland are taken by Russia. |
| 1793 | Second division of Poland by Prussia and Russia. Posen, Danzig and Thorn was taken by Prussia. |
| 1795 | Third division of Poland by Prussia, Russia and Austria. Territory around Warsaw and as far as the Niemen passed to Prussia. Poland ceased to exist now. |
| 1804 | Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) took over leadership of France as emperor after being counsel since 1799 |
| 1806 | The Holy Roman Empire of German Nation is dissolved along with all church properties. |
| 1807 | Prussia lost all land west of Elbe River and all land acquired in second and third partition of Poland after being defeated by the French army. The Duchy of Warsaw was formed from Prussia's share of the second and third partition of Poland. |
| 1808-1812 | Jews ordered to take surnames. |
| 1813 | French troops invaded Russia. Prussia, Austria, Russia and Great Britain united to defeat Napoleon. |
| 1814 | Sweden lost the last of German lands by trading Swedish Pomerania to Denmark in exchange for Norway. |
| 1815 | Denmark gave up Swedish Pomerania, which they just received, in exchange for Lauenburg. |
| 1815 | Congress of Vienna took Napoleon's gains in Germany and divided them among Austria, Prussia and Russia. |
| 1815 | German Confederation was formed with 39 states instead of some 300 independent territories as before. |
| 1817 | The Lutheran and Calvinist churches were united. |
| 1833 | Zollverein (Customs Union) created, allowing free trade among union members. |
| 1838-1854 | "Old Lutheran" emigration to the United States, Australia and some to Canada. |
| 1840s | Railroad construction spread in Germany. |
| 1848 | Revolution caused by mass unemployment, poverty, famine, and years of bad crops. The educated class, businessmen, students and professors had hoped for a unified government. |
| 1850 | Hamburg Passenger Lists begun for direct routes, 1855 for indirect routes. |
| 1862 | Otto von Bismarck became prime minister of Prussia and developed plans for a unified Germany. |
| 1864 | Prussian and Austrian armies took Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark, Prussia ruled Schleswig and Austria ruled Holstein until 1866. |
| 1866 | Prussia defeated Austria in Seven Weeks' War. Austria Permanently separated from Germany. |
| 1870 | During the Franco-Prussian War France was defeated which united all German territory. Plans were drawn for the German Empire. The King of Prussia became the German Emperor.. |
| 1871 | The Second German Empire (Reich) was official unification of Germany. Berlin became the capital. |
| 1871 | Alsace-Lorraine became part of German Empire as imperial land owned by the Empire. |
| 1871 | Bismarck became chancellor. |
| 1874 | Prussia started civil registration. |
| 1885-1890 | Castle Gardens opened in New York to receive immigrants. |
| 1890 | Bismarck dismissed as chancellor of German Empire. |
| 1892 | Ellis Island opened in New York Harbor. |
| 1914-1918 | World War I |
| 1918 | Alsace-Lorraine returned to France, and northern Schleswig returned to
Denmark. Most of Posen and most of West Prussia went to newly formed Poland. The Grenzmark Posen-Westpreussen formed as a buffer between new Poland and Germany. Northern tip of East Prussia (Memel) to Lithuania, Eupen, Malmedy and Moresnet ceded to Belgium. |
| 1919-1933 | Weimar Republic was formed dissolving all monarchies in Germany and replacing them with free states. |
| 1933-1945 | The Third German Empire (Reich) headed by Adolf Hitler as Chancellor. |
| 1939 | German troops invaded Poland which led to World War II (1939-1945). |
| 1945-1949 | Germany occupied by allied troops in four zones (Soviet Union, Great Britain, France and the United States). |
| 1947 | The state of Prussia was dissolved. |
| 1949 | Germany split into German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and Federal
Republic of Germany (West Germany). Bonn became the temporary capital of West Germany. |
| 1961 | Berlin Wall was constructed. |
| 1990 | Germany reunited as Federal Republic of Germany with 13 states and 3 city-states. |