Grand Duchy of Posen Großherzogtum Posen (de) Wielkie Księstwo Poznańskie (pl) |
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Client state of Prussia | ||||||
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The Grand Duchy of Posen (red) in 1848. | ||||||
Capital |
Posen (Poznań) 52°24′N 16°55′E / 52.400°N 16.917°ECoordinates: 52°24′N 16°55′E / 52.400°N 16.917°E |
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Government | Absolute Monarchy | |||||
Grand Duke | ||||||
• | 1815–1840 | Frederick William III | ||||
• | 1840–1848 | Frederick William IV | ||||
Governor | ||||||
• | 1815–1830 | Antoni Radziwiłł | ||||
• | 1830–1841 | Eduard von Flottwell | ||||
• | 1841–1848 | Adolf von Arnim-Boitzenburg | ||||
Legislature | Sejm | |||||
History | ||||||
• | Congress of Vienna | 9 June 1815 | ||||
• | Greater Poland Uprising | 19 March 1848 | ||||
• | Autonomy abolished | 5 December 1848 | ||||
Area | ||||||
• | 1848 | 28,951 km2(11,178 sq mi) | ||||
Population | ||||||
• | 1848 | 1,350,000 | ||||
Density | 46.6 /km2 (120.8 /sq mi) |
The Grand Duchy of Posen (German: Großherzogtum Posen; Polish: Wielkie Księstwo Poznańskie) was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, created from territories annexed by Prussia after the Partitions of Poland, and formally established following the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Per agreements derived at the Congress of Vienna it was to have some autonomy. However in reality it was subordinated to Prussia and the proclaimed rights for Polish subjects were not fully implemented. The name was unofficially used afterward for denoting the territory, especially by Poles, and today is used by modern historians to refer to different political entities until 1918. Its capital was Posen (Polish: Poznań). The Grand Duchy was formally replaced by the Province of Posen in the Prussian constitution of December 5, 1848.
Originally part of the Kingdom of Poland, this area largely coincided with Greater Poland. The mid-17th century brought devastation from invading Swedish forces during "the Deluge". The eastern portions of the territory were taken by the Kingdom of Prussia during the Partitions of Poland; during the first partition (1772), Prussia took just the Netze District, the portion along the Noteć (German: Netze) river. Prussia added the remainder during the second partition in 1793. Prussia briefly lost control during the Kościuszko Uprising in (1794).