Brandenburg Standing Army (Brandenburg-Prussia Standing Army)

Timeline

1. 1655–1660Electorate of Brandenburg · BrandenburgDuring the Northern War, the Great Elector Frederick William realized the dangers of relying on imperial troops and mercenaries, and began raising a permanent army under the elector's direct command. Around 1655 the army numbered about 8,000 men; after the war ended, the Great Elector overruled opposition to retain and maintain this standing army, laying the foundation for Brandenburg's military independence.
2. 1660–1672Electorate of Brandenburg · BrandenburgAfter the Northern War, the Great Elector carried out military-administrative reforms, establishing the Generalkriegskommissariat to unify taxation and military supply, giving the standing army a stable source of funding. The army maintained a strength of about 12,000–20,000 men, forming a regular establishment based on infantry battalions and cavalry regiments; officers began professional training, gradually moving away from a purely mercenary model.
3. 1672–1679Brandenburg-Prussia and Pomerania · GermanyDuring the Dutch War, the Great Elector expanded the army to over 40,000 men. On June 18, 1675, the Great Elector personally led the cavalry main force to defeat the invading Swedish forces at Fehrbellin, the first time the Brandenburg army won a key battle without the protection of an external great power, greatly enhancing Brandenburg's military prestige on the European international stage. Although the 1679 Treaty of Saint-Germain forced the return of some lands under French pressure, the army's combat capability was already widely recognized.
4. 1688–1701Kingdom of Prussia (Brandenburg-Prussia) · GermanyThe Great Elector's son Frederick III continued to expand the army, taking part in the Nine Years' War (1689–1697) and the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). In 1701 Frederick III was crowned King Frederick I of Prussia, and the former Brandenburg standing army was formally elevated to the army of the Kingdom of Prussia, subsequently developing under Frederick William I and Frederick the Great into one of the finest armies in Europe.