A selection of the diverse printed, manuscript and visual materials relating to emergence of Brandenburg-Prussia as a monarchy and acknowledged power in Europe, are made available here for the first time. Featuring descriptions by the court poet, Johann von Besser, of Friedrich III's coronation as King of Prussia in 1701, and the festivities surrounding the event, the volume offers valuable insights into a key stage in the political and cultural history of Brandenburg-Prussia, the consequences of which exercised a crucial impact on the development of Germany and the history of Europe.

Karin Friedrich is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Aberdeen, UK and Sara Smart is Senior Lecturer in German at the University of Exeter, UK.

Contents: Preface; The power of crowns: the Prussian coronation of 1701 in context, Karin Friedrich; The cultivation of monarchy, Sara Smart. Documents: Verse by Johann von Besser; Besser's description of the inauguration of the University of Halle (1694); Besser's description of the Berlin wedding of 1700; The founding of the Berlin Society of Sciences in 1700; Besser's History of the Coronation; Statutes of the Royal Prussian Order of the Black Eagle; John Toland's account of the court of Prussia (1702); Pontifical Mischief against the Crown in Prussia (1702); Royal Prussian precedence regulations (1705); Besser's The Triumph of Beauty over the Heroes - a court ballet and opera (1706); Christoph Count von Dohna's memoirs on the reign and court of Freidrich I; Bibliography; Index