KING FREDERICK WILLIAM III'S POLICY OF PERSECUTING RELIGIOUS SECTS AND ITS IMPACT ON EMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA 1798-1836
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.7617Keywords:
Protestantism, Prussia, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Church Union, Wilhelm Von Humboldt, Frederick William III, State and Church, Nineteenth CenturyAbstract
This article analyzes the process of Protestant ecclesiastical and educational reform in the Kingdom of Prussia between 1799 and 1817, focusing on the political, administrative, and religious factors that led to the union of the Lutheran and Reformed churches. The study examines the increasing intervention of the Prussian monarchy in ecclesiastical affairs, particularly during the reign of King Frederick William III, and the establishment of centralized administrative structures for worship and education. It also discusses the role of Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher and Wilhelm von Humboldt in the reform process, highlighting the separation of education from ecclesiastical control and the implementation of a new humanist educational model. The creation of the University of Berlin in 1810 is considered a significant milestone in the institutional modernization and relative autonomy of education from the churches. The study further investigates the establishment of the Ministry of Worship and the initiatives undertaken after 1815 to consolidate Protestant denominations under a unified ecclesiastical administration. Particular attention is given to the 1817 union of Lutheran and Reformed communities, officially proclaimed by Frederick William III, as well as the resistance of groups such as the Old Lutherans and the Reformed Church of Neuchâtel. The analysis demonstrates that the Prussian Church Union was not merely a theological initiative but also formed part of a broader process of state centralization, social stabilization, and institutional modernization. The reforms sought to strengthen royal authority while reorganizing the relationship between the state, churches, and education, thereby contributing to the transformation of the religious and educational landscape of nineteenth-century Prussia.
References
(1) According to the provisions of the Treaty of Westphalia of 1648, which was signed after the end of the Thirty Years' War, the Protestant Reformed churches in the German states were legitimized. The principle of "whoever controls the territory controls the religion" was affirmed, meaning that the ruling prince had the right to choose Catholicism, Lutheranism, or Calvinism as the official religion of his principality. This strengthened the authority of secular rulers and their independence from the Emperor and the Pope. For more information, see: Mary Fulbrook, A Concise History of Germany, 2nd ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 60-63.)
(2) Department of Worship and Public Education: The establishment of this department was an inevitable consequence of the "shock of 1806" following Prussia's defeat by Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battles of Jena and Auerstedt. Prussia lost half its territory under the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807. King Frederick William III, on the advice of his advisors Stein and Hardenberg, realized that rebuilding the state as a great power would not begin with military force, but rather with a comprehensive intellectual and spiritual reform of the Prussian citizen. From this emerged the Stein-Hardenberg reforms. For more information, see:
Eduard Spranger, *Wilhelm von Humboldt und die Reform des Bildungswesens*, Berlin, Reuther & Reichard, 1910, pp. 74–89.
(3) Frederick Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher: 1768- Born in Wrocław, Poland, to a Protestant family, he received his early education at the Moravian seminary in Barby and then completed his university studies at the University of Halle from 1787 to 1789. In 1790, he passed the theological examination in Berlin, completing his studies, and was ordained a priest. He was appointed assistant preacher in 1794 and spiritual director in 1796 at the Charity Hospital in Berlin. He authored several works, including: *The Christian Faith According to the Principles of the Evangelical Church*, *Philosophical Ethics*, and *Lessons in Aesthetics*. He was a theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar, known for his attempts to reconcile criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional Protestant Christianity. He died in Berlin in 1834. For more information, see:
B. A. Gerrish, *A Prince of the Church: Schleiermacher and the Beginnings of Modern Theology*, Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press. (1984), pp. 25-27.
(5) Trinity Church: Built on a triangular plot of land. Overview. Built during the reign of King Frederick William I, the foundation stone of the Trinity Church, designed by the chief architect Titus de Favre, was laid in August 1737. The building was constructed with the participation of the court's chief builder, Christian August Naumann, and was dedicated on August 30, 1739. The Trinity Church remained the last Protestant church building in Berlin for nearly a century until it was demolished in 1947. For further information, see:
W. Boeck, H. Richartz: Die alten Kirchen Berlins. Atlantis-Verlag, Berlin 1937, pp. 82-83.
(6) Wilhelm Hüffmeier, Op., Cit., pp. 14–16.
(7) Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835) was born in Potsdam. After receiving an elite home education from leading Enlightenment thinkers, he completed his legal studies at the universities of Frankfurt and Göttingen from 1787–1789. Humboldt progressed through the ranks of the judiciary and diplomatic service in Rome, until he was appointed head of the "Department of Worship and Public Education" in February 1809. During his tenure, he led a comprehensive educational revolution that unified the curriculum and broke the monopoly of the ruling class by establishing the philosophy of "New Humanism" to separate education from class interests. His career culminated in the founding of the University of Berlin in 1810, based on the principle of integrating scientific research with independent teaching. This system revolutionized higher education globally and later became known as the "Humboldt model." After a life dedicated to serving his country, he died in 1835 in Tegel. For further information, see:
Eduard Spranger, *Wilhelm von Humboldt und die Reform des Bildungswesens*, Berlin, Reuther & Reichard, 1910, pp. 74–89.
(8)Wilhelm Hüffmeier, Die Evangelische Kirche der Union: Eine kurze geschichtliche Orientierung, Bielefeld: Luther-Verlag, 1992, pp. 13–16.
(9) In 1814, the Principality of Neuchâtel was restored to the Hohenzollerns, who had ruled the principality in a personal union since 1814. From 1707 to 1806, and then in 1815, Frederick William III agreed to its incorporation into the Swiss Confederation, which was then an incomplete confederation, making Neuchâtel a canton within that confederation.
(10) The Calvinist Reformed Church of Neuchâtel: The church was officially founded in 1530 in Switzerland by the French reformer Guillaume Farrel, a companion of John Calvin, according to the Calvinist Protestant doctrine. Historically, it attracted the canton's inhabitants who embraced evangelical thought. Between 1807 and 1817, the church was subject to Prussian royal sovereignty and decrees, which sparked administrative and doctrinal clashes with the central authority. The church expressed its resistance and reservations regarding the Prussian Edict of Ecclesiastical Union of 1817, which sought to forcibly merge Calvinists and Lutherans. This opposition extended to Prussian educational reforms, as the church strongly opposed the withdrawal of its oversight. Traditional ecclesiastical thought opposed schools and standardized curricula, adhering to its independent, utilitarian, and practical educational model based on Swiss Calvinist principles, in opposition to Prussian centralism. For more information, see:
Vgl. Jelmini, Jean-Pierre, *Neuchâtel, un canton en quête de son histoire*, Neuchâtel: Éditions Alphil, (2011), pp. 142–1485.
(11) Ministry of Worship: A term with historical significance used in the Kingdom of Prussia, referring to the Minister of Religious and Educational Affairs, who was responsible for church and educational affairs. It is associated with the "Union of Prussian Churches," which united the Lutheran and Reformed churches in a unified state under the king's authority, reflecting a deep connection between church and state in Prussia.
The English and American Register's Guide of Berlin and Potsdam... H. Steinitz. 1900. pp. 27–28.( 12) Karl Sigmund Franz Freiherr Altenstein: (1 October The first (1770-May 14, 1840) was born in Prussia. His education
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