Named for the former kingdom and German state of Prussia and for the so-called Prussian virtues of sense of duty, austerity, punctuality, order and unselfishness. Prussia, originally the name of the region at the southern end of the Baltic Sea, became a duchy in 1525. In 1701, Frederick I became king of Prussia and established his capital at Berlin. The defeat of Napoleon yielded a great territorial enlargement of Prussia. The victory over France in 1870 resulted in the creation of the German Empire, which declined in 1918. The name Prussia was abolished in World War II; the Prussian virtues, however, continue to be desirable. (M 27330) _ _.