Friedrich von Schrötter
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Leopold Freiherr von Schrötter (1743 – 1815) was a Junker
and Prussian
government minister.
Schrötter was born in Wohnsdorf near Friedland
(today Kurortnoye, Kaliningrad Oblast
, Russia
) and served in a dragoon regiment during the Seven Years War. Appointed as minister in charge of East Prussia
after the death of King Frederick the Great, he followed the free trade
economic policies then coming into vogue, loosening restrictions on the grain
trade in that province. He died in Berlin
.
Schrötter is perhaps most famous for having quipped of the Prussian army
during the reign of Frederick the Great that "Prussia was not a country with an army, but an army with a country."
Junker
A Junker was a member of the landed nobility of Prussia and eastern Germany. These families were mostly part of the German Uradel and carried on the colonization and Christianization of the northeastern European territories during the medieval Ostsiedlung. The abbreviation of Junker is Jkr...
and Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
government minister.
Schrötter was born in Wohnsdorf near Friedland
Pravdinsk
Pravdinsk is a town and the administrative center of Pravdinsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Lava River, approximately east of Bagrationovsk...
(today Kurortnoye, Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
) and served in a dragoon regiment during the Seven Years War. Appointed as minister in charge of East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
after the death of King Frederick the Great, he followed the free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
economic policies then coming into vogue, loosening restrictions on the grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
trade in that province. He died in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Schrötter is perhaps most famous for having quipped of the Prussian army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
during the reign of Frederick the Great that "Prussia was not a country with an army, but an army with a country."