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The '''Prussian estates''' ({{lang-de|Preußischer Landtag}}, {{lang-pl|Stany pruskie}}) were representative bodies of [[Prussia (region)|Prussia]], first created by the [[Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights|Monastic state of Teutonic Prussia]] in the 14th century (around the 1370s)<ref name=ds>Daniel Stone, ''A History of Central Europe'', University of Washington Press, 2001, {{ISBN|0-295-98093-1}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=LFgB_l4SdHAC&dq=%22Prussian+estates%22&pg=PA18 Google Print, p.18-19]</ref> but later becoming a [[Devolution|devolved]] [[legislature]] for [[Royal Prussia]] within the [[Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)|Kingdom of Poland]]. They were at first composed of officials of six big cities of the region; [[Braniewo|Braunsberg (Braniewo)]], [[Chełmno|Culm (Chełmno)]], [[Elbląg|Elbing (Elbląg)]], [[Gdańsk|Danzig (Gdańsk)]], [[Königsberg|Königsberg (Królewiec)]] and [[Toruń|Thorn (Toruń)]].<ref name=ds/> Later, representatives of other towns as well as [[nobility]] were also included.<ref name=ds/><ref name=kf21-24>Karin Friedrich, ''The Other Prussia: Royal Prussia, Poland and Liberty, 1569-1772'', Cambridge University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0-521-02775-6}}, [https://books.google.com/books?
== Era of Teutonic Prussia ==
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[[Nicolaus Copernicus]], then [[canon (priest)|canon]] of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Warmia]], addressed the Prussian estates with three memoranda, in fact little essays,<ref>In these essays Copernicus also described, what has been later called [[Gresham's law]] by [[Henry Dunning Macleod]].</ref> on currency reform.<ref>Cf. Erich Sommerfeld (ed.), ''Die Geldlehre des Nicolaus Copernicus: Texte, Übersetzungen, Kommentare; in memoriam Kurt Braunreuther 1913–1975'', Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1978.</ref> Debasements continued to ruin Prussian finances, the [[groat (coin)|groat]] had been debased by 1/5 to 1/6 of its prior [[bullion]] content. In 1517, 1519 and again in 1526 he suggested to return to the law passed in 1418.<ref>Nicolaus Copernicus, ''Monete cudende ratio per Nicolaum Coppernicum'' (1526), Erich Sommerfeld (trl.), published in: Erich Sommerfeld (ed.), ''Die Geldlehre des Nicolaus Copernicus: Texte, Übersetzungen, Kommentare; in memoriam Kurt Braunreuther 1913–1975'', Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1978, pp. 48–67, lines 307–310 and 331–334 of Copernicus' original text, as given by Sommerfeld.</ref> However, especially the cities refused that. They had raised most of the funds for the warfares, and now lightened their debt burden by debasing their coins, thus passing on part of the burden to receivers of nominally fixed revenues, such as civic and ecclesiastical creditors and civic, feudal and ecclesiastical collectors of nominally fixed monetarised dues. So Copernicus' effort failed. At least the estates refused to peg the Prussian currency to the Polish (as proposed by [[Justus Ludwik Decjusz|Ludwig Dietz]]), which even suffered a worse debasement than the Prussian.<ref>Cf. Nicolaus Copernicus, "Epistola Consiliariorum Prussie ad Ludouicum Decium Cracouiensem de Ratione restituende monete Pruthenice" (Letter of the councillors of Prussia to Ludwig Dietz from Cracow, concerning the improvement of the Prussian coin) (1526), published in: Erich Sommerfeld (trl.), ''Die Geldlehre des Nicolaus Copernicus: Texte, Übersetzungen, Kommentare; in memoriam Kurt Braunreuther 1913–1975'', Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1978, pp. 112–123, lines 13-15 of the Latin original as given by Sommerfeld on p. 112 (with German translation on p. 113).</ref>
Under Polish sovereignty, Prussians, particularly those from Royal Prussia, saw their liberties confirmed and expanded; local cities prospered economically ([[Gdańsk]] became the largest and richest city in the Commonwealth), and local nobility participated in the benefits of [[Golden Liberty]], such as the [[Royal elections in Poland|right to elect the king]].<ref name=kf21-24/> Royal Prussia, as a direct part of the Kingdom of Poland (and later [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]) had more influence on Polish politics and more privileges than Ducal Prussia, which remained a [[fief]] (for example, while nobles from the Royal Prussia had their own [[sejmik]]s, [[sejm walny|Sejm]] and [[Senate of Poland|Senate]] representatives, those from the Duchy did not). Royal Prussia also had its own parliament, the [[Prussian]] ''[[legislature|Landesrat]]'', although it was partially incorporated into the Commonwealth Sejm after the [[Union of Lublin]], it retained distinct features of Royal Prussia.<ref>Karin Friedrich, ''The Other Prussia: Royal Prussia, Poland and Liberty, 1569–1772'', Cambridge University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0-521-02775-6}}, [https://books.google.com/books?
== Era of the Kingdom of Prussia ==
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