ABSTRACT
The court, within an absolute monarchy, constituted the focal point of state and society. Prussia, by comparison, was a young monarchy without ancient traditions or long-established monarchical roots. Frederick I's elevation to royal rank in 1701 had only been possible through an appeal to foreign precedents, and for some time the new Hohenzollern monarchy continued to appear as artificial and inorganic as attempt to call upon the fabled Borussian kingdom for historical legitimation. The young King's decision in favour of strictly personal monarchy was both a reaction against possible dependence on personal friends and an emphatic rejection of the playful elements of the Rheinsberg days. The King was perfectly aware, moreover, that 'because of the weakness and sensuousness of humankind', a ruler could not entirely abandon representative functions and the ceremonies associated with his position. The royal family, or more precisely the King's siblings, was never closely identified with the Prussian court and state since they all led separate existences.
