CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT
925
with about nine millions of souls. Under Fiiedrich Wilhelm HI. nearly one-half of this State and population was taken by Napoleon ; but the Conc'ress of Vienna not only restored the loss, but added part ot the Kingdom of Saxony, the Rhiueland, much of Westphalia, and Swedish Ponferania, moulding Prussia into two separate pieces of territory, of a total area of 106,820 square miles. This was shaped into a compact State of 134,463 square miles, with a population of 22,769,436, by the
war of 1866. , r -j. n • ^.-u
At present the total ' Krondotations Rente, as far as it figures m the budgets, amounts to 15,719,296 marks, or 770,554^. The reignmg house is also in possession of a vast amount of private property, comprising castles, for- ests, and great landed estates in various parts of the kingdom known as ' Kronfidefkommiss- und Schatullgiiter,' the revenue froin which mainly serves to defray the expenditure of the court and the members of the royal
^™The Royal Fideikommiss was last regulated by Cabinet Order of Aug. 30, 1843 Besides this the Royal Crown treasure, founded by King Friedrich Wilhelm III consists of a capital of 6 millions, which has since consider- ably increased, and also the family Fideikommiss, likewise founded by King Friedrich Wilhelm III., for the benefit of princes born afterwards It comprises the domains of Flatow, Krojanke, and Frauendorf as well as the Fideikommiss founded by the late Prince Karl (Gliemcke). Finally, the Royal House is also entitled to the House Fideikommiss of the Hohen-
/ollcrii T)riiiCGS
Dating from King Friedrich I. of Prussia (Elector Friedrich III. of Brandenburg), there have been the following
Sovereigns of the House of Hohenzollern.
Friedrich I. Friedrich Wilhelm I. Friedrich II. called
Great ' Friedrich Wilhelm II.
the
1701 1713
1740 1786
Friedrich Wilhelm III. . 1797 Friedrich Wilhelm IV. . 1840
Wilhelm I. . . • 1861
Friedrich III. (Mar. 9-June 15) 1888 Wilhelm II. ... 1888
Constitution and Government.
Various fundamental laws vest the executive and part of the legislative authority in a king, who attains his majority upon accomplishing his ei^diteenth year The crown is hereditary in the male line, according to pnmo^eniture. In the exercise of the government the king is assisted by a council of ministers, appointed by royal decree. The legislative authority the kincT shares with a representative assembly, the Landtag, composed of two Chambers, the first called the ' Herreuhaus,' or House of Lords, and the second the ' Abgeordnetenhaus,' or Chamber of Deputies. Ine assent of the king and both Chambers is requisite for all laws. Financial proiects and estimates must first be submitted to the Abgeoixlnetenhaus, and be either accepted or rejected en bloc hj the Herrenhaus. The right ot proposing laws is vested in the Government and m each ot the Chambers.
The Herrenhaus is composed of, first, the princes of the royal family who are of age, including the scions of the formerly sovereign jamilies of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzoilern-Sigmaringen ; secondly, tJie chiefs of the mediatised princely houses, recognised by the Congress oi Vienna, to the number of sixteen in Prussia ; thirdly, the heads ot the territorial nobility formed by the king, and numbering some hlty members ;
