Editing Prussian Navy (section)

==Brandenburg Navy==
{{Main|Brandenburg Navy}}
[[Image:Kurbrandenburgi Navy.jpg|thumb|Ships of the [[Brandenburg Navy]] on the open sea, 1684]]

The [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]], the predecessor of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]], possessed its [[Brandenburg Navy|own navy]], which was founded in the 16th century. From 1657 onwards, under Elector [[Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick William]] (the "Great Elector"), Brandenburg's naval forces were developed into a [[blue-water navy]]. The Elector designated navigation and commerce as the most significant undertakings of his state, and strove energetically to acquire [[German colonial projects before 1871|overseas colonies]] and become involved in the [[Atlantic slave trade]]; as such, a powerful navy was needed to defend these interests. However, his grandson [[Frederick William I of Prussia|Frederick William I]] held little interest in colonial affairs or maintaining a powerful navy, preferring to expend state revenues on the [[Prussian Army]]. In 1721, Frederick I sold the [[Brandenburger Gold Coast]] to the [[Dutch West India Company]] for 7,200 [[ducat]]s and 12 African slaves, marking the end for any need by Prussia for a blue-water navy; the Prussian Navy subsequently dwindled in size.<ref name="BrahmRosenhaft2016">{{cite book|author1=Felix Brahm|author2=Eve Rosenhaft|title=Slavery Hinterland: Transatlantic Slavery and Continental Europe, 1680-1850|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0JMcDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|year=2016|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-78327-112-2|pages=26–30}}</ref><ref>Sebastian Conrad: ''Deutsche Kolonialgeschichte.'' C.H. Beck, Munich 2008, {{ISBN|978-3-406-56248-8}}, p.18.</ref>