Fortschrittliche Landwirte? Adlige Innovationsbestrebungen in Brandenburg zwischen Landesherrschaft und Untertanen 1763 bis 1807

In the 1960s, Hans-Heinrich Müller coined the expression „fortschrittliche Landwirte“ for a number of Brandenburg lords of the manor: In accordance with the model of the domain, they carried out the innovations propagated by Frederick II on their manors. Intended by Müller to prevent their being labelled as an incarnation of everything reactionary, a picture of willingly innovative lords came into being, which was strongly accentuated by Wolfgang Neugebauer in 2009 in his handbook on the history of Prussia. Accordingly, the lords of the manor went above and beyond the domain from 1800 onwards, although they were restricted by the state in their positive development. In this sense, Neugebauer conceives progress as purely economic, not social. Examples of the March Brandenburg between 1760 and 1790 are given, a time when nobles, lords of the manor or commanders of the Knights’ Order of St. John were involved in cultivating the Netze and the Warthe marshes. When attempts were made to involve the nobles in the innovations from 1763 onwards, they declared that they could not participate financially due to losses in the war, but then developed the tactic of compromising themselves only to progressively pass matters on to the king. They only carried out separations on their own will and on their own expenses, in order to extend their estates. Frederick therefore spoke of the “opposition” and “ingratitude” of the nobility.