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| 1807 |
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| Baron Stein took control of the government. He and his successor, Hardenberg, continued the process of rationalizing government procedure and eliminating legal privileges for certain classes. However, they met continued resistance from the Junkers. These policies were partly the product of the ongoing struggle to maintain Prussian autonomy under Napoleon (See 1810). Frederick William sought to encourage nationalism and popular support by reforming the state in keeping with the German Enlightenment. | 1 |
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| 1807 |
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| Edict abolished serfdom by 1810. | 2 |
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| 1811 |
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| Edict established the principles for transmuting peasants to freeholders. Under the edict, any peasant wishing to change status had to relinquish either a third or a half of his holdings (depending on his previous status). This law would be superseded by the Edict of 1816. (See Germany) | 3 |
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