Junker (Prussia)

Member of the landed nobility

Prussian Junkers (German: [ˈjʊŋkɐ]) were members of the landed nobility in the eastern part of Prussia from the late Middle Ages until the end of World War II. The large manorial estates over which Junkers had special rights of legal jurisdiction and law enforcement were initially worked by serfs in inherited servitude. Over time, the manors moved towards market agriculture and serfdom was abolished in 1807, but semi-feudal elements that contrasted sharply with agricultural practices in the rest of Germany remained on the large-scale Junker estates. In the early eighteenth century, Junkers solidified a prominent role in the Prussian government and military.

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