Spruce Up

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  1. Klaus Werner von Bismarck:

    Origin of the word spruce up.

    For many thousands of years the Pruzzen* had collected and fished the amber on the beaches of their homeland on the Baltic Sea to make jewelry for their wives. But there was so much amber that they started to export jewelry and amber stones to foreign countries on certain trade routes, such as Asyrien, Egypt, Rome and then also to many other different countries. Through economic ties with the Romans, Vikings, Normans and others, amber jewelery and pieces of amber came to England, where wives adorned themselves with it. Because the amber jewelry came from the Pruzzens, they said, “spruce up”. It was only for wealthy people.
    On the 3. August 1234, Pope Gregory IX. in the Golden Bull of Rieti, awarded to the Teutonic Knights the land of the Pruzzen as a patrimony of St. Peter. Then the Knights Templar started a half century of war against the Pruzzens. All amber had to be handed over to the Order of Knights Templar or face a death sentence. From this time on the Pruzzen had lost the rights to amber and other rules of trade were introduced by the Knights. History is old, very old.
    Not to be confused with Prussia, the Teutonic Knights adopted the name from the Pruzzen for their political goals and named there land Duchy of Prussia and the Duchy of Prussia then united 1701 with the Duchy of Brandenburg to the Kingdom of Preussen.
    Klaus W. von Bismarck, Londo January 2012