From 1836 to 1914, German settlers came to South Australia initially from the Prussian provinces of Brandenburg, Silesia and Posen. They were mostly farmers and tradespeople. These 'Old Lutherans' fled their homeland because the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm III, had decreed in 1817 that all his subjects must use his new worship book and join the Union Church, which he set up by combining the Lutheran and the Reformed Church. Those who did not obey this order could be fined, imprisoned, or have their belongings confiscated. In 1840 King Friedrich Wilhelm III died, and by the mid-1840s persecution of 'Old Lutherans' had gradually ceased. Although religious persecution in Prussia ended in the mid-1840s, Germans who feared the return of harassment continued to come to South Australia throughout the decade. By 1851 almost 7,000 Germans had come to South Australia. About half of these came as religious communities. The other half came in search of land or a higher standard of living.