[116] He then headed south to face the Austrian army in Saxony. ", Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbttel-Bevern, Wilhelmine, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Friederike Luise, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Philippine Charlotte, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbttel, Sophia Dorothea, Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt, Anna Amalie, Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg, [Interactive fullscreen map + nearby articles], Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein, Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism, https://archive.org/details/onplayingflute00quan/page/n23, Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, "Frederick II (The Great) of Prussia (17121786)", "The First Partition of Poland and the War of the Bavarian Succession", "The Berlin Academy under Frederick the Great", "Kingship, sexuality and courtly masculinity: Frederick the Great and Prussia on the cusp of modernity", "The religion of Frederick the Great. Personal rule alone could produce the unity and consistency essential to any successful policy. After the Austrians pulled their army out of Silesia to defend Bohemia, Frederick pursued them and blocked their path to Prague. Vol. He also had a violent temper and ruled Brandenburg-Prussia with absolute authority. [279] By 1789, the academy had gained an international repute while making major contributions to German culture and thought. Frederick William II ( German: Friedrich Wilhelm II. He was the most aggressive field commander of the century, perhaps of all time, and one who constantly pushed the limits of the possible. As Frederick was almost certainly homosexual,[17] his relationship with Keith may have been homoerotic, although the extent of their intimacy remains ambiguous. [131] The Russian forces also continued their advance, occupying Pomerania and parts of Brandenburg. [271] This style became known as Frederician Rococo and is epitomised by Frederick's summer palace, Sanssouci (French for "carefree" or "without worry"),[272] which served as his primary residence and private refuge. The terms of the Treaty of Breslau between Austria and Prussia, negotiated in June 1742, gave Prussia all of Silesia and Glatz County, with the Austrians retaining only the portion called Austrian or Czech Silesia. [134] This led to the collapse of the anti-Prussian coalition; Peter immediately promised to end the Russian occupation of East Prussia and Pomerania, returning them to Frederick. [176] When Joseph tried the scheme again in 1784, Frederick created the Frstenbund (League of Princes), allowing himself to be seen as a defender of German liberties, in contrast to his earlier role of attacking the imperial Habsburgs. [321], After the defeat of Germany after 1945, the role of Prussia in German history was minimised. [77], By 1743, the Austrians had subdued Bavaria and driven the French out of Bohemia. As a child, his father, Frederick William I, made young Frederick work in the region's provinces, teaching the boy about the area's agriculture and geography. [142] He also debased the coinage of Saxony and Poland. [266], Despite his distaste for the German language, Frederick did sponsor the Knigliche Deutsche Gesellschaft (Royal German Society), founded in Knigsberg in 1741, the aim of which was to promote and develop the German language. In the later 1730s, in semiretirement in the castle of Rheinsberg near Berlin and able for the first time to give free rein to his own tastes, he read voraciously, absorbing the ideas on government and international relations that were to guide him throughout his life. Under his leadership Prussia became one of the great states of Europe. [117], During the 1759 campaign, the Austrian and Russian forces took the initiative, which they kept for the remainder of the war. [39], In 1732, Frederick was restored to the Prussian Army as Colonel of the Regiment von der Goltz, stationed near Nauen and Neuruppin. [129] In this battle, Frederick became a casualty when he was hit in the chest by a spent bullet. Early in December 1250 a fierce attack of dysentery confined him to his hunting lodge of Castel Fiorentino in the south of Italy, which was part of his kingdom of Sicily. It was first published in six volumes from 1858 to 1865. [20] Fearing an alliance between Prussia and Great Britain, Field Marshal von Seckendorff, the Austrian ambassador in Berlin, bribed the Prussian Minister of War, Field Marshal von Grumbkow, and the Prussian ambassador in London, Benjamin Reichenbach. ", Translation: "Now we have to think of leading the war in a way that we spoil the desire of the enemies to break the peace once again. During the 1760s, the dissenters' political importance was out of proportion to their numbers. [125] The victory did not allow Frederick to regain the initiative or prevent Russian and Austrian troops from raiding Berlin in October to extort a ransom from the city. Its territories were greatly increased and its military strength displayed to striking effect. For this, he was sometimes called Der Kartoffelknig (the Potato King). [43] Frederick formed the Bayard Order to discuss warfare with his friends; Heinrich August de la Motte Fouqu was made the grand master of the gatherings. Maria Theresa was determined to recover Silesia, and the peace she signed with France and Spain at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 allowed her to accelerate significant improvements in the administration of her territories and the organization of her army. In August, he fought the Russian forces to a draw at the Battle of Zorndorf, in which nearly a third of Frederick's soldiers were casualties. Frederick, the third king of Prussia, ranks among the two or three dominant figures in the history of modern Germany. [78] In late August 1744, Frederick's army had crossed the Bohemian frontier, marched directly to Prague, and laid siege to the city, which surrendered on 16 September 1744 after a three-day bombardment. He modernised the Prussian bureaucracy and civil service, and pursued religious policies throughout his realm that ranged from tolerance to segregation. Robert Citino describes Frederick's strategic approach: In war he usually saw one path to victory, and that was fixing the enemy army in place, maneuvering near or even around it to give himself a favorable position for the attack, and then smashing it with an overwhelming blow from an unexpected direction. [242] Frederick saw opera as playing an important role in imparting enlightenment philosophy, using it to critique superstition and the Pietism that still held sway in Prussia. There are no circumlocutions, he gives factual and historical proof of the assertions he makes, for he is well versed in history."[295]. He stated that for Prussia, wars should be short and quick: long wars would destroy the army's discipline, depopulate the country, and exhaust its resources. The effects of this terrible early life are impossible to measure with accuracy, but there is little doubt that the violent and capricious bullying of his father influenced him deeply. [89], Once again, Frederick's victories on the battlefield compelled his enemies to sue for peace. The eldest son of Frederick William I of Prussia and of Princess Sophie Dorothea of Hanover, Frederick II was born in Berlin on Jan. 24, 1712. Showing 1-30 of 49 "Books make up no small part of human happiness." Frederick the Great 41 likes Like "He who defends everything, defends nothing." Frederick the Great 33 likes Like [141] Frederick also financed the war by devaluing the Prussian coin five times; debased coins were produced with the help of Leipzig mintmasters, Veitel Heine Ephraim, Daniel Itzig and Moses Isaacs. By winning wars and expanding territories, he established. These years were perhaps the happiest that Frederick ever experienced. About 1,200 new villages were founded in his reign. [118] They joined and once more advanced on Berlin. [143] This debasement of the currency helped Frederick cover over 20 per cent of the cost of the war, but at the price of causing massive inflation and economic upheaval throughout the region. [55], When Frederick became king, he was faced with the challenge of overcoming Prussia's weaknesses, vulnerably disconnected holdings with a weak economic base. von Preuen und die Hofoper", "Homage to Frederick the Great-The royal flutist", "Don't ask don't tell' War Friedrich schwul? ; 25 September 1744 - 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was interested in attracting a diversity of skills to his country, whether from Jesuit teachers, Huguenot citizens, or Jewish merchants and bankers. [331] He has also been studied as a model of servant leadership in management research[332] and is held in high regard for his patronage of the arts. Frederick Ii (prussia) | Encyclopedia.com There, he was defeated at the Battle of Hochkirch on 14 October, although the Austrian forces were not able to exploit their victory. During the next year or more Frederick, as a punishment, was employed as a junior official in local administration and deprived of his military rank. These claims particularly were popular in the 19th century. Joseph II - Quotes, Emperor & Family - Biography His father was Frederick William I, king of Prussia. He called it Peuplierungspolitik (peopling policy). [197], Frederick modernised the Prussian civil service and promoted religious tolerance throughout his realm to attract more settlers in East Prussia. [62] The occupation of Silesia added one of the most densely industrialised German regions to Frederick's kingdom and gave it control over the navigable Oder River. Frederick William instituted major military reforms, and expanded the army to new limits. [15], At age 16, Frederick formed an attachment to the king's 17-year-old page, Peter Karl Christoph von Keith. This programme created roughly 60,000 hectares (150,000 acres) of new farmland, but also eliminated vast swaths of natural habitat, destroyed the region's biodiversity, and displaced numerous native plant and animal communities. [5], Frederick WilliamI, popularly dubbed the "Soldier King", had created a large and powerful army that included a regiment of his famous "Potsdam Giants"; he carefully managed the kingdom's wealth and developed a strong centralised government. [149] As early as 1731 Frederick had suggested that his country would benefit from annexing Polish territory,[150] and had described Poland as an "artichoke, ready to be consumed leaf by leaf". He was the oldest of four surviving sons born to King Frederick William I of Prussia and Princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. The most important threat to his plans was Russian support for Maria Theresa, which he hoped to avert by judicious bribery in St. Petersburg and by exploiting the confusion that was likely to follow the imminent death of the empress Anna. Lieutenant Hans Hermann von Katte, the young officer who had been his accomplice in the plan, was executed in Fredericks presence, and there was for a short time a real possibility that the prince might share his fate. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [309], On the 205th anniversary of his death, on 17 August 1991, Frederick's coffin lay in state in the court of honour at Sanssouci, covered by a Prussian flag and escorted by a Bundeswehr guard of honour. Corrections? His circle of close friends at Sanssouci gradually died off with few replacements, and Frederick became increasingly critical and arbitrary, to the frustration of the civil service and officer corps. He allowed the association to be titled "royal" and have its seat at the Knigsberg Castle, but he does not seem to have taken much interest in the work of the society. He made his . Frederick I, (born July 11, 1657, Knigsberg, Prussia [now Kaliningrad, Russia]died Feb. 25, 1713, Berlin), elector of Brandenburg (as Frederick III), who became the first king in Prussia (1701-13), freed his domains from imperial suzerainty, and continued the policy of territorial aggrandizement begun by his father, Frederick William, the Grea. Frederick I | King of Prussia, Territorial Aggrandizement [312], Frederick's legacy has been subject to a wide variety of interpretations. [123] His effort cost him further losses when his general Friedrich August von Finck capitulated at Maxen on 20 November. However, on 15 December 1745, Prussian forces under the command of Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau soundly defeated the Saxons at the Battle of Kesselsdorf. [152] The new territories would also provide an increased tax base, additional populations for the Prussian military, and serve as a surrogate for the other overseas colonies of the other great powers. 18581865) emphasised the power of one great "hero", in this case Frederick, to shape history. [210] He also accepted countless Protestant weavers from Bohemia, who were fleeing from the devoutly Catholic rule of Maria Theresa, granting them freedom from taxes and military service. [31], Initially, Frederick William considered marrying Frederick to Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the niece of Empress Anna of Russia, but this plan was ardently opposed by Prince Eugene of Savoy. [255] French was Frederick's preferred language for speaking and writing, though he had to rely on proofreaders to correct his difficulties with its spelling. Images of Frederick Google Arts & Culture [226] He presided over the construction of canals for bringing crops to market, and introduced new crops, especially the potato and the turnip, to the country. [209] He befriended the Roman Catholic Prince-Bishop of Warmia, Ignacy Krasicki, whom he asked to consecrate St. Hedwig's Cathedral in 1773. Updates? He played the flute, composed music, and admired the music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750), whose son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 - 1788) was the Prussian court composer. Frederick Wilhelm thought these interests were effeminate,[12] as they clashed with his militarism, resulting in his frequent beating and humiliation of Frederick. It was written in Frenchas were all of Frederick's worksand published anonymously in 1740, but Voltaire distributed it in Amsterdam to great popularity. Victorious in war, he became known as Frederick the Great and was nicknamed der alte Fritz . Frederick strongly suspected Maria Theresa would resume war in an attempt to recover Silesia. [124], At the beginning of 1760, the Austrians moved to retake Silesia, where Frederick defeated them at the Battle of Liegnitz on 15 August. In Dynes, Wayne R. [38] These included visits to her on her birthday and were some of the rare occasions when Frederick did not wear military uniform. [281] He frequently led his military forces personally and had a number of horses shot from under him during battle. Because of his military genius, he earned the title Frederick the Great. [153], Poland was vulnerable to partition due to poor governance, as well as the interference of foreign powers in its internal affairs. [189] The coin eventually became universally accepted beyond Prussia and helped increase industry and trade. [42] Frederick William, weakened by gout and seeking to reconcile with his heir, granted Frederick Schloss Rheinsberg in Rheinsberg, north of Neuruppin. Despite his father's intention, Frederick appeared to have adopted a sense of predestination for himself. Frederick II | Biography, Accomplishments, & Facts | Britannica [221], Frederick was keenly interested in land use, especially draining swamps and opening new farmland for colonisers who would increase the kingdom's food supply. Preview History Of The Beginnings Of A Successful Ruler: Maria Theresa Indian war technically already beginning in 1754, what more or less sent the war into action was another issue between Frederick the Great and Maria Theresa. The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia (1701-1713). Frederick II - Prussia, Religion & Facts - Biography In 1733, after a partial reconciliation with his father, Frederick was married to a member of a minor German princely family, Elizabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, for whom he never cared and whom he systematically neglected. [37] After his father died and he had secured the throne, Frederick separated from Elisabeth. [146] During this time, Frederick also suffered a number of personal losses. Moreover, military victory had now made Prussia at least a semigreat power and marked Frederick as the most successful ruler in Europe. What's So Great About Frederick? The Warrior King of Prussia [135] More significantly, Russia's about-face from an enemy of Prussia to its patron rattled the leadership of Sweden, who hastily made peace with Frederick as well. Please select which sections you would like to print: Also known as: Frederick the Great, Friedrich der Grosse, Emeritus Professor of International History, University of London. [231] A meeting with Johann Sebastian Bach in 1747 in Potsdam led to Bach's writing The Musical Offering. Seven Years War (1756-1763)Major FiguresFrederick the GreatAlso known as Frederick II, Frederick the Great (1712-1786) had an impressive reign as king of Prussia. [82], In January 1745, the Holy Roman Emperor CharlesVII of Bavaria died,[83] taking Bavaria out of the war and allowing Maria Theresa's husband Francis of Lorraine to be eventually elected Holy Roman Emperor. [188] As a result, Prussian coins, which had been leaving the country nearly as fast as they were minted,[189] remained in circulation in Prussia. Frederick WilliamI had left him with a highly militarised state. In January 1756 he attempted to escape from this menacing situation by an agreement with Britain for the neutralization of Germany in the Anglo-French colonial and naval war that had just begun. [107] A month later on 18 June 1757, Frederick suffered his first major defeat at the Battle of Koln,[108] which forced him to abandon his invasion of Bohemia. [161], After Russia occupied the Danubian Principalities in 176970, Frederick's representative in Saint Petersburg, his brother Prince Henry, convinced Frederick and Maria Theresa that the balance of power would be maintained by a tripartite division of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth instead of Russia taking land from the Ottomans. [187], Frederick strove to put Prussia's fiscal system in order. [40] When Prussia provided a contingent of troops to aid the Army of the Holy Roman Empire during the War of the Polish Succession, Frederick studied under Prince Eugene of Savoy during the campaign against France on the Rhine;[41] he noted the weakness of the Imperial Army under Eugene's command, something that he would capitalise on at Austria's expense when he later took the throne. [27] The king condemned Katte to death and forced Frederick to watch his beheading at Kstrin on 6 November, leading the crown prince to faint just before the fatal blow. ", In his 1769 will, Frederick wrote "I have lived as a philosopher and wish to be buried as such, without pomp or paradeLet me be deposited in the vault which I had constructed for myself, on the upper terrace of San Souci. [329] However, the originality of his achievements remains a topic of debate,[330] as many were based on developments already under way. Standing between Prince Georg's family and a cache of untold monetary and cultural value is a broadly worded German law that disqualifies those who helped the Nazis into power from restitution or. The most gifted, vivid and extraordinary of the medieval Holy Roman Emperors died on December 13th, 1250. [201], In contrast to his devoutly Calvinist father, Frederick was a religious sceptic, who has been described as a deist. More serious, anti-Prussian feeling was now running high in Russia, where both the empress Elizabeth, who had ascended the throne in 1741, and her chancellor, Aleksey Bestuzhev-Ryumin, bitterly disliked Frederick. After allowing them across,[a] Frederick pinned them down and decisively defeated them at the Battle of Hohenfriedberg on 4 June 1745. By contrast d' Alembert took a republican rather than monarchical approach and emphasised the international Republic of Letters as the vehicle for scientific advance. Less than a year after the treaty was signed, Maria Theresa was once more seeking allies, particularly Russia and France, to eventually renew the war with Prussia to regain Silesia. This once more allowed Habsburg forces to be concentrated against France and Bavaria, and 1743 and the early months of 1744 saw Maria Theresas position in Germany become markedly stronger. [94] During the ten years of peace that followed the signing of the Treaty of Dresden, Frederick also prepared to defend his claim on Silesia by further fortifying the province and expanding his army,[95] as well as reorganising his finances. [192] However, the fixed ratio between gold and silver led to the gold coins being perceived as more valuable, which caused them to leave circulation in Prussia. [46] Frederick's years dedicated to the arts instead of politics ended upon the 1740 death of Frederick William and his inheritance of the Kingdom of Prussia. He gained a reputation as a. A Note on Emperor Frederick II and Jewish Tolerance - JSTOR Although Frederick's share of the partition was the smallest of the partitioning powers, the lands he acquired had roughly the same economic value as the others and had great strategic value. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [30] The crown prince returned to Berlin after finally being released from his tutelage at Kstrin on 26 February 1732 on condition that he marry Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern. [164] He saw Polish Prussia as barbaric and uncivilised,[165] describing the inhabitants as "slovenly Polish trash"[166] and comparing them unfavourably with the Iroquois. [70], Encouraged by Frederick's victory at Mollwitz, the French and their ally, the Electorate of Bavaria, entered the war against Austria in early September 1741 and marched on Prague. [207] Frederick wanted development throughout the country, adapted to the needs of each region. Paintings by different schools were displayed strictly separately: 17th-century Flemish and Dutch paintings filled the western wing and the gallery's central building, while Italian paintings from the High Renaissance and Baroque were exhibited in the eastern wing. He was also the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchtel. [133], The sudden death of Empress Elizabeth of Russia in January 1762 led to the succession of the Prussophile PeterIII, her German nephew, who was also the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. [218] His membership legitimised the group's presence in Prussia and protected it against charges of subversion. His daring military tactics expanded and consolidated. Frederick II of Prussia - Wikiwand [213], The success in integrating the Jews into areas of society where Frederick encouraged them can be seen by Gerson von Bleichrder's role during the 19th century in financing Otto von Bismarck's efforts to unite Germany. He also hoped that Maria Theresa would cede most of Silesia in return for a promise of Prussian support against her other enemies, but her refusal to do so made war inevitable. Wilhelmine recorded that the two "soon became inseparable. [110] Frederick hoped these two victories would force Austria to negotiate, but Maria Theresa was determined not to make peace until she had recovered Silesia, and the war continued. How Frederick II (Frederick the Great, 1712-86) wanted to be seen after his first two wars, namely the First and Second Silesian War (1740-42 and 1744-45), is revealed in the 1746 painting by. Frederick was the eldest surviving son of Frederick William I, king of Prussia, and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, daughter of George I of Britain. [33] Frederick wrote to his sister that, "There can be neither love nor friendship between us",[34] and he threatened suicide,[35] but he went along with the wedding on 12 June 1733. He granted her the Schnhausen Palace and apartments at the Berliner Stadtschloss, but he prohibited Elisabeth Christine from visiting his court in Potsdam. He took very seriously his duties as king. [186] The reform was completed after Frederick's death, resulting in the Prussian Law Code of 1794, which balanced absolutism with human rights and corporate privilege with equality before the law. [168], Late in his life Frederick involved Prussia in the low-scale War of the Bavarian Succession in 1778, in which he stifled Austrian attempts to exchange the Austrian Netherlands for Bavaria. He is buried at his favourite residence, Sanssouci in Potsdam. [63] It nearly doubled Prussia's population and increased its territory by a third. Frederick William I died on May 31, 1740, and Frederick, on his accession, immediately made it clear to his ministers that he alone would decide policy. Frederick II | Biography, Accomplishments, Wars - Britannica Prussia greatly increased its territories and became a major military power in Europe under his rule. Encouraged and supported by his mother and his sister Wilhelmina, Frederick soon came into bitter conflict with his father. Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, & the Arts After nightfall, Frederick's body was interred in the terrace of the vineyard of Sanssouciin the still existing crypt he had built therewithout pomp, in accordance with his will. [169] For their part, the Austrians tried to pressure the French to participate in the War of Bavarian Succession since there were guarantees under consideration related to the Peace of Westphalia, clauses which linked the Bourbon dynasty of France and the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty of Austria. [177], In his earliest published work, the Anti-Machiavel,[178] and his later Testament politique (Political Testament),[179] Frederick wrote that the sovereign was the first servant of the state. The result was the signature in May of a Franco-Austrian defensive alliance. This policy allowed Prussia's population to recover very quickly from its considerable losses during Frederick's three wars.[212]. Author of. They were tutored by a French woman, Madame de Montbail, who had also educated Frederick William. His disappointment and contempt took the form of bitter public criticism and even outright physical violence, and Frederick, beaten and humiliated by his father, often over trifling details of behaviour, took refuge in evasion and deceit.

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