Frederick the Great or Frederick II (Born on 24 January 1712 – Died on 17 August 1786) was a 3rd Prussian king and military leader who ruled the Kingdom of Prussia from 1740 until 1786, at the age of 46 years, he was the longest-serving king of any House of Hohenzollern.
His most significant achievements during his reign included his military victories, his reorganization of the Prussian armies, his sponsorship of the arts and the Enlightenment, and his final success in the Seven Years’ War against the major European powers of the time.
Frederick was the last monarch Hohenzollern entitled King in Prussia and declared himself king of Prussia after achieving sovereignty over most historically Prussian lands in 1772. By the end of his reign, Prussia had greatly increased its territories and had become a true military power.
Almost all German historians of the 19th century regard Frederick the Great as the romantic model of a warrior to be given glory, as his leadership, administrative efficiency, devotion to the duty of government, and success in the building are praised. a Prussia capable of assuming a leading role in Europe.
He remains an admired and historical figure after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I; thus, Nazism glorifies him as the German leader who precedes the figure of Hitler. Frederick II was an enlightened and relatively progressive King for his time. He was a high leader of Freemasonry regular and decisively supported the Enlightenment.
He tried to give a twist to the Monarchy of his time. However, being succeeded by his nephew, a religious conservative, the enlightened project comes to a halt. Militarily he was brilliant and very aggressive. But unlike the authoritarianism of his father, he had a different project of society.
He became known as Frederick the Great and was nicknamed Der Alte Fritz (Old Fritz) by the Prussian people and, eventually, the rest of Germany.
Facts About Frederick The Great
- Born: 24 January 1712, Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, (Present-day Germany)
- Full name: Frederick II or Frederick the Great
- Nickname: Der Alte Fritz (Old Fritz)
- Known For: Enlightenment Ideas and Military Reforms
- Reign: 31 May 1740 – 17 August 1786
- Predecessor: Frederick William I
- Successor: Frederick William II
- Spouse: Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern
- Nationality: German, Prussian
- House: Hohenzollern
- Religion: Calvinism
- Father: Frederick William I of Prussia
- Mother: Sophia Dorothea of Hanover
- Death: 17 August 1786, (aged 74), Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia
- Cause of Death: Asthma, Gout, and other Ailments
- Burial: Sanssouci, Potsdam
Frederick The Great Biography
Frederick II was born in Berlin on January 24, 1712, son of Frederick William I of Prussia and his wife, Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, he was baptized with the sole name Friedrich. Frederick’s birth is welcomed by his grandfather, Frederick I of Prussia, with a little more emphasis than usual, as two of his grandchildren had died at an early age.
On his death, in 1713, Frederick William I becomes the new king and Frederick becomes the crown prince. The new king wants his sons and daughters to be educated as ordinary people and not as royalty, so Frederick’s education is entrusted to a Huguenot governess, with whom he simultaneously learns French and German.
However, despite his father’s wish that his upbringing is entirely religious and pragmatic, Federico leans toward French literature and other intellectual concerns. With the help of his tutor, Jacques Egide Duhan de Jandun (1685–1746), Frederick obtains a secret 3,000-volume library of poetry, Greek and Roman literature, and French philosophy, with which he supplements his official lessons.
In addition, we are encouraged by his mother and tutors to correspond with philosophers of the Enlightenment, which contrasts with its rejection of the discipline of the Court and the Prussian military traditions.
Although his father, Frederick William I, is a devout Lutheran, he fears its own fundamental dogma: unconditional election. To prevent this thought from causing problems in the way of thinking of his son, Frederick William I orders that he not be taught anything related to the ideas of Calvinism, especially that the word predestination should not even be mentioned.
Despite the fact that Frederick is not very devoted, he does end up adopting the same Calvinist ideas, despite his father’s efforts. Some historians consider that he could take this drift, precisely, to contradict him.
Frederick The Great Reign
Frederick the Great acceded to the throne at 28 years of age. A new chapter in the life of Frederick II and European history begins after the death of Frederick William I on May 31, 1740.
At the time of his accession to the throne as King in Prussia in 1740, Prussia was made up of a variety of separate territories, including the Duchy of Cleves, the County of Mark, and the County of Ravensberg, west of the Holy Roman Empire; the Margraviate of Brandenburg, West Pomerania and Central Pomerania, east of the Empire, and the Kingdom of Prussia (the former Duchy of Prussia), outside the Empire and bordering the Republic of Two Nations.
The title King in Prussia referred to the dominion exclusively over the old Duchy, and Frederick would declare himself King of Prussia from 1772, after having acquired much of the rest of the Prussian region.
During his long reign (1740 to 1786) he became an exponent of enlightened despotism, in which he introduced some reforms inspired by this trend. It promotes the codification of Prussian law, according to the principle that the law must protect the weakest: abolition of torture, judicial independence.
It encourages colonization based on immigrants from the most depopulated and backward areas of the kingdom. Practice customs protectionism for your industry. In his military campaigns, his great capacity and vision, tactics, and strategy stand out, so much so that he is considered one of the greatest military geniuses in all of history, and that he is even compared to Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, or Napoleon I.
Frederick The Great Military Reforms
In 1740, when he ascended the Austrian throne Maria Teresa, daughter of the emperor Charles VI, Frederick II invaded Silesia, taking advantage of the moment when Austria was especially vulnerable, taking possession of this territory by the Battle of Mollwitz.
It was the beginning of the Austrian Succession War. Shortly thereafter, the Kingdom of Prussia and Austria signed a secret peace treaty that recognized Frederick II’s achievements and allowed the Austrian army to withdraw to Moravia.
The Austrian succession war confirmed the possession of Silesia by the Prussian king. In 1744 Frederick II invaded Bohemia but did not achieve the expected success. Exhausted, his army retreated to Silesia, where he won three decisive victories, after which the Treaty of Dresden (1745) was signed.
In half a century, Prussia has tripled its population due to the acquisition of Silesia through that treaty. Victorious in that conflict, to the detriment of the Habsburgs, he would soon be threatened by the creation of a coalition formed by Austria and the Russian Empire.
Allying himself with Britain, he ended up preemptively invading Saxony in 1756, initiating the Seven Years’ War. During this war, Frederick successfully resisted the combined efforts of France, Austria, and Russia. During this conflict, his kingdom was attacked on all sides, and Berlin was occupied twice by enemy troops.
However, the king, maneuvering quickly by interior lines, obtained great victories, such as in the battles of Rossbach, Leuthen, and Prague. In the end, when Prussia was exhausted, Frederick II was saved by the death of the Russian Empress, and the accession to the throne of Emperor Peter III, who admired him.
The conflict over, he perseveringly reorganized his states, weakened by the war. In 1772, taking advantage of Poland’s first division, Frederick II acquired Polish Prussia, a territory located between Pomerania and eastern Prussia. He is considered one of the greatest military chiefs in history.
The Seven Years’ War
In 1756, Frederick the great attacked the allied Austria Saxony and entered Dresden. He justified his actions with a “preemptive strike”, arguing that a Russian-Austrian coalition had formed against Prussia, which was ready for aggression. This was followed by the bloody battle of Lobozitsk, in which Frederick won.
In May 1757, Frederick II took Prague, but then on June 18, 1757, he was defeated at the Battle of Kolinsky. From this moment on, a “black streak” begins in their life of Friedrich. His generals are losing battles on all fronts. In October 1757, the Austrians briefly captured the capital of Prussia, Berlin.
However, Frederick the Great found the strength for a counterattack: on November 5 in the battle of Rosbach, he crushes the French, and on December 5 at Leuthen – the Austrians. The battle of Zorndorf on August 25, 1758, ended with an uncertain outcome, and the defeat at the Battle of Kunersdorf dealt a mortal blow to Frederick.
The Austrians occupied Dresden, and the Russians briefly captured Berlin. The victory in the battle of Liegnitz provided some respite, but Frederick was finally exhausted. Only the contradictions between the Austrian and Russian generals kept him from final collapse.
The sudden death of the Russian Empress Elizabeth in 1761 brought unexpected deliverance. The new Russian Emperor Peter III the Great turned out to be a great admirer of Frederick’s talent, with whom he signed the Petersburg Peace Treaty.
Empress Catherine II, who gained power as a result of a palace coup, not only confirmed the Petersburg Peace but also withdrew all Russian troops from the occupied territories of Prussia. Over the following decades, she maintained friendly relations with Frederick in line with the politics of the so-called. northern chord.
At the initiative of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, peace negotiations were held in the Saxon castle of Hubertusburg in 1763, which resulted in a “zero option”.
Frederick the Great Death
In September 1785, Frederick the great suffered a heart attack. His health had deteriorated earlier, yet he did not stop working and managing state affairs both before and after the heart attack. Frederick was never physically energetic, from childhood he was a person of poor health, and his ascetic lifestyle, unhealthy, rich in spicy spices and roots diet additionally made them worse.
In the last year of life, however, asthma developed circulation problems and aqua. But the strength of his steadfast spirit clearly dominated the weak body; until the end of his days, he systematically and consistently fulfilled what he considered his duty, getting up after about six hours of sleep at 4 or 5 am and immediately proceeding to state affairs.
On the morning of August 16, 1786, the king lost consciousness, which he most likely did not regain. He died on August 17, 1786, seated at his desk in his palace. In 1741, he write a note.
According to the words he said: “I lived like a philosopher and I want to be buried like a philosopher” (next to his crypt there is a private cemetery for his dogs, where everyone the pet has its own marble tomb), on September 9, there was a ceremonial royal funeral in the garrison church of Potsdam.
Frederick The Great Quotes
- Diplomacy without arms is like a concert without a score.
- It has been said by a certain general, that the first object in the establishment of an army ought to be making provision for the belly, that being the basis and foundation of all operations.
- He who cannot stand misfortune does not deserve good fortune.
- He who defends everything defends nothing.
- The greatest and noblest pleasure which men can have in this world is to discover new truths, and the next is to shake off old prejudices.
- The more I see of men, the better I like my dog.
- A man, who can, in cold blood, hunt, and torture a poor, innocent animal, cannot feel much compassion for the distress of his own species.