Frederick the Great
January 24, 1712 - August 17, 1786
The great Kaiser of Prussia lead his country to great growth and power.
by Rit Nosotro First Published:: 2003( )
Frederick the second, more often called Frederick the Great, brought Prussia from a state of general weakness to that of great power and wealth. His motto throughout his life simply stated that he was the "first servant of the state."¹ He brought a great era to Prussia. Not only did he increase its military strength, but Frederick effectively doubled the holdings of Prussia. King Frederick II’s people loved him so greatly they classed him as an “enlightened monarch”².
Kaiser Frederick II was born in Berlin on January the 24th, 1712. His mother was Sophie Dorothea von Hannover while his father was Kaiser Frederick Wilhelm I, the soldier King. He had two sisters named Wilhelmine and Anna Amalia along with a brother named Heinrich. Frederick the Great, along with his sisters, loved music and to the chagrin of his father was not interested in the arts of war. Yet his father would not hear of Frederick II leading anything but a military life, and he would often beat his son to get his mind back onto subjects of war. Once, Frederick II tried to run away from his militaristic life with his friend Hans Hermann von Katte. They were eventually caught and von Katte was executed in front of Frederick II as an example. In this way Frederick II involuntarily grew up with an excellent military education.
Throughout Frederick II’s life he led Austria through many military victories and defeats. Using his great military genius, and especially that of Prime Minister Otto Von Bismarck, he took Prussia through three wars with Austria, Russia, and France. The largest of these wars was the Seven Years War. This war “pitted Great Britain, Prussia and Hanover against France, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony”³. Prussia came out of the war stronger than it went in, even considering its small pool of recourses. Frederick's work through the war effectively doubled the size of Prussia
King Frederick the Great lead a rather musical life when his father died
in 1740. Throughout his life he “composed 121 flute sonatas, four
flute concertos, a "Symphony" in G major, a March in E flat
major, various arias, and an overture to "Il Re pastore."4 Frederick
the second’s religious views remained hidden throughout his life,
and most thought that he was a deist who put his country first in his
life. He believed that “everyone must find his own salvation,”¹
and with that thought in mind he spread religious freedom throughout all
of Prussia. Frederick also brought great reform to Prussia. He gave the
press much more freedom and established more respect for the law. King
Frederick also established a pride in ones job. The people loved him for
his efforts, and looked up to him as a role model. Frederick the second
knew that to make you a strong country you must first have reform, and
then expansion.
Overall Frederick the Great was an excellent monarch who had the love
of his people backing him up. Throughout his reign Frederick II brought
great prosperity and land to Prussia. Prussia also was given great religious
freedom throughout the reign of Frederick the second. In the end, Frederick
the Great dramatically changed Prussia for the better, and his efforts
were still visible in the 20th century.
Endnotes:
¹ North Park University “Frederick II (The Great): 1740-1786”
World History. 24 September 2004 http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/WestEurope/FredGreat.html
² Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia “Frederick II of Prussia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” World History. 24 September 2004 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II_of_Prussia
³ Wikipedia, “Seven Years' War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” World History. 24 September 2004 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Years%27_War
4 HOASM, “HOASM: At the Court of Frederick the Great” World History. 24 September 2004. http://www.hoasm.org/XIB/XIBCourtFrederickGreat.html
