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 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 the seconds work through the war gained Prussia much land and territory. The land mass of Prussia effectively doubled in size.

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