Frederick the Great

Frederick II (The Great)

Frederick the Great

            Frederick II who later becomes known as Frederick the Great was born February 24, 1712 and became the 3^rd King in Prussia in 1740 at the age of 28. His military skills and leadership during the Seven Years War is how he earned the name Frederick the Great. Through his military leadership and skills, he greatly increased the territory of Prussia. He ruled until he died in August of 1786 and was buried at Sanssouci in Potsdam.

 

Grave of Frederick the Great

His childhood was heavily based on military influence and involvement that was pressed upon him by his father King Frederick William I. From an early age he was taught French, German, and history. He didn’t see eye to eye with his father and attempted to escape to England with his close friend Hans Hermann von Katte but was arrested though later pardoned. He was forced to marry Princess Elizabeth from a German princely family, but he had little to do with her, and had no children with her so when he died,  the throne was passed on to his nephew Frederick William II of Prussia.

Map of the Growth of Prussia from 1600-1795. Silesia was
added as a result of the the Silesian Wars and West Prussia was
added with the 1st partion of Poland all of which happened under
leadership of Frederick the Great.

 

In 1740 when Frederick II became King in Prussia, Prussia was ranked 10^th among other European nations in territory size, they were 13^th in terms of population, but 3^rd or 4^th in military power. Shortly after Emperor Charles VI died war broke out because he had left no heir and no other country would recognize his daughter Maria Theresa as the ruler of Austria and they took advantage of the Hapsburg Empires weakness. Frederick II risked his throne and the status of Prussia when he attacked Austria in order to gain Silesia. He manages to succeed. This is known as the 1^st Silesia War (1740-1742). The 2^nd Silesia War (1744-1745), Prussia received the greater part of Silesia for the recognition of Maria Theresa as the heir to the Hapsburg throne. But in 1756 the Seven Years War broke out and this time Prussia faced opposition from France, Russia, and Austria. Again Frederick II through his strong military leadership and skills came out on top in that war as well and is how he gained the name Frederick the Great. In 1777, when Poland was partitioned, Prussia received the Polish province of West Prussia.

 

In addition to his strong military leadership and expansion, Frederick the Great influenced the rise of Prussia in other ways such as reform. He established religious tolerance, freedom of press, abolished judicial torture, and established a German code of law. He was considered an enlightened monarch. He thought of the kingship as his duty to the people to protect them from foreign danger, help them to prosper, provide laws that tended to their needs, and didn’t rely on a subordinate to make decisions for him. He also had buildings like the Berlin State Opera, and St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin built. Strangely though he favored French culture over German culture.

 

Music composed by Frederick the Great. Frederick the Great is often given credit for composing Der Hohenfriedberger Marsch (right). It was written right after the his victory at the battle at Hohenfriedberger during the Silesian War.This is a link to Frederick the Great's Concerto for Flute and Orchestra No. 3 in C majo:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foIIbU8qadQ&feature=relmfu

 

Frederick the Great was not just a military figure, he was also a talented musician. He played flute and composed music such as Concerto for Flute and Stringed Orchestra No. 3 in C major, Sinfornia for strings and continuo No 3 in D major, and is often credited for writing the Hohenfriedberger March. He also wrote poetry and was a philosopher.

This a painting by Adolph Menzel entitled Flute Concert with Frederick the Great in Sanssouci.

 

Though also a composer, musician, philosopher, and writer, Frederick the Great is most known for his military advances and territory expansion of Prussia. It was through his talents as a military leader that helped lead to the rise of the Prussian empire and provided a step in the direction of the eventual unification of Germany.

 

Sources:

Bakshian Jnr, Aram. 1976. "Father and Son Fredrick William and Fredrick the Great." History Today 26, no. 5: 293. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 26, 2012).

"Frederick II." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/217849/Frederick-II>.

McVety, Amanda Kay. “Frederick II (The Great) 1740-1786.” EbChron:The Web Chronology Project. (December 1998) Accessed on November 25, 2012 from http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/westeurope/FredGreat.html.

 

Schulze, Hagen. Germany: A New History. Translated by Deborah Lucas Schneider. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1998.

Charlottenburg Palace



Charlottenburg Palace

Charlottenburg Palace

            The Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss) was built in 1699 for Sophie Charlotte, wife of Elector Frederick III who later becomes King Frederick I.  Throughout the 18^th century the Schloss was greatly expanded. It was decorated in the Baroque/ Rococo style influenced heavily by the French. It includes a large garden surrounded by woods, and other buildings including a belvedere, a mausoleum, a theatre and a pavilion built on the property. The Palace was damaged during an air raid in WWII but was completely restored. It is the largest palace in Berlin and the only building in Berlin that dates back to the time of the Hohenzollern family. It holds the largest collection of 18^th and 19^th century French paintings outside of France.

Map of the Charlottenburg Palace

 

Building/Expansion of the Schloss by Hohenzollern Dynasty

            The building of the original central part of the Schloss began in 1695 and was completed in 1699. It was meant to be a summer residence home for Elector Frederick III’s wife, Sophie Charlotte. The building was designed by Johann Arnold Nering. Between 1709-1712 after Fredrick III was made the first Prussian King, expansions of the Schloss began on the west side; adding a new wing, a cupola and an Orangery. Only minor changes to the Schloss were made during the reign of Frederick Wilhelm II and Frederick Wilhelm III. A small Theater and the Belvedere Tea house were built. In 1740, Frederick II (Frederick the Great) had the east wing added on to the Schloss and it designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff. Even though Frederick the Great had the Schloss worked on, he choose to reside in the palace in Potsdam.  

                                                                                       The cupola that was added to the Charlottenburg  Palace between 1709-1712.

The "Schinkel Pavillion" or New Pavillion was built in 1824/1825

for Frederick William III (Prussian King at the time).

It is located in the garden of the Charlottenburg Palace.

 

Interior of the Schloss

            The interior of the Schloss was decorated in the Baroque/Rococo style. The Baroque period originated in Italy during the late 16th century, next spreading to France, and continued to spread throughout Europe lasting in some areas like Germany until the 18th century. The later Baroque style is often referred to as Rococo. The Baroque period was influenced by the Counter Reformation of the Catholics. The style had architectural plans based on an oval, emphasized contrast in lighting often done with the use of windows, rooms were long and narrow, made use of bright,dark colors, had vividly painting ceilings, used lots of ornaments made of wood, stucco, or marble, and emphasized curved lines. The Baroque style was very dramatic. The Rococo style was similar to Baroque but it emphasized soft, pastel colors and nature.

The Mausoleum was built in 1810 on the west side of the Park for the burial of royal family members. Queen Louise, Prince Albert, Emperor Wilhelm I, and his wife Empress Augusta, Princess Liegnitz (2^nd wife of Frederick Wilhelm III, and within a stone casket lies the heart of Frederick Wilhelm IV. 

                      The Red Room

 

 The Porcelain Room in the Palace

There are many different rooms and apartments within the Schloss. Located in the east end the Schloss are the Oak Gallery with walls paneled in oak and displaying many oil paintings, the Porcelain Gallery which has lots of mirrors and Chinese porcelain, the White Hall which was the dining room, the Gallery of Romantics which is home to the collection of paintings from the German Romantic Period. In the west wing is the Schlosskapelle which is where King Frederick Wilhelm II was married. The Golden Gallery is an important room that exemplifies the Rococo style of decorating. The walls are four times longer than they are wide, there are windows on both sides, and it is decorated with many stucco ornaments against a pink and green background.

 

The Golden Room

 

 

 

   Der Schlosspark

 

  The original park was modeled on the French Baroque style designed by Simeon Godeau. During the 18^th and 19^th century is it evolved into a more English style of landscape and then after WWII it returned to its original Baroque design. The Belvedere Tea house located in the north part of the park now contains 18^th and early19^th century Berlin porcelain.  The Mausoleum was built in 1810 on the west side of the Park for the burial of royal family members.  Also located in the park is the Schinkel Pavillion. Located near the entrance to the palace is the statue of Frederick William of Brandenburg also known as the Great Elector (der Große Kurfuerst).

 

The statue of Frederick William of Brandenburg also known as the Great Elector (der Große Kurfuerst)  was originally in place at the Lange Brücke but during WWII while being moved sunk to the bottom of Tegeler See but was recovered and is now located at the Charlottenburg Palace.

 

Significance of the Hohenzollern Family

 

The Hohenzollern dynasty was the established ruling family of Brandenburg and Prussia from the early 15th century until the end of WWI. The ruling of this family brought the hundreds of kingdoms of Germany together to form a nation-state which was unified in 1871. Before Frederick William (later known at the Great Elector) the territories under the Hohenzollern rule were not unified and often in conflict with each other. The Great Elector emphasized a strong army and weakened independence for cities. From his rule onward Prussia grew in size and influence. Frederick I established Prussia as a Kingdom and Brandenburg became part of Prussia in 1701 when he declared himself the King. Brandenburg is a small state with Berlin as its Capital. Frederick the Great greatly increased the territory of Prussia through purchase, conquest, and annexation. Frederick William IV helped lead the German kingdoms to unity and was elected the first Emperor under a united Germany though he refused the position. The significance of the Hohenzollern family in Germany is that under their leadership, Germany became united for the first time.

 

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