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.