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 3rd
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.
In 1740 when Frederick II became
King in Prussia, Prussia was ranked 10th among other European
nations in territory size, they were 13th in terms of population,
but 3rd or 4th 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 1st Silesia War
(1740-1742). The 2nd 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.