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HISTORY MAGAZINE. What’s So Great About Frederick? The Warrior King of Prussia. Son of an abusive father, Frederick II blossomed when he took the throne. He attracted the great thinkers of Europe...
- Early Years
- King in Prussia and Military Successes
- Spirituality, Sexuality, Artistry, and Racism
- Death and Legacy
- Sources
Frederick was born into the House of Hohenzollern, a major German dynasty. Hohenzollerns became kings, dukes, and emperors in the region from the establishment of the dynasty in the 11th century until the overthrow of the German aristocracy in the wake of World War I in 1918. Frederick’s father, King Frederick William I, was an enthusiastic soldier...
Frederick assumed the throne in 1740 after the death of his father. He was officially known as King in Prussia, not King of Prussia, because he only inherited a portion of what was traditionally known as Prussia—the lands and titles he assumed in 1740 were actually a series of small areas often separated by large areas not under his control. Over t...
Frederick was almost certainly gay, and, remarkably, was very open about his sexuality after his ascension to the throne, retreating to his estate in Potsdam where he conducted several affairs with male officers and his own valet, writing erotic poetry celebrating the male form and commissioning many sculptures and other works of art with distinct ...
Although most often remembered as a warrior, Frederick actually lost more battles than he won, and was often saved by political events outside his control—and the unparalleled excellence of the Prussian Army. While he was undoubtedly brilliant as a tactician and strategist, his main impact in military terms was the transformation of the Prussian Ar...
Domínguez, M. (2017, March). What’s So Great About Frederick? The Warrior King of Prussia. Retrieved March 29, 2018.Mansel, P. (2015, October 3). Atheist and gay, Frederick the Great was more radical than most leaders today. Retrieved March 29, 2018.- Jeffrey Somers
Frederick persuaded Emperor Leopold I to allow Prussia to be elevated to a kingdom by the Crown Treaty of 16 November 1700. This agreement was ostensibly given in exchange for an alliance against King Louis XIV in the War of the Spanish Succession and the provision of 8,000 Prussian troops to Leopold's service.
Frederick I (born July 11, 1657, Königsberg, Prussia [now Kaliningrad, Russia]—died Feb. 25, 1713, Berlin) was the elector of Brandenburg (as Frederick III), who became the first king in Prussia (1701–13), freed his domains from imperial suzerainty, and continued the policy of territorial aggrandizement begun by his father, Frederick ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled King in Prussia, declaring himself King of Prussia after annexing Royal Prussia from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Silesian wars , his reorganisation of the Prussian Army , the First Partition of Poland , and ...
Frederick the Great’s father laid the foundation for Frederick’s legendary military exploits by assembling a well-drilled professional army for Prussia. In the early eighteenth century, Prussia was one of dozens of minor German states, and it was far from the most powerful.
Key Points. Frederick the Great helped transform Prussia from a European backwater to an economically strong and politically reformed state. During his reign, the effects of the Seven Years’ War and the gaining of Silesia greatly changed the economy.
