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Text:
During his reign, he was considered among the most notable of enlightened
despots in 18th century Europe.
As crown prince he was trained, under his father's supervision, to become
a soldier and a thrifty administrator. Frederick, however, encouraged by
his mother and his tutors, showed a preference for courtly life, music,
and French literature. Frederick William, failing to understand the tastes
of his son, developed an open dislike for him. At the age of 18, Frederick
decided to escape to England; his proposed plan was discovered, and he was
arrested, imprisoned, temporarily deprived of his status as crown prince,
and forced to witness the execution of one of his two confederates. After
he had subsequently applied himself diligently to fiscal and military
affairs, Frederick was reinstated to his position as crown prince. He then
went to live for seven years on his estate at Rheinsburg, where, in his
leisure time, he studied philosophy, history, and poetry and corresponded
with the French philosophers, notably Voltaire. In his Antimachiavell,
written during that period and published by Voltaire in 1740, Frederick
idealistically opposed the political doctrines of the Italian statesman
and philosopher Niccol Machiavelli, favoring peaceful and enlightened
rule.
King and Military Leader
On the death of his father in 1740 Frederick became king and embarked
almost immediately on a policy of Prussian aggrandizement. When Maria
Theresa became archduchess of Austria in that same year, Frederick
demanded the cession of duchies of Silesia in return for Prussian
recognition of the Pragmatic Sanction, which gave the Austrian Habsburg
dominions to Maria Theresa. Refused by Austria, Frederick invaded Silesia,
commencing the War of the Austrian Succession. He led his forces to
victory at Mollwitz in 1741 and at Chotusitz in 1742; in the latter year,
by the Treaty of Breslau, Maria Theresa was obliged to yield the Silesian
territory demanded by Prussia. Frederick acquired East Friesland (now a
region of Germany) in 1744, on the death of the last ruler without heirs
of that principality, and in 1745 he fought and won a second war with
Austria, terminated by the Peace of Dresden, which assured Prussia the
possession of Silesia.
By this time Frederick was recognized as an able military leader, and the
position of Prussia in Europe had risen considerably. The military
greatness of Frederick was demonstrated during the Seven Years' War,
fought from 1756 to 1763. Frederick and his forces, aided only by
financial assistance from Great Britain, which was at war with France,
opposed the armies of Austria, Russia, Sweden, Saxony, and France. The
Peace of Hubertusburg in 1763 awarded Prussia no new territory, as it
merely confirmed the boundaries that had existed before the war; at the
end of the war, however, Prussia was established as a rival to Austria for
domination of the German states. Frederick made an alliance with Catherine
II of Russia, in 1764, and by the first partition of Poland in 1772 he
received Polish Prussia, exclusive of Gdask (Danzig) and Toru (Thorn),
thus uniting the regions of Brandenburg and Pomerania. By the Treaty of
Teschen in 1779, after the War of the Bavarian Succession, a short
conflict with Austria, Prussia was awarded the Franconian principalities
of Bavaria; Austria retained only a part of Lower Bavaria. A further step
was made toward destroying Austrian dominance in 1785, when Frederick
gathered the German princes into a union of princes, the Frstenbund, to
preserve the constitution of the Holy Roman Empire.
Administrator
Frederick was extremely sympathetic to the American Revolution and was an
admirer of George Washington. He was one of the first sovereigns to
conclude a commercial treaty with the United States. He did not, however,
limit his activities to the international scene; internal affairs
flourished during his reign. His rule was absolute; he was a ubiquitous
administrator, constantly checking the work of his officials, from whom he
exacted the utmost in conscientiousness. Under his rule new methods of
agriculture and manufacturing were introduced. Marshes were drained,
providing new lands for cultivation and colonization and the institution
of serfdom, while not abolished, was somewhat liberalized. Under
Frederick's personal supervision the efficiency and size of the army were
increased. He reviewed the troops frequently, concerned himself with the
discipline of his officers and men, and wrote works for his generals on
the science of warfare. In 1747 Frederick, who was particularly interested
in the equitable distribution of justice to all classes, issued a new
codification of Prussian law, the Codex Fridericianus.
Patron of Culture
Frederick continued to patronize the arts and sciences throughout his
life. The Academy of Sciences again became an important center of learning
during his reign, and elementary education progressed as under no previous
Prussian sovereign. In his favorite residence, the palace of Sans Souci,
Frederick held court, but always entertained with judicious economy.
Contemptuous of the German language and culture, Frederick spoke French at
court and patronized French writers, many of whom, including Voltaire,
paid him visits in Berlin. Frederick himself was a musician, spending many
hours with his flute. He was also a prolific writer; his complete works
were published in 30 volumes between 1846 and 1857.
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- Title: Microsoft Encarta 1994 ed.
- Title: "Castles" Game Manuel by Interplay Productions
- Title: GEDCOM File : Geoffroy.ged
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