Frederick the Great1712-1786

Background

• Frederick was born in Berlin• Was a member of the Hohenzollern

dynasty• Was a rebellious teen and tried to

escape his father’s tyrannical rule• Had to watch his friend get

beheaded

• House of Hohenzollern

• Frederick assumed the throne in 1740 and became king of Prussia

• From 1740-1748, Frederick fought the war of Austrian Sucession to gain Silesia from Austria

• Prussia won and gained Silesia

• Maria Theresa, Habsburg Empress (Austria)

Seven Years War

• By 1756, an alliance of Austria, Russia, Sweden and France was forming against Prussia

• The Seven Years War began as Prussia invaded Saxony

• Prussia was getting invaded frequently

• Some consider this the 1st world war

• Frederick would lead his men into battle

• Prussia was close to losing but was saved when Empress Elizabeth of Russia died in 1762

• This allowed the anti-Prussian coalition to break up

• Prussia did not gain territory, but kept Silesia

Later Achievements

• Frederick was considered an enlightened despot• This is an absolute monarch in which

a ruler uses power to make positive social and political changes

• He was a patron of Bach and Voltaire

• Frederick also split up Poland with other powers

• Abolished torture• Built canals• Grew new crops (potato and

turnip)• Religious toleration

• Frederick’s summer palace in Sans Souci (just outside Berlin)