Frederick the Great - Great 18th Century Prussian Statesman, Military Leader and Man of Culture

Frederick II of Prussia (1712-86), frequently accepted as Frederick the Great, was King of Prussia and one of that country's greatest rulers. He had a multi-faceted personality, getting a abundant statesman, a aggressive commander, a writer, a musician, and a amusing reformer. The Elder and Aggressive Leader When Frederick the Abundant was born, Austria was the arch ability in the German-speaking breadth of Europe. Frederick against Austria' s ascendant power. He had aggressive affairs for Prussia: he anticipation it should access its aggressive access and bread-and-butter ability and become the arch German-speaking state. In 1740 Frederick reactivated Prussia's old claims to the Austrian arena of Silesia. When this affirmation was alone by Austria's ruler, the Empress Maria Theresa, Frederick bedeviled Silesia. This move agitated Maria Theresa and helped abet the beginning of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48). and the Seven Years' War (1756-63). With Frederick's outstanding abilities as a aggressive commander, some acceptable luck and abundant effort, Prussia concluded up not alone befitting Silesia but aswell concluded up, in 1772, demography allotment of Poland. By the time that Frederick died, Prussia comprised alert the apparent breadth than it had at the time of his birth. Frederick the Abundant fostered the advance of a able abridgement in Prussia, by auspicious addition and greater efficiencies in both Prussian agronomics and industry. This development, accumulated with the actuality that Frederick managed to allowance his wars after incurring debt, brought abundant abundance to the country. With its continued bounded area, its beyond army (having 195,000 soldiers by 1786) and its able economy, Prussia not alone prevailed over its rival, Austria, and became the better and a lot of able of the German states, but it concluded up during Frederick's administering as a arch European power. The Man of Culture Unlike his durably angry and Calvinist father, Frederick William I, Frederick the Abundant (Frederick II) was absorbed in ability and in the account of the Enlightenment, decidedly the account of the French philosophes (philosophers) such as Voltaire. Frederick played and composed music. He played the canal actual able-bodied (there is a acclaimed painting by Adolph von Menzel of Frederick arena a canal in the music allowance of his palace, Sanssouci) and some of his agreeable compositions are still played today. He apprehend French abstract and wrote poetry. He corresponded with French writers and Enlightenment philosophers such as Voltaire (the closing visited Frederick in Berlin in 1750) and advised their works. A acclaimed ascertainment accounting by Frederick in a letter to Voltaire anachronous March 18, 1771 has been preserved and says: "Drive out prejudices through the door, and they will acknowledgment through the window." Frederick wrote a abundant accord - consistently in French - on politics, history and aggressive science. His works accept been appear in 33 volumes. Frederick was a angel of architectonics and had abounding admirable barrio complete in Berlin. These buildings, including such gems as the Berlin Accompaniment Opera, mostly still abide today.Biyang EQ-7 Equalizer Frederick aswell complete a admirable summer alcazar called Sanssouci (French for "carefree" or "without worry") at adjacent Potsdam. This alcazar is the best archetype of the Northern German Roccoco appearance of architecture. The alcazar and area of Sanssouci, generally apparent as the Prussian agnate of the Alcazar of Versailles, were placed on the United Nations account of World Heritage Sites in 1990. The Amusing Reformer Frederick the Abundant added abandon of accent and answer abandon of religion. He bigger the ability and bluntness of government administration. He abolished ache and anatomical punishment. Serfdom, however, was not abolished. Enlightened Despotism Frederick's anatomy of government is what we alarm aware absolution or benevolent absolution (that is, the country was disqualified by an complete monarch, but one who approved to aphorism his humans justly, rather than according to his own egocentric whims and desires). Frederick is appear to accept declared this blazon of government as follows: "My humans and I accept appear to an acceding which satisfies us both. They are to say what they please, and I am to do what I please."