24th January 1712 was the birth-date of King
Frederick II of Prussia, known to history as Frederick the Great.
He is known primarily as a military genius who established
Prussia’s influence as a leading power in Europe and laid the foundation for
this northern German territory to become the dominant force in what eventually
become united Germany.
When he became king in 1740 the Prussian army numbered
83,000 men; by the time of his death in 1786 that figure had risen to 190,000
out of a total population of 2.5 million. Military might was the foremost
consideration of Frederick’s foreign policy – it has been estimated that during
the Seven Years War of 1756-63 Prussian losses amounted to 15% of the entire
male population. However, despite this casualty rate Frederick managed to
inflict defeats on all his enemies, most notably Austria and France.
However, Frederick was also one of the most cultured
European rulers. He composed music, played the flute, wrote poetry and
collected art. He was a patron and friend of Voltaire, with whom he shared a
sceptical view of life. He was also an enlightened ruler, albeit an autocrat,
who abolished the use of torture within the Prussian judicial system.
Despite his nationalism and aggression towards his European
neighbours, Frederick rarely spoke German, preferring to write and speak mostly
in French.
© John Welford
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