The Making of the Modern World
Important People and Their Milieux (1700-1850)

Background to the Enlightenment

Frederick the Great

 

A Little Background on Prussia  <-- a link to a map of Prussia

(Frederick's Stomping Grounds)

 

Prussia was originally inhabited by West Slavic tribes who are related to modern Poles and Lithuanians. In 1226, this region was invaded and conquered by the Teutonic Knights, who were a military religious order. The Teutonic knights converted the pagan Prussians to Christianity. In 1454, the Knights were thrown out of Prussia with the help neighboring Lithuanians and Poles. When the Protestant Reformation came about in the 1500s, most of the Prussians converted to Protestantism; however the people of Poland remained Roman Catholic, and still are today. At this time Prussia was divided into two different segments: in the East lay Royal Prussia, and in the West lay Ducal Prussia. “Royal” and “Ducal” are just fancy ways to distinguish themselves. Almost like North and South Dakota , except they used “Royal” and “Ducal.”

This is a map of Prussia around the 1500th century.  You can see Royal Prussia (in green) on the left, and Ducal Prussia (in blue/green) on the right.

Frederick II  

In 1525, Ducal Prussia became ruled by a hereditary line started by Albrecht Hohenzollern, (Ho-en-zal-ern) who happened to be the last grand master of the Teutonic Knights . Throughout Albrecht's rule, he gained the throne of Royal Prussia too; uniting all of Prussia . The Hohenzollern family was like the Hapsburgs in most parts of Europe , or the Romonov line in Russia . However, they were considered not as high-classed, and a lot less dignified. Albrecht, the founder, happened to be the start of this family line which gradually became very powerful over time. One great Hohenzollern who led Prussia to immense power was King Friedrich II ( Frederick the Great) who took the throne in 1772. At this time, Prussia had expanded more after annexing and gaining other regions. Some of Prussia 's land was not connected to the main segment because of some leadership deaths far away. Prussia would then just inherit the plots of land. The main part of Prussia however, consisted of five provinces. They were known as Brandenburg , Pomerania , Danzig , West Prussia (that is Ducal Prussia from before), and East Prussia (Royal Prussia). This covered “modern day Germany , northern Poland , and a small portion of Russia .” (A Breif History of Prussia) 

Frederick the Great.

(Prussia/Germany)

 

 

Frederick the Great

 

 

So our man was born in Berlin in 1712. At this time we have the Enlightenment , which has been going on for a while now. At this time, the Mughal Empire was also in action in West Asia . Frederick 's dad was known as Frederick William I, or the King of Prussia , entitling Fredrick to the throne. Frederick's servants and maids taught him how to be a Prince. He learned how to be a good administrator, a good soldier, and a well rounded human being. His mother persuaded his tutors to give him tastes in “courtly life, French Literature, and music.” (Frederick II) This resulted in Frederick having interests that his dad didn't understand, resulting in a mutual disliking. At the age of 18, Frederick attempted to escape to England away from his father. However, his plan was discovered so he was arrested and imprisoned. After he did his time, he settled down and married a lass named Elizabeth Christine in 1733. For nine years he spent relaxing on his summer estate with his wife. He read about history, poetry, and philosophy that corresponded with French Philosophes, more specifically Voltaire. Voltaire was a big inspiration to Frederick as it encouraged him to rule peacefully and open-minded once the throne was his.

 

In 1740, Frederick William I died, leaving the title of the throne to Frederick . The first thing that Frederick was interested in was annexing the region of Silesia in Austria . At this time, Austria had also just received a new ruler, Maria Teresa. Because Austria refused just to give them the territory, Frederick invaded Silesia marking the war of the Austrian Succession. He was victorious in 1742 at the city of Chotusitz , which was the last city that needed to be conquered in Silesia . (The link has a map of Prussia after the annexation of Silesia . Silesia is in the darkish green to the south.) Because of these losses, Maria Teresa was forced to oblige by signing the treaty of Breslau in 1742. This gave the Silesian territory to Prussia , which was Frederick 's original goal. In 1744, Prussia acquired a small region called East Friesland (located in Present-day Germany) after the death of a ruler who didn't have any heirs. (Frederick II)

With the assistance of Frederick 's military expeditions, Prussia 's status had risen in Europe . At this point, Prussia had the biggest army in all of Europe . This army posed as a big threat to neighboring nations and the rest of Europe . Frederick really proved his greatness during the Seven Years War (1756-1763). During the war, Prussia and England took on Austria , Russia , Sweden , Saxony , and France . At one point in the war, England was fighting France on American Soil! (You might know this as the French and Indian War) However, France was demolished by England in the Americas . At a certain point in the war, it looked like Prussia was in trouble. However, what brought Frederick the victory was in 1762, when Peter III took the throne in Russia . As it turns out, Peter was a big admirer of Frederick , so he withdraws his Russian forces from fighting. Because of this Russia and Austria 's original goal of demolishing Prussia was eliminated. And the first semi-global ended, giving England and Prussia the win. In 1779, the war of the Bavarian Succession took place amongst Austria and Prussia . After the Seven Years War, Frederick had doubled the land area of Prussia from when he started to rule. The population within Prussia had also increased a significant amount.

Painting of the Seven Years War. 

(The Seven Years War Website.)

 

 

Frederick did many other great things that weren't military related. Internationally, Frederick the Great had admired George Washington and was sympathetic to the American Revolution. So he became the ruler of one of the first sovereigns to form a commercial treaty with the United States . Within Prussia , he was an “absolute ruler and a ubiquitous administrator.” (Frederick II) He was constantly checking the work of his officials to make sure that they weren't getting power hungry. During his reign, new systems of agriculture and manufacturing were introduced. For example, more land was provided by draining marshes that were impossible to cultivate before. In 1747, Frederick established a new set of Prussian laws known as the Codex Fridericianus.(Here's a link about the Codex Fridericianus . Scroll down to the section under “Administration”) This new set of laws was focused upon the “distribution of justice to all classes.” (Frederick II) However, Frederick II still was mean to some people. He didn't care about the serfs at all because he didn't want them to gain power. He did all these great things for the upper class, but didn't abolish serfdom. Frederick also had a religious tolerance to a certain extent. He was tolerant to every religion but Judaism.

"Ich bin der erste Diener meines Staates." ("I am the first servant of my state.")

  -Frederick the Great

Frederick II with Voltaire.

(Voltaire's later life)

 Throughout the rest of Frederick 's life he continued to study the entire spectrum of knowledge that he had started to do before his rule. He began to speak French in his courts and started to write French poetry as well. He spent many hours on his flute because he was a musician himself. He also studied science and history. To encourage the youth of Prussia , he establish schools and education. The schools were only for the noble children though, he still didn't care about serfs. Frederick the Great was still fascinated with the works and ideas of Voltaire. After having Voltaire as Chamberlain for 20,000 Francs a year (1750-1753), Frederick invited him to go back to Prussia many times. Frederick was inspired by Voltaire so much that he became a prolific writer himself. All of his works were published over 30 volumes during the late 1800s. His works were just reiterating previous enlightenment statements set forth by Voltaire and others. In 1786, Frederick died at his favorite place, known as Sans Souci. Because Frederick and Elizabeth Christine didn't have any children, his nephew, Frederick William II, took the throne, continuing Prussia 's greatness.

 

 

Works Consulted

 

 

“A Brief History of Prussia .” 5 May 2004.

<http://www.kolpack.com/packnet/prussia.html>.

 

“Frederick II.” Microsoft Encarta . 5 May 2004.

 

“Frederick II of Prussia .” Wikipedia . 5 May 2004.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II_of_Prussia>.

 

“ Frederick the Great.” Munger . 5 May 2004.

<http://www.munger.ca/history/frederickthegreat.html>.

 

“ Frederick the Great 1712 – 1786 King of Prussia .” 5 May 2004.

<http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n/people_n2/persons6_n2/frederick.html>.

 

“Growth of Brandenburg-Prussia.” High Beam Research . 7 May 2004.

<http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0860564.html>.

 

Hooker, Richard. The European Enlightenment. 8 May 2004.

<http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ENLIGHT/ENLIGHT.HTM>.

 

“Prussia/Germany.” The Enlightenment . 8 May 2004.

<http://www.newgenevacenter.org/portrait/frederick-ii.jpg>.

 

The Mughal Empire. 8 May 2004.

<http://sun.menloschool.org/~sportman/westernstudies/first/1718/2000/eblock/mughal/>.

 

“The Seven Years War.” Lexnet . 8 May 2004.

<http://www.lexnet.dk/images/General/syw01.jpg>.

 

The Seven Years War Website . 8 May 2004.

<http://www.militaryheritage.com/7yrswar.htm>.

 

“The Teutonic Order of Holy Mary in Jerusalem .” The Papal Orders. 8 May 2004.

<http://www.chivalricorders.org/vatican/teutonic.htm>.

 

“Voltaire's Later Life.” Residence of Voltaire . 5 May 2004.

<http://www.visitvoltaire.com/voltaire's_later_life_and_frederick_prussia.htm>.

  Michel de Montaigne
  Rene Decartes
French Enlightenment
  Jean Jacques Rousseau
  Voltaire
English Enlightenment
  John Locke
  Adam Smith
French Revolution
  Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
  Maximilien Robespierre
British response to the French Revolution
  Edmund Burke
  Mary Wollstonecraft
The Russian Empire
  Peter the Great
Russian Enlightenment
  Catherine the Great
Rise of Prussia
  Frederick the Great
Austrian Empire
  Empress Maria Theresa
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The American Revolution
  George III
  Marquis de Lafayette
  Tom Paine
  Thomas Jefferson
Napoleonic Wars
  Napoleon Bonaparte
  Duke of Wellington and Waterloo
Art of the Napoleonic Era
  Goya
Industrial Revolution
  James Watt
  Thomas Malthus
Karl Marx
Utopian Socialism
  Charles Fourier
British Literature
  Jane Austen
British Romanticism
  William Wordsworth
British Imperialism
  David Livingstone