frederick the great 1712-1786. background frederick was born in berlin was a member of the...
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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)