Prince Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau, a brutal, if efficient, drillmaster, provided the instrument wielded by these officers—the Prussian infantry, which could outmarch and outshoot all others. The son of the elector Frederick III, later Frederick I, king of Prussia, Frederick William grew up at a glamorous court, but his own temperament was ascetic, and he disapproved of the court’s dissolute atmosphere. He liked them so much that he created a regiment consisted only of men taller than 1.88 meters, calling them the Potsdam Giants. While he was undoubtedly brilliant as a tactician and strategist, his main impact in military terms was the transformation of the Prussian Army into an outsize force that should have been beyond the capability of Prussia to support due to its relatively small size. Frederick William also created from his fractious nobility the loyal Prussian officer corps. The need for funds, coupled with Frederick William’s genuine concern for his subjects, led to a number of sweeping reforms and innovations. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Spirituality, Sexuality, Artistry, and Racism, The Life and Work of Voltaire, French Enlightenment Writer, American Revolution: Baron Friedrich von Steuben, War of the First Coalition in 1790s France, Biography of Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, French & Indian/Seven Years' War: 1760-1763, Franco-Prussian War: Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Biography of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, The French & Indian War/The Seven Years' War: An Overview, Industry and Agriculture History in Europe, What’s So Great About Frederick? Frederick William I, German Friedrich Wilhelm I, (born August 14, 1688, Berlin—died May 31, 1740, Potsdam, Prussia), second Prussian king, who transformed his country from a second-rate power into the efficient and prosperous state that his son and successor, Frederick II the Great, made a major military power on the Continent. His experiences in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14) decisively shaped his future, leading him to realize that the army was his vocation. A thrifty, practical Protestant, the king on his accession all but dissolved his extravagant court. As Frederick grew up, the beatings continued even more severely. Charles repudiated Prussia’s claim, however, in 1738 when he… Germany: The consolidation of Brandenburg-Prussia and Austria. In his childhood, he already showed signs of his headstrong and unruly character. This military power allowed Frederick to have a proportionately outsize influence on European history. Relations with Austria and England cooled considerably and by 1739 Prussia’s only ally was France. In fact, when Frederick ascended to the throne in 1740, he inherited an army of 80,000 men, a remarkably large force for such a small kingdom. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Prussian History © 2020. His father, Frederick I of Prussia, was an extravagant man who often drained the state’s treasury in order to display wealthiness and luxury. He revised the salaries of officials every year in order to not waste a dime. Near the end of his reign, he initiated a program of extensive legal codification. The army and military tradition he left behind helped his son Frederick the Great in making Prussia a great power. Despite all his unique traits and strange way of life, what Frederick William was best known for was his love for military things. From a young age, he was fond of wearing officer uniforms, forming a company of cadets and inspecting and drilling them. In return, the king guaranteed the Pragmatic Sanction, asserting the right of the emperor’s daughter to succeed. Your email address will not be published. He is one of the most important European leaders in history, a long-reigning king whose personal beliefs and attitudes shaped the modern world. On 25 February 1713, King Frederick died and Frederick William succeeded him and became the second King in Prussia. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Required fields are marked *. About Frederick I of Prussia. After his death, this regiment was consolidated into the infantry corps by his son Frederick the Great but it later got completely disbanded after the disastrous defeat against Napoleon’s army in 1806. In 1709 he joined a campaign alongside the Austrian forces in the Spanish Succession War. The budget of the military was over seventy percent of state’s treasury, which was a huge amount even at that time. With the goal of a united Prussia, Frederick lost little time plunging Europe into war. He played the flute extremely well and composed many pieces for that instrument, and wrote voluminously in French, despising the German language and preferring French for his artistic expressions. This planted a seed of anti-Austrian sentiment in Frederick; he believed that Austria, long Prussia’s rival for influence in the crumbling Holy Roman Empire, was meddlesome and dangerous. Frederick William I of Prussia was the second Prussian king and ruled from 1713 until his death in 1740. When Frederick William died in 1740, he left his son an army of about 83,000 out of a population of 2,200,000, a war chest of more than 8,000,000 taler, and a Prussia that had become the third military power on the European continent, after Russia and France. Frederick William himself was named after his grandfather, Frederick William the Great Elector of Brandenburg, who had died three months before his birth. Even though his personal and family relations weren’t quite the best, Frederick William was a competent and efficient ruler. Frederick’s military successes and expansion of Prussian power led indirectly to the establishment of the German Empire in the late 19th century (through the efforts of Otto von Bismarck), and thus in some ways to the two World Wars and the rise of Nazi Germany. Even though he was never an outstanding commander, he managed to beat the Swedish forces and push them off from Pomerania in 1719. Updates? His reign saw the opening of about two thousand elementary school all across Prussia. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. He was still living an extremely modest and disciplined life while his wife was a complete opposite of him. From Hannibal to George Washington, scan the lineup of war personalities in this quiz. Without Frederick, Germany might never have become a world power. When their plot was discovered, King Frederick William threatened to charge Frederick with treason and strip him of his status as Crown Prince, and then had Katte executed in front of his son. These reforms included: The standardization of military equipment and uniforms, adoption of goose-step marching style, regular drills with firearms and cannons and famous Canton system for more organized recruitment. He centralized the government by subordinating the civil administration to his own command. (11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg-Prussia).The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia (1701–1713). In 1706 he married Sophia Dorothea, the daughter of George Louis, elector of Hanover (later George I of England). He gained decent experience about battlefield in this campaign but more importantly, he gained a lifelong friend who later greatly helped him in military matters when he became king; Leopold I of Anhalt also known as The Old Dessauer. Jeff Somers is an award-winning writer who has authored nine novels, over 40 short stories, and "Writing Without Rules," a non-fiction book about the business and craft of writing. Although officially pious and supportive of religion (and tolerant, allowing a Catholic church to be built in officially protestant Berlin in the 1740s), Frederick was privately dismissive of all religions, referring to Christianity in general as an “odd metaphysical fiction.”, He was also almost shockingly racist, especially towards the Poles, who he regarded as almost subhuman and undeserving of respect, referring to them privately as “trash,” “vile,” and “dirty.”. Around the time Frederick got to his 20’s, Frederick William almost beat his son every day publicly and privately. Convinced that an efficient state could not afford illiterate subjects, Frederick William instituted compulsory primary education in 1717. Frederick William himself was named after his grandfather, Frederick William the Great Elector of Brandenburg, who had died three months before his birth. He was increasingly struggling with gout attacks during his lifetime due to his unhealthy lifestyle. The extravagance of his father during his reign had devastated the already small Prussian treasury. Against considerable opposition, he levied additional taxes in Prussia and Lithuania. The King was strict and brutal in his rules. Frederick William also had a strange obsession with unusually large soldiers. It is widely accepted today that the phenomenon of Prussian militarism was mostly influenced by the militaristic and brutal character of Frederick William. The flashy Prussian palace of his father suddenly became a house of modesty. He was officially known as King in Prussia, not King of Prussia, because he only inherited a portion of what was traditionally known as Prussia—the lands and titles he assumed in 1740 were actually a series of small areas often separated by large areas not under his control. In fact, when Frederick ascended to the throne in 1740, he inherited an army of 80,000 men, a remarkably large force for such a small kingdom. Was as Friedrich III. All Rights Reserved. He gave instructions to the servants to wake his son Frederick up at a very early hour and make his prayers to god on Sunday mornings. He was buried in the Potsdam Garrison Church. When Frederick was 18 years old, he formed a passionate attachment to an army officer named Hans Hermann von Katte. Thus, Frederick William left his heir an efficient, centralized state with sound finances and an excellent army. Frederick I (German: Friedrich I) (11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg-Prussia). These schools founded by him later raised and educated the brightest minds of Prussia and Germany. The rest of the soldiers were recruited from all over Europe. A devotee of the principles of the Enlightenment, Frederick attempted to portray himself as a benevolent tyrant, a man who brooked no argument with his authority but who could be relied on to better the lives of his people. Every one out of nine men was a soldier. In 1723 he centralized his administration under a general directory through which his ministers executed his orders. By 1740, Prussia had an army of 80.000 disciplined and well-trained men. Although most often remembered as a warrior, Frederick actually lost more battles than he won, and was often saved by political events outside his control—and the unparalleled excellence of the Prussian Army. A man of many facets, Frederick was also a supporter of the arts, commissioning buildings, paintings, literature, and music. Since Frederick developed interest on things that his father loathed –such as French literature, music and philosophy-, his father very often beat and humiliate him to set him right. It would make him angry to see money being spent on things he saw not necessary, such as fancy dinners. In 1706 he got married to Sophia Dorothea of Hannover in accordance with his family’s expectations of continuing the Prusso-Hannoverian royal marriage tradition. He was an extremely abusive father towards his eldest son Frederick.

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