Frederick II the Great (1712-1786) was the King of Prussia from 1740, when he succeeded his father Frederick William I.
Short Biography:
In that year he started the War of the Austrian Succession by his attack on Austria. In the peace of 1745 he secured Silesia. The struggle was renewed in the Seven Years' War 1756-1763.
He acquired West Prussia in the first partition of Poland in 1772, and left Prussia as Germany's foremost state. He was an efficient and just ruler in the spirit of the Enlightenment, and a patron of the arts.
He received a harsh military education from his father, and in 1730 was threatened with death for attempting to run away.
In the Seven Years' War, in spite of assistance from Britain, Frederick had a hard task holding his own against the Aust
rians and their Russian allies; the skill with which he did so proved him to be one of the great soldiers of history.
In his domestic policy he was one of the "enlightened despots" of the Age of Reason; he encouraged industry and agriculture, reformed the judicial system, fostered education, and established religious toleration. He corresponded with the French writer Voltaire, and was a talented musician.
Why is Frederick the Great famous?
Frederick the Great was a King in Prussia (1740–1772) and a King of Prussia (1772–1786).
No related sites found. If you are the webmaster of a website, blog or forum that contains related information to this page, we invite you to submit it for inclusion here.
Please add a link to our website before submitting your link(s).
Your link will be validated by our editors in about 48 hours.
Frederick II the Great (1712-1786) was the King of Prussia from 1740, when he succeeded his father Frederick William I. 
irrelevant
broken