FREDERICK 111 



FREDERICK WILLIAM 



and assisted the Emperor Sigis- 

 raund against the Hussites. For 

 these services he received, in 1423, 

 the duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg, the 

 modern Saxony, and the attached 

 dignity of an elector, a connexion 

 of great importance both for 

 Saxony and for Frederick's de- 

 scendants. He died Jan. 4, 1428, 

 his successor being his son, 

 Frederick II, a comparatively un- 

 important person, who reigned'from 

 1428 until his death, Sept. 7, 1464. 

 Frederick III (1463-1525) 

 Elector of Saxony, known as the 

 Wise. Beginning his reign in 1486, 

 Frederick soon became prominent 

 in German politics, and might have 

 succeeded Maximilian I as emperor 

 in 1519 had he so desired. He was 

 anxious to improve the methods 

 of governing Germany, but is best 

 known for his friendship with Lu- 

 ther, whom he appointed to a chair 

 in his own university at Witten- 

 berg. After Luther's memorable 

 defiance of the Church, the elector 

 protected him from his enemies. 

 Frederick died May 5, 1525. 



Frederick (1707-51). Prince of 

 Wales. The eldest son of George 

 II, he was born Jan. 6, 1707, his 

 father being 

 then crown 

 prince of Han- 

 over. From 

 1714, when his 

 grandfather 

 became king 

 as George I, 

 until in 1729 

 he was made 

 Frederick, prince of 



Prmce of Wales Wale3j he was 



called duke of Gloucester. Frede- 

 rick is important only as the centre 

 of the opposition to George II, 

 and as the father of George III. 

 He and his father were constantly 

 at variance on financial and other 

 matters, and in 1737 the prince 

 was banished from court. He re- 

 plied by setting up a court of his 

 own at Norfolk House, St. James's 

 Square, and this became the resort 

 of all who were opposed to George 

 II and Sir Robert Walpole. He 

 died March 20, 1751. In addition 

 to George III he left four sons and 

 two daughters by his wife, Augusta, 

 daughter of Frederick, duke of 

 Saxe-Gotha, who lived until 1772. 

 The sons were Edward, duke of 

 York (1739-67), William, duke of 

 Gloucester (1743-1805), Henry, 

 duke of Cumberland (1745-90), and 

 Frederick (1750-65). See Memoirs 

 of the Reign of George II, Horace 

 Walpole, 1847 ; A Forgotten Prince 

 of Wales, H. Curteis, 1912. 



Frederick Augustus I (1^50- 

 1827). First king of gaxony. Son 

 of the elector Frederick Christian, 

 he was born at Dresden, Dec. 23, 



Frederick Augustas I, 

 King o! Saxony 



1750. In 1763 he became elector, 

 and in 1769 began personally to 

 rule. His early years were marked 

 by a wise and 

 just conduct 

 of affairs, lead- 

 ing to a pros- 

 perity which 

 was inter- 

 rupted by the 

 French Revo- 

 lution. He had 

 gained some- 

 thing by a 

 short war 

 against Austria in 1778, but he kept 

 neutral on other occasions until in 

 1793, as a German prince, he joined 

 in the war on France. He was out 

 of it from 1796 to 1806, when, after 

 Prussia's defeat at Jena, he made 

 peace with Napoleon, and in 1806 

 he took the title of king. 



As an ally of Napoleon, his 

 Saxons were in arms from then until 

 the end, for which action a high 

 price was paid. The king was pre- 

 sent at the battle of Dresden, and 

 after Leipzig his capital and king- 

 dom were in the power of the allies 

 and he himself their prisoner. The 

 congress of Vienna took from him 

 a large part of Saxony, about 7,800 

 sq. m., but he kept the title of king. 

 Until his death, May 5, 1827, he did 

 his best to help his people to recover 

 from the ravages of war. 



Frederick Charles (1828-85). 

 German soldier, known as the Red 

 Prince. A son of Prince Charles of 

 Prussia and a 

 grandson of 

 F r e d e rick 

 William III, he 

 was therefore 

 a nephew o f 

 the emperor 

 William I. 

 Born March 20, 

 1828, he was 

 trained from a 

 child for the 

 army, both at Bonn and with his 

 regiment. He served Prussia against 

 the Danes in 1848, and was with the 

 Prussian force that invaded Baden 

 in 1849, being there wounded. In 

 1864 he led a corps into Denmark 

 and was in supreme command 

 during the later stage of the 

 struggle against the Danes. 



A scientific soldier and keen on 

 his profession, the prince was 

 closely associated with Moltke and 

 his work. He rose from one com- 

 mand to another, and from 1860 

 to 1870 he was at the head of the 

 iron corps of Brandenburg, which 

 attained under him its later repu- 

 tation. In 1866 he was chosen to 

 command an army in the war 

 against Austria, and was largely 

 responsible for the Prussian vic- 

 tory at Sadowa. In 1870 he was 



Frederick Charles, 

 German soldier 



put in charge of one of the three 

 armies that marched into France. 

 He had a considerable share in 

 bringing about the surrender of 

 Bazaine and the fall of Metz, after 

 which he conducted the operations 

 against the French on the Loire, 

 his great success here being at Le 

 Mans. Made field-marshal in 1870, 

 his last post was that of inspector 

 of cavalry. He died June 15, 1885. 



The prince was a soldier of great 

 energy, sparing neither himself nor 

 his men in his efforts to improve 

 the condition of the Prussian army. 

 He appears to have been some- 

 what difficult to work with and his 

 relations with his royal kinsfolk 

 were not always harmonious. He 

 married a princess of Anhalt, and 

 one of his daughters became the 

 duchess of Connaught. He owed 

 his nickname to the colour of the 

 uniform he habitually wore. 



Frederick William (1620- 

 1688). Elector of Brandenburg, 

 known as the Great Elector. Born 

 in Berlin, Feb. 

 16, 1620, the 

 son of the 

 elector George 

 William, he 

 passed much 

 of his youth in 

 the Nether- 

 lands, a stay 

 that was re- 

 sponsible for 

 his marriage 

 with Louise, a 

 princess of Orange, 1646. In 1640 

 he became elector, and his first 

 duty was to free Brandenburg from 

 the horrors of the Thirty Years' 

 War. He did this, and from the 

 peace of 1648 to his death he saw 

 his land growing in prosperity. 



He organi/^d the army, founded 

 the navy, v/elcomed industrious 

 immigrants, started colonies in 

 Africa, and encouraged trade. He 

 had great influence in European 

 affairs, and helped William of 

 Orange's invasion of England in 

 1688. He added to his land both 

 east and west. The peace of 1648 

 gave him part of Pomerania, 

 Prussia was firmly joined to Bran- 

 denburg atid Cleves, and Jii!ich 

 was secured. He died at Potsdam, 

 May 9, 1688, and was succeeded 

 by Ms son Frederick, 1st king of 

 Prussia. 



Frederick William was the real 

 founder of Prussia, for which his 

 reign, autocratic though it was, was 

 wholly beneficial. He was a Pro- 

 testant and a supporter of the Em- 

 pire, but neither sympathy was 

 allowed to stand in the way of his 

 main ambitions. See The Origins 

 of the Kingdom of Prussia, A. 

 W. Ward, 1908 (in Camb. Modern 

 Hist., vol. v). 



Frederick William, 

 Elector.of Branden- 

 burg 



