316 



FREDERIC AUGUSTUS. FREDERIC IL 



formerly dependent. The estates of the duchy of 

 Prussia (now Prussia Proper) were dissatisfied with 

 these changes, because they liad taken place without 

 their consent. The elector, in consequence, erected 

 a fortress near Konigsberg. In 1672, he concluded 

 a treaty with the Dutch republic, when tin's state was 

 threatened by Louis XIV. Though the French 

 retreated from the Netherlands when Frederic Wil- 

 liam advanced into Westphalia, the success of the 

 whole war was frustrated by the slowness of the 

 Austrian generals and their jealousy of the elector, 

 who was obliged to retreat from want of provisions. 

 June 6, 1673, he concluded a treaty with France, at 

 Vosseni, near Louvain, by which France promised to 

 yield Westphalia, and to pay 800,000 livres to the 

 elector, who, in return, broke off his treaty with 

 Holland, and promised not to render any aid to the 

 enemies of France. 



In 1674, the German empire declared war against 

 France. The elector marched 16,000 men into 

 Alsace, but Bournonville, the Austrian general, 

 avoided a battle, which was ardently desired by the 

 elector, and Turenne defeated the imperial army at 

 Muhlhausen. In thfc following December, a Swedish 

 army, at the instigation of France, entered Pome- 

 rania and the Mark. The elector hastened back, and 

 defeated them, June 18, 1675, at Fehrbellin (q. v.), 

 with 5600 cavalry. In 1678, he concluded a separate 

 peace with France, at Nimeguen, as did also Holland 

 and Spain. France demanded the restoration of all 

 tlie conquered territories to Sweden. The elector, 

 having refused compliance, formed an alliance with 

 Denmark, and waged a new war against Sweden, 

 but was at last obliged to submit, by the peace of St 

 Germain, June 29, 1679. He received from France 

 300,000 crowns. Louis XIV. having occupied seve- 

 ral circles of Alsace by his famous chambres de re- 

 union, Frederic William effected an armistice of 

 twenty years between France and Germany (in 1684). 

 But when he renewed (1685) his treaty with Holland, 

 and received into his dominions about 14,OOO Protes- 

 tant refugees from France, new difficulties arose 

 between him and France, which brought him into 

 a closer connexion with Austria, particularly as he 

 hoped to receive from that power an indemnification 

 for the three principalities, Liegnitz, Brieg, and 

 Wolau, whose prince had died without heirs, in 1675, 

 and which, according to an old treaty, ought to have 

 fallen to Brandenburg. He received the circle of 

 Schwiebus, in 1686, and, in the same year, sent 8000 

 men to assist the Austrians against Turkey. These 

 troops, under the command of general von Schoning, 

 distinguished themselves at the attack of Buda. 



The elector paid great attention to the promotion 

 of agriculture and horticulture, and, by affording 

 protection to the French refugees, gained 20,000 in- 

 dustrious manufacturers, who have been of the great- 

 est advantage to the north of Germany. Berlin was 

 much improved during his reign. He founded the 

 library in that city, and a university at Duisburg, in 

 1655. He died at Potsdam, April 29, 1688, sixty- 

 nine years of age, and left to his son a country much 

 enlarged and improved, an army of 28,000 men, and 

 a well supplied treasury. His colossal statue of 

 bronze, at Berlin, was cast by Jacobi, in 1700, and 

 is still one of the greatest ornaments of that city 



FREDERIC AUGUSTUS II. and 1 1 1., electors of 

 Saxony and kings of Poland. See Augustus. 



FREDERIC WILLIAM I., king of Prussia, son 

 of Frederic I., and father of Frederic the Great (II.), 

 was born in 1688, and displayed a passion for mili- 

 tary exercises at an early age. While crown-prince 

 (1706), he married Sophia Dorothea, daughter of the 

 elector of Hanover, afterwards George I. of Eng- 

 land. On his accession to the throne, in 1713, he 



endeavoured to increase the army and reform the 

 finances, ami became the founder of the exact discip- 

 line and regularity, which have since characterized 

 the Prussian soldiers. His ridiculous fondness for 

 tall men is well known. He established a regiment 

 of them, and used every means fraud, force, money 

 to fill its ranks. Nothing could be more despotic 

 than his military system. In other respects, he 

 studied the liappiness of his subjects and the welfare 

 of the state. Soon after his accession, he was recog- 

 nised as king of Prussia in a treaty with France. 

 Indignant at the humiliations which liis father liad 

 suffered from the Swedes and Russians, who marched 

 their troops through his dominions with impunity, he 

 determined to protect his subjects from the conse 

 quences of any future rupture, and maintained an 

 army of nearly 60,000 men. Frederic was unwilling 

 to engage in the war between Charles XII. and 

 Russia, Poland, and Denmark ; but Charles, for 

 whom he had a great esteem, having made a body of 

 Prussians prisoners, he immediately declared war, 

 and put himself at the head of an army of 20,000 

 men. (See Charles XII.) He afterwards interfered 

 in favour of the Protestants of some neighbouring 

 countries, and he liberally rewarded the introducers 

 of useful arts. But being void of science and orna- 

 mental literature, he regarded them with contempt, 

 and treated their professors with every kind of dis- 

 couragement. Poetry and philosophy were equally 

 his aversion. He banished Wolf for his metaphysical 

 opinions, and his own son, who had acquired a par- 

 tiality for polite literature and music, was so con- 

 tinually thwarted by the king, that he determined to 

 quit Prussia. (See Frederic II.) He was rigorous 

 in his punishments, and always showed an inclination 

 to aggravate rather than mitigate them. In 1734, 

 he fell into a bad state of health, which increased tho 

 natural violence of his temper, and he behaved with 

 the greatest brutality to his physicians. He died, in 

 1740, after having been reconciled to his son, and 

 expressed the greatest regard for him. He expired 

 in his arms. He left behind him an abundant trea- 

 sury, and an army of 66,000 men. His affairs were 

 in the greatest order and regularity, and to his 

 labours and wisdom was Prussia much indebted for 

 that prosperity and success, which distinguished her 

 till she was humbled by the power of Napoleon. 



FREDERIC II.; king of Prussia, the greatest 

 monarch of the eighteenth century, was born January 

 21, 1712. He was the son of Frederic William I. 

 and the princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. 

 His early education was strict. Although, by the 

 direction of his father, he was instructed only in the 

 details of military exercises and service, his taste for 

 poetry and music was early developed by the influ- 

 ence of his first instructress, the highly gifted inadamti 

 de Rocoules, and his early teacher, Duhan, who, 

 countenanced by the queen, formed a secret opposi- 

 tion to his father's system of education. The prince's 

 inclination led him to adopt entirely the views of his 

 mother. This gave rise to a coolness between him 

 and his father, which increased the king's desire to 

 settle the succession on his younger son, Augustus 

 William. The minister von Grumbkow and Leo- 

 pold, prince of Anhalt-Dessau, to promote certain 

 plans of their own, and the Austrian ambassador, 

 von Seckendorf, for different reasons, widened the, 

 breach. 



Indignant at the oppression and hatred which he 

 experienced from his father, Frederic determined to 

 flee to the court of George II., king of England, his 

 mother's brother. His sister Frederica, and his 

 friends lieutenants Katt and Keith, were the only 

 persons intrusted with the secret of his flight. He 

 intended to start from Wesel, whither lie liad ac- 



