Frederick the Great 1712to –1786
King of Prussia, one of the great military strategists, and an important figure of the Enlightenment. His childhood was largely defined by conflicts with his father. Frederick William I had worked hard to build up the army and might of Prussia, an underdog in Europe at the time, and he expected his son to carry on his work. But Frederick in his youth was more interested in literature, music, and philosophy, and spent his nights secretly reading in Latin and French. At 16, he began a relationship with the King’s page, and was punished when it was discovered. At 18, he made plans to run away to England with Hans Hermann von Katte, an officer and likely his lover, but when the treasonous plot was discovered, Frederick was forced to watch Katte’s execution. This didn’t stop him from forming a new relationship while he sat in prison, this time with Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf, the son of a peasant and member of the army. Fredersdorf would stay by his side as a valet for the next 27 years, with an adjoined bedroom in Frederick’s eventual palace. Frederick was forced to marry against his will in 1733, but kept his wife as far from him as possible for the duration of their union, and never had children. When Frederick took the throne in 1740, becoming Frederick II, his father’s fears about his leadership skills were swiftly proved false. Sensing an attack from Austria, Frederick almost immediately launched a preemptive invasion of the Austrian province Silesia. For the majority of his reign, Prussia would remain in almost constant conflict with superpowers such as Austria, France, Russia, and Sweden. The Prussian army was often vastly outnumbered in these battles, but Frederick had modernized his military with strict training and strategy. He outwitted and outmaneuvered his rivals, securing victory after victory, and became celebrated for protecting Prussia’s autonomy against all odds, and uniting his disconnected lands. Alongside his military accomplishments, Frederick also worked to bring Prussia into the Age of Enlightenment. He supported freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion, and repealed the death penalty for most crimes, including sodomy. He strengthened the economy, promoted education, increased agriculture and trade, and stored grain for times of hardship. He also re-opened the Prussian Academy of Sciences, which nurtured thinkers like Immanuel Kant. Frederick was close friends with Voltaire, met J.S. Bach, and himself was an accomplished flute player and composer. His homosexuality was not only a part of his identity, but it was also widely known (Voltaire wrote salaciously about it during their falling out). A great animal lover, Frederick mostly kept to the company of his greyhounds later in life. He died in an armchair in his palace, leaving a military record still admired, and a cultural legacy that shaped Europe.