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Frederick II, King of Prussia. Photo by Anton Graff.

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Frederick the Great

Fredrick II was king of Prussia from the year 1740 until 1772 and later that year he changed his title to King of Prussia and reigned until his death in the year 1786.

Fredrick II’s significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Silesian wars, his reorganization of the Prussian Army, the first partition of Poland, and his portage on the arts and the Enlighten.

However, Fredrick was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled King in Prussia and declared himself king of Prussia after annexing Polish Prussia from the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth in the year 1772.

When Prussia greatly increased its territories and became a major military power in Europe under his rule he became known as Fredrick the Great and was nicknamed 鈥淭he Old Fritz鈥�.

1. Fredrick the second had a terrible upbringing

 Fredrick鈥檚 father wanted a son who could make Prussia into a great military powerhouse.

Unfortunately for him, his eldest son Fredrick turned out to be weak of stature and slightly effeminate in his ways.

However, his father upbraided him constantly in public and punished him often, and even sought to have his younger son succeed him.

When Fredrik was a boy he ran away with his best friend but they were captured and returned home.

Fredrick鈥檚 father forced him to watch his best friend being beheaded and then he was imprisoned for a while as a punishment an act which would haunt him for the rest of his life in recurring nightmares and visions.

2. Fredrick was mentored by Prince Eugene of Savoy and was also spotted as a genius in his early years

Todestag von Friedrich II. Photo by 5snake5. .

His father took him to war with him in the hope of stirring some martial ardor into his son although at this time he deemed his son as a lost cause.

Prince Eugene the commander in chief and one of the greatest generals of all time spotted his talent of Fredrick.

When Prince Eugene was asked by the Father to Fredrick if he thought his son would amount to anything prince Eugene told the king in a calm manner that Fredrick would one day be not a good soldier but a great general.

However, Prince Eugene himself undertook to give Fredrick a few lessons in the art of war and by his gentle manner worked where his father鈥檚 beating had not.

Fredrick later said he owed everything to the brief education that was given to him by Prince Eugene of Savoy.

3. King Fredrick鈥檚 first battle was a disaster but against all odds, he won the battle

His first battle in command was to be the battle of Kollwitz and him being wholly ignorant of how to command such an action the battle turned out to be chaos.

Despite arriving behind the Austrian army who were all asleep and in camp an advantage gained by pure accident Fredrick deployed his men for battle too early and too far away.

He gave startled Austrians more than enough time to raise the alarm and turn about to face him.

However, at the first charge of Austrian cavalry Fredrick鈥檚 own cavalry was swept from the field and his infantry line started to roll back from the right flank.

In the panic, Fredrick was sent by his generals to flee the field as the battle was lost. Luckily he rode almost into the arms of some roving Croatian irregulars and fled back the way he had come.

He found refuge in a flour mill emerging later covered with flour from head to foot and when he returned to the battlefield he was informed that against all odds he won the battle.

4. Fredrick was an accomplished writer and musician

Statue of Frederick. Photo by Prekon. .

Fredrick became one of the most enlightened men of his time through study whereby he became a prolific writer and musician.

He undertook the first written history of Charles IX of Sweden and thereafter wrote his famous book 鈥淭he Anti-Machiavel鈥� and several large tomes on the history of the house of Brandenburg.

However musically Fredrick also produced four symphonies and over a hundred sonatas and his head was carried at a permanent tilt due to his constant playing of the flute.

5. He dug up his battles from books of history

Fredrick looked for a way to give himself an advantage over his more numerous enemies through the endless study of his subject.

However, it was something from the ancient past which could be applied in modern times combining the 鈥淢aneuver battles鈥� of Cyrus the Great notably Thymbra with the oblique order battle of Epaminondas of Thebes which was notably Leuctra and Mantinea.

A tactic that saw him crush his opponents in many great battles by concentrating his entire strength against one wing of his enemy鈥檚 much larger armies.

Which however produced such victories as Sohr, Rossbach, Leuthen, and Liegnititz with he termed the Schwehrpunkt maneuver.

6. Fredrick the Great fought alone for seven years

Friedrich der Gro脽e . Photo by Johann Georg Ziesenis.

He successively fought and beat the armies of Austria, Russia, France, and Sweden during the seven years. However, the Austrians were his most ardent opponents and the Russians the toughest.

His tiny army was forced to run from one corner of his domains to the next to stave off disaster after disaster.

鈥淎lways running 鈥渁s Fredrick used to say and yet despite having a small army and being surrounded from all sides he still managed to win the war against all expectations.

7. Napoleon visited Fredrick鈥檚 tomb

Napoleon worshipped Fredrick but he had a desire to surpass him and declared that though he loved his memory he would tear all that Fredrick built.

However, in 1806 Napoleon destroyed the Prussian army at the battle of Jena. Napoleon captured Berlin and took up residence in Fredrick鈥檚 old office before expressing a wish to visit his tomb.

Upon entering the crypt Napoleon walked forward slowly and in awe before turning to his generals and declaring; 鈥淗ats off, gentlemen! If he were alive, we would not be here.鈥�

8. His famous last words are memorable

His last words were 鈥渃over the dog, he鈥檚 shivering.鈥� Fredrick lay in bed with his favorite Italian Greyhound and it was noted that it was a warm night but yet the dog was definitely shaking.

However, Fredrick鈥檚 orderly did as he was bid but the next morning found him dead and the clock in Fredrick鈥檚 room stopped at the exact moment of his death and It has never been wound since.

9. He was the first celebrity in modern Europe

SMS Friedrich der Grosse. Photo by Unknown author.

Fredrick in his old age became the greatest and most famous attraction in Europe. 

He was being visited by royalty, nobles, army officers, and peasantry alike. However, his door was always open and he greatly enjoyed conversing with everyone who came to see him.

Notably, visitors to his table were Gideon von Loudon the Austrian Field Marshall who battled him throughout the seven years of war, and Kutusov a Russian major.

Fredrick convinced him not to give up his profession and who later was to be beaten by Napoleon at the battles of Austerlitz and Borodino and Alexandre Berthier and lastly Sir John Moore.

10. Fredrick was a master statesman

Fredrick was not only just a great military commander but he was also a great king, statesman, and ruler.

He set up infrastructure and agriculture in Prussia and reclaimed great tracts of swampland along the river Oder for cultivation.

He introduced potatoes in Prussia and set up schools and academies often at his own expense.

He also referred to himself as 鈥淜ing of the beggars鈥� and passed a law that allowed the humblest peasant access to his king for arbitration in disputes and resolving everything from private quarrels to arguments between neighbors over land.