Frederick William I (14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740) of the House of Hohenzollern, was the
King in PrussiaKing in Prussia was a title used by the Electors of Brandenburg from 1701 to 1772. Subsequently they used the title King of Prussia.The Prince-Elector of Brandenburg was a subject of the Holy Roman Emperor. In addition to his electorate which was part of the Holy Roman Empire, he also ruled the...
and Elector of Brandenburg (as Frederick William II) from 1713 until his death. He is popularly known as "the Soldier-King" (
der Soldatenkönig). He was in
personal unionA personal union is the combination by which two or more different states are governed by the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.
The King acquired a reputation for his fondness for military display, leading to his special efforts to hire the tallest men he could find in all of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
for a special regiment nicknamed the
Potsdam GiantsThe Potsdam Giants was the Prussian infantry regiment No 6, composed of taller-than-average soldiers. The regiment was founded in 1675 and dissolved in 1806 after the Prussian defeat against Napoleon...
.
He was born in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
to
Frederick I of PrussiaFrederick I , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia in personal union. The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia...
and
Sophia Charlotte of HanoverSophia Charlotte of Hanover was a Prussian Queen consort, the daughter of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover and Sophia of the Palatinate. Her eldest brother Georg Ludwig would succeed to the British throne in 1714 as King George I...
.
Frederick William I (14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740) of the House of Hohenzollern, was the
King in PrussiaKing in Prussia was a title used by the Electors of Brandenburg from 1701 to 1772. Subsequently they used the title King of Prussia.The Prince-Elector of Brandenburg was a subject of the Holy Roman Emperor. In addition to his electorate which was part of the Holy Roman Empire, he also ruled the...
and Elector of Brandenburg (as Frederick William II) from 1713 until his death. He is popularly known as "the Soldier-King" (
der Soldatenkönig). He was in
personal unionA personal union is the combination by which two or more different states are governed by the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.
The King acquired a reputation for his fondness for military display, leading to his special efforts to hire the tallest men he could find in all of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
for a special regiment nicknamed the
Potsdam GiantsThe Potsdam Giants was the Prussian infantry regiment No 6, composed of taller-than-average soldiers. The regiment was founded in 1675 and dissolved in 1806 after the Prussian defeat against Napoleon...
.
Reign
He was born in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
to
Frederick I of PrussiaFrederick I , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia in personal union. The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia...
and
Sophia Charlotte of HanoverSophia Charlotte of Hanover was a Prussian Queen consort, the daughter of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover and Sophia of the Palatinate. Her eldest brother Georg Ludwig would succeed to the British throne in 1714 as King George I...
. His father had successfully acquired the title King for the
margraveA Margrave was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active military forces...
s of
BrandenburgBrandenburg is one of the sixteen states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
.
Frederick William's contributions to the state of Prussia primarily consisted of civil service reforms, developing the international reputation of the Prussian military, and increasing the overall efficiency and discipline of his military, which in turn placed Prussia as an entity on a par with
Early Modern FranceEarly Modern France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
, the
Kingdom of Great BritainThe Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801...
, and other politically dominant states in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
during the 18th century.
During his reign, Frederick William I did much to centralize and improve Prussia. He replaced mandatory military service among the middle class with an annual tax, established primary schools, and resettled
East PrussiaEast Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia...
(which had been devastated by the
plagueThe Black Death was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. It is widely thought to have been an outbreak of bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, but this view has recently been challenged...
in 1709).
Frederick William was an extremely able administrator. He opposed all superfluous spending, so long as it did not concern his army. Frederick William paid the consumer tax he himself had imposed, and no candles were left burning at court. He lived frugally and worked hard and tirelessly for the welfare of his people. He encouraged farming, reclaimed marshes, stored grain in good times and sold it in bad times. He dictated the manual of Regulations for State Officials, containing 35 chapters and 297 paragraphs in which every public servant in Prussia could find his duties precisely set out. A minister or councillor failing to attend a committee meeting would lose six months' pay. If he absented himself a second time, he would be discharged from the Royal service.
In short, Frederick William was extremely concerned by every little aspect of his relatively small country so that it suited all the needs, to defend itself. His rule was absolutist and he was a firm autocrat. He practiced rigid economy, never started a war, and at his death there was a large surplus in the treasury which was kept rather bizarrely in his basement. The Prussian army was made an efficient instrument. Although Frederick William built up one of the most powerful armies in Europe and loved military pomp, he was essentially a peaceful man. He intervened briefly in the
Great Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a war in which the so-called Northern Alliance composed of Russia, Denmark-Norway, Poland-Lithuania and Saxony engaged Sweden for the supremacy in the Baltic Sea. The war ended with a defeat for Sweden in 1721, leaving Russia as the new major power in the Baltic Sea and...
, but gained little territory. The observation about the power of the pen being mightier than the sword has sometimes been attributed to him. (
See as well: “
Prussian virtuesThe term Prussian virtues refers to an unfixed canon of several Lutheran virtues dating from the Enlightenment. Prussian virtues and the Prussian value system have influenced aspects of wider German culture.- Historical Development :...
”.)
Relationship with Frederick II
Though he was peaceful, he was by no means gentle. His eldest surviving son was
Frederick IIFrederick II was a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was Frederick IV of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
(Fritz), born in 1712. Frederick William wanted him to become a fine soldier. As a small child, Fritz was awakened each morning by the firing of a cannon. At the age of 6, he was given his own regiment of children to drill as cadets, and a year later, he was given a miniature arsenal. Fritz was beaten for being thrown off a bolting horse and wearing gloves in cold weather. Frederick William would frequently mistreat Fritz (he preferred his younger sibling August William). After the prince attempted to flee to England with his tutor,
Hans Hermann von KatteHans Hermann von Katte was a Lieutenant of the Prussian Army and a close friend and reputedly the lover of the future Frederick II of Prussia, then the Crown Prince. He was executed by Frederick's father King Frederick William I of Prussia when he and Frederick plotted to escape from the Kingdom...
, the father had Katte executed before the eyes of the prince, who himself was court-martialled. The court declared itself not competent in this case. Whether it was the king's intention to have his son executed as well (as
VoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, essayist, and philosopher known for his wit and his defense of civil liberties, including both freedom of religion and free trade.Voltaire was a prolific writer and produced works in almost every...
claims) is not clear. However, the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VICharles VI was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary , King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria from 1711 to 1740...
intervened, claiming that a prince could only be tried by the
ReichstagThe Reichstag was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, and subsequently of the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945...
itself. Frederick was imprisoned in the Fortress of
KüstrinKostrzyn nad Odrą is a town in western Poland, at the confluence of the Oder and Warta rivers, on the border with Germany. Located in the Lubusz Voivodeship, in Gorzów County, it had 19,952 inhabitants as of 2007.- History :...
from 2 September to 19 November 1731 and exiled from court until February 1732.
Frederick William married
Sophia Dorothea of HanoverSophia Dorothea of Hanover was the Queen consort in Prussia.- Biography :Duchess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg was born, on 16 March 1687, in Brunswick-Lüneburg. She was the only daughter of George Louis of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia Dorothea of Celle...
(daughter of his uncle, King
George I of Great BritainGeorge I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
and
Sophia Dorothea of CelleSophia Dorothea was the wife and cousin of George Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, later George I of Great Britain, and mother of George II through an arranged marriage of state, instigated by the machinations of Duchess Sophia of Hanover.-Parentage and marriage:Sophia Dorothea, was born on 15...
) on 28 November 1706. They had fourteen children, including:
- Wilhelmine, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Friederike Sophie Wilhelmine, Princess of Prussia and Margravine of Bayreuth was a daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia and his queen consort Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. In 1731, she married Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth...
(1709–1758), married Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
- King Frederick "the Great" (Friedrich II of Prussia) (1712–1786)
- Friederike Luise, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach
Princess Friederike Luise of Prussia was the sixth child and third daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover....
(1714–1784), married Karl Wilhelm Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-AnsbachCarl Wilhelm Friedrich von Brandenburg-Ansbach , nicknamed the Wild Markgrave, was between 1729 and his death Margrave of the Principality of Ansbach.- Life :...
- Philippine Charlotte, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia was the fourth child and third daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover....
(1716–1801), married Karl I, Duke of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelCharles , Duke of Brunswick-Bevern, was prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1735 until his death....
- Sophia Dorothea, Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia was the ninth child and fifth daughter of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover....
(1719–1765), married Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
- Luise Ulrike, Queen of Sweden (1720–1782), married Adolf Fredrik, King of Sweden
Adolf Frederick or Adolph Frederick was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death...
- August Wilhelm (1722–1758)
- Anna Amalie (1723–1787)
- Heinrich
Frederick Henry Louis , commonly known as Henry , was a Prince of Prussia. He also served as a general and statesman, and, in 1786, was suggested as a candidate for a monarch for the United States....
(1726–1802)
- August Ferdinand
Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia was a Prussian Prince and general.He was a son of King Frederick William I of Prussia and his wife Sophia Dorothea of Hanover and younger brother of King Frederick the Great .He married his niece, Elisabeth of Brandenburg-Schwedt, on 27 September 1755, a marriage...
(1730–1813)
He was the godfather of the Prussian envoy
Friedrich Wilhelm von ThulemeyerFriedrich Wilhelm von Thulemeyer or Frederick William von Thulemeier was born or baptized on November 9, 1735. He died July 6, 1811, also in Berlin. In 1763 he was sent by Frederick the Great as a diplomat in the Republic of the Seven United Provinces. In 1784/85 he was one of the architects of a...
.
Titles from birth
- His Serene Highness The Electoral Prince of Brandenburg
- His Royal Highness The Crown Prince in Prussia
- His Majesty The King in Prussia
Ancestry
Frederick William I's ancestors in three generations
| Frederick William I of Prussia |
Father:
Frederick I of PrussiaFrederick I , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia in personal union. The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia...
|
Paternal Grandfather:
Frederick William, Elector of BrandenburgFrederick William was the Elector of Brandenburg and the Duke of Prussia from 1640 until his death. He was of the House of Hohenzollern and is popularly known as the Great Elector because of his military and political skill...
|
Paternal Great-grandfather:
George William, Elector of BrandenburgGeorge William of the Hohenzollern dynasty was margrave and elector of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia . His reign was marked by ineffective governance during the Thirty Years' War.- Early life :...
|
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Elizabeth Charlotte of the PalatinateElizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate was the German wife of George William, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, and the mother of Frederick William, the "Great Elector".- Biography :...
|
Paternal Grandmother:
Louise Henriette of Orange-Nassau |
Paternal Great-grandfather:
Frederick Henry, Prince of OrangeFrederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...
|
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Amalia of Solms-BraunfelsAmalia of Solms-Braunfels , Countess of Solms-Braunfels, was the wife of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. She was the daughter of Johann Albrecht I of Solms-Braunfels and Agnes of Sayn-Wittgenstein.-Childhood:...
|
Mother:
Sophia Charlotte of HanoverSophia Charlotte of Hanover was a Prussian Queen consort, the daughter of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover and Sophia of the Palatinate. Her eldest brother Georg Ludwig would succeed to the British throne in 1714 as King George I...
|
Maternal Grandfather:
Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-LüneburgErnest Augustus was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Calenberg subdivision of the duchy. He was appointed prince-elector, but died before the appointment became effective...
|
Maternal Great-grandfather:
George, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgGeorge was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.He was son to William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Dorothea of Denmark . His mother was daughter to Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg...
|
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Anne Eleonore of Hesse-DarmstadtAnne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt was the daughter of Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Magdalena von Brandenburg. She was born in Darmstadt, Hesse....
|
Maternal Grandmother:
Sophia of HanoverSophia of the Palatinate was the youngest daughter of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, of the House of Wittelsbach, the "Winter King" of Bohemia, and Elizabeth Stuart...
|
Maternal Great-grandfather:
Frederick V, Elector PalatineFrederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia...
|
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Elizabeth of BohemiaElizabeth, Electress Palatine and Queen of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of James VI and I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. She was thus sister to King Charles I and cousin to King Frederick III of Denmark...
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External links
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