Frederick the Great

Biography

Frederick II seized Silesia from Austria in 1740 and held it through the Seven Years War against Austria, France, and Russia, surviving near collapse. A patron of the Enlightenment, he corresponded with Voltaire, played the flute, and built Sanssouci palace in Potsdam. He promoted religious tolerance, legal reform, and agriculture. He joined in the First Partition of Poland in 1772, gaining West Prussia and linking his scattered lands.