Royalty · Music · 1712–1786
Born: 24 January 1712 · Died: 17 August 1786 · Age at death: 74
Frederick II of Prussia died aged 74. He was born on 24 January 1712 and died on 17 August 1786.
Prussian king known as Frederick the Great, a brilliant general and Enlightenment patron who made Prussia a great power
Did you know?An accomplished musician, he composed over a hundred sonatas and four symphonies, often performing them on the flute.
Frederick the Great turned Prussia into one of the great powers of Europe. As a young man he loved music and philosophy and clashed bitterly with his harsh father. As king he proved to be a brilliant and daring general. He seized Silesia from Austria and held on through the Seven Years' War against huge odds. At home he reformed the law, encouraged religious tolerance and promoted farming. He played the flute, composed music and invited Voltaire to his palace of Sanssouci. He called himself the "first servant of the state".
Frederick II (German: Friedrich II.; 24 January 1712 – 17 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled King in Prussia, declaring himself King of Prussia after annexing Royal Prussia from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772.
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Profile
King of Prussia, 1712–1786
Frederick II was born in Berlin on 24 January 1712.
He became king in 1740.
He seized Silesia.
He fought the Seven Years' War.
Career highlights
Did you know?He promoted the potato in Prussia.
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