Frederick the Great | Biography, Wars and Reign of Frederick II, King of Prussia (1712-1786)

The last couple of episodes we looked at Prussian society and its development and progression. We left off at the death of Prussia’s Soldier King in 1740, a man that dedicated his entire life to building up Prussia’s notoriously large military apparatus renowned for its discipline. The curiosity of his reign was that he felt his army was too valuable to use in battle. And as such, this week, his son Frederick II, King in Prussia, ascends to the Prussian throne at the age of 28, inheriting a giant war-chest stocked with gold and an army that was polished, well-trained and battle-ready. Young Frederick wasted no time and immediately put this army to the test... Not for a legitimate or righteous cause, but simply because he could. During this King’s reign, Prussia would finally manage to force itself among the ranks of the European Great Powers. After all, there is a reason why this King became known as Frederick the Great.
Welcome to the complete history of Prussia.
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:16 A New King (1740-1748)
6:51 After Silesia (1748-1756)
9:44 The Seven Years' War (1756-1763)
17:24 Later Reign and partition of Poland (1763-1786)
20:58 Final Years
Watch my documentary series:
►History of Prussia playlist: • History of Prussia
►End of Empire - Downfall of the Qing Dynasty playlist: • End of Empire - China'...
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The content of this video covers events, people or concepts via a lecture-style presentation that is educational and historical in nature. Every video is original content by House of History. The events relating to conflict in this video are portrayed in their historical context without either value judgment or an ideological message attached to it. There is no intent to shock, upset or disgust. The goal of my channel is to make interesting lecture-style videos, no more, no less.
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If you have any feedback, questions or criticism feel free to leave a comment. Your opinion truly aids me in improving the content of the channel! If you have a question, feel free to leave a comment and I will either write a reply, answer your question in a Q&A video, or make an entire video about it!
Sources:
Blanning, Tim. Frederick the Great: King of Prussia. Penguin UK, 2015.
Clark, Christopher M. Iron kingdom: the rise and downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947. Harvard University Press, 2006.
Photos, paintings and imagery: Public Domain, Wikicommons
#HouseofHistory #History #Prussia

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

Napoleon is said to have remarked to his men on passing Frederick's tomb, "Had this man still been alive today, we could never have entered here."

[@J.D.806]

Napoleon also said at waterloo "I made one mistake: i should have burnt Berlin."

[@miguelclarkeottovonbismarck]

He also is attributed with "A wolf loses no sleep over the opinions of sheep."@@J.D.806

[@MrChopstsicks]

Even though Prussia is the most militaristic state of the time. It has produce the most progressive policies. Public schooling hundred years before all of other Europe. And the first social security system implemented in Prussia.

[@KubusSc7]

Not "even though" but you should say "because of that". Militarism doesn't rule out progressivism. Only when your state is secure, when you don't have to fear attacks from your neighbour, do you have the freedom to evolve. Prussia wasn't a state that had freethinkers despite it's military might...it had freethinkers BECAUSE of it's military might.

[@hellfyfighter]

@@KubusSc7 Thats simply not true. Look at our power houses today. China, USA and Russia. Messed up internally.

[@KubusSc7]

@@hellfyfighter What do they have to do with how nations grew from 16th till 19th century? USA is a artificially created construct that didn't have to fear invasion or even an attack from anyway. China is a communist union turned state. Their power comes from their ideology, not their military power. Russia was always a military powerhouse, but after the socialist revolution they got messed up internally. You cannot compare nations/states from today with nations from even 100 years ago.

[@martinmuller3244]

It is not so much the millitary, as it is that Frederick was prepared to stand for something, the Prussian state, and that he considered himself it's first servant. Germany had sunk so low in the proxy wars between France and England that being frugal and to submit yourself to the state as an elector was actually inspiring and worthy of emulating.

[@nillynush4899]

How nebulous that "progressive" word is. Modernity has been granted to us, with its decadence and horror, thanks to ""progress"".

[@canthama2703]

Oscar, what an incredible episode, the challenges and turns of events were truly amazing, congrats for another great job done on this The Complete History of Prussia series.

[@HoH]

Thank you - I appreciate the enthusiasm and am glad you find the series interesting!

[@TheSuperhoden]

I just bought multiple books regarding him, the 30 years war, his battles and the rise and fall of Prussia/Germany. Cant wait to read them

[@jimbojangles9056]

This channel is great, love how you find stories of unique individuals. Keep up the good work.

[@FeanaroNoldoran]

I've become even more of a Kaiserboo watching the series.

[@stevenv.surawski1178]

A Great historical story on Fredrick the Great

[@louisritter7906]

Long awaited! Good work!

[@HoH]

Thanks!

[@berserker4940]

Amazing content

[@davidzufort5546]

Greatly made and well researched! Very informative. I was wondering if you would discuss the Ascanian and Luxembourg dynasties that also ruled Prussia before Hohenzollerns?

[@HoH]

Thanks! I briefly touch upon the Ascanian dynasty in my prehistory of Prussia video (either that or the colonization of Prussia). I could expand more on those dynasties but it is difficult to find footage to go with the vid.. perhaps I will release a video expanding on it in the future but as for now I am hesitant with time periods that I cannot find much quality footage/imagery of

[@davidzufort5546]

@@HoH Glad to hear you are thinking about a seperate video! I fully undrstand, that footage might be a problem for this topic. Anyway, I enjoyed watching this episode very much and I am excited for the next one!

[@Albukhshi]

@ 11:17 Those are Prussians. The man on the right is from La Noble's Freikorps (the symbol on his hat has FR--Fredericus Rex). The man on the far left is a member of the Feldjaeger. The other two men's units escape me atm, but they're both from Freikorps.

[@HistoriaenCeluloide]

How do you make a nation great?: Discipline and will

[@jamesweikel2594]

I would love to learn more about Friedrich II and his campaigns of the war of austrian succession

[@Aeyekay0]

Good video

[@lesseirgpapers9245]

Great objective video.

[@andrewternet8370]

A biography on Frederick the Great, and you don't include the introduction of the potato to Europe? He's called the Potato King for a reason! Despite this, I found this video quite well done- I never knew the annexation of Poland and assumed it fell during the Napoleonic Wars. Keep it up!

[@KubusSc7]

@E Fig And one king has power over all of europe's nations? He doesn't. Frederick II introduced the potato to Prussia, therefore to north german lands. He ruled that his farmers had to start farm it instead of sticking to grain only.

[@GregPotemkin]

By and large good video, but there is a slight mistake. At approx 2:50 Ivan VI is referred to as the Tsarina Anna's infant son. He was, in fact her infant great nephew.

[@Back4Fungame]

the political and mental duality of frederick never ceases to amaze me, he truly was "monster and musensohn"

[@dindu551]

This was a phenomenal script. Please get better using visual aids to help us visualize the content. Your writing is very tight and the narrative is dense with information. Frankly it's hard to keep up because the info load is so heavy and everyone is dumb now

[@johnfleming7879]

I read about Frederick The Great when I was a kid from The History of Nations, I was impressed then, and I still am- he was supposed to say positive things about George Washington's actions in the Seven Years War- he said he showed promise

[@wardaddy6595]

Colored maps of the HRE in the 17th century look like my kitchen floor when the dog gets sick .

[@MrRobfullarton]

When will Kings and Generals cover Leuthen and Rossbach?? Its a shame they cover some many obscure and boring conflicts these days!!

[@LCMM2150]

Comentário para ajudar o canal.

[@levinb1]

Jawohl!

[@64maxpower]

Where are you from? You have a pleasing accent

[@HoH]

I'm Dutch, but try to hide it😜

[@dragooll2023]

@@HoH The dutch have to be the less patriotic bunch in europe

[@NeoMicy]

Only critic is that you dont mention the miracle of house Hohenzollern or the first miracle. But great work again1

[@kathyaschenbach8081]

My Grampa's family were direct descants of one of these Prussian Kings. I have the names of quite a few of the Princes.So I am fascinated with the history There is a castle still standing in Germany that had been occupied by the family.There is stories included with my paperwork that (a German friend of mine translated it and she said they were Knights).

[@xornxenophon3652]

Germany: I fear a war at two fronts; it will not work out! It will all end in utter desaster! Prussia: A war at three fronts at the same time? Well, it cannot be helped, but at least it will not be boring!

[@ohNojames]

He acted how I play EU4.

[@francisebbecke2727]

He had a pretty horse.

[@secordman]

Great Britain were the winners in 1763, so the status quo didn't apply to them.

[@Thomas_Name]

It is thanks to Frederick that so many cackling evil normaltrash died on the battle field. You have to respect that 👌

[@babyfacenilsson6380]

Pretty good vids, but your speech is painful...

[@frederickthegreatpodcast382]

Was Frederick the Great a homosexual?

[@Real46]

Certainly not. People were normal at the time, and aberration of nature would be treated as such and would have no place between civilized citizens. Beside, such considerations only appear in decadent civilizations, and that was not the case at the time.

[@queenbee7266]

very likely. He has more quotes expressing his distaste for women than he has in support. The runaway affair and the lack of female courtiers in his personal palace, statues of homoerotic couples (eg achilles and patroclus, orestes and pylades) to compare to his executed 'friend'(Katte) and his poems, strongly suggest he was one. It's also interesting to note that men of his time suspected it as such too.

[@xsqu1]

No, he was straight

[@rennor3498]

He was like Napoleon, never having any affectionate success towards women and prefering the company of men in a platonic way. Probably because he valued a highly militaristic lifestyle and his inner circle was filled with army officers, philosophers and musicians, all of whom where male,

[@RLoshbough]

Love from East Tennessee Oscar my brother from another mother