Frederick II of Prussia: Encyclopedia II - Frederick II of Prussia - Early years

Frederick II of Prussia - Early years

He was born in Berlin, the son of Frederick William I, the so-called "Soldier-King," who created a formidable army and efficient civil service. His mother was Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (1687–1757). Unlike her husband, Sophia was well-mannered and well-educated. His maternal grandfather, George, Elector of Hanover, was the heir of Queen Anne of Great Britain, whom George succeeded in 1714, as King George I of Great Britain.

At the time of Frederick's birth, the Houses of Brandenburg and Hanover were enjoying great prosperity; the birth of Frederick was welcomed by his grandfather with more than usual pleasure, as two of his grandsons had already died at an early age. Frederick William wished his sons and daughters to be educated not as princes and princesses, but as children of simple folk. He had been educated by a French-woman, Madame de Montbail, who later became Madame de Rocoulle, and he wished that she should educate his children. Frederick was brought up by Huguenot governesses and tutors and learned French and German simultaneously.

As Crown Prince, Frederick displayed passionate interests in French literature, poetry, philosophy, and Italian music. This roused the suspicions of his father, who wanted to see his son follow more masculine pursuits like hunting and riding. He called his son "an effeminate chap," and subjected him to bloody and humiliating beatings. When he was 18, Frederick plotted to flee to England with a group of friends, all junior army officers. But he botched his escape, and was arrested with friend (and possibly lover) Hans Hermann von Katte. An accusation of treason was leveled against both the prince and Katte since they were officers in the Prussian army and had tried to flee from Prussia, allegedly even having hatched a plan to ally with Britain against the Prussian king. The prince was threatened with the death penalty, and the king did not rule out an execution. The proud prince had to submit to his father's demands. Frederick was forced to watch the execution by decapitation of his friend Katte on November 6, 1730, and was strictly supervised in the following years.

The only way that Frederick atoned (and regained his title of crown prince) for this in his father's eyes was in his marriage to Elisabeth Christine von Braunschweig-Bevern on June 12, 1733. The involuntary matrimony did not lead to children as after becoming king, Frederick mostly ignored his wife. Some sources (Voltaire) indicate that Frederick was homosexual, it remains unclear whether he ever acted upon this supposed orientation, but he was certainly fond of surrounding himself with wellgrown young guardsmen.

After the crisis in the relationship with the King in the early 1730s, father and son made a chilly peace in the late 1730s. Frederick William gave his son the chateau Rheinsberg north of Berlin. In Rheinsberg Frederick assembled a small number of musicians, actors and other artists. He spent his time reading, watching dramatic plays, making and listening to music, and regarded this time as one of the happiest of his life.

The works of Niccolò Machiavelli, such as The Prince, were considered a guideline for the behavior of a king in Frederick's age. In 1739, Frederick finished his "Antimachiavel, ou Examen du Prince de Machiavel" - a writing in which he opposes Machiavelli. It was published anonymously in 1740 but apparently disseminated by Voltaire.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Early years", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki