r. Frederick the Great (1 gen 1740 anni – 1 gen 1786 anni)

Descrizione:

Frederick II's most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Silesian wars, his re-organization of the Prussian Army, the First Partition of Poland, and his patronage of the arts and the Enlightenment.

He started the War of Austrian Succession by utilizing Prussia's military might to seize Silesia from Austria/Maria Theresa, disrespecting the Pragmatic Sanction, a diplomatic agreement that had guaranteed Maria Theresa’s succession. Theresa was forced to cede almost all of Silesia to Prussia, doubling Prussia’s population. Frederick then faced her again in the Seven Years' War after she formed an alliance with France and Russia.

Afterwards, Frederick began to allow his subjects to believe as they wished in religious and philosophical matters. He promoted the advancement of knowledge and tried to improve subjects’ lives more directly.
He made the legal system more just, promoted agriculture and industry, and lived modestly.

Frederick was intelligent and kept a wholesome and energetic tone. He liked to personally deal with his business and important decisions. He simplified and codified many laws, bettered courts, gave religious freedom, and improved education, yet the country still remained stratified. He condemned serfdom in the abstract but accepted it in practice, and extended privileges of the nobility; little was done legislatively for serfs but they were still better off in Prussia than in other countries.

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