Frederick the Great (1712-1786) · AuthorAuthor
Frederick the Great
1712-1786 · King of Prussia from 1740 to 1786, military commander and writer
About Frederick the Great
Frederick II (1712–1786), king of Prussia from 1740, survived a brutal upbringing under his father Frederick William I, who had his friend Hans Hermann von Katte beheaded before the prince's eyes after a failed escape in 1730. As king he seized Silesia from Austria in 1740, fought three Silesian wars including the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), and nearly lost his state before Russia withdrew in 1762. He corresponded with Voltaire, wrote French verse and history, played and composed for the flute, and ran Prussia's army and administration personally.
On this site
Instructions for His GeneralsFrederick the Great
1747 (Phillips translation 1944) · 18th Century · Political Theory
Frederick wrote the treatise known in English as Instructions for His Generals in the winter of 1746–1747, after the first two Silesian Wars had won and held the rich Austrian province of Silesia. Its French title was Les Principes généraux de la guerre; a German version, Die General-Principia vom Kriege, was printed in 1748 in a small number of copies for Prussian generals, who were bound to keep it secret.