Frederick the Great

“Frederick II (The Great, 1740-1786). The young Frederick had been brought up in a rough school. His father’s strict training and brutal ways made his life miserable. He could not gratify his waste for study, nor enjoy any liberty of action. Heavy tasks were imposed upon him and he was scolded and punished for the slightest disobedience. Once he tried to escape, but the attempt failed and his tutor who had aided him was hanged. He himself narrowly escaped execution by the decree of a court-martial. The king’s death released him from this tyranny and he now found himself the inheritor of a strong state and a splendid army. He was ambitious of military fame and wished to raise Prussia to the first place among European states."—Colby, 1899

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