Frederick the Great ruled Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. Born in 1712, he increased the power of the state, he made Prussia the leading military power in Europe and his bold campaigns had great implications for the European political landscape. An absolute monarch in the age of enlightenment, he was a prolific writer, attracted figures such as Voltaire to his court, fostered education and put Berlin firmly on the cultural map. He was much admired by Napoleon and was often romanticised by German historians, becoming a hero for many in united Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries. Others, however, vilified him for aspects such as his militarism and the partition of Poland.
With
Tim Blanning Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge
Katrin Kohl Professor of German Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College
And
Thomas Biskup Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Hull
Producer: Simon Tillotson.