Latest / The History of Germany: Kingdoms, War, and Rebuilding Europe — Fexingo History / Frederick the Great: The Philosopher King of Prussia
Transcript
- Lucas: So after everything from the Teutoburg Forest to Bauhaus, I thought we'd land today on a figure who really sums up that tension in German history between raw power and high culture — Frederick the Great of Prussia. Luna: The flute-playing king who also fought the Seven Years' War? Lucas: That's exactly the one. And you know, we've talked about Prussia in a few episodes — the Berlin Palace, the Ems Dispatch — but Frederick is this incredible hinge point. Before him, Prussia was a middling German state. After him, it's a European great power. And he did it while writing poetry and corresponding with Voltaire. Luna: It's almost hard to reconcile — the philosopher and the warrior. Lucas: Right. And his own father couldn't reconcile it either. Frederick was born in 1712 to Frederick William I, the 'Soldier King,' who was a total martinet — obsessed with building the Prussian army, hated anything artistic or intellectual. Young Frederick loved French literature, played the flute, read philosophy. His father beat him, humiliated him, forced him to watch military drills. Luna: That sounds brutal. How did he cope? Lucas: He tried to flee. In 1730, when he was 18, he and a friend, Hans Hermann von Katte, planned to escape to England. But they were caught. Frederick William had Katte beheaded in front of Frederick — forced him to watch from his prison cell. Frederick fainted. It's one of those horrifying moments that really shapes a person. Luna: That's... that's a formative trauma if ever there was one. Lucas: It was. After that, Frederick complied. He married a woman he didn't love, took up his military duties, and basically just waited for his father to die. When Frederick William died in 1740, Frederick — now Frederick II — immediately did what his father never would have: he invaded Silesia, a wealthy province of the Habsburg monarchy. Luna: Was that just pure ambition, or was there a strategic reason? Lucas: Both. Silesia was rich in resources and territory, and it gave Prussia a foothold against Austria. But the timing mattered too. The Habsburg emperor Charles VI had just died, leaving his daughter Maria Theresa as ruler. Frederick saw an opening and took it. That invasion kicked off the War of the Austrian Succession, and by the end, Prussia had kept Silesia. It was his first big triumph. Luna: And that set up the Seven Years' War, right? Lucas: Exactly. By 1756, Frederick's enemies had regrouped. Austria, France, Russia, Sweden — they all wanted to crush Prussia. Frederick was outnumbered maybe 5 to 1. Yet he fought what many consider his greatest battles. At Rossbach in 1757, he used a rapid oblique order attack to rout a Franco-Austrian army. Then, just a month later, at Leuthen, he did it again against the Austrians. Luna: The oblique order — that's where you reinforce one flank and refuse the other? Lucas: Right. He'd march his army so it looked like he was attacking one side, then pivot and crush the other. It required incredible discipline and speed. The Prussian army was drilled to perfection, and Frederick was a master of timing. But even genius has limits. By 1760, Prussia was exhausted. Berlin was even occupied briefly by the Russians. Lucas: The 'Miracle of the House of Brandenburg.' In 1762, the Russian Empress Elizabeth died, and her successor, Peter III, was a fanatical admirer of Frederick. He reversed Russia's alliance, made peace, and even sent troops to help Prussia. Suddenly the coalition collapsed. Frederick kept Silesia. It was a dramatic last-minute save. Luna: That's almost unbelievable — like something out of a novel. Lucas: It really is. And it cemented Frederick's reputation. But here's the thing: he wasn't just a general. While he fought, he also governed. He abolished torture, reformed the justice system, allowed freedom of the press and religion. He invited French Huguenots and other persecuted groups to settle in Prussia. He wrote treatises on government, like 'Anti-Machiavel,' arguing that the king should be the first servant of the state. Luna: So he practices what he preaches — at least partly. Lucas: Partly, yes. He saw himself as an enlightened despot — ruling absolutely but for the good of the people. He also built those gorgeous palaces. Sanssouci in Potsdam is maybe the most famous. It's this intimate rococo villa where he could escape the pomp of Berlin and just be himself — play flute, discuss philosophy with Voltaire. But their friendship famously soured. Luna: Didn't Voltaire get into trouble with some shady financial dealings? Lucas: He did. There was a scandal involving a Jewish financier and a disputed diamond necklace. Voltaire had to flee. Frederick was furious. They wrote letters afterward, but the closeness was gone. It's a reminder that even the most enlightened king was still an absolute ruler. Luna: And he wasn't exactly enlightened about everyone. I've read that he was pretty anti-Semitic in some of his writings. Lucas: That's a fair criticism. For all his talk of tolerance, his policies toward Jews were still restrictive. He wanted them to be 'useful' to the state, not fully integrated. So it's complicated. He also expanded the army and waged aggressive wars. His legacy is a mix of genuine reform and militaristic ambition. Luna: It's like Prussia itself — a blend of culture and militarism. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what makes him so fascinating. He died in 1786 at Sanssouci, sitting in an armchair. He'd asked to be buried in the palace gardens with his dogs, but his successor buried him in the garrison church. It wasn't until 1991 — after reunification — that his remains were finally moved to Sanssouci, as he'd wished. So even in death, he's been a symbol of German identity and the debates around it. Luna: And today, what do we think of him overall? Lucas: He's still a national figure, but a contested one. In the GDR, he was celebrated as a progressive ruler. In West Germany, he was seen as a precursor to Prussian militarism. Now, historians tend to emphasize the contradictions. But one thing's certain: he put Prussia on the map, and his influence is woven deep into the fabric of German history. Luna: Thanks for bringing him to life today. I feel like I really get the 'old Fritz' now. Lucas: Cheers to that. And if you're enjoying these conversations and want to support the ad-free ethos behind them, you can always buy me a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that keeps us independent and focused on the story, not the sponsors. Luna: Absolutely. Every bit helps keep this kind of deep dive possible. Lucas: So from a flute-playing philosopher to a battlefield tactician — Frederick's story really captures the complexity of Germany's path. Next time, we might look at the other side of that coin: the rise of German nationalism after the Napoleonic Wars. Until then, take care.