Frederick the Great

Frederick the Great (1712–1786), Frederick II, was King of Prussia from 1740 until his death and one of the leading monarchs of the European Enlightenment. Raised under a strict, military-minded father, the young prince loved music, literature and philosophy, interests he carried to the throne together with the conviction that a ruler is "the first servant of the state." His reign saw Prussia endure the Seven Years' War and rise to the rank of a major European power. At home he largely abolished judicial torture, promoted religious tolerance, encouraged potato cultivation, ordered rural primary schooling and began the legal codification later completed as the Prussian General Land Law. An accomplished flutist and composer, he built the palace of Sanssouci at Potsdam and corresponded with Voltaire. His sense of duty and orderly administration shaped the Prussian state for generations.