Hello Yolanda,

Thank you for your contribution to my post. You have pointed out details about
King Frederick II of Prussia, by far a very interesting character and
controversial of the 18th century. Therefore, I would like to share with you (and
the rest of the class) findings about King Frederick II of Prussia, a devoted
follower of the thoughts and reforms proposed by the enlightenment thinkers.
During his four decades reign, Frederick II doubled the size of Prussia making
from this country a great military power. He was endowed with exceptionally
abilities of administration increasing Prussias wealth like no other ruler from
the countrys history. Frederick II transformed Prussia from an unknown
territory into a hub of culture and learning.
As an individual, Frederick was a humanist with a remarkable intelligence; fact
easily observed in his insightful essays. He was attracted by music
(composing flute concertos) and writing, poetry and histories (primarily
concerning affairs of state). As monarch, he had the privileges to be
surrounded by personalities of its time from areas like music, literature and art.
A special case was Voltaire - the philosopher that later became a close friend.
His affinity towards culture was mostly because of the enlightenment
movement.
He was host of the most distinguished salon in Europe. Under his tutelage,
Brandenburg-Prussia became one of the great intellectual centers of Europe
and a mecca for the great minds of the era. With the revival of the Prussian
Academy of Sciences in 1744, funding was provided to the luminaries of the
French Enlightenment. To his palace of Sans Souci in Potsdam, he brought
ballet, symphonic assemblies and opera companies. Frederick epitomized the
"Enlightened Despot."
To conclude, what Frederick II did in Prussia was inspirational for many, most
notable Napoleon Bonaparte. For Napoleon, Frederick II was the greatest
tactical genius of all time. In 1807, Napoleon visited Fredericks tomb in
Potsdam after his victory over the Fourth Coalition. Whit this occasion he
made a remarkable statement to its officers that remained in the history:
"Gentlemen, if this man was still alive I would not be here".

Retrieved from:
1. Frederick II, the Great - http://enlightenmentrevolution.org/index.php/Frederick_II,_the_Great
2. Frederick the Great http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_the_Great#cite_note-Koch160-42
3. Koch, H. W. (1978). A History of Prussia. New York: Barnes & Noble
Books. ISBN 0-88029-158-3.