Bold and ambitious to a degree which could have easily wrecked his plans for a dominant Prussia, Frederick the Great managed to succeed in a number of his aims. The costs were steep — sometimes exceedingly so — but by the end of his 46-year reign, he had not only transformed Prussia but altered the dynamics of Europe — politically, militarily, and even culturally — in no small way.
This enlightened monarch of the 18th century is the central figure in this episode of The Germans, as his plans for Prussia influenced profoundly the evolution of Germany over the next two centuries. His nemesis, the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, is also explored, as the documentary shows how the decisions of each of these magnetic rulers influenced the global Seven Years’ War.
In introducing viewers to Frederick the Great, the creators of this episode do a superb job at illuminating his psychological makeup, which was incalculably influenced by the tyrannical parenting of his father, Frederick William I (the “Soldier King). Indeed the abusive and absolutely controlling hand of the elder Frederick is almost frightening to learn of; what it must actually have been like for the young Frederick is hard to imagine.
One example from the documentary suffices to show the horrors. In 1730, after tolerating enough of his father’s abuse, the young man’s attempt to flee resulted not in freedom, but in prison time and the execution of his friend (which he was made to witness). The brutality of the act is almost incomprehensible. The Soldier King’s adamancy in raising a son to his own liking violently clashed with the aesthete personality of his son, who was — and remained for the rest of his life — thoroughly interested in literature, philosophy, languages, and music. (The beautiful Sanssouci Palace, built by Frederick — and shown in the episode — is deeply emblematic of the intellectual and enlightened ruler.)
Ironically, however, upon the death of the elder Frederick in 1740, the now King of Prussia demonstrated some of the same traits and intentions as his militaristic father. From the beginning to the end of this reign, he was determined to build up Prussia’s military into a formidable fighting machine, as well as gain territory.
This became increasingly evident to all around him when, shortly into his reign, he went after the Hapsburg lands of Silesia, “a rich province with a flourishing economy.” Maria Theresa, who had become Empress only months before — helped by the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 — eventually reacted, setting the stage for a decades-long war.
By 1745, Frederick had gained Silesia, but a related treaty made Francis I, Maria Theresa’s husband — Holy Roman Emperor. The strong-willed Empress, however, “wasn’t interested in being the wife of the Emperor,” notes one scholar in the film, and she continued to play the dominant role of ruler.
It wouldn’t be easy. Her leadership prowess, as well as Frederick’s, was thoroughly tested in 1756 — a pivotal year for both Prussia and Austria, along with dozens of European powers, as the Seven Years’ War began to play out.
What’s most notable among Frederick’s actions in the following years — including his immediate attack on Saxony — is his utter boldness in standing up to a coalition of powers. The odds, in so many ways, were not on his side. As the documentary explains, he attracted the ire of many, including the empress of Russia, which set up a bevy of united powers fully against him. Indeed many beside just Maria Theresa sough the downfall, or at least containment, of the increasingly powerful Prussia.
But somehow Frederick held on. The documentary focuses on two especially important battles: Leuthen in 1757, and Kundersdork in 1759. A major victory and a major loss, respectively, they in some ways represent the whole of the Seven Years’ War for Frederick: an enhanced and more powerful Prussia, but not without a colossal loss of life.
Frederick’s reputation some two-plus centuries after his death is multifaceted, and not without some disagreement. But it’s virtually indisputable that he was an ingenious military commander (despite his errors) and that the Prussia he produced throughout the 18th century, played a lasting role in the development of Germany in the years to come.
Spectatio 