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"Frederick II (German: Friedrich II.; 24 January 1712? 17 August 1786) was King in Prussia (1740?1786) of the Hohenzollern dynasty. He is best known for his brilliance in military campaigning and organization of Prussian armies. He became known as Frederick the Great (Friedrich der Große) and was nicknamed Der Alte Fritz ("Old Fritz"). He was a grandson of George I of Great Britain, and a nephew of George II."--Wikipedia.

In this volume, French author Pierre Gaxotte offers a straightforward biography of the eighteenth-century Prussian ruler known as Frederick the Great. Now translated into English, it is satisfactorily detailed and written for the modern reader. Frederick's twenty-eight years as crown prince are examined, while military affairs are treated briefly, though not uninterestingly. Frederick is chiefly presented as a man, a philosopher, a man of letters, a bon vivant whose complex and contradictory personality perhaps unavoidably led to the strangeness of his Prussian court. Frederick surrounded himself with an extraordinary group of people--French free-thinkers, liberal philosophers, and Encyclopedists--influential voices in literary and artistic culture, which lead to intrigues and gossip, all while his devotion to the tasks which he was convinced he was called upon to fulfill was total. The author refrains from whitewashing the Prussian autocrat, instead allowing his subject to speak for himself, with the result that many of the pungent, caustic sayings of Frederick are now available for the first time in English.

"David Fraser places Frederick's life as a solider at the center of this researched book, allowing us to understand Frederick's strengths and weaknesses in the field. Fraser not only brings to these pages the authentic smell of battle, but also offers a sweeping account of strategy and maneuver, of psychology, morale and the impact of victory and defeat on the victors and vanquished. He also knows how to view military action in the context of eighteenth-century European diplomacy and the ever-shifting political forces that would re-shape the map of Europe and touch off the American Revolution."--BOOK JACKET.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1862.

Reproduction of the original: History of Frederick the Second, called Frederick the Great by John S.C. Abbott

Chronicles the life of the legendary ruler, artistic patron, man of letters, lawgiver, and military commander, examining his use of strategy and psychology within the context of eighteenth-century European diplomacy.

Narrative biography of the young Crown Prince to the age of thirty-five, with a background study of the kingdom of Prussia under King Frederick William.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1864.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1865.