Frederick the Great

Frederick was born on January 24, 1712, in Berlin. At the time, before the modern state of Germany existed, those lands were filled with kingdoms, principalities, duchies and electorates. Berlin was the capital of one of the largest states- the Kingdom of Prussia.

Frederick was the eldest surviving son of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, and his wife Sophia Dorothea, the daughter of King George I of Great Britain – this made Frederick the nephew of King George II of Great Britain. He had thirteen siblings, of whom nine lived to adulthood.

Frederick had a strained relationship with his father, who was nicknamed “The Soldier King” for his army expansion and militaristic attitudes. In his lessons, Frederick preferred to study music, literature, and French culture, as opposed to his father’s wishes for him to learn about religion and kingship. Frederick’s father found him to be effeminate and disappointing, often beating him and humiliating him in front of court.

In 1728, when he was 16, Frederick developed a very close relationship with his father’s page, Peter von Keith, who was a year older. The two were said to be inseparable, and Frederick’s sister Wilhelmine wrote that the two were devoted to each other, and that they “were on more familiar terms than was proper in their position.”

Although the full extent of Frederick’s dalliance with Peter is unknown, it is widely accepted that they were lovers. When Frederick’s father found out about this relationship, he had Peter exiled to the Dutch frontier, leaving Frederick alone and heartbroken.

Not long after this, Frederick became involved with an army officer, Hans Hermann von Katte, who was several years his senior. Like Peter before him, Hans was extremely close with Frederick. Frederick’s mother arranged for him to marry her niece, Princess Amelia of Great Britain, although this prospect was dashed by other political influences.

Fearing a forced marriage with a woman, Frederick and Hans plotted to flee Prussia for England with a small group of friends. However, on the way there, one of their friends began to have doubts and turned them in.

Frederick’s father was furious and had them charged with treason and jailed. He at first even threatened to execute Frederick for his disobedience, then considered forcing him to renounce his rights to the throne in favour of his younger brother, Augustus.

In the end, Frederick was given a reprieve and allowed to maintain his place as Crown Prince, but his father forced him to watch Hans be executed on November 6, 1730. Seeing his lover be killed induced Frederick to faint, in view of the public. Two weeks later, he was given a full royal pardon and released from jail, but still had his military titles stripped from him.

Frederick was kept under the watchful eye of a tutor and was kept away from the court at Berlin until he agreed to a marriage to Princess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern.

Frederick was conflicted at this prospect, as he was desperate to return to court life, but at the same time admitted to his sister that he could not have “love or friendship” with a woman. He attempted suicide, but at last relented, and he and Elisabeth Christine were married on June 12, 1733.

Initially, Frederick lived with his wife to keep his father happy, and she played an important part in his social life at court. However, when his father died in 1740, Frederick separated from Elisabeth Christine. He still ensured she was given all the appropriate honours as Queen of Prussia, but only visited her on state occasions, or on her birthdays. Despite this, Elisabeth Christine remained devoted to him, hoping for a reconciliation, despite Frederick’s refusal to show her affection.

Frederick asked the great French writer and thinker, Voltaire, to come and live with him at Sanssouci Palace in Berlin. Their relationship lasted for over fifty years, and although largely an intellectual partnership, was sexual for periods of time.

Frederick found Voltaire difficult to live with, and eventually he left Frederick and returned to France. Despite a cooling off, they maintained their friendship. When Voltaire wrote his memoirs, he detailed Frederick’s sexuality in his writings, although never published them. After his death, the manuscripts were stolen, and published in France. Frederick had the publication stopped, although rumours were already flying around.

As King, Frederick went on to have a glorious military career, furthering Prussia’s position on the world stage and earning him the nickname “Frederick the Great.” He improved the administration and governance of his country and showed a great devotion to duty. His legacy allowed Prussia to become one of the dominant German states, and his family, the Hohenzollerns, would later go on to become Emperors of Germany.