Frederick the Great: A king between Enlightenment and military meaner!

Frederick the Great: A king between Enlightenment and military meaner!

Friedrich the Great is the focus of the celebrations on his 312nd birthday, one of the most influential monarchs and reformers in Germany. Today he is worshiped as a "old Fritz", which not only deeply shaped Prussian history, but also laid the foundation for modern German identity. His work brought far-reaching social and political reforms, which should have an effect far beyond its time, as Vol.at reports .

reformer and war hero

Friedrich II revolutionized state thinking with its concept of enlightened absolutism. In contrast to other monarchs in his era, he was the “first servant of his state” in the service of his people. Under his rule, numerous reforms were introduced in the judiciary and the education system. So he not only introduced the general compulsory schooling, but also paved the way to freedom of the press by lifting censorship - a courageous step in a time when freedom of expression was not a matter of course. He also campaigned for the abolition of torture, a sign of his humanistic thought. These achievements are still of great importance to this day, since they lay the basis for modern state thoughts, as from the article by Heimat Kurier .

his military successes, especially in the Silesian wars, consolidated Prussia's great power in Europe. Friedrich was known for his personal missions on the front and his strategic brilliance, which made it possible for him to significantly expand his territory and to raise Prussia to the fifth great power alongside countries such as Austria and France. At the same time, he practiced reformist agriculture by propagating the cultivation of potatoes, which made him a pioneer in nutritional security. These numerous achievements not only justified his title "The Great", but also a persistent cultural and historical heritage that can still be felt today.