Accomplishments
Frederick the Great accomplished much as a ruler,
thus his title, “The Great”. He was ruler from 1740 until 1789, and had a very
prosperous rule. he was an absolute ruler, of course, but he was "a first
servant of the state", thus he ruled not by his own emotions, and had other
people for guidance, and made thought-out decisions. His most important
accomplishments mostly centered around his military achievements, but he also
left a legacy of not having a religion, several buildings within Berlin, and his
love for the fine arts, such as poetry. The most significant thing he did was
most likely the taking of Silesia, which resulted from the war of the Austrian
succession. This war began when, just five months after Frederick became king of
Prussia, he decided that he wished to take over this Austrian holding.
Despite the fact that the Austrians recruited the help of Hungary and
Great Britain, Frederick the Great won Silesia in the treaty of Aix La Chapelle
in 1748. With the acquisition of Silesia, Prussia became a major European power.
The accomplishments of the Prussian military came
mostly because of Frederick the greats wise choice to follow in the footsteps of
his father with regard to military policies, even though he made reforms
regarding other affairs.
- Joe White and Jesse Maher