Dionysius I or Dionysius the Elder (ca. 432–367 BC, Greek: Διονύσιος ο Πρεσβύτερος) was a Greek tyrant of Syracuse, in what is now Sicily, southern Italy. He conquered several cities in Sicily and southern Italy, opposed Carthage's influence in Sicily and made Syracuse the most powerful of the Western Greek colonies. He was regarded by the ancients as an example of the worst kind of despot—cruel, suspicious and vindictive.

Dionysius the Elder’s victory over the democratic Syracuse represents both the very worst and the very best of the mercenary-leader. Dionysius’ career as a despot occurred after he was given six hundred personal mercenaries to guard his person after faking an attack on his own life. He was able to increase this guard to one thousand and gradually consolidated his power and established himself as a tyrant. He imposed his mercenaries on all parts of the polis community. Such an act would have truly wiped out any suggestion that democracy was still in force. His rule was “unconstitutional and illegitimate and could not fail to provoke rebellions among the partisans of democratic government”.[2] Dionysius’ position at home would be threatened even as early as 403 by those philosophically opposed to tyranny. Interestingly, Sparta, which had in the past deposed tyrants from Corinth to Athens, did not damn Dionysius and his autocracy. In fact relations between the two were very positive:
When the Lacedaemonians had settled the affairs of Greece to their own taste, they dispatched Aristus, one of their distinguished men, to Syracuse, ostensibly pretending that they would overthrow the government, but in truth with intent to increase the power of the tyranny; for they hoped that by helping to establish the rule of Dionysius they would obtain his ready service because of their benefactions to him.
[3]
Dionysius would even have the privilege of being allowed to conscript mercenaries from lands under Spartan authority. The demise of a prominent democratic polis in the classical world and the subsequent tenure of Dionysius represented what would become a recurring norm in fourth century Greece, thanks to the prevalence of mercenaries. The mercenary and the tyrant went hand-in-hand; Polybius for example noted how “the security of despots rests entirely on the loyalty and power of mercenaries”.[4] Aristotle wrote how some form of ‘guard’ (viz. a personal army) is needed for absolute kingship,[5] and for an elected tyrant a very particular number of professional soldiers should be employed; too few undermines the tyrants power and too many threatens the polis itself. The philosopher notes how based on this observation, the people of Syracuse were warned to not let Dionysius conscript too many ‘guards’ during his reign.[6]

He carried on war with Carthage from 397 BC to 392 BC with varying success;[1] his attempts to drive the Carthaginians entirely out of the island of Sicily failed, and at his death they were masters of at least a third of it. He also carried on an expedition against Rhegium capturing it [1] and attacking its allied cities in Magna Graecia. In one campaign, in which he was joined by the Lucanians, he devastated the territories of Thurii and Croton in an attempt to defend Locri.
After a protracted siege he took Rhegium (386), and sold the inhabitants as slaves. He joined the Illyrians in an attempt to plunder the temple of Delphi, pillaged the temple of Caere (then allied with Rome) on the Etruscan coast. In the Adriatic, to facilitate trade, Dionysius founded Ancona, Adria and Issa.[7] After him Adriatic became a sea of Syracuse. In the Peloponnesian War he espoused the side of the Spartans, and assisted them with mercenaries.
In 385 BC Alcetas of Epirus was a refugee in Dionysus' court. Dionysus wanted a friendly monarch in Epirus and so sent 2,000 Greek hoplites and five hundred suits of Greek armour to help the Illyrians under Bardyllis in attacking the Molossians of Epirus. They ravaged the region and killed 15,000 Molossians, and Alcetas regained his throne.[8] Sparta however intervened;[9] under Agesilaus and with aid from Thessaly, Macedonia and the Molossians themselves, the Spartans expelled[10] the Illyrians.[11]

According to others, he was poisoned by his physicians at the instigation of his son, Dionysius the Younger who succeeded him as ruler of Syracuse. His life was written by Philistus, but the work is not extant.
Additionally, it is said that upon hearing news of his play, The Ransom of Hector, winning the competition at the Lanaean festival at Athens, he celebrated so fiercely that he drank himself to death. Others report that he died of natural causes shortly after learning of his play's victory in 367 BC. The third theory suggests that "The Company", of which he was a member, had taken revenge on his earlier purges and taxation imposed upon them, in an attempt to raise money for the war with Carthage.

Like Pisistratus, tyrant of Athens, Dionysius was fond of having literary men about him, such as the historian Philistus, the poet Philoxenus, and the philosopher Plato, but treated them in a most arbitrary manner. Once he had Philoxenus arrested and sent to the quarries for voicing a bad opinion about his poetry. A few days later, he released Philoxenus because of his friends' requests, and brought the poet before him for another poetry reading. Dionysius read his own work and the audience applauded. When he asked Philoxenus how he liked it, the poet replied only "Take me back to the quarries."[citation needed]
He also posed as an author and patron of literature; his poems, severely criticized by Philoxenus, were hissed at the Olympic games; but having gained a prize for a tragedy on the Ransom of Hector at the Lenaea at Athens, he was so elated that he engaged in a debauch which proved fatal.
His name is also known for the legend of Damon and Pythias, and he features indirectly (via his son) in the legend of the Sword of Damocles. The Ear of Dionysius in Syracuse is an artificial limestone cave named after Dionysius.

In 402 BC Dionysius I began building the Circuit Walls of Syracuse. They were completed in 397 BC and had the following characteristics:
· Length: 27 kilometers
· Width at base: 3.3 m to 5.35 m
· Number of known towers on circuit: 14 (including Euryalos)
· Largest tower: 8.5 m x 8.5 m
· Deepest ditch (at Euryalos fortress): 9 m
Building so big a fortress would have involved installing well over 300 tons of stone every day for 5 years.[12]

29- فرديناند الأول من ليون وقشتالة

There is some disagreement concerning the order of birth of Sancho III's son, and of Ferdinand's place among them. He was certainly a younger son, and he was probably born later than 1011, when his parents' marriage is first recorded. Most, and the most reliable, charters name Sancho's sons in the order Ramiro, García, Gonzalo, then Ferdinand. Three documents from the Cathedral of Pamplona list them in this way,[3] as well as four from the monastery of San Juan de la Peña.[4] One charter from Pamplona, dated 29 September 1023, is witnessed by Sancho's mother, Jimena Fernández, his wife Mayor, her children, listed García, Ferdinand then Gonzalo, and their brother, the illegitimate Ramiro.[5]
In five documents of the monastery of San Salvador de Leire, Ferdinand is listed after Gonzalo.[6] Two of these are dated to 17 April 1014. If authentic, they place Ferdinand's birth before that date.[7] Three further documents from Leire are among the only ones to place Ferdinand second among the legitimate sons, but they suffer from various anachronisms and interpolations.[8] Two preserved diplomas of Santa María la Real de Irache also put Gonzalo ahead of him.[9] On the basis of these documents, Gonzalo Martínez Díez places Ferdinand third of the known legitimate sons of Sancho III (Ramiro being a bastard born before his marriage to Mayor), and his birth no earlier than 1015.[2] The Crónica de Alaón renovada, which Martínez Díez dates to 1154, but which other scholars dismiss as a late medieval concoction, lists García, Ferdinand and Gonzalo as Sancho III's sons by Mayor in that order, but in the same passage mistakenly places Gonzalo's death before his father's.[10]

Count of Castile (1029–37)

Ferdinand was barely in his teens when García Sánchez, Count of Castile, was assassinated by a party of exiled Castilian noblemen as he was entering the church of John the Baptist in León, where he had gone to marry Sancha, sister of Bermudo III, King of León. In his role as feudal overlord, Sancho III of Navarre nominated his younger son Ferdinand, born to the deceased count's sister Mayor, as count of Castile. Although Sancho was recognised as the ruler of Castile until his death, Ferdinand was granted the title "count" (comes) and was prepared to succeed in Castile. On 7 July 1029, before a council in Burgos, the capital of Castile, Óneca, aunt of the late García and queen Mayor, formally adopted Sancho and Mayor, making them her heirs. The record of the council is the first recorded instance of Ferdinand bearing the title of count.[11] A later charter from the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, dated 1 January 1030, explicits lists Sancho as king in León (the overlord of Castile) and Ferdinand as count in Castile.[12] The first indication that Ferdinand was independently reigning de facto over Castile, or was at least recognised as count in his own right, is a charter of 1 November 1032 from the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza, which does not mention his father, but dates it to the time of "Fernando Sánchez bearing the county".[13] Sancho's decision to name his son as count in Castile preserved its high degree of autonomy, although no Castilian document after 1028 is dated by the reign of Bermudo III nor is he ever named as king of León. The only sovereign whose regnal year was used was Sancho III, making Ferdinand the first count of Castile not to recognise the suzerainty of the king of León.[14]
Sancho III arranged for Ferdinand to marry García of Castile's intended bride, Sancha of León, in 1032.[1] The lands between the Cea and Pisuerga rivers went to Castile as her dowry. After his father's death on 18 October 1035, Ferdinand continued to rule in Castile, but he was not, as many later authors have it, king of Castile. Contemporary documents stress his status as count and his relationship of vassalage to the king of León. A document issued by his brother Ramiro on 22 August 1036 at San Juan de la Peña was drawn while "emperor Bermudo [was] reigning in León and count Ferdinand in Castile, king García in Pamplona, king Ramiro in Aragon, and king Gonzalo in Ribagorza."[15] Two private Castilian documents dated 1 January 1037 both express Ferdinand's continuing vassalage to the Leonese monarch explicitly, dating themselves by the reign of "king Bermudo and Ferdinand, count in his realms".[16]
In a dispute over the territory between the Cea and Pisuerga, Ferdinand, nominally a vassal of Bermudo III, defeated and killed his suzerain at the Battle of Tamarón on 4 September 1037.[1] Ferdinand took possession of León by right of his wife, who was the heiress presumptive, and on 22 June 1038 had himself formally crowned and anointed king in León.[1]

King of León (1037–65)

Relations with Navarre

On 15 September 1054, Ferdinand defeated his elder brother García at the Battle of Atapuerca and reduced Navarre to a vassal state under his late brother's young son, Sancho García IV. Although Navarre at that time included the traditionally Castilian lands of Álava and La Rioja, Ferdinand demanded the cession only of Bureba.[1] Over the next decade, he gradually extended his control over more of the western territory of Navarre at the expense of Sancho IV, although this was accomplished peacefully and is only detectable in the documentary record.[17]

Relations with al-Andalus

War with Zaragoza

The Chronicon complutense, probably written shortly after Ferdinand's death, extols him as the "exceedingly strong emperor" (imperator fortissimus) when mentioning the siege of Coimbra.[26] After his death, Ferdinand's children took to calling him "emperor" and "the great" (magnus). In 1072, Alfonso, Fedinand's second son, referred to himself as "offspring of the Emperor Ferdinand".Two years later (1074), Urraca and Elvira referred to themselves as "daughters of the Emperor Ferdinand the Great [or, the great emperor Ferdinand]".In a later charter of 1087, Ferdinand is referred to first as "king", then as "great emperor", and finally just as "emperor" alongside his consort, who is first called "queen" then "empress".
In the fourteenth century a legend appeared in various chronicles according to which the Pope, the Holy Roman Emperor, and the King of France demanded a tribute from Ferdinand. In certain versions the Pope is named Urban (although it could not have been either Urban I or Urban II) and in other versions Victor (which is plausibly identifiable with Victor II).[30] Ferdinand was prepared to pay, but one of his vassals, later known as El Cid, who in reality was a youth during Ferdinand's reign, declared a war on the Pope, the Emperor and the Frank, and the latter rescinded their demand. For this reason "Don Fernando was afterwards called ‘the Great’: the peer of an emperor".[31] In the sixteenth century this account re-appeared, extended and elaborated, in Juan de Mariana, who wrote that in 1055, at a synod in Florence, the Emperor Henry III urged Victor II to prohibit under severe penalties the use of the imperial title by Ferdinand of León.[32]
This story is generally regarded as apocryphal, although some modern authors have accepted it uncritically or seen a kernel of historical truth in it. Spanish historian A. Ballesteros argued that Ferdinand adopted the title in opposition to Henry III's imperial pretensions.[33] German historian E. E. Stengel believed the version found in Mariana on the grounds that the latter probably used the now lost acts of the Council of Florence.[34] Juan Beneyto Pérez was willing to accept it as based on tradition and Ernst Steindorff, the nineteenth-century student of the reign of Henry III, as being authentically transmitted via the romancero.[35] Menéndez Pidal accepted the account of Mariana, but placed it in the year 1065.[36]

Frederick II (German: Friedrich II.; 24 January 1712 – 17 August 1786) was a King in Prussia (1740–1772) and a King of Prussia (1772–1786) from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel. He became known as Frederick the Great (Friedrich der Große) and was nicknamed Der Alte Fritz ("Old Fritz").
Interested primarily in music and philosophy and not the arts of war during his youth, Frederick unsuccessfully attempted to flee from his authoritarian father, Frederick William I,
with childhood friend Hans Hermann von Katte, whose execution he was forced to watch after they had been captured.
Upon ascending to the Prussian throne, he attacked Austria and claimed Silesia during the Silesian Wars, winning military acclaim for himself and Prussia. Near the end of his life, Frederick physically connected most of his realm by conquering Polish territories in the First Partition of Poland.
Frederick was a proponent of enlightened absolutism. For years he was a correspondent of Voltaire, with whom the king had an intimate, if turbulent, friendship. He modernized the Prussian bureaucracy and civil service and promoted religious tolerance throughout his realm. Frederick patronized the arts and philosophers, and wrote flute music. Frederick is buried at his favorite residence, Sanssouci in Potsdam. Because he died childless, Frederick was succeeded by his nephew, Frederick William II of Prussia, son of his brother, Prince Augustus William of Prussia.

Youth
Frederick was born in Berlin, the son of King Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. The so-called Soldier-King, Frederick William had developed a formidable army and encouraged centralization, but was also known for his authoritarianism and temper.
Sophia, on the other hand, was well-mannered and well-educated. Her father, George, Elector of Hanover, was the heir of Queen Anne of Great Britain. George succeeded as King George I of Great Britain in 1714.
The birth of Frederick was welcomed by his grandfather with more than usual pleasure, as two of his grandsons had already died at an early age. Frederick William wished his sons and daughters be educated not as royalty, but as simple folk.
He had been educated by a Frenchwoman, Madame de Montbail, who later became Madame de Rocoulle, and he wished that she educate his children.
Frederick was brought up by Huguenot governesses and tutors and learned French and German simultaneously. In spite of his father's desire that his education be entirely religious and pragmatic, the young Frederick, with the help of his tutor Jacques Duhan, procured for himself a three thousand volume secret library of poetry, Greek and Roman classics, and French philosophy to supplement his official lessons.[2]
Although Frederick William I was raised a devout Calvinist, he feared he was not of the elect. To avoid the possibility of Frederick being motivated by the same concerns the king ordered that his heir not be taught about predestination. Although he was largely irreligious, Frederick adopted this tenet of Calvinism, despite the king's efforts. Some scholars have speculated that the crown prince did this to spite his father.
Crown Prince
In 1732, Queen Sophia Dorothea attempted to orchestrate a dual marriage of Frederick and his sister Wilhelmina with Amelia and Frederick, the children of her brother, King George II of Great Britain. Fearing an alliance between Prussia and Great Britain, Field Marshal von Seckendorff, the Austrian ambassador in Berlin, bribed Field Marshal von Grumbkow and Benjamin Reichenbach, the Prussian Minister of War and Prussian ambassador in London, respectively. The pair discreetly slandered the British and Prussian courts in the eyes of the two kings. Angered by the idea of the effete Frederick being so honored by Britain, Frederick William presented impossible demands to the British, such as Prussia acquiring Jülich and Berg, leading to the collapse of the marriage proposal.[4]
Frederick found an ally in his sister, Wilhelmina, with whom he remained close for life. At age 16, Frederick had formed an attachment to the king's 13-year-old page غلام يعمل في خدمة فارس وصيف, Peter Karl Christoph Keith. Wilhelmina recorded that the two "soon became inseparable. Keith was intelligent, but without education. He served my brother from feelings of real devotion, and kept him informed of all the king's actions."
When he was 18, Frederick plotted to flee to England with Katte and other junior army officers. While the royal retinue was near Mannheim in the Electoral Palatinate, Robert Keith, Peter's brother, had an attack of conscience when the conspirators were preparing to escape and begged Frederick William for forgiveness on 5 August 1730;\
Frederick and Katte were subsequently arrested and imprisoned in Küstrin. Because they were army officers who had tried to flee Prussia for Great Britain, Frederick William leveled an accusation of treason against the pair.
The king threatened the crown prince with the death penalty, then considered forcing Frederick to renounce the succession in favour of his brother, Augustus William, although either option would have been difficult to justify to the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire.
The king forced Frederick to watch the decapitation of his confidant Katte at Küstrin on 6 November, leaving the crown prince to faint away and suffer hallucinations for the following two days.
Frederick was granted a royal pardon and released from his cell on 18 November, although he remained stripped of his military rank. Instead of returning to Berlin, however, he was forced to remain in Küstrin and began rigorous schooling in statecraft and administration for the War and Estates Departments on 20 November. Tensions eased slightly when Frederick William visited Küstrin a year later, and Frederick was allowed to visit Berlin on the occasion of his sister Wilhelmina's marriage to Margrave Frederick of Bayreuth on 20 November 1731. The crown prince returned to Berlin after finally being released from his tutelage at Küstrin on 26 February 1732

Frederick the Great…

this is a name full of significance in history of Germany. If we look back with perspective, he is the one behind the independence of Germany, even though Bismarck is the one who made war to gain it. This absolute king, also called Frederick II, is the symbol of Germany’s independence and is the subject of this biography.
He has his place in books about history of Germany, but also in the creation of his country. Our goal here is to paint a portrait of this man who had a huge impact on the existence of a nation. From his childhood and the period in which he lived to his realizations, without forgetting what made him a unique historical character. This is not about dates but about his life. It is now time to dive into history of a little country called Prussia during the 18th century, and believe me, it is worth it.
Historical context and childhood
Everything started at the beginning of the century. Europe was smaller before the Russian Empire really got involved in the continent. Kings and priests represented the elite of european society. They were the ones making political decisions and their influence affected the daily lives of populations. War was a natural way to conduct foreign policy for powers like the Ottoman Empire, Austria, France, England and a slowing-down Spain. Prussia – which will unite Germany during the 19th century – was just like Poland… a second-rate country.
Frederick the Great was born on January 24, 1712, in the middle of a cold winter. This day meant celebration for the Hohenzollern royal family. This latest son was much needed. His father, Frederick-Wilhelm, had already lost two children and had to keep this baby alive to ensure a smooth royal transition when he would die.
The baby’s health was somewhat fragile during the first couple of years, but he survived. Frederick-Wilhelm was happy about it. The baby was raised at Potsdam Palace.
His mother spoke French around him and she told him that French was the language of culture, while German was used by inferior people… and the kid included his father in this category.
The king made sure to train and educate his son properly. He raised him like any other kid, gave him military education, and the brat (nicknamed Fritz) just hated that.
The king wanted to make sure that his son was a real man. He did not want him to wear fancy clothes; he disliked the French style and language of his son. Each time the child did something wrong, his father would hit literally him.
One day, Fritz got tired of this treatment and wrote a letter to his grandfather (who lived in England) to tell him that he wanted to suicide.
He got caught and went to jail at Kuestrin for a few months. During this period, he studied agriculture, economy and administration. To recover freedom, he had to swear he would never seek revenge for this punishment, that he was always going to obey his father and that he would never get married without his father’s approval. Then, he went back to Potsdam. In 1732, his father told him that he found a woman for him to marry. Elizabeth Christine von Braunschweig-Bevern was her name. The wedding planned for June 12, 1733 did not excite Frederick at all. In any case, he went back to the soldier’s training routine once united to his wife.
In 1736, his life changed. The king gave him the Rheinsberg Palace and more money. This new situation made Frederick happier and richer. He was Voltaire’s pen pal (whom he admired and argued with), he played and composed songs, had his personal orchestra… pretty much all the things his father despised. He read, studied the Enlightenment and learned military strategy. He even wrote an anti-Machiavelli theory. He lived like a gentleman during four years before becoming King of Prussia. He was still happy despite a grudge with his father. In 1740, Frederick-Wilhelm died and the throne called his son as the successor. This event was to change Prussia forever, giving [virtual] birth to Germany as we know it, inspiring itself from this new king who would leave his mark.
Characteristics
Before taking a look at what he realized, we have to see what the new king was all about. He mastered French better than any Prussian. He was going to be a hero; would introduce reforms; be an Enlightened man; wanted the German population to have a new existence (does this sound familiar?) and his victories would have their place in history books. He was the nation’s symbol of patriotism.
He was a poet and writer. He would write many poems and 30 books while composing music. He was a gay man surrounded by a male society at “Château Sans-Souci”, which he built. According to him, people must be judged on their intelligence and skills, privileges having nothing to do with it. He was a fascinating character for his rivals.
Realizations
Frederick the Great’s personality appears through what he did in Prussia. And he did a whole lot of things…
Here is Prussia when he took over: a poorly populated country (2 million people) cities are weakling; the economy is not developed; Berlin is the only important city; agriculture is stuck under the administration of the Junkers; provinces are not united. When he died, 6 million people lived in Prussian territory, increased the land to 195 000 square kilometers instead of 120 000 and its geography was more coherent.
How did he do it all? War and administration.
When he took over, the last Habsburg (Charles VI) died to be followed by 40 years of war against Mary-Theresa of Hungary. Only the forces of nature would stop Frederick the Great!
Right after taking over, he attacked Silesia for conquest and the military conflicts in which he participated lasted until 1763. After that, Frederick the Great introduced something new to Prussia: the now-legendary will for Prussians to be powerful and build a military tradition. Something else was new because the changes had nothing to do with religion or ideology. The State, its power and its people were more important (German nationalism?) than traditional elites.
Frederick signed a pact with France to wage war against Austria in Silesia and he won. Therefore, Prussia’s strong unity slowly becomes reality with the conquered territories.
Before the Seven Years War, Frederick busted his alliances with Russia and France, mostly because he dumped them and made bad jokes about symbolic characters such as Madame de Pompadour and tsarina Elisabeth. In 1756, war was on the menu again. Prussia faced France, Russia, Austria, and the German Empire. Its ally ? An England that was determined to face France and ready to provide economic and military support to Prussia. War destroyed Prussia’s resources. During the conflict, Frederick the Great showed his genius and military strategy, his troops were disciplined, and his generals extremely competent. Berlin got occupied twice and almost everything collapsed, but…
Tsarina Elisabeth died in 1763. After taking over, Peter III changed Russia’s position take Prussia’s and England’s side, and then Catherine II assassinated him to grasp power. She simply stepped out of the conflict. This killed the morale of Frederick the Great’s opponents. The war was over. Total destruction was close, but Frederick’s bold moves paid off. In 1763, a new era began and Prussia became a major european power.
The funniest thing is that those years of conflict will lead Prussia to… a long lasting peace of 30 years. Frederick the Great will become a solid absolutist king just like Louis XIV. He will impose rational thought, secularization, legalist and humanist principles. The state is now everywhere in prussian life and it will respect Frederick’s dearest wishes. The army gets beefed up and efficiency is the only acceptable policy for the national administration. Prussia’s peace and security will barely be interrupted in this period until Bismarck’s easy victories from 1866 to 1870 and World War I in 1914. Frederick the Great’s successes gave birth to this nationalist tradition in Prussia and would also give birth to German pride.
In 1772, Frederick the Great divides Poland with Catherine II of Russia. It would be one of the classic divisions of Poland’s territory between its surrounding enemies.
Frederick the Great takes care of everything personally. He starts occupying the new territories. He is tolerant with religious diversity, abolishes torture, introduces new laws and fills the administration as well as the army ranks with nobility. It was the smartest thing for Frederick to do in order to ensure stability within his regime. The nobility was the only social class that (utimately) had the power to overthrow him. While liberalism rises everywhere, his reign is an icon of the Ancien Régime. He is the King, nobody else is.
Frederick the Great gives 50% of the state’s revenues to the army (a unique feat at the time) and builds the foundation of a new military tradition in Prussia, which will only end with Adolf Hitler’s collapse. Frederick the Great owns a lot of land, makes peasant life easier – happy peasants are better peasants – creates public organizations to sell food at a good price in difficult times; he guarantees credit and controls prices. Prussia now means stability and responsible government, which is a contrast when compared to the risks taken from 1740 to 1763. Frederick the Great made sure that Austria would not devour German territories. His successes – even after he died – cannot be destructed. When he was old, he also opposed to the possibility that intellectuals could have more power than the political men.
Frederick the Great governed Prussia during 46 years, gave importance to the army, reformed the administration and made his country a major power. He died in 1786, disease being the last opponent of his life.
Succession
Frederick II had no children. His immediate successor was his nephew, Friedrich Wilhelm II, and he ruled Prussia from 1786 to 1797.
Memory and conclusion
What did Frederick the Great leave behind him? He is the one who focused on militarism for the first time in German history. He started the military tradition that died in 1945. Without knowing, he inspired German leaders, including Adolf Hitler. He is the first symbol of their independence, just like George Washington was in the USA.
His memory was ruined by Bismarck and the Nazis. Bismarck made German unity official by using war as a nationalism-building too, as he said it himself. The Nazis revered him and used him as an inspiration. They wanted to follow his footsteps… in their own way. Hitler even had a portrait of him in his living room. This made people associated Frederick the Great to an ideology that lead to an ultranationalist hitlerian regime. From Frederick the Great, to Bismarck and Hitler, here is how it got simplified. Since then, the king’s image is not very positive, and this is too bad because of his legend, commitment and realizations. Such a character has been destroyed because of the mistakes made during the two world wars.
When you think about it, the Germans would respect Frederick the Great if the whole tradition lead them to victories and hegemony in Europe instead of the unusually rough treatment received at Versailles. Despite the treatment his character received through history, Frederick the Great had a big impact on his country’s future