Frederick L

first King of Pru ia (Frederick III. as Elector of Brandenburg), son of the above; born in Konigsberg, July 22, 1657. He sueceeded his father in 1688, and in 1701 obtained the title of king, which he had long coveted. He placed the crown on his head with his own hands. In 1694 he founded the University of Halle; two years later, the Berlin Academy of Painting; and, in 1707, he established the Academy of Sciences, Berlin, and made Leibnitz first president. He was thrice married; his third wife became insane, but her state was concealed from him, One day she escaped, rushed into the king’s apartment, smashing the gla door, and so terrified him that he immediately fell into a fever, and after’ six weeks’ illne died, Feb. 25, 1713. Frederick William I., son of the above, and father of Frederick the Great; born in 1688, and commenced his reign in 1718, after having mar cied the daughter of the Elector of Hanover, afterward George I. of England. In 1715 he declared war against Charles XII, of Sweden, and in conjunction with Denmark took Stralsund; but on the death of Charles, in 1718, he made peace. The habits of this sovereign were entirely military. One of his strongest peculiarities was an extraordinary love for tall soldiers. He held science and literature in profound contempt; but money he worshipped, and men of a military character after his own idéal he respected and encouraged. He died May 31, 1740. Frederick II., best known as Frederick the Great; born Jan. 21, 1712; the son of Frederick William I., and the Prince Sophia Dorothea | of Hanover. Though, by the direction | of his father, he was instructed only in the details of military exercises and Service, his taste for poetry and music was early developed by the influence of his first ins true tre , the highly gifted Madame de Rocoules, and his early teacher, Duhan, who, countenanced by the queen, formed a secret opposition to his father’s system of education. The death of his father raised him to the throne May 31, 1740. Frederick on his acce ion found in his States a population of only 2,240,- 000. At his decease he left 6,000,000, He raised Pru ia to this pitch of greatne by his talents as a legislator and general, a isted in the field and in the cabinet during a reign of 46 years by many distinguished men. The story of his wars would be a history of Europe. But he was not alone a great commander. He encouraged agriculture, the arts, manufactures, and commerce, reformed the laws, increased the revenues, perfected the organization of his army, and thus improved the condition of the State. He died in Sans-Souci, Aug. 17, 1786, in the Sth year of his life, and the 47th of his reign, and left to his nephew, Frederick William II., a kingdom increased by 29,000 square miles, more than 70,- 000,000 Pru ian dollars in the treasury, an army of 200,000 men, great credit with all the European powers, and a State distinguished for population, industry, wealth, and science. Frederick the Great was an admirer of General Washington, whose abilities he perceived and did not hesitate to acknowledge —a fact which Americans will always remember. The prpsent German emperor has presented to the United States a statue of Frederick the Great. Frederick William ITII., King of Pru ia, son of the above; born Aug. 3, 1770; commenced his reign in 1797 by maintaining a strict neutrality in the various alliances with and against France, which resulted = the ambitious designs of Napoleon I. In 1805, however, he yielded to the solicitations of Ru ia, allying himself with the czar against the French emperor, The rapid campaign of 1806, and the defeat of the Pru ians at Jena, opened the gates of Berlin to the enemy, in whose hands it remained till 1809. In 1807 the battle of Fried land led to the humiliating peace of i 4 by which Frederick lost half his minions.