Frederick II of Prussia

Pier delle Vigna was inappropriately charged with the attempted murder of Frederick II, Holy Roman emperor and king of Sicily. He was conspired against by envious people who wanted to see an end to his greatness. Once charged, Pier was jailed, beaten, and had his eyes viciously removed from his skull, blinding him. He saw no hope for his future, and therefore ended his life, by bashing his head against the wall until his brain leapt from his cranium. Pier was the victim of political envy, which…

Bohemia, and Hungary. Maria Theresa built a solid basis for future generations of the family empire. While some empires accepted Maria’s reign, she faced resistance from European powers who had previously agreed to her father’s Pragmatic Sanction. Frederick II also did not approve. His army invaded Silesia and claimed it for his own kingdom. Bavaria and France followed along with their own invasion of the Habsburg territories. This eight year conflict created the War of the Austrian Succession.…

technology, military reforms, and political aspects. The absolutist rule of Prussia and Austria differed between scenarios; starting in Austria and its absolutist rule between Maria Teresa and in Prussia and Frederick II of forms of the government. All-though there are many differences between the absolutism under Peter the Great and the absolutist rule of Prussia and Austria, there are many similarities. While Frederick I and Frederick II both used the absolutism law to benefit themselves, they…

“enlightened despots”, an example of these despots being Frederick the Great of Prussia and Joseph II of the Holy Roman Empire. However, despite being dubbed “enlightened”, Frederick and Joseph only enacted enlightened ideas to an extent. While they did enact some enlightened reforms, especially in education and religious toleration, they showed despotic (tyrannical) thinking in their economic policies. First, both Frederick the Great and Joseph II made improvements…

Prussia: A Forgotten Nation From the rise and fall of the Holy Roman Empire - 962 AD to 1806- ("Holy"), to the American Revolution -1765 and 1783-, there have been many different nations to exist, then split up, change their names, or completely disband. Sikkim -1642 to 1975-, Czechoslovakia - 1918 to 1993-, Yugoslavia -1918 to 1992- and Neutral Moresnet -1816 to 1920-(Hoeller), all of these are either nations that used to exist, or nations that have gone through some name changes. Much like…

It was Frederick the Great’s personal insecurity about Prussia’s lack of political dominance over Europe that produced what could arguably be considered the actual First World War: the Seven Year’s War in Europe. Triggered by Frederick’s invasion of Saxony in 1754, the Seven Years’ War began with a bleak prospect for Prussia and developed into a spectacle of Frederick’s military genius, with Prussia surviving the war despite copious adversities. The war, then, became a means through which…

Austria and Prussia both gained political power as the war and the threat of war aided the Strong kings greatly in building absolute monarchies. They monopolized the political power by imposing and collecting taxes without the people's consent. They also maintained strong standing armies to protect their countries and conducted relations as they pleased with the other states. Austria was exhausted after the thirty years war, and their effort to destroy the Protestantism in the German land had…

intellectual movement that emphasized reason rather than tradition. The philosophies heavily influenced many leaders and were even taken on by absolutists. Frederick the Great and Catherine of Russia, despite their despotism, were truly enlightened rulers who implemented the ideals of Enlightenment philosophers. Frederick II and Catherine II were absolute rulers who ruled during 17th century enlightenment, as the enlightenment brought major change to European society. Three precursor societal…

The Enlightenment period was during the 18th century in Europe. It is a form of the absolutism of monarchy. Some examples of leaders during this time period was Frederick the Great, Maria Theresa, Catherine the Great, and Joseph II. These were the Most Enlightened Absolutism Leaders during the period and they did several important things that led them to become one of the most memorable people in European history. To be an Enlightened Monarch, these leaders will need to have their own ideals on…

despite being a woman. Maria Theresa was the wife of Francis I, and the mother of 16 children, most notably, Joseph II, and Marie Antoinette, who both grew up to become major rulers. The archduchess of Austria came across many hardships and events that would slow down her reforms, but her power did not crumble. Whether it might be denying the ancient Salic Law, constant rivalry with Frederick the Great, or fighting for the land of Silesia, Maria Theresa proved to be a faithful ruler for her…