It was Frederick II.

Frederick II (German: Friedrich II, January 24, 1712 - August 17, 1786), also translated as Friedrich II.

Frederick the Great, later known as Frederick the Great, was the third king of the Hohenzollern dynasty of the Kingdom of Prussia (reigned from May 31, 1740 to August 17, 1786). , famous military strategist, politician, writer and composer.

Frederick II was born in Berlin, the capital of Prussia. He was good at musical instruments as a boy and ascended the throne in 1740. It launched the Silesian War twice and the Seven Years' War in 1756. In 1772, it took advantage of Poland's internal crisis to carve up Poland for the first time with the Russian Empire and the Grand Duchy of Austria, and gained West Prussia.

In 1785, an alliance of princes composed of 15 German countries was formed. Died in Potsdam in 1786. He is recognized as one of the most outstanding military commanders in European history.

Frederick II was one of the representatives of enlightened autocracy and the Enlightenment in Europe. During his reign, culture and art were sponsored and supported.

He himself also made great achievements in many fields such as politics, economics, philosophy, law and music. His large-scale development of military power and territorial expansion enabled Prussia to rapidly increase its national power and achieve the status of a major European power.

Extended information:

The major events in the life of Frederick the Great:

1. The Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War occurred in 1754 to 1763, while the main conflicts were concentrated from 1756 to 1763. At that time, the major powers in Europe participated in this war, which affected Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines.

The war was driven by the rivalry between the European powers. Britain competed with France and Spain for trade and colonies. At the same time, Prussia, a rising power, and Austria were competing for hegemony within and outside the Holy Roman Empire.

Shortly after the War of Austrian Succession, the European powers conducted a "partner exchange", known as the "diplomatic revolution." Prussia established an alliance with Great Britain, while France and Austria, traditional rivals of each other, entered into an alliance.

The Anglo-Prussian Alliance later included small German states (especially Hanover) and Portugal, while the Franco-Austrian Alliance included Sweden, Saxony, and later Spain.

Russia initially formed an alliance with Austria. However, after Tsar Peter III came to the throne in 1762, he changed his position and concluded a separate contract with Prussia together with Sweden.

The Treaty of Paris 1763 signed between France, Spain and Britain, and the Treaty of Hubertusburg signed between Saxony, Austria and Prussia** * also marks the end of the war.

This war is famous in Europe for its sieges, arson of towns, and field battles that caused heavy losses. Overall, the war resulted in approximately 900,000 to 1,400,000 deaths.

2. War of Succession to the Bavarian Throne

In 1777, the Wittelsbach dynasty that ruled Bavaria was extinct and should be replaced by a close relative, Karl Theodore of Palatinate-Sulzbach. Your elector succeeds.

Theodore was not very interested in the inheritance of Bavaria and made a proposal, hoping to cede Bavaria to Austria, and Austria would give him the Austrian Netherlands as compensation.

The young Austrian Emperor Joseph II also wanted to acquire Lower Bavaria with the consent of the Queen Mother Maria Theresa. Prussia was deeply afraid that Austria would regain hegemony in Germany after acquiring Bavaria, so it strongly opposed Saxony and even declared war on Austria in 1778. The War of Succession to the Bavarian Throne broke out.

In this war, King Frederick the Great of Prussia led an expedition south from Silesia to attack Bohemia.

At the same time, Frederick's brother Prince Henry commanded the Prussian and Saxon coalition forces to set out from Saxony and attack Bohemia from west to east.

Marshal Franz Moritz von Lacy, the commander-in-chief of the Austrian army, commanded the Elbe Army to block Frederick. Field Marshal Ernst Gideon von Laudon commanded the Second Army to head west to block Prince Henry.

There are forces on both sides that oppose the war. On the Prussian side was Prince Henry, and on the Austrian side was the Empress Dowager Theresa. In the winter, Prince Henry resigned and was replaced by the younger Duke of Brunswick, Carl William Ferdinand.

There were no major combat operations in the War of Bavarian Succession. The two sides were content to confront each other and were busy harvesting potatoes in Bohemia. The War of Bavarian Succession was quite representative in the era of cordon strategy.

At that time, the goal of strategic operations was not to destroy the enemy's army, but to occupy its territory, supply bases and fortresses. Although 10 months passed between the declaration of war and the signing of the peace treaty, no fighting occurred during this period. Both sides avoided firm action.

And only carry out complex maneuvers, trying to cut off the enemy's connection with its supply base through troop maneuvers, so as to force the enemy to retreat. Finally, the Austrians did it.

They gradually drove Friedrich II's army out of their own territory and occupied several areas of Bavaria, winning the war.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Frederick II

Baidu Encyclopedia - War of Bavarian Succession

Baidu Encyclopedia - Seven Years' War