Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/466

 4:54 FREDERICK (PEUSSIA) became a secret tool of the French minis- ters. Frederick William was compelled thus to come to terms with France, with the loss of Wesel and Rees (1673). Immediately after this event, Leopold resuming operations against the French, the elector again took up arms, and Louis, in order to keep the electoral forces oc- cupied in their own country, engaged the king of Sweden to advance upon Berlin. The Swedes accordingly entered Brandenburg by a rapid forced march. Frederick William arrived sud- denly from the Rhine at Magdeburg, and hurry- ing across the Elbe at the head of his cavalry (only 6,000 in number), surprised the Swedes at Fehrbellin. His infantry (11,000) were many miles in the rear, but he attacked the enemy without delay, June 18, 1675. The rout was complete. Frederick pursued the flying enemy into Pomerania, and reduced the greater por- tion of the province. By the treaty of St. Ger- main, June 29, 1679, the elector restored near- ly all his conquests, and received from France 300,000 crowns. He now devoted himself to the prosperity of his dominions and the ex- tension of their area. He founded universities, welcomed 20,000 Protestant exiles whom Louis XIV. banished from France, and made it the aim of his life to oppose Frencli aggression and to protect the liberties of Germany. FREDERICK I., first king of Prussia, son of the preceding, born in Konigsberg, July 22, 1657, died Feb. 25, 1713. He became heir apparent on the death of his elder brother. Deformed by having been dropped from the arms of his nurse, and of weak constitution, his education was neglected, and thus his stepmother could the more easily persuade the old elector to bequeath a part of his possessions to her children. But Frederick, who was no less ambitious than his father, and was assured of the favor of the emperor Leopold L, on his accession as elec- tor in 1688 under the name of Frederick III., took immediate possession of the whole inherit- ance, declaring the will null, and satisfying his step-brothers with offices and pensions. While vying in brilliancy with the court of Louis XIV., he also strenuously continued his father's policy of aggrandizement. Seeking the alliance of influential princes, he lent several of them his troops, on condition of mutual support or payment in money. Thus 6,000 of his soldiers aided William of Orange to secure the throne of England, and fought in the great battle of the Boyne ; 20,000 fought successfully against the French, who had ravaged the Palatinate (1689) ; 15,000 joined the quadruple alliance of the Empire, Spain, Holland, and England, and fought on the Rhine (1690); 6,000 were sent (1691) to assist the emperor in his Hungarian war against the Turks, and contributed to the victories of Zalankemen, Belgrade, and Zenta. But all these services procured Frederick in the peace of Ryswick (1697) politically only the confirmation of the stipulations granted to his father by the treaties of Westphalia and St. Germain. Private negotiations, however, with several reigning houses gave him in part the immediate possession of, and in part hereditary claims to, various territories, which greatly en- larged the limits of his dominions. He gained the royal crown only after long negotiations by a treaty with the emperor, concluded Nov. 16, 1700, and based on the humiliating obligation to aid the emperor with 10,000 troops in the threatening war of the Spanish succession, to support the house of Austria in every debate in the diet, and to vote for its princes at every imperial election. Hastening to Konigsberg in the midst of winter, Frederick placed the crown on his own head and on that of his wife, the sister of George I. of England, Jan. 18, 1701. On this occasion he founded the order of the black eagle. In the wars of Charles XII. of Sweden Frederick took no part, being actively engaged in the support of his ally the emperor in the long struggle against Louis XIV. He sent to the army on the Danube 20,000 men, who took part in the battle of Blenheim (1704), and to Italy 6,000, who greatly contributed to Eugene's victory at Turin (1706). Frederick is praised for his natural kindness, love of his subjects, and loyalty to his allies; but his van- ity, love of pomp, and extravagance led to ru- inous extortions. He founded the university of Halle, the Berlin academies of science and of sculpture and painting, and the supreme court of appeal. Like his father he defended Protestantism in Germany. FREDERICK WILLIAM L, second king of Prus- sia, son of the preceding and Elizabeth, a prin- cess of Hesse-Cassel, born in 1688, died May 31, 1740. He served in the allied army against France, and distinguished himself at the siege of Menin and the battle of Malplaquet. The new monarchy (dating from 1701) had been ungraciously recognized by the crowned heads of Europe, and the crown prince early con- ceived the design of making for Prussia a con- spicuous place among the powers by means of an army. He ascended the throne Feb. 25, 1713, and by strict economy was enabled to maintain a peace establishment of 60,000, and at length of 72,000 men, being -fa of his subjects. His ruling mania was to form a corps of giant soldiers ; and for this purpose his envoys ransacked the world. An Irish- man measuring seven feet was induced to en- list by a cash bounty equivalent to $6,200, a sum much greater than a year's salary of the Prussian ambassador who found him in the streets of London. During a reign of 27 years Frederick William preserved uninterrupted peace for Prussia, with the exception of a short misunderstanding with Charles XII., and a lit- tle idle soldiering under Prince Eugene. In 1713 he had concluded with Sweden, during Charles's absence in Turkey, a treaty, the ob- ject of which was to preserve Swedish Pome- rania from Russia and Saxony. In considera- tion of 400,000 thalers, Frederick received the cities of Stettin and Wismar, and was to medi- ate between the belligerents. Charles, return-