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Frederick the Great : a life in deed and letters by MacDonogh, Giles, 1955- is a book available to read on EtoBox.

What is Frederick the Great : a life in deed and letters about?

An ambitious portrait that concentrates on the enlightened monarch’s intellectual (rather than military) achievements. From an early age, Frederick the Great (1712–86) was an avid reader and flutist, much to the chagrin of his warlike, overbearing father, Frederick William I. At 18, Frederick was imprisoned and courtmartialled (and a friend of his was executed) for plotting to flee his father’s dull court for France, where he intended to realize his artistic and literary dreams. Having failed in his escape, Frederick had a strict regimen of political and religious study imposed on the young prince—one that served him well during the Seven Years War (when he faced, and defeated, almost all the other European powers combined). Frederick turned Prussia into a force to be reckoned with: he added territory to the kingdom, further modernized the army, encouraged religious tolerance, and implemented sweeping legal reform. But his major accomplishment as portrayed by MacDonogh (Berlin, 1998) was his patronage of the arts, particularly his correspondence with Voltaire. MacDonogh intersperses scenes of war throughout Germany with Frederick’s exchange of letters with the philosopher. The two

Author

MacDonogh, Giles, 1955-

Publisher

St. Martin's Griffin

Published

2001

Language

EN

ISBN

9780312253189

Subjects

History, Biography, Memoir

Rating

3.74 / 5 (46 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-14