ABSTRACT
Frederick II overcame a troubled childhood to become the most effective ruler in Prussian history. He guided his domestic policy by the ideals of the Enlightenment and his foreign policy by sheer cunning. Frederick was born in Berlin in 1712, the son of Frederick William I. His father had expanded the Prussian army into one of Europe's finest. A great disciplinarian, he expected his son to conform to the strict norms of military life while still a boy. Frederick succeeded his father as king in 1740, the same year MariaTheresa of Austria came to power. Frederick's was guided by the Enlightenment in his domestic governance. Frederick II made Prussia the dominant power of northern Germany. During the century that followed his death, Prussia would have a great impact upon the political, diplomatic, and military history of Europe. Frederick considered himself an enlightened ruler free from the prejudices and ignorance of his predecessors.
