Frederick the Great

Introduction

Frederick the Great (1712–1786) is one of the most fascinating figures of the Early Modern period. He cut a path across Europe both militarily and intellectually, although today he is mostly remembered for his military accomplishments after his ascent to the throne of Prussia in 1740. Frederick corresponded with the greatest philosophers of his day, most famously Voltaire, whom he hosted at his court for a short while. Militarily, Frederick took the army his father had spent thirty years building but never used and put it to use to expand his kingdom and then defend his gains and achieve victory against the combined weight of some of the greatest powers of Europe. Frederick arguably deserves the sobriquet “the Great”; he took Prussia from its status as a second-rate central European power to one of the great powers of Europe—a status Prussia, and later Germany, would not lose until 1945 and the final defeat of Nazi Germany.

Primary Sources

The first place to start in any study of Frederick the Great is the conditions in and around Prussia just before and during his reign. Augstein 1968 presents a thematic look at the life of Frederick covering different aspects of his reign and his rule. Barker 1976 and Simon 1963 are both good introductions to the events in Frederick’s youth that shaped the king he was to become. Perhaps the best general history of Prussia to appear in recent years is Clark 2006, which benefits from new access to Eastern Europe and eastern archives since the collapse of communism. Paret 1972 is an intriguing series of essays that examine various elements of Frederick’s life. Neugebauer 2006 also is a good general history of Prussia with a slightly different interpretation than that of Clark. To better visualize what Prussia looked like in the 18th century, Deutsches Historisches Museum 2012 presents many illustrations and paintings from the period illuminating Frederick’s life. Although somewhat dated, Reiners 1960 is an invaluable straightforward narrative account of Frederick’s life. Reddaway 1969 is an older book but one of the few that includes an intensely critical interpretation of Frederick and his reign.

Augstein, Rudolf. Preußens Friedrich und die Deutschen. Frankfurt: S. Fischer Verlag, 1968.
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This older biography presents a very balanced account of Frederick’s life arranged in thematic chapters rather than chronologically. What make this work stand out are the more than one hundred pages of endnotes, which provide a very thorough overview of the state of German scholarship on Frederick at the time of its publication. In German.
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Barker, Thomas M. Frederick the Great and the Making of Prussia. Huntington, NY: Krieger, 1976.
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A solid history of Frederick’s life and reign. Originally written as a college textbook, it remains a good, short reference work and good place to start learning about the life of the king.
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Clark, Christopher. Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947. Cambridge, MA: Belknap, 2006.
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This extensive history of Prussia includes a large section that details Frederick’s life and the wars he fought that brought Prussia to prominence in the affairs of Europe. Of particular note is the account of his imprisonment and being forced to watch the execution of his best friend when he was a young man.
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Deutsches Historisches Museum, ed. Friedrich der Große: Verehrt. verklärt. verdammt. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2012.
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This book is the companion piece to the Frederick the Great exhibition at the German Historical Museum in Berlin, which ran from 21 March to 29 July 2012, in remembrance of the three-hundredth anniversary of Frederick’s birthday in 2012.
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Neugebauer, Wolfgang. Die Geschichte Preußens. Munich: Piper Verlag, 2006.
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This history of Prussia does not quite follow the standard accounts as known in the English-speaking world. Dr. Neugebauer is known as being part of the modern “New Way of Prussian History” pioneered by his department at the Humboldt University in Berlin. In German.
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Paret, Peter, ed. Frederick the Great: A Profile. New York: Hill & Wang, 1972.
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Has a short introductory biography followed by a series of essays examining different facets of Frederick’s life by historians but also by contemporaries to Frederick.
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Reddaway, William F. Frederick the Great and the Rise of Prussia. New York: Haskell House, 1969.
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This is a reprint of a work that originally appeared at the turn of the 20th century. The author is critical of Frederick and finds much fault in his life and reign. The interpretation of this work is that Frederick was anything but Great.
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Reiners, Ludwig. Frederick the Great: A Biography. Translated by Lawrence P. Wilson. New York: Putnam, 1960.
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A straightforward account of Frederick’s life with almost nothing in the way of analysis or interpretation.
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Simon, Edith. The Making of Frederick the Great. London: Cassell, 1963.
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A dated but very good biography of Frederick that explores the conditions of his youth and upbringing in detail.
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Biographies

Frederick was perhaps one of the most enigmatic men of his time. He is even more important to understand because the time in which he lived is full of significant historical figures, such as Maria Theresa of Austria, William Pitt, Louis XV of France, and Count Duan. Frederick stands head and shoulders above all of these figures though, for the way in which he took the relatively unimportant Kingdom of Prussia and turned it into one of the great powers of Europe over the course of his reign. The classic biography of Frederick is Carlyle 1885 but it has been somewhat overshadowed by more recent scholarship. Macaulay 1859 presents a contrasting view of the king as opposed to that presented by Carlyle while Gaxotte 1942 shows the view of Frederick as seen from the French perspective. As an introductory volume of the life and times of Frederick, Mittenzwei 1980 is a solid short work to become acquainted with the Prussian king. MacDonogh 2001 presents an updated and fresh account of Frederick’s life through the use of Frederick’s own writing. Goldsmith 1929 and Kugler 2010 are both excellent and thorough biographies of Prussia’s greatest king. Perhaps Ritter 1968 is still the best single text on Frederick to be used in undergraduate studies, despite its age.

Carlyle, Thomas. History of Friedrich the Second, Called Frederick the Great. 22 vols. New York: Lovell, Coryell, 1885.
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Despite being written in somewhat difficult to read Victorian English this is perhaps the best single work biography of Frederick the Great. The book is long, more than three thousand pages, but covers Frederick’s life from birth through death in almost exhausting detail. The major fault with the book is the lack of objectivity. Carlyle can find almost nothing wrong with Frederick.
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Gaxotte, Pierre. Frederick the Great. Translated by R. A. Bell. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1942.
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A translation of a book originally released in French. It provides a different take on the life and deeds of Frederick than is to be found in American or English-language scholarship.
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Goldsmith, Margaret. Frederick the Great. New York: Boni, 1929.
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A somewhat dated but excellent biography of Frederick. A good introductory volume to Frederick’s life.
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Kugler, Franz. The Life of Frederick the Great. Rockville, MD: Wildside, 2010.
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This is a reprint of Francis Kugler’s biography of Frederick the Great that first appeared in 1902. Despite its age this book is still well worth reading for its detailed description of Frederick’s childhood and the way he conducted himself while on campaign. This is mostly operational or strategic as opposed to tactical history.
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Macaulay, Thomas B. The Life of Frederick the Great. New York: Delisser & Proctor, 1859.
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A useful contemporary companion to the Carlyle biography. Macaulay wrote this book about the same time as Carlyle but presents a much more balanced and objective view of Frederick’s accomplishments.
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MacDonogh, Giles. Frederick the Great: A Life in Deed and Letters. New York: St. Martin’s, 2001.
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MacDonogh has written one of the better biographies of Frederick available. The only drawback to this work is that the author presupposes a prior familiarity with Frederick’s life, which may limit the appeal of this book for the general reader; it is an excellent work for college level and above students, though.
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Mittenzwei, Ingrid. Friedrich II von Preußen. Cologne: Pahl-Rügenstein Verlag, 1980.
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This biography of Frederick concentrates on relating the facts of his life that can be corroborated. The author studiously avoids rumors and obvious half-truths. She also dismisses outright claims that Frederick was homosexual because of the lack of anything other than innuendo to support the claim. A very refreshing and straightforward read. In German.
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Ritter, Gerhard. Frederick the Great: A Historical Profile. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968.
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Like practically everything else written by Gerhard Ritter, this sketch of Frederick is well written and insightful while being an easy and enjoyable read. It is not a strict biography but is instead broken down into thematic sections. This is an English translation of the original work first published in German in 1936.
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Frederick and His Sister

Wilhelmina 1812 is a very illuminating account by Frederick’s sister of her life (in which Frederick plays a prominent part) and showcases a side of Frederick not often seen in other works about him. Although somewhat flawed, Wright 1965 is one of the few works that explores the relationship between Frederick and his sister in any length.

Wilhelmina, Frederica Sophia, Princess of Prussia. Memoirs. Vol. 1. 1812.
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Original English translation from 1812. Continued in Vol. 2. Although not solely about Frederick—this is an autobiography after all—Wilhelmina’s memoirs are an invaluable look into the childhood of Frederick and the way he was perceived by his peers in Germany. Wilhelmina was a very astute observer who kept a meticulous diary that she used when writing her memoirs.
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Wright, Constance. A Royal Affinity: The Story of Frederick the Great and His Sister Wilhelmina of Bayreuth. New York: Scribner, 1965.
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A good account of Frederick’s early life but the work suffers from having invented dialogue included. One of the few works that focuses on his relationship with his sister.
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Eighteenth-Century Culture

Virtually every book that discusses Frederick’s life mentions his connections to the philosophies of the Enlightenment. Most however, do so only in passing. It is very difficult to find books or even articles that discuss his involvement in Enlightenment thought in any great detail. One of the best sources for this is the king in Frederick 1981, as well as Voltaire 1784. Langille 2007 is a good analysis of the origins of Voltaire’s attacks on Frederick. Gooch 1947 does an excellent job of illustrating how Frederick thought and how that relates to the way he ruled. Of particular interest is Reed 1990, which discusses how Frederick squared the circle of reigning as an absolute monarch while participating in the thought of the Enlightenment. An interesting discussion of Frederick and his impact on the German language is to be found in Klemm 1949. Although not concerning Frederick directly, Gay’s massive two-volume history of the Enlightenment (Gay 1995, Gay 1996) does a masterful job of describing 18th-century thought and culture.

Frederick II of Prussia. The Refutation of Machiavelli’s Prince. Translated by Paul Sonnino. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1981.
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This is an excellent translation of Frederick’s criticism of the principles expressed by Machiavelli in The Prince. An excellent look into the mind of Frederick the Great on the eve of his invasion of Silesia in 1740.
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Gay, Peter. The Enlightenment: An Interpretation—The Rise of Modern Paganism. New York: W. W. Norton, 1995.
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This is the first volume of Gay’s massive history of the Enlightenment (see also Gay 1996).
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Gay, Peter. The Enlightenment: An Interpretation—The Science of Freedom. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996.
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Volume 2 of the history of the Enlightenment; this work is not directly concerned with Frederick (see also Gay 1995). However, it does discuss Prussia and Frederick’s role in Enlightenment thought in numerous places throughout the book.
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Gooch, George. Frederick the Great: The Ruler, The Writer, The Man. New York: Knopf, 1947.
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Drawing on Frederick’s own writings and using them to illustrate the way in which Frederick thought, this is one of the best volumes to understand why Frederick is considered to be one of the last of the philosopher kings.
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Klemm, Frederick A. “Frederick the Great and the German Language.” Modern Language Quarterly 10.4 (December 1949): 508–511.
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An analysis of Frederick’s use of the German language in his correspondence with the new American government between 1776 and 1783.
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Langille, E. M. “Voltaire’s Satire on the Frederick the Great: Candide, His Posthumous Memoires, Scarmendado, and Les Questions Sur L’Encyclopadie.” Romance Notes 48.1 (2007): 49–58.
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A description of the Memoires of Voltaire and the vicious personal attacks on Frederick contained within the work. Significant is a discussion of why Voltaire wrote the Memoires in the first place. An interesting discussion of 18th-century academic politics.
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Reed, T. J. “Talking to Tyrants: Dialogues with Power in Eighteenth-Century Germany.” Historical Journal 33.1 (1990): 63–79.
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A wide-ranging discussion of the philosophes and their relationships with German rulers but particularly with Frederick the Great. Of especial note is the discussion of the way in which Frederick reconciled his belief in the Enlightenment while acting as an absolute monarch.
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Voltaire, Memoirs of the Life of Voltaire. London: G. Robinson, 1784.
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Voltaire’s memoirs are a good if biased view of what life was like among the intellectual elite of the 18th century. He lived in Prussia as Frederick’s guest at the beginning of the 1750s. It is significant for the life of Frederick for its account of the author’s time at the Prussian Court and for repeating court gossip about Frederick’s supposed homosexuality.
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On Government

Much like the impact of Frederick on Enlightenment thought, his impact on the way Prussia was governed has been underserved in the literature. Frederick was a great reformer: he rationalized and modernized the Prussian government during his reign in a way that allowed him to maintain a disproportionately large army. Hubatsch 1975 is probably the most exhaustive study of Prussian governments available in English. Another view of Prussian government is presented by Johnson 1975, which focuses more on the interaction between Frederick and his officials. Ford 1919 is a dated but interesting discussion of the way Prussian farmers were organized. Sachse 2012 is one of the most comprehensive essay collections about Frederick’s life to appear in decades. Schlenke 1981 does not deal specifically with the reign of Frederick II, but it is interesting because it contrasts his reign with that of his father and his successor. A more modern interpretation of his governmental reforms is to be found in Oster 2010. Unfortunately, this is an area of Prussian history that could use more in the way of scholarship because the full impact of reforming the government while fighting major wars has not been studied. Friedrich 2000 concentrates on Prussian rule in Ducal Prussia and Poland while Kiser and Schneider 1994 analyzes Prussian methods of taxation and state revenue generation. Ziechmann 2011 is the best encyclopedia of Frederick available, although it is costly and only in German.

Ford, Guy S. “The Prussian Peasantry before 1807.” American Historical Review 24.3 (April 1919): 358–378.
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Although this article describes the conditions of the Prussian peasantry prior to the Napoleonic wars, it is useful because the conditions under which these peasants worked and lived had been shaped by the action of the Frederick the Great and his father in the early 1700s.
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Friedrich, Karin. The Other Prussia: Royal Prussia, Poland and Liberty, 1569–1772. Cambridge Studies in Early Modern History. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511470646Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
A revealing and unbiased look at the history of Royal or Ducal Prussia from the 16th century to the first partition of Poland in 1772. The last few chapters dealing with Frederick and the events leading up to his severing of Ducal Prussia from the rest of Poland are most illuminating.
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Hubatsch, Walther. Frederick the Great of Prussia: Absolutism and Administration. London: Thames & Hudson, 1975.
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A very useful and detailed study of both the administrative methods and reforms carried out by Frederick during his long reign—reforms that gave Prussia one of the most efficient governments during the 18th and 19th centuries and made it possible for the small state to finance its relatively large army.
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Johnson, Hubert C. Frederick the Great and His Officials. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1975.
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An interesting study that focuses on the ways in which Frederick interacted with the officials of his kingdom and the way he governed. Interestingly, Johnson places Frederick’s governmental achievements above that of his battlefield exploits in determining his “Greatness.”
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Kiser, Edgar, and Joachim Schneider. “Bureaucracy and Efficiency: An Analysis of Taxation in Early Modern Prussia.” American Sociological Review 59.2 (April 1994): 187–204.
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This article is not solely about Frederick the Great. However, it touches on important aspects of Frederick’s rule that are rarely commented about in other histories of his reign. The discussions and insights in this article about Prussian taxation and Frederick’s handling of the tax system to support his goals are illuminating.
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Oster, Uwe A. Preussen: Geschichte Eines Königreichs. Munich: Piper Verlag, 2010.
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One of the best recent histories of Prussia to appear in German. Provides a very balanced account of Frederick’s life and actions. The discussion of governmental reforms in this history is surprisingly comprehensive. This book is valuable for its unbiased look at the invasion of Silesia and the Seven Years’ War and examination of Frederick’s motivation to increase the size of his kingdom. In German.
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Sachse, Ulrich, ed. Friederisiko—Friedrich der Große: Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg im Neuen Palais und Park Sanssouci, 28. April bis 28. Oktober 2012. 2 vols. Munich: Hirmer, 2012.
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This collection of essays is the result of several conferences held in Berlin since 2007 in preparation for the exhibition and remembrance of Frederick’s three-hundredth birthday in 2012. It represents some of the most up-to-date historical interpretations of Frederick and his life. In German.
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Schlenke, Manfred, ed. Preußen: Beitrage zu einer politischen Kultur. Reinbach bei Hamburg: Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, 1981.
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This work is not a specific discussion of Frederick’s reign but rather a discussion of the political development of Prussia over time. Every chapter covers a different aspect of Prussian development with an inclusion of Frederician changes included. A valuable source to understand the changes in the governance of Prussia over time. In German.
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Ziechmann, Jürgen, ed. Fridericianische Encyclopédie: Friedrich der Große und seine Epoche; das Lexikon; Ereignisse, Personen, Sachverhalte. Bremen, Germany: Hauschild, 2011.
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An exhaustive encyclopedia of Frederick’s life and times that includes the results of the most up-to-date scholarship in the field of Frederician research. In German.
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Eighteenth-Century War

In order to place the wars of Frederick into context it is important to understand the context in which those wars were fought and the technology and doctrine used during the 18th century. Black 1994 is one of the best surveys of 18th-century warfare extent. Prior to Frederick’s wars Prussia was just another minor north European state, afterward Prussia was another of the European nations to be reckoned with. Duffy 1996 offers an excellent description of the army that was used to achieve Prussian prominence in the affairs of Europe while Hohrath 2011 and Woods 2006 provide good details of the uniforms and organization of those same Prussian armies. Scott 2008 places Frederick’s Prussia within the context of the Great Power system into which Frederick’s victorious wars vaulted Prussia. Duffy 1986 is a good general military history about Prussia in this period. Wilson 2001 examines the organization, training, and discipline of the Prussian army during Frederick’s reign. Two interesting studies of the discipline and organization of the Prussian army of the period are Müth 2003 and Sikora 1996.

Black, Jeremy. European Warfare: 1660–1815. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1994.
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This general survey of European warfare covers the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years’ War and puts them both within the wider context of the European warfare of the period. Excellently written by one of the preeminent modern military historians and with an excellent bibliography, this book is a good resource for insight into the ways in which Frederick’s genius for warfare stands out.
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Duffy, Christopher. The Military Life of Frederick the Great. New York: Atheneum, 1986.
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This excellent work by one of Britain’s premier military historians does an outstanding job of analyzing and following the military career of Frederick through the First Silesian War and the Seven Years’ War.
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Duffy, Christopher. The Army of Frederick the Great. Chicago: Emperor’s, 1996.
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This book provides an excellent description of the army Frederick won all his wars with. However, the book here is a reprint of the original text from 1974 and suffers from atrocious editing; it is full of spelling and grammar errors that make it difficult to read at times.
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Hohrath, Daniel. Friedrich der Große und die Uniformierung der preußischen Armee von 1740 bis 1786. Mit Beitr. von Judith Zimmer und Elisabeth Boxberger. 2 vols. Vienna: Verlag Militaria, 2011.
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The most recent and definitive work on the uniforms and accoutrements of the Prussian army in the 18th century. Somewhat obscure but eminently useful as a definitive resource.
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Müth, Jörg. Flucht aus dem Militärischen Alltag: Ursachen und individuelle Ausprägung der Desertion in der Amee Friedrichs des Großen. Mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Infanterie-Regimenter der Potsdamer Garnison. Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany: Rombach Verlag, 2003.
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A study examining the desertion rates of the infantry regiments of the Potsdam garrison during the reign of Frederick the Great. This excellent study dispels some of the myths about the supposed harshness of 18th-century Prussian military discipline. German edition.
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Scott, Hamish M. The Birth of a Great Power System, 1740–1815. New York: Longman, 2008.
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A very interesting discussion of the rise of Prussia and the way in which Prussia’s rise to great power status affected relations among the powers of Europe. Of particular note is the account of the War of the Austrian Succession and way in which Prussia achieved great power status.
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Sikora, Michael. Disziplin und Desertion: Strukturprobleme militärischer Organisation im 18. Jahrhundert. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 1996.
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Another evaluation of the discipline and structure of the 18th-century Prussian army. Sikora has a different take on the challenges involved in maintaining such an army from Muth 2003.
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Wilson, Peter H. “The Origins of Prussian Militarism.” History Today 51.5 (May 2001): 22–27.
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A reevaluation of the traditional interpretations of the origins of Prussian military strength from the 18th century to the end of World War I. It includes a very good description of the canton system instituted by Frederick William I and exploited by Frederick the Great in his mid-century wars to gain and retain control of Silesia.
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Woods, James. Armies and Uniforms of the Seven Years War: A Wargamers Guide. Vol. 1, Prussia and Allies. Essex, UK: Partizan, 2006.
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Even though this book is aimed primarily at the war-gaming community, its descriptions of uniforms and equipment of the Prussian army are well researched and provide great insight into the regimental organization and the lack of standardization of Frederick’s army. It shows that the Frederician army was not as monolithic as most general histories imply.
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The Silesian War

The First Silesian War of 1740–1742 is the war that established Frederick’s bona fides as a commander and put Prussia on the political map of Europe as a power to be considered. This war is little studied and few works address it directly despite the importance this formative war had on Frederick and his notions of what Prussia could accomplish. It also made Austria an implacable enemy of Prussia during the 18th century as Silesia was Austrian territory before Frederick seized it in a lightning campaign. Both Anderson 1995 and Browning 1995 are good narrative histories of the First Silesian War. Büsch 1997 covers the war and its implications quite well while placing the war within the wider context of 18th-century European power politics.

Anderson, Matthew Smith. The War of the Austrian Succession: 1740–1748. Modern Wars in Perspective Series. New York: Longman, 1995.
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Although this is a general history of the war and does not focus specifically on the actions of Prussia, it is nevertheless worthwhile reading. It includes the actions of Frederick and his seizure of Silesia within the perspective of the wider war. This book does a very good job of connecting all the disparate elements that combined to make this war not just about the Austrians’ succession.
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Browning, Reed S. The War of the Austrian Succession. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1995.
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An excellent book that presents the very complex events surrounding the war in context and details Frederick’s seizure of Silesia in 1740 in an easy-to-read style. The only drawback to this work is the lack of good maps, which makes it difficult to visualize the events described unless the reader is already familiar with the geography of central Europe.
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Büsch, Otto. Military System and Social Life in Old Regime Prussia, 1713–1807: The Beginning of the Social Militarization of Prusso-German Society. Translated by John G. Gagliardo. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1997.
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First published in German in 1962, this is an excellent study of 18th-century Prussia and its army. Although this work is a survey of Prussia’s rise to prominence through the use of its army, it provides excellent coverage of the First Silesian War. One of the best things about this work is the way in which it places the war into a wider European context.
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The Seven Years’ War

The Seven Years’ War was the defining event of Frederick’s reign. He came perilously close to defeat several times, but in the end managed to hold off his enemies and achieve a peace that allowed him to hold on to all his gains. This war also saw Frederick display his genius at war, although he also had some notable failures. The best place to start learning about this conflict is in the words of the king. Frederick 1789 is a history of the war from Frederick’s own point of view and while it is partially propaganda, there is no doubt that the words of the king are important in explaining his reasons and methods for going to war in 1756. Duffy 2003 analyzes two of Frederick’s greatest triumphs—at Rossbach and Leuthen—very well. Seven Years War Wiki is an open-source web project that does a very good job of putting a great deal of material about the war available for free in an online environment. Although dated, both Henty 1905 and Longman 1881 are excellent books about the history of the war that are rich narrative accounts. Szabo 2008 is a newer account of the war that looks at and interprets the conflict from a different perspective than that of more conventional histories.

Duffy, Christopher. Prussia’s Glory: Rossbach and Leuthen 1757. Chicago: Emperor’s, 2003.
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The usual thorough and well-researched work by Christopher Duffy. It is a very good examination of two of Frederick’s most important battles. The only mar to this book is the poor editing job, which somewhat detracts from the quality of the text.
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Frederick II, King of Prussia. The History of the Seven Years War. Translated by Thomas Holcroft. London: G. G. J. and J. Robinson, 1789.
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A work from the incredibly prolific king. This work is not necessarily full of facts, but it provides invaluable insight into the way Frederick thought about the war in its aftermath. His descriptions of his thought process during the war are suspect because of the nature of memoir writing in general, not from anything Frederick says specifically.
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Henty, George A. With Frederick the Great: A Story of the Seven Years’ War. New York: Charles Scribner’s, 1905.
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A good account of the Seven Years’ War, with the only criticism being a lack of good citations and a somewhat simplistic view of Prussia and Prussian militarism in general.
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Kronoskaf. Seven Years’ War Wiki.
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While suffering from the drawbacks of all open-source projects, this site provides an exhaustive catalogue of the battles of the Seven Years’ War and the figures involved in this war. This is an easily accessible resource about the progress and personalities of the Seven Years’ War.
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Longman, F. W. Frederick the Great and the Seven Years’ War. London: Longmans, Green, 1881.
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This classic work about the Seven Years’ War was written by a renowned scholar from Oxford University. It was originally written as a primer on the war for English schoolboys and thus is a delight to read while still including a wealth of facts about the war and its principal actors. The major drawback to this work is the lack of source citations. Available online at Archive.org.
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Szabo, Frank. The Seven Years’ War in Europe: 1756–1763. New York: Longman, 2008.
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A succinct account of the Seven Years’ War, but with a distinct anti-Prussian bias to the narrative. An interesting look at the war and Frederick from the point of view of someone who does not idolize the king or his accomplishments.
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Frederick as Commander

Frederick II is most well known in the Western world for his military exploits. During his long reign he fought two major wars, the War of the Austrian Succession, also known as the First Silesian War, and the Seven Years’ War in Europe. In these wars he used the Prussian army forged by his father to defeat his enemies and cement Prussia’s status as one of Europe’s great powers. The best way to understand how Frederick employed his army is by reading his own words; he wrote both a personal history of the Seven Years’ War and, in Frederick 1811, the instructions to his generals, which he promulgated as a way to distribute lessons he learned from his wars. There are also many works that cover the entirety of Frederick’s military career. Dupuy 1968 is a classic account. Showalter 1995 presents one of the best operational and strategic analyses of Frederick’s methods available. Asprey 1986 is also a worthwhile study. Figal 2009 analyzes some of the military philosophy behind Frederick’s drive to make the Prussian state more powerful. Frederick 1999 is an excellent annotated collection of various writings of Frederick concerning the art of war and the way wars should be prosecuted. A general study of Early Modern weapons and doctrine is Jörgensen, et al. 2006.

Asprey, Robert B. Frederick the Great: The Magnificent Enigma. New York: Ticknor and Fields, 1986.
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This is ostensibly a biography of Frederick the Great. However, it virtually ignores Frederick’s work outside of war to concentrate on analyzing and describing the way he both molded and used the Prussian army in the Silesian wars and the Seven Years’ War. An excellent military history of Frederick the Great masquerading as biography.
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Dupuy, Trevor N. The Military Life of Frederick the Great of Prussia. New York: F. Watts, 1968.
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A matter-of-fact description of Frederick’s wars and campaigns with a heavy admixture of hero worship.
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Figal, Sara E. “When Brothers Are Enemies: Frederick the Great’s Catechism for War.” Eighteenth-Century Studies 43.1 (2009): 21–36.
DOI: 10.1353/ecs.0.0098Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
A study of the so-called militärische Aufklärung of German Enlightenment philosophers that aided and abetted Frederick in justifying his urge to war to both enlarge and aggrandize his kingdom in the middle decades of the 18th century.
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Frederick II, King of Prussia. Secret Strategical Instructions of Frederick the Second. Translated by C. H. Smith. 1811.
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This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the way Frederick’s mind worked on campaigns. It is a collection of instructions Frederick wrote for distribution to his officers with instructions for the tactical and operational deployment of the Prussian army. It is priceless because it is a rarity that a figure so important to history writes in his own words.
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Frederick II, King of Prussia. Frederick the Great on the Art of War. Edited and translated by Jay Luvaas. New York: Da Capo, 1999.
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An excellently edited edition of selected excerpts from Frederick’s writing, illuminating the king’s own thoughts on war and the way it should be waged as well as how to run an efficient army.
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Jörgensen, Christer, Michael F. Pavkovic, Rob S. Rice, Frederick S. Schneid, and Chris L. Scott. Fighting Techniques of the Early Modern World, AD 1500–AD 1763: Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics. New York: Thomas Dunne, 2006.
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Excellent introductory volume to the methods and doctrine of European armies from the 16th through 18th centuries. The Silesian wars and Seven Years’ War are covered as well, with a good description of the oblique order developed by Frederick. There are plentiful maps and illustrations.
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Showalter, Dennis. The Wars of Frederick the Great. London: Longman, 1995.
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This thorough account of the various wars fought by Frederick highlights his tactical as well as strategic method of waging war. The operational and strategic analysis of Frederick’s campaigns is excellent.
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Other Resources

Several resources on Frederick do not fit into any neat categories. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook is perhaps the best online collection of primary source material on the Enlightenment and an excellent resource to start any research into the Enlightenment and the way in which Frederick fit into the greater whole. Cyran 1979 is a somewhat dated view of Frederick and Enlightenment thought but still worth a look. Mitford 1995, Snyder 1971, and Thaddeus 2008 are all billed as biographies but are really cultural studies with Frederick and Prussia being at the center. Snyder and Brown 1968 is a good introduction to Frederick although due to its intended audience is somewhat simplistic in its analysis.

Arkenberg, Jerome. Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Enlightenment.
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Although not specifically about Frederick and Prussia, this Internet source contains many primary texts from the Enlightenment, including works by Frederick and other Enlightenment philosophies. These original texts illustrate the intellectual ferment of Europe in the 18th century. Also see Enlightened Despots.
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Cyran, Eberhard. Preußisches Rokoko: Ein König und seine Zeit. Berlin: Safari Verlag, 1979.
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Includes an excellent chapter with a well-written discussion of the Renaissance culture during the reign of Frederick. In German.
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Mitford, Nancy. Frederick the Great. New York: Penguin, 1995.
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An easy-to-read account of Frederick’s life and times first published in the 1970s but useful as an introduction to the life of the king. The work also touches on the rumors of Frederick’s supposed homosexuality.
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Snyder, Louis L., ed. Frederick the Great: Great Lives Observed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1971.
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A well-sourced, good account of Frederick’s life with eyewitness testimony about the king adding to the value of the account.
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Snyder, Louis L., and Ida Mae Brown. Frederick the Great: Prussian Warrior and Statesman. New York: F. Watts, 1968.
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Although written for the teen and high school audience, this is a solid book that provides a good analysis of Frederick’s life without sacrificing quality.
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Thaddeus, Victor. Frederick the Great: The Philosopher King. La Vergne, TN: Kessinger, 2008.
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This work originally appeared in 1930 but was reissued in 2008. It is an adequate, if somewhat dated biography of Frederick that presents a remarkably balanced account of his life without delving into the gossip surrounding his sexuality except to note that some controversy exists.
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