Friedrich Wilhelm II - King of Prussia, a representative of the Hohenzollern dynasty, who was in power from 1786 to 1797. In contrast to his famous uncle Frederick the Great, he did not possess the traits necessary for a monarch: will, common sense, and the necessary knowledge. Through the efforts of his uncle, he became a slightly improved copy of his father, Augustus Wilhelm, whom his brother Frederick the Great simply despised for worthlessness.
Childhood
Friedrich Wilhelm II was born in Berlin on September 25, 1744 in the family of August Wilhelm, brother of King Frederick of Prussia, and Louise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. When he was three years old, Frederick II took the crown prince to Berlin. This was done in order to prepare an heir to the Prussian throne, since the king had no children of his own.
Frederick the Great decided to give the future king the best possible education. The Swiss scientist N. Begelin was appointed teacher. His father August Wilhelm in 1757 was dismissed by the king from service for failures in the Northern War and died a year later. His title passes to his son. The future King Frederick William II considers his uncle to be his father.
Youth
He takes part in the hostilities at Schweidnitz and Burkersdorf, for which he received praise from his uncle and was appointed to the post of commander of an infantry regiment. It seemed that a trusting relationship developed between them, but over time they increasingly moved away from each other due to different characters and attitudes to their duties.
In contrast to the industrious and pedantic Friedrich, for whom the good of the state was the business of his life, Friedrich Wilhelm II loved the pleasures and joys of life. He got himself several favorites, not realizing that, being a public person, he was always surrounded by the attention of citizens who showed their dissatisfaction with his behavior. But he was treated well because of his good-natured and sympathetic attitude towards people.
Family matters
To stop him, Friedrich in 1765 decides to marry the daughter of the Duke of Brunswick, Elisabeth Christina, who, like him, did not have any feelings for the crown prince. After some time, he terminates this marriage, but he is again married to Frederick of Hesse-Darmstadt.
The official marriage soon bored him. He, assuming that this divorce would cause a storm of indignation among the court conservatives and Frederick himself, entered into a morganatic alliance with Julia von Voss, after her death -with Sophia von Denhof. In addition, since 1764, Friedrich Wilhelm 2 had an official favorite, who was paid 30 thousand thalers a year from the treasury. This is the daughter of the court musician Wilgemin Encke, who, for the sake of decency, was married to the valet Johann Ritz. After the death of Frederick II, she became Countess of Lichtenau and was very influential at court. In addition to these women, he had many more mistresses.
Years of government
Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia, was a passionate musician who played the cello. After his accession to the throne, he did a lot for the formation and development of the German theater. In the army, cash benefits were increased, some mitigations were introduced. But despite all the efforts and love of the subjects, the combat effectiveness of the army was getting worse.
The economy was also going through hard times, industrial enterprises were not profitable, the army was gradually losing its combat capability, trade was stunted. Everything felt deserted. Much of what was introduced by Frederick II was gradually becoming a thing of the past. This was especially evident in the army. Although some abuses have been eradicated, discipline has fallen as a result of weak command.
Foreign policy
In 1791, the French Revolution broke out. Already in June, Count D'Artois met with Emperor Leopold II, King of Prussia Frederick William II. It was decided to go to the rescue of the French king Louis VI. Frederick personally led the army on a campaignagainst the rebels. In June, the Battle of Valmy took place, during which an artillery skirmish took place. The Prussian army, after 10 days, retreated due to rain, hunger and illness of the soldiers. The French celebrated the victory of the revolutionary army.
This led to the signing of the Peace of Basel in May 1795. A demarcation line was established between the two countries. Under this treaty, the neutrality of not only the Prussian state, but also Northern Germany was ensured.
In 1793, Russia and Austria began the second division of the Polish-Lithuanian state. The Prussian king declared his claims on the territory of South Prussia, Danzig and Thorn. They were satisfied and Prussia received them. According to the second treaty of January 1795, the territories of East Prussia, Mazovia and Warsaw were ceded to Prussia.
King Friedrich Wilhelm II died in 1797. He was buried in Potsdam. Through his efforts, or rather, luck, the territory of the Prussian state became one-third larger.
