Part 10 (1/2)

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The Crown Prince, Frederick of Brandenburg and Hohenzollern, was born in the royal palace of Berlin on January 24th of 1712 He was christened Friedrich ”rich in peace”--a naely ironical since he was trained from his earliest years to adopt a hth year he was educated by military tutors, and bred in simple habits that would make him able to endure the hardshi+ps of a camp

The martinet, Frederick Willia, for he longed to be followed by a lad of military tastes He was to learn no Latin but to study Arithhly instructed in Economy The fear of God was to be impressed on the pupil, and prayers and Church services played an important part in the prince's day, of which every hour had its allotted task Haste and cleanliness were inculcated in the simple royal toilette, for Frederick I had, for those days, a quite exaggerated idea of cleanliness, but he particularly i, breakfast and the rest” were to be performed within fifteenthe boy a ”true love for the soldier business” He was colory The father returned frohted to see the little Fritz, then of the tender age of three, beating a toy drued seven, in a an to disappoint his father by playing the flute and reading French ro a richly e, who put it in the fire Frederick liked to arrange his hair in flowing locks instead of in a club after the {148} military fashi+on

”A _Querpfeifer und Poet_, not a soldier,” the indignant father growled, believing the _Querpfeif_, or Cross-Pipe, was only fit for a player in the regier than Fritz, began to be the hope of parental ambition

He took more kindly to a Spartan life than his elder brother There were violent scenes at court when Frederick the younger was asked to give up his right to the succession He refused to be superseded, and had to endurewas ever ready with his stick, and punished his son by o to serve him at his rather scanty table!

There was lish and the Prussian courts, which were then related Frederick was to e I while his sister, pretty pert Wilhel of Prussia set his heart on the plan, and was furious that George I did not forward it The whole household went in fear of hiout at the time, an affliction that made him particularly ill-tempered, and Wilhelmina and Fritz were the objects of his wrath They fled froether; the Prince was accused of a dissolute life, and insulted by a beating in public

He decided on flight to England It was a desperate measure, and was discovered and frustrated at the last lish diplo to help the Prince There was talk of an Austro-English war at that tioes to the dogs,”

wrote the irate father ”I will joyfully use my arland” He was so {149} enraged by the atte his son to death, but an old general, hearing of the probable fate of the Crown Prince, offered his own life for that of Frederick, and raised so vehement a protest that the runaas merely put in prison

His confineaolers followed the King's orders He had to wear prison dress and sit on a hard stool, but books and writing ht to him, and he saw his friends occasionally Lieutenant von Katte, who fled with him, was executed before the fortress, and the Prince was compelled to witness the punishment of the companion hom he had practised rees, the animosity of Frederick William toward his eldest son softened He was allowed to visit Berlin when his sister Wilhels had applied for her hand, austus of Poland and Charles XII of Sweden The Castle of Rheinsburg, near Neu-Ruppin, was given to the Prince for his residence He spent happy hours there with famous men of letters in his circle, for he was actually free now to give time to literature and science He corresponded frequently with Voltaire and beca, and was reious toleration which he extended to his subjects But the harsh treatment of youth had spoilt his pleasant nature, and his want of faith rasped at all he could win, and had every intention of fulfilling the commands laid upon him by the Testament which his father wrote in 1722 when he believed hi;--”Never relinquish what is justly yours”

It was far from his intention to relinquish any part of his dominions, and,Silesia to add to his little kingdom Saxony should fall to him if he could in any in it There was hope in that fine stalwart body of e in his own heart, and he had been reared in too stern a school to fear hardshi+ps

In 1740, Frederick received his dying father's blessing, and in the sahter, Maria Theresa, to struggle with an aggressive European neighbour She was a splendid figure, this empress of twenty-three, beautiful and virtuous, with the spirit of a ht for as justly hers She held not Austria alone but ary, and Carpathia

Charles VI had endeavoured to secure his daughter's kingdomatic Sanction,” which declared the indivisibility of the Austrian doht of Maria Theresa to inherit thened by all the powers of Europe save Bavaria, but Frederick broke it ruthlessly as soon as the Eh spirits Frederick II entered on the bold enterprise of seizing from Maria Theresa some part of those possessions which her father had striven to secure to her

Allies gathered round Prussia quickly, adnty had raised frodom

France, Spain, Poland, and Bavaria allied theht the aid of England She {151} seemed in desperate straits, the victim of treachery, for Frederick had proainst Austria, and the Empress was fain to offer three duchies of Silesia, but the King refused theht have contented me Noant ive ain”

The Elector of Bavaria ithin three days'himself Archduke of Austria Maria Theresa had neither men nor money Quite suddenly she took a resolution and convoked the Hungarian , where she had fled from her capital

She stood before them, most beautiful and patriotic in her youth and helplessness Raising her baby in her arms, she appealed to the whole assembly She had put on the crown of St Stephen and held his sword at her side The appeal was quickly answered Swords leapt from their scabbards; there cae nostro, Maria Theresa!_” (”Let us die for our King, Maria Theresa”)

But Friedrich defeated the Austrians again and again in battle No ari save of losing credit

Maria had to sub up part of Silesia to her enemy, while the Elector had hilish King, George II, fought for her against the French at Dettingen and won a victory She entered her capital in triumph, apparently confirmed in her possessions But Frederick was active in lish froenerals He received the much-disputed territory of Silesia in 1745 by the Treaty of Dresden, which concluded the second war

The national spirit was rising in Prussia through this all-powerful army, which drained the country of its men and horses The powers of Europe saith astonishlory The Seven Years' War began in 1756, one of the most fateful wars in the whole of European history

France, Russia, and Saxony were allied with Maria Theresa, but the Prussians had the help of England Frederick II proved hieneral, worthy of the father whose only war had wrested the coveted province of Pohty Charles XII of Sweden

He defeated the Austrians and invaded Saxony, mindful of the wealth and prosperity of that country which, if added to his oould greatly increase the value of his doh he had half Europe against hiue and Leuthen, the Russian army at Zorndorf One of his most brilliant triumphs on over the united French and Imperial armies at Rossbach

[Illustration: Frederick the Great receiving his People's Hoe (A

Menzel)]

The French anticipated an easy victory in 1757, for the army of the allies was vastly superior to that which Frederick Williae in Prussian Saxony The King watched the hted when hethem to a decisive action He had partaken of a substantial h he was certainly in a ist to give the signal to his troops till the French were advancing up the hill toward his tents The battle lasted only one hour and a half and resulted in a co's army was under 550 officers and men compared with 7700 on the side of the enemy

The ”Army of Cut-and-Run” was the conteiments