Prussia, War, and Monarchy

How did war, royal authority, and administrative work reshape Prussia and its place in Europe?

Period covered: 1712-1786

Why this source belongs here

Frederick the Great, the Silesian Wars, and the making of Prussia as a European power. Historical biography read alongside questions about government, military service, and the people behind the state.

W. F. Reddaway’s 1904 biography follows Frederick II from his crown-prince years through the Seven Years’ War and postwar government. The annotated edition places that account in its own historical setting and asks what a story centered on a monarch reveals or leaves out.

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Frederick the Great and the Rise of Prussia (Annotated)

By W. F. Reddaway; Edited by Elias Rowan Hartwell

W. F. Reddaway traces Prussia’s rise through Frederick II’s crown-prince years, the Silesian conflicts, the Seven Years’ War, postwar administration, and European policy. This edition presents the 1904 Heroes of the Nations text and index while placing its great-man framework in context and adding a territorial map, a lifetime portrait, and Menzel’s retrospective court painting. Edited by Elias Rowan Hartwell, this annotated edition includes the original cited essay "Frederick, State, and Historical Memory", a reading guide, chronology, glossary, and five sourced documentary plates. Available as a Kindle edition.

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