39,327
edits
Frederick the Great: Difference between revisions
m
Mass update links
m (categories and general cleanup) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 6:
''I'm the great I am, I'm Frederick. [[Frederick the Great]] I am.''|Parody of ''[[wikipedia:Ichr(27)m Henery the Eighth, I Am|I'm Henery the Eighth I Am]],'' from an obscure historical club.}}
Friedrich ([[Everything Sounds Sexier in French|or ''Frédéric'']], [[It Is Pronounced "Tro
Frederick began ruling a sprawling kingdom, short on resources and indefensible. Therefore he deemed it [[I Did What I Had to Do|"necessary"]] to invade the rich Austrian province of Silesia and conquer it. This obtained the enmity of the [[Maria Theresa|Empress]], nominally Frederick's [[Holy Roman Empire|suzerain]], who was unconvinced by Frederick's assurances that it was [[Nothing Personal]]. The king also later annexed various other areas, including parts of Poland. He became well known for his unscrupulous but undeniably skilful foreign policy.
Line 14:
In personality "Old Fritz," as he came to be known, was famous for being dour and curmudgeonly. He has been accused of being inhumane and he was definitely not [[A Father to His Men]], although he did provide some [[Pet the Dog]] moments to them. Certainly he cared for his people's welfare, perhaps rather more than he cared for his people, and successfully weeded out many archaic and unjust practices that oppressed them. His style of strong personal rule was useful as long as he lived, though it left Prussia temporarily helpless when he was dead. Though it cannot be denied that his effective use of aggression and conspiracy gave them an unhealthy aura of success, it also cannot be denied that he left Prussia with a strong and competent central government. Frederick the Great was not necessarily the most pleasant monarch, but he is not unworthy of admiration.
Probably not a good idea to confuse him with the [[Cloudcuckoolander]] portrayal of him in [[Frederick the Great (
----
=== Tropes Associated With Frederick The Great ===
* [[Abusive Parents]]: His father, Frederick William, gave him [[Training From Hell]] which included [[Forced to Watch|forcing him to watch]] while his best friend was [[Off
** His father also physically beat him, humiliated him in front of their subjects, tried to force him to give up his artistic hobbies and made it clear to him he was a disappointment.
* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: As noted above, all kinds of German imperialists whom Frederick would personally have ''loathed'' were fond of invoking his name to support their imperialist policies.
Line 37:
** It wasn't just a wing, it was the bulk of the army -- and ironically, the Austrian front had been so long ''because'' the commander was attempting to prevent a Prussian flanking! Frederick had some of his cavalry feint on the Austrian right flank, causing the Austrian commander (coincidentally, Maria Theresa's brother-in-law) to commit his reserve ''and'' cavalry to that direction, while the Prussian army moved behind the cover of hills until it was at a right angle to the now-weakened Austrian left flank... not only was it quickly rolled up, but it took ''over an hour'' for Austrian troops on the right flank to reposition, and when the Austrian cavalry attempted to take the Prussian army's own left flank, the Austrian cavalry were themselves outflanked by the now-charging Prussian cavalry.
* [[Cultured Badass]]: He was an accomplished flautist, himself wrote several classical pieces, personally invited [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] to play at his palace at Potsdam, and hired Bach's son Carl Philipp Emanuel.
** On the other hand, he famously said that the great German mediæval epic, the ''[[
* [[Drink Order]]: His favorite drink was [[Uncoffee|coffee boiled in champagne]], which is very fitting for him. You see, coffee at the time was very modern and champagne is of course very French...and as we have noted, Frederick ''loved'' being modern and being French. Perfect!
** Note that this didn't keep him from [[Hypocrite|banning coffee (for commoners) in his lands]], as a measure to protect the brewing industry. Oddly, Frederick [[Hypocritical Humor|hated beer--because it was too German]].
Line 49:
* [[Gratuitous French]]: His German was considered wretched by some contemporaries; [[Foreign Culture Fetish|he vastly preferred French, and wrote extensively in that language]].
* [[Handicapped Badass]]: He was famous for his walking stick.
* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Famously suffered one when [[Forced to Watch
* [[Ho Yay]]: Rumours of this (some of them spread by Voltaire, who had rather a [[Slap Slap Kiss]] relationship with the King) have pursued Frederick from his own time to this.
** His relationship with his best friend Lieutenant Katte was widely rumoured in the royal court to be romantic; whatever the case, they ended up running away together (for which Katte was executed).
Line 55:
* [[I Did What I Had to Do]]
* [[Insufferable Genius]]: Oh, yes!
* [[Jerk
* [[Know When to Fold'Em|Know When To Fold 'Em]]: Unlike some conquerors, he knew when to quit.
* [[Magnificent Bastard]]
Line 65:
* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Frederick was often known as "Old Fritz", a nickname that combines respect and familiarity. It also happens to be a nickname for the Devil.
* [[Nice Hat]]: He is often depicted wearing a [[Hat Shop|tricorn]].
* [[Overshadowed
* [[Pragmatic Villainy]]: He conquered and schemed to improve Prussia's position, and was not [[Ax Crazy]] like many conquerors.
* [[Prussia]]: [[Captain Obvious|Durr.]]
| |||