Frederick William, I Frederick William I (1688-1740) was king of Prussia from 1713 to 1740. He inherited a state whose resources were meager and turned it into a leading German power. The son of the elector Frederick III of Brandenburg and of Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, Fre... more
Frederick William I (born Aug. 15, 1688, Berlin—died May 31, 1740, Potsdam, Prussia) King of Prussia (1713–40). The son of Frederick I, he received valuable military experience in the War of the Spanish Succession. Realizing that Prussia's military and financial... more
