Editing Frederick William I of Prussia

{{Short description|King in Prussia from 1713 to 1740}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Frederick William I
| title        =
| image        = Antoine pesne friedrich wil.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by [[Antoine Pesne]], {{circa|1733}}
|succession    = [[King in Prussia]]<br />[[Elector of Brandenburg]]
| reign        = {{nowrap|25 February 1713 – 31 May 1740}}
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Sophia Dorothea of Hanover]]|28 November 1706}}
| coronation   =
| predecessor  = [[Frederick I of Prussia|Frederick I]]
| successor    = [[Frederick the Great|Frederick II]]
| issue        = {{plainlist|
*Prince Frederick Louis
*[[Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Wilhelmine, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth]]
*Prince Frederick William
*[[Frederick the Great|Frederick II of Prussia]]
*Princess Charlotte
*[[Princess Friederike Luise of Prussia|Frederica Louise, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
*[[Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia|Philippine Charlotte, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]]
*Prince Louis
*[[Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia|Sophia Dorothea, Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt]]
*[[Louisa Ulrika of Prussia|Louisa Ulrika, Queen of Sweden]]
*[[Prince Augustus William of Prussia|Prince Augustus William]]
*[[Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia|Anna Amalia, Abbess of Quedlinburg]]
*[[Prince Henry of Prussia (1726–1802)|Prince Henry]]
*[[Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia|Prince Augustus Ferdinand]]
}}
| issue-link   = #Marriage and family
| issue-pipe   = more...
| house        = [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]]
| father       = [[Frederick I of Prussia|Frederick I]]
| mother       = [[Sophia Charlotte of Hanover]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1688|08|14|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Berlin]], [[Brandenburg–Prussia]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1740|05|31|1688|08|14|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[City Palace, Potsdam]], [[Kingdom of Prussia]], Holy Roman Empire
| burial_place = [[Church of Peace, Potsdam]]
| religion     = [[Reformed Christianity|Calvinist]]
| signature    = Frederick William I signature.svg
}}
{{House of Hohenzollern (Prussia)|frederickwilliam1}}

'''Frederick William I''' ({{langx|de|Friedrich Wilhelm I.}}; 14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740), known as the '''Soldier King''' ({{langx|de|Soldatenkönig}}<ref>Taylor, Ronald (1997). ''Berlin and Its Culture: A Historical Portrait.'' New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. p. 51.</ref>), was [[King in Prussia]] and [[Elector of Brandenburg]] from 1713 until his death in 1740, as well as [[Prince of Neuchâtel]]. 

Born in Berlin, he was raised by the [[Huguenot]] governess [[Marthe de Roucoulle]]. His political awakening occurred during the [[Great Northern War]]'s plague outbreak in [[Prussia]], leading to his challenge against [[corruption]] and inefficiency in government. He initiated reforms, especially in the military, doubling the [[Prussian Army]] and increased the officer corps to 3,000.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blanning |first=T. C. W. |title=Frederick the Great: King of Prussia |date=2016 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-4000-6812-8 |edition=First U.S. |location=New York |pages=29 |language=En}}</ref> A believer in absolute monarchy, he focused on state development and financial reorganization, imposing taxes and stringent regulations on public servants. He made efforts to reduce [[crime]] and centralized his authority during his 27 years' reign, cementing Prussia as a regional power.

Despite his effective rule, he had a harsh nature, exacerbated by his health issues. He engaged in colonial affairs, but prioritized military expansion over colonial investments. His notable decisions included selling [[List of former German colonies|Prussian overseas colonies]] and the foundation of the [[Canton System (Prussia)|Canton system]], as well as the conquest of the port of [[Stettin]].

His death in 1740 marked the end of a reign characterized by military and administrative reform. He was succeeded by his son, [[Frederick the Great]].

==Early years==
Frederick William was born in Berlin to King [[Frederick I of Prussia]] and Princess [[Sophia Charlotte of Hanover]]. During his first years, he was raised by the Huguenot governess [[Marthe de Roucoulle]].<ref>{{cite book |title-link=History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great |first=Thomas |last=Carlyle |author-link=Thomas Carlyle |chapter=Book IV. — Friedrich's Apprenticeship, First Stage - 1713-1728 |chapter-url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2104/2104-h/2104-h.htm |title=History of Friedrich II of Prussia: Called Frederick the Great |year=1870 |access-date=11 October 2023 }}</ref> When the [[Great Northern War plague outbreak]] devastated Prussia, the inefficiency and corruption of the king's favorite ministers and senior officials were highlighted. Frederick William with a party that formed at the court brought down the leading minister [[Johann Kasimir Kolbe von Wartenberg]] and his cronies, following an official investigation that exposed Wartenberg's huge-scale misappropriation and embezzlement. His close associate [[August David zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein]] was imprisoned at [[Spandau Citadel]], fined 70,000 thalers and banished subsequently. The incident exerted great influence on Frederick William, making him resent crime, corruption, wastage and inefficiency and realize the necessity of institutional reform. It also became the first time he actively participated in politics. From then on, Frederick I began to let his son take more power.<ref name="Clark">{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Christopher |title=Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947 |date=2006 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=United Kingdom |page=87}}</ref>

== Reign ==
[[File:Anthoni Schoonjans - Portrait of crown prince Frederick William as David with a sling.jpg|thumb|''Portrait of Crown Prince Frederick William as David with a Sling'' by [[Anthoni Schoonjans]]|left|303x303px]]
His father had successfully acquired the title of king for the Duchy of Prussia for which he had paid the high price of 2 million ducats to Emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]], 600,000 ducats to the German clergy and 20,000 thalers to the [[Jesuit order]].<ref>Werner Schmidt: ''Friedrich&nbsp;I. Kurfürst von Brandenburg, König in Preußen'', p. 89−135, Diederichs, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-424-01319-6.</ref> In addition, Frederick was obligated to provide Leopold with 8,000 soldiers for the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. To demonstrate his new status, he had the [[Berlin Palace]], [[Schloss Charlottenburg|Charlottenburg Palace]], and [[Königsberg Castle]] doubled in size and furnished at considerable expense. However, in doing so, he had largely ruined the state's finances.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

On ascending the throne in 1713, Frederick William therefore dismissed his father's corrupt "[[Cabinet of Three Counts]]". He worked persistently to reorganize the finances that had been shattered by his father, furthermore to enhance the economic development of his far-flung countries and to build up one of the largest and best equipped and trained armies in Europe. He would expand the Prussian Army from 38,000 men in 1713 to 80,000 in 1740,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beloff |first=Max |title=The Age of Absolutism: 1660–1815 |publisher=Routledge Revivals, Taylor and Francis |year=2013 |pages=106}}</ref> with an average of 1 out of every 25 Prussian men serving in the military.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Duffy |first=Christopher |title=The Military Experience in the Age of Reason |publisher=Routledge |year=1987 |location=London |pages=69}}</ref> He expanded military obligations for the peasant class<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shennan |first=Margaret |title=The Rise of Brandenburg-Prussia |publisher=Routledge |year=1995 |location=London |pages=55}}</ref> while replacing mandatory military service among the middle class with an annual tax, and he established schools and hospitals. The king encouraged farming, reclaimed marshes, stored grain in good times and sold it in bad times. 

Frederick would also work to expand state income. He increased excise taxes, both on domestic and foreign goods, as well as subjecting the Prussian nobility to a land tax.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shennan |first=Margaret |title=The Rise of Brandenburg-Prussia |publisher=Routledge |year=1995 |location=London |pages=54}}</ref> He dictated the manual of Regulations for State Officials, containing 35 chapters and 297 paragraphs in which every public servant in Prussia could find his duties precisely set out: a minister or councillor failing to attend a committee meeting, for example, would lose six months' pay; if he absented himself a second time, he would be discharged from the royal service. In short, Frederick William I concerned himself with every aspect of his country, ruling an [[absolute monarchy]] with great energy and skill.

The king also took an interest in [[German colonial projects before 1871|Prussian colonial affairs]]. In 1717, he revoked the charter of the [[Brandenburg Gold Coast|Brandenburg Africa Company]] (BAC), which had been granted said charter by his father to establish a colony in [[West Africa]] known as the [[Brandenburg Gold Coast]]. The king was unwilling to spend money on maintaining either the colony or the [[Prussian Navy]], preferring to utilise state revenues on enlarging the Royal [[Prussian Army]]. In 1717, Frederick William sold the Brandenburg Gold Coast to the [[Dutch West India Company]].<ref name="BrahmRosenhaft2016">{{cite book|author1=Felix Brahm|author2=Eve Rosenhaft|title=Slavery Hinterland: Transatlantic Slavery and Continental Europe, 1680–1850|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0JMcDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|year=2016|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-78327-112-2|pages=26–30}}</ref>

In 1732, the king invited the [[Salzburg Protestants]] to settle in [[East Prussia]], which had been [[Great Northern War plague outbreak|depopulated by plague]] in 1709. Under the terms of the [[Peace of Augsburg]], the prince-archbishop of [[Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg|Salzburg]] could require his subjects to practice the Catholic faith, but Protestants had the right to emigrate to a Protestant state. Prussian commissioners accompanied 20,000 Protestants to their new homes on the other side of Germany. Frederick William I personally welcomed the first group of migrants and sang Protestant hymns with them.<ref name=walker1992>{{Cite book|title = The Salzburg Transaction: Expulsion and Redemption in Eighteenth-Century Germany|last = Walker|first = Mack|publisher = Cornell University Press|year = 1992|isbn = 0-8014-2777-0|location = Ithaca, New York|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/salzburgtransact00walk}}</ref>

In 1733 he began building the [[Dutch Quarter]] in [[Potsdam]], where he invited talented Dutch craftsmen to settle.

Frederick William intervened briefly in the [[Great Northern War]], allied with [[Peter the Great]] of [[Russian Empire|Russia]], in order to gain a small portion of [[Swedish Pomerania]]; this gave Prussia new ports on the [[Baltic Sea]] coast. More significantly, aided by his close friend [[Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau]], the "Soldier-King" made considerable reforms to the Prussian army's training, tactics and conscription program—introducing the [[Canton System (Prussia)|canton system]], and greatly increasing the Prussian infantry's rate of fire through the introduction of the iron ramrod. Frederick William's reforms left his son Frederick with the most formidable army in Europe, which Frederick used to increase Prussia's power.

Although a highly effective ruler, Frederick William had a perpetually short temper which sometimes drove him to physically attack servants (or even his own children) with a cane at the slightest perceived provocation. His violent, harsh nature was further exacerbated by his inherited [[Porphyria cutanea tarda|porphyritic disease]], which gave him [[gout]], obesity and frequent crippling stomach pains.<ref>Mitford, Nancy (1970). ''Frederick the Great'', New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, p. 17.</ref> He also had a notable [[Francophobia|contempt for France]], and would sometimes fly into a rage at the mere mention of that country, although this did not stop him from encouraging the immigration of French [[Huguenot]] refugees to Prussia.

==Burial and reburials==
Frederick William died in 1740 at age 51 and was interred at the [[Garrison Church (Potsdam)|Garrison Church]] in [[Potsdam]]. During World War II, in order to protect it from advancing allied forces, [[Adolf_Hitler|Hitler]] ordered the king's coffin, as well as those of [[Frederick the Great]] and [[Paul von Hindenburg]], into hiding, first to Berlin and later to a salt mine outside of [[Bernterode (bei Worbis)|Bernterode]]. The coffins were later discovered by occupying American forces, who re-interred the bodies in [[St. Elizabeth's Church, Marburg]] in 1946. In 1953 the coffin was moved to [[Hohenzollern Castle]], where it remained until 1991, when it was finally laid to rest on the steps of the altar in the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum in the [[Church of Peace (Sanssouci)|Church of Peace]] on the palace grounds of [[Sanssouci]]. The original black marble sarcophagus collapsed at Burg Hohenzollern—the current one is a copper copy.<ref>MacDonogh, Giles (2007). ''After the Reich: The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation''. New York: Basic Books. p. 93.</ref>

==Relationship with Frederick II==
[[File:Die Söhne von Friedrich Wilhelm I.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|The sons of Frederick William I and Sophia Dorothea; left to right Frederick, Ferdinand, Augustus William and Henry. Painting by [[Francesco Carlo Rusca]], 1737]]
His eldest surviving son was [[Frederick the Great|Frederick II]] (Fritz), born in 1712. Frederick William wanted him to become a fine soldier. As a small child, Fritz was awakened each morning by the firing of a cannon. At the age of 6, he was given his own regiment of children to drill as cadets, and a year later, he was given a miniature arsenal.

[[File:August II of Poland and Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia.PNG|thumb|upright=.7|Portrait of [[Augustus II the Strong|Augustus II of Poland]] (left) and Frederick William I of Prussia (right), during Frederick William's 1728 visit to Dresden. Painting by [[Louis de Silvestre]], about 1730]]

The love and affection Frederick William had for his heir initially was soon soured due to their increasingly different personalities. Frederick William ordered Fritz to undergo a minimal education, live a simple Protestant lifestyle, and focus on the Army and statesmanship as he had. However, the intellectual Fritz was more interested in music, books and French culture, which were forbidden by his father as decadent and unmanly. As Fritz's defiance for his father's rules increased, Frederick William would frequently beat or humiliate Fritz (he preferred his younger sibling [[Prince Augustus William of Prussia|Augustus William]]). Fritz was beaten for being thrown off a bolting horse and wearing gloves in cold weather. 
[[File:Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia 1700.jpg|left|thumb|Frederick William as crown prince]]
At age 16, Frederick seems to have embarked upon a youthful affair with [[Peter Karl Christoph von Keith]], a 17-year-old [[Page (servant)|page]] of his father. Rumors of the liaison spread in the court, and the "intimacy" between the two boys provoked the comments of his sister, [[Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Wilhelmine]], who wrote, "Though I had noticed that he was on more familiar terms with this page than was proper in his position, I did not know how intimate the friendship was."<ref>{{cite book|author=Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|year=1888|author-link=Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|translator=Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein|translator-link=Princess Helena of the United Kingdom|title=Memoirs of Wilhelmine, Margravine of Baireuth|url=https://archive.org/details/memoirswilhelmi00wilhgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/memoirswilhelmi00wilhgoog/page/n92 83]|location=New York|publisher=Harper & Brothers}}</ref> Rumors finally reached King Frederick William, who cultivated an ideal of ultramasculinity in his court, and derided his son's supposedly [[Sexuality of Frederick the Great|effeminate tendencies]]. As a result, Keith was dismissed from his service to the king and sent away to a regiment by the Dutch border, while Frederick was sent to the king's hunting lodge at [[Königs Wusterhausen]] in order to "repent of his sin".<ref>"{{cite book|last=Goldsmith|first=Margaret|year=1929|title=Frederick the Great|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8nqgAAAAMAAJ|author-link=Margaret Goldsmith|publisher=C. Boni|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8nqgAAAAMAAJ&q=repent 50]}}</ref> 

After the prince attempted to flee to England with his tutor, [[Hans Hermann von Katte]], the enraged king had Katte beheaded before the eyes of the prince, who himself was court-martialled.<ref>Farquhar, Michael (2001). ''A Treasure of Royal Scandals''. New York: Penguin Books. p. 114. {{ISBN|0-7394-2025-9}}.</ref> The king may have thought that Frederick's relationship with Katte was also romantic, a suspicion that may have played a role in Katte receiving a death sentence.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mitford |first1=Nancy |title=Frederick the Great |date=1984 |publisher=E.P. Dutton |isbn=978-0-525-48147-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/frederickgreat00mitf_0 |language=en |page=[https://archive.org/details/frederickgreat00mitf_0/page/61 61]}} Page 61 of the 1984 edition is page 55 of the 1970 edition.</ref> In any case, the court declared itself not competent in the case of the crown prince. Whether it was the king's intention to have his son executed as well (as [[Voltaire]] claims<ref>Voltaire, ''Memoirs of the Life of Monsieur de Voltaire'', Translated by Andrew Brown, Hesperus Classics, 2007 [1784], p. 10.</ref>) is not clear. However, the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] intervened, claiming that a prince could only be tried by the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] itself. Frederick was imprisoned in the Fortress of [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą|Küstrin]] from 2 September to 19 November 1731 and exiled from court until February 1732, during which time he was rigorously schooled in matters of state. After achieving a measure of reconciliation, Frederick William had his son married to Princess [[Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern]], whom Frederick despised, but then grudgingly allowed him to indulge in his musical and literary interests again. He also gifted him a stud farm in East Prussia, and [[Rheinsberg Palace]]. By the time of Frederick William's death in 1740, he and Frederick were on at least reasonable terms with each other.

Although the relationship between Frederick William and Frederick was clearly hostile, Frederick wrote in his memoirs that his father "penetrated and understood great objectives and knew the best interests of his country better than any minister or general."<ref>[[Nancy Mitford|Mitford, Nancy]] (1970). ''Frederick the Great'', New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, p. 15.</ref>

==Marriage and family==
Frederick William married his first cousin [[Sophia Dorothea of Hanover]], [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]'s younger sister (daughter of his uncle, King [[George I of Great Britain]] and [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]]) on 28 November 1706. Frederick William was faithful and loving to his wife<ref>Mitford, Nancy (1970). ''Frederick the Great'', New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, p. 16.</ref> but they did not have a happy relationship: Sophia Dorothea feared his unpredictable temper and resented him, both for allowing her no influence or independence at court, and for refusing to marry her children to their English cousins. She also abhorred his cruelty towards their son and heir Frederick (with whom she was close), although rather than trying to mend the relationship between father and son she frequently spurred Frederick on in his defiance. They had fourteen children, including:

{| style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable"
|+ Issue
! width=20% | Name !! width=60px | Portrait !! Lifespan !! Notes 
|-
| '''Frederick Louis'''<br/>Prince of Prussia
| [[File:1707 Friedrich Ludwig.JPG|100px]]
| 23 November 1707{{nbsp}}–<br/>13 May 1708
| Died in infancy
|-
| '''[[Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Friedrike ''Wilhelmine'']]'''<br/>Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
| [[File:Wilhelmine von Brandenburg-Bayreuth.jpg|100px]]
| 3 July 1709{{nbsp}}–<br/>14 October 1758
| Married [[Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth]] and had issue
|-
| '''Frederick William'''<br/>Prince of Prussia
| [[File:1710 Friedrich Wilhelm.jpg|100px]]
| 16 August 1710{{nbsp}}–<br/>21 July 1711
| Died in infancy
|-
| '''[[Frederick the Great|Frederick II the Great]]'''<br/>King of Prussia
| [[File:Crown prince Friedrich II, by Antoine Pesne.jpg|100px]]
| 24 January 1712{{nbsp}}–<br/>17 August 1786
| King in Prussia (1740–1772); King of Prussia (1772–1786); married [[Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern]] but had no issue
|-
| '''Charlotte Albertine'''<br/>Princess of Prussia
| [[File:1713 Charlotte Albertine.jpg|100px]]
| 5 May 1713{{nbsp}}–<br/>10 June 1714
| Died in infancy
|-
| '''[[Princess Friederike Luise of Prussia|Frederica Louise]]'''<br/>Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach
| [[File:Friederike Louise von Brandenburg-Ansbach.jpg|100px]]
| 28 September 1714{{nbsp}}–<br/>4 February 1784
| Married [[Charles William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach]] and had issue
|-
| '''[[Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia|Philippine Charlotte]]'''<br/>Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
| [[File:Alte Dame mit Spitzenumhang und Muff Gotha.jpg|100px]] 
| 13 March 1716{{nbsp}}–<br/>17 February 1801
| Married [[Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]] and had issue
|-
| '''Louis Charles William'''<br/>Prince of Prussia
| [[File:Wappen Deutsches Reich - Königreich Preussen (Grosses).png|100px]] 
| 2 May 1717{{nbsp}}–<br/>31 August 1719
| Died in early childhood
|-
| '''[[Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia|Sophia Dorothea]]'''<br/>Margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt<br/>Princess in Prussia
| [[File:Sophia Dorothea of Prussia, margravine of Brandenburg-Schwedt.jpg|100px]]
| 25 January 1719{{nbsp}}–<br/>13 November 1765
| Married [[Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt|Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, Prince in Prussia]] and had issue
|-
| '''[[Louisa Ulrika of Prussia|Louisa Ulrika]]'''<br/>Queen of Sweden
| [[File:Luise Ulrika of Prussia by Antoine Pesne- 1744 ca.jpg|100px]]
| 24 July 1720{{nbsp}}–<br/>2 July 1782
| Married [[Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden]] and had issue
|-
| '''[[Prince Augustus William of Prussia|Augustus William]]'''<br/>Prince of Prussia
| [[File:1722 AugustWilliamofPrussia.jpg|100px]]
| 9 August 1722{{nbsp}}–<br/>12 June 1758
| Married [[Duchess Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]] and had issue (including [[Frederick William II of Prussia|Frederick William II]])
|-
| '''[[Anna Amalia, Abbess of Quedlinburg|Anna Amalia]]'''
| [[File:Antoine Pesne hofdame ; Prinzessin Amalia von Preussen als Amazone.jpg|100px]]
| 9 November 1723{{nbsp}}–<br/>30 March 1787
| Became [[Abbess of Quedlinburg]] 16 July 1755
|-
| '''[[Prince Henry of Prussia (1726–1802)|Frederick ''Henry'' Louis]]'''<br/>Prince of Prussia
| [[File:Prinz heinrich von preussen 00.png|133x133px]]
| 18 January 1726{{nbsp}}–<br/>3 August 1802
| Married [[Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel]] but had no issue
|-
| '''[[Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia|Augustus ''Ferdinand'']]'''<br/>Prince of Prussia
| [[File:1730FerdinandofPrussia.jpg|100px]]
| 23 May 1730{{nbsp}}–<br/>2 May 1813
| Married [[Margravine Elisabeth Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt]] and had issue
|}

He was the godfather of the Prussian envoy [[Friedrich Wilhelm von Thulemeyer]] and of his grand-nephew, [[Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany|Prince Edward Augustus]] of Great Britain.

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel|collapsed=yes|align=center|ref=<ref>{{cite book|title=Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans|trans-title=Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA16|year=1768|publisher=Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel|location=Bourdeaux|language=fr|page=16}}</ref>
| boxstyle_1 = background-color: #fcc;
| boxstyle_2 = background-color: #fb9;
| boxstyle_3 = background-color: #ffc;
| boxstyle_4 = background-color: #bfc;
| 1 = 1. '''Frederick William I of Prussia'''
| 2 = 2. [[Frederick I of Prussia]]
| 3 = 3. [[Sophia Charlotte of Hanover]]
| 4 = 4. [[Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg]]
| 5 = 5. [[Countess Louise Henriette of Nassau|Louise Henriette of Orange-Nassau]]
| 6 = 6. [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover]]
| 7 = 7. [[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia of the Palatinate]]
| 8 = 8. [[George William, Elector of Brandenburg]]
| 9 = 9. [[Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Brandenburg|Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate]]
| 10 = 10. [[Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange]]
| 11 = 11. [[Amalia of Solms-Braunfels]]
| 12 = 12. [[George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]
| 13 = 13. [[Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt]]
| 14 = 14. [[Frederick V of the Palatinate|Frederick V, Elector Palatine]]
| 15 = 15. [[Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia|Elizabeth Stuart]]
}}


== Memorial site and exhibition ==
[[File:Schloss Koenigs Wusterhausen Nordfassade Sonnenlicht.jpg|thumb|[[Königs Wusterhausen]] Castle]]

[[Königs Wusterhausen]] Castle, the king's hunting lodge and garden, were his favourite place to stay and to indulge in hunting when he wanted to relax from his state duties, which he performed at the [[Berlin Palace]] and the [[City Palace, Potsdam]]. His children also had to spend their holidays here regularly. Frederick the Great had a strong dislike for the place, but the two youngest sons, in old age, after Frederick's death, returned together a few times out of sentimental memories to where they spent so much time growing up.

Today the castle, southeast of the Berlin city limits not far from Berlin Airport, is a museum of the [[Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg]]. Numerous valuable objects of baroque paintings and handicrafts are on display, mostly with connections to Frederick William and his family, many pieces of the original interior, as well as a large collection of portraits, mainly of officers, which the "Soldier King" painted himself.

==See also==

* [[Prussian virtues]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
[[File:König Friedrich Wilhelm I. von Preußen Selbstbildnis.jpg|thumb|upright|King Frederick William I of Prussia (self-portrait)]]
* Dorwart, Reinhold A. ''The administrative reforms of Frederick William I of Prussia'' (Harvard University Press, 2013).
* Fann, Willerd R. "Peacetime Attrition in the Army of Frederick William I, 1713–1740." ''Central European History'' 11.4 (1978): 323–334. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/4545845 online]
* Gothelf, Rodney. "Frederick William I and the beginnings of Prussian absolutism, 1713–1740." in ''The Rise of Prussia 1700–1830'' (Routledge, 2014) pp. 47–67.
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Frederick William I. of Prussia | volume= 11 |last1= Hashagen |first1= Justus |author1-link= | pages = 63–64 |short=1}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia|Frederick William I of Prussia}}
*[https://random-times.com/2018/07/14/king-frederick-william-i-of-prussia-and-his-obsession/ King Frederick William I of Prussia and his "obsession"]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Hohenzollern]]|14 August|1688|31 March|1740}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Frederick I of Prussia|Frederick I]]}}
{{s-ttl| title=[[List of Kings of Prussia|King in Prussia]]<br>[[Elector of Brandenburg]]<br>[[Principality of Neuchâtel|Prince of Neuchâtel]]|years=1713–1740}}
{{s-aft| after=[[Frederick the Great|Frederick II]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Prussian princes}}
{{Rulers of Prussia}}
{{Electors of Brandenburg}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick William 01 Of Prussia}}
[[Category:Frederick William I of Prussia| ]]
[[Category:1688 births]]
[[Category:1740 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century kings of Prussia]]
[[Category:Antisemitism in Germany]]
[[Category:Brandenburgian nobility]]
[[Category:Crown princes of Prussia]]
[[Category:18th-century German landowners]]
[[Category:German Calvinist and Reformed Christians]]
[[Category:House of Hohenzollern]]
[[Category:Kings of Prussia]]
[[Category:People from Berlin]]
[[Category:Prince-electors of Brandenburg]]
[[Category:Princes of Neuchâtel]]
[[Category:Royal reburials]]
[[Category:Sons of kings]]
[[Category:Anti-Masonry]]
[[Category:Sons of dukes]]