In 1640 Frederick William, the 'Great Elector' of Brandenburg, inherited a minor territory devastated by the Thirty Years War. He would restore its fortunes, win its independence from Poland, and build a powerful, extended state, centred on Berlin, which by the 1670s was strong enough to be chief mover in the league of protestant and imperial forces against Louis XIV. At his death (1688), Brandenburg and his other lands xxx; shortly to be re-invented as the kingdom of Prussia xxx; was virtually an absolute monarchy, second only to Austria in the German lands. This long-awaited biography, the first in English for 50 years, avoids the limitation of seeing Frederick William primarily as precursor of the 'Enlightened' Frederick the Great. Instead, it roots him firmly in his own time xxx; a dynastic, protestant ruler like many another in Germany, but gifted with the toughness and opportunism to overcome the hostility of his local nobilities and of the surrounding great powers.
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"lucid and succinct...a measured and judicious evaluation of the Great Elector and his place in German and European history" English Historical Review
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In 1640 Frederick William, the 'Great Elector' of Brandenburg, inherited a minor territory devastated by the Thirty Years War. He would restore its fortunes, win its independence and build a powerful, extended state, centred on Berlin, which by the 1670s was strong enough to be chief mover in the league of protestant and imperial forces against Louis XIV. At his death (1688), Brandenburg and his other possessions - shortly to be reinvented as the kingdom of Prussia - was virtually an absolute monarchy, second only to Austria in the German lands. This long-awaited biography, the first in English for fifty years, avoids the limitation of seeing Frederick William primarily as precursor of the 'enlightened' Frederick the Great. Instead, it roots him firmly in his own time - a dynastic, protestant ruler like many another in Germany, but gifted with the toughness and opportunism to overcome the hostility of his local nobilities and of the surrounding great powers.
A new biography of one of the greatest figures of European history. Derek McKay was formerly Senior Lecturer in International History at the London School of Economics.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Elector, good book,
By Father Tom (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Great Elector: Frederick William of Brandenburg - Prussia (Profiles in Power Series) (Paperback)
When the standard reference sources are consulted regarding Frederick William there are usually two things mentioned. He is credited with an innovative taxing system, and laying the foundation for the famed standing Prussian army. Derek McKays meticulous research includes details including the household expenditures of the Elector. In ten chapters the book gives a detail filled account of the life of Frederick William. The book provides a vast quatity of information that is not easily obtained in English elsewhere. In the first chapter there is discussion of his parents and grandparents, and other impressive family connections. The first chapters also establish the ruinous condition of the Hohenzollern family holdings at the time of Frederick William's accession. In chapters three and four his early years as Elector are covered. Chapters six through nine give a detailed account of his mature years, and a small final chapter wraps things up. Typical of this book's "stick to the facts" report style there are no reflective excursions into praise or criticism of the Elector's life. Still, Derek McKay must concede "... he was undoubtedly the greatest of the electors of Brandenburg." (pg. 223), and "... his reign set his dynasty and state on the road to their future greatness in Germany and Europe." (pg. 262)
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