Go to NordVPN.com/biographics and use code BIOGRAPHICS to get a 2-year plan plus 1 additional month with a huge discount. It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
Aside from the fact that if Frederick was alive, there wouldn't really be a point in visiting an empty plot of land where his tomb would be? But yes, I understand what Napoleon meant to say...
@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony- And look at his other battles. Especially the one where he launched a front assault against Russians and Austrians on a hill. The guy was a one trick pony that used the same tactics over and over again; which resulted in losses even when he won. Frederick would have been decimated there and then. And Berlin would have been taken... Again
Some important parts were missing. In Germany, especially former Prussia, he's called : Der alte Fritz (the old Fritz), we don't really call him Friedrich the great. It's kind of endearment. We treasure him to this day. Another really important thing, he's named : der Kartoffelkönig (the potato king) too. Because there were issues with the wheat production, he introduced the potato as alternative. Partially by force, because farmers didn't trust it. So his soldiers travelled all over Prussia to spread the potato. One famous story, his soldiers were protecting the potato fields to suggest, how value they are. And it worked. Germans love their potatoes. He saved his people from famine. To this day, people lie potatoes on his grave. He was not just a conquer, but someone who cared for his subjects. He's beloved to this day.
History books remember the battles, even the treaties. Nations remember potatoes. Or at least they should. If only because without them there would be fewer people around to remember anything. In Spain we had this shameless social climber minister Godoy. People remember him for being corrupt and the queen's lover. BUT. He organized the first smallpox vaccination campaign in the Americas. Such things pay for many sins, you know.
@@balabanasireti Saving people from famine and introducing a very stable crop into eastern europe is kind of important. Not the MOST important but still a little.
It's crazy how having a traumatizing, tortured childhood and youth, and being ostracized for being different leads to either an extremely mentally unstable individual, or a very tolerant and understanding one. Not usually much in between. But every now and then, you end up with both in the same person.
@@damsarebiotic6263 or we could just avoid putting people through hell altogether and discard that archaic idea of "strong and weak." People are people and as long as they don't hurt anyone, they all have equal value.
Fun fact - people still put potatoes on his grave in Potsdam where he is burried alongside his dogs Plus, his father, called the soldier king, never had been at war
Fascinating video! Great job! Frederick brought enlightenment to the military. He believed in training soldiers. He suffered some losses and some victories but he was always outnumbered. His troops loved him, not only for the training that gave them an advantage but also that he was often found on the front lines with them. As you point out, he was good on his feet under fire, and the troops admired that. He was immensely popular in England. In the late 18th century there were something like 150 pubs and taverns in England named after him. One was dissembled in the mid-1700s shipped to the American colonies, in Pennsylvania, and reconstructed. That tavern stood in the middle of a major thoroughfare in suburban Philadelphia until a road project required that it be moved. That town in suburban Philadelphia is King of Prussia, PA.
There is a big difference between a commander who just says, "CHARGE!!" and one that says, "FOLLOW ME, BOYS!!" The odds look better when you are following your commander into the fray.
"Frederick was no Napoleon. He was sly, fast thinking and courageous, sure. But he was also stubborn and that occasionally led him to the brink of disaster" Actually that sounds exactly like Napoleon.
@@ctrusse2 Napoleon was a genius, he just didn't know when to back down. When the third coalition was marching through Europe, dismantling his empire piece by piece, they offered him a peace deal and he still said no. Realistically there was no chance Napoleon could win the war at that point. He could have taken the deal and saved what was left of his empire, but he insisted on fighting on.
@@ctrusse2 I don't know about greatest of all time, but he was certainly great. Like I said, he was just cursed with the utter inability to recognize the value of a strategic retreat or realize when a situation had gotten beyond the point of salvage.
@@ctrusse2 indeed, but histories most memorable heroes and villains tend to be blown out of proportion sometimes, at the end they were all humans and humans make mistakes. Not to mention how many people were involved with every great battle that we remember today.
I think unlike Napoleon, Frederick the Great wasn't an egotistical psychopath who did everything for his own personal glory. He also didn't commit war crimes like massacring villages for revenge.
Actually it was at the Potsdam city palace where Napoleon held uo Frederick's dagger and said to his officers, "Gentlemen, if the man who wielded this was still alive, we would not be standing here." Of course, this was pure theater, Napoleon knew well that he had in fact defeated what was basically still Frederick's army, as he boasted in a letter to Josephine. And when Napoleon visited Frederick's tomb, an eyewitness reported that he only said, "sic transit gloria mundi."
@@Alterfritz1763 Frederick was a man that made sure his army was up to date with the time. After he died the Prussian army pretty much rested on its laurels, Frederick died 3 years before the French revolution and during that time and Napoleon's reign the French army was massively reformed while the Prussian army was resting in its laurels. So when Napoleon fought the Prussians, their forces were pretty outdated compared to his army. What Napoleon meant was that if a guy like Frederick was in charge things might have been diferent or at least more dificult and Napoleon held Frederick in high regard and admired him.
@@masterplokoon8803 You obviously know some history, but in this case I have to disagree with the Jedi Master. You need to catch up with the current state of miilitary history research. The consensus is that Frederick's army was out of date long before he died. For decades, Prussian military refromers like Scharnhorst had pleaded for modernizing the army but Frederick refused to listen to them. General Georg Heinrich von Berenhorst, who had served under Frederick in the Seven Years War, wrote:that Fredrick couldn't imagine that his "soldiers were beings with free will and intellect who could be inspired by anything else than force and fear." Moreover, he wrote that Frederick couldn't conceive of using any other kind of weapons or tactics than the ones he was used to. Cathal Nolan, author of a standard work in military history, "The Allure of Battle," concludes: "The great innovator left behind at his death a reactionary Prussian army inured to serious and much needed adaption and reform, run by old generals who thought the highest art of war was merely to drill and arm and fight exactly as he had done a half century after he first did it, When they led this anachromism into battle against newly dynamic and reformed and much larger armies of revolution it would be shattered in a day, and Prussia occupied and reduced." So, as I already pointed out, Napoleon did defeat Frederick's army, as he wrote to his wife. His comment about not making it to Potsdam if Frederick had still led his troops was pure theater.
@@Alterfritz1763 but after Frederick died the army had plenty of time to modernize but didn't. The reforms than Napoleon made to the French army( the corps sistem) were much more advanced than anything Frederick might have done in his time. And if Frederick was in command he might not have made the sloppy diplomatic and military mistakes the prussians did during the war. He probably wouldn't have rushed to send an ultimatum to Napoleon , he probably would have waited for the Russian forces to arrive he also wouldn't make most of the sloppy childish mistakes the prussian commanders did. He may have been outdated but he would have been tougher nut to crack than the weak Frederick William III. Apart from that Napoelon did seem to have some genuine respect and admiration for him, however I do believe Napoleon always thought of himself as greater than Frederick the Great like you said. I really don't see Napoleon of thinking that someone could be his equal or superior.
@@masterplokoon8803 You make some excellent points. I think the sad truth is that it usually takes a catastrophe to wake political and military leaders up to the need for serious structural reforms. Ultimately. the old ancien regime armies were no match for the massive armies of revolutionary France, which, thanks to the levee en masse , had troop numbers unimaginable to Frederick the Great. You should check out Nolan's book. He argues that we tend to vastly exaggerate the significance of indiviudual commanders and single battles. In the end, almost all military conflicts are wars of attrition which are normally won by the nations with the greatest resources. But thank you, Master Jedi, for our little discussion and inspiring me to reconsider some of my views. May the force be with you!
“Pss, what a about a flute busting Prussian? *Flute playing* Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! I’m Fredrick the Great, I’m the gate first servant of state. Oblique attack tactics, ain’t exactly straight. I got creative talents and battle malice! Hard as steel in the field, genteel in the palace!” Frederick the Great
But Napoleon lost. Plus, for all his innovations, he was still a petty despot who tried to maintain slavery. He is fascinating, I'll admit, but admirable? Not the word I'd use.
Some details: 1. By the time of his death, Frederick William had (somewhat begrudgingly) compromised with his son: Frederick could maintain his hobbies as long as he was vigilant with his studies. In his dying days, the old man even began to express regret for his bad parenting. 2. Adding on to your remarks about Frederick's views on culture, he hated the Nibelung stories, regarding them as "rubbish".
Alter Fritz will always be a fascinating ruler. Highly recommend his book "Anti-Machiavel" circa 1740. Though it is funny how close it sometimes actually comes to "The Prince." Frederick will always be the epitome of the black-powder warrior poet king. Anyhow love the vids keep um up! =D
*I’m Frederick the Great, first head of state. Oblique attack tactics ain’t exactly straight! I’ve got creative talents and battle malice. Hard as steel in the field, gentile in the palace!*
Can you please do one on James Longstreet, the Confederacy’s second most important general turned hardcore Republican and defender of African American rights after the war.
Do a video on the Prussian-American Friedrich Wilhelm ‘Baron’ von Steuben. He was the gay Prussian Major General who whipped the continental army into shape at Valley Forge!
Great bio, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Simon you’ve improved massively over the years. You seem comfortable and like you’re having fun doing it. What a great send off just like the Augustus biography. Awesome 😎
Meh. It is hard to respect Simon when you realize he does none of the research and knows very little about history himself. Not unlike a mouthpiece for WatchMojo doing a top ten for a topic they know nothing about.
Ah, what a really nice bio! I’m sure if he was listening, Frederick would’ve been very flattered by the portrayal & warmed by the kindness shown to him. I enjoyed this, not knowing anything about him prior. Thx guys.
Did anyone else see the eyes move on the painting of young Frederick. At 1:40 they’re looking to his left, 1:43 they move to his right and then back again
Nice. Been waiting for this one. Other suggestions: Anne of Great Britain, Juana of Castile, Sir Douglas Mawson, Sir Francis Walsingham, Liliuokalani of Hawaii.
Love this channel and your others too. I learn a lot and sometimes bring up things I hear here with my students. (I’m an art teacher, but still cool stuff!) Thanks for the show!
I'd like to leave a couple of suggestions if I may of people I'd like to see covered at some point. Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, Charles XII of Sweden, Cecil Rhoades, Sir Douglas Haig, Mary Ann Cotton, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, and Dr.William Harvey. Thank's Simon and keep up the amazing work :)
Historically speaking I would love to know how europe would look today if he and Napoleon had lived during the same time, he was afterall the only person you could actually call Napoleons role model.
"Pssst what about a flute busting Prussian...... I'm the Fredrick the Great, I became first servant of state, oblique tactics ain't exactly straight, I've got creative talent and battle malice, how to steal on the field and gentille in the palace. Now bring me my chair I'm already there and ill get you a new terriere from here to red square, fought a seven years war, I ain't scared of a Tsar, cuz beating you only took me 12 bars" Only Legends know where that's from, ERB
I appreciated this video! It is the era in which my ancestor lived, I’m actually stuck at this era and looking for information on Jean-baptiste Titelay and Catherine christine…
Love this vid, great work on it. Always like ur vids on royals of Europe. I do want to add that to do it on swedish king Carl Bernadotte. His is also interesting.
Neitzsche once wrote: I advise you to love the neighbor? I suggest rather to escape from the neighbor and to love those who are the farthest away from you. Higher than the love for the neighbor is the love for the man who is distant and has still to come.
This video was....great! I like the informative and non-bias manner while maintaining interest. Also, I would love to see Shah Jahan. There is nothing solid on the person, just the building he commissioned.
In regards to another great Frédéric, please may you do Chopin, if possible! He was such a wonderful man, and I would love to learn more about him, personally.
The treaty between Prussia and England in the Seven Years War might have had something to do with the fact that Frederick's maternal grandfather was Georg, Elector of Hanover, later King George I of Britain. So he was first cousins with every American's most hated monarch, George III.
Frederick the Great is probably one of the best examples of no matter how clear you make your same-sex attraction, historians will always try to find some way to downplay or deny it
Yea, it feels so nice tho when Simon comments that he was very likely a queer figure. He reaches more ppl than most professional historians working on museums. Still you are right, Frederick sound like a drama queen but his sexuality is always doubted despite him sending erotic poetry to Voltaire
Frederick the Great: **loses a major battle** Frederick the Great: Lady Luck is mad at me because I'm too gay to court her. Historians: Yeah but, what does that mean... exactly?
Thank you for this great video! This is not relevant to Frederick the Great, but please consider covering Doukyou (道鏡), a Japanese Rasputin. He was a Buddhist priest from a low-rank provincial family in the 8th century, and allegedly seduced an ill female ex-emperor (the details of their relationships are unknown). With his support, the ex-emperor returned to the throne, appointing Doukyou as the top of Buddhism and of the civilian government, then almost abdicated in favor of Doukyou. Even though 1200 years have passed, this incident is referred to today by those who oppose any female emperor in Japan... Lack of English language source about him may be a barrier, but his life from a medic to a chancellor（太政大臣）and to the pope-equivalent of Japanese Buddhism (法王) is remarkable, and I am sure you will make a great video out of his life!
His Wikipedia page has "Dōkyō" as his spelling, but his descriptions there are from an encyclopedia and do not convey how dramatic and controversial his life was.
There was a man in Japan long ago. He was big and strong and his eyes were very brown. People looked at him with terror and with fear. But to Tokyo chicks he was such a lovely dear.
I both enjoyed it and because of that all the info got into my brain even with your accelerated pace. Your wit and humor matched the interesting content. I also loved reading the comments and the potato story.
Frederick III is one of the greatest tragedies in European history. That man just might have stopped the two world wars on the continent if he had lived longer.
Here's something Frederick's father might have attacked his son's lifestyle but his father liked to dance with the tall soldiers he enlisted into his army, so we can make a guess where his lifestyle originated from.
And some colonial tavern owner outside of Philadelphia admired him so much he named his establishment the King of Prussia tavern from which the modern town takes its name.
Please do more episodes on japanese feudal warlords! For instance, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Uesugi Kenshin or Takeda Shingen. The one you made on Oda Nobunaga was really fun and informative!
One of my great great great grandfathers IIRC was one of them. He came to the US in 1866 and we suspect he may have been trying to avoid fighting in the Austro-Prussian War, among other reasons.
Go to NordVPN.com/biographics and use code BIOGRAPHICS to get a 2-year plan plus 1 additional month with a huge discount. It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
can you do videos on mlk anne frank Abraham Lincoln henry the 8th and Elizabeth the I
can u cover the Távora affair of 1758-1759 in a future vid?
I have been waiting for my boy fresrick the great to get a viedo I havent whatched it yet u better mention he was gay in this viedo
@@jordantomes2658 dude Voltaire wrote about
NordVPN has been hacked in the past and they even tried to hide it from their customers.
NordVPN clearly cannot be trusted.
Voltaire once said that Prussia during Frederick's reign was: Sparta during the day and Athens during the night.
Ha! Gay. Or is that a pedophilia joke?
@@iasonjacksongrace Gay, not pedophilia
Sparta was pretty gay tho.
I always see the analogy as Prussia being Sparta and Austria being Athens, as Vienna was the better known German capital for arts and culture.
@@iasonjacksongrace No . He literally means that prussia is both a military superpower and a very well organized philosopher sattate.
Well, this is flattering..
Eh, nice to find you here i guess
@@catherinethegreat2548 I hope you both are doing well 🤠
I'm a bit homophobic, but your one of the few gay people I'm ok with.
@@aydankhaliq2967 as a person of German descent, I can accurately say that Frederick and I do NOT claim you or “your kind”. 🤮❌
Big fan of your oblique tactics
A quote from Napoleon after taking Berlin and visiting this mans tomb
“If he was alive I would not be standing here”
Aside from the fact that if Frederick was alive, there wouldn't really be a point in visiting an empty plot of land where his tomb would be?
But yes, I understand what Napoleon meant to say...
He's being humble. Napoleon would have demolished him.
@@OscarDirlwood I dunno, i think it would be closer than you think just look at Leuthen, Hohenfriedberg and Rossbach.
@@OscarDirlwood Napoleon, being humble? The man didn't have a single humble bone in him...
@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony- And look at his other battles. Especially the one where he launched a front assault against Russians and Austrians on a hill.
The guy was a one trick pony that used the same tactics over and over again; which resulted in losses even when he won.
Frederick would have been decimated there and then. And Berlin would have been taken... Again
“Diplomacy without military might is like music without instruments”
Frederick the Great
true dat
@@jayb9153 yep indeed mate
Absolutely
acapella
and Fritz used "the flute!" 🙂
Some important parts were missing.
In Germany, especially former Prussia, he's called : Der alte Fritz (the old Fritz), we don't really call him Friedrich the great. It's kind of endearment. We treasure him to this day. Another really important thing, he's named : der Kartoffelkönig (the potato king) too.
Because there were issues with the wheat production, he introduced the potato as alternative. Partially by force, because farmers didn't trust it. So his soldiers travelled all over Prussia to spread the potato.
One famous story, his soldiers were protecting the potato fields to suggest, how value they are. And it worked. Germans love their potatoes. He saved his people from famine. To this day, people lie potatoes on his grave.
He was not just a conquer, but someone who cared for his subjects. He's beloved to this day.
History books remember the battles, even the treaties. Nations remember potatoes. Or at least they should. If only because without them there would be fewer people around to remember anything. In Spain we had this shameless social climber minister Godoy. People remember him for being corrupt and the queen's lover. BUT. He organized the first smallpox vaccination campaign in the Americas. Such things pay for many sins, you know.
Know I'm 1 year later but thank you for this. I like hearing stories from around the world of culture and history.
LMAO potato king that is great. It’s nice to hear what people in Germany think of him.
Not really that important
@@balabanasireti Saving people from famine and introducing a very stable crop into eastern europe is kind of important. Not the MOST important but still a little.
It's always about Frederick the Great, never his brother Derick the Pretty Good.
That guy was a pretty good guy, like not the best, just alright. Go Derrick!
Or Erick the okay
Or his cousin merrik the eh
@@solidraven6986 except that Merrik the eh, was just kinda Meh.
@@KaptajnKaffe lol
"Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl."
- Empire Total War loading screen
HAUBITZEN!
HANZ!! GET ZE FLAMMENWERFER!!!
-Me on Napoleon TW WW1 Mod
@@spiffygonzales5899 Was playing empire today, saw that quote!
literally had to fire up total war empire seeing this video
@@Jacking0ff
Literally any reason to play Empire total war is a good reason to play Empire total war. Respect.
It's crazy how having a traumatizing, tortured childhood and youth, and being ostracized for being different leads to either an extremely mentally unstable individual, or a very tolerant and understanding one. Not usually much in between. But every now and then, you end up with both in the same person.
You know... what we can call traumatized childhood and youth, might have been pretty much the norm back then. Just saying.
@@EurojuegosBsAs Unfortunately, this still seems to be the norm to this day.
@@EurojuegosBsAs well I would just say, if that were the case, that even if it was normal doesn't mean it was not also traumatic.
Only by putting people through hell can we tell who is strong and who is weak
@@damsarebiotic6263 or we could just avoid putting people through hell altogether and discard that archaic idea of "strong and weak." People are people and as long as they don't hurt anyone, they all have equal value.
Last time I was this early, Frederick the Great had a flute solo.
Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz!
IM FREDERICK THE GREAT FIRST EVER SERVANT OF STATE
Oblique attack tactics aint exactly straight
Last time I was this early I hadn't waited a week, by putting it in my watch later list, to finally watch it
I've got creative talents and battle malice
Fun fact - people still put potatoes on his grave in Potsdam where he is burried alongside his dogs
Plus, his father, called the soldier king, never had been at war
Frederick William directed a small group of troops at the Battle of Malplaquet, so he technically did fight at war, just not on a large scale
During Frederick William I's reign Prussia was involved in the Great Northern War, the War of Spanish Succession, and the War of Polish Succession.
Fascinating video! Great job!
Frederick brought enlightenment to the military. He believed in training soldiers. He suffered some losses and some victories but he was always outnumbered. His troops loved him, not only for the training that gave them an advantage but also that he was often found on the front lines with them. As you point out, he was good on his feet under fire, and the troops admired that.
He was immensely popular in England. In the late 18th century there were something like 150 pubs and taverns in England named after him. One was dissembled in the mid-1700s shipped to the American colonies, in Pennsylvania, and reconstructed. That tavern stood in the middle of a major thoroughfare in suburban Philadelphia until a road project required that it be moved.
That town in suburban Philadelphia is King of Prussia, PA.
There is a big difference between a commander who just says, "CHARGE!!" and one that says, "FOLLOW ME, BOYS!!" The odds look better when you are following your commander into the fray.
1:30 - Chapter 1 - The tyrant
4:55 - Chapter 2 - Becoming the man
8:15 - Mid roll ads
9:45 - Chapter 3 - The old fritz
12:30 - Chapter 4 - The enlightened despot
16:15 - Chapter 5 - The real WWI
20:10 - Chapter 6 - Partitions & partings
you are the backbone of the human species.
Yes
"Frederick was no Napoleon. He was sly, fast thinking and courageous, sure. But he was also stubborn and that occasionally led him to the brink of disaster"
Actually that sounds exactly like Napoleon.
@@ctrusse2 Napoleon was a genius, he just didn't know when to back down. When the third coalition was marching through Europe, dismantling his empire piece by piece, they offered him a peace deal and he still said no. Realistically there was no chance Napoleon could win the war at that point. He could have taken the deal and saved what was left of his empire, but he insisted on fighting on.
@@ctrusse2 I don't know about greatest of all time, but he was certainly great. Like I said, he was just cursed with the utter inability to recognize the value of a strategic retreat or realize when a situation had gotten beyond the point of salvage.
@@ctrusse2 indeed, but histories most memorable heroes and villains tend to be blown out of proportion sometimes, at the end they were all humans and humans make mistakes. Not to mention how many people were involved with every great battle that we remember today.
I think unlike Napoleon, Frederick the Great wasn't an egotistical psychopath who did everything for his own personal glory. He also didn't commit war crimes like massacring villages for revenge.
@@yourstruly4817 to make it short: he wasn't a narcissist
"Gentlemen if this man was alive, I would not be here."
Napoleon on the grave of Frederick the Great
Actually it was at the Potsdam city palace where Napoleon held uo Frederick's dagger and said to his officers, "Gentlemen, if the man who wielded this was still alive, we would not be standing here." Of course, this was pure theater, Napoleon knew well that he had in fact defeated what was basically still Frederick's army, as he boasted in a letter to Josephine. And when Napoleon visited Frederick's tomb, an eyewitness reported that he only said, "sic transit gloria mundi."
@@Alterfritz1763 Frederick was a man that made sure his army was up to date with the time. After he died the Prussian army pretty much rested on its laurels, Frederick died 3 years before the French revolution and during that time and Napoleon's reign the French army was massively reformed while the Prussian army was resting in its laurels. So when Napoleon fought the Prussians, their forces were pretty outdated compared to his army. What Napoleon meant was that if a guy like Frederick was in charge things might have been diferent or at least more dificult and Napoleon held Frederick in high regard and admired him.
@@masterplokoon8803 You obviously know some history, but in this case I have to disagree with the Jedi Master. You need to catch up with the current state of miilitary history research. The consensus is that Frederick's army was out of date long before he died. For decades, Prussian military refromers like Scharnhorst had pleaded for modernizing the army but Frederick refused to listen to them. General Georg Heinrich von Berenhorst, who had served under Frederick in the Seven Years War, wrote:that Fredrick couldn't imagine that his "soldiers were beings with free will and intellect who could be inspired by anything else than force and fear." Moreover, he wrote that Frederick couldn't conceive of using any other kind of weapons or tactics than the ones he was used to. Cathal Nolan, author of a standard work in military history, "The Allure of Battle," concludes: "The great innovator left behind at his death a reactionary Prussian army inured to serious and much needed adaption and reform, run by old generals who thought the highest art of war was merely to drill and arm and fight exactly as he had done a half century after he first did it, When they led this anachromism into battle against newly dynamic and reformed and much larger armies of revolution it would be shattered in a day, and Prussia occupied and reduced." So, as I already pointed out, Napoleon did defeat Frederick's army, as he wrote to his wife. His comment about not making it to Potsdam if Frederick had still led his troops was pure theater.
@@Alterfritz1763 but after Frederick died the army had plenty of time to modernize but didn't. The reforms than Napoleon made to the French army( the corps sistem) were much more advanced than anything Frederick might have done in his time. And if Frederick was in command he might not have made the sloppy diplomatic and military mistakes the prussians did during the war. He probably wouldn't have rushed to send an ultimatum to Napoleon , he probably would have waited for the Russian forces to arrive he also wouldn't make most of the sloppy childish mistakes the prussian commanders did. He may have been outdated but he would have been tougher nut to crack than the weak Frederick William III. Apart from that Napoelon did seem to have some genuine respect and admiration for him, however I do believe Napoleon always thought of himself as greater than Frederick the Great like you said. I really don't see Napoleon of thinking that someone could be his equal or superior.
@@masterplokoon8803 You make some excellent points. I think the sad truth is that it usually takes a catastrophe to wake political and military leaders up to the need for serious structural reforms. Ultimately. the old ancien regime armies were no match for the massive armies of revolutionary France, which, thanks to the levee en masse , had troop numbers unimaginable to Frederick the Great. You should check out Nolan's book. He argues that we tend to vastly exaggerate the significance of indiviudual commanders and single battles. In the end, almost all military conflicts are wars of attrition which are normally won by the nations with the greatest resources. But thank you, Master Jedi, for our little discussion and inspiring me to reconsider some of my views. May the force be with you!
The first time I saw a portrait of Frederick the Great, I thought it was a picture of George Washington in a very grumpy mood.
Well, did anyone ever see them in the same room together? :)
“A sour subspecies of the female sect”
This man perfectly put into words exactly how i felt about my sixth grade math teacher 😂😂😂
You made me laugh so much.
“Pss, what a about a flute busting Prussian? *Flute playing* Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! I’m Fredrick the Great, I’m the gate first servant of state. Oblique attack tactics, ain’t exactly straight. I got creative talents and battle malice! Hard as steel in the field, genteel in the palace!” Frederick the Great
Gustavus Adolphus would be another cool one like this.
*A lion from the north by Sabaton intensifies*
Wish granted.
I'm early for my most admired king in Prussian History! My dear Frederick, you are second to Napoleon, but first in admiration in my eyes
Wow are you Simp for Fredrick
@@thorpeaaron1110 I like too much history, the Enlightened era especially, the minds of the great are easy to learn from, right?
But Napoleon lost. Plus, for all his innovations, he was still a petty despot who tried to maintain slavery. He is fascinating, I'll admit, but admirable? Not the word I'd use.
@@theyoungbonaparte3739 Indeed especially Frederick who's military skills as a commander could rival Napoleon
@@thorpeaaron1110 there is nothing bad about simping for Frederick
That was Flute Sonata in B Minor. For my next performance I shall play "Humiliate Austria!" -Frederick the Great
Can you cover the biographies of Mozart and Beethoven? I will highly appreciate this.
Make this happen, I fully support
@@theyoungbonaparte3739 I can just request and the rest depends on Simon.
Yes please
@@theyoungbonaparte3739 Yes particularly Beethoven he had a pretty rough childhood
@@theyoungbonaparte3739 Or another great would be Bach
He was pretty much the catalyst of change for Europe at that time. He was the fulcrum that set so many larger forces on different trajectories.
“Best Friend”
just guys being dudes
@@NobodyofTwilgiht just doods being guys (after his execution, Freidrich broke down/ went silent whenever he heard his name)
Some details:
1. By the time of his death, Frederick William had (somewhat begrudgingly) compromised with his son: Frederick could maintain his hobbies as long as he was vigilant with his studies. In his dying days, the old man even began to express regret for his bad parenting.
2. Adding on to your remarks about Frederick's views on culture, he hated the Nibelung stories, regarding them as "rubbish".
Seems Fredrick was a "Oui"-aboo 🤔
“Flute Player” boom, got ‘em!
Alter Fritz will always be a fascinating ruler. Highly recommend his book "Anti-Machiavel" circa 1740. Though it is funny how close it sometimes actually comes to "The Prince." Frederick will always be the epitome of the black-powder warrior poet king. Anyhow love the vids keep um up! =D
*I’m Frederick the Great, first head of state. Oblique attack tactics ain’t exactly straight! I’ve got creative talents and battle malice. Hard as steel in the field, gentile in the palace!*
I just have to say thank you for not judging 18th century by 21st century standards. It kills me when people do it. It proves and achieves nothing.
Can you please do one on James Longstreet, the Confederacy’s second most important general turned hardcore Republican and defender of African American rights after the war.
Also made a scapegoat for all of Robert E. Lee's mistakes by the "Lost Cause" myth.
Suggestion: the Tuareg people. I know a wee bit, but a video about these people would be fascinating
I live in a town named after him for his work in the American revolution. So it's nice to learn what he did for america.
Fredericksburg, Maryland by any chance?
Do a video on the Prussian-American Friedrich Wilhelm ‘Baron’ von Steuben. He was the gay Prussian Major General who whipped the continental army into shape at Valley Forge!
Great bio, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Simon you’ve improved massively over the years. You seem comfortable and like you’re having fun doing it. What a great send off just like the Augustus biography. Awesome 😎
Meh. It is hard to respect Simon when you realize he does none of the research and knows very little about history himself. Not unlike a mouthpiece for WatchMojo doing a top ten for a topic they know nothing about.
@kingstarscream320 who cares dude, he makes the words come to life, which is arguably more important than the research itself..
“A discontinuous scrap of a state”
Honestly, the best description of Prussia I’ve ever heard.
I love that you made a video about him, Friedrich is besides Bismarck my favourite person of German/ Prussian history
Ah, what a really nice bio! I’m sure if he was listening, Frederick would’ve been very flattered by the portrayal & warmed by the kindness shown to him. I enjoyed this, not knowing anything about him prior. Thx guys.
Anyone else love the sound of Simon's voice? So relaxing. Love all your videos
Thank you for your continuing efforts at filling in the gaps for me of the history of the lands of my forefathers.
I think you forgot one major think: Fredrick also added the freedom of speech and freedom of press which was particularly important too (imo)
And he allowed the Catholic Church to build a cathedral in Calvinist Berlin, effectively ending the legacy of the 30 Years War.
Did anyone else see the eyes move on the painting of young Frederick. At 1:40 they’re looking to his left, 1:43 they move to his right and then back again
Yes. Hearing the comedic blind noises too?
Nice. Been waiting for this one.
Other suggestions: Anne of Great Britain, Juana of Castile, Sir Douglas Mawson, Sir Francis Walsingham, Liliuokalani of Hawaii.
We had a musical about him here in germany and its a full blown shame it didnt run for long, it was amazing!
Love this channel and your others too. I learn a lot and sometimes bring up things I hear here with my students. (I’m an art teacher, but still cool stuff!)
Thanks for the show!
Thanks for doing this, Simon! L' Audace, L'Audace, Tojours, L'Audace. Patton's immortal quote of Frederick the Great. Always bolder, always bolder!
I thought that was from Georges Danton :o)
I'd like to leave a couple of suggestions if I may of people I'd like to see covered at some point.
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, Charles XII of Sweden, Cecil Rhoades, Sir Douglas Haig, Mary Ann Cotton, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, and Dr.William Harvey.
Thank's Simon and keep up the amazing work :)
16:23 don’t forget the Philippines as well
Historically speaking I would love to know how europe would look today if he and Napoleon had lived during the same time, he was afterall the only person you could actually call Napoleons role model.
"A sour subspecies of the female sex" Ooooooof... xD I'm definitely stealing that one. xD
"Pssst what about a flute busting Prussian...... I'm the Fredrick the Great, I became first servant of state, oblique tactics ain't exactly straight, I've got creative talent and battle malice, how to steal on the field and gentille in the palace. Now bring me my chair I'm already there and ill get you a new terriere from here to red square, fought a seven years war, I ain't scared of a Tsar, cuz beating you only took me 12 bars"
Only Legends know where that's from, ERB
Indeed
Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz! Old Fritz!
A flute never sounded so awesome.
OLD FRITZ! OLD FRITZ! OLD FRITZ! OLD FRITZ!
Oblique tactics weren’t exactly straight when it came to this flute busting Prussian
Yes being hard as steel in the field genteel in the palace
@@oneasiangirl the guy who would pay somebody to tear his eyes out if he had to look at Ivan's troll face every night
Wow great video! Can’t believe that it took Simon this long to make a bio on Frederick the great 😅
loved the storytelling. information made fun. i was kinda hooked and couldnt leave it midway
I appreciated this video! It is the era in which my ancestor lived, I’m actually stuck at this era and looking for information on Jean-baptiste Titelay and Catherine christine…
Simon the Great. TH-cam greatest king!
Love this vid, great work on it. Always like ur vids on royals of Europe. I do want to add that to do it on swedish king Carl Bernadotte. His is also interesting.
Who the heck are you referring to? There never was a Swedish king by that name, only a bunch of princes.
Neitzsche once wrote:
I advise you to love the neighbor? I suggest rather to escape from the neighbor and to love those who are the farthest away from you. Higher than the love for the neighbor is the love for the man who is distant and has still to come.
This video was....great! I like the informative and non-bias manner while maintaining interest.
Also, I would love to see Shah Jahan. There is nothing solid on the person, just the building he commissioned.
Finally
I was waiting so long for this video
Thank you Simon!
I love your jokes and analogies! You make history fascinating and fun. As it should be.
Flute bustin prussian old fritz!!
Great channel. Love the videos. And your soothing voice
I've been waiting for this video ever since I found this channel. Thank you
No one:
Absolutely no one:
Frederick William: Hah Gaaayy
Man. You're hysterical.
bruh, luv u
Thanks Simon.
In regards to another great Frédéric, please may you do Chopin, if possible! He was such a wonderful man, and I would love to learn more about him, personally.
But did Fritz the great actually use NordVPN ???
Finally. Been waiting since the start of this channel for Old Fritz.
*OLD FRITZ, OLD FRITZ, OLD FRITZ, OLD FRITZ*
I'm Freddy the great
"donning a uniform and shooting a foreigner" - well, if that doesn't sum up the 1800-1900s, I don't know what does.
Been waiting for this since the Empress Maria Theresa episode!
Glad someone did this!
Not only a flute player but also a composer. Check out his concertos on TH-cam.
Need a video on Timur next, these comments about great generals hurt my eyes
The treaty between Prussia and England in the Seven Years War might have had something to do with the fact that Frederick's maternal grandfather was Georg, Elector of Hanover, later King George I of Britain. So he was first cousins with every American's most hated monarch, George III.
dude was great, people often put potatoes on his grave back in Potsdam.
the good old fritz
Ahh yess the flute lol he was a god king thou
You guys know me too well my food arrives just in time for a new episode! :D
mine too! Happy eating:)
What are you both having
You should do a video on Salvatore Pais next! P.s. Love all your channels and you have kept me extremely entertained this past year.
Please consider doing a biographic on a Canadian hero like Champlain, Frontenac, or D’Ibervillle.
Frederick the Great is probably one of the best examples of no matter how clear you make your same-sex attraction, historians will always try to find some way to downplay or deny it
Yea, it feels so nice tho when Simon comments that he was very likely a queer figure. He reaches more ppl than most professional historians working on museums. Still you are right, Frederick sound like a drama queen but his sexuality is always doubted despite him sending erotic poetry to Voltaire
Frederick the Great: **loses a major battle**
Frederick the Great: Lady Luck is mad at me because I'm too gay to court her.
Historians: Yeah but, what does that mean... exactly?
Wonderful presentation!
Thank you for this great video! This is not relevant to Frederick the Great, but please consider covering Doukyou (道鏡), a Japanese Rasputin. He was a Buddhist priest from a low-rank provincial family in the 8th century, and allegedly seduced an ill female ex-emperor (the details of their relationships are unknown). With his support, the ex-emperor returned to the throne, appointing Doukyou as the top of Buddhism and of the civilian government, then almost abdicated in favor of Doukyou. Even though 1200 years have passed, this incident is referred to today by those who oppose any female emperor in Japan... Lack of English language source about him may be a barrier, but his life from a medic to a chancellor（太政大臣）and to the pope-equivalent of Japanese Buddhism (法王) is remarkable, and I am sure you will make a great video out of his life!
His Wikipedia page has "Dōkyō" as his spelling, but his descriptions there are from an encyclopedia and do not convey how dramatic and controversial his life was.
There was a man in Japan long ago.
He was big and strong and his eyes were very brown.
People looked at him with terror and with fear.
But to Tokyo chicks he was such a lovely dear.
I'm still waiting for my very own Video!
Perhaps next Christmas..
Videos on Maria Theresia, Francis I. Stephen of Lorraine and their sons Joseph II and Leopold II would be great.
Since the one on Maria Theresia does already exist, i'll stick to the men in her family.
I both enjoyed it and because of that all the info got into my brain even with your accelerated pace. Your wit and humor matched the interesting content. I also loved reading the comments and the potato story.
Please do biographies on Kaiser Wilhelm I, Kaiser Friedrich III, and Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern.
Frederick III is one of the greatest tragedies in European history. That man just might have stopped the two world wars on the continent if he had lived longer.
People today: “Gay people where all victims though history ”
My boy Frederick: “Oblique attack tactics ain't exactly straight 😉”
TF 😂
Here's something Frederick's father might have attacked his son's lifestyle but his father liked to dance with the tall soldiers he enlisted into his army, so we can make a guess where his lifestyle originated from.
Fredrick the hero of Prussia himself such a man he was may god bless that legend of history hope one day I could be like him one day
He was literally an atheist
@@thegamingartists9390 I know but I say the lord bless him for his good deeds on earth how he made impact on the world if that make sense
And some colonial tavern owner outside of Philadelphia admired him so much he named his establishment the King of Prussia tavern from which the modern town takes its name.
Thanks
Talk about being "bombarded with ads". Your annoying ads are forcing me to other sources of history.
i felt the need to start Prussia's glory to at the same time as this video
Please do more episodes on japanese feudal warlords! For instance, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Uesugi Kenshin or Takeda Shingen. The one you made on Oda Nobunaga was really fun and informative!
Man you gotta be playing Nioh lol
@@jaleel3092 and also total war Shogun two that’s a good game
@@jaleel3092 no bro, I'm just a history nerd
and also a big fan of shogun 2 lol
Oh no, the weebs are coming
Damn weebs
Hehe, I had a feeling there would be some comments in reference to the ERB video. I was not disappointed.
ERB?
@@kingstarscream320 Epic Rap Battles of History. It’s a thing on TH-cam
I’ve been watching Infographics for two years, and finally. My favorite Prussian/German historical figure is finally on the show.
Bismarck is disappointed
Great channel to listen to while driving down I-5 through the middle of nowhere.
Cool fact: Most German Americans can trace their ancestry back to Prussia, the home of Frederick the Great!
✋🏻 me lol
@@dannahbanana11235 cool
One of my great great great grandfathers IIRC was one of them. He came to the US in 1866 and we suspect he may have been trying to avoid fighting in the Austro-Prussian War, among other reasons.
@@thunderbird1921 cool
I can't. Lower Saxony, NRW, even Bavaria, but no Prussia.