So you can probably see why a man who is even slightly
concerned about his reputation, after reading these wise
maxims of yours, must avoid all language that we use in
referring to the worst criminals ...
The sovereign is the representative of his State. He and his people form a single
body. Ruler and ruled can be happy only if they are firmly united. The sovereign
stands to his people in the same relation in which the head stands to the body. He
must use his eyes and his brain for the whole community, and act on its behalf to the
common advantage. If we wish to elevate monarchical above republican government,
the duty of sovereigns is clear. They must be active, hard-working, upright and
honest, and concentrate all their strength upon filling their office worthily. That is my
idea of the duties of sovereigns. (end)
Friedrich the Great on the Quakers and War:
On the Forms of Government:
Friedrich the Great did not enjoy war, and once wrote to Voltaire: "I love peace just as much as you;
but I want it to be good, solid and honorable. Socrates and Plato would have thought as I do, had
they found myself in my wretched plight. Do you suppose there is any pleasure in this dog's life,
slaughtering foreigners, losing your friends and acquaintances every day, seeing your reputation
constantly exposed to the caprices of fortune, spending the whole year in anxiety and apprehension,
endlessly risking life and fortune?"
..I have read your article on war, and trembled. How can a
sovereign whose troops are decked out in rough blue
uniforms and headgear with white piping, troops that he can
order left and right, how can he lead these to glory without
earning the honorary title of robber-chief, since he is after all
only commanding a gang of ne'er-do-wells forced by fate to
become hired butchers, who under his command follow the
fine calling of highway robbers? Can you have forgotten that
war is a scourge that throws all kinds of men together and,
more, encourages all manner of crimes?
...A sovereign must possess an exact and detailed knowledge of the strong and of the weak points of
his country. He must be thoroughly acquainted with its resources, the character of the people and the
national commerce. Rulers should always remind themselves that they are men like the least of their
subjects. The sovereign is the foremost judge, general, financier, and minister of his country, not
merely for the sake of his prestige. Therefore, he should perform with care the duties connected with
these offices. He is merely the principal servant of the State. Hence, he must act with honesty,
wisdom, and complete disinterestedness in such a way that he can render an account of his
stewardship to the citizens at any moment. Consequently, he is guilty if he wastes the money of the
people, the taxes which they have paid, in luxury, pomp and debauchery. He who should improve
the morals of the people, be the guardian of the law, and improve their education should not pervert
them by his bad example.
Princes, sovereigns, and king have not been given supreme
authority in order to live in luxurious self-indulgence and
debauchery. They have not been elevated by their fellow-men
to enable them to strut about and to insult with their pride the
simple-mannered, the poor and the suffering. They have not
been placed at the head of the State to keep around themselves
a crowd of idle loafers whose uselessness drives them towards
vice. The bad administration which may be found in
monarchies springs from many different causes, but their
principal cause lies in the character of the sovereign. A ruler
addicted to women will become a tool of his mistresses and
favourites, and these will abuse their power and commit wrongs
of every kind, will protect vice, sell offices, and perpetrate
every infamy....
family tree
Dorothea Christiane Erxleben (1715-1762) of Quedlinburg was the first female medical doctor in
Germany. She and her brothers were instructed in medicine by her father, Dr. Christian Leporin, at a
young age. Since universities did not admit women she could not be a certified doctor, Erxleben
decided to fight for her right to practise medicine, and in 1742 she published "Gründliche
Untersuchung der Ursachen, die das weibliche Geschlecht vom Studieren abhalten," a tract arguing
that women should be allowed to attend university, and she directly appealed to Friedrich the Great
who gave her a dispensation. At age 39, after the birth of her fourth child, she successfully completed
her exams in 1754 and received her Medical Degree.
Friedrich wrote a series of histories dealing with his own affairs that at his death filled 15 volumes as
well as the 'Anti-Machiavel' and the 'Mirror of Princes'.
These are military considerations which escape my lips; I ask philosophy's pardon for this. Up to
now I am only half a Quaker; if one day I become like William Penn, I shall do as others do and
make public speeches against the privileged murderers who lay waste the earth. (end)
Friedrich to Voltaire, Potsdam 1773
End of Friedrich the Great. Please return to Start page for additional material