Frederick I of Prussia

Frederick I of Prussia. Prussian Royalty
House of Hohenzollern
Frederick I (1701-1713) Children Princess Louise Dorothea Prince Frederick William Frederick William I(1713-1740) Children Princess Wilhelmine Prince Frederick Princess Friederike Luise Princess Philippine Charlotte Princess Sophia Dorothea Princess Louisa Ulrika Prince Augustus William Princess Anna Amalia Prince Henry Prince Ferdinand Frederick II(The Great, 1740-1786) Frederick William II(1786-1797) Children Prince Frederick William Prince Louis Princess Wilhelmine Princess Augusta Prince Charles Prince Wilhelm Frederick William III(1797-1840) Prince Frederick William Prince Wilhelm Princess Charlotte Princess Alexandrine Prince Charles Princess Louise Prince Albert Frederick William IV(1840-1861)

Frederick I (German: Friedrich I., July 11, 1657 – February 25, 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and the first King in Prussia (1701 – 1713).

Biography

Born in Königsberg, he was the third son of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg by his father's first marriage to Louise Henriette of Orange-Nassau, eldest daughter of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and Amalia of Solms-Braunfels. His maternal cousin was King William III of England. Upon the death of his father on April 29, 1688, Frederick became Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg.

The Hohenzollern state was then known as Brandenburg-Prussia, as the family's main possessions were the Margraviate of Brandenburg within the Holy Roman Empire and the Duchy of Prussia outside of the Empire. Although he was the Margrave and Prince-elector of Brandenburg and the Duke of Prussia, Frederick desired the more prestigious title of king. However, according to Germanic law at that time, no kingdoms could exist within the Holy Roman Empire, with the exception of the Kingdom of Bohemia.

Leopold I, Archduke of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor, was convinced by Frederick to allow Prussia to be ruled as a kingdom. This agreement was ostensibly given in exchange for an alliance against King Louis XIV of France in the War of the Spanish Succession. Frederick's argument was that Prussia had never belonged to the Holy Roman Empire and therefore there was no legal or political barrier to prevent the Elector of Brandenburg from being King in Prussia. Frederick was aided in the negotiations by Charles Ancillon.

Frederick crowned himself "King Frederick I in Prussia" on January 18, 1701 in Königsberg. To indicate that Frederick's royalty was limited to Prussia and did not reduce the rights of the Emperor in Frederick's Imperial territories, he had to call himself "King in Prussia", instead of "King of Prussia"; his grandson Frederick II of Prussia was the first Prussian king to formally style himself "King of Prussia".

Frederick was a patron of the arts. The Akademie der Künste in Berlin was founded by Frederick in 1696, as was the Academy of Sciences in 1700.

Frederick was married three times: first to Elizabeth Henrietta of Hesse-Kassel, with whom he had one child, Louise Dorothea, b. 1680, who died without issue at age 25; then to Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, with whom he had Frederick William I, born in 1688, who succeeded him. In 1708, he married Sophia Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who survived him but had no children by him. Frederick died in Berlin in 1713.

Ancestors

Frederick's ancestors in three generations Frederick I of Prussia Father:
Frederick William, Elector of BrandenburgPaternal Grandfather:
George William, Elector of BrandenburgPaternal Great-grandfather:
John Sigismund, Elector of BrandenburgPaternal Great-grandmother:
Anna, Duchess of PrussiaPaternal Grandmother:
Elizabeth Charlotte of the PalatinatePaternal Great-grandfather:
Frederick IV, Elector PalatinePaternal Great-grandmother:
Louise Juliana of NassauMother:
Louise Henriette of Orange-NassauMaternal Grandfather:
Frederick Henry, Prince of OrangeMaternal Great-grandfather:
William the SilentMaternal Great-grandmother:
Louise de ColignyMaternal Grandmother:
Amalia of Solms-BraunfelsMaternal Great-grandfather:
Johan Albrecht I of Solms-Braunfels Maternal Great-grandmother:
Agnes of Sayn-Wittgenstein

Frederick I of Prussia House of HohenzollernBorn: 11 July 1657 Died: 25 February 1713 Regnal titles Preceded by
Frederick William Duke of Prussia
1688 — 1701 Elevation to Kingdom Elector of Brandenburg
as Frederick III
1688 — 1713 Succeeded by
Frederick William INew title King in Prussia
1701 — 1713