Frederick I

Frederick I, 1657–1713, first king of Prussia (1701–13), elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) as Frederick III. He succeeded his father, Frederick William the Great Elector, in Brandenburg. Through a renewed alliance with Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I prior to the War of the Spanish Succession, Frederick obtained the emperor's approval for the elevation of Prussia to a kingdom. On Jan. 18, 1701, Frederick crowned himself at Königsberg. His extravagant expenses drained the finances of Prussia. Frederick was a patron of Leibniz. He was succeeded by his son, Frederick William I.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: German History: Biographies