This victory, which nearly decided the fate of Silesia, raised up more enemies to Austria. France and Bavaria united with Prussia, and the war of the Austrian succession began. George II., king of England, the only ally of Maria Theresa, advised her to make peace with Prussia, because Frederick was her most active and formidable enemy. Frederick having obtained a victory at Czaalau on the 17th of May 1742 over Prince Charles of Lorraine, peace was concluded at Berlin on the 28th of July, and the first Silesian war was ended. Frederick obtained the full sovereignty of Upper and Lower Silesia, and the county of Cilatz, with the exception of Tropau, Jagernderf, and Teschen. On hie aide, he renounced all claims to the other Austrian dominions, took upon himself a debt of 1,700,000 dollars. with which Silesia was charged, and promised to respect the rights of the Roman Catholics in Silesia. Saxody acceded to this peace, and it was guaranteed by France and England. Frederick Immediately profited by it to organise his new conquests, and to render his army more formidable. On the death of the last count of East Friesland in 1743 he took possession of that country, to which his house had asserted a claim ever since the year 1644. When In the prosecution of the Austrian war the emperor Charles VIL had been obliged to fly from Lis hereditary dominion', and the Austrian arms were everywhere victorious, Frederick feared that Silesia might be taken from him. lie therefore secretly entered into an alliance with France in April 1744. and with the emperor, the Palatinate, and Hesse Cassel, on the 22nd of May 1744, promising to support the cause of the emperor by invading Bohemia, but requiring for himself the circle of Koniggratz in Bohemia. On the 10th of August 1794 he unexpectedly entered Bohemia, and took Prague ; but being pressed by the Austrians under Prince Charles of Lorraine, and the Saxons their allies, he was obliged to leave Bohemia before' the and of the year. The death of the emperor Charles VII. on the 18th of January 1745, and the defeat of the Bavarians at Pfaffeehefen, induced his son the young elector, Maximilian-Joseph of Bavaria, to make peace at Puma with Maria Theresa,and the Frankfurt union was dissolved ; Hesse Cassel declaring itself neutral. On the other hand, England, Austria, the Netherlands, and Saxony, had concluded a strict alliance at Warsaw on the Sth of January 1745, and Saxony had besides entered into a special convention with Austria against Prussia on the 18th of May 1745. But Frederick defeated the Austrians and Saxons on the 4 tb of June at Hohenfried burg in Silesia, then entered Bohemia, and gained another victory after a very obstinate combat at Sate., on the 30th of September 1745. The victory of the Prussians, under Prince Leopold of Dessau, over the Saxon. at Keaselsdorf, on the 15th of December, led to the treaty of Dresden, December 25, 1745, which was conoluded on the basis of the treaty of Berlin ; so that Frederick retained Silesia, acknowledged the husband of Maria Theresa, Francis I., as emperor, and Saxony engaged to pay to Prussia ono million of dollar& Thus the second Silesian war.
During the eleven years' peace that followed, Frederick devoted himself with unremitting activity to the internal administration of his dominions, the organisation of the army, and to literary/pursuits. Among the grand improvements which be contemplated was a reform in the judicial proceedings, with a view to reuder them more simple and uniform, in all the different provinces of his dominions. Together with his chancellor Cocceii, he compiled the Frederician Code, is body of laws for the dominions of the King of Prussia, founded on reason and the constitution of the country.' It is not easy to under stand what is here meant by the word constitution.' His father, it is true, drew up with great care what he called a constitution (Verfae sungs-Urkunde), or instructions for the supreme general board of finance, war, and domains, which he issued in 1722, and whii,11 is printed by Dr. Forster in his 'Life of Frederick William I.,' but it is not likely that this is here alluded to. Frederick also wrote Momoire of the House of Brandenburg,' a concise account of his house, written in a good style, with a positive declaration of impartiality, which of course is to be taken with some allowance. Another work, as didactic poem in six books, on the 'Art of War,' is his most considerable poetical production, and is greatly esteemed. These, and all his other works, are in French. These recreations did not divert his attention from the paramount duties of his position, which he always performed with the most persevering care. Instead of indulging in the pleasures of the chase, he made journeys to different parts of his domiuions. He endeavoured to make agriculture, manufactures, and the arts flourish ; and encouraged commerce, the true principles of which however he appears not to have understood. Though possessing no naval force, he insisted on the right of free navigation for his subjects, without molestation from the fleets of contending parties. One grand object was to improve his revenues, A measure necessary for the maintenance of his army, which be Lad iucreased to 160,000. Ha
expended large sums in gratifying his taste for the arts, by decorating the palaces of Berlin and Potsdam, and in erecting many splendid edifices in those two places, in which however there was this incon gruity, that the richest architectural decorations were often lavished on the exterior of buildings which wore only barracks for the troops.
When the war broke out between England and France in 1755, the English government concluded as treaty with Frederick, the chief object of which was to secure Hanover from invasion. This led to as secret alliance between France, Austria, Saxony, and Russia, of which Frederick, having been privately informed, chiefly through the treachery of a clerk in the Saxon chancery, became apprehensive of an attack, and of the loss of Silesia. He accordingly resolved to anticipate bls enemies, and commenced operations by invading Saxony on the 2lth of August 1756 ; which was the beginning of the third Silesian, or, as it is generally called, "'rho Seven Years' War." This contest was the most extraordinary and important in modern times, previous to those of the French revolution. Though Frederick is the hero, the history of the war is, in fact, the history of conti. nental Europe. Frederick, Intending to invade Bohemia, required a passage through Saxony, which the elector king of Poland antici pating, assembled his troops in an intrenclied camp nt Pirna. Frede rick invested it, and having defeated, at Lowositz, the Austrians who cause to its relief, it surrendered ; and he compelled all the privates to enlist in his own army. In 1757, he advaoced into Bohemia, and gained, on the 5th of May, a great victory at Prague, over the Austrians, under Prince Charles of Lorraine and Marshal Brown. The Austrians tea shelter in Prague, which Frederick immediately invested; but the Approach of the Austrians under Marshal Daun, changed the face of t he campaign. Dann formed an intrenched camp at Kolin, which Frederick attacked, but was defeated with great lo..e on which he raised the siege of Prague, and retreated into Saxony. Meanwhile the French compelled the Duke of Cumberland to abandon Hanover, of which they took possession ; and about the same time the Russians and Swedes invaded Prussia from the north : but though Frederick's affairs were supposed by his enemies to be desperate, he was not dismayed. He first attacked the united French and Austrian army, twice as numerous as his own, at Rosbach, and gave them a total and most disgraceful defeat. He then marched into Silesia, where the Austrians had taken Breslau, gained a great victory over them at Lissa, and recovered Breslau. The Russians and Swedes had retreated from the Prussian territories, and the Hanoverians had assembled a large force under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, to co-operate with the Prussians. Thus at the close of 1757 the king's affairs were so far restored, that he might have hoped for success in the next campaign, if he could have kept back the Russians; but the enmity of the Empress Elizabeth was inveterate. However the admi ration which Frederick's conduct had excited in England, and confidence in his ability, induced the English government to grant him a subsidy of 670,0001., which became an annual grant. In the campaign of 1753 the principal event was the sanguinary battle at Zornderf, between the Prussians and the Russians, in which the latter were defeated, but the loss on both sides was immense. In 1759 the king's first object was to atop the progress of the Russians, who advanced to Frankfort-on-the-Oder. On the 12th of August was fought the battle of Kunneradort At the beginning of the day, the King of Prussia thought himself so sure of the victory, that he despatched a letter to that effect to the queen at Berlin ; but in the end, he was obliged to quit the field, and wrote a second letter to the queen, desiring her to send away the royal family, and to have the archives removed, adding, that the city might make terms with the enemy. But Berlin was saved. Frederick's skilful conduct after his defeat induced the Russian general, instead of eutering Brandenburg, to join the Austrians in Lusatia ; but soon afterwards, General Fiack, with 15,000 men, was taken prisoner by the Austrians, and a smaller corps shared the same fate. Frederick however received reinforcements, and Marshal Dann was contented to occupy the camp at Pima and cover Dresden. In the following spring eome fruitless negociations for peace took place. In this campaign the city of Dresden suffered very severely from a bombardment, by which Frederick destroyed the finest part of the city. On the other hand, the Russians and Austrians entered Berlin, which was saved from plunder by a composition, but bad to pay heavy contributions. Berlin was soon evacuated, and Frederick, who was hastening to its relief, turned into Saxony, where he was induced, by the desperate condition of his affairs, to venture to attack the Austrians, who were strongly posted at Torgau. He defeated them, after an obstinate battle, which compelled them to retreat. The Russians and Swedes also quitted his dominions, and be was able to recover strength in winter quarters in Saxony.