FREDERICK WILLIAM 11., King of Prussia, was born in 1744. His father was Augustus William, second son of Frederick William I., upon whose death in 1758, his uncle, Frederick the Great, declared him Crown Prince of Prussia. The young prince soon indulged in a mode of life which was highly displeasing to his uncle, and alienated them from each other for many years. Frederick II. however expressed his satisfaction to the crown-prince, on his giving proofs of personal bravery in the war of the Bavarian succession, 1778. Frederick William's Brat wife was Elizabeth Christina Ulrica, princess of Brunswick, from whom be was separated in 1769. He afterwards married the Princess Louisa of Ilesse Darmstadt. His accession in 1786 was under favourable circumstances. Prussia was engaged in no contest with foreign enemies, and the policy of Frederick II. had made him, in the latter part of his life, in some measure an arbitrator in the affairs of Europe. Political errors soon lessened Frederick William's credit with foreign cabinets, and the treasure left by his uncle was wasted in useless wars, and by the extravagance of his favourites. His first interference in foreign affairs was in11787, when he sent an army, under Duke Charles William Ferdinand of Brunswick, to Holland, where the patriots refused to recognise the right of the stadtholder, and (insulted his wife, Frederick William's sister, on her way to the Hague, for which however satisfaction had been given. The Prussians advanced without opposition to Amsterdam, and the old order of things was soon restored, upon which a defensive alliance between England, Prussia, and Holland was concluded at the Hague in April 1788. In the war between Sweden and Russia in the same year, Frederick William, in conjunction with England, prevented any further ;Attack upon Sweden by Denmark. Being jealous of the success of Russia and Austria in the Turkish war, he concluded an alliance with the Porte in 1790, and guaranteed its possessions. This measure having given offence to Austria, a Prussian army was assembled in Silesia, on the Bohemian frontier, and an Austrian army in Bohemia. The Emperor Leopold II. did not wish for war with Prussia, and in the convention concluded at Reichenbach on the 27th July, 1790, between Austria and Prussia, with the mediation of England and Holland, be promised to restore to the Turks all his conquests, except the district of Aluta, on which conditions peace was made between Austria and the Porte at Szistowe. Some differences respecting this convention were arranged by Leopold II. and Frederick William at their meeting at Pillnitz, in August, 1794, when they entered into a closer union with respect to the affairs of France.
A part of the Polish nation, with king Stanislaus Poniatowsky at its head, proposed to establish a new constitution for the kingdom, and to teaks the royal dignity hereditary in the house of Saxony. In
order to secure foreign aid, an alliance was concluded between Poland and Prussia, by which the latter recognised the integrity of Poland, and promised to assist it with 40,000 infantry and 4000 cavalry, in case any foreign power should interfere in its internal affairs. After making peace with the Porte, Catharine IL, who, without taking any share in the war then carrying on by Prusaia. and Austria against France, had calculated on their efforts, contrived to reduce Frederick William to the alternative either of defending Poland against Russia by virtue of his alliance with that state, or of making a socond partition of it, iu conjunction with Russia. Frederick William chose the latter, and in January 1793 sent troops under General MOHendee into Great Poland, which occupied a tract of country of the extent of 1100 German square miles, with a population, including Danzig and Thorn, of 1,200,000 inhabitants. Though the diet at Grodno was obliged to agree to this accession, as well as to a similar cession of territory to Russia, the Poles rose in 1794, under Kosciuszko and Madalinsky, to recover their independence, in which insurrection the Russians and Prussians were several times defeated, till Kosciuszko was taken prisoner on the 10th October, by the Russian General Fersen, and Praga was stormed by Suwaroff on the 4th November. Hereupon the third partition of Poland followed. All that remained, after the preceding partitions, was divided between Austria, Russia, and Prussia, by which the latter acquired a large addition of territory, and the independence of Poland was annihilated.
In the war against France, Prussia sent 50,000 men to the Rhine in 1792, under the Duke of Brunswick, and the king soon followed, accompanied by the princes. The Duke of Brunswick failed in his plan of marching to Paris, and was obliged to retreat. On the 5th April 1795, Prussia made peace with the Republic, and left all its territories beyond the Rhine in the possession of the French. To preserve the neutrality of the north of Germany, a convention was made between Prussia and several princes, whose territories were included in what was called the line of demarcation. During this reign the margrave of Anspach and Baireuth, who was the last prince of that line of the house of Brandenburg, ceded those principalities, for an annuity of 500,000 florins, to Frederick William, who on that occasion revived the order of the Red Eagle. In the internal adminis tration, the system of indirect taxes introduced by Frederick II. was abolished. Many judicious arrangements were introduced, and a new code of laws for the whole kingdom published ; but the toleration promoted by Frederick II. was much restricted by means of the religious edict of 1788 and other measures. Frederick William died ou the 16th of November 1797, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Frederick William III.