| Oblique | Baroque |
- "We strive to do our duty, to serve our country faithfully at the expense of our blood and of our repose, to commit our whole being to it."
Friedrich II (24 January 1712 – 17 August 1786), commonly known as Friedrich the Great, was king of Prussia from 1740 until his death. A brilliant military commander, his innovative tactics and reorganization of the army turned Prussia into one of the foremost powers in Europe, while his modernization of the bureaucracy and civil service made him a leading example of the principles of Enlightened absolutism. He is a leader in Civilization VII.
This is one of Friedrich's two alternate personas, the other being Friedrich, Oblique. He is available with the Friedrich (Baroque) Persona DLC.
Intro[]
Though a lover of the opera house more than the battlefield, it is in the cannon’s fire that you shine. The line of attack replaces the violin’s bow, the roll of cannon stands in for the timpani, and the brass horn now calls forth iron shot. Bend your mind towards the artistry of war, Friedrich - your orchestra awaits your signal.
In-Game[]
Friedrich, Baroque has the Cultural and Militaristic attributes. His default colors are dark blue and white.
His leader ability is Hohenfriedberger Marsch, granting him a Great Work after capturing a Settlement for the first time, as well as an Infantry Unit after completing a Civic Mastery or constructing a Culture Building. He also gets +1 
Culture per Age on Great Works.
His agenda is Parisian Sensibilities. His Relationship with players increases by a Medium Amount for each Wonder in their Capital, and decreases by a Small Amount for each Building in their Capital.
Strategy[]
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Lines[]
Friedrich is voiced by Linus Kraus. He speaks modern German.
| Line | Quote (English translation) | Quote (German) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote | We strive to do our duty, to serve our country faithfully at the expense of our blood and of our repose, to commit our whole being to it. (lit. The first duty of a citizen is to serve his country. We strive to do this with all our being, even if it costs us our blood and our peace.) | Die erste Bürgerpflicht ist, seinem Vaterlande zu dienen. Wir streben danach mit unserem ganzen Wesen, koste es auch unser Blut und unsere Ruhe. | This line is reflective of the sentiment during Friedrich II's reign in Prussian and German military culture, that loyalty and service to the state is the highest moral obligation. It also echoes Kantian ethics, especially duty for duty's sake which was a core belief of Enlightenment Prussia. |
| Greeting | Friedrich II, pleased to meet you. I am an angel in the salon, but a demon on the battlefield. (lit. "Friedrich the Second, delighted to meet you. I am an angel in the drawing room, but a devil on the battlefield.") | Friedrich der Zweite, hocherfreut, euch kennenzulernen ich bin ein Engel im Salon, aber ein Teufel auf dem Schlachtfeld. | |
| Attacked | To war, then! You rogues! Would you live forever? (lit. "On to battle! You scoundrels, do you want to live forever?") | Auf in die Schlacht! Ihr Strolche, wollt ihr ewig leben? | This line alludes to a quote attributed to Friedrich at the Battle of Prague, where he said Kerls, wollt ihr denn ewig leben ("Boys, do you want to live forever?!")?! [1] |
| Declares War | I have been in the theater too long, and hunger for the sound of cannon. | Ich war zu lange im Theater und dürste nach dem Klang der Kanonen. | |
| Accepts Player's Deal | "Bien sur," this is a rational offer! (lit. "'Bien sur,' this seems to me to be an acceptable offer.") | "Bien sûr", dies scheint mir ein annehmbares Angebot zu sein. | Bien sûr is French for "of course." At the time, French was the language of the Prussian court, diplomacy and culture, and he is reported to have preferred French over German for intellectual matters. |
| Rejects Player's Deal | A ridiculous offer. Send one better, or not at all! | Ein aberwitziges Angebot. Macht ein besseres oder lasst es ganz bleiben. | |
| Defeated | And my critics said that my poetry would be my downfall! | Ha ha, und meine Kritiker haben gesagt meine Poesie wäre Mein Untergang! |
Leader Path[]
| Level | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 2 |  Flute |
| 3 | Cultural Attribute Node
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| 4 | Exploration Cultural Legacy Card |
Exploration Militaristic Legacy Card
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| 5 |  Voltaire's Edits |
| 6 | Friedrich Baroque Badge 1
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Friedrich Baroque Banner
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| 7 | Militaristic Attribute Node
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| 8 | Modern Cultural Legacy Card |
Modern Militaristic Legacy Card
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| 9 |  Anti-Machiavel
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| 10 | Friedrich Baroque Badge 2
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Without Worries
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Civilopedia entry[]
What is Germany? The area the Romans called Germania was a region east of the Rhine where the empire's influence ceased. Linguistically and culturally, Germanic refers to a loose coalition of languages that range from extremely similar (Bavarian/Austrian, German) to slightly different (Dutch, Flemish) to quite distinct (Swedish, Icelandic, English). As a people, Germans were often divided – this is still visible today in Austria and Germany.
Eventually, two states rose to power: Prussia and Austria. The latter was a Catholic state and powerful within the Holy Roman Empire. On the other hand, Prussia was caught on the northern edge. Subject to influences (Teutonic, Hanseatic, Polish) outside of the Holy Roman Empire, Prussia needed to militarize to remain independent.
Amid this rise to power enters Friedrich II.
Friedrich the Great was the longest-ruling king of Prussia, from 1740-1786. He lived in a time of art and literature as well as Prussian military dominance. Friedrich was caught between worlds. His love of the arts clashed with the militarism of the time. His homosexuality clashed with imperial demands to marry and produce an heir. His Francophilia clashed with the militant anti-French nationalism at large in Prussia. In short, he was trapped, yet he managed to stay alive and nurture both sides of Prussia: the artistic and the militant.
Friedrich was the son of Friedrich William, an infamous despot known for his relative disdain for culture, his promotion of the military, and for “Prussian virtues” of frugality and sobriety (meaning “a lack of humor” in this case). His wife, Sophia Dorothea, was quite the opposite and found the court stifling. She was far more Francophile than Friedrich William. Prussia's court language was French and both monarchs were fluent, but Friedrich William was notoriously ungrammatical in the language. Other French court customs were shunned as Prussian frugality won over.
Friedrich II was the third son; his two elder brothers died young, so much of his parents’ hope rested on the young Friedrich. Sophia Dorothea sought to instill in her son the love of high culture and court life that her husband disdained. He also learned French; in fact, he was not terribly fluent in German despite being German. But there was conflict between father and son. As much as Friedrich loved learning Latin and high culture, his father pressured him to adopt a harsh austerity. Tensions grew, and Friedrich eventually maintained a hidden library in a palace across town.
Friedrich William was concerned about his son’s sexuality – while rumors abounded about the teenager’s love affairs, their “effeminacy” bothered the king the most, and he feared that the new state of Prussia might crumble without a sober and militaristic king. Ironically, his diplomatic ineptitude was causing headaches in the empire: his loyalty to a German monarchy led him to curry favor with Austrian monarchs, who despised the austere Prussian.
Enter Lieutenant Hans Hermann von Katte. Katte was a teenage friend of the young Friedrich – though their friendship was clearly something more. Take this scene from the life of young Friedrich: Katte and Friedrich have put on luxurious dressing gowns and done their hair in the latest Parisian fashions. They practice music in Friedrich’s chambers when the king storms upstairs. Katte hides in a closet as the angry king tosses all the luxurious clothes into a fire and then forces young Friedrich back into a military uniform.
It sounds like a scene from a farce – until the next part. The crown prince was so scandalized by his father’s conduct that he decided to run away with Katte to England. The two were caught. And while Friedrich escaped punishment, Katte was executed while Friedrich was forced to watch.
Friedrich William died in 1740, leaving the crown to Friedrich II. Under the new king, the palace saw an explosion of art, and invitations went out to French-speaking intelligentsia. Friedrich cultivated a court where he could express his sexuality – if not entirely openly, at least in private.
Still, Friedrich’s relationship with his father was more complicated. The young king desired his late father’s posthumous approval and maintained his father's aggressive military and diplomatic endeavors. He invaded Silesia in 1740 and routing the French and Austrian forces in the War of Austrian Succession.
For all of Friedrich’s attention to art and culture, he remained an accomplished strategist. Prussia, which had been a shaky, unstable, militaristic power, was suddenly rising to become a major force, especially after seizing the wealthiest parts of Austria. Prussia’s rise also reshaped the system of alliances in Europe from an Austrian/British alliance to an Austrian/French alliance.
The interlude between wars was brief. The Seven Year’s War was another conflagration of shifting alliances, as Austria/France/Russia fought Prussia/Britain. And Friedrich started this conflict as well – again seizing Austrian territory in Saxony. In this fight, Friedrich nearly lost everything. He was bold but too bold; the only thing that saved his dwindling army was Russia's withdrawal from the war.
In short, Friedrich was a capable military leader who – despite his father – pushed Prussia ever outward. As with Napoleon, he is often credited with daring and innovative plans to pin down and outmaneuver the enemy, showing a keen understanding of supply lines and logistics. He died in 1786 in his palace.
This was a time of absolutism. Friedrich styled himself as an enlightened despot – a philosopher-king – who was the Platonic ideal of a ruler. This is hardly democratic, but few European leaders were at the time.
Friedrich was a lifelong patron of the arts, especially French and Italian arts, and cultivated friendships with Voltaire and other luminaries. As French artists and thinkers became increasingly uncertain in France, they found a home in the Prussian court alongside other intellectuals of the day, like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Classical-era composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach. Friedrich also sponsored an architectural revival, particularly in the late Baroque style, or Rococo, an elaboration upon Enlightenment forms that seek to soften (or overwhelm) the strict geometric forms of French architecture.
Friedrich’s legacy is twofold: the rise of Prussian militarism on one hand, and the flourishing of late Baroque arts on the other. People like Thomas Mann saw Friedrich as a ruthless expansionist seeking to chip away at Austria (which is true). Others accused Friedrich of contributing to the sparks that ignited the French Revolution by establishing a court of French philosophers and thinkers who could freely speak of sedition (also true). Ultimately, one can see Friedrich as a model for truly modern despotism, ruling by sword and pen and creating a firm break from a feudal past.
Trivia[]
- Unlike most leaders, Friedrich uses the native German spelling of his name, rather than the more common anglicized version ("Frederick").
- Friedrich, Baroque's leader ability is named after a classic German military march, allegedly composed by Friedrich himself, while his agenda references his adoption of French customs and manners in his court.
- This persona emphasizes Friedrich's patronage of the arts, and is named after his personal interest in composing music in the Baroque style.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
First Look- Friedrich - Civilization VII
First Look: Friedrich
Related achievements[]
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References[]
See also[]
- Friedrich in other games