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A very readable account of King Frederick the Great of Prussia.Tags
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2083 Frederick the Great: The Magnificent Enigma, by Robert B. Asprey (read 4 Jun 1987) The subject was born 24 Jan 1712, succeeded to the throne of Prussia on his father's death in 1740, and died 17 Aug 1786. One of the reasons I read this biography--I also read one of him in May of 1972 (by Ludwig Reimers)--is that the author grew up in Sioux City, Iowa. This book is a good work, though not heavy on analysis. Its descriptions of Frederick's great battles are good: Mollwitz, 10 Apr 1741; Chotusitz, 17 May 1742; Hohenfriedberg. 4 Jun 1745; Soor, 30 Set 1745; Lobositz. 1 Oct 1756; Prague, May 1757; Kolin, 18 Jun 1757; Rossbach, 5 Nov 1757; Louthen, 5 Dec 1757; Zorndorf, 25 1758; Hochkirch, 14 Oct 1758; Kumersdorf, 12 Aug 1759; Liegnitz, show more 15 Aug 1760; and Torgau, 3 Nov 1760. All except Kolin, Hochkirch, and Kumersdorf were victories. show less
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Author Information
15+ Works 1,506 Members
Robert Asprey is a former U.S. Marine captain, a veteran of two wars and an accomplished and esteemed military historian. He is the author of numerous books, including The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, The Panther's Feast; At Belleau Wood; War in the Shadows, The Guerrilla in History; Frederick the Great; and The German High Command at War
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Frederick the Great The Magnificent Enigma
- Original publication date
- 1986
- People/Characters
- Frederick the Great, King of Prussia; Maria Theresa; Catharine the Great
- Important places
- Kingdom of Prussia; Brandenburg, Germany; Austria-Hungary; Prussia, Germany; Austria; Hungary (show all 7); Germany
- Important events
- First Silesian War (1740-1742); Second Silesian War (1744-1745); War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748); Seven Years' War (1754-1763); War of the Bavarian Succession (1778-1779)
- Dedication
- To dear Belle -- and to Sammy, who always will be.
- First words
- Sunday, January 24, 1712. He was born to the sound of cannon and bells, an easy baby, requiring only three and a half hours of labor.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The church was destroyed in World War Two.
- Original language
- English US
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 943.053 — History & geography History of Europe Central Europe: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech, Poland, Hungary Historical periods of Germany Rise of Prussia 1705-89 1740-42
- LCC
- DD404 .A75 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Germany History of Germany Prussia History
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 243
- Popularity
- 132,056
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 6
