After the battle at Kollin
Life Stories for Young People
FREDERICK THE GREAT
AND
THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR
Translated from the German of
Ferdinand Schrader
BY
GEORGE P. UPTON
Translator of “Memories,” author of “Upton Handbooks on Music,” editor “Autobiography of Theodore Thomas,” etc., etc.
WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS
CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1905
Copyright
A. C. McClurg & Co.
1905
Published September 16, 1905
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
Translator’s Preface
This little volume deals only with sevenyears in the life of Frederick the Great,but they were seven of the most memorableyears in the history of Austria andPrussia—the period of the Seven Years’ War,which confirmed to Frederick the possession ofSilesia, and elevated Prussia to the first rank amongEuropean states. Three times Frederick waged warfor its possession: the first time, in 1740-42, withSaxony, Bavaria, and France for allies against Austriaand Great Britain; the second time, in 1744-45,when Austria was aided by Saxony; and the thirdtime, in 1756-63, when Prussia, aided by some ofthe small German states and British subsidies, foughtAustria, France, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony. TheSeven Years’ War was one of the greatest and mostdestructive wars of the eighteenth century, both tovictors and vanquished. Frederick and his alliesmet with but five defeats in this war,—Kollin,Hastenbeck, Grossjägerndorf, Hochkirch, and Kunersdorf,—thelast a most crushing defeat; but theywon ten great victories, Lobositz, Prague, Rossbach,Leuthen, Zorndorf, Minden, Liegnitz, Torgau,Burkersdorf, and Freiberg; and in eight of theseFrederick commanded in person, and in every casewith a much smaller force than that of his enemies.Peace was finally made with Maria Theresa in 1763,and by a clear violation of ancient faith and treatyrights Silesia was taken from her. The variouscampaigns are described briefly and yet in such amanner that the interest of the narrative is kept upto the last, and the author, by the introduction ofanecdotes, conversations, and fragments of letters,brings out very clearly the peculiar traits of thegreat king—his courage at one time, his despondentmoods at others, his obstinacy and self-conceit,which more than once involved him in disaster,his humor and satire, his cruelty at times to hisown troops, and again his fatherly relations to them.It is also a thrilling period of history with whichthe author deals, and replete with national as wellas individual interest. Of the close of this greatand sanguinary war, Macaulay says,—and he wasnot an admirer of Frederick,—“The proud andrevengeful spirit of the Empress-Queen at lengthgave way; and in February, 1763, the peace ofHubertsburg put an end to the conf