Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia
Died when: 68 years 73 days (818 months)Star Sign: Aquarius
Frederick William (German: Friedrich Wilhelm; 16 February 1620 – 29 April 1688) was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688.
A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is popularly known as "the Great Elector" (der Große Kurfürst) because of his military and political achievements.
Frederick William was a staunch pillar of the Calvinist faith, associated with the rising commercial class.He saw the importance of trade and promoted it vigorously.
His shrewd domestic reforms gave Prussia a strong position in the post-Westphalian political order of north-central Europe, setting Prussia up for elevation from duchy to kingdom, achieved under his son and successor.
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Duke of Prussia
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