Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
Source: Wikipedia |
Frederick William became Margrave of Brandenburg at the end of the Thirty Years War. He took over a land lying in shambles. Within a relatively short period of time, he managed to bring the Margraviate back on its feet. As a diplomat, he received Prussia's recognition as an independent state by the King of Poland, setting up the transformation of Brandenburg/Prussia from a Margraviate to a kingdom, which was acchieved under his son.
As a military leader, he smashed the reputation of the Swedish Army which was considered unbeatable, until Frederick William's troops beat them in 1675 at the Battle of Fehrbellin and consequently drove them out of Brandenburg and Western Pomerania. The victory over what was then considered Europe's mightiest army earned him the title The Great Elector.
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