Frederick II (1712-1786), or Frederick the Great, third and last King of Prussia, was a monarch of the Hohenzollern dynasty.

Frederick patronized philosophers as Kant or Voltaire, musicians like C. P. E. Bach and Johann Joachim Quantz, and others. He was himself interested in arts and literature, and spoke nearly 10 modern and ancient languages. Talented musician, he played the flute and wrote 100 sonatas for this instrument, as well as 4 symphonies! His statesmanship was praised all over Europe. Goethe called him “a Pole Star”.