Frederick William I of Prussia

Frederick William I was the second king in Prussia and the elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death in 1740. He was the son of Frederick I of Prussia and Sophia Charlotte of Hanover. He was born in Berlin on August 14, 1688. He married Sophia Dorothea of Hanover in 1706 and had fourteen children, including his successor Frederick II the Great. He was known as the Soldier King for his military reforms and his expansion of the Prussian army. He also made efforts to reduce crime and corruption in his state and centralized his authority during his 27 years reign, cementing Prussia as a regional power. He was also interested in science and culture and patronized artists such as Antoine Pesne and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. He died of gangrene in Berlin on May 31, 1740 and was buried in the Church of Peace in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam. He is regarded as one of the most important rulers of Prussian history and a precursor of the enlightened absolutism that characterized his son's reign.