PRINCIPAL EVENTS AND PUBLICATIONS

Note: the items in bold indicate written works. 1712 Birth of Frederick of Brandenburg-­Prussia on 24 January, son of Crown Prince Frederick William and his wife, Sophie Dorothea of Hanover. 1713 Frederick’s ­father is crowned as King Frederick William I in Prus­sia, Frederick becomes crown prince. The Peace of Utrecht concludes the War of the Spanish Succession. 1714 Frederick’s grand­father, Elector Georg Ludwig of Hanover, accedes to the British throne as George I. Bernard Mandev­ille, The Fable of the Bees. 1715 Death of Louis XIV, king of France. His reign provided the theme for Voltaire’s Le Siècle de Louis XIV (1751), conflating cultural flourishing with po­liti­cal greatness. 1727 Frederick’s ­uncle is crowned George II of ­Great Britain and Ireland. 1728 Voltaire, Henriade. 1730 Frederick’s failed attempt to escape to ­England. Detention in Küstrin; execution of the crown prince’s friend and accomplice, Hans Hermann von Katte. 1732 Frederick released from Küstrin; becomes regiment commander in Ruppin and Nauen. 1733 Frederick’s marriage to Elisabeth Christine of Braunschweig-­ Wolfenbüttel-­Bevern. 1733 Alexander Pope, Essay on Man. 1734 Montesquieu, Considerations on the Greatness and De­cadence of the Romans (Considérations sur les causes de la grandeur des Ro- mains et de leur décadence). Voltaire, Lettres philosophiques. Jean-François­ Melon, Essai politique sur le commerce. xliv EVENTS AND PUBLICATIONS

1736 Frederick settles­ in Rheinsberg Castle­ in the north of Brandenburg; launches his correspondence with Voltaire. Voltaire, Le Mondain. 1737 Voltaire, Défense du mondain. 1739 Exchange with Voltaire on Anti-­Machiavel. 1740 Death of Frederick William I; the crown prince becomes King Freder- ick II in Prus­sia on 31 May 1740. Maria Theresa inherits the Austrian crown; War of the Austrian Suc- cession (­until 1748). First Silesian War (­until 1742). Frederick II, Anti-Machiavel­ . 1742 Frederick II, Memoirs for the History of the House of Brandenburg (Mémoires pour servir à l’Histoire de la Maison de Brandebourg). 1744 Second Silesian War (­until 1745). 1747 Inauguration of Sans-­Souci Palace. 1748 Montesquieu, On the Spirit of the Laws (De l’esprit des lois) 1749 Frederick II, Dissertation on the Reasons for Establishing or Repeal- ing Laws (Dissertation sur les raisons d’établir ou d’abroger les lois). 1750 Voltaire in Potsdam (­until 1753). Jean-­Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts (Discours sur les sciences et les arts). 1751 Voltaire, The ­Century of Louis XIV (Le Siècle de Louis XIV). First volume of the French Encyclopédie. 1755 Jean-Jacques­ Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of In­equality among Men (Discours sur l’origine et les fondements de l’inégalité parmi les hommes). 1756 Seven Years’ War (Third Silesian War, ­until 1763). Voltaire’s universal history, Essai sur les mœurs. 1759 Voltaire, Candide. 1760 George II of ­Great Britain dies; succeeded by George III. Illicit publication in France of Frederick’s Œuvres du philosophe de Sans-­Souci; Frederick publishes a modified, authorised version ­under the title Poësies diverses. EVENTS AND PUBLICATIONS xlv

1762 Elisabeth of Rus­sia dies (January), succeeded by Peter III who concludes a peace treaty with Prus­sia. Peter III assassinated (July), succeeded by Catherine II. Frederick grants Rousseau asylum in Prussian-­governed Neuchâtel. Jean-Jacques­ Rousseau, Émile and On the Social Contract (Du contrat social). 1763 Peace of Hubertusburg concludes the Seven Years’ War in central Europe.­ D’Alembert visits Berlin and Potsdam. Voltaire, Treatise on Tolerance (Traité sur la tolérance). 1764 Cesare Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishments (Dei delitti e delle pene). 1765 Death of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I, succeeded by Joseph II who co-­rules with his mother­ Maria Theresa. 1767 Moses Mendelssohn, Phaedo, or on the Immortality of the Soul (Phädon, oder Über die Unsterblichkeit der Seele). 1770 Frederick II, Essay on Self-­Love, Considered as a Princi­ple of Morality (Essai sur l’amour-­propre envisagé comme principe de morale); Examination of the Essay on Prejudice (Examen de l’Essai sur les préjugés). 1772 The first partition of Poland between Rus­sia, Austria, and Prus­sia. West Prus­sia annexed; Frederick assumes the title of King of Prus­sia. 1774 Louis XV of France dies, succeeded by Louis XVI. 1775 American Revolutionary War (­until 1783). 1776 American declaration of inde­ pen­ dence.­ Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes­ of the Wealth of Nations. 1778 War of the Bavarian Succession (­until 1779). Deaths of Voltaire and of Rousseau. 1780 Maria Theresa dies; Joseph II sole ruler in Austria. 1781 Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason (Kritik der reinen Vernunft). 1784 Launch of public discussion in Prus­sia of a draft law code. Immanuel Kant, What Is Enlightenment? (Was ist Aufklärung?). xlvi EVENTS AND PUBLICATIONS

1785 Formation of the League of Princes (Fürstenbund) against Austria, ­under Frederick’s leadership. 1786 Death of Frederick II on 17 August; succeeded by Frederick Wil- liam II. Mirabeau in Berlin and Potsdam.