Frederick William II of Prussia
| Frederick William II | |
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Frederick Wilhelm II painted by Anton Graff, c. 1792
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King of Prussia Elector of Brandenburg |
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| Reign | 17 August 1786 – 16 November 1797 |
| Predecessor | Frederick II |
| Successor | Frederick William III |
| Born |
25 September 1744 Stadtschloss, Berlin, Prussia |
| Died | 16 November 1797 (aged 53) Marmorpalais, Potsdam, Prussia |
| Burial | Berliner Dom |
| Spouse |
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt Julie von Voß (morganatic) Sophie von Dönhoff (morganatic) |
| Issue |
Princess Frederica Charlotte, Duchess of York and Albany Frederick William III Prince Louis Wilhelmine, Queen of the Netherlands Augusta, Electress of Hesse Prince Charles Prince Wilhelm |
| House | Hohenzollern |
| Father | Prince Augustus William of Prussia |
| Mother | Duchess Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
| Religion | Calvinism |
Frederick William II (German: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia, from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inheritance of his grandfather) sovereign prince of the Canton of Neuchâtel. Pleasure-loving and indolent, he is seen as the antithesis to his predecessor, Frederick II. Under his reign, Prussia was weakened internally and externally, and he failed to deal adequately with the challenges to the existing order posed by the French Revolution. His religious policies were directed against the Enlightenment and aimed at restoring a traditional Protestantism. However, he was a patron of the arts and responsible for the construction of some notable buildings, among them the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
Frederick William was born in Berlin, the son of Prince Augustus William of Prussia (the second son of King Frederick William I of Prussia) and of Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. His mother's elder sister, Elisabeth, was the wife of Augustus William's brother King Frederick II ("Frederick the Great"). Frederick William became heir-presumptive to the throne of Prussia on his father's death in 1758, since Frederick II had no children. The boy was of an easy-going and pleasure-loving disposition, averse to sustained effort of any kind, and sensual by nature.
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