Frederick II was the fourth Hohenzollern Kings of Prussia, [following Frederick-William 'The Great Elector' (1620-88), Frederick I (1657-13), and Frederick-William I (1688-1740)]. Having suffered from his father's cruel despotism, the son resolved to be an enlightened despot, setting the fashion for Europe's late-eighteenth century monarchs. Frederick the Great described himself as 'The philosopher of Sans Souci'. Sans Souci, meaning 'without care' was the name he chose for the country retreat he built at Potsdam.His sister, who made the Ermitage at Bayreuth, regarded it as a hermitage. Frederick loved French culture and adopted a rococo style for the architecture. The garden is a highly original creation. After forming an alliance with England and fighting France to a standstill in the Seven Years War, Frederick took more interest in landscape gardens. He was described by an English historian, Lord Acton, as 'the most consumate practical genius' to have inherited one of the thrones of Modern Europe.
Gardens designed by Frederick the Great,
