Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern was Queen of Prussia and Electress of Brandenburg as the wife of Frederick the Great. She was the longest-serving Prussian queen, with a tenure of more than 46 years. She was praised for her charity work during the Seven Years' War.
Portrait by Antoine Pesne, c. 1739
Elisabeth Christine, c. 1739, the year before she became queen.
Queen Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern
The Berlin Palace as an illuminated peep box picture of 1780
Frederick II was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled King in Prussia, declaring himself King of Prussia after annexing Royal Prussia from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Silesian wars, his reorganisation of the Prussian Army, the First Partition of Poland, and his patronage of the arts and the Enlightenment. Prussia greatly increased its territories and became a major military power in Europe under his rule. He became known as Frederick the Great and was nicknamed "Old Fritz".
Portrait by Johann Georg Ziesenis (1763)
Portrait of 24-year-old Frederick as the crown prince of Prussia by Antoine Pesne (1736, Huis Doorn, Netherlands)
Frederick's marriage to Elisabeth Christine at Schloss Salzdahlum by J. G. Schmidt [de] (1733)
Rheinsberg Palace, Frederick's residence from 1736 to 1740