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Frederick William I, German Friedrich Wilhelm I, (born August 14, 1688, Berlin—died May 31, 1740, Potsdam, Prussia), second Prussian king, who transformed his country from a second-rate power into the efficient and prosperous state that his son and successor, Frederick II the Great, made a major military power on the Continent.

Frederick I, (born July 11, 1657, Königsberg, Prussia [now Kaliningrad, Russia]—died Feb. 25, 1713, Berlin), elector of Brandenburg (as Frederick III), who became the first king in Prussia (1701–13), freed his domains from imperial suzerainty, and continued the policy of territorial aggrandizement begun by his father, Frederick William ...

Frederick William I (1688-1740) was king of Prussia from 1713 to 1740. He inherited a state whose resources were meager and turned it into a leading German power. The son of the elector Frederick III of Brandenburg and of Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, Frederick William I was born in Berlin on Aug. 15, 1688.

(Former King of Prussia (1713 - 1740)) Frederick William I of Prussia was the second Prussian king and ruled from 1713 until his death in 1740. He was the son of Frederick III of Brandenburg, the first king of Prussia. When he took over the throne, his kingdom was financially drained.

Myth 1: Frederick William of Brandenburg is the founding father of Prussia. After his father's death, the 20-year-old took over the government of Brandenburg as Elector in the Holy Roman Empire.