Explanation For Those Wondering: Frederick II of Prussia, better known as Frederick the Great, was the monarch of Prussia in the mid-1700s. While often remembered as a military genius who led his country to victory over a coalition of basically every European power except for Britain (which at first supported him, then pulled support when they got bored of it), his accomplishments are actually much wider-ranging than that. He was deeply interested in education and economic development, funding public schooling for the poor and investing in forestry and agricultural programs, including for land clearing and new agricultural techniques. He is sometimes known as the "Potato King" (Kartoffelkönig) for his efforts to ensure farmers began growing the then-new-and-distrusted New World import known as the potato (it was a very successful effort). His efforts ensured Prussia would not remain a mid-tier power over the coming years, but one of the major players of European politics.

In addition, he was an immensely cultured individual, a polyglot, a composer and a flutist, a dog enthusiast (but one who disliked hunting, regarding it as cruel and unfair), a patron of the arts, and a friend to numerous thinkers of the period, including the philosopher Voltaire. He is sometimes considered the example of the 'enlightened absolutists' of the period - monarchs who had been raised in the ideals of Enlightenment philosophy, but who had near-total power over their countries.

The "Miracles of the House of Brandenburg" is when, during a dark period of one of his later wars defending against an Austrian-led coalition, Russia's monarch died and the new Tsar was a complete fucking Prussoboo who swapped sides in the war entirely. Russia wasn't much use and it was temporary, but not having to fight Russia was a godsend which allowed Frederick the Great to finish the war with a Prussian victory and ensure Austria did not achieve any of its goals in starting the war.

In reference to the dead boyfriend, his deeply homophobic father executed his boyfriend when he and (then-Prince) Frederick tried to run away together, and hung the corpse outside of Frederick's bedroom window.

What does the spade tattoo mean?