Frederick William II of Prussia

Frederick William II
Portrait by Anton Graff
King of Prussia Elector of Brandenburg
Reign	17 August 1786 – 16 November 1797
Predecessor	Frederick II
Successor	Frederick William III
Born	(1744-09-25)25 September 1744 Stadtschloss, Berlin, Prussia
Died	16 November 1797(1797-11-16) (aged 53) Marmorpalais, Potsdam, Prussia
Burial	Berliner Dom
Spouses	Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ​ ​ (m. 1765; div. 1769)​ Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt ​ ​ (m. 1769)​ Julie von Voß ​ ​ (m. 1787; died 1789)​ (morganatic) Sophie von Dönhoff ​ ​ (m. 1790; sep. 1792)​ (morganatic)
Issue	Princess Frederica Charlotte, Duchess of York and Albany Frederick William III of Prussia Prince Louis Charles Wilhelmine, Queen of the Netherlands Augusta, Electress of Hesse Prince Henry Prince Wilhelm Gustav Adolf Wilhelm von Ingenheim (illegitimate) Friedrich Wilhelm, Count Brandenburg (illegitimate)
House	Hohenzollern
Father	Prince Augustus William of Prussia
Mother	Duchess Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Religion	Calvinist
Signature

Prussian Royalty
House of Hohenzollern
Frederick William II
Children Princess Frederica Charlotte, Duchess of York and Albany Frederick William III Princess Christine Prince Louis Charles Wilhelmine, Queen of the Netherlands Augusta, Electress of Hesse Prince Henry Prince Wilhelm
v t e

Frederick William II (German: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was king of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union with the prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inheritance of his grandfather) sovereign prince of the Canton of Neuchâtel. As a defensive reaction to the French Revolution, Frederick William II ended the German Dualism between Prussia and Austria. Domestically, he turned away from the enlightened style of government of his predecessor and introduced a tightened system of censorship and religious control. The king was an important patron of the arts especially in the field of music. As a skilled cellist he enjoyed the dedication of various cello-centric compositions by composers Mozart, Haydn, Boccherini and Beethoven.^[1] He was also responsible for some of the most notable architecture in Prussia, including the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin,^[2] the Marble Palace and Orangery in the New Garden, Potsdam.