Person

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg

1620–1688 · 17th century · Also known as Frederick William, the Great Elector, the Great Elector

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, known as the Great Elector, ruled Brandenburg-Prussia from 1640. At the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 he gained the secularised bishoprics of Halberstadt and Minden and the reversion of Magdeburg, which passed to him in 1680. He built a standing army and a central administration that laid the foundations of the later Kingdom of Prussia.

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
Image: Frans Luycx · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Margraviate of BrandenburgSocioeconomy, Military, Governance, SummaryKingdom of PrussiaFoundation

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Margraviate of BrandenburgDuchy of PrussiaBrandenburger Gold Coast

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-william-elector-of-brandenburg
MLA
“Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-william-elector-of-brandenburg. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-william-elector-of-brandenburg.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-william-elector-of-brandenburg (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻