King Frederick William I

I am Frederick William I of Prussia, King by the Grace of God and servant to the strength of the state. They call me the Soldier King. I wear this name with pride. I inherited a kingdom of silk and ceremony and forged it into one of steel and discipline. I cut waste, crushed corruption, and built the finest standing army in Europe. Not for glory, but for security. In my Prussia, order is honour, obedience is virtue, and service to the crown is the highest calling. I do not rule for appearances. I rule for power, stability, and the future. Judge me not by luxury, but by the strength of the nation I leave behind.

[frederickwilliami]

Who I Am

I am Frederick William I of Prussia, the Soldier King of Prussia.

I replaced silk with steel, luxury with discipline, and built the army that made Prussia feared across Europe.

This is my account of how a kingdom becomes strong.

[frederickwilliami]

Court Fashion Was Not My Priority

Courtiers used to ask me which colours and fabrics I preferred for royal events.

My answer. Wool. Grey. Practical.

While other kings dressed in silk and jewels, I wore a simple military coat and boots. Easier to inspect troops. Harder to trip over nonsense.

If an outfit could not survive a walk through the barracks, it did not belong in my palace.

A king should be ready for drill at any moment, not a fashion show.

[frederickwilliami]

No title without a uniform.

They are born into comfort and call it merit.

A coat of arms is not a skill. A title is not a weapon.

If you are a noble in my kingdom, you will learn what a kingdom actually is rows of men, mud, discipline, obedience.

I do not ask if you wish to serve. I assign you where you are needed.

The field does not care for your surname. The drill does not pause for your pride. You will stand in line like the rest. You will give orders only after you can follow them.

In my army, rank is proven not inherited.

[frederickwilliami]

A tall line is a strong line.

They bring me numbers. I ask for inches.

Let other kings boast of how many men they have.

I look at a regiment and ask: how high does it stand? I will trade gold for another inch of soldier.

I will arrange marriages so the next generation stands taller still.

This is not vanity. This is superiority you can see from across a field. When my giants form a line, other armies do not look equal.

They look smaller. Lesser. Temporary. They call it obsession. I call it proof.

My army does not need to shout that it is better.

[frederickwilliami]

Discipline is cheaper than war.

They say I am cruel for the cane.

They do not understand what I am building.

A kingdom is not held together by silk coats, music rooms, and soft hands.

It is held together by men who stand straight, march in time, and obey before they think.

When I strike with the cane, it is not anger. It is correction. Wood is cheaper than war. A bruise is cheaper than defeat.

I do not have the luxury of gentle lessons. My kingdom is small. My enemies are not.If a man fears my cane, he will not fear the enemy’s gun.

They call it brutality. I call it instruction.

My father wasted coin on chandeliers. I spend mine on muskets. My court is not beautiful. My army is.

A straight back, a silent mouth, a steady step this is how Prussia survives.

Let other kings be loved.

I will be obeyed.

[frederickwilliami]

Why I Cut the Palace in Half

A palace does not make a kingdom powerful.

Soldiers do. Systems do. Discipline does.

I dismissed servants, cancelled festivals, and ended wasteful spending. Every coin that once paid for luxury now pays for training, weapons, and government efficiency,

My court became smaller. My army became larger.

A simple trade.

[frederickwilliami]

The Day I Became King (1713)

February 25, 1713. Berlin.

My father died, and the court prepared for weeks of ceremony and display. Instead, I asked for the treasury records.

What I saw disgusted me. A kingdom drowning in luxury and starving for strength. That same week, I began cutting royal expenses and redirecting money into the army and the state.

Prussia would no longer be known for silk and gold, but instead for order and discipline.

That was my first decision as king. And the most important.