Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' War

The years 1756‑1763 thundered across Central Europe as monarchs vied for dominance, and at the centre of the storm sat Frederick of Prussia. Determined to keep the prized province of Silesia, he faced a coalition forged by Maria Theresa’s fierce desire to reclaim it—Russia, France, Sweden, Saxony and a host of German princes were poised to carve Prussia back to its old borders. As the first battles loom, Frederick’s sharp mind already spots the enemy’s secret treaties, aided unexpectedly by a Dresden secretary and an Austrian attaché who betray their own courts.

Beyond the battlefield, the narrative opens a window onto the king’s contradictory nature. He is portrayed as a brilliant commander whose victories often came against larger forces, yet also as a man prone to melancholy, stubborn pride, and occasional cruelty toward his own troops. Through vivid anecdotes, letters and lively sketches, listeners are drawn into the tense early months of a war that would reshape the continent.