Frederick II, King of Prussia | Autograph letter signed, to Voltaire, on Lithuania, 1739

Frederick II, King of Prussia

Autograph letter signed ("Frederic"), as Crown Prince, to Voltaire

in French, regarding Lithuania, including both a succinct resume of the historical and geographical situation of the province of Prussian Lithuania and a eulogy to his father's work in restoring it to prosperity, two pages, 4to, Insterburg, 27 July 1739, ink smudges, trace of mount

A letter from the young Frederick the Great to his long term friend and confidant, Voltaire, in which he proudly describes Prussian Lithuania. Written just under a year before he succeeded to the throne, the letter was composed during a visit to the country with his father Frederick William I. It had become part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, and bordered the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea to the West. He describes it as "le non plus ultra du monde civilisé. C'est une provinse peu conue de L'Europe".

He describes the ravages inflicted on it by an epidemic of plague earlier in the century, which was said to have killed 300,000 people, and the consequent neglect, which he blames on indifferent rulers in Prussia, which led to its falling into ruin. He praises his father's endeavours, which he himself was to continue as king, in seeking to improve the lot of the people in "cette Contree qui avoit perdue jusqu'a la forme d'un pais", namely rebuilding and repopulating the deserted towns, and encouraging commerce and agriculture. The province, he says, is now the richest and most fertile in all Germany.

Lest Voltaire should be wondering why his correspondent expounds at such length on his theme, Frederick adds that he was sure the "heroic" nature of his father's enterprise would appeal to him ("...votre humanite doit s'etendre sur Vos freres lituaniens...") particularly in view of the fact that French is widely spoken there. (In fact it probably had more to do with the fact that Frederick's father read all his letters.)

This letter was written relatively early in the celebrated relationship between the quintessential Enlightenment monarch and the age's most celebrated philosophe. The two men were not to meet in person for another year. Walther Hubatsch explains the prince's motivation for this letter his biography of Frederick: "the Crown Prince had been moved and wanted the most enlightened man of his age to accept his experience. In his father's activity Frederick became aware of true sovereignty. Could there be any higher expression of it than for a monarch to further the happiness of his subjects?"

PROVENANCE:

Sotheby's, London, 5 December 1991, lot 495