His father was Frederick William I, king of Prussia, and overstuffed bully, a religious fanatic, and a cruel tyrant to his son. His mother was Sophia Dorothea, sensitive, jealous, and without love for her children. He grew into a delicate youth, abused by one parent, ignored by the other. He showed no taste for the military; he loved only to play his flute. Yet the young crown prince of Prussia would become Frederick II, one of the great military leaders of all time. Under his leadership, the small and weak nation of Prussia became one of the great powers of the world. This is the story of the strange and gifted man who is known to history as FREDERICK THE GREAT.

From the book