Challenging stereotypes about 'Prussian militarism', Adam L. Storring reveals the extent to which the military ideas of King Frederick II were shaped by his interest in France. Tracing Frederick the Great's attraction to the country back to the culture of the French court, Storring shows how he imitated its magnificent display and taste for fine clothes – a crucial element in Frederick's famous conflict with his father, Frederick William I. Challenging traditional depictions of Prussia as sober and frugal, Storring offers new perspectives on what it meant to be a man, a king and a soldier in the long eighteenth century, highlighting the enduring influence of showy baroque monarchy. Offering new perspectives on Prusso-German military history and the broader history of Franco-German relations, he highlights the transnational exchange of ideas, presenting a cultural and intellectual history of military operations that describes how new, enlightened ideas interacted with monarchical war-making.

‘An important study of the cultural context of military history, one that offers much on Frederick the Great's warmaking while also providing a pertinent study for military historians as a whole.'

Jeremy Black - University of Exeter

‘Adam L. Storring has written a wonderfully stimulating and original study that adds significantly to our knowledge of Frederick the Great's war-making. Rejecting the notion of a ‘German way of war' grounded in Prussia's exposed geographical position, Storring argues that Frederick, so well known for his love of French culture and the French language, also adopted a distinctly French style of war first developed by Louis XIV, based on the careful mobilization of material resources for aggressive expansion. Deftly blending together the histories of culture and military operations, Storring has produced a study that will interest all historians of war and of the European eighteenth century.'

David A. Bell - Princeton University

‘Frederick the Great was a philosopher, warlord, and passionate Francophile-and Adam Storring brilliantly shows that these identities shaped how the Prussian king thought and fought. Storring's exciting book illuminates the darker sides of the Military Enlightenment while overturning long-standing narratives of a distinctively Prussian or German way of war. An innovative contribution to New Military History and a compelling history of the transnational eighteenth century.'

Christy Pichichero - George Mason University

‘Based on a profound knowledge of recent research and historical sources, this book challenges long-held stereotypes about Frederic II. The author demonstrates convincingly how military, intellectual, and cultural history can enrich each other immensely.'

Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger - Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin