King Friedrich I of Prussia

King Friedrich I of Prussia (formerly Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg) was the first Prussian King. He was part of the House Hohenzollern.

Early Life
Friedrich was born to Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg. Friedrich grew up in a calm environment as the eldest of ten children of the Elector. He was fascinated by politics and economics from an early teenage age on.

Reign as Elector of Brandenburg
Following the death of his father in 1688, Friedrich I became the new Elector of Brandenburg at the age of 31. Friedrich had a burning desire to become King of Prussia instead of remaining a mere, weak Elector as part of the Holy Roman Empire. Thus came 13 years of negotiations with the Holy Roman Empire with the aim to somehow receive the title King of Prussia.

Friedrich I used various strategies to achieve this.

In late 1688, Friedrich sent Gotthelf Köhler, an experienced Prussian diplomat from Königsberg to negotiate with the Holy Roman authorities.