Prussia questions

Frederick II ruled the Kingdom of Prussia from 1740 until 1786, the longest reign of any Hohenzollern king, at 46 years. His most significant accomplishments during his reign included his military victories, his reorganization of Prussian armies, his patronage of the arts and the Enlightenment and his final success against great odds in the Seven Years' War.

The House of Hohenzollern is a German dynasty of former princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania. The family arose in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century and took their name from Hohenzollern Castle.

The king, who was about 1.6 meters himself, created a regiment called commonly called "Potsdam Giants", for which the required height was 1.88 meters, well above average then and now. William I loved the regiment - he trained and drilled it every day. He tried to obtain tall soldiers by any means - recruited tall mercenaries from all of Europe, received tall recruits as gifts from other monarchs, and even even kidnapped tall priests and monks.