Henri de Prusse

## Henri, Prince de Prusse

Henry of Prussia, by Antoine Pesne c. 1745

Prince of Hesse-Kassel (By marriage)

King of the United States of America (Disputed)

King of Poland (Disputed)

Generalfeldmarschall

Oberst - Prinz von Preussen Regiment

Major - Leibgarde Regiment

Hauptmann - Leibgarde Regiment

Fähnrich - Leibgarde Regiment

### Wars Fought

War of the Polish Succession (1733 – 1738)War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748)

Seven Years' War (1756-1763)

War of the Bavarian Succession (1778 – 1779)

Partitions of Poland (1772, 1790, 1792)

## Biography

### Full Name

Frédéric Henri Louis*Maréchal Gessler* - Pseudonym

### Died

3rd August 1802, Château de Rheinsberg (Aged 76)

### Siblings

Friedrich Ludwig von Preußen (1707–1708)Friederike Sophie Wilhelmine von Preußen (1709–1758)

Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen (1710–1711)

Friedrich II von Preußen (1712–1786)

Charlotte Albertine von Preußen (1713–1714)

Friederike Luise von Preußen (1714–1784)

Philippine Charlotte von Preußen (1716–1801)

Ludwig Karl Wilhelm von Preußen (1717–1719)

Sophie Dorothea Marie von Preußen (1719–1765)

Luise Ulrike von Preußen (1719–1765)

August Wilhelm von Preußen (1722–1758)

Anna Amalie von Preußen (1723–1787)

August Ferdinand von Preußen (1730–1813)

### Religion

Protestant Calvinism

**Frédéric Henri Louis de Prusse** (18th January 1726 - Présent) is a Prince of Prussia and the youngest-born brother to *Frédéric le Grand.* Bold, dashing, caring and passionate for his brother's Kingdom and the Fatherland, Henri de Prusse was an adherent of Prussian militarism founded by his father- the Soldier King- and a proponent child of the enlightenment, inherited by his mother, Sophie-Dorothée de Hanovre. Remarked as much for his witticism and charm as he was noted for his battlefield prowess, Henri de Prusse inherited the capable qualities of a Hohenzollern Prince.

Living in the shadow of his brother's glories as King, Henri spared no expense to match his brother with a capricious personality and eccentric lifestyle. An adept huntsman, rider, and fashion-following icon, ***Monsieur***, as he was later known, was anything but the Moon to the rays of his brother's glory as of the Sun. Not one to disappoint in the bedroom, however, his consort, Wilhelmine de Hesse-Kassel, was a boorish accessory; which made him seek company in several affairs. These affairs, however, went beyond the beauty of women, and extended to certain *Chevaliers en Titre*. A strong follower of the enlightenment, Henri shared his brother's interest in entertaining the witticisms of Voltaire, the cruelties of Rousseau and the innovations of Diderot. These correspondences proved a worthy passport, as Henri was often appointed as the Prussian plenipotentiary across Europe to propel the interests of his brother.

Diligent on the field as he was in the bedroom, Henri mirrored the battlefield success of his brother. A remarkable tactician, strategist and commander, his bravery knew no end on the field as he marched across Europe to support his brother's campaigns for German unity. Henri always looked up to his older brother, *Frédéric le Grand*, for his military and enlightenment theory. Naturally, Henry, however, would be known for a few disagreements with his older brother. Yet, in the end, the two were the strongest bond of all of the other Royal siblings, next to their eldest sister, *Wilhelmine*, the Margravine de Bayreuth. As a military leader, Henri later won his most famous victory at the *Battle of Freiberg* in 1762, the final battle of the war between Austria and Prussia; during subsequent peace negotiations, Frederick wrote to him, *"You alone have the honour of breaking down Austrian obstinacy."*

In his later life, Henri bore victim to the effects of being the youngest-born of his purple-born family. Towards the end of *Frédéric le Grand's* life, Prussia became increasingly interested in the affairs of state between England and France by the close of the century. During the Road of American Independence, Henri and his brother arranged for a troop of Prussian officers under the *Freiherr von Steuben* to be sent to America to guide the Continental Army being assembled by George Washington. Additionally present at Versailles, notably during the visit of Benjamin Franklin, Henri was able to secure Prussian interests in forming an alliance with the newly-born United States of America; A massive blow to British honour. In 1789, Henri would later witness the unfolding of the French Revolution as a spectator of the Assembly of the Estates-General held at Versailles. Attempting to mediate between Jacques Necker- Louis XVI's First Minister, and Mirabeau- a conspirator of the National Assembly- Henri's diplomacy waned as neither side could come to an agreement. On the evening of August 3rd, 1802, in a similar fate to his brother, Henri de Prusse passed in his sleep at the Château de Rheinsberg, following a performance in the palace's theatre. He was 76.