The Military Life of Frederick the Great

""Battles determine the destiny of states,'' wrote Frederick the Great (17121786). In this lucid, authoritative biography, Duffy, a senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, England, traces Frederick's rise from romantic Prussian prince and officer to leader of armies whose battlefield brilliance marked the transition from medieval to modern warfare. A contradictory figure (``a cynical exponent of power-politics, a prince of the Enlightenment, and a lover of the arts''), Frederick achieved renown throughout Europe during the brutal Silesian Wars and Seven Years War, in which he relied on artillery, battle-ready infantries, and the strategies of diversion to win victories. A well-researched life of a military genius. Photos. January 16