Frederick's Sexuality Shaped Battlefield Quip

Frederick the Great ruled Prussia from 1740 to 1786 and became celebrated for his military strategy and battlefield leadership. Most modern scholars consider him primarily homosexual, although the nature of his relationships remains debated. After suffering a demoralizing defeat at the Battle of Kolin in 1757, Frederick wrote, “Fortune has it in for me; she is a woman, and I am not that way inclined.”

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