Death of Frederick II the Great
Death of Frederick William I of Prussia
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1740 in Germany
Explore 25 historical events and records for Germany in 1740.
Historical records for Germany in 1740
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 25 of 25 unique records.
25Unique records
1 of 1Page
14Named events on this page
5Named people on this page
7Places on this page
May
Coronation
Crowned King of Prussia, says "a crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in"
Death of Frederick William I
Says he had at last, "had the decency to die". Death of Frederick William I
Pragmatic Sanction, The
Frederick disputed the succession of the 23-year-old Maria Theresa to the Habsburg lands, while simultaneously making his own claim on Silesia
Pragmatic Sanction, The
Upon succeeding to the throne and desiring the prosperous Austrian province of Silesia Frederick declines to endorse the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
Rule of Silesia
Upon succeeding to the throne and desiring the prosperous Austrian province of Silesia Frederick declines to endorse the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
October
Succession
Maria Theresas succession is disputed by Charles Albert, Philip V & Augustus III. Maria Theresa inherits the Habsburg Empire
Succession
Maria Theresas succession is disputed by Charles Albert, Philip V & Augustus III
December
Invasion of Silesia
Orders his generals to invade Silesia
Invasion of Silesia
Personally leads an army of 40,000
Invasion of Silesia
1st day of the Prussian invasion of Silesia
Invasion of Silesia
Offers to vote for Maria Theresas husband if Silesia is handed over to Prussia. Decides to make a preemptive strike against Maria Therasa & her ally the Russians
Other events (month unknown)
Censorship
Declares the abolition of censorship for books & periodicals
Coronation
Receives formal homage from the provincial deputies
Death of Frederick II the Great
Summons Count von Podewils & General von Schweri to see how Prussia can benefit
Frederick Second Challenges Habsburg Settlement
Frederick II attacked Austrian Silesia, exposing the weakness of diplomatic guarantees for Maria Theresa.
Invasion of Silesia
Questions the female succession of Maria Theresa to Austrian possessions
Opera House
Invites Knobelsdorf to draw up plans for an Opera House in Berlin
Reform of Royal Succession
Declares the right of all religions to practice their beliefs
Rule of Silesia
Offers to vote for Maria Theresas husband if Silesia is handed over to Prussia
Succession
Succeeds as Emperor, the only non-Hapsburg Emperor after Sigismund of Luxemburg
Succession
Succeeds as King of Prussia
Torture
Declares the abolition of torture for civilian offenders
University of Konigsberg
Kant enters the University of Konigsberg and studies philosophy, mathematics and natural science.
Visit to Strasburg
Visits Strasburg, the only time Frederick II the Great stepped foot of French soil
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.