Friedrich Wilhelm I (German: Friedrich Wilhelm I; August 14, 1688-1740 May 31) was the second Prussian king and Elector of Brandenburg of the Hohenzollern dynasty (reigned from February 25, 1713 to May 31, 1740), also known as the "Soldier King". His father Frederick I successfully turned Prussia into a kingdom, and he himself greatly strengthened the military power of this kingdom.

Friedrich William I was the second son of Sophie Charlotte, the eldest daughter of Elector Frederick I of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, and Elector Ernst August of Hanover. At the age of 13, his father received the title of king and he became the crown prince of Prussia. He participated in the War of Spanish Succession. On February 25, 1713, his father Frederick I passed away and he ascended to the throne as king. Friedrich William I has just ascended the throne, and the War of Spanish Succession has ended. On April 11th, Prussia and France signed the Treaty of Utrecht, which granted them the upper district of G ü rden and the two principalities of Nazaire and Valencia near the borders of France and Switzerland.
Friedrich William I implemented an extreme militaristic policy. He greatly increased taxes, increasing the Prussian army from 38000 to 83000 people (4% of the population), making Prussia the third military power in Europe. During the reign of Friedrich William I, his relations with Austria and Britain were cold, and he only allied with France. Friedrich William I's Prussia participated in the Great Northern War against Swedish hegemony, but gained very little. Just because Peter the Great's Russian Empire defeated Sweden, Friedrich William I obtained Pomerania up to the mouth of the Oder River. Friedrich Wilhelm I was a warrior king with a strict and aggressive personality. He treated his subjects with an extremely rough military style, pushing the rigor of military training to the extreme, and founded the Prussian spirit of "obedience, obedience, and obedience again". This prepared a solid military and economic foundation for Prussia's future expansion. During the reign of Friedrich William I, Prussian military discipline was strict, and reviewing the army became his greatest pastime.

In 1733, Friedrich William I implemented a regional conscription system and forced farmers to serve as soldiers, providing half of the troops and the other half as foreign mercenaries. He has a giant grenadier regiment: he sends people to kidnap tall and majestic giants from all over Europe, and forms a special grenadier regiment. From the North Sea to the Mediterranean, tall and special giants in Europe may be deceived or taken away by him. Tall women are also unsafe and are often collected to pair with these giants to produce the next generation of giants. In 1709, the pestis occurred in the east of Prussia, and the population decreased sharply. Friedrich William I immigrated again, bringing prosperity to the East once again. In 1717, Friedrich William I implemented compulsory primary education nationwide. But he despised learning and banned French literature, Latin, and music in Prussia. Due to his simple and stingy lifestyle and reluctance to spend money on economic and cultural development, he is known as the "Beggar King". However, despite spending only two thousand silver coins on the coronation ceremony, he used 80% of the government's fiscal revenue as military expenses. Under his efforts, the Prussian army instantly expanded to 85000 people. And the equipment is well-equipped.
In 1719, he liberated all serfs on his territory and abolished the hereditary system of tenancy. He advocated mercantilism and developed industry. Due to Friedrich William I's excessive harshness towards Crown Prince Fritz, his prohibition of exposure to French literature, Latin, and music, his opposition to his son's marriage with the British royal family, and frequent physical punishment of his son, the father son relationship became tense. In 1730, Fritz attempted to flee to England but was unsuccessful and arrested. Fritz's accomplices were executed, and he himself narrowly escaped death. Friedrich William I was over two meters tall and weighed over a hundred kilograms. He often indulged in binge eating and smoking. He passed away on May 31, 1740 in Berlin at the age of 51. His son Fritz became King Friedrich II, inheriting the powerful and prosperous kingdom left by William I, and building Prussia into one of the most powerful countries in Europe.