That Time When Fredrick the First Got Sued by a Peasant
When considering the power and the influence of an 18th-century European monarch, one does not think they are a figure who can be sued. However, this might not be entirely true for Fredrick the Great of Prussia.
After building his palace, Fredrick found the windmill nearby very distracting to his work. So, he commissioned the windmill to be “relocated” to a more suitable location. The farmer, who obviously did not want his windmill destroyed, protested. However, considering the minor social gap and power between a monarch and a peasant, the windmill was quickly destroyed.
Not wishing to end this feud, the peasant sent a “former complaint” to the king. Rather than ending the situation, the kind went into a legal battle with the peasant, which resulted in the peasant’s victory, thus reconstructing the windmill. The windmill actually is still in Germany. The Mill of Sanssouci is located in Potsdam, Germany, but this windmill is actually a remake. The original rebuild by Fredrick the Great was demolished due to its age 50 years later after it was made. The windmill was then remade again by Frederick the Great’s son, Frederick William II. The nearby land was then cleared by the later monarch, Frederick William IV in 1840. Unfortunately, the mill was destroyed again by a fire in the Second World War. The Potsdam Chamber of Commerce then restored the building again…again.
Unfortunately, the credibility of this story is very low. The part of Fredrick the Great rebuilding the windmill and the after story is true. However, the story of the legal battle between a peasant and the Prussian monarch is hard to determine. Many consider the story to be false, rather a legend to make the former king more elegant and fair.
Non the less, the story had made the mind will a very destined tourist attraction.
