Oxford marks 300 years since the birth of Frederick the Great

Frederick the Great will be the subject of a lecture, exhibition and concert in Oxford today.

A lecture on the King of Prussia (born 1712, reigned 1740-86) will be held at 5pm in the Sheldonian Theatre, with Tim Blanning speaking on 'The Cultural Fashioning of Frederick the Great'.

At 8pm a concert featuring music from the court of Frederick the Great will be held in the Sheldonian Theatre, performed by the London Handel Players using period instruments.

A display in the Bodleian Proscholium runs until 11 November and includes three previously unknown manuscript items.

'We warmly invite anyone interested in learning more about Frederick the Great and his impact on modern Europe to come to today’s events,' said Professor Katrin Kohl of the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages.

'The exhibition includes some previously unseen correspondence by Frederick the Great and the concert is the closest we can come to imagining what it would have been like in Frederick’s court.'

Frederick's bold military campaigns had a major impact on the European political landscape and he put Berlin on the cultural map. Music was his great passion and Frederick's interaction with JS Bach prompted Bach to compose one of his masterpieces.

The exhibition and lecture are free and tickets to the concert can be bought online or the door.