In this volume of Carlyle's Frederick the Great, the Second Silesian War unfolds as a race of speed, nerve, and opportunity, with Frederick II confronting Austria, Saxony, France, and the tangled politics of the Empire. Carlyle follows the campaign from tense anticipation to sudden action: Prussia's disciplined army moves first, while Frederick weighs rumors, intelligence, and shifting alliances with cold precision. Across the wider European stage, France's ambitions in the Netherlands and Marshal de Saxe's rise reshape the conflict, leaving Frederick to carry much of the German war almost alone. The narrative surges through Prince Karl's audacious Rhine crossings, the seizure of the Lines of Lauterburg and Weissenburg, and the panic that follows in French courts and councils, even as moments of dark comedy and public celebration punctuate the fighting. Frederick's own intervention on behalf of the Kaiser and the liberties of Germany threatens to overturn the balance again, while his manifesto, rapid march toward Prague, and grim resolve reveal a ruler prepared to risk everything for Prussia's honor and survival. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.