The Secret Teacher: How a Huguenot Governess Shaped Frederick the Great’s Mind

Before Frederick the Great became the philosopher-king of Europe, he had to learn philosophy in secret—and from a woman his father would’ve dismissed outright.

Frederick’s father, Frederick William I, was a man of muskets, not manuscripts. He banned frivolous books, rejected Enlightenment thought, and believed that too much learning would "soften" his son. Frederick was meant to become a soldier, not a thinker.

But his mother, Queen Sophia Dorothea, had other ideas.

Behind the king’s back, she appointed Madame de Montbail, a French Huguenot governess, to educate her son. This wasn’t some light instruction in manners—Montbail taught French language, literature, and Enlightenment ideas. She introduced the young prince to a world of reason, art, and introspection—everything his father despised.

This quiet act of rebellion had seismic consequences.

A devoted Huguenot governess imparts knowledge to a young Frederick the Great, shaping the future king's intellect and character.

Frederick grew up fluent in French, writing essays on governance, corresponding with Voltaire, and advocating for religious tolerance and civil reform. His reign would blend military ruthlessness with Enlightenment ideals, a combination that defined 18th-century absolutism. But it all began in hushed lessons, smuggled books, and the courage of a mother who defied a king to educate her son.

So while the Soldier King tried to shape his son into a weapon, it was a governess with a mind full of ideas who gave him something far more dangerous: the power to think for himself.

History’s great minds often start with hidden mentors. Follow for more stories behind the throne.