Court arena

Throughout his life, Voltaire endeavoured to maintain good relations with influential people at the French royal court and with the princes and monarchs of Europe who were sympathetic to him. In order to gain their favour, attacks on their political opponents were a frequently used tool of his choice. Abusive criticism was also a common tool among Enlightenment philosophers. Voltaire also resorted to the medium of poetry. With biting criticism of the political situation in Europe, he attacked authorities who, in his eyes, abused their influence, including the Church, the French supreme courts (parlements) and the Jesuits.

Voltaire's stay in Berlin and Potsdam from 1750 onwards was intended to enhance his reputation and that of Frederick II in the public eye. However, their dispute developed into a public affair that tarnished the reputation of both the king and the philosopher-poet. Voltaire's position in Berlin had become impossible after two years.

One of the causes of the quarrel was Voltaire's vituperative attacks against the President of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (1698-1759). Voltaire endeavoured to undermine Maupertuis' reputation as an irreproachable scholar with anonymous writings, while the king defended the Academy and its president with anonymous writings and in turn lashed out against the critic.

Throughout his life, Frederick II presented himself to the public not only as a king, but also as a philosopher. In his writings, he used the role of philosopher to criticise his fellow rulers on the thrones of Europe or his ancestors. While such criticism was considered inappropriate for a king, it was permissible for a philosopher. During the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) in particular, Frederick II also used his literary talent to attack his opponents with anonymous diatribes. This was linked to the hope of influencing public opinion in his favour.

In 1772, Frederick II wrote a dialogue between the French mistress of King Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour, and the Virgin Mary. The mutual insults between the two violated both the commandment of religious piety and the decency of persons of rank. Due to its offensive content, the conversation with the dead was omitted from the editions of the writings, so that it only had to be rediscovered in 1998.

In a letter to the Austrian Field Marshal Daun (1705-1766), the Pope congratulated him on his successes in the "eternal eradication of heresies" and presented him with a blessed sword as a reward for his victories. For the Prussians, it was clear that their opponents were preparing a religious war against Protestantism. The protective power of the Protestants in the Old Reich was to be weakened. Numerous reprints of the letter were distributed.

However, the Pope in Rome was not the sender. The fictitious letter was penned by Frederick II. The monarch publicly distanced himself from such communication strategies. At the same time, they were a tried and tested means of confrontation.