Frederick William II (1744-97) succeeded his uncle, Frederick II (Frederick the Great) as King of Prussia in 1786. Here he is wearing the uniform of the 15th Royal Prussian Infantry Regiment with the ribbon of the Order of the Back Eagle. He married twice; his first marriage in 1765 with Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg was dissolved in 1769. In the same year, he married Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, whose miniature is also in the Royal Collection (RCIN 420491). Under his rule, Prussia expanded its territories, and cultural activities – painting, architecture and theatre – flourished. Both Mozart and Beethoven dedicated works to Frederick. The image is based closely on an engraved medallion of King Frederick in armour as a lawgiver surmounted by an allegorical figure of Justice, with the lettering: Freidrich Wilhelm der Gesetzgeber (Frederick William the legislator), drawn by Bernhard Rode and engraved by Ringel in 1791. The identity of the artist is unknown.