Frederick I of Prussia

Born 11 July 1657 into the Hohenzollern dynasty, Frederick inherited Brandenburg as its elector in 1688 and held the Duchy of Prussia in personal union. Thirteen years later he pulled off the elevation that mattered: in 1701 he crowned himself King in Prussia, transforming his holdings from electoral dust into a recognized monarchy. He added the Principality of Neuchâtel in 1707. He died 25 February 1713, leaving behind not a conquest but a reclassification — and a kingdom that would outlive him by two centuries.