Colonel Frederick is a pseudonym of the 18th-century author of ''Memoirs of

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

, Containing the Natural and Political History of that Important Island,'' 1768, and of ''The Description of Corsica,'' 1795. He was born c.1725 and came to London c.1750, but his place of origin is unknown. He claimed to be the son of King

Theodore of Corsica Theodore I of Corsica (25 August 169411 December 1756), born Freiherr Theodor Stephan von Neuhoff, was a low-ranking German title of nobility, usually translated "Baron". was a German adventurer who was briefly King of Corsica. Theodore is the subj ...

, and adopted the title of Prince of

Caprera Caprera is an island in the Maddalena archipelago off the coast of Sardinia, Italy. In the area of La Maddalena island in the Strait of Bonifacio, it is a tourist destination and the place to which Giuseppe Garibaldi retired from 1854 until his ...

, serving in the army of King

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

then acting as agent in London for the

Duke of Württemberg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

. He was probably an impostor, and according to some intelligence reports may have been a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

Jew called Wigliawiski. Though penniless, he managed to gain the acquaintance of those in high circles and was for a time accepted into society. He died in poverty in 1797. Frederick wrote an account of his purported father's life, ''Memoires pour servir a l'histoire de la Corse'', and also an English translation, both published in London in 1768. In 1795 he published an enlarged edition, ''A Description of Corsica'', with an account of its union to the crown of Great Britain. See also Fitzgerald, King Theodore of Corsica (London, 1890). His descendants include the Meredith family who reside in

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kuiti and 55 km west of ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick, Colonel 1725 births 1797 deaths 18th-century British writers Impostors