Agh István Nagy Frigyest olvassa
István Agh reading Frederick the Great

Summary/Abstract: István Agh (1709–1786), Unitarian bishop (1758–1786), translated into Latin a chapter of the Memoires pour servir a l’histoire de la maison de Brandenbourg, by the Prussian king Frederick the Great (1712–1786). Published in French in 1751, this work is an almost provocatively secular summary of Frederick’s country and dynasty. Agh and Frederick came from very different worlds. The monarch was a member of the Masonic community. He admired and corrresponded with Voltaire (1694–1778), and invited Voltaire to be a member of his household. The chapter Agh chose to translate covers the eras of paganism, catholicism, and the Reformation. Agh presented a clear and comprehensible Latin text to his readers. In a few cases he omitted partial sentences or substituted a paragraph. Two things might explain Agh’s special interest in translating the text: Frederick’s strong condemnation of medieval Catholicism, and his treatise on tolerance.

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