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

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

, 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 Kingdom of Corsica, King of Corsica. ...

, 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 h ...

, serving in the army of King

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself '' King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prus ...

then acting as agent in London for the Duke of Württemberg. 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 * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

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 Kūiti and 55 km west of T� ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick, Colonel 1720s births 1797 deaths 18th-century British writers Impostors