Frederick William ro lati ṣe igbeyawo Frederick si Elisabeth ti Mecklenburg-Schwerin, ọmọ-ọmọ ti Empress Anna ti Russia, ṣugbọn ero yii ni o tako nipasẹ Prince Eugene ti Savoy. Frederick funrararẹ ni imọran lati ṣe igbeyawo Maria Theresa ti Austria ni paṣipaarọ fun fifun ni itẹsiwaju. Dipo, Eugene persuaded Frederick William, nipasẹ Seckendorff, pe ọmọ-alade ade ti fẹ Elisabeth Christine ti Brunswick-Bevern, a Protestant ibatan ti awọn Austrian Habsburgs. Biotilejepe Frederick kọwe si arabinrin rẹ pe, "Ko le jẹ ifẹ tabi ọrẹ laarin wa", o si ro ipaniyan, o lọ pẹlu igbeyawo naa ni Oṣu Karun ọjọ 12 ọdun 1733.
Orílẹ̀-èdè Austria