Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents and Frederick III, German Emperor: Difference between pages
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{{For|the medieval emperor|Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor}}
{{Infobox Prussian Royalty|monarch
| name = Frederick III
| title =[[German Emperor]], [[List of rulers of Prussia|King of Prussia]]
| image =Friedrich III as Kronprinz - in GdK uniform by Heinrich von Angeli 1874.jpg
| caption =<small>Frederick III as crown prince</small>
| reign =March 9 – June 15, 1888
| coronation =
| predecessor =[[William I, German Emperor|William I]]
| successor =[[William II, German Emperor|William II]]
| heir =
| spouse =[[Victoria, Princess Royal]]
| issue =[[William II, German Emperor|William II]]<br>[[Princess Charlotte of Prussia|Princess Charlotte]]<br>[[Prince Heinrich of Prussia|Prince Heinrich]]<br>[[Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1864-1866)|Prince Sigismund]]<br>[[Princess Viktoria of Prussia|Princess Viktoria]]<br>[[Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1868-1879)|Prince Waldemar]]<br>[[Sophia of Prussia|Princess Sophie]]<br>[[Princess Margaret of Prussia|Princess Margaret]]
| royal house =[[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]]
| royal anthem =''[[Heil dir im Siegerkranz]]'' (unofficial)
| father =[[William I, German Emperor|William I]]
| mother =[[Augusta of Saxe-Weimar]]
| date of birth ={{birth date|mf=yes|1831|10|18}}
| place of birth =[[Potsdam]], [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]
| date of death ={{death date and age|mf=yes|1888|6|15|1831|10|18}}
| place of death =Potsdam, [[German Empire]]
| buried =
|}}
'''Frederick III''' (German: ''Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl'', English: ''Frederick William Nicholas Charles''; October 18, 1831 – June 15, 1888), (German: ''Friedrich III., Deutscher [[Kaiser]] und König von Preußen'') was German [[Emperor]] and King of [[Prussia]], ruling for 99 days until his death on June 15, 1888. He was married to [[Victoria, Princess Royal|Princess Victoria]], the daughter of British [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]]. Celebrated for his military successes and leadership during the [[Second Schleswig War]], the [[Austro-Prussian War]], and the [[Franco-Prussian War]] before his reign as German Emperor, Frederick III became popular due to these achievements and his liberal ideals.<ref name=Kollander-79>Kollander, p. 79.</ref><ref name = Pike>Pike</ref> He was more liberal than previous German leaders and represented a possibility for the earlier liberalization of German society and government. His father and predecessor [[Wilhelm I, German Emperor|William I]] lived to be almost 91 years old, which was rare for the time. In addition to this, Frederick III developed [[Laryngeal cancer|larynx cancer]] shortly before he became emperor which severely limited his time and effectiveness in that position. After his largely ineffectual reign, his successor, [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|William II]], abandoned any path toward liberalization that Frederick III previously leaned towards.
==Personal life==
===Early life===
Frederick William, as he was known before he assumed the throne, was born in the New Palace at [[Potsdam]], a scion of the [[House of Hohenzollern]]. His father, [[William I, German Emperor|Prince William of Prussia]] was a younger brother of King [[Frederick William IV of Prussia]]. Prussia, at the time, was recovering militarily and otherwise from the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars.<ref name=VdK-10>Van der Kiste, p. 10.</ref> His mother, Princess [[Augusta of Saxe-Weimar]], had been brought up in a very different atmosphere. Weimar was the first German state to grant its subjects a constitution. Frederick's parents were also quite ill-suited to one another. His father had been in love with his cousin [[Elisa Radziwill]], a minor Princess of the [[Polish nobility]]. He was forced to give her up due to her unequal rank and marry a dynastically suitable Princess, which he did out of duty.<ref name=VdK-10/> Princess Augusta was well known across Europe for her liberal views.<ref name=VdK-11>Van der Kiste, p. 11.</ref> It is not surprising therefore that Frederick's adult memories were always of a lonely childhood in a home dominated by his ill-matched parents.<ref name=VdK-12>Van der Kiste, p. 12.</ref> He had one sister, [[Princess Louise of Prussia|Louise]], later Grand Duchess of Baden. Although Frederick was eight years Louise's senior, the two siblings were very close. During this time Frederick also lived through the [[Revolutions_of_1848_in_the_German_states|Revolutions of 1848]] which, along with his liberal family members and education, contributed to him having liberal beliefs early in life.<ref name=Nichols-7>Nichols, p. 7.</ref>
===Education===
The Hohenzollern family traditionally valued a military education. It was Frederick's mother that insisted that her son be educated according to liberal ideas.<ref name=VdK-12 /> Therefore his education was closely supervised and extremely thorough. He was a talented student and was particularly good at foreign languages. He became fluent in English and French and also studied Latin as well as History, Geography, Physics, Music and Religion. Frederick was also good at gymnastics and became a very good rider as required of a Prussian Prince.<ref name=M-B-44>Mueller-Bohn, p. 44.</ref> Like all [[Hohenzollern]] Princes he became familiar from a particularly young age with the military traditions of the dynasty. At the age of ten, in accordance with family tradition, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the First Infantry Regiment of Guards, and was invested with the [[Order of the Black Eagle]].<ref name=M-B-14>Mueller-Bohn, p. 14.</ref> As a Prussian Prince, Frederick was expected to become actively involved as a military commander and strategist.<ref name=M-B-14 /> Later, breaking with Hohenzollern tradition, he studied history, literature and law at the University at [[Bonn]], where he developed many of his liberal tendencies.<ref name=MacDonogh-17>MacDonogh, p. 17.</ref> His future father-in-law, Prince Albert, had also studied there.<ref name=M-B-19>Mueller-Bohn, p. 19.</ref>
===Marriage and family===
[[Image:VictoriaPrincessRoyal.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[Victoria, Princess Royal]], eldest daughter of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]], whom Frederick married in 1858]]
{{Seealso|Rulers of Germany family tree}}
As early as 1851, there were plans to marry Frederick to [[Victoria, Princess Royal]] of Great Britain and Ireland, the eldest daughter of [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] and Prince [[Albert, Prince Consort|Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]. At the christening of the future King [[Edward VII of England|Edward VII]], Frederick's uncle, King [[Frederick William IV of Prussia]], was godfather and had also dandled the Princess Royal on his knee. The Royal dynasty in Britain was predominantly German; there was little British blood in Queen Victoria and none in her husband.<ref name=VdK-15>Van der Kiste, p. 15.</ref> The idea of Frederick marrying the Princess Royal was considered to be a very good idea by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Nobody welcomed the prospect of closer connections with Britain more than Princess Augusta. Prince William had been indifferent to the idea and had hoped for a marriage with a Russian Grand Duchess.<ref name=VdK-15 /> King Leopold I of Belgium, uncle of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, had long treasured the idea of Baron Stockmar of a marriage alliance between Britain and Prussia.<ref name=VdK-16>Van der Kiste, p. 16.</ref> Prince Albert hoped that the marriage would lead to the liberalization and modernization of Prussia. The betrothal of the young couple was announced in April 1856.<ref name=VdK-31>Van der Kiste, p. 31.</ref> The wedding was on January 25, 1858, in the Chapel of [[St. James's Palace]], London. To mark the occasion, Frederick was promoted to Major-General in the Prussian army. Although the marriage was arranged, the couple loved each other.<ref name=MacDonogh-17-18>MacDonogh, p. 17-18.</ref><ref name=VdK-43>Van der Kiste, p. 43.</ref> The rigorously educated Victoria shared her husband's liberal views. The couple had eight children during their marriage: [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|William]] in 1859, [[Charlotte, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen|Charlotte]] in 1860, [[Albert Wilhelm Heinrich of Prussia|Henry]] in 1862, [[Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1864-1866)|Sigismund]] in 1864, [[Princess Viktoria of Prussia|Victoria]] in 1866, [[Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1868-1879)|Waldemar]] in 1868, [[Sophie of Prussia|Sophie]] in 1870 and [[Princess Margaret of Prussia|Margaret]] in 1872.<ref name=Kollander-21>Kollander, p. 21.</ref> However, both Princes Sigismund and Waldemar died in childhood, Sigismund at age 2 and Waldemar at age 11.<ref name=Kollander-21/> Frederick's eldest son, William, suffered from a withered arm due to his difficult and dangerous breech birth, although it could have also been the result of a slight case of [[cerebral palsy]].<ref name=Röhl-12>Röhl, p.12.</ref><ref name=MacDonogh-22>MacDonogh, p. 22.</ref> Relations between both parents and William would prove to be difficult throughout the years.<ref name=Röhl-xiii>Röhl, p. xiii.</ref>
==Political life==
===Crown Prince===
{|align=right
|{{Infobox German Monarch Styles|
royal name=German Emperor Frederick III, King of Prussia|
dipstyle=His [[Imperial and Royal Majesty]]|
offstyle=Your Imperial and Royal Majesty|
altstyle=Sire|}}
|}
[[Image:Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia - Illustrated London News August 20, 1870.PNG|Article in the [[Illustrated London News]] of August 20, 1870 celebrating Crown Prince Frederick William's achievements in the [[Franco-Prussian War]]|thumb|upright]]
On January 2, 1861, Frederick William's father became King [[William I, German Emperor|William I of Prussia]], and Frederick William himself became [[Crown Prince]] at the age of twenty-nine. He had to remain Crown Prince until the long-delayed death of his father on March 9, 1888. William's accession did not usher in the new era for which Frederick and the liberal elements in Prussia had hoped. The elections of December 1861 returned a greatly increased liberal majority in the Prussian [[Diet (assembly)|Diet]]. Frederick declared himself in complete agreement with the "essential liberal policy for internal and foreign affairs."<ref name=VdK-68>Van der Kiste, p. 68.</ref>
But the new King was an obstinate old soldier, not likely to change his conservative ideas at the age of sixty-four.<ref name=VdK-61>Van der Kiste, p. 61.</ref> Frederick very nearly became King in September 1862. When the Diet refused funds for his army reorganization, William threatened to abdicate.<ref name=Pakula-168>Pakula, p. 168.</ref> Frederick was appalled, saying that an abdication would "constitute a threat to the dynasty, country and Crown."<ref name=Pakula-168 /> William did not abdicate; instead he appointed [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]] as [[Prime Minister of Prussia|Minister-President]]. The arrival of Bismarck, an authoritarian who often ignored or overruled the Diet,<ref name=Pakula-75>Pakula, p. 75.</ref> set Frederick on a collision course with his father on policy and led to his exclusion from affairs of state for the rest of the reign. A united Germany was not to be achieved through liberal and peaceful means but through Bismarck's policy of blood and iron, despite Frederick's insistence on campaigning for bloodless "moral conquests" to unify Germany.<ref name=Nichols-7/>
Frederick was severely reproached by his father for his liberal ideas. As a result of these disagreements, Frederick frequently went to England with his family. There Queen Victoria allowed him to stand in her place as an official deputy on numerous occasions.<ref name=Pakula-69>Pakula, p. 69.</ref>
===Military commander===
Crown Prince Frederick formed a partnership with General [[Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal]], his Chief of Staff, through whom he was able to command victorious armies in the [[Austro-Prussian War]] of 1866. The timely arrival of his troops was crucial to the Prussian victory at [[Battle of Königgratz|Königgrätz]].<ref name = Pike /> After the battle, William presented Frederick with the Order [[Pour le Mérite]], as a mark of personal gallantry on the field. A few days before Sadowa, Frederick had written to his wife hoping that this would be the last war he would have to fight. On the third day of the battle he wrote again to her, "Who knows whether we may not have to wage a third war in order to keep what we have now won?"<ref name=Pakula-98>Pakula, p. 98.</ref> As commander, Frederick also had great victories in the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870, where he commanded the III Army at [[Battle of Wissembourg|Wissembourg]], [[Battle of Wœrth (1870)|Wœrth]], [[Battle of Sedan|Sedan]] and during the [[Siege of Paris]].<ref name = Pike />
===Heir to the German Empire===
[[Image:FriedIII.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Frederick III as Crown Prince, by Heinrich von Angeli, 1874]]The German states united as the [[German Empire]] in 1871, with William as Emperor and Frederick as heir to the new [[German monarchy]]. Bismarck, now [[German Chancellor]], disliked Frederick, and distrusted his and his wife's [[liberalism]]. Frederick was often at odds with his father and Bismarck's policies and actions and sided with liberals often.<ref name=Dorpalen-6>Dorpalen, p. 6.</ref> Frederick opposed his father and Bismarck's attempt to expand the empire's army<ref name=Dorpalen-1>Dorpalen, p. 1.</ref> and also opposed Bismarck's restrictions on freedom of the press in what was called the Danzig statement.<ref name=Dorpalen-11>Dorpalen, p. 11.</ref> Frederick was kept out of any real position of power throughout his father's reign. It was very improbable that William, then 73, would reign until 1888. Frederick was left without responsibilities, however he did many works such as establishing schools and churches in the area of Bornstaedt near Potsdam.<ref name=M-B-420>Mueller-Bohn, p. 420.</ref><ref name=VdK-89>Van der Kiste, p. 89.</ref> Emperor William, seeking to raise the capital of Berlin to a great cultural center, appointed Frederick as Protector of Public Museums. It was largely due to his work that considerable artistic collections were acquired. After his death, these collections were housed in the new [[Kaiser Friedrich Museum]] (later known as the [[Bode Museum]]) in Berlin.<ref name=VdK-128>Van der Kiste, p. 128.</ref> Frederick continued his military and representational duties when required, such as attending Queen Victoria's [[Golden Jubilee#For Queen Victoria|Golden Jubilee]] in 1887. "For a while Fritz's life was little more than a chronicle of foundation stone laying, traveling to weddings and celebrations in all corners of the continent and family visits to his wife's relations in England or alternatively to her sister [[Alice of the United Kingdom|Alice]] at the humble palace in [[Darmstadt]]."<ref name=VdK-130+>Van der Kiste, p. 130–31.</ref>
===Illness and brief reign===
By the time his father died aged 90 on March 9, 1888, Frederick was viewed with hope by liberals as someone who would finally be able to implement the liberal ideas that he espoused.<ref name=Sheehan-217>Sheehan, p. 217.</ref> However, by that time Frederick had developed a debilitating [[Laryngeal cancer|cancer of the larynx]], which was finally diagnosed on November 12, 1887 by the British doctor [[Morell Mackenzie|Sir Morell Mackenzie]].<ref>Judd, p. 13.</ref> On learning of his illness Frederick said, "To think I should have such a horrid disgusting illness ... I had so hoped to have been of use to my country."<ref name=Pakula-448>Pakula, p. 448.</ref> Due to a rivalry between the local German doctors and the British doctors favored by Frederick and his wife, difficulties occurred over the proposed treatment of the patient.<ref name=Pakula-479>Pakula, p. 479.</ref> Doctor Bergman, a German, proposed to remove the larynx completely. His German colleague, Dr. [[Rudolf Virchow|Virchow]], disagreed.<ref name=Sinc-195>Sinclair, p. 195</ref> Such an operation had never been successfully performed without the death of the patient.<ref name=Sinc-206>Sinclair, p. 206</ref> Therefore both the Emperor and Empress naturally preferred the treatment suggested by Mackenzie. A cannula was fitted on February 8 to allow the Emperor to breathe.<ref name=Sinc-204>Sinclair, p. 204</ref> This operation is called a [[tracheotomy]]. Frederick had difficulty speaking for the remainder of his life, and often communicated through writing. Dr. Bergman almost killed the Emperor by missing the incision in the windpipe and forcing the cannula into the wrong place. This caused the Emperor to cough and bleed, so Bergman placed his forefinger into the wound to enlarge it. The bleeding only subsided after two hours. The Emperor wrote, "Why did Bergman put his finger in my throat?"<ref name=Sinc-204 /> and later, "Bergman ill-treated me".<ref name=Sinc-204 /> Bergman's interference resulted in an abscess in the patient's neck creating pus which made the condition more serious.<ref name=Sinc-204 /> Years later, Bergman tried to prove to his medical students that he could have saved Frederick III by removing his larynx. He attempted that operation on a different patient, but he died under the knife.<ref name=Corti-307+>Corti, p. 307–08.</ref><ref name=Pakula-504>Pakula, p. 504.</ref><ref name=VdK-171>Van der Kiste, p. 171.</ref>
In spite of his illness, Frederick continued to fulfill his obligations as Emperor. Before he ascended to the position he had already penned a proclamation that stated that the chancellor and monarch would be limited under the constitution.<ref name=Kollander-147>Kollander, p. 147.</ref> Immediately after the announcement of his accession, he took the ribbon and star of his own [[Order of the Black Eagle]] from his jacket and pinned it on the dress of his wife. He was determined, though gravely ill, to honor the position of his wife as Empress.<ref name=VdK-193>Van der Kiste, p. 193.</ref> He also managed to receive [[Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom]] and [[Oscar II of Sweden|King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway]] and to attend the wedding of his son [[Prince Heinrich of Prussia|Prince Henry]] to his niece [[Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine|Princess Irene]]. Because Frederick III ruled for only 99 days,<ref name=Kitchen-214>Kitchen, p. 214.</ref> he was unable to cause many lasting changes to Germany.<ref name=Cecil-110>Cecil, p. 110.</ref> He did however force [[Robert von Puttkammer]] to resign on June 8 when evidence appeared that Puttkammer had interfered in the [[Reichstag (institution)|Reichstag]] elections.<ref name=Sinc-211>Sinclair, p. 211.</ref><ref name=Kollander-174>Kollander, p. 174.</ref> Dr. Mackenzie wrote of the Emperor that he had "an almost overwhelming sense of the duties of his position."<ref name=VdK-195>Van der Kiste, p. 195.</ref> Writing to [[Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier|Lord Napier]], the new Empress Victoria wrote that "The Emperor is able to attend to his business, and do a great deal, but not being able to speak is, of course, most trying."<ref name=VdK-196>Van der Kiste, p. 196.</ref> However, despite all of his efforts, Frederick did not have time to complete his ideas and may have realized that Germany's path to liberalism was in danger when in May 1888 he said "I cannot die ... What would happen to Germany?"<ref name=Pakula-484>Pakula, p. 484.</ref> Finally on June 15, Frederick III died and was succeeded by his 29-year-old son [[William II, German Emperor|William II]]. After his death, [[William Gladstone|British Prime Minister William Gladstone]] called Frederick III the "Barbarossa of German liberalism."<ref name=Kollander-xi>Kollander, p. xi.</ref> He is buried in a mausoleum attached to the [[Friedenskirche]] in Potsdam.<ref name = Wanckel>Wanckel</ref><ref name=Reid>Reid</ref>
==Legacy==
{{House of Hohenzollern}}
Many historians have considered Frederick's early death as an end to the course of liberalism within the German empire. Given a longer reign and better health, many historians and scholars believe that it is possible that he would have moved Germany towards a more [[liberal democracy|liberal democratic]] course, possibly preventing Germany's militaristic path towards war.<ref name=Kitchen-214/><ref name=Chalat-1307>Chalat, p. 1307.</ref><ref name=McCullough-403>McCullough, p.403.</ref> Frederick and Victoria were both great admirers of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and the British parliamentary system.<ref name = Dorpalen-1 /> They planned to rule as consorts and liberalize Germany through the appointment of more liberal ministers.<ref name=FaragoSinclair-264>Farago, p. 264.</ref> Frederick also planned for the office of Chancellor to be severely limited.<ref name=Kollander-147 /> Government policy would be based on the consensus of a liberal cabinet, as Frederick believed a country should not act against the popular opinion of its inhabitants.<ref name=Dorpalen-11 /> However, his father lived over 90 years and reigned for 27 years. That, combined with his sickness, made Frederick unable to enact his liberal policies at the height of his power, popularity, and good health following his military successes.
There are also historians who oppose the idea that Frederick could have, or would have, liberalized Germany. Some historians believe that he would not have changed Germany's course because of his apparent compliance with most of his father's and Bismarck's policies early in his life.<ref name=Dorpalen-18>Dorpalen, p. 18.</ref> Frederick was also steeped in his family's strong military tradition since he was young. Historians argue further that Frederick was too weak and ineffectual to have brought about real change in Germany regardless of how long he reigned.<ref name=Sheehan-217/><ref name=Rosenberg-34>Rosenberg, p. 34.</ref> Finally, historians state that despite Frederick III's personal traits, the political climate and party system of Germany during his reign would not have accepted liberalization, regardless of his efforts.<ref name=Sheehan-216>Sheehan, p. 216.</ref>
Frederick's children also continued to greatly affect Europe after his death. Although many of his children held various political positions, his most well known son is [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|William II]], who became emperor after Frederick III's death. William II had not experienced the horrors of war firsthand like his father, and not only did he immediately take to his family's military traditions, he also fell under the tutelage of Bismarck. Bismarck felt that it was his job to increase the tensions between William II and his parents.<ref name = Feuchtwanger-243>Feuchtwanger, p. 243.</ref> Shortly after his father's death, William II proclaimed that he would follow the path of his grandfather, William I, but made no reference to his recently deceased father.<ref name=Kollander-178>Kollander, p. 178.</ref> William II became very militaristic and abandoned all of his father's liberal policies and ideas, eventually leading Germany into [[World War I]].
==Ancestry==
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Frederick III's ancestors in three generations'''
|-
|-
| rowspan="8" align="center"| '''Frederick III, German Emperor'''
| rowspan="4" align="center"| '''Father:'''<br />[[William I, German Emperor|William I of Germany]]
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Paternal Grandfather:'''<br />[[Frederick William III of Prussia]]
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Frederick William II of Prussia]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />[[Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt|Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt]]
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Paternal Grandmother:'''<br />[[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Charles II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />Frederica Caroline Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt
|-
| rowspan="4" align="center"| '''Mother:'''<br />[[Augusta of Saxe-Weimar]]
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Maternal Grandfather:'''<br />[[Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach|Charles Frederick of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]]
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach|Charles Augustus of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Maternal Grandmother:'''<br />[[Maria Pavlovna of Russia]]
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Paul I of Russia]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />[[Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)|Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg]]
|}
==Issue==
{| border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes
|-
|[[William II, German Emperor|William II]]||January 27, 1859||June 4, 1941||married 1881, Princess [[Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein]]; had issue
|-
|[[Charlotte, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen|Princess Charlotte]]||July 24, 1860||October 1, 1919||married 1878, [[Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen]]; had issue
|-
|[[Albert Wilhelm Heinrich of Prussia|Prince Heinrich]]||August 14, 1862||April 20, 1929||married 1888, [[Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine]]; had issue
|-
|[[Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1864-1866)|Prince Sigismund]]||September 15, 1864||June 18, 1866||died aged 21 mos.
|-
|[[Princess Viktoria of Prussia|Princess Viktoria]]||April 12, 1866||November 13, 1929||married 1890, [[Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe]]
|-
|[[Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1868-1879)|Prince Waldemar]]||February 10, 1868||March 27, 1879||died aged 11
|-
|[[Sophie of Prussia|Princess Sophie]]||June 14, 1870||January 13, 1932||married 1889, [[Constantine I of Greece]]; had issue
|-
|[[Princess Margaret of Prussia|Princess Margaret]]||April 22, 1872||January 22, 1954||married 1893, [[Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse]]; had issue
|-
|}
==Titles, styles, honours and arms==
===Titles and styles===
*'''October 18, 1831 - January 2, 1861''': ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Frederick of Prussia
*'''January 2, 1861 - January 18, 1871''': ''His Royal Highness'' The Crown Prince of Prussia
*'''January 18, 1871 - March 9, 1888''': ''His Imperial and Royal Highness'' The German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia
*'''March 9, 1888 - June 15, 1888''': ''His Imperial and Royal Majesty'' The German Emperor, King of Prussia
== Notes ==
{{reflist|3}}
== References ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last = Balfour | first = Michael | title = The Kaiser and his Times | location = Boston | publisher = Houghton Mifflin | year = 1964 | oclc = 807459 }}
* {{cite book | last = Cecil | first = Lamar | title = Wilhelm II: Prince and Emperor 1859-1900 | location = Chapel Hill | publisher = University of North Carolina Press | year = 1989 | isbn = 978-0807818282 }}
* {{cite journal | last = Chalat | first = Ned | year = 1984 | month = October | title = Sir Morell Mackenzie Revisited | journal = The Laryngoscope | volume = 94 | issue = 10 | pages = 1307-1310 | url = http://www.laryngoscope.com/pt/re/laryngoscope/abstract.00005537-198410000-00009.htm;jsessionid=LFJR5HjmCbz0zLc7hrz72xfxMKL9LNd0sN11hNYSWNvfS176qjz5!353761397!181195628!8091!-1}}
* {{cite book | last = Corti | first = Egon | title = The English Empress: A Study in the Relations Between Queen Victoria and her Eldest Daughter, Empress Frederick of Germany | publisher = Cassell | year= 1957 | location = London | oclc = 60222037 }}
* {{cite journal | last = Dorpalen | first = Andreas | year = 1948 | title = [http://www.jstor.org/pss/1841754 Emperor Frederick III and the German Liberal Movement] | journal = The American Historical Review | volume = 54 | issue = 1 | pages = 1-31}}
* {{cite book | last = Farago | first = Ladislas | authorlink = Ladislas Farago | coauthors = [[Andrew Sinclair]] | title = Royal Web: The Story of Princess Victoria and Frederick of Prussia | publisher = McGraw-Hill Book Company| year= 1981 | location = New York}}
* {{cite book | last = Feuchtwanger | first = Edgar | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=sHAzUxZt_dwC Bismarck] | publisher = Routledge | year= 2002 | location = London | isbn = 9780415216142}}
* {{cite book | last = Judd | first = Denis | title = Eclipse of Kings: European Monarchies in the Twentieth Century | publisher = Stein and Day | year= 1976 | location = New York | isbn = 0 8128 2064 1 | oclc = 2074280 }}
* {{cite book | last = Kitchen | first = Martin | authorlink = Martin Kitchen | title = Cambridge Illustrated History of Germany | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year= 1996 | location = Cambridge | isbn = 9780521794329 | oclc = 46909896}}
* {{cite book | last = Kollander | first = Patricia | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=ODmUOa3aHrEC Frederick III: Germany’s Liberal Emperor] | publisher = Greenwood Press | year= 1995 | location = London | isbn = 978-0313294839}}
* {{cite book | last = MacDonogh | first = Giles | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=QHC0Sg81-HkC The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II] | publisher = Macmillan | year= 2003 | location = London | isbn = 0312305575}}
* {{cite journal | last = McCullough | first = J. | year = 1930 | month = March | title = An Imperial Tragedy: Frederick III and the Letters of the Empress| journal = The Canadian Medical Association Journal | pages = 403-409| url = http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&blobtype=pdf&artid=381777}}
* {{cite book | last = Mueller-Bohn | first = Hermann | title = Kaiser Friedrich der gütige: vaterländisches ehrenbuch | publisher = Verlag Von Paul Kittel | year= 1900 | location = Berlin | oclc = 11475860 | language = German }}
* {{cite book | last = Nichols | first = J. | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=3gxoAAAAMAAJ&pgis=1 The Year of the Three Kaisers: Bismarck and the German Succession, 1887-88] | publisher = University of Illinois Press | year= 1987 | location = Chicago | isbn = 9780252013072}}
* {{cite book | last = Pakula | first = Hannah | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=GxBoAAAAMAAJ&pgis=1 An Uncommon Woman - The Empress Frederick: Daughter of Queen Victoria, Wife of the Crown Prince of Prussia, Mother of Kaiser Wilhelm] | publisher = Phoenix Giants | year = 1998 | location = London | isbn = 1 85799 853 7 | oclc = 59592048 }}
* {{cite web | last = Pike | first = John | title = Kaiser Friedrich III | publisher = GlobalSecurity.org | date = 2008 | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/de-kaiser-friedrich-iii.htm | accessdate = 2008-09-29}}
* {{cite web | last = Reid | first = Denis | title = Royal Genealogies Part I | publisher = cac.psu.edu | date = 2008 | url = ftp://ftp.cac.psu.edu/pub/genealogy/public_html/royal/r01.html#I20 | accessdate = 2008-10-09}}
* {{cite book | last = Röhl | first = John | authorlink = John Röhl | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=dKQ8AAAAIAAJ Young Wilhelm: The Kaiser's Early Life, 1859-1888]| publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 1998 | location = Cambridge | isbn = 9780521497527}}
* {{cite book | last = Rosenberg | first = Arthur | authorlink = Arthur Rosenberg | coauthors = Ian Fitzherbert Despard Morrow | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=1RUBAAAAMAAJ&pgis=1 The Birth of the German Republic 1871-1918] | publisher = Oxford University Press| year = 1931 | location = Oxford}}
* {{cite book | last = Sheehan | first = James | authorlink = James J. Sheehan | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=FIMOAAAACAAJ German Liberalism in the Nineteenth Century] | publisher = University of Chicago Press| year= 1978 | location = Chicago | isbn = 9781573926065}}
* {{cite book | last = Sinclair | first = Andrew | authorlink = Andrew Sinclair | title = The Other Victoria: The Princess Royal and the Grand Game of Europe | publisher = Weidenfeld and Nicholson | year= 1981 | location = London | isbn = 0 297 779887 | oclc = 8845833 }}
* {{cite book | last = Van der Kiste | first = John | authorlink = John Van der Kiste | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=hF11AAAACAAJ Frederick III: German Emperor 1888] | publisher = Alan Sutton | year= 1981 | location = Gloucester | isbn = 9780904387773 | oclc = 10605825}}
* {{cite web | last = Wanckel | first = Regine | title = Evangelische Friedenskirchgemeinde Potsdam | publisher = Evkirchepotsdam.de | date = 2008 | url = http://evkirchepotsdam.de/frieden/system.asp?target=%2FOffeneKirchen&template=main%2Ehtml | language = German | accessdate = 2008-09-29}}
{{refend}}
==Further reading==
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=16apGAAACAAJ ''The War Diary of the Emperor Frederick III, (1870-1871)''] Translated and edited by Alfred Richard Allinson. New York, Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1927. - This is the translated collection of the then Crown Prince Frederick's war diaries.
==External links==
*[http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/kaiser_friedrich.htm Kaiser Friedrich III] {{de icon}} Website with biographical information and paintings of Frederick III
{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Hohenzollern]]|October 18|1831|June 15|1888}}
{{s-reg|de}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Wilhelm I, German Emperor|Wilhelm I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of German monarchs|German Emperor]]</br>[[List of rulers of Prussia|King of Prussia]]|years=March 9 – June 15, 1888}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]]}}
{{end}}
{{German monarchs}}
{{Rulers of Prussia}}
{{German Empire 1871-1918}}
{{BD|1831|1888|}}
[[Category:German emperors]]
[[Category:Kings of Prussia]]
[[Category:German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War]]
[[Category:Field Marshals of the German Empire]]
[[Category:Field Marshals of Prussia]]
[[Category:Field Marshals of Russia]]
[[Category:University of Bonn alumni]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece]]
[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)]]
[[Category:Protestant monarchs]]
[[Category:People from Potsdam]]
[[Category:Deaths from throat cancer]]
[[Category:Cancer deaths in Germany]]
[[ar:فريدريش الثالث]]
[[ca:Frederic III de Prússia]]
[[cs:Fridrich III. Pruský]]
[[da:Frederik 3. af Tyskland]]
[[de:Friedrich III. (Deutsches Reich)]]
[[et:Friedrich III (Saksa keiser)]]
[[es:Federico III de Alemania]]
[[eo:Frederiko la 3-a (Prusio)]]
[[fr:Frédéric III d'Allemagne]]
[[ko:독일의 프리드리히 3세]]
[[it:Federico III di Germania]]
[[he:פרידריך השלישי, קיסר גרמניה]]
[[ka:ფრიდრიხ III (გერმანიის იმპერია)]]
[[la:Fridericus III (Imperator Germaniae)]]
[[lt:Frydrichas III]]
[[hu:III. Frigyes német császár]]
[[nl:Frederik III van Duitsland]]
[[ja:フリードリヒ3世 (ドイツ皇帝)]]
[[no:Fredrik III av Tyskland]]
[[pl:Fryderyk III Hohenzollern]]
[[pt:Frederico I da Alemanha]]
[[ru:Фридрих III (германский император)]]
[[fi:Fredrik III (Saksa)]]
[[sv:Fredrik III av Tyskland]]
[[th:พระเจ้าฟริดริชที่ 3 แห่งเยอรมนี (โฮเฮนซอลเลิร์น)]]
[[tr:III. Friedrich]]
[[zh:腓特烈三世 (德国)]]
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Revision as of 18:38, 10 October 2008
Template:Infobox Prussian Royalty
Frederick III (German: Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl, English: Frederick William Nicholas Charles; October 18, 1831 – June 15, 1888), (German: Friedrich III., Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen) was German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling for 99 days until his death on June 15, 1888. He was married to Princess Victoria, the daughter of British Queen Victoria. Celebrated for his military successes and leadership during the Second Schleswig War, the Austro-Prussian War, and the Franco-Prussian War before his reign as German Emperor, Frederick III became popular due to these achievements and his liberal ideals.[1][2] He was more liberal than previous German leaders and represented a possibility for the earlier liberalization of German society and government. His father and predecessor William I lived to be almost 91 years old, which was rare for the time. In addition to this, Frederick III developed larynx cancer shortly before he became emperor which severely limited his time and effectiveness in that position. After his largely ineffectual reign, his successor, William II, abandoned any path toward liberalization that Frederick III previously leaned towards.
Personal life
Early life
Frederick William, as he was known before he assumed the throne, was born in the New Palace at Potsdam, a scion of the House of Hohenzollern. His father, Prince William of Prussia was a younger brother of King Frederick William IV of Prussia. Prussia, at the time, was recovering militarily and otherwise from the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars.[3] His mother, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar, had been brought up in a very different atmosphere. Weimar was the first German state to grant its subjects a constitution. Frederick's parents were also quite ill-suited to one another. His father had been in love with his cousin Elisa Radziwill, a minor Princess of the Polish nobility. He was forced to give her up due to her unequal rank and marry a dynastically suitable Princess, which he did out of duty.[3] Princess Augusta was well known across Europe for her liberal views.[4] It is not surprising therefore that Frederick's adult memories were always of a lonely childhood in a home dominated by his ill-matched parents.[5] He had one sister, Louise, later Grand Duchess of Baden. Although Frederick was eight years Louise's senior, the two siblings were very close. During this time Frederick also lived through the Revolutions of 1848 which, along with his liberal family members and education, contributed to him having liberal beliefs early in life.[6]
Education
The Hohenzollern family traditionally valued a military education. It was Frederick's mother that insisted that her son be educated according to liberal ideas.[5] Therefore his education was closely supervised and extremely thorough. He was a talented student and was particularly good at foreign languages. He became fluent in English and French and also studied Latin as well as History, Geography, Physics, Music and Religion. Frederick was also good at gymnastics and became a very good rider as required of a Prussian Prince.[7] Like all Hohenzollern Princes he became familiar from a particularly young age with the military traditions of the dynasty. At the age of ten, in accordance with family tradition, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the First Infantry Regiment of Guards, and was invested with the Order of the Black Eagle.[8] As a Prussian Prince, Frederick was expected to become actively involved as a military commander and strategist.[8] Later, breaking with Hohenzollern tradition, he studied history, literature and law at the University at Bonn, where he developed many of his liberal tendencies.[9] His future father-in-law, Prince Albert, had also studied there.[10]
Marriage and family
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/VictoriaPrincessRoyal.jpg/170px-VictoriaPrincessRoyal.jpg)
As early as 1851, there were plans to marry Frederick to Victoria, Princess Royal of Great Britain and Ireland, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. At the christening of the future King Edward VII, Frederick's uncle, King Frederick William IV of Prussia, was godfather and had also dandled the Princess Royal on his knee. The Royal dynasty in Britain was predominantly German; there was little British blood in Queen Victoria and none in her husband.[11] The idea of Frederick marrying the Princess Royal was considered to be a very good idea by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Nobody welcomed the prospect of closer connections with Britain more than Princess Augusta. Prince William had been indifferent to the idea and had hoped for a marriage with a Russian Grand Duchess.[11] King Leopold I of Belgium, uncle of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, had long treasured the idea of Baron Stockmar of a marriage alliance between Britain and Prussia.[12] Prince Albert hoped that the marriage would lead to the liberalization and modernization of Prussia. The betrothal of the young couple was announced in April 1856.[13] The wedding was on January 25, 1858, in the Chapel of St. James's Palace, London. To mark the occasion, Frederick was promoted to Major-General in the Prussian army. Although the marriage was arranged, the couple loved each other.[14][15] The rigorously educated Victoria shared her husband's liberal views. The couple had eight children during their marriage: William in 1859, Charlotte in 1860, Henry in 1862, Sigismund in 1864, Victoria in 1866, Waldemar in 1868, Sophie in 1870 and Margaret in 1872.[16] However, both Princes Sigismund and Waldemar died in childhood, Sigismund at age 2 and Waldemar at age 11.[16] Frederick's eldest son, William, suffered from a withered arm due to his difficult and dangerous breech birth, although it could have also been the result of a slight case of cerebral palsy.[17][18] Relations between both parents and William would prove to be difficult throughout the years.[19]
Political life
Crown Prince
Template:Infobox German Monarch Styles |
On January 2, 1861, Frederick William's father became King William I of Prussia, and Frederick William himself became Crown Prince at the age of twenty-nine. He had to remain Crown Prince until the long-delayed death of his father on March 9, 1888. William's accession did not usher in the new era for which Frederick and the liberal elements in Prussia had hoped. The elections of December 1861 returned a greatly increased liberal majority in the Prussian Diet. Frederick declared himself in complete agreement with the "essential liberal policy for internal and foreign affairs."[20]
But the new King was an obstinate old soldier, not likely to change his conservative ideas at the age of sixty-four.[21] Frederick very nearly became King in September 1862. When the Diet refused funds for his army reorganization, William threatened to abdicate.[22] Frederick was appalled, saying that an abdication would "constitute a threat to the dynasty, country and Crown."[22] William did not abdicate; instead he appointed Bismarck as Minister-President. The arrival of Bismarck, an authoritarian who often ignored or overruled the Diet,[23] set Frederick on a collision course with his father on policy and led to his exclusion from affairs of state for the rest of the reign. A united Germany was not to be achieved through liberal and peaceful means but through Bismarck's policy of blood and iron, despite Frederick's insistence on campaigning for bloodless "moral conquests" to unify Germany.[6]
Frederick was severely reproached by his father for his liberal ideas. As a result of these disagreements, Frederick frequently went to England with his family. There Queen Victoria allowed him to stand in her place as an official deputy on numerous occasions.[24]
Military commander
Crown Prince Frederick formed a partnership with General Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal, his Chief of Staff, through whom he was able to command victorious armies in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. The timely arrival of his troops was crucial to the Prussian victory at Königgrätz.[2] After the battle, William presented Frederick with the Order Pour le Mérite, as a mark of personal gallantry on the field. A few days before Sadowa, Frederick had written to his wife hoping that this would be the last war he would have to fight. On the third day of the battle he wrote again to her, "Who knows whether we may not have to wage a third war in order to keep what we have now won?"[25] As commander, Frederick also had great victories in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, where he commanded the III Army at Wissembourg, Wœrth, Sedan and during the Siege of Paris.[2]
Heir to the German Empire
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/FriedIII.jpg/170px-FriedIII.jpg)
The German states united as the German Empire in 1871, with William as Emperor and Frederick as heir to the new German monarchy. Bismarck, now German Chancellor, disliked Frederick, and distrusted his and his wife's liberalism. Frederick was often at odds with his father and Bismarck's policies and actions and sided with liberals often.[26] Frederick opposed his father and Bismarck's attempt to expand the empire's army[27] and also opposed Bismarck's restrictions on freedom of the press in what was called the Danzig statement.[28] Frederick was kept out of any real position of power throughout his father's reign. It was very improbable that William, then 73, would reign until 1888. Frederick was left without responsibilities, however he did many works such as establishing schools and churches in the area of Bornstaedt near Potsdam.[29][30] Emperor William, seeking to raise the capital of Berlin to a great cultural center, appointed Frederick as Protector of Public Museums. It was largely due to his work that considerable artistic collections were acquired. After his death, these collections were housed in the new Kaiser Friedrich Museum (later known as the Bode Museum) in Berlin.[31] Frederick continued his military and representational duties when required, such as attending Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. "For a while Fritz's life was little more than a chronicle of foundation stone laying, traveling to weddings and celebrations in all corners of the continent and family visits to his wife's relations in England or alternatively to her sister Alice at the humble palace in Darmstadt."[32]
Illness and brief reign
By the time his father died aged 90 on March 9, 1888, Frederick was viewed with hope by liberals as someone who would finally be able to implement the liberal ideas that he espoused.[33] However, by that time Frederick had developed a debilitating cancer of the larynx, which was finally diagnosed on November 12, 1887 by the British doctor Sir Morell Mackenzie.[34] On learning of his illness Frederick said, "To think I should have such a horrid disgusting illness ... I had so hoped to have been of use to my country."[35] Due to a rivalry between the local German doctors and the British doctors favored by Frederick and his wife, difficulties occurred over the proposed treatment of the patient.[36] Doctor Bergman, a German, proposed to remove the larynx completely. His German colleague, Dr. Virchow, disagreed.[37] Such an operation had never been successfully performed without the death of the patient.[38] Therefore both the Emperor and Empress naturally preferred the treatment suggested by Mackenzie. A cannula was fitted on February 8 to allow the Emperor to breathe.[39] This operation is called a tracheotomy. Frederick had difficulty speaking for the remainder of his life, and often communicated through writing. Dr. Bergman almost killed the Emperor by missing the incision in the windpipe and forcing the cannula into the wrong place. This caused the Emperor to cough and bleed, so Bergman placed his forefinger into the wound to enlarge it. The bleeding only subsided after two hours. The Emperor wrote, "Why did Bergman put his finger in my throat?"[39] and later, "Bergman ill-treated me".[39] Bergman's interference resulted in an abscess in the patient's neck creating pus which made the condition more serious.[39] Years later, Bergman tried to prove to his medical students that he could have saved Frederick III by removing his larynx. He attempted that operation on a different patient, but he died under the knife.[40][41][42]
In spite of his illness, Frederick continued to fulfill his obligations as Emperor. Before he ascended to the position he had already penned a proclamation that stated that the chancellor and monarch would be limited under the constitution.[43] Immediately after the announcement of his accession, he took the ribbon and star of his own Order of the Black Eagle from his jacket and pinned it on the dress of his wife. He was determined, though gravely ill, to honor the position of his wife as Empress.[44] He also managed to receive Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway and to attend the wedding of his son Prince Henry to his niece Princess Irene. Because Frederick III ruled for only 99 days,[45] he was unable to cause many lasting changes to Germany.[46] He did however force Robert von Puttkammer to resign on June 8 when evidence appeared that Puttkammer had interfered in the Reichstag elections.[47][48] Dr. Mackenzie wrote of the Emperor that he had "an almost overwhelming sense of the duties of his position."[49] Writing to Lord Napier, the new Empress Victoria wrote that "The Emperor is able to attend to his business, and do a great deal, but not being able to speak is, of course, most trying."[50] However, despite all of his efforts, Frederick did not have time to complete his ideas and may have realized that Germany's path to liberalism was in danger when in May 1888 he said "I cannot die ... What would happen to Germany?"[51] Finally on June 15, Frederick III died and was succeeded by his 29-year-old son William II. After his death, British Prime Minister William Gladstone called Frederick III the "Barbarossa of German liberalism."[52] He is buried in a mausoleum attached to the Friedenskirche in Potsdam.[53][54]
Legacy
Template:House of Hohenzollern Many historians have considered Frederick's early death as an end to the course of liberalism within the German empire. Given a longer reign and better health, many historians and scholars believe that it is possible that he would have moved Germany towards a more liberal democratic course, possibly preventing Germany's militaristic path towards war.[45][55][56] Frederick and Victoria were both great admirers of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and the British parliamentary system.[27] They planned to rule as consorts and liberalize Germany through the appointment of more liberal ministers.[57] Frederick also planned for the office of Chancellor to be severely limited.[43] Government policy would be based on the consensus of a liberal cabinet, as Frederick believed a country should not act against the popular opinion of its inhabitants.[28] However, his father lived over 90 years and reigned for 27 years. That, combined with his sickness, made Frederick unable to enact his liberal policies at the height of his power, popularity, and good health following his military successes.
There are also historians who oppose the idea that Frederick could have, or would have, liberalized Germany. Some historians believe that he would not have changed Germany's course because of his apparent compliance with most of his father's and Bismarck's policies early in his life.[58] Frederick was also steeped in his family's strong military tradition since he was young. Historians argue further that Frederick was too weak and ineffectual to have brought about real change in Germany regardless of how long he reigned.[33][59] Finally, historians state that despite Frederick III's personal traits, the political climate and party system of Germany during his reign would not have accepted liberalization, regardless of his efforts.[60]
Frederick's children also continued to greatly affect Europe after his death. Although many of his children held various political positions, his most well known son is William II, who became emperor after Frederick III's death. William II had not experienced the horrors of war firsthand like his father, and not only did he immediately take to his family's military traditions, he also fell under the tutelage of Bismarck. Bismarck felt that it was his job to increase the tensions between William II and his parents.[61] Shortly after his father's death, William II proclaimed that he would follow the path of his grandfather, William I, but made no reference to his recently deceased father.[62] William II became very militaristic and abandoned all of his father's liberal policies and ideas, eventually leading Germany into World War I.
Ancestry
Frederick III, German Emperor | Father: William I of Germany |
Paternal Grandfather: Frederick William III of Prussia |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Frederick William II of Prussia |
Paternal Great-grandmother: Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt | |||
Paternal Grandmother: Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Charles II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | ||
Paternal Great-grandmother: Frederica Caroline Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt | |||
Mother: Augusta of Saxe-Weimar |
Maternal Grandfather: Charles Frederick of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Charles Augustus of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | |
Maternal Great-grandmother: Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt | |||
Maternal Grandmother: Maria Pavlovna of Russia |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Paul I of Russia | ||
Maternal Great-grandmother: Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg |
Issue
Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
William II | January 27, 1859 | June 4, 1941 | married 1881, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein; had issue |
Princess Charlotte | July 24, 1860 | October 1, 1919 | married 1878, Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; had issue |
Prince Heinrich | August 14, 1862 | April 20, 1929 | married 1888, Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine; had issue |
Prince Sigismund | September 15, 1864 | June 18, 1866 | died aged 21 mos. |
Princess Viktoria | April 12, 1866 | November 13, 1929 | married 1890, Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe |
Prince Waldemar | February 10, 1868 | March 27, 1879 | died aged 11 |
Princess Sophie | June 14, 1870 | January 13, 1932 | married 1889, Constantine I of Greece; had issue |
Princess Margaret | April 22, 1872 | January 22, 1954 | married 1893, Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse; had issue |
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- October 18, 1831 - January 2, 1861: His Royal Highness Prince Frederick of Prussia
- January 2, 1861 - January 18, 1871: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Prussia
- January 18, 1871 - March 9, 1888: His Imperial and Royal Highness The German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia
- March 9, 1888 - June 15, 1888: His Imperial and Royal Majesty The German Emperor, King of Prussia
Notes
- ^ Kollander, p. 79.
- ^ a b c Pike
- ^ a b Van der Kiste, p. 10.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 11.
- ^ a b Van der Kiste, p. 12.
- ^ a b Nichols, p. 7.
- ^ Mueller-Bohn, p. 44.
- ^ a b Mueller-Bohn, p. 14.
- ^ MacDonogh, p. 17.
- ^ Mueller-Bohn, p. 19.
- ^ a b Van der Kiste, p. 15.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 16.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 31.
- ^ MacDonogh, p. 17-18.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 43.
- ^ a b Kollander, p. 21.
- ^ Röhl, p.12.
- ^ MacDonogh, p. 22.
- ^ Röhl, p. xiii.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 68.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 61.
- ^ a b Pakula, p. 168.
- ^ Pakula, p. 75.
- ^ Pakula, p. 69.
- ^ Pakula, p. 98.
- ^ Dorpalen, p. 6.
- ^ a b Dorpalen, p. 1.
- ^ a b Dorpalen, p. 11.
- ^ Mueller-Bohn, p. 420.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 89.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 128.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 130–31.
- ^ a b Sheehan, p. 217.
- ^ Judd, p. 13.
- ^ Pakula, p. 448.
- ^ Pakula, p. 479.
- ^ Sinclair, p. 195
- ^ Sinclair, p. 206
- ^ a b c d Sinclair, p. 204
- ^ Corti, p. 307–08.
- ^ Pakula, p. 504.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 171.
- ^ a b Kollander, p. 147.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 193.
- ^ a b Kitchen, p. 214.
- ^ Cecil, p. 110.
- ^ Sinclair, p. 211.
- ^ Kollander, p. 174.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 195.
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 196.
- ^ Pakula, p. 484.
- ^ Kollander, p. xi.
- ^ Wanckel
- ^ Reid
- ^ Chalat, p. 1307.
- ^ McCullough, p.403.
- ^ Farago, p. 264.
- ^ Dorpalen, p. 18.
- ^ Rosenberg, p. 34.
- ^ Sheehan, p. 216.
- ^ Feuchtwanger, p. 243.
- ^ Kollander, p. 178.
References
- Balfour, Michael (1964). The Kaiser and his Times. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 807459.
- Cecil, Lamar (1989). Wilhelm II: Prince and Emperor 1859-1900. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0807818282.
- Chalat, Ned (1984). "Sir Morell Mackenzie Revisited". The Laryngoscope. 94 (10): 1307–1310.
{{cite journal}}
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ignored (help) - Corti, Egon (1957). The English Empress: A Study in the Relations Between Queen Victoria and her Eldest Daughter, Empress Frederick of Germany. London: Cassell. OCLC 60222037.
- Dorpalen, Andreas (1948). "Emperor Frederick III and the German Liberal Movement". The American Historical Review. 54 (1): 1–31.
{{cite journal}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- Farago, Ladislas (1981). Royal Web: The Story of Princess Victoria and Frederick of Prussia. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - Feuchtwanger, Edgar (2002). Bismarck. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415216142.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- Judd, Denis (1976). Eclipse of Kings: European Monarchies in the Twentieth Century. New York: Stein and Day. ISBN 0 8128 2064 1. OCLC 2074280.
{{cite book}}
: Check|isbn=
value: checksum (help) - Kitchen, Martin (1996). Cambridge Illustrated History of Germany. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521794329. OCLC 46909896.
- Kollander, Patricia (1995). Frederick III: Germany’s Liberal Emperor. London: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0313294839.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- MacDonogh, Giles (2003). The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0312305575.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- McCullough, J. (1930). "An Imperial Tragedy: Frederick III and the Letters of the Empress". The Canadian Medical Association Journal: 403–409.
{{cite journal}}
: Unknown parameter|month=
ignored (help) - Mueller-Bohn, Hermann (1900). Kaiser Friedrich der gütige: vaterländisches ehrenbuch (in German). Berlin: Verlag Von Paul Kittel. OCLC 11475860.
- Nichols, J. (1987). The Year of the Three Kaisers: Bismarck and the German Succession, 1887-88. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252013072.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- Pakula, Hannah (1998). An Uncommon Woman - The Empress Frederick: Daughter of Queen Victoria, Wife of the Crown Prince of Prussia, Mother of Kaiser Wilhelm. London: Phoenix Giants. ISBN 1 85799 853 7. OCLC 59592048.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- Pike, John (2008). "Kaiser Friedrich III". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- Reid, Denis (2008). "Royal Genealogies Part I". cac.psu.edu. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- Röhl, John (1998). Young Wilhelm: The Kaiser's Early Life, 1859-1888. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521497527.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- Rosenberg, Arthur (1931). The Birth of the German Republic 1871-1918. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
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|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - Sheehan, James (1978). German Liberalism in the Nineteenth Century. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9781573926065.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
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- Sinclair, Andrew (1981). The Other Victoria: The Princess Royal and the Grand Game of Europe. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson. ISBN 0 297 779887. OCLC 8845833.
{{cite book}}
: Check|isbn=
value: checksum (help) - Van der Kiste, John (1981). Frederick III: German Emperor 1888. Gloucester: Alan Sutton. ISBN 9780904387773. OCLC 10605825.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
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- Wanckel, Regine (2008). "Evangelische Friedenskirchgemeinde Potsdam" (in German). Evkirchepotsdam.de. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
Further reading
- The War Diary of the Emperor Frederick III, (1870-1871) Translated and edited by Alfred Richard Allinson. New York, Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1927. - This is the translated collection of the then Crown Prince Frederick's war diaries.
External links
- Kaiser Friedrich III Template:De icon Website with biographical information and paintings of Frederick III
- German emperors
- Kings of Prussia
- German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War
- Field Marshals of the German Empire
- Field Marshals of Prussia
- Field Marshals of Russia
- University of Bonn alumni
- Knights of the Golden Fleece
- Knights of the Garter
- Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
- Protestant monarchs
- People from Potsdam
- Deaths from throat cancer
- Cancer deaths in Germany