Frederick William IV of Prussia
Frederick William IV, the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, was king of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to as the "romanticist on the throne", he was deeply religious and believed that he ruled by divine right. He feared revolutions, and his ideal state was one governed by the Christian estates of the realm rather than a constitutional monarchy.
Frederick William IV in 1847
Portrait of Crown Prince Frederick William, c. 1810
Queen Elisabeth Ludovica of Prussia at an unspecified date
The Cologne Cathedral in 1856. King Frederick William IV provided the impetus to complete it over 600 years after construction began.
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved.
Copy of a portrait by Franz Krüger, 1837
Frederick William and his mother (1775)
Lenient and slow to recognize the growing French threat, Frederick William's restrained entry into the war in 1806 ended in defeat and humiliation for Prussia.
Equestrian portrait of Frederick William III by Franz Krüger (1831)
