Friedrich Wilhelm III von Hohenzollern (1770-1840)

Prussian King. He reigned as King of Prussia from 1797 to 1840, and as Prince of Neuchâtel from 1797 to 1806 and from 1813 to 1840. He was raised by tutors, as was common at the time, and followed the standard military path expected of the royal house. He was considered to be shy and avoided the use of personal pronouns, which set a standard for the Prussian military. As a colonel, he fought in the French wars of 1792-1794. Upon his assumption of power, he began a program of restoring the morality of the royal house, as his father was noted for his excesses. He endeavored to remain neutral during the Napoleonic Wars, but this proved eventually unsuccessful, and war was declared in October of 1806, at the urging of his military staff and his wife. Leading the Prussian Army, he lost the Battle of Jena, and the royal family was forced to flee to the East Prussian city of Memel (now Klaipeda in Lithuania). Eventually he sued for peace and received harsh terms. Berlin remained under French occupation until 1813. While Berlin was still under occupation, after the French defeats in Russia, he repudiated the treaty and reformed the alliance with Russia. Prussian troops then played a large role in the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 and of course at Waterloo in 1815 during the Hundred Days. Although he had originally promised Prussia a constitution in 1813, he repudiated this later in life, and Prussia remained conservative politically. He spent the remaining years of his rule consolidating the peace. He avoided further wars though such was urged upon him during the 1830 July Revolution in France. He was often an intermediary in international relations. He encouraged the arts and education and Berlin became a model and modern European capital. He was succeeded by his son, Friedrich Wilhelm IV.

Bio by: Kenneth Gilbert