German empire lost more than 2.5 million during the I World War. The empire was abolished
and the country was set on the path to the II World War. However, there was a turning
point three decades before, which could have averted this path. This is the tragic, but
interesting story of Frederick III and how his death possibly changed the course of the
World history.
On the 18th of October 1831, a thunderous salute echoed across Berlin to announce that
a healthy baby boy had been born. His father was Prince William of Prussia, younger brother
of King Frederick William IV of Prussia, and his mother was Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
This boy would eventually grow to become German Emperor Frederick III. In his education, he
studied the traditional military topics and underwent martial training which was considered
critical for a Prussian prince. Sources describe an occasion during which at the age of 7,
Frederick delighted his father with a full military report whilst dressed in uniform,
and correctly standing to attention. The military education also exposed him to the conservative
militarism of Prussia at an early age. In addition, his mother insisted he also be given
a classical education in the liberal arts. The young prince was particularly talented
in languages, learning English and French, as well as studying geography, history, physics,
music and religion. This side of his education exposed him to a moderate liberalism – the
ideology which would become prominent much later.
Two other factors influenced his liberal stance. From 1849 to 1852 the young prince attended
the University of Bonn in the liberal Rhine province, studying History, Law, Governance,
and Public Policy. This was unusual for a Prussian prince, who would customarily continue
their military service rather than going onto further education. Two of the tutors he had
during his studies were Ernst Curtius, a German classicist, and Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann,
a historian and politician. These men, along with some of his less conservative family
members, had a profound influence on Frederick’s political development. Secondly in 1855, three
years after his graduation, he became engaged to Princess Victoria of England, the eldest
daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. At the time, the Prussian government was allied
with the Russian Empire in the east, and both the British royals and Frederick’s mother
were dismayed at. Although the marriage was arranged, the newlyweds were compatible from
the start. Victoria also had a liberal education and shared her husband’s views. His time
in comparatively liberal Britain also had an impact on him.
Frederick’s father William was made the prince-regent of Prussia, assuming power from
his sick brother who had suffered a debilitating stroke. Frederick was involved in the regency
from the start, being introduced to the ministry by his father, attending council meetings
and being appointed the Colonel-in-chief of the first infantry regiment. It is said he
was delighted by the confidence his father placed in him, noting in his diary “What
joy and honour.” In January 1861, Prince William became King William I of Prussia,
but the harmony between father and son was not to last. Military reforms undertaken by
the new King were opposed by the Landtag and by Frederick, especially a 3-year compulsory
conscription period which he was adamant on implementing. This was just the first of many
incidents between the increasingly conservative king and his more liberal son which would
result in estrangement between the two. Throughout the century, Prussia had grown
stronger under brilliant military leaders such as the elder Helmut von Moltke, who redesigned
the operational and strategic principles, and Albrecht Graf von Roon, who reorganised
the army and its training methods. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck’s realpolitik also became
a factor in Prussia during this period. Prussia’s growing influence and power was wielded by
Bismarck as a weapon, with the goal of unifying the German states by military means, through
blood and iron. Crown Prince Frederick was opposed to this and hated warfare. Nevertheless,
when the war came, he would fight bravely in positions of command. In the eight years
from 1864 to 1872, a series of wars would occur which would change the face of Europe
forever. During the war against Denmark, Frederick
tactfully managed disputes between supervise the old Prussian commander Friedrich Graf
Wrangel and his officers, winning praise for his diplomacy. He would play a decisive role
in the Battle of Koniggratz. Through his conduct was exemplary, Frederick had once again opposed
the war against Prussia’s Austrian cousins, describing it is ‘fratricide’. Frederick
also met with further success during the climactic Battle of Sedan and Siege of Paris. Observers
praised the prince for his leadership, but also for the humane treatment of the enemy
country and the care he showed his own wounded soldiers. The Times wrote a tribute to Frederick
in July 1871, stating that "the Prince has won as much honour for his gentleness as for
his prowess in the war". This mild and affable character once again shows the virtues of
the liberalism he was raised, and that he might have brought to Germany if given the
chance. Following Prussia’s victories against Denmark,
Austria and France the German states were united into the powerful German Empire on
January 1st 1871 and Frederick was its heir-apparent. So, he sought to have more influence in the
running of the new nation. In opposition to Bismarck and his father, the prince fought
against the expansion of the army. One day as he returned from a walk along the
Rhine in 1871, Frederick discovered that his father had appointed him the patron of Prussia’s
royal museums. Although annoyed by the apolitical nature of the job, the prince fulfilled the
duties of the role with diligence and competence. Through his tenure, the budget for museums
increased fivefold and their organisational structure was modernised. In addition, he
also sponsored many source editions of historical texts, became interested in classical archaeology
and was committed to the freedom of scientific enquiry.
The period from 1879 to 1881 would foreshadow darker events of Germany’s future, as an
attempt to disemancipate German Jews was made, led by Heinrich von Treitschke. In line with
his liberal principles, the crown couple Frederick and Victoria publicly denounced Treitschke
and his supporters as lunatics. To prove their point of view and royal tolerance for the
Jewish community, the couple attended a synagogue service in Berlin during 1880. Frederick was
dressed as a Prussian field marshal when he did so, to show support for tolerance in favour
of the persecuted Jews. Notably, however Prince Wilhelm, the crown prince’s eldest son criticised
his father for his support for the Jewish community. His view was supposedly that his
father was a weak, cowardly man controlled by his British mother and the Jews. Many conservative
and reactionary circles within Germany also shared this view.
Frederick had been a heavy smoker throughout his life, and throughout the 1880s he had
become more and more unwell. Throughout 1887 he began to receive treatment for problems
with his throat and chest. On the 6th of March 1888, doctors confirmed that the crown prince
was suffering from cancer of the larynx. Three days later on the 9th, German Emperor William
I died and Frederick finally became the German Emperor at the age of 56. His reign began
promisingly despite his illness. Every single day, hundreds of his citizens placed flowers
at the palace gates. When he travelled or was moved, bouquets were laid in the path
of his carriage. He wanted to make profound changes, such as the limitation of the chancellor
position, the appointment of liberal ministers and the reorganisation of Germany to include
elements of British parliamentary democracy. However, this was not to be, as his illness
made such momentous changes impossible. Empress Victoria and her bed-bound husband had to
be content with Bismarck helping to prepare their son Wilhelm for the throne. On the 15th
of June 1888, Frederick III died. After his death, various forces in Germany
vied to shape his legacy. As it turned out, the memory of Frederick as the glorious Prussian
military hero of Koniggratz, Worth and Wissembourg overshadowed his image as an educated and
popular ruler who was loved by his people, and intended to liberalise Germany for the
better. This was popularised by the many statues of him which were erected by his successor
in the years after his death. 30 years after the death of this Emperor, Germany surrendered
to the allies at the end of the Great War. Europe’s wealth and position in the world
was greatly diminished, four great empires had been destroyed and the world would never
be the same again. as Franz Lorenz Muller summarised in his pamphlet: “If Frederick
had reigned for longer, there would have been no Anglo-German rivalry, no Russo-French alliance,
and consequently no World War.”
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