FREDERICK WILLIAM (BRANDENBURG) (1620–1688; ruled 1640–1688), elector of Brandenburg and…, Williams, Hosea Lorenzo 1926– german unification Blasius, Dirk. In 1844, he attended the celebrations of the completion of the cathedral, so he was the first king of Prussia who entered a Roman Catholic building. He reigned as King of Prussia from 1840 to 1861. Retrieved October 17, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/frederick-william-iv. https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Frederick+William+IV, 1795--1861, king of Prussia (1840--61). He believed this house of lords to be modelled on the English upper house, but in a political testament he implored his successors to refuse to take the oath on the Prussian constitution. Frederick William IV, (born Oct. 15, 1795, Cölln, near Berlin—died Jan. 2, 1861, Potsdam, Prussia), king of Prussia from 1840 until 1861, whose conservative policies helped spark the Revolution of 1848. Oxford, U.K., 2004. A romanticist and a mystic, he conceived vague schemes of reform based on a revival of the medieval structure, with the rule of estates and a patriarchal monarchy. Central to this project was an organicist vision of a society organized on the basis of historically defined estates, each suffused with its unique group energies, values, and functions. and Russia forced Frederick William to capitulate at Olmütz (1850). 17 Oct. 2020 . "Frederick William IV When he finally called a national assembly in 1847, it was not a representative body, but rather a United Diet which cold speak for all the provincial estates and had the right to grant taxes and loans but no right to meet at regular intervals. Frederick William was the son of the future king Frederick William III and Louisa of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Encyclopedia of Modern Europe: Europe 1789-1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of Industry and Empire. Professor of Modern History, Free University of Berlin, 1950–60. Through a personal union, he also became the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel (1840–1857), today part of Switzerland. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Grab ahold of various geographic facts—not Big Macs—in this quiz. [3] Frederick William was educated by private tutors, many of whom were experienced civil servants, such as Friedrich Ancillon. The couple had a very harmonious marriage, but it remained childless.[4]. FREDERICK WILLIAM IV (in German, Friedrich Wilhelm IV; 1795–1861; ruled 1840–1861), king of Prussia. . FREDERICK WILLIAM IV. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Tieck, L. von Ranke, A. von Humboldt, and other leaders of the romantic movement were among his closest friends.