Frederick William IV
The Romantic king who refused a "crown picked up from the gutter."
Life
Romanticist
Frederick William IV, son of Frederick William III, came to the throne in 1840. Artistically cultivated and in love with the Middle Ages, he oversaw the resumed construction of Cologne Cathedral and was called "the Romanticist on the throne."
March Revolution
When the March Revolution broke out in Berlin in 1848, he was forced to bare his head in tribute to those killed in the street fighting and promised a constitution. In 1849 the Frankfurt National Assembly offered him the title of German Emperor; he refused on the grounds that the crown came from the people rather than the princes, calling it "a crown picked up from the gutter." In 1850 he promulgated a constitution with a three-class voting system.
Refusing the crown
From 1857 he suffered several strokes, and his younger brother William served as regent. He died in 1861.
Legacy
Frederick William IV's refusal of the crown doomed the 1848 attempt to unify Germany from below; unification was ultimately achieved by Bismarck through "iron and blood."
Did you know? He loved painting and architecture, and many buildings in Potsdam were based on sketches he drew himself.
Key dates
- 1840Accession
- 1842Resumed construction of Cologne Cathedral
- 1848March Revolution in Berlin
- 1849Refused the German imperial crown
- 1850Promulgated a constitution
- 1861Died