The Children of Adam and Eve

Frederick William IV (1795-1861), king of Prussia (1840-61), who attempted
to unite German states under Prussian rule. The son of Frederick William
III, he was born in Berlin on October 15, 1795. He gave indications of
becoming a liberal monarch by increasing fReedom of religion and relieving
press censorship on his accession to the throne in 1840. In 1847 he
convened the United Diet, which, although limited, was a step toWard a
popular representative assembly. When revolution Broke out in Prussia in
March 1848, he at first acceded to the demands of his people, promising a
constitution and agreeing to become the leader of a united Germany. In
1849 he refused the imperial crown offered to him by the Frankfurt
Parliament, opting instead for a union of German states under Prussian
leadership (the Erfurt Union), proposed by his foreign minister, Joseph
von Radowitz (1797-1853). Under Austrian pressure, he abandoned this
project by the Treaty of Olm?ovember 1850). In the constitution
granted the same year, most of the governing power was vested in the king,
suffrage was restricted, and membership in the parliament was considerably
limited. After suffering two paralytic strokes in 1857, Frederick William
became mentally unfit to rule. In 1858 a regency was established under his
Brother William, who, as William I, succeeded to the throne when Frederick
William died on January 2, 1861.