Original: The Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV refused to accept the office of emperor when it was offered to him on the grounds that such a constitution and such an offer were an abridgment of the rights of the princes of the individual German states .
Simplified: The Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV did not accept the office of emperor when it was offered to him . He argued such an offer was an offence against the rights of the princes of the individual German states .