Frederick III , German Emperor Frederick III ( German : " Friedrich III . , Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen " ; 18 October 1831 – 15 June 1888 ) was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888 , the Year of the Three Emperors . Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl , known informally as Fritz , was the only son of Emperor William I and was raised in his family ' s tradition of military service . Although celebrated as a young man for his leadership and successes during the Second Schleswig , Austro - Prussian and Franco - Prussian wars , he nevertheless professed a hatred of warfare and was praised by friends and enemies alike for his humane conduct . Following the unification of Germany in 1871 his father , then King of Prussia , became the German Emperor . On William ' s death at the age of 90 on 9 March 1888 , the throne passed to Frederick , who had by then been Crown Prince for 27 years . Frederick was suffering from cancer of the larynx when he died on 15 June 1888 , aged 56 , following unsuccessful medical treatments for his condition . Frederick married Princess Victoria , eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom . The couple were well matched ; their shared liberal ideology led them to seek greater representation for commoners in the government . Frederick , in spite of his conservative militaristic family background , had developed liberal tendencies as a result of his ties with Britain and his studies at the University of Bonn . As the Crown Prince , he often opposed the conservative Chancellor Otto von Bismarck , particularly in speaking out against Bismarck ' s policy of uniting Germany through force , and in urging that the power of the Chancellorship be curbed . Liberals in both Germany and Britain hoped that as emperor , Frederick III would move to liberalize the German Empire . Frederick and Victoria were great admirers of the Prince Consort of the United Kingdom , Victoria ' s father . They planned to rule as consorts , like Albert and Queen Victoria , and to reform the fatal flaws in the executive branch that Bismarck had created for himself . The office of Chancellor , responsible to the Emperor , would be replaced with a British - style cabinet , with ministers responsible to the Reichstag . Government policy would be based on the consensus of the cabinet . Frederick " described the Imperial Constitution as " ingeniously contrived chaos . " " However , his illness prevented him from effectively establishing policies and measures to achieve this , and such moves as he was able to make were later abandoned by his son and successor , Wilhelm II . The timing of Frederick ' s death and the length of his reign are important topics among historians . The premature demise of Frederick III is considered a potential turning point in German history ; and whether or not he would have made the Empire more liberal if he had lived longer is still discussed . Personal life . Early life and education . Frederick William was born in the New Palace at Potsdam in Prussia on 18 October 1831 . He was a scion of the House of Hohenzollern , rulers of Prussia , then the most powerful of the German states . Frederick ' s father , Prince William , was a younger brother of King Frederick William IV and , having been raised in the military traditions of the Hohenzollerns , developed into a strict disciplinarian . William fell in love with his cousin Elisa Radziwill , a Princess of the Polish nobility , but his parents felt Elisa ' s rank was not suitable for the bride of a Prussian Prince and forced a more suitable match . The woman selected to be his wife , Princess Augusta of Saxe - Weimar , had been raised in the more intellectual and artistic atmosphere of Weimar , which gave its citizens greater participation in politics and limited the powers of its rulers through a constitution ; Augusta was well - known across Europe for her liberal views . Because of their differences , the couple did not have a happy marriage and , as a result , Frederick grew up in a troubled household , which left him with memories of a lonely childhood . He had one sister , Louise ( later Grand Duchess of Baden ) , who was eight years his junior and very close to him . Frederick also had a very good relationship with his uncle , King Frederick William IV , who has been called " the romantic on the throne " . Frederick grew up during a tumultuous political period as the concept of liberalism in Germany , which evolved during the 1840s , was gaining widespread and enthusiastic support . The liberals sought a unified Germany and were who desired a constitution to ensure equal protection under the law , the protection of property , and the safeguarding of basic civil rights . Overall , the liberals desired a government ruled by popular representation . When Frederick was 17 , these emergent nationalistic and liberal sentiments sparked a series of political uprisings across the German states and elsewhere in Europe . In Germany , their goal was to protect freedoms , such as the freedom of assembly and freedom of the press , and to create a German parliament and constitution . Although the uprisings ultimately brought about no lasting changes , liberal sentiments remained an influential force in German politics throughout Frederick ' s life . Despite the value placed by the Hohenzollern family on a traditional military education , Augusta insisted that her son also receive a classical education . Accordingly , Frederick was thoroughly tutored in both military traditions and the liberal arts . His private tutor was Ernst Curtius , a famous archaeologist . Frederick was a talented student , particularly good at foreign languages , becoming fluent in English and French , and studying Latin . He also studied history , geography , physics , music and religion , and excelled at gymnastics ; as required of a Prussian Prince , he became a very good rider . Hohenzollern princes were made familiar with the military traditions of their dynasty at an early age ; Frederick was ten when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the First Infantry Regiment of Guards and invested with the Order of the Black Eagle . As he grew older , he was expected to maintain an active involvement in military affairs . But , at the age of 18 , he broke with family tradition and entered the University of Bonn where he studied history , law and governance and public policy . During his time at Bonn ( 1850 - 1852 ) , his teachers included Ernst Moritz Arndt and Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann . His time spent at the university , coupled with the influence of less conservative family members , were instrumental in his embrace of liberal beliefs . Marriage and family . Royal marriages of the 19th century were arranged to secure alliances and to maintain blood ties among the European nations . As early as 1851 , Queen Victoria of Great Britain and her consort Prince Albert were making plans to marry their eldest daughter , Victoria , Princess Royal , to Frederick . The royal dynasty in Britain was predominantly German ; there was little British blood in Queen Victoria , and none in her husband . The monarchs desired to maintain their family ' s blood ties to Germany , and Prince Albert further hoped that the marriage would lead to the liberalization and modernization of Prussia . King Leopold I of Belgium , uncle of the British monarch and consort , also favoured this pairing ; he had long treasured Baron Stockmar ' s idea of a marriage alliance between Britain and Prussia . Frederick ' s father , Prince William , had no interest in the arrangement , hoping instead for a Russian Grand Duchess as his daughter - in - law . However , Princess Augusta was greatly in favour of a match for her son that would bring closer connections with Britain . In 1851 , his mother sent Frederick to England , ostensively to visit the Great Exhibition but in truth she hoped that the cradle of liberalism and home of the industrial revolution would have a positive influence on her son . Prince Albert took Frederick under his wings during his stay but it was Albert ' s daughter , only eleven at the time , who guided the German prince around the Exhibition . A regular exchange of letters between Victoria and Frederick followed . The betrothal of the young couple was announced in April 1856 , and their marriage took place on 25 January 1858 in the Chapel of St . James ' s Palace , London . To mark the occasion , Frederick was promoted to Major - General in the Prussian army . Although it was an arranged marriage , the newlyweds were compatible from the start and their marriage was a loving one ; Victoria too had received a liberal education and shared her husband ' s views . Of the two , Victoria was the dominant one in the relationship . The couple often resided at the Crown Prince ' s Palace and had eight children : Wilhelm in 1859 , Charlotte in 1860 , Henry in 1862 , Sigismund in 1864 , Victoria in 1866 , Waldemar in 1868 , Sophie in 1870 and Margaret in 1872 . Sigismund died at the age of 2 and Waldemar at age 11 , and their eldest son , Wilhelm , suffered from a withered arm — probably due to his difficult and dangerous breech birth , although it could have also resulted from a mild case of cerebral palsy . Wilhelm , who became emperor after Frederick ' s death , shared none of his parent ' s liberal ideas ; his mother viewed him as a " complete Prussian " . This difference in ideology created a rift between Wilhelm and his parents , and relations between them were strained throughout their lives . Political life . Crown Prince . When his father succeeded to the Prussian throne as King William I on 2 January 1861 , Frederick became the Crown Prince . Already twenty - nine years old , he would be Crown Prince for a further twenty - seven years . The new king was initially considered politically neutral ; Frederick and Prussia ' s liberal elements hoped that he would usher in a new era of liberal policies . The liberals managed to greatly increase their majority in the Prussian Diet ( " Landtag " ) , but William soon showed that he preferred the conservative ways . On the other hand , Frederick declared himself in complete agreement with the " essential liberal policy for internal and foreign affairs " . Because William was a dogmatic soldier and unlikely to change his ideas at the age of sixty - four , he regularly clashed with the Diet over policies . In September 1862 , one such disagreement almost led to Frederick being crowned and replacing his father as king ; William threatened to abdicate when the Diet refused to fund his plans for the army ' s reorganization . Frederick was appalled by this action , and said that an abdication would " constitute a threat to the dynasty , country and Crown " . William reconsidered , and instead on the advice of Minister of War Albrecht von Roon appointed Otto von Bismarck , who had offered to push through the military reform even against the majority of the Diet , as Minister - President . The appointment of Bismarck , an authoritarian who would often ignore or overrule the Diet , set Frederick on a collision course with his father and led to his exclusion from affairs of state for the rest of William ' s reign . Frederick insisted on bloodless " moral conquests " , unifying Germany by liberal and peaceful means , but it was Bismarck ' s policy of blood and iron that prevailed . His protests against William ' s rule peaked at Danzig on 4 June 1863 , where at an official reception in the city he loudly denounced Bismarck ' s restrictions on freedom of the press . He thereby made Bismarck his enemy and his father extremely angry . Consequently , Frederick was excluded from positions of political power throughout his father ' s reign . Retaining his military portfolio , he continued to represent Germany and its Emperor at ceremonies , weddings , and celebrations , such as Queen Victoria ' s Golden Jubilee in 1887 . Frederick was severely reproached by his father for his liberal ideas , so he spent a large portion of time in Britain where Queen Victoria frequently allowed him to represent her at ceremonies and social functions . Frederick fought in the wars against Denmark , Austria and France . Although he had opposed military action in each case , once war had started he supported the Prussian military wholeheartedly and took positions of command . Since he had no political influence at all , these were opportunities to prove himself . Frederick experienced his first combat in the Second Schleswig War . Appointed to supervise the supreme German Confederation commander Field Marshal Wrangel and his staff , the Crown Prince tactfully managed disputes between Wrangel and the other officers . The Prussians and their Austrian allies defeated the Danes and conquered the southern part of Jutland , but after the war they spent two years politicking to assume leadership of the German states . This culminated in the Austro - Prussian War . Frederick " was the only member of the Prussian Crown Council to uphold the rights of the Duke of Augustenberg and oppose the idea of a war with Austria which he described as " fratricide " . " Although he supported unification and the restoration of the medieval empire , " Fritz could not accept that war was the right way to unite Germany . " . However , when war with Austria broke out , he accepted command of one of Prussia ' s three armies , with General Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal as his chief of staff . The timely arrival of his II Army was crucial to the Prussian victory in 1866 at the decisive Battle of Königgrätz , which won the war for Prussia . After the battle , William presented Frederick with the Order Pour le Mérite for his personal gallantry on the field and leadership of the II Army . Nevertheless , the bloodshed caused him great dismay . A few days before Königgrätz , Frederick had written to his wife , expressing his hope that this would be the last war he would have to fight . On the third day of the battle he wrote to her again : " Who knows whether we may not have to wage a third war in order to keep what we have now won ? " Four years later Frederick was in action again , this time during the Franco - Prussian War of 1870 , in which he was once more paired with Blumenthal and commanded the III Army , consisting of troops from the southern German states . He was praised for his leadership after defeating the French at the battles of Wissembourg and Wörth , and met with further successes at the Battle of Sedan and during the Siege of Paris . Frederick ' s humane treatment of his country ' s foes earned him their respect and the plaudits of neutral observers . After the Battle of Wörth , a London journalist witnessed the Crown Prince ' s many visits to wounded Prussian soldiers and lauded his deeds , extolling the love and respect the soldiers held for Frederick . Following his victory , Frederick had remarked to two Paris journalists , " I do not like war gentlemen . If I should reign I would never make it . " One French journalist remarked that " the Crown Prince has left countless traits of kindness and humanity in the land that he fought against . " For his behaviour and accomplishments , " 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 " . German Empire and brief reign . In 1871 , following Prussia ' s victories , the German states were united into the German Empire , with William as the Emperor and Frederick as heir - apparent to the new German monarchy . Although William thought the day when he became Emperor the saddest of his life , Frederick was excited to be witness to a great day in German history . Bismarck , now Chancellor , disliked Frederick and distrusted the liberal attitudes of the Crown Prince and Princess . Often at odds with his father ' s and Bismarck ' s policies and actions , Frederick sided with the country ' s liberals in their opposition to the expansion of the empire ' s army . The Crown Prince also became involved in many public works projects , such as the establishment of schools and churches in the area of Bornstedt near Potsdam . To assist his father ' s effort to turn Berlin , the capital city , into a great cultural centre , he was appointed Protector of Public Museums ; it was largely due to Frederick that considerable artistic collections were acquired , housed in Berlin ' s new Kaiser Friedrich Museum ( later known as the Bode Museum ) after his death . In 1878 , when his father was incapacitated by injury from an assassination attempt , Frederick briefly took over his tasks but was soon relegated to the sidelines once again . His lack of influence affected him deeply , even causing him to think about suicide . Germany ' s progressive elements hoped that William ' s death , and thus Frederick ' s succession , would usher the country into a new era governed along liberal lines . The conservative William , however , lived a long life , dying at the age of 90 on 9 March 1888 . Logically , Frederick should have taken as his regnal name either Frederick I ( if the Bismarckian empire was considered a new entity ) or Frederick IV ( if it was considered a continuation of the old Holy Roman Empire , which had had three emperors named Frederick ) ; he himself preferred the latter . However , on the advice of Bismarck that this would create legal problems , he opted to simply keep the same regnal name he had as king of Prussia . By the time he ascended the throne , Frederick was 56 years old and suffering from a debilitating cancer of the larynx . He viewed his illness with dismay , crying " To think I should have such a horrid disgusting illness . . . I had so hoped to have been of use to my country . " He received conflicting medical advice regarding treatment . In Germany , Doctor Ernst von Bergmann proposed to remove the larynx completely , but his colleague , Doctor Rudolf Virchow , disagreed ; such an operation had never been performed without the death of the patient . The British doctor Sir Morell Mackenzie , who had diagnosed the cancer , advised a tracheotomy , to which Frederick and his wife agreed . On 8 February , a month before his father died , a cannula was fitted to allow Frederick to breathe ; for the remainder of his life he was unable to speak and often communicated through writing . During the operation , Dr . Bergmann almost killed him by missing the incision in the trachea and forcing the cannula into the wrong place . Frederick started to cough and bleed , and Bergmann placed his forefinger into the wound to enlarge it . The bleeding subsided after two hours , but Bergmann ' s actions resulted in an abscess in Frederick ' s neck , producing pus which gave the new Emperor discomfort for the remaining months of his life . Later , Frederick would ask " Why did Bergmann put his finger in my throat ? " and complain that " Bergmann ill - treated [ me ] " . In spite of his illness , Frederick did his best to fulfil his obligations as Emperor . Immediately after the announcement of his accession , he took the ribbon and star of his Order of the Black Eagle from his jacket and pinned it on the dress of his wife ; he was determined to honor her position as Empress . As the German Emperor , he officially received Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom ( his mother - in - law ) and King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway , and attended the wedding of his son Prince Henry to his niece Princess Irene . However , Frederick reigned for only 99 days , and was unable to bring about much lasting change . An edict he penned before he ascended to the throne that would limit the powers of the chancellor and monarch under the constitution was never put into effect , although he did force Robert von Puttkamer to resign as Prussian Minister of the Interior on 8 June , when evidence indicated that Puttkamer had interfered in the Reichstag elections . Dr . Mackenzie wrote that the Emperor had " an almost overwhelming sense of the duties of his position " . In a letter to Lord Napier , Empress Victoria wrote " The Emperor is able to attend to his business , and do a great deal , but not being able to speak is , of course , most trying . " Frederick had the fervour but not the time to accomplish his desires , lamenting in May 1888 , " I cannot die . . . What would happen to Germany ? " Frederick III died in Potsdam on 15 June 1888 , and was succeeded by his 29 - year - old son Wilhelm II . Frederick is buried in a mausoleum attached to the Friedenskirche in Potsdam . After his death , William Ewart Gladstone described him as the " Barbarossa of German liberalism " . Empress Victoria went on to continue spreading Frederick ' s thoughts and ideals throughout Germany , but no longer had power within the government . Legacy . Frederick believed a state should not act against the popular opinion of its inhabitants . He had a long history of liberalism , and had discussed his ideas and intentions with Victoria and others before his reign . Admiring Prince Albert of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha and the British parliamentary system , Frederick and his wife planned to rule as consorts and liberalize Germany through the appointment of more liberal ministers . They intended to severely limit the office of Chancellor , and reorganize Germany to include many elements of British liberalism . Many historians , including William Harbutt Dawson and Erich Eyck , consider that Frederick ' s early death put an end to the development of liberalism within the German empire . They believe that , given a longer reign and better health , Frederick might indeed have transformed Germany into a more liberal democratic country , and prevented its militaristic path toward war . Dr . J . McCullough claims that Frederick would have averted World War I — and by extension the resulting Weimar Republic — while other historians such as Michael Balfour go even further by postulating that , as the end of World War I directly affected the state of the world ' s development , the liberal German Emperor might also have prevented the outbreak of World War II . Author Michael Freund states outright that both world wars would have been averted had Frederick lived longer . However , his father lived for 90 years , and Frederick ascended to the throne as a sick man in late middle - age on the threshold of death . Unable to influence policy at the height of his power , health , and popularity following his military successes , Frederick was again unable to do so during his reign . His life inspired historian Frank Tipton to speculate : " What would have happened had his father died sooner or if he himself had lived longer ? " Other historians , including Wilhelm Mommsen and Arthur Rosenberg , oppose the idea that Frederick could have , or would have , liberalized Germany . They believe that he would not have dared to oppose both his father and Bismarck to change Germany ' s course ; a natural soldier , he was steeped in his family ' s strong military tradition , and had happily reported to his father since he joined the army at the age of ten . Andreas Dorpalen notes that Frederick had complied with most of William ' s and Bismarck ' s policies early in his life , and would have been unlikely to change his behaviour . According to Arthur Rosenberg , despite his liberal tendencies Frederick still firmly believed in Bismarck and his system , with Dorpalen adding that in any case Frederick had too weak and ineffectual a character to have brought about real change , regardless of how long he reigned . James J . Sheehan states that the political climate and party system of Germany during that period were too steeped in the old ways for Frederick to overcome with liberalization . Dorpalen also observes that Frederick ' s liberal persona may have been exaggerated after his death , to keep the liberal movement strong in Germany , and he points out that the many mistakes made by Wilhelm II helped to paint his father in a more favorable light . Frederick ' s children — Wilhelm in particular — held various political positions and greatly influenced Europe . Unlike his father , Wilhelm had not personally experienced the horrors of war , and he enthusiastically embraced his family ' s military heritage , coming under Bismarck ' s tutelage . The Chancellor , who disapproved of Frederick ' s and Victoria ' s liberal ways , felt bound to increase the tensions between Wilhelm and his parents . Wilhelm grew up full of disdain for their opinions on government , and shortly after his father ' s death , proclaimed that he would follow the path of his grandfather , William I . He made no reference to Frederick III . William II abandoned all of his father ' s policies and ideas , and eventually led Germany into World War I . Bismarck ' s plan of undermining Frederick and Victoria , and of using Wilhelm II as a tool for retaining his own power , led to his own downfall . As it turned out , Wilhelm did share his father ' s conviction that the position of the chancellor was too strong and should be modified in favour of a more powerful Emperor . When Bismarck realized that Wilhelm II was about to dismiss him : Churches honouring Frederick include the Kaiser - Friedrich - Gedächtniskirche in Berlin and the former Kalthof Church in Königsberg . Mount Frederick William in the Jervis Inlet area of the British Columbia Coast in Canada is named in his honour . Titles , styles , honors and arms . Honors . At the age of ten he was invested with the Order of the Black Eagle . Following his victory at the Battle of Königgrätz , he received the Order Pour le Mérite for his leadership during the battle .