Riedrich received a good education in his youth; one of his teachers was the historian Ernst Curtius. In 1849 he entered the guard and then remained in the guard all the time before ascending the throne. military service. In 1850-1851, Friedrich attended the University of Bonn. In 1858, he married Victoria, Princess of Great Britain, with whom he lived his entire life in a happy marriage.
Artist Alexander Ritter von Bens.
IN Danish war 1864, Friedrich at first did not take part, but by the spring he was seconded to the general staff of Field Marshal Wrangel. During the war with Austria in 1866, Frederick commanded the 2nd Prussian Army, with which he crossed from Silesia to Bohemia and arrived in time with his 4 corps to Königgrätz (July 3) to decide the battle in favor of the Prussians. His chief of staff was General Blumenthal, as he had been during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. During this war, Frederick was the commander-in-chief of the third army, consisting of South German and three Prussian corps. With her, he took Weissenburg (August 4) and won a brilliant victory at Woerth (August 6) over MacMahon's army, which, however, was significantly inferior in number to his army.
Frederick moved towards Paris, but turned north and took part in the Battle of Sedan on September 1, 1870. On September 19, he approached Paris and positioned his army along the left bank of the Seine. On October 28, 1870, Friedrich received the rank of Field Marshal; On January 18, 1871, he became Crown Prince of the German Empire. During the war, Frederick gained considerable popularity in the army. On June 4, 1878, the Emperor, who had been wounded by Nobiling 2 days before, handed over to the Crown Prince state power, as a governor. During the latter's administration, a congress of representatives of the powers was held in Berlin to revise the San Stefano Peace Treaty. On December 5, 1878, Emperor Wilhelm again took power into his own hands.
Despite the fact that Frederick's general policy in this short period was no different from the policies of his father; in society, especially among free-thinking people and partly among national liberals, Frederick was blamed big hopes. He was interested in science, literature and art, and liked to surround himself with scientists and writers without asking about their political direction; Mommsen, Virchow, Helmholtz were regular visitors to his palace, and Frederick willingly talked with them not only on scientific issues, but also on purely political matters, allowing complete freedom of opinion in conversations with them and himself often speaking out completely freely and without hesitation in condemning autocratic policies Bismarck; from politicians he was more willing to associate with freethinkers (Forkenbeck was one of his close friends) than with members of the right faction. In general, in his views, he was considered a moderate freethinker or a national liberal of the left flank, a supporter of parliamentary government in the English spirit. This opinion was formed about him back in the first half of the 1860s, when, during the conflict between the crown and popular representation, he advised the king to give in to the opposition and form a cabinet of its leaders.
Therefore, it was a strong blow for liberals when Friedrich fell ill in 1887 dangerous disease throat. German doctors(Bergmann and others) recognized it as cancer of the larynx; but the English doctor Mackenzie doubted the correctness of the diagnosis and found support in Virchow, after which the crown prince decisively refused the operation. Trips to Italy and Scotland initially had a good effect on Frederick’s health, but by the end of 1887 it became worse again; On February 9, 1888, a minor operation had to be performed to restore breathing; Despite her favorable outcome, the prince lost his voice almost completely and communicated his thoughts mainly through pencil and paper. Friedrich's illness gave rise to passionate debates in the press, both medical and general, which took on a strongly political character. Doctors and newspapers conservative camp insisted on cancer and incurability; liberal doctors and newspapers, with Virchow at their head, relied on the negative diagnosis of Mackenzie, whom conservatives branded as ignorant and mediocrity, but which found support in the crown prince himself and even more so in his wife.
Newspaper "Freisinnige Zeitung" claimed that the Council of Ministers raised the issue of eliminating Frederick from succession to the throne, as being terminally ill, by virtue of Article 56 of the Prussian Constitution, from the right of succession to the throne. Justice Minister Friedberg, however, officially denied this news. On March 9, 1888, the emperor died. On March 10, Frederick left San Remo for Berlin, on March 12 he arrived there and, in a proclamation to the people, announced his accession to the throne and his firm intention to conduct the business of government “in the same spirit in which he led it, striving to make Germany a stronghold European world and to ensure her happiness by acting in harmony with the Allied governments and with the constitutional bodies of the Empire and Prussia."
On the advice of Chancellor Bismarck, who remained in office, Kaiser Friedrich did not accept the “Fourth” as his dynastic number, which refers to the traditions of the Holy Roman Empire ( last emperor which with that name was), and the “Third”, continuing the numbering of the Prussian kings after .
In a special message to Bismarck on March 12, 1888, Frederick expressed gratitude to him for his service to the empire and hope for its further continuation, and set out the principles to which he intends to strive (firm protection of the constitution, complete religious tolerance, possible increase in the economic well-being of all classes, improvement public education on a religious basis). In general, this message produced quite a favorable impression precisely on those circles of society that placed the most hopes on a new reign; Conservatives, on the contrary, kept silent about his principles, emphasizing only that Bismarck remained in his post and that Frederick intended to act in the spirit of . This internal contradiction It was also clear to the liberals: the liberal program did not fit with keeping Bismarck in the service.
Of the other ministers, Frederick resigned only one, the Prussian Minister of the Interior Robert Victor von Puttkammer (six days before his death, June 9), the most extreme of the reactionaries. But Count Herbert Bismarck, the son of the chancellor, was appointed minister of state. The project of marrying Princess Victoria, the emperor's daughter, with the former Bulgarian prince led to disagreement between Bismarck and Frederick. Judging by the published data, this project was built not on political considerations (there could not have been any, since it no longer played any political role), but on a feeling of love that actually arose, which the parents saw no reason to oppose. Bismarck rebelled against the project for political reasons. The sick Friedrich did not have enough energy to defend his daughter, and he gave in to Bismarck.
It was even more difficult for him to show his will in reality. political issues. Without opposition, he gave his sanction to two reactionary laws passed by Bismarck through the Reichstag (extension of the law against socialists and extension of the term for which the Reichstag is elected from 3 to 5 years), and a law concerning the extension of the powers of the Prussian Landtag (also from 3 to 5 years). 5 years); without protest, he allowed the restoration of passports on the German border with France. It is difficult to say what character Frederick's reign would have taken if he had been healthy; his supporters explained his compliance with Bismarck by his illness. On June 15, 1888, after 99 days of reign, Frederick died and his place was taken by his son, . This is how the year 1888 became in Germany three years old emperors.
In October 1888 the magazine "Deutsche Rundschau" published excerpts from "Tagebuch Kaiser F"s 1870-71", in which Frederick, being an unconditional and ardent supporter of the unification of Germany, expresses dissatisfaction with the caution and old Prussian traditions and, even more, with the autocracy of Bismarck. The publication of the diary aroused the terrible anger of Prince Bismarck, who hastened to initiate prosecution on charges of revealing state secrets against the magazine and the person who published it. This person turned out to be a friend of Emperor Frederick, a conservative publicist and former professor of international law, privy councilor Geffken, who was arrested. In January 1889, he was released by order of the imperial court, which refused to approve the act of bringing him to trial.
Frederick III - from the House of Habsburg - was crowned emperor in 1452. In his service was Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini (the future Pope Pius II), who was an intermediary between Pope Eugene III and Frederick III. He concluded an agreement with the papacy in 1446, according to which he sold the interests of the German church to Rome, which aroused the anger of the German princes, but he achieved the imperial crown.
Materials used from the book: Infessura Steparno. .
Frederick III (1415-1493), from the family Habsburgs - King of Germany 1440-1486. Emperor "Holy Roman Empire" in 1440-1493
Wife: since 1452 Eleanor, daughter of King Edward of Portugal (b. 1434 + 1467).
After the death of his father Ernest the Iron, Frederick inherited Styria, Carinthia and Carinthia. Later he was entrusted with the guardianship of the Tyrol and Austria, and thus he united in his hands the administration of all the hereditary possessions of the Habsburgs. After the death of his second cousin, Emperor Albert II, in 1439, the electors elected Frederick to replace him. But the German crown had so little meaning at that time that Frederick did not dare accept it for three and a half months.
Finally, he gave his consent, but even after that, for two years he did not have the leisure to come to Aachen for his coronation. The new king was not without merit and was known as an educated, pious, honest, and thrifty man. But he was completely devoid of energy and any political ideas. “He constantly thought and constantly did not decide on anything,” one chronicler wrote about him, “he was a useless emperor; During his long reign, the German nation almost completely forgot that it had a Tyrol.” Even in his own dominions, Frederick’s power was very weak, and all attempts to strengthen it for a long time ended in failure. In 1444, the king wanted to regain the areas captured in different time from the Habsburgs by the Swiss.. The Austrians demanded that Frederick send their Duke Ladislaus (son of Emperor Albert II), whose guardian he was, to Vienna. In 1453, Frederick inevitably had to agree to this and for some time lost power over Austria. In 1457, Vladislav died suddenly. The Austrian Habsburg line was cut short. Frederick and his brother Albert divided Vladislav's possessions among themselves. In general opinion, the emperor ruled the lower Austria that he inherited very badly: he burdened his subjects with taxes and brought the damage to the coin to such an extent that there was almost no silver left in it. Gangs of robbers roamed throughout the country, agriculture declined so much that famine began. Frederick, busy with petty squabbles with his barons, did not at all try to alleviate the disaster. Seeing this, the inhabitants of Vienna rebelled in August 1462 and called on Friedrich's brother, Albert, to their aid. With two hundred knights, the emperor was locked in Vienna Castle and withstood a heavy siege until December. Finally, he gave in to all the demands of the rebels and gave lower Austria under the control of his brother. In December 1463, he died suddenly. But even after the unification of the Austrian lands, calm was not restored here. Over the next ten years, Frederick waged wars with one of his vassals, then with another. In the end, he pacified them all and brought them under his authority. Then the time came external wars. The emperor intervened in the feud between the Czechs and Hungarians, but conducted the war very unsuccessfully. In 1485, the Hungarian king Matthew Corvinus took Vienna. Frederick fled from the capital and wandered throughout the state for a long time, traveling to monasteries and cities, subsisting at the expense of the local inhabitants and often having only a couple of oxen for his travels. Only the help of the imperial troops allowed him to conclude a tolerable peace with the Hungarians in 1487. All of lower Austria with Vienna remained with Corwin. In 1490 the Hungarian king died. Frederick took up arms, went to Vienna and was joyfully greeted by the rebellious population. At the peace of 1491 with King Vladislaus, the Hungarians abandoned all previous conquests in Austria.
Due to severe unrest in his dominions, the king had almost no leisure to engage in imperial affairs. For twenty-seven years, from 1444 to 1471, he never visited Germany at all, leaving it to its own fate. He was indifferent to church disputes and was easily influenced. In 1448, the king yielded to the persuasion of his minister Aeneas Silvius and concluded a concordat with Pope Nicholas, which put an end to the many years of attempts of the Basel Council to reform the church.
All the monarchs of the world. Western Europe. Konstantin Ryzhov. Moscow, 1999
FRIEDERIC III (1415–1493), German king (as Frederick IV) and Holy Roman Emperor of the Habsburg dynasty. The son of Ernest III the Iron, Duke of Austria, Frederick was born in Innsbruck on September 21, 1415. In 1440 he was elected German king in Frankfurt, his coronation took place in Aachen on June 17, 1442. In 1445, Frederick concluded a secret agreement with Pope Eugene IV, which resulted in the Vienna Concordat (signed in 1448 already with Pope Nicholas V), which was actually a betrayal of the interests of the German church. On March 19, 1452, Frederick was coronated as Holy Roman Emperor in Rome (the last coronation of an emperor in Rome). Frederick was an indecisive and bad ruler, the empire fell into decay under him: he lost not only the Czech Republic, where Jiří Poděbrad established himself, and Hungary, where Matthew I Corvinus came to power, but also ceded to the same Corvinus a significant part of Austria, including Vienna .
The marriage arranged by Frederick in 1477 between his son Maximilian and the daughter of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, can be called his greatest success, laying the foundation for the further rise of the Habsburgs. Frederick chose the abbreviation A. E. I. O. U. as the motto of the dynasty, which stood for Austriae est imperare orbi universo (Latin: “Austria is destined to rule the whole world”). After the election of Maximilian in 1486 as heir to the throne, Frederick began to retire. He spent the rest of his life studying alchemy, astrology and botany. Frederick died in Linz on August 19, 1493.
Materials from the encyclopedia "The World Around Us" were used FRIEDRICH
III
Appendix 3
[Publ. on NRT CW, IX]– first German Emperor) and Princess Augusta. He received a thorough secondary education, studied at the University of Bonn, and spent several years in military service and traveling. Married Victoria, Crown Princess of Great Britain. After his father's accession to the throne (in 1861), he became Crown Prince of Prussia under the name Friedrich Wilhelm. He was a liberal at heart and did not approve of Bismarck's policies. In June 1863, he stopped attending meetings of the State Council and left Berlin. He contributed greatly to the success of the Prussian troops in the war with Denmark and led the army in the 1866 campaign against Austria. Played a prominent role in commanding armies southern states in 1870-1871, his troops took part in the Battle of Sedan and the Siege of Paris.
In subsequent years, he was practically not involved in politics; he and his wife were more interested in the development of industry, the arts, and especially museums. Frederick was also one of the main initiators of excavations at Olympia and Pergamon. In 1878, when the emperor was temporarily incapacitated by a terrorist's shot, he acted as regent for several months. Many saw him as the heir to the throne, unfortunately, the prince had throat cancer, which began barely noticeably, but ultimately led to fatal results (which is presented by the author of the story “Karmic Visions” as a karmic consequence of the murder of a holy prophetess committed in a previous life, whose the throat was pierced by Clovis's spear). After several unsuccessful attempts at treatment, Frederick turned for help to Sir Morell Mackenzie, a famous and authoritative English physician. In February 1888, the prince had to undergo a tracheotomy operation.
On March 9, 1888, Emperor Wilhelm died and Frederick became the new emperor. His short reign was marked by attempts at liberal reforms, which were fiercely opposed by Bismarck's supporters. Meanwhile, Frederick's illness worsened again, and on June 13 he died, having reigned for only 99 days.
As often happens, failures in treatment were accompanied by caustic disputes between doctors, but in Sir Morell's book, The Mortal Illness of Noble Frederick, the circumstances of the case are presented quite impartially. Sir Morell treated Frederick III with the greatest respect and spoke of him as a man of outstanding intellect, knightly patience and boundless kindness, who knew how to sympathize with the misfortune of his neighbor. In addition, many noted his honesty and frankness.
In the light of the above facts of the biography of this emperor, the remarkable story told by H. P. Blavatsky acquires special interest.
B. M. Tsirkov
Frederick III(Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl of Prussia, German Friedrich III., Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl von Preußen; October 18, 1831 Potsdam , Prussia, - June 15, 1888, Potsdam, German Empire) - Germanic emperor (Kaiser) and the king Prussia from 9 March 1888, Prussian Field Marshal General(28 October 1870), Russian Field Marshal General(1872). Crown Prince Frederick was considered one of the most promising heirs to the throne of Europe, but he ascended the throne while already mortally ill and reigned for only 99 days.
Biography
early years
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm in 1841
Kronrinz Friedrich Wilhelm in 1867, painting by Oscar Begas
Friedrich Wilhelm was born in New Palace in Potsdam (Prussia) October 18, 1831. Descendant of the house Hohenzollern, rulers of Prussia, at that time the most powerful of the German states. Friedrich's father Prince Wilhelm was younger brother Prussian king Frederick William IV and being brought up in the military traditions of the Hohenzollerns, he became a strict pedant. He was in love with his cousin Polish princess Eliza Radziwill, but his parents considered her an unsuitable candidate for the Prussian prince and chose a more suitable bride, the princess August of Saxe-Weimar. She grew up in a more intellectual and artistic atmosphere Weimar, where the power of rulers was limited by constitution and where citizens were more involved in politics. Augusta was widely known in Europe for his liberal views, the difference in views of the spouses led to an unhappy marriage. As a result, Friedrich, who grew up in a troubled family, was left with memories of a lonely childhood. He had a sister Louise(later to become Grand Duchess Badenskaya) eight years younger than him, Friedrich and Louise were very close. Frederick also had very a good relationship with his uncle, King Frederick William IV, called the "Romantic on the Throne".
Frederick's youth came during a turbulent period in German history; the ideas of liberalism that developed in the 1840s spread widely and gained support. Liberals dreamed of united Germany and constitutional monarchy, a constitution that gives everyone equality before the law, protection of property and respect for basic civil rights. In general, liberals wanted government to be run by popular representation. When Frederick was 17 years old, the growing spirit of nationalism and liberalism led to series of political unrest in the German states and in Europe. Protesters in Germany demanded the protection of freedom, in particular freedom of assembly, the press, the creation of a parliament and the introduction of a constitution. Although the uprisings ultimately did not lead to lasting change, liberal sentiment greatly influenced German politics during Frederick's lifetime.
Despite the traditional military education In the Hohenzollern family, Augusta insisted that her son also receive a classical education. Therefore Frederick received military training and studied liberal arts. His teacher was a famous archaeologist Ernst Curtius, with whom Friedrich had a warm relationship throughout his life. Friedrich proved himself to be a talented student, he showed particular success in foreign languages, and spoke English and French. He also studied Latin, history, geography, physics, music and religion, was an excellent gymnast. He became a good horseman, as was required of a Prussian prince. The Hohenzollern princes are already in at a young age got acquainted with the military traditions of the dynasty. At the age of ten, Friedrich was appointed second lieutenant in the 1st Guards. infantry regiment and was awarded Order of the Black Eagle. Subsequently, he continued to actively participate in military affairs. At the age of 18, he broke family tradition by enrolling in University of Bonn, where he studied history, law, government and politics. While studying at Bonn(1850-1852), his teachers were Ernst Moritz Arndt And Friedrich Christoph Dahlman. Studying at the university, together with the influence of less conservative family members, led the prince to liberal beliefs.
In 1853, Frederick was brought into masons by his father Prince William of Prussia. Friedrich later became a master Grand Lodge of Freemasons in Germany. During his short reign, Frederick was the patron of the German Freemasons.
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Family
Frederick's bride Princess Victoria in 1867
Royal marriages in the 19th century were arranged to preserve alliances and maintain blood ties between European rulers. Back in 1851, the British Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert(Saxon prince from Saxe-Coburg dynasty) hatched plans to marry off their eldest daughter, the princess Victoria for Friedrich. The British royal dynasty was predominantly Germanic in blood. Queen Victoria hoped to connect the family with blood ties to Germany, Prince Albert believed that the marriage would lead to the liberalization and modernization of Prussia. Belgian king Leopold I, the uncle of the British Queen and Albert also supported the idea of marriage, he valued the idea for a long time Baron Stockmar about the marriage alliance between Britain and Prussia. Frederick's uncle Prince Wilhelm was not keen on this prospect; he wanted Frederick to marry one of the Russian Grand Duchesses. Princess Augusta, on the other hand, was very supportive of the idea of marriage, due to the strengthening of ties with Britain. In 1851, Frederick's mother sent him to Britain to visit world exhibition, she hoped that visiting the cradle of liberalism and the industrial revolution would have a positive impact on her son. Prince Albert took Friedrich under his wing during his visit, and his 11-year-old daughter guided Friedrich through the exhibition. Friedrich spoke almost no English, and Victoria spoke fluent German. Friedrich was impressed by her innocence, curiosity and simplicity, and their meeting was a success. A regular exchange of letters between Frederick and Victoria followed.
In 1855, Friedrich proposed to 14-year-old Victoria. May 19, 1857 at Buckingham Palace and the engagement was announced at the Prussian court. On January 25, 1858, Frederick and Victoria were married in the royal chapel St James's Palace in London. On the occasion of the wedding, Friedrich was promoted to major general Prussian army. Despite the fact that the marriage was dynastic, the couple from the very beginning turned out to be a successful couple and loved each other. Victoria also received a liberal education and shared her husband’s views. She was the head of the family. The couple often lived in crown prince's palace. They had eight children:
- William(1859-1941), later emperor;
- Charlotte(1860-1919), married to Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen;
- Henry(1862-1929), Grand Admiral of the German Navy, was married to Irene of Hesse-Darmstadt ;
- Sigismund (1864-1866), died in childhood from meningitis ;
- Victoria(1866-1929), in her first marriage married to Adolf of Schaumburg-Lipp, in the second for Alexander Zubkov ;
- Waldemar (1868-1879), died of diphtheria;
- Sofia(1870-1932), married to the King of Greece Constantine I ;
- Margarita(1872-1954), married to Frederick Charles of Hesse.
Sigismund died at the age of two, and Waldemar at the age of 11. Their first-born Wilhelm was born with a damaged arm, from which he suffered all his life. Perhaps this was a consequence of a long and dangerous birth due to breech fetus, but the case cannot be ruled out cerebral palsy V weak degree. After Frederick's death, Wilhelm became emperor; he did not at all share his father's liberal ideas. His mother considered him a “complete Prussian.” The difference in views led to a rift between Wilhelm and his parents, and relations between them remained tense throughout their lives.
It was after the wedding of Frederick and Victoria that the wedding march, written back in 1842, gained wide popularity in Europe. Felix Mendelssohn.
Frederick was a Lutheran, a parishioner of the state evangelical church old provinces Prussia (a Protestant entity uniting reformists And Lutheran).
Crown Prince
After his father ascended the Prussian throne on January 2, 1861, taking the name Wilhelm I, 29-year-old Frederick became crown prince and remained in this rank for the next 27 years. The new king initially remained politically neutral. Frederick and the Prussian liberals hoped that he would usher in a new era of liberal politics. The liberals tried to gain a majority in the Prussian Landtag, but Wilhelm soon demonstrated his conservative views. On the other hand, Frederick declared his complete agreement with “an essentially liberal policy in domestic and foreign affairs.”
Wilhelm was a dogmatic soldier in spirit, and until the age of 64 he did not change his convictions, which regularly led him to clashes in parliament with supporters of a different policy. One such clash in September 1862 nearly led to the abdication of William, who, after Parliament refused to finance his plans to reorganize the army, threatened to resign from the throne. Frederick was shocked by this decision and stated that abdication would "pose a threat to the dynasty, the country and the crown." Wilhelm changed his mind and, on the advice of the Minister of War, Albrecht von Roon appointed as Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck, who proposed to conduct military reform even against the will of the majority of parliament members. Appointment of Bismarck, a supporter authoritarian power, which often ignored and dominated parliament, led Frederick to a clash with his father and the removal of the crown prince from politics, which lasted until the end of William's reign. Frederick called for bloodless “moral conquests” and the unification of Germany through peaceful and liberal measures, but politics prevailed "iron and blood" Bismarck. His protest mood reached its peak in Danzig June 4, 1863, when Friedrich official reception he loudly condemned Bismarck's restrictions on press freedom. Thus, Frederick greatly angered his father and made himself an enemy in Bismarck. Frederick lost his political posts during his father's further reign. While maintaining his military position, he continued to represent Germany and its Emperor at ceremonies, weddings and celebrations such as Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.
Friedrich's father scolded him greatly for his liberal ideas, which is why he spent a lot of time in Britain. Queen Victoria often invited him to represent her at various ceremonies and receptions.
Frederick fought in wars against Denmark, Austria and France. Although every time he was against the use military force, with the outbreak of war, he wholeheartedly supported the Prussian army and occupied various command posts. Since he had no political influence, this was an opportunity for him to prove himself. The first time he took command was during Second war behind Schleswig. Appointed as an observer at headquarters supreme commander in chief German Confederation Field Marshal Wrangel Frederick, showing tact, settled disputes between Wrangel and his officers. The Prussians and Austrian allies defeated the Danes and captured the southern part of the peninsula Jutland. After the war, the Allies spent two years quarreling over the leadership of the German states, which resulted in Austro-Prussian war. Frederick was the only member of the Prussian royal council that defended the rights Friedrich Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and opposed the war with Austria, which he called “fratricidal.” Although he supported the unification and restoration of the medieval empire, “Fritz could not accept the idea that there was a war Right way towards the unification of Germany." However, when it broke out war With Austria, Frederick took command of one of the three Prussian armies, General Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal became his head of staff. The timely arrival of his second army on the battlefield was a critical reason decisive victory Prussia in battle near Sadovaya, which led to Prussian victory in the war. Nevertheless, the bloodshed caused him great despondency. A few days before Sadovoy, Frederick wrote to his wife, expressing the hope that this would be the last war in which he fought. On the third day of the battle, he wrote to his wife again: “Who knows, maybe we won’t have to fight a third war to maintain what we have now won?” Frederick enjoyed great popularity in the army and the people as "Our Fritz" ( German Unser Fritz)
Four years later, Frederick went to Franco-Prussian war, where he again worked in tandem with Blumenthal and commanded the third army, recruited from the population of the southern states. He was noted for his leadership after the French defeats at Wissembourg and Worth, and was also successful at the Battle of Sedan and during the siege Paris. Frederick's humane treatment of the enemy earned him the respect and praise of neutral observers. After the Battle of Worth, a London journalist witnessed the Prince's many visits to wounded Prussian soldiers and celebrated his deeds, noting his love and respect ordinary soldiers to Friedrich. After the victory, Frederick told two Parisian journalists: “I don’t like military gentlemen. If I am called to the kingdom, I will not rule.” A French journalist noted that "the crown prince has left traces of kindness and humanity on countless occasions on the land he fought against." In July 1871 the newspaper The Times published a commendable article in Frederick's honor, noting that "the prince deserved as much honor for his kindness as for his courage in war." After the victory in Franco-Prussian war Frederick, who had already become heir to the throne of the new German Empire, received the Russian baton Field Marshal General.
In 1871, after the Prussian victory, German states united in German Empire. Wilhelm became emperor, and Frederick became his heir in the new German monarchy. Although Wilhelm thought that the day he became emperor was the saddest day of his life, Frederick was delighted to have witnessed a great day in German history. Bismarck, who became chancellor, disliked and distrusted Frederick and his wife because of their liberal beliefs. Frederick often opposed the policies and actions of his father and Bismarck. He sided with the liberals in their opposition to increasing the imperial army. The Crown Prince participated in many public projects, as the founding of schools and churches in the Bornstedt area near Potsdam. To help his father transform the capital of Berlin into a great cultural center, he was appointed patron of public museums. Largely thanks to Frederick, significant art collections were acquired and housed after his death in the new Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin (later known as the Bode Museum). When his father was incapacitated in 1878 after an unsuccessful assassination attempt, Friedrich briefly took over his powers, but was soon relegated to peripheral roles again. Frederick's lack of political influence hurt him so much that he contemplated suicide.
The Crown Prince and Princess Victoria opposed the anti-Semitic campaign of 1879-1881 against Jewish equality, spearheaded by the populist historian Heinrich Treitschke and the court chaplain Adolf Stöcker. Victoria wrote: “Treitschke and his supporters are crazy of the worst kind” and expressed the opinion that Pastor Stöcker belonged in a psychiatric hospital. She went so far as to write that she was ashamed of her second homeland because people like Treitschke and Stöcker “behave with such hatred towards people of different religions and different races, who are an integral part (and by no means the worst part) of our nation! In 1880, Friedrich, in the uniform of a Prussian field marshal, and Victoria attended a service in a Berlin synagogue to show support for tolerance in opposition to the "dishonorable attacks of Treitschke" (as Victoria called them). Shortly afterwards, Friedrich made a speech condemning the German anti-Semitist movement as "a shameful blot on our time", adding "We are ashamed of the persecution of the Jews (Judenhetze) who have violated every facet of decency in Berlin, but who seem to thrive under the protection of the court priests." In 1881, Frederick and Victoria again attended synagogue services, this time in Wiesbaden, to "show as clearly as we can our convictions." Frederick again made a speech where he spoke out for the “poor Jews who are being cruelly treated” in Europe. Frederick's mother-in-law, the British Queen Victoria, wrote to Frederick, thanking him for his speech, saying that she was proud that her daughter had married such a man. However, Frederick was widely criticized in noble circles for his actions in support of the Jews. Frederick's eldest son Prince Wilhelm called his father weak cowardly man, who fell under the control of the British wife and the Jews. According to the British historian John Rohl, many "reactionary" and "chauvinistic" circles in Germany came to "the conviction that the crown prince and his liberal-minded English wife were outsiders and anti-German forces should not inherit the throne."
Disease
Friedrich was for many years heavy smoker. At a ball that Wilhelm gave on January 31, 1887, one of the guests noted that the crown prince was “so hoarse that he could hardly utter a single word.” His hoarseness continued into February. He was found to have thickening of the mucous membrane over the vocal cords, caused by chronic catarrh of the larynx. On February 7, Friedrich turned to the doctor Karl Gerhardt, who spent ten days trying to remove the swollen tissue with wire. After failing, he inserted an electrical wire into the left vocal fold in an attempt to remove the growth (as he assumed). However, the prince's severely inflamed throat did not give Gerhardt the opportunity to remove the tumor completely. After several catheterization procedures there was no improvement. Friedrich and his wife went to a resort in Bad Ems, where he drank mineral water, breathed fresh air and was treated with rinses, which also had no effect.
On May 17, Gerhardt and other doctors, including Ernst von Bergmann, determined that the tumor was cancer of the larynx. Bergmann recommended consulting with leading British cancer specialist Morell MacKenzie. He also recommended making an incision in the larynx to gain easier access to the inside of the larynx and performing a laryngectomy (complete removal of the larynx) if the situation was serious. Victoria was informed of the need for urgent surgery, but Friedrich was not. Despite the preliminary diagnosis, doctors hoped that the tumor would turn out to be a benign epithelioma. The room on the top floor of the Crown Princes' Palace was converted into an operations theater. Bergmann decided to postpone the operation until Mackenzie arrived. On May 20, Mackenzie arrived in Berlin and, after examination, decided to perform a biopsy to determine whether the tumor was malignant or not. The next morning he performed a biopsy and sent the samples to the famous pathologist Rudolf Vierhof for microscopic examination. After Vierhof failed to detect cancer cells despite several separate examinations, Mackenzie stated that he opposed laryngectomy because he believed that this operation would still lead to dire consequences. McKenzie said he took full responsibility for further treatment and expressed confidence that Friedrich would make a full recovery in a few months. Gerhardt and chief physician August Werner agreed with Mackenzie's opinion. Bergmann and his colleague Adalbert Tobold remained with their original opinion about the cancerous nature of the tumor. Bismarck supported Mackenzie's opinion, strongly opposing any major operation on Frederick's throat and pressuring the Kaiser to ban it altogether. On June 9, McKenzie performed another biopsy and sent samples to Vierhof, who reported the next day that he again found no evidence of cancer.
On June 13, the Crown Prince left Potsdam to attend his mother-in-law's golden jubilee and consult with Mackenzie. The Crown Prince did not know that he saw his father in last time. He was accompanied by Victoria and three daughters, and Gerhardt also went with him. On June 29, Mackenzie said he had successfully operated on the Crown Prince at his Harley Street clinic and had “almost completely” removed the tumor. Frederick spent July with his family at Norris Castle on the Isle of Wight. But a re-examination at the McKenzie clinic on August 2 revealed the appearance of a new tumor. A catheterization was performed on the same day and another on August 8th. This sign was very ominous - clear evidence of the malignant nature of the tumor. Felix Semon, an outstanding German laryngologist practicing in England, closely followed Friedrich's treatment and sent a report to the German Foreign Minister, in which he sharply criticized Mackenzie's catheterizations and stated that even if the tumor was not malignant, it was still suspicious, and recommended biopsy and examine the tumor. On 9 August Friedrich traveled to Bremer (Scottish Highlands) to meet Dr Mark Howell, senior surgeon at the London Laryngological Hospital. After another examination of Mackenzie on August 20, which revealed the absence of further growth tumors, Frederick said that he “constantly felt” something “not quite inside”, nevertheless, he asked Queen Victoria to knight Mackenzie, which happened in September.
Despite throat operations and the sea air in Cowes, Frederick continued to cough and, on the advice of Mackenzie, decided to spend the winter on the Italian Riviera. In August, having heard about his father’s serious illness, he considered returning to Germany, but his wife dissuaded him, and Friedrich went with his family to Toblach (South Tyrol), where Victoria rented a house. On September 7, Frederick, exhausted by a cough, arrived in Toblach. Philip, Prince of Eilenberg, after brief meeting with Friedrich in Munich, became concerned about the lack of visible improvement in Friedrich's condition and consulted with the eminent laryngologist Max Joseph Ertel, who insisted on a radical and deep operation and stated that he suspected the presence of a benign tumor, which could soon degenerate into a malignant one. By this time, McKenzie's treatment had attracted harsh criticism. After two weeks in Toblach, Mackenzie arrived to examine Friedrich again. The Crown Prince was suffering from a cough and cold, but Mackenzie was not alarmed and believed that the cough was caused by a “short-term cold.” However, he recommended that Frederick leave Toblach for Venice and that his wife accompany him. Soon it got colder, Friedrich experienced a sore throat and resorted to injections of cocaine.
Upon arrival in Venice, Frederick caught another cold. This time Mackenzie was seriously concerned that Friedrich's throat and larynx were constantly swelling. He forbade Frederick to talk, noting that if the crown prince talked and had a cold, then according to forecasts Mackenzie would live no more than three months. At the beginning of October, Victoria noted: “Fritz’s throat is not giving any new cause for concern, he actually cares a little and talks less.” On October 6, Friedrich and his family and Mackenzie left for a villa in Baveno on the shores of Lake Maggiore. Mackenzie left Baveno on October 8, predicting Frederick's recovery "in 3-4 months" (as Victoria wrote). Friedrich's eldest son Wilhelm arrived in Baveno on October 17 to attend his father's 56th birthday on October 18. At the end of October, Friedrich's condition deteriorated sharply. On November 2, Victoria wrote to her mother that Friedrich's throat was on fire again, but he had no cold, he was "coughing badly again" and was easily depressed about his health. General Alfred von Waldersee noted that the question of Frederick's health is very important, since if Wilhelm I passes away and his son inherits the throne, then “it is impossible to tolerate a new Kaiser who is not allowed to talk. Even despite the desperate need for an energetic ruler.” Frederick's son William reported to King Albert of Saxony that his father often showed short temper and melancholy, although his voice seemed to have improved slightly. Friedrich treats his throat "by inhaling the powder twice a day to soften the larynx."
On November 3, Frederick and his retinue left for San Remo. On November 5, two days after his arrival, Friedrich completely lost his voice and suffered from severe pain in his throat. During the examination, Dr. Hovell discovered a new tumor under the left vocal fold, news reaching Wilhelm and the German government and causing great confusion. The next day, Mackenzie issued a bulletin stating that although the Crown Prince's health was not in immediate danger, his illness had "unfortunately taken an unfavorable course" and he sought advice from other specialists, including Austrian laryngologist Professor Leopold Schrötter and Dr Hermann Krause from Berlin. On November 9, Schrötter and Krause concluded that the new tumor was malignant and stated that Friedrich was unlikely to survive until the end of next year. Everyone present, including Mackenzie, concluded that Friedrich was indeed suffering from throat cancer, since he right side new lesions appeared in the larynx and that immediate radical laryngectomy was required to save the life of the crown prince. One of the doctors, Moritz Schmidt, subsequently stated that the tumors found earlier in May were also cancerous in nature. Frederick was devastated by the news, burst into tears upon hearing Mackenzie's statement and exclaimed: “To think that I was destined to contract such a terrible disgusting disease... I had so hoped that I would be useful to my country. Why is heaven so cruel to me? What did I do that shocked and cursed me so much?” However, even at this stage of the disease, Friedrich, in a private conversation with his wife, again decided not to agree to the operation due to high risk. He sent a written statement to the doctors that he would remain in Italy and would only agree to a tracheotomy if he was at risk of suffocation due to his condition. The news shocked Berlin and caused a new wave of hatred against Victoria as a power-hungry “foreigner” manipulating her husband. Some politicians suggested that Frederick cede his right of succession to the throne to his son Wilhelm, but Bismarck firmly stated that Frederick should succeed his sick father, "whether he is ill or not, and whether or not he can continue to perform his duties," which was defined in the relevant provisions Prussian constitution. Despite the repeated diagnosis of cancer, Friedrich's condition improved after November 5 and he began to look more optimistically about the future; during January 1888, hopes remained that the diagnosis was incorrect. Both Friedrich and Victoria retained their faith in Mackenzie, who examined Friedrich's throat several times during December and gave a favorable prognosis, again doubting the cancerous nature of the tumor.
Kaiser
On the advice of the remaining chancellor Bismarck Kaiser Frederick adopted not IV as a dynastic number (referring to the traditions of the Holy Roman Empire, the last emperor of which was Frederick III), and III (continuing the numbering of Prussian kings after Frederick II the Great). During the 99 days of his reign, the dying emperor government affairs only managed to dismiss the ineffective conservative, the Minister of the Interior Robert Victor von Puttkammer(six days before death, June 9). This is how the year 1888 became in Germany year of three emperors.
Ratings
Frederick and his wife were considered a couple with liberal sympathies. The heir discussed possible plans political reforms with mother-in-law, the British queen Victoria. Subsequently, William II preferred to refer as a model to his grandfather, William I (who received the official epithet “William the Great” under him), without mentioning his father. Many politicians and historians [
