The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – The life and death of King Frederick William III of Prussia (Part one)

On 24 December 1793, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz married the future King Frederick William III of Prussia. He had been born on 3 August 1770 as the eldest son of the future King Frederick William II of Prussia and Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt. He was born during the reign of his great-uncle, Frederick II, who was also known as Frederick the Great.

Frederick William had an elder half-sister, Princess Frederica Charlotte, from his father’s first marriage to Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. This marriage had ended in divorce in 1769. He also had five surviving full siblings, including Wilhelmina, the future Queen of the Netherlands. His parents’ marriage was unhappy.¹

When he was born, his father said, “An event so significant for me and my house has filled me with the liveliest joy. What increases this joy even more is that the whole fatherland shares it with me. May it one day also share the joy with me of seeing this prince walk down the path of his ancestors.” At his baptism, the King held his son at the font.²

He decided that his son and his eventual siblings should receive a simple upbringing. Potsdam was considered to be quite Spartan at the time, and military doctrine was applied from a young age. One of the privy councillors, called Behnisch, was appointed as his first tutor while his father personally drafted his son’s curriculum. The court preacher, Sack’s son, was appointed as the children’s religious instructor.³ At the age of 11, he was also appointed a military governor, the 60-year-old Colonel Karl August von Backoff.

The Colonel later wrote to King Frederick II, ” It will not be difficult for me to obey the most humble order bestowed upon me by His Majesty to make a soldier of the Prince, for although the Prince generally possesses a very great thirst for knowledge, the thorough learning of the art of war is not merely an instinct for him, but a fervent passion so that nothing can disturb his attention in military lessons, and he drives himself to them.”⁴ The future King spent part of his childhood living at Paretz, which he later bought.

Frederick William’s great-uncle, King Frederick II, died on 17 August 1786. This meant that his father became King Frederick William II, and he became the Crown Prince. In practice, this meant his budget was increased. Shortly before Frederick William’s 17th birthday, he was confirmed by the court preacher.⁵ In 1792, Frederick William led a brigade into France during the campaigns against France of 1792–1794.

In April 1793, Frederick William and his younger brother, Louis, were betrothed to the daughters of Duke Charles of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Louise and Frederica. The girls’ father was not enthusiastic about the match, but Frederick William’s father was delighted with the sisters. He wrote, “When I first saw the two angels, I was so struck by their beauty that I was completely beside myself when the grandmother presented them to me.”⁶

The King left the choice between the two princesses to his eldest son. The Crown Prince found it difficult to decide and consulted Louis, who showed no interest in either girl. He had a mistress in Berlin whom he intended to keep. Frederick William wrote, “I actually liked both princesses very much, without actually being in love with them. Both were quite pretty, had a pleasant tone, and, judging by their appearance, seemed to be nothing short of inferior to one another.”⁷ In the end, the Crown Prince settled on Louise, leaving Frederica for Louis. On 19 March 1793, Frederick William asked Louise to marry him. The two engagements were announced and celebrated at Darmstadt on 24 April 1793.

On 21 December 1793, the two sisters arrived in Potsdam, accompanied by their grandmother and their brother, Georg. The next day, they travelled to Berlin in a golden carriage drawn by eight horses. On 24 December, it was Louise’s turn to get married. A lady-in-waiting wrote, “Wedding day of the Crown Princess. She dined with her grandmother and us ladies; then she dressed and went to the Queen at 6 o’clock to have her diadem fastened. The ceremony was in the White Hall, followed by the traditional festivities, the torchlit dance, etc.”⁸ Two days later, on 26 December, it was Frederica’s turn.

It wasn’t long after the wedding that Frederick William was on the road again, this time to Poland.  He found it an “unhappy land.”⁹ It soon became clear that Frederick William’s father’s reign would not be long as his health began to fail. He headed to Potsdam on 16 November 1797 after learning that his father was dying. He told his wife, “My time of trials is beginning, and the quiet happiness we have enjoyed is coming to an end.” He arrived too late to see his father alive. His first act as King appears to have been the arrest of his father’s mistress.¹⁰ He also dismissed several of his father’s advisors.¹¹

When Frederick William succeeded as King, his wife had already given him two healthy sons, the future King Frederick William IV, and William I, German Emperor. Five more surviving children would follow.

Read part two here.

1. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.202
2. Friedrich Wilhelm II., König von Preussen (1744 bis 1797). Sein Privatleben und seine Regierung im Lichte neuerer Forschungen by Friedrich R. Paulig p.70
3. Friedrich Wilhelm II., König von Preussen (1744 bis 1797). Sein Privatleben und seine Regierung im Lichte neuerer Forschungen by Friedrich R. Paulig p.71
4. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.202
5. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.203
6. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.33
7. Luise, die Königin and ihre geschwister by Carolin Philipps p.139
8. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.46
9. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.205
10. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.206
11. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.206