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

Read part one here.

Frederick William initially did not want to enter the Napoleonic Wars. As early as 1797, he had told his uncle, “Everybody knows that I abhor war and that I know of nothing greater on earth than the preservation of peace and tranquillity as the only system suited to the happiness of humankind…”¹ Nevertheless, he eventually joined the war in October 1806 after mobilising the army in September 1805.² He had a meeting with Emperor Alexander I of Russia, which reaffirmed the friendship between the two monarchs.

On 14 October 1806, the Battles of Jena-Auerstädt destroyed the Prussian army, and Napoleon was in Berlin at the end of October, forcing Frederick William and his family to flee. After a winter lull, the war resumed in early 1807. They now had Russia’s forces on their side following the Treaty of Bartenstein.³ However, defeats continued to come, and eventually Russia and Prussia were forced to negotiate with France at Tilsit. Frederick William was awkward around Napoleon, and eventually Queen Louise was called in to charm the Emperor into sparing Prussia the worst.⁴

On 25 June 1807, Frederick William wrote to Louise, “My messenger reached him just before he got into his boat. In the distance, I caught sight of the being who seems to exist merely to carry death and destruction everywhere. Would to heaven that I need never see him nearer. I cannot tell you how strangely his aspect affected me.”⁵ He later wrote, “Everybody here is perfectly certain that your coming will be attended by the happiest results. Hardenberg also takes this view and begs me to request you to hasten your arrival. That which yet be done must be done quickly. […] Arm yourself with courage and think no more of possibilities which will never be realised. Think only of the dire necessity of Prussia now that Russia has taken her stand on the side of Napoleon.”⁶

As she received the letter, Louise said, “If any mortal believed that by taking this step, I could save one solitary village for the Fatherland, that alone would determine me to go.”⁷ To her husband, she wrote, “I can give you no greater proof of my love, no greater proof of devotion to my country than by coming to Tilsit.”⁸

Louise met the Emperor and did everything she could. Napoleon later wrote to his wife Joséphine, “The Queen of Prussia is really charming and full of coquettishness toward me. But don’t be jealous, I am made of oilcloth, and all this just slides off. It would cost me too dearly to play the gallant.”⁹ Louise stated her wishes for the peace treaty, but his silence made her say, “You are not answering my questions, and yet it would cost you but a word to make the terms of the peace acceptable.”¹⁰ He ended the conversation with, “I will think over what you have said. We will see about it.”¹¹ He later commented, “If he [Frederick William] had left me with the Queen for another quarter of an hour, I would have promised her anything she asked.”¹²

The terms for Prussia remained brutal, and Frederick William stood to lose half his kingdom. The peace was signed on 9 July 1807. By 1809, Frederick William was considering “relinquishing the reins of government to whom the nation deems more worthy and who more corresponds to the trust of my misguided countrymen.”¹³ The death of Queen Louise the following year earned him the sympathy of his people. Louise died on 19 July 1810 at the age of 34, leaving behind her husband and seven young children.

To his wife’s grandmother, he wrote, “If she had been the wife of some other man, she would have lived, but since she was my wife, she had to die.”¹⁴ Now, without Louise, the war against Napoleon would continue until his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. During the Congress of Vienna, Prussia lost many of its Polish territories, but it also gained some in Saxony and western Germany.¹⁵

In 1824, Frederick William entered into a morganatic marriage with Countess Auguste Harrach, whom he had met during a stay at a spa in Teplitz. Public opinion was against the match, as well as his children. However, it went ahead anyway.¹⁶ Auguste was given the title Princess of Liegnitz.

After the age of 60, Frederick William’s health deteriorated quickly. He died on 7 June 1840 after a fever. He was 69 years old.

1. Iron Kindom by Christopher Clark p.298-299
2. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.209
3. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.210
4. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.211
5. Queen Louise of Prussia by Mary Maxwell Moffat p.176-181
6. Queen Louise of Prussia by Mary Maxwell Moffat p.194-195
7. Queen Louise of Prussia by Mary Maxwell Moffat p.195
8. Beautiful enemy: a biography of Queen Louise of Prussia by Constance Wright p.168
9. The age of Napoleon by Christopher J. Herold p.185
10. Queen Louise of Prussia by Mary Maxwell Moffat p.202
11. Queen Louise of Prussia by Mary Maxwell Moffat p.202
12. Queen Louise of Prussia by Mary Maxwell Moffat p.203
13. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.212
14. Beautiful enemy: a biography of Queen Louise of Prussia by Constance Wright p.231
15. Germany at War edited by David T. Zabecki p.453
16. Preußens Herrscher: von den ersten Hohenzollern bis Wilhelm II. edited by Frank-Lothar Kroll p.215