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

On 15 October 1795, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Crown Princess of Prussia, gave birth to her second child, the future King Frederick William IV of Prussia.

Louise’s first child had tragically been stillborn. As such, Frederick William was their eldest surviving child. His younger brother, the future William I, German Emperor, was only 18 months younger than him. His other siblings were Charlotte, the short-lived Frederica, Charles, Alexandrine, the short-lived Ferdinand, Louise and Albert.

Frederick William and William were raised together under the same teachers, such as Friedrich Delbrück, who was their tutor from 1800 to 1809.¹ The first years of Frederick William’s life were ones of family and stability. They were a close-knit family and could be themselves at Paretz. Frederick William’s nickname in the family was Fritz, the same as his father. Louise decreed that the children should spend at least two hours a day with her.²

Frederick William formed a close bond with his tutor, and Friedrich accompanied the Princes when the royal family was forced to flee from Berlin due to Napoleon’s advancing troops.³ In 1810, Friedrich Delbrück was replaced by Johann Peter Friedrich Ancillon, a well-known pastor. Frederick William was upset at the change, but in time he also grew close to Ancillon.⁴

Frederick William was not known to be very into the military. He had a passion for drawing and architecture, and was deeply religious. As a child, he was also known to be undisciplined and emotionally volatile. In one of her last letters to him, Queen Louise wrote, “The ability to suppress your desires and resist your passions is utterly absent in you, and this point was quite impermissibly neglected during your education. Listen to my maternal voice, my dear Fritz; think carefully about what I tenderly repeat to you so often; tame the youthful fire with which you want to have everything that you like, and with which you immediately demand the means to attain everything that you think of for yourself.”⁵ Queen Louise died in July 1810 at the age of 34.

After being forced to flee from Napoleon’s forces, Frederick William developed a “violent antagonism” towards France and the Revolution.⁶ This would remain for his entire life and reign.

Frederick William accompanied his father on his military campaigns from 1814, travelling across Germany and to Paris.⁷ When he saw Cologne Cathedral, he became determined to push through plans to complete the cathedral.⁸ When he travelled through the Rhineland in July 1815, he wrote in his diary, “I immersed my right hand in the Rhine and crossed myself. What a divine stream! This width! These banks! . . . How elegant this Rhine appears from the hill!! What a stream!!! After the Jordan and the Ganges and the Nile, it is the first of the world!!!”⁹

In 1819, Frederick William was sent on a so-called bridal inspection (Brautschau) to southern Germany. He chose Princess Elisabeth Ludovika, who was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Caroline of Baden. Their courtship lasted for several years, which seems to have been because they wanted to be sure of their feelings. There was one matter of contention: Elisabeth was a catholic, which would be unacceptable as Queen of Prussia.¹⁰ By 1823, it was agreed that Elisabeth would not have to convert immediately, but she would receive instruction in Evangelical beliefs and her conversion would take place on the basis of free conviction.¹¹

They were married in Munich on 29 November 1823, after which they travelled to Berlin, where they settled. Shortly after their arrival home, Frederick William’s brother wrote, “An indescribable moment! And what happiness! Papa was enchanted by her that he said to Fritz. ‘No, I never imagined her to be so pretty and charming, and if everything is as good as she looks, then we congratulate ourselves wholeheartedly!’ You can imagine the weight that was lifted from our shoulders by that statement!”¹²

Elisabeth immediately began her instruction in Evangelical beliefs and her formal conversion took place in 1829. However, rumours persisted for decades that the conversion was not genuine. As Crown Princess, she rarely joined her husband on campaigns and other trips. Their marriage would remain childless, and by 1830, it was clear that his brother, William, was destined to be his heir.¹³

During his years as Crown Prince, Frederick William often held tea salons with Elisabeth, which consisted of lectures or readings from notable personalities from various fields. These became an important part of his life. One of his friends from these tea salons was the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who would later accompany him to St Petersburg when Frederick William went to visit his brother-in-law, Tsar Nicholas I, and later also to Warsaw.¹⁴

In 1828, Frederick William realised his dream of going to Italy, but Elisabeth had to stay behind because she was in poor health. The Crown Prince was accompanied by Johann Peter Friedrich Ancillon to Genoa, Tuscany and Rome.¹⁵ He returned via Naples, Ravenna and Venice and was back in Berlin by December 1828.¹⁶ The writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote about Frederick William that same year, “According to everything which I know of him and hear of him, he is a very considerable person!”¹⁷

Part two coming soon.

1. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.26
2. Beautiful enemy; a biography of Queen Louise of Prussia by Constance Wright p.53
3. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.27
4. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.27
5. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.28
6. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.28
7. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.30
8. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.31
9. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.31
10. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.37
11. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.38
12. Prinz Wilhelm von Preußen an Charlotte: Briefe 1817-1860 p.93
13. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.38
14. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.42
15. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.44
16. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.45
17. Frederick William IV and The Prussian Monarchy 1840-1861 by David E. Barclay p.47