General Notes

Frederick III (of Prussia) (1831-1888), king of Prussia and emperor of Germany
from March 9 to June 15, 1888, and the son of Emperor William I. Frederick was
born in Potsdam, Germany. When his father succeeded to the throne of Prussia
in 1861, Frederick became Frederick William, crown prince of Prussia. Liberal
in his political views, Frederick opposed the conservative policies of the
German chancellor, Prince Otto von Bismarck. Although Frederick opposed war,
he became commander of an army and led Prussian forces to victory over the
Austrians at the Battle of Sadová (also known as Sadowa) in 1866, which
terminated the Seven Weeks' War. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and
1871, Frederick commanded the armies of the southern German states,
participating in the Battle of Sedan and the siege of Paris, France.
A man of learning and culture, Frederick patronized art and literature and
encouraged the work of the royal museums. As Crown Prince Frederick William,
he was genially called "Our Fritz" by the German people, most of whom
anticipated with pleasure his accession to the throne. Frederick became ill,
however, in 1887 and lived only three months after succeeding to the throne on
his father's death in 1888. He was in turn succeeded by his son, William II.