General Notes

William I (of Württemberg) (1781-1864), king of Württemberg (1816-64), son of
Frederick William Charles, duke of Württemberg, later King Frederick I, born
in Lüben, Silesia (now Lubin, Poland). In 1814-15 William commanded an allied
army corps in the last phase of the Napoleonic Wars. After he ascended the
throne, he proved to be a progressive ruler, and in 1819 he granted a liberal
constitution that abolished serfdom and class privileges and encouraged
education and industry. He defended the rights of the small German states
against Austrian and Prussian aggression and championed Germanic union.
Between 1828 and 1830 William worked for the formation of the German
Zollverein, or customs union. After 1848 fear of Prussian power led him
gradually into an alliance with Austria.