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His full name was Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig.
As second son of Friedrich Wilhelm III Wilhelm had no expectations to ascend to the throne and thus he received only little education. He served in the army from 1814 onward, fought against Napoleon. and was reportedly a very brave soldier. He also became an excellent diplomat by engaging in diplomatic missions after 1815. In 18481848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). Events Sri Lanka The Revolution of 1848 (qv. a series of widespread but failed struggles for more liberal governments, from Brazil to Hungary. January 24 California gold rush: Jame he successfully crushed a revolt that was aimed at his elder brother King Friedrich Wilhelm IVKing Frederick William IV of Prussia ( October 15, 1795 January 2, 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 1840 to 1861. He continued the reactionary policies started by his father. During t.
In 1857Events January 9 Earthquake at Fort Tejon, California with an estimated magnitude of 7. 9 February 16 The National Deaf Mute College (later renamed Gallaudet University) is established in Washington, DC becoming the first school for the advanced education Friedrich Wilhelm IV suffered from a stroke and became mentally disabled for the rest of his life. In January 1858Events January 14 Felice Orsini and his accomplices fail to assassinate Napoleon III in Paris but their bombs kill 156 bystanders. Because of the involvement of French emigres living in Britain, there is a brief anti-British feeling in France but the empe Wilhelm became Prince RegentFor the insecticide 'Regent', see Regent (insecticide A regent is an acting governor. In a monarchy, a regent usually rules due to the actual monarch's absence, incapacity, or minority. In the case of Finland and Hungary, military officers served as regen for his brother.
On January 2January 2 is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 363 days remaining (364 in leap years). Events 366 Alamanni cross frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading Roman Empire. 1492 Reconquista: Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spa, 1861 Friedrich Wilhelm died and Wilhelm ascended the throne as Wilhelm I of Prussia. He inherited a conflict between King and the liberal parliament. He was considered a politically neutral person as he intervened less in politics than his brother. He nevertheless found a conservative solution for the conflict: he appointed Otto von Bismarck to the office of Prime Minister. According to the Prussian constitution, the Prime Minister was solely responsible to the king, not to parliament. Bismarck liked to see his work relationship with Wilhelm as that of a vassal to his feudal superior. Nonetheless it was Bismarck who effectively directed the politics, interior as well as foreign; on several occasions he gained Wilhelm's assent by threatening to resign.
In the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War Wilhelm was proclaimed German Emperor on January 18, 1871 in Versailles, in the palace of Louis XIV. By this ceremony, the North German Confederation (1867-1871) was transformed into the German Empire ("Deutsches Reich", 1871-1945). This Empire was a federal state; the emperor was head of state and president (primus inter pares) of the federated monarchs (the kings of Bavaria, Wurttemberg, Saxony, the grand dukes of Baden and Hessen, and so on, not to forget the senates of the free cities of Hamburg and Bremen). Wilhelm accepted the title "German Emperor" grudgingly; he would have preferred "Emperor of Germany", which however was unacceptable to the federated monarchs.
In his memoirs, Bismarck describes Wilhelm as an old-fashioned, courteous, infallibly polite gentleman and a genuine Prussian officer, whose good common sense was occasionally undermined by "female influences".
| Preceded by: — | German Emperor | Succeeded by: Friedrich III |
| Friedrich Wilhelm IV | King of Prussia |