Person

Frederick William IV of Prussia

1795–1861 · 19th century

Frederick William IV was king of Prussia from 1840 to 1861. A romantic conservative who admired the Middle Ages, he was forced by the revolution of 1848 to grant a constitution, but in 1849 refused the imperial crown offered by the Frankfurt Parliament. His plan for a union of German states under Prussia was abandoned at Olmütz in 1850. After strokes, his brother William ruled as regent from 1858.

Frederick William IV of Prussia
Image: Hermann Biow · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

County of HohenzollernDeclineGerman ConfederationDecline

Mentioned in 1 state history

Principality of Hohenzollern-Hechingen

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Frederick William IV of Prussia. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-william-iv-of-prussia
MLA
“Frederick William IV of Prussia.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-william-iv-of-prussia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Frederick William IV of Prussia.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-william-iv-of-prussia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Frederick William IV of Prussia’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/frederick-william-iv-of-prussia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻