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Portrait of Frederick William III of Prussia

Frederick William III of Prussia

Reign: 1797 – 1840
Life: 1770–1840

He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved. Frederick William III ruled Prussia during the times of the Napoleonic Wars. Following Napoleon defeat, he took part in the Congress of Vienna, which assembled to settle the political questions arising from the new, post-Napoleonic order in Europe. His primary interests were internal, the reform of Prussia's Protestant churches. He was determined to unify the Protestant churches to homogenize their liturgy, organization, and architecture. The long-term goal was to have fully centralized royal control of all the Protestant churches in the Prussian Union of Churches.

During Frederick William III of Prussia's reign, Francis I of Austria ruled Austria, William I of the Netherlands ruled Netherlands, and Alexander I of Russia ruled Russia.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947 by Christopher Clark

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Cover of Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947

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Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947

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