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Frederick William III, King of Prussia. Frederick William III, King of Prussia Frederick III King of Prussia

: 54°45′09″ n. w. 20°26′35″ E. d. / 54.7526194° s. w. 20.4431083° E. d. / 54.7526194; 20.4431083(G) (I)

Construction OK. 1870-ca. 1890s State available for visiting; there is an external exposition

Fort No. 5 - King Frederick William III(German) Friedrich Wilhelm III) - a military fortification in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad), which covered the highway to Pillau. Belongs to the ring of forts “Night feather bed of Königsberg”. Named after King Frederick William III of Prussia (1770-1848), who led the state during the Napoleonic Wars.

At the beginning of April 1945, it was taken by Soviet troops, the German garrison capitulated, and the fort itself was severely destroyed. Since 1979, it has the status of a museum of the history of the Great Patriotic War. Since 2010 it has been open to the public. Object of cultural heritage of federal significance.

Construction

The time of construction is the end of the 19th century. It is a hexagonal structure made of brick and concrete, elongated along the front, 215 meters long and 105 meters wide. Surrounded by a moat with water, a stone wall and an earthen rampart. The thickness of the walls is up to 5 meters. The earthen rampart was equipped with trenches and firing positions for machine guns, flamethrowers, mortars and artillery pieces. The width of the ditch is 20-25 m, the depth is 5 m. The drawbridge connecting the fort with the adjacent territory was covered by a concrete pillbox (now destroyed). The fort itself was surrounded by trees and bushes for the purpose of camouflage.

There were barracks for an infantry company, an artillery team and a group of sappers. In 1886, the fort was additionally covered with reinforced concrete about 2 meters thick, and an observation rotating armored dome was also built. Before the assault on Königsberg, the fort was further fortified: an anti-tank ditch was dug on the flanks of the fort, trenches and artillery positions were equipped, piers were installed, and the surrounding area was surrounded by barbed wire and mined.

The German garrison of the fort numbered 350 soldiers and officers, was armed with 8 guns, 25 mortars, up to 50 machine guns of various calibers, 60 machine guns and more than 200 rifles. On the flanks of the fort there were two casemates (half-caponiers), in which personnel could hide. The distance between the forts was 2.5-3 km, so a continuous sweep of the nearby area was achieved.

Storm

The first attempt to destroy the fort with artillery fire was made by Soviet troops on April 5, 1945. However, the fort withstood the fire of specially powerful guns. Artillery fire removed the earthen “cushion” from the fort, but having received about 90 direct hits, it was only partially destroyed: there were only a few obvious holes and breaches.

From April 6, artillery preparation continued. The assault detachments of the 801st and 806th rifle regiments of the 235th rifle division, reinforced with tanks, guns and self-propelled artillery units, approached the fort. Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Company of the 806th Infantry Regiment crossed the ditch and, under fire, captured the casemate on the right flank. Lieutenant Mirza Dzhabiev and Sergeant A.I. Kondrutsky hoisted the Red Banner on it.

However, resistance continued. The 550th Infantry Regiment of the 126th Infantry Division joined the assault, thus the siege and assault of the fort was continued successively, replacing each other, by the 1st Battalion of the 732nd Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the 550th Infantry Regiment. The leadership of the assault was entrusted to senior lieutenant R.R. Babushkin. Under enemy fire, the sappers managed to blow up the casemate on the left flank. And with the onset of darkness, a group of sappers (sergeant-major P.I. Merenkov, senior sergeant G.A. Malygin, private V.K. Polupanov) made two targeted explosions to ensure the descent of improvised crossing means to the water ditch, and then, crossing the ditch, organized undermining the fort's floor caponier.

After this, the assault troops were able to cross the ditch with water and rushed into the resulting gap. All night from April 7 to April 8, there was a battle inside the fort, and only on the morning of April 8, the remnants of the German garrison capitulated. By that time, fighting was already taking place in the city center of Königsberg. For comparison, it took about a day to storm Fort No. 5-a, while Soviet assault units captured Forts No. 6 and 7 within a few hours. According to Soviet data, more than 200 enemy soldiers and officers were killed, and about 100 were captured.

For the blockade and capture of Fort No. 5, fifteen Soviet soldiers and officers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union:

Senior Lieutenant Babushkin Roman Romanovich
Senior Lieutenant Nyrkov Gennady Matveevich
Senior Lieutenant Ilya Ivanovich Tkachenko
Lieutenant Jabiev Mirza Agamurad ogly
Lieutenant Sidorov Ivan Prokhorovich
junior lieutenant Ishkinin Ishmay Ishtubaevich (on the Ishubaevich monument)
Sergeant Major Merenkov Pyotr Ivanovich
Sergeant Major Shubin Alexey Petrovich
senior sergeant Malygin Grigory Alekseevich
Sergeant Kondrutsky Alexey Ivanovich
Sergeant Kurasov Vasily Mikhailovich
junior sergeant Salamakha Anton Mikhailovich
Private Dvorsky Ivan Ivanovich
Private Polupanov Vladimir Konstantinovich
Private Chirkov Fedor Tikhonovich

Current state

Fort No. 5 was heavily destroyed, as it was located in the direction of the main attack of the 43rd Army and offered fierce resistance. In the left wing of the fort after the war, sappers exploded ammunition collected from the surrounding area.

Since 1979, it has the status of a museum of the history of the Great Patriotic War (as a branch). In 2001, the Kaliningrad Non-State Museum of Fortification and Military Equipment was created on the basis of Fort No. 5. Since 2010, part of the fort has been open to the public, and an exhibition of rare military photographs “The Assault on Königsberg” has been organized inside. Object of cultural heritage of federal significance.

On the territory surrounding the fort, a war memorial was erected in memory of the Soviet soldiers who died during its assault. The names of fifteen Heroes of the Soviet Union are immortalized on the memorial stone.

It also houses an open exhibition of the Kaliningrad Regional History and Art Museum. Soviet guns, from anti-tank to anti-aircraft, and Katyusha are displayed on the rampart. Torpedoes, depth charges and a deck gun can also be seen.

Historical reconstructions dedicated to the assault are regularly held near the fort.

Gallery

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War memorial at Fort No. 5

Kaliningrad5fort.JPG

Elements of ground exposition

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Notes

Literature

Research

Ovsyanov A. P. Fort No. 5: monument to the heroes of the assault on Koenigsberg. - Kaliningrad: Axios, 2010. - 144 p.
Fort No. 5 “King Frederick William III” // Architectural Monuments. City of Kaliningrad: catalog of cultural heritage sites of the Kaliningrad region. Part 1. - Kaliningrad, 2005. - pp. 177-178.
Balyazin V. N. Assault on Königsberg. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1964. - P. 53-59. - 128 s. - (The heroic past of our Motherland).
The struggle for the Soviet Baltic states in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945: In 3 books. Book 3. Final stage. - Riga: Liesma, 1969. − 320 p. - pp. 93-94.

Essays and travel guides

Bykova N. I. Fort No. 5 - a place of mass heroism of Soviet soldiers: [Booklet] / Photo. Yu. V. Chernysheva, N. F. Markova. - Kaliningrad: Book. publishing house, 1984. - 8 p. - (Phil. Kaliningrad region. history and art museum).
Kolganova E. M., Kolganov I. P., Ivanov Yu. N. Travel around the Kaliningrad region. - Kaliningrad: Book. publishing house, 1961. - 222 p. - P.64-66.
Ovsyanov A. P. In the casemates of the Royal Fort: essays on the fortifications of old Koenigsberg. - Kaliningrad: Amber Tale, 1999. - 416 p. - (Secrets of the old city).
Strokin V.N. Monuments of the military past: A guide to memorable places in Kaliningrad. region / Photo N. F. Markova. - Kaliningrad: Book. publishing house, 1995. - 136 p. - P.58-61.
Combat Valor: Essays. - Donetsk: Donbass, 1971. - 159 p. - pp. 135-140.

Memoirs

Beloborodov A.P. Victorious salvo over the Baltic // Always in battle / Lit. recording by N. S. Vinokurov. - M.: Economics, 1984. - P. 326-348. - 352 s. - (War memoirs).
Bagramyan I. X. This is how we went to victory. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1988. - 632 p. - (War memoirs). - pp. 588, 591.

Articles

Fifteen fighters became Heroes of the Soviet Union [for the capture of Fort No. 5 in Koenigsberg] // Komsomolskaya Pravda. - 2012. - April 10. - P. 27. - (Freeze frame).
Shelygina I. Battle for Fort No. 5 // Guardian of the Baltic. - 2012. - April 10. - P. 1, 3. - (Reconstructions).

Links

I. I. Krayushkin. Military History Magazine No. 4, 2006. pp. 24-25.
. Kaliningrad Historical and Art Museum. Retrieved June 30, 2014.

Excerpt characterizing Fort No. 5 - King Frederick William III

Helen did not run out of the room.

A week later, Pierre gave his wife power of attorney to manage all the Great Russian estates, which amounted to more than half of his fortune, and alone he left for St. Petersburg.

Two months passed after receiving news in Bald Mountains about the Battle of Austerlitz and the death of Prince Andrei, and despite all the letters through the embassy and all the searches, his body was not found, and he was not among the prisoners. The worst thing for his relatives was that there was still hope that he had been raised by the inhabitants on the battlefield, and perhaps was lying recovering or dying somewhere alone, among strangers, and unable to give news of himself. In the newspapers, from which the old prince first learned about the defeat of Austerlitz, it was written, as always, very briefly and vaguely, that the Russians, after brilliant battles, had to retreat and carried out the retreat in perfect order. The old prince understood from this official news that ours were defeated. A week after the newspaper brought news of the Battle of Austerlitz, a letter arrived from Kutuzov, who informed the prince of the fate that befell his son.
“Your son, in my eyes,” wrote Kutuzov, with a banner in his hands, in front of the regiment, fell as a hero worthy of his father and his fatherland. To my general regret and that of the entire army, it is still unknown whether he is alive or not. I flatter myself and you with hope that your son is alive, for otherwise he would have been named among the officers found on the battlefield, about whom the list was given to me through the envoys.”
Having received this news late in the evening, when he was alone. in his office, the old prince, as usual, went for his morning walk the next day; but he was silent with the clerk, the gardener and the architect, and, although he looked angry, he did not say anything to anyone.
When, at ordinary times, Princess Marya came to him, he stood at the machine and sharpened, but, as usual, did not look back at her.
- A! Princess Marya! - he suddenly said unnaturally and threw the chisel. (The wheel was still spinning from its swing. Princess Marya long remembered this fading creaking of the wheel, which for her merged with what followed.)
Princess Marya moved towards him, saw his face, and something suddenly sank within her. Her eyes stopped seeing clearly. She saw from her father’s face, not sad, not murdered, but angry and unnaturally working on himself, that a terrible misfortune hung over her and would crush her, the worst in her life, a misfortune she had not yet experienced, an irreparable, incomprehensible misfortune. , the death of someone you love.
- Mon pere! Andre? [Father! Andrei?] - Said the ungraceful, awkward princess with such an inexpressible charm of sadness and self-forgetfulness that her father could not stand her gaze and turned away, sobbing.
- Got the news. None among the prisoners, none among the killed. Kutuzov writes,” he shouted shrilly, as if wanting to drive the princess away with this cry, “he has been killed!”
The princess did not fall, she did not feel faint. She was already pale, but when she heard these words, her face changed, and something shone in her radiant, beautiful eyes. It was as if joy, the highest joy, independent of the sorrows and joys of this world, spread beyond the intense sadness that was in her. She forgot all her fear of her father, walked up to him, took his hand, pulled him towards her and hugged his dry, sinewy neck.
“Mon pere,” she said. “Don’t turn away from me, we’ll cry together.”
- Scoundrels, scoundrels! – the old man shouted, moving his face away from her. - Destroy the army, destroy the people! For what? Go, go, tell Lisa. “The princess sank helplessly into a chair next to her father and began to cry. She now saw her brother at that moment as he said goodbye to her and Lisa, with his gentle and at the same time arrogant look. She saw him at that moment, how he tenderly and mockingly put the icon on himself. “Did he believe? Did he repent of his unbelief? Is he there now? Is it there, in the abode of eternal peace and bliss?” she thought.
- Mon pere, [Father,] tell me how it was? – she asked through tears.
- Go, go, killed in a battle in which they ordered the best Russian people and Russian glory to be killed. Go, Princess Marya. Go and tell Lisa. I will come.
When Princess Marya returned from her father, the little princess was sitting at work, and with that special expression of an inner and happily calm look, characteristic only of pregnant women, she looked at Princess Marya. It was clear that her eyes did not see Princess Marya, but looked deep into herself - into something happy and mysterious happening within her.
“Marie,” she said, moving away from the hoop and waddling back, “give me your hand here.” “She took the princess’s hand and placed it on her stomach.
Her eyes smiled expectantly, her sponge with mustache rose, and childishly happily remained raised.
Princess Marya knelt in front of her and hid her face in the folds of her daughter-in-law's dress.
- Here, here - do you hear? It's so strange to me. And you know, Marie, I will love him very much,” said Lisa, looking at her sister-in-law with sparkling, happy eyes. Princess Marya could not raise her head: she was crying.
- What's wrong with you, Masha?
“Nothing... I felt so sad... sad about Andrei,” she said, wiping her tears on her daughter-in-law’s knees. Several times throughout the morning, Princess Marya began to prepare her daughter-in-law, and each time she began to cry. These tears, the reason for which the little princess did not understand, alarmed her, no matter how little observant she was. She didn’t say anything, but looked around restlessly, looking for something. Before dinner, the old prince, whom she had always been afraid of, entered her room, now with a particularly restless, angry face and, without saying a word, left. She looked at Princess Marya, then thought with that expression in her eyes of attention directed inward that pregnant women have, and suddenly began to cry.
– Did you receive anything from Andrey? - she said.
- No, you know that the news could not come yet, but mon pere is worried, and I’m scared.
- Oh nothing?
“Nothing,” said Princess Marya, looking firmly at her daughter-in-law with radiant eyes. She decided not to tell her and persuaded her father to hide the receipt of terrible news from her daughter-in-law until her permission, which was supposed to be the other day. Princess Marya and the old prince, each in their own way, wore and hid their grief. The old prince did not want to hope: he decided that Prince Andrei had been killed, and despite the fact that he sent an official to Austria to look for his son’s trace, he ordered a monument to him in Moscow, which he intended to erect in his garden, and told everyone that his son was killed. He tried to lead his previous lifestyle without changing, but his strength failed him: he walked less, ate less, slept less, and became weaker every day. Princess Marya hoped. She prayed for her brother as if he were alive and waited every minute for news of his return.

“Ma bonne amie, [My good friend,”] said the little princess on the morning of March 19th after breakfast, and her sponge with mustache rose according to an old habit; but just as in all not only smiles, but the sounds of speeches, even the gaits in this house since the day the terrible news was received, there was sadness, so now the smile of the little princess, who succumbed to the general mood, although she did not know its reason, was such that she reminded me even more of general sadness.
- Ma bonne amie, je crains que le fruschtique (comme dit Foka - the cook) de ce matin ne m "aie pas fait du mal. [My friend, I'm afraid that the current frishtik (as the cook Foka calls it) will make me feel bad. ]
– What’s wrong with you, my soul? You're pale. “Oh, you are very pale,” said Princess Marya in fear, running up to her daughter-in-law with her heavy, soft steps.
- Your Excellency, should I send for Marya Bogdanovna? - said one of the maids who was here. (Marya Bogdanovna was a midwife from a district town who had been living in Bald Mountains for another week.)
“And indeed,” Princess Marya picked up, “perhaps for sure.” I will go. Courage, mon ange! [Don't be afraid, my angel.] She kissed Lisa and wanted to leave the room.
- Oh, no, no! - And besides the pallor, the little princess’s face expressed a childish fear of inevitable physical suffering.
- Non, c"est l"estomac... dites que c"est l"estomac, dites, Marie, dites..., [No, this is the stomach... tell me, Masha, that this is the stomach...] - and the princess began to cry childishly, painfully, capriciously and even somewhat feignedly, wringing his little hands. The princess ran out of the room after Marya Bogdanovna.
- Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu! [My God! Oh my God!] Oh! – she heard behind her.
Rubbing her plump, small, white hands, the midwife was already walking towards her, with a significantly calm face.
- Marya Bogdanovna! It seems it has begun,” said Princess Marya, looking at her grandmother with frightened, open eyes.
“Well, thank God, princess,” said Marya Bogdanovna without increasing her pace. “You girls shouldn’t know about this.”
- But how come the doctor hasn’t arrived from Moscow yet? - said the princess. (At the request of Lisa and Prince Andrey, an obstetrician was sent to Moscow on time, and he was expected every minute.)
“It’s okay, princess, don’t worry,” said Marya Bogdanovna, “and without the doctor everything will be fine.”
Five minutes later, the princess heard from her room that they were carrying something heavy. She looked out - the waiters were carrying a leather sofa that was in Prince Andrei's office into the bedroom for some reason. There was something solemn and quiet on the faces of the people carrying them.
Princess Marya sat alone in her room, listening to the sounds of the house, occasionally opening the door when they passed by, and looking closely at what was happening in the corridor. Several women walked in and out with quiet steps, looked at the princess and turned away from her. She did not dare to ask, she closed the door, returned to her room, and then sat down in her chair, then took up her prayer book, then knelt down in front of the icon case. Unfortunately and to her surprise, she felt that prayer did not calm her anxiety. Suddenly the door of her room quietly opened and her old nanny Praskovya Savishna, tied with a scarf, appeared on the threshold; almost never, due to the prince’s prohibition, did not enter her room.
“I came to sit with you, Mashenka,” said the nanny, “but I brought the prince’s wedding candles to light in front of the saint, my angel,” she said with a sigh.
- Oh, I'm so glad, nanny.
- God is merciful, my dear. - The nanny lit candles entwined with gold in front of the icon case and sat down with the stocking by the door. Princess Marya took the book and began to read. Only when steps or voices were heard, the princess looked at each other in fear, questioningly, and the nanny. In all parts of the house the same feeling that Princess Marya experienced while sitting in her room was poured out and possessed everyone. According to the belief that the fewer people know about the suffering of a woman in labor, the less she suffers, everyone tried to pretend not to know; no one spoke about this, but in all the people, in addition to the usual sedateness and respect for good manners that reigned in the prince’s house, one could see one common concern, a softness of heart and an awareness of something great, incomprehensible, taking place at that moment.
No laughter could be heard in the big maid's room. In the waitress all the people sat and were silent, ready to do something. The servants burned torches and candles and did not sleep. The old prince, stepping on his heel, walked around the office and sent Tikhon to Marya Bogdanovna to ask: what? - Just tell me: the prince ordered me to ask what? and come tell me what she says.
“Report to the prince that labor has begun,” said Marya Bogdanovna, looking significantly at the messenger. Tikhon went and reported to the prince.
“Okay,” said the prince, closing the door behind him, and Tikhon no longer heard the slightest sound in the office. A little later, Tikhon entered the office, as if to adjust the candles. Seeing that the prince was lying on the sofa, Tikhon looked at the prince, at his upset face, shook his head, silently approached him and, kissing him on the shoulder, left without adjusting the candles or saying why he had come. The most solemn sacrament in the world continued to be performed. Evening passed, night came. And the feeling of expectation and softening of the heart in the face of the incomprehensible did not fall, but rose. Nobody was sleeping.

Friedrich Wilhelm III (Hohenzollern) (1770-1840) - King of Prussia in 1797-1840.

During the era of the Napoleonic wars, he tried to counteract (under the influence of nationalist circles in Prussia) the spread of French influence over the German states. In this regard, he took part in the Fourth Anti-Napoleonic Coalition of 1806-1807. As a result of the defeat of Prussia (1806) and the signing of the Treaties of Tilsit in 1807, he lost a significant part of the territory of his kingdom.

Member of the Congress of Vienna and the Holy Alliance. Was in the wake of Russian and Austrian foreign policy.

He was connected by dynastic ties with Russia: his daughter, Princess Charlotte Caroline, was married to the Russian Emperor Nicholas I(in Russia she received the name Alexandra Fedorovna).

Orlov A.S., Georgieva N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical Dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 541.

Frederick William III (1770-1840) - king Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty, who ruled from 1797 to 1840. Son of Frederick William II and Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Wives:

1) from 1793 Louise, daughter of Charles II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1776 + 1810);

While still a young man, Friedrich Wilhelm took part in the wars against revolutionary France. He was in the active army during the capture of Frankfurt, during the siege of Mainz, during the blockade of Landau, and he himself commanded separate detachments. During these campaigns, he met Princess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who became his wife at the end of 1793. She was distinguished by her remarkable beauty, intelligence and courtesy.

In 1797, after the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm ascended to the Prussian throne. He was a well-intentioned, pious and modest man to the point of shyness: The old king, busy with his own pleasures, took great care of his son. Nevertheless, the Crown Prince received a careful education in the spirit of bourgeois simplicity, which later allowed him to easily get close to various classes of society. If his horizons were limited, his mind always remained clear. He was not in the habit of pomp; he freely traveled around the city or strolled along the boulevards.

Prussia was then in a difficult situation: the treasury was empty, industry and trade were in decline, the army was demoralized by poor maintenance. The people joyfully welcomed the beginning of a new reign, and indeed, the first steps of Frederick William were successful. Countess Lichtenau, the late king's favorite, was ordered to leave the court, and the most odious ministers were dismissed. The king suspended the decree on religion, softened censorship, declared an amnesty and introduced some savings in internal administration, all the more necessary since the financial department was in complete chaos. He himself gave the court examples of order and precision, and was the first Prussian king to give his subjects an account of his conduct. At the same time, Friedrich Wilhelm persecuted everything that disturbed his peace: he was extremely suspicious of new ideas, persecuted secret societies, and severely punished publishers and distributors of seditious pamphlets. Inexperienced in diplomacy, he understood and assessed international events very poorly, was often lost and could not make a final decision. For a long time, Prussia maintained strict neutrality towards Napoleonic France. But in 1805, war broke out at its very borders, and this wait-and-see attitude had to be abandoned. Shortly before the Battle of Austerlitz, Friedrich Wilhelm received the Russian Emperor Alexander 1 very well. During a touching meeting that took place at midnight in Potsdam at the tomb of Friedrich II, Friedrich Wilhelm solemnly promised the guest his support if Napoleon rejected Prussian mediation. However, Count Gaugwitz, who was then in charge of foreign policy, convinced the king to wait with the offer of mediation. As a result, Gaugwitz met with Napoleon after the Battle of Austerlitz and, broken by this brilliant victory, turned to the emperor not with arrogant demands, but with the most humble congratulations. “This is a compliment,” Napoleon answered him, “directed by fate to the wrong address.” Nevertheless, the emperor decided to take advantage of this forced benevolence. According to the agreement he concluded with Gaugwitz at Schönbrunn Castle, Napoleon obtained the concession of several small regions from Prussia, but in return gave it significant compensation - Hanover taken from England.

For the patriots, this treaty seemed insulting. Indeed, it looked unseemly to take Hanover from the hands of Germany's enemy while most Germans were mourning the defeat at Austerlitz. Queen Louise, the king's nephew Prince Ludwig and Minister Hardenberg ardently sought a declaration of war on France. Every day the war party became more numerous. Gaugwitz was insulted in the theater. Prussian guards officers defiantly sharpened their sabers on the steps of the French embassy building in Berlin. All this had an effect on Friedrich Wilhelm. In 1806, he addressed Napoleon with an arrogant ultimatum, in which he ordered him to withdraw his troops from Germany. Berlin these days was filled with extraordinary enthusiasm. Everyone said that it was time to liberate Germany and bring France back to its former borders. The people enthusiastically greeted Queen Louise, who was reviewing the troops on horseback.

On October 6, war was declared. The moment for this was chosen extremely poorly, since Austria had already been defeated, and Russia was not yet ready for war. Two Prussian armies (one of which was commanded by the king and the old Duke of Brunswick) moved towards Hesse. Napoleon quickly led his troops through the gorges of Frankenwald and began to threaten Berlin. The king hastily deployed his army and tried to cover communications with the capital. On October 14, two decisive battles took place. Napoleon himself attacked the army of Prince Hohenlohe at Jena, and Davout at Aurstedt defeated Frederick William and the Duke of Brunswick. The last one was killed. Friedrich Wilhelm himself took part in the battle, defying all danger - he was in the middle of the fire, and two horses were killed under him. After the battle was lost, he ordered a retreat to Weimar. Here the fugitives from Aurstedt met the fugitives from Jena. General horror completed the disintegration of the Prussian army. The unprecedented confusion did not allow any attempts to resist. The fortresses surrendered without a fight. On October 27, Napoleon entered Berlin at the head of his victorious troops. A huge indemnity was imposed on Prussia. Friedrich Wilhelm fled to Konigsberg. He was so confused that he was ready to make peace. Despite all the efforts of Queen Louise, who tried to instill cheerfulness into him, the king again fell under the influence of Gaugwitz. On October 25, he wrote a humiliating letter to the emperor, whom he was then ashamed of all his life. Napoleon answered him arrogantly and agreed only to a short truce, and on the most difficult conditions. Fortunately, Russian troops were already at the borders of Prussia. The king perked up and refused to sign the truce. In 1807, a new war broke out in Poland, in which Napoleon was opposed by the Russian army. In February, a bloody battle took place at Eylau, which did not give victory to either side. In April, Frederick William and Alexander agreed at Bartenstein not to enter into negotiations with Napoleon until the French were pushed beyond the Rhine. However, in June, the Russians were defeated at the Battle of Friedland. The French entered Konigsberg and threatened the Russian borders. Alexander had to agree to negotiations with Napoleon in Tilsit. The entire territory of Prussia was already occupied by this time. Having neither troops nor allies, Friedrich Wilhelm inevitably followed the example of the Russian emperor. At the same time, the king had to drink to the dregs the thicket of humiliation. Napoleon treated the Prussian king so arrogantly that he did not invite him on the first date at all, and on the second he barely said a few words to him. Having then gone to dinner, both emperors left Frederick William at the door. At first, Napoleon did not even want to hear about an independent Prussian state, he said that Prussia “does not deserve to exist,” and suggested that Alexander simply divide its possessions between France and Russia. The king was shocked by the misfortunes that had befallen him and asked his wife for help. Queen Louise hastily arrived in Tilsit to beg Napoleon for leniency. The French emperor received her alone and talked with her for a long time, face to face. Friedrich Wilhelm had to wait outside the door for his fate to be decided. Finally, unable to bear his shameful position in the face of the courtiers watching him, he ventured in; The intimate conversation between the emperor and the queen was interrupted; it had no results.

Only thanks to the stubborn persistence of Alexander 1, who did not want to leave his faithful ally, under the Peace of Tilsit, “Old Prussia,” Pomerania, Brandenburg and Silesia were returned to Frederick William. All other provinces in the west and east were taken from him. (Napoleon formed two new puppet states from them - the Kingdom of Westphalia and the Duchy of Warsaw.) The next five years were a sad time for the Prussian king and all Prussian patriots, especially after Queen Louise, always the soul of the patriotic party, died in 1810 . Napoleon ruled Germany despotically and treated Frederick William as if he were his. vassal. It became obvious to everyone that without radical transformations of the state system and the army, the country would not be able to get out of its humiliated situation. The king put Stein at the head of the department and entrusted him with carrying out reforms. In 1807, a law was passed abolishing serfdom - the peasants were freed from feudal duties, but lost up to half of their lands. In November 1808, a reform of the central government took place, creating a harmonious hierarchy of ministries instead of an intricate system of directories and boards. City government was reformed and the privileges of individual provinces were abolished. To raise funds, it was necessary to sell off the lands of the royal domain. Spiritual estates were classified as state estates. In 1809 the University of Berlin was founded. At the same time, Scharngert carried out a reform of the army, which had not changed since the time of Frederick the Great. The recruitment of foreigners was prohibited, the army became purely Prussian, and this immediately increased its morale. Cruel corporal punishment was softened, and access to officer ranks was open to all citizens. In addition, much has been done to improve unit management, improve weapons and lighten ammunition.

The news of the death of Napoleonic army in Russia caused a patriotic upsurge in Germany. From the beginning of 1813, all of Prussia was already under arms. In February, a decree on universal conscription was issued. However, the people and ministers had to almost forcefully drag the indecisive king along with them. At the beginning of January, Friedrich Wilhelm left Berlin for Breslau and here he found himself surrounded by the most ardent members of the national party. By this time, the rebellion against the French had spread everywhere. On March 15, Emperor Alexander triumphantly entered Breslau and met with the king here. On March 17, Frederick William issued an “appeal to the people,” which could be considered a declaration of war against Napoleon. On March 19, an alliance agreement was concluded with Russia.

The success of the 1813 campaign remained doubtful for a long time, and Frederick William had many occasions to bitterly regret that he got involved in this war. However, he was no longer able to stop her. In May, great battles took place at Lutzen and Bautzen, in which Napoleon achieved success. The allied army began to retreat, but in the summer a turning point came. In June, England provided large cash subsidies to the Allies to continue the war. In August, Austria entered the war on the side of the coalition. From that moment on, Napoleon's fate was sealed. He also achieved victory in the battle of Dresden, but suffered a heavy defeat in the decisive battle for Leipzig in October. In December the Allies crossed the Rhine, in March 1814 they entered Paris, and in April Napoleon abdicated the throne.

In the same year, the Allied sovereigns gathered in Vienna to organize post-war Europe. Even before the start of the congress, Frederick William and Emperor Alexander agreed among themselves on new borders. The king agreed to cede the Polish lands to Russia, which he owned until 1806, and in return he was going to receive Saxony. This plan met strong resistance from England, Austria and France. The disputes at one time were very heated and almost led to war. Only Napoleon's return during the Hundred Days forced the Allies to come to their senses and come to the necessary compromise. On May 3, 1815, the final agreement was concluded. Most of Saxony, including the cities of Dresden and Leipzig, returned to the rule of the Saxon king Frederick Augustus. The Saxon lands bordering it, part of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, as well as some areas in Westphalia and the Rhine went to Prussia. The number of Prussian subjects reached 14 million people. Most of them were Germans. Thus, Prussia became the largest German state.

After the conclusion of peace in 1815, the financial condition of Prussia was very difficult. The national debt has reached a huge amount. The budget was invariably running a deficit. But soon, thanks to austerity and a reduction in the civil list to 9 million, state credit began to improve. Then Hoffmann created a reformed tax and financial system, which then existed until 1918. By 1825, the financial situation had improved. After this, the economic situation of the country began to steadily improve. Since 1817, a reform of public education began, during which many new educational institutions and universities were opened. In those same years, universal conscription was introduced. The crowning achievement of this entire renewal system was the creation of the customs union in 1828. All internal customs between members of the union were destroyed, and external customs became very moderate.

The king did not at all want to carry out democratic reforms. He was distrustful of himself, until his old age he was prone to outside suggestions and, despite this instability of character, remained indecisive. He did not interfere with the new liberal legislation with which his ministers Stein and Hardenberg wanted to lay the foundation for a new state structure, but by his nature he so thirsted for peace that all manifestations of parliamentary activity were disgusting to him. Therefore, he did his best to restrain the introduction of representative institutions, although he did not directly oppose them. After Sand's assassination attempt in 1819, persecution of demagogues and liberals began in Prussia. Universities came under police surveillance, and censorship of printed publications was introduced. Foreign policy came completely under Austrian influence.

In the last years of his life, Friedrich Wilhelm became increasingly interested in the ideas of the Pietists and mystics. He died in 1840 at a very old age, having outlived all his contemporaries, the monarchs with whom he had to share the troubles and joys of the Napoleonic wars.

All the monarchs of the world. Western Europe. Konstantin Ryzhov. Moscow, 1999

Frederick William III (1770-1840), Prussian king from 1797. In a letter to Nicholas I dated March 13, 1827, Arakcheev reported: “I showed the last letters of the late Sovereign to His Majesty the King of Prussia, and he deigned, it seems, to make copies , for he deigned to keep them at home, that is, in translation, French and German” (quoted from: Schilder. Nikolai. T. 2. P. 58). Most likely, Frederick William III considered it necessary to notify his son-in-law that Arakcheev was distributing these texts, and sent copies made. These facts, as well as the “seizure” of the printed publication carried out by Chernyshev, received publicity and ultimately yielded contaminated information, which Schoenig reports. Wed. certificate N.I. Grech (see below) and the “anecdote” told by A.I. Turgenev A.N. Golitsyn: Arakcheev “printed letters from the Emperor [Alexander] to himself abroad, but Emperor Nicholas took them away through Chernyshev” (letter from A.I. Turgenev to his brother dated August 22 / September 4, 1842 - IRLI. F. 309. No. 950 L. 174 vol.; reported by V.A. Milchina).

Materials from the book were used: Arakcheev: evidence from contemporaries. M.: New Literary Review, 2000.

FRIEDRICH WILHELM III (1770–1840), Prussian king (from 1797) of the Hohenzollern dynasty, son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, great-nephew of Frederick II the Great. Born August 3, 1770 in Potsdam; received a traditional, rigorous military education; participated in military campaigns against France after the outbreak of hostilities in 1792. In 1793 he married Louise, daughter of the Prince of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A kind, sincerely religious man, Friedrich Wilhelm turned out to be a weak, timid and indecisive ruler. He promised assistance to Austria, but did nothing after Napoleon's invasion of this country in 1805, hoping to acquire Hanover and other lands in the north from France in exchange for Prussian neutrality. This reward, however, he received only after he had abandoned Ansbach, Bayreuth, Cleve and Neuchâtel. When Napoleon defeated Austrian and Russian forces at Austerlitz in 1805, calls to resist the French could no longer be ignored; but the Prussian army suffered a crushing defeat at Jena and Auerstedt (1806). In 1807, Friedrich Wilhelm was forced to sign peace in Tilsit after losing half of his possessions. In 1807–1812, a series of administrative, social, agrarian and military reforms were carried out in Prussia, the initiators and conductors of which were the Minister Baron von Stein (1757–1831), General Scharngorst (1755–1813), Field Marshal Gneisenau (1760–1831) and Count Hardenberg (1750–1822).

In 1812, even before Napoleon's invasion of Russia, the French emperor forced Austria and Prussia to sign treaties with him, according to which these countries sent military contingents to help the French army. However, thanks to patriotic officers in the Prussian army and with the assistance of Gneisenau, Stein and other Prussian leaders, a Russian-German legion was created (in November 1812 it numbered 8 thousand people), which fought with the Napoleonic army. It was only in March 1813 that Friedrich Wilhelm issued an appeal to my people, with which he authorized the war of liberation against the French occupiers. In 1814, the Prussian army, as part of the allied forces of the anti-Napoleonic coalition, entered Paris. Friedrich Wilhelm took part in the Congress of Vienna (1815), returning Rhine Prussia, Westphalia, Posen and part of Saxony. During the War of Liberation, Friedrich Wilhelm promised the people a constitution and representative government, but under the influence of the Austrian statesman and diplomat Metternich, he refused to fulfill his obligations, and Prussia, together with Austria, became the center of reaction until 1848. Friedrich Wilhelm died on June 7, 1840.

Materials from the encyclopedia "The World Around Us" were used.

Friedrich Wilhelm III of Hohenzollern (3.8.1770, Potsdam - 7.6.1840), King of Prussia, Margrave of Brandenburg, Burgrave of Nuremberg, Count of Hohenzollern, Duke of Pomerania, Cleves, Magdeburg, Mecklenburg, Silesia, Crossen, Gueldern. Son of the Prussian king Frederick William II and Frederica Louise, daughter of Ludwig IX Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. In 1792-93 he took part in military operations against revolutionary France. On 12/24/1793 he married Louise, daughter of Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. After the death of his father in 1797, he ascended the Prussian throne. In 1805 he concluded an agreement with France in Schönbrunn, according to which he ceded several small lands, but received Hanover. However, the concessions were perceived in Prussia as an insult to national pride, and supporters of the warriors began to put enormous pressure on F. In April. concluded an agreement with Emperor Alexander I, according to which the parties agreed not to enter into negotiations until the French were thrown back across the Rhine. In 1806, he sent an ultimatum to Napoleon demanding the withdrawal of the French. troops from Germany. On October 6, 1806, he declared war on France and stood at the head of one of the armies (although in fact the command was in the hands of the Duke of Brauschweig). He had absolutely no military talents. Oct 14 Prussian troops were defeated in the battles of Jena and Auerstedt, F. himself took an active part in the battles (2 horses were killed under him). The army fled to Weimar, on October 27 the French entered Berlin, and F. then left for Konigsberg. On October 25, he sent a humiliating letter to Napoleon. After the defeat of the Russian troops at Friedland, the Russian emperor was forced to begin negotiations with France. During the campaign of 1806, in addition to 25 thousand killed and wounded, the Prussian army lost 140 thousand people. prisoners and more than 2 thousand guns. “Napoleon blew on Prussia, and it ceased to exist” (G. Heine). At the negotiations in Tilsit, Prussia was preserved solely thanks to the persistence of Alexander I. At the same time, F. lost many lands, and he only had “Old Prussia”, Pomerania, Brandenburg and Silesia. In 1807-10, numerous reforms were carried out: serfdom was abolished, public administration and the army were reformed, the University of Berlin was founded, etc. Remaining an ally of France, F. provided the Prussian auxiliary corps to the general. Y. Gravert into the Grand Army of Napoleon. At the end of 1812 - beginning of 1813, he took an extremely cautious position and even declared the general “outlaw”. York, who concluded the Tauroggen Convention with the Russians. At the beginning of Jan. 1813 F. left Berlin for Breslau, where Russian troops entered on March 15. On March 17, he issued an “appeal to the people,” calling for a fight against the French, and on March 19, he concluded an agreement with Russia. In the campaign of 1813, when the allied forces were defeated, F. constantly tried to avoid participating in the coalition, but patriotic circles in Germany (led by G. Blucher) did not allow him to do this. Under the terms of the Congress of Vienna, F. received border Saxon lands, part of Westphalia and lands on the Rhine on May 3, 1815. Prussia became the largest state in Germany.

Book materials used: Zalessky K.A. Napoleonic Wars 1799-1815. Biographical Encyclopedic Dictionary, Moscow, 2003

Read further:

Patriotic War of 1812(chronological table and reference system).

The arbiters of European destinies in the memoirs of Prince Metternich. Alexander I. (about the negotiations at Kalisz)/

King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty, who reigned from 1797 to 1840.

Son of Frederick William II and Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt J.: 1) from 1793

Louise, daughter of Charles II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1776. Died 1810

While still a young man, Friedrich Wilhelm took part in the wars against

revolutionary France. He was in the active army during the capture

Frankfurt, during the siege of Mainz, during the blockade of Landau, and he himself commanded separate

in squads. During these campaigns he met Princess Louise

Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who became his wife at the end of 1793. She

she was distinguished by her remarkable beauty, intelligence and courtesy.

In 1797, after the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm ascended to Prussian

throne. He was a well-intentioned, pious and modest man

shyness. The old king, occupied with his pleasures, cared little

about my son. Nevertheless, the Crown Prince received a careful education in the spirit

bourgeois simplicity, which allowed him to later easily get close to

different classes of society. If his horizons were limited, his mind

always remained clear. He was not accustomed to pomp, he easily traveled around

the city or strolling along the boulevards.

Prussia was then in a difficult situation: the treasury was empty,

industry and trade declined, the army was demoralized by poor

Indeed, Friedrich Wilhelm's first steps were successful. Countess

Lichtenau, the late king's favorite, was ordered to leave the court,

the most odious ministers were dismissed. The king suspended the action

decree on religion, softened censorship, declared an amnesty and introduced some

savings in internal management, all the more necessary because in financial

The department was in complete chaos. He himself gave the court examples of order and precision

and was the first Prussian king who presented an account to his subjects in his

behavior. At the same time, Friedrich Wilhelm drove away everything that disturbed his peace:

he was extremely suspicious of new ideas, pursued secret

society, severely punished publishers and distributors of seditious pamphlets.

Inexperienced in diplomacy, he understood and assessed international

events, was often lost and could not make a final decision. For a long time

Prussia maintained strict neutrality towards Napoleonic

France. But in 1805 war broke out at its very borders, and from this

the wait-and-see attitude had to be abandoned. Shortly before the Battle of Austerlitz

Friedrich Wilhelm received the Russian Emperor Alexander I very well.

the time of the touching meeting that took place at midnight in Potsdam at the grave

Frederick II, Friedrich Wilhelm solemnly promised his support to the guest,

if Napoleon rejects Prussian mediation. However, Count Gaugwitz,

then in charge of foreign policy, convinced the king to wait with the proposal

mediation. As a result, Gaugwitz met with Napoleon after

Battle of Austerlitz and, broken by this brilliant victory, turned to

to the emperor not with arrogant demands, but with the most humble

congratulations. “This is a compliment,” Napoleon answered him, “directed

fate is not at the specified address." Nevertheless, the emperor decided

take advantage of this forced goodwill. Under contract,

concluded between him and Gaugwitz at Schönbrunn Castle, Napoleon obtained

Prussia ceded several small areas, but in return gave it significant

compensation - Hanover taken from England.

For the patriots, this treaty seemed insulting. Really,

the taking of Hanover from the hands of Germany's enemy, while the majority of Germans

mourned the defeat at Austerlitz, looked unseemly. Queen Louise

the king's nephew Prince Ludwig and Minister Hardenberg ardently sought

declaration of war on France. Every day the war party became

more numerous. Gaugwitz was insulted in the theater. Prussian

Guards officers defiantly sharpened their sabers on the steps of the building

French embassy in Berlin. All this had an effect on Friedrich

Wilhelm. In 1806 he addressed Napoleon with an arrogant ultimatum,

in which he ordered him to withdraw his troops from Germany. Berlin these days

was filled with extraordinary enthusiasm. Everyone said it was time to release

Germany and bring France into its former borders. The people are enthusiastic

greeted Queen Louise, who was reviewing the troops on horseback.

unsuccessful, since Austria had already been defeated, and Russia was not yet

ready for war. Two Prussian armies (one of which was commanded by the king and

old Duke of Brunswick) moved towards Hesse. Napoleon

quickly led his troops through the gorges of Frankenwald and began to threaten

Berlin. The king hastily deployed his army and tried to cover

Napoleon attacked the army of Prince Hohenlohe at Jena, and defeated Davout at Aurstedt

Frederick William and Duke of Brunswick. The last one was killed. Friedrich

Wilhelm himself took part in the battle, despising all danger - he was

amid the fire, and two horses were killed under it. After the battle was

lost, he ordered a retreat to Weimar. Here are the fugitives from Aur-stedt

met with fugitives from Jena. General horror completed the decomposition

Prussian army. Unparalleled confusion prevented any attempts to be made.

Berlin at the head of its victorious troops. A huge threat was imposed on Prussia

indemnity. Friedrich Wilhelm fled to Konigsberg. He was so confused that

was ready to make peace. Despite all the efforts of Queen Louise, who tried

to breathe vigor into him, the king again fell under the influence of Gaugwitz. 25

October he wrote a humiliating letter to the emperor, whom he was later ashamed of

all life. Napoleon answered him arrogantly and agreed only for a short

a truce, and on the most difficult terms. Fortunately, Russian troops were

already at the borders of Prussia. The king perked up and refused to sign

truce. In 1807, a new war broke out in Poland, in which Napoleon

opposed by the Russian army. In February there was a bloody battle at

Hey-lau, which did not give victory to either side. In April, Friedrich Wilhelm and

Alexander agreed in Bartenstein not to enter into negotiations with Napoleon

before the French are driven back across the Rhine. However, in June, at the Battle of

Friedland's Russians were defeated. The French entered Konigsberg and threatened

Russian borders. Alexander had to agree to negotiate with

Napoleon in Tilsit. The entire territory of Prussia by this time was already

occupied. Having neither troops nor allies, Friedrich Wilhelm was forced to

followed the example of the Russian emperor. At the same time, the king had to reach the bottom

drink the cup of humiliation. Napoleon treated the Prussian king so arrogantly that

that he didn’t ask him out on the first date at all, and barely told him on the second

Few words. Having then gone to dinner, both emperors left Frederick

Wilhelm is at the door. At first Napoleon didn’t even want to hear about independent

Prussian state, said that Prussia “does not deserve to exist,” and

offered Alexander to simply divide her possessions between France and Russia.

The king was shocked by the misfortunes that had befallen him and asked for help

at his wife's. Queen Louise hurriedly came to Tilsit to plead

Napoleon about leniency. The French Emperor accepted her alone and for a long time

talked to her face to face. Friedrich Wilhelm should have been outside the door

wait for your fate to be decided. Finally, unable to bear his shameful position

in front of the courtiers watching him, he dared to enter; intimate

the conversation between the emperor and the queen was interrupted, there were no results

Only thanks to the stubborn persistence of Alexander I, who did not want

leave a loyal ally, according to the Treaty of Tilsit, Frederick William was returned

"Old Prussia", Pomerania, Brandenburg and Silesia. All other provinces

in the west and in the east were taken from him. (Napoleon formed two of them

new puppet states - the Kingdom of Westphalia and the Duchy

Warsaw.)

The next five years were a dismal time for the Prussian king and everyone

Prussian patriots, especially after the queen died in 1810

Louise, who has always been the soul of the patriotic party. Napoleon despotic

ruled Germany and treated Friedrich Wilhelm as if he were

his vassal. It became obvious to everyone that without cardinal

transformations of the state system and the army, the country will not be able to get out of

of his humiliated position. The king put Stein at the head of the administration and

entrusted him with carrying out reforms. In 1807, a law was passed abolishing

serfdom - peasants were freed from feudal duties, but

lost up to half of their lands. In November 1808 a reform took place

central management, which created instead of a confusing system of directories and

collegiums a harmonious hierarchy of ministries. The city was reformed

administration and the privileges of individual provinces were destroyed. For research

funds had to be sold off the lands of the royal domain. Spiritual estates

classified as state. In 1809 the University of Berlin was founded.

At the same time, Scharngert carried out an army reform that had not changed since

Frederick the Great. The recruitment of foreigners was prohibited, the army became purely

Prussian, and this immediately increased her morale. Cruel corporal punishment

were relaxed, access to officer ranks is open to all citizens. Except

In addition, much has been done to improve the management of parts,

improvement of weapons and lighter ammunition.

The news of the death of Napoleonic army in Russia caused patriotic

rise in Germany. From the beginning of 1813, all of Prussia was already under arms. IN

In February, a decree on universal conscription was issued. However, the people and

The ministers had to almost forcefully drag the indecisive king along with them.

At the beginning of January, Friedrich Wilhelm left Berlin for Breslau and here

found himself surrounded by the most ardent members of the national party. To that

Emperor Alexander entered Breslavl in triumph and met here with

alliance agreement with Russia.

The success of the 1813 campaign remained doubtful for a long time, and Frederick

Wilhelm had many occasions to bitterly regret that he got involved

into this war. However, he was no longer able to stop her. happened in May

great battles of Lutzen and Lauzen, in which Napoleon achieved success.

The allied army began to retreat, but in the summer a turning point came. In June England

provided the Allies with large cash subsidies to continue the war. IN

In August, Austria entered the war on the side of the coalition. From now on fate

Napoleon was a foregone conclusion. He also achieved victory in the battle of Dresden,

but in the decisive battle for Leipzig in October he suffered a heavy defeat. IN

December, the allies crossed the Rhine, in March 1814 they entered Paris, and in

April Napoleon abdicated the throne.

In the same year, the allied sovereigns gathered in Vienna to organize

post-war Europe. Even before the start of the congress, Frederick William and the Emperor

Alexander agreed among themselves on new borders. The king agreed

cede to Russia the Polish lands that he owned until 1806, and in return

was going to get Saxony. This plan met with strong resistance from

sides of England, Austria and France. The controversy at one time was very sharp

character and almost led to war. Only Napoleon's return during

"One Hundred Days" forced the allies to come to their senses and come to what was necessary

part of Saxony with the cities of Dresden and Leipzig returned to Saxon rule

King Frederick Augustus. The Saxon borderlands withdrew to Prussia.

lands, part of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, as well as some areas in

Westphalia and on the Rhine. The number of Prussian subjects reached 14 million people. IN

most of them were Germans. Thus, Prussia became the most

large German state.

After the conclusion of peace in 1815, the financial condition of Prussia was very

heavy. The national debt has reached a huge amount. The budget remains the same

was reduced to a deficit. But soon, thanks to austerity and cuts

civil list to 9 million, state credit began to improve. Then

Hoffmann created a reformed tax and financial system,

which then existed until 1918. By 1825, the financial situation

corrected. After this, the economic situation of the country remained unchanged

improve. Since 1817, the reform of public education began, during which

Many new educational institutions and universities opened. In those same years there was

universal conscription was introduced. The crowning achievement of this entire updating system

was the creation of a customs union in 1828. All internal customs between

members of the union were destroyed, and outsiders became very moderate.

The king did not at all want to carry out democratic reforms. He was

distrustful of himself, until old age he is prone to outside suggestions and when

This unsteadiness of character remained indecisive. He didn't interfere with the new

liberal legislation, which his ministers Stein and Hardenberg

wanted to lay the foundation for a new state structure, but in their own way

nature so longed for tranquility that all manifestations of

parliamentary activities. Therefore, he did his best to restrain the introduction

representative institutions, although he did not directly oppose them. After

Sand's assassination attempt in 1819, persecution of demagogues and

liberals. Universities came under police surveillance and censorship was introduced

printed publications. Foreign policy came completely under Austrian influence.

In the last years of his life, Friedrich Wilhelm became increasingly interested in

ideas of Pietists and mystics. He died in 1840 already at a very advanced age.

age, having outlived all his contemporaries, the monarchs with whom he had to

share the troubles and joys of the Napoleonic wars.

Frederick William III - King of Prussia (1770-1840), eldest son of F. Wilhelm II and Princess Frederica Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt. He was brought up under the personal supervision of F. the Great. In 1793 he married Louise, Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1776-1810; see related article). In 1797, after the death of his father, he ascended the Prussian throne. Being extremely jealous of his royal power, fearing that yielding to the advice of those close to him would weaken its prestige, and therefore reluctantly tolerating independent people around him, he easily became the toy of skillful flatterers who knew how to play on his weak strings (General Keckeritz, Gaugwitz). His knowledge was extremely limited; he did not understand at all the demands of the time and the true needs of his state. In his personal life, he was a modest, simple man, not striving for luxury. He reduced the pomp of court life, but, due to poor management, this had very little effect on the country's finances. Later, he renounced his appanages for the state's benefit, contenting himself with a not very significant civil list. The most important political issue at the time when his reign began was the attitude towards revolutionary and then Napoleonic France. F. Wilhelm hated her, but at a time when Austria and Russia entered into coalitions to actively fight against her, Prussia showed extreme indecision. Foreign policy, guided in the spirit of the indecisive and timid King Gaugwitz, did not strive to break the strength of France, but to achieve her patronage through compliance. This policy, however, was not sustainable. In 1802, F. Wilhelm had a meeting in Memel with Emperor Alexander I, with whom he had a personal friendship since then; but the meeting did not lead to a change in policy. In 1803, Gaugwitz's place as Minister of Foreign Affairs was taken by Hardenberg. Napoleon considered him the head of a party hostile to France and in 1806 demanded and achieved his resignation; however, Hardenberg continued the same policy of hesitation. F. Wilhelm did not want to join the third coalition and, in response to Emperor Alexander’s demand for the passage of Russian troops through Prussian territory, responded by mobilizing troops on the eastern (Russian) border; Only when Bernadotte led his corps through the Margraviate of Anspach, which belonged to Prussia, without the latter’s consent, did the offended F. William enter into negotiations with the enemies of France. Emperor Alexander I and the Austrian Archduke Anton hastened to Berlin and on November 3, 1805. concluded an agreement with F.-Wilhelm in Potsdam, according to which the King of Prussia undertook to demand from Napoleon consent to convene a European Congress to restore peace on the basis of the Treaty of Luneville; in case of refusal, F. Wilhelm promised to join his army to the armies of the Allies. Before his departure, Alexander renewed the friendly alliance concluded in Memel with F. William: in the presence of Queen Louise, the monarchs shook hands over the tomb of F. the Great. F. Wilhelm sent Gaugwitz to Napoleon, who achieved nothing. Napoleon's rapid successes, which culminated in a brilliant victory on December 2, 1805 at Austerlitz, prevented F. William from fulfilling his obligation. On December 15, 1805, Gaugwitz concluded the Treaty of Schönbrunn, which was shameful for Prussia, with Napoleon, which was recognized by the king (see Prussia; details of further events are also there). The war, which Prussia nevertheless began in 1806 and in which it suffered terrible defeats at Jena and Auerstette, led to the Peace of Tilsit (see), which finally humiliated Prussia and deprived F. Wilhelm of half of his possessions. During the war, the king had to flee Berlin to East Prussia; he lived first in Memel, then in Konigsberg. In 1812, he did not dare to resist Napoleon's demands and joined his troops to the Napoleonic army. When the Prussian General York, on December 30, 1812, concluded the Taurogen Agreement with the Russians, F. Wilhelm, who still did not believe in the success of Russia, was at first dissatisfied with this, and only the enthusiasm manifested in the country forced him to start a war with France (see. Prussia). In the field of internal administration, F. Wilhelm was a supporter of antiquity and was afraid of reforms; only under the pressure of circumstances did he agree, in 1807, to appoint Stein as minister, who boldly began serious reforms (abolition of serfdom, new urban regulations, military reform project), but had to resign in 1808 at the request of Napoleon. After the fall of Napoleon, an important military reform (universal conscription) was carried out in 1814, and in 1815 F. Wilhelm made a solemn promise to introduce a constitution. This promise did not prevent F. Wilhelm from recognizing the extremely reactionary Carlsbad resolutions (see). In 1823, meetings of provincial zemstvo officials were introduced (see Prussia), which did not correspond either to the wishes of the masses or to the promises of the king. Having entered the Holy Alliance in 1815, F. Wilhelm completely submitted to its reactionary policies. In 1817, F. Wilhelm carried out the union of the Reformed and Lutheran churches (see Evangelical Church); it was entirely his own business. In 1820-21 he personally took part in the congresses in Troppau and Laibach. In 1830-31 By strictly guarding the Russian border, he contributed to the suppression of the Polish uprising. After the death of Queen Louise (1809), in 1824 he entered into a morganatic marriage with Countess Augusta Harrach, who received the title of Princess Liegnitz (1800-1873). From his first marriage, F. Wilhelm had four sons: F. Wilhelm, from 1840 King of Prussia; Wilhelm (from 1861 King of Prussia, from 1871 Emperor of Germany), Karl and Albrecht; his daughter Charlotte, after accepting Orthodoxy, Alexandra Feodorovna, was the wife of Emperor Nicholas I. Two monuments to F. Wilhelm were erected in Berlin, and one monument each in Breslau and Cologne. He wrote: “Luther in Bezug auf die preussische Kirchenagende von 1822 und 1823” (B., 1827); "Reminiszenzen aus der Campagne 1792 in Frankreich" and "Journal meiner Brigade in der Kampagne am Rhein 1793".

See Eylert, "Charakterzüge und historische Fragmente aus dem Leben des Königs von Preussen, Friedrich Wilhelms III" (Magdeburg, 1842-46); W. Hahn, "F. W. III und Luise" (3rd ed., B., 1877); Duncker, “Aus der Zeit Friedrichs des Grossen und Fr. W. III" (B., 1876).

Friedrich Wilhelm III forks, Friedrich Wilhelm III
Frederick William III(German: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; August 3, 1770, Potsdam - June 7, 1840, Berlin) - King of Prussia since November 16, 1797. Son of Friedrich Wilhelm II and Friederike Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt, great-nephew of Frederick II the Great, grandfather of the Russian Emperor Alexander II .

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Biography

Received a traditional, rigorous military education; took part in military campaigns against France after the outbreak of hostilities in 1792. In 1809 he visited Russia. Alexander Vasilyevich Chicherin served as his chamberlain.

Family

In 1793 he married Louise, daughter of Duke Charles II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his wife Friederike Caroline. Two sons from this marriage, Frederick William IV and Wilhelm I, later became kings of Prussia, and Wilhelm also became the German emperor. Frederick William III's daughter Charlotte (in Orthodoxy Alexandra Feodorovna) married Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich (later Russian Emperor Nicholas I). Thus, Frederick William III was the grandfather of Alexander II.

Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1795-1861);
William I (1797-1888);
Charlotte (Alexandra Feodorovna) (1798-1860), married Russian Emperor Nicholas I;
Karl (1801-1883);
Alexandrina (1803-1892), married to Paul Friedrich, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin;
Louisa (1808-1870);
Albrecht (1809-1872).

On November 9, 1824, Frederick William III was united in a morganatic marriage with a representative of the Farrach family, Augusta. The marriage remained childless.

Governing body

Prussian thaler 1830 with a portrait of King Frederick William III

Friedrich Wilhelm was a timid and indecisive ruler. At the same time, he was personally a kind and sincerely religious man who tried to improve the reputation of the royal family, which had been considerably damaged during the reign of his father by court intrigues and sexual scandals. Due to personal restraint and strict upbringing, Friedrich Wilhelm, in his desire to restore the dignity of his family, sometimes went to extremes, for example, he forbade the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow to exhibit a statue of his wife, which seemed too frank. the same king very highly placed the duty of a civil servant to his country above his personal devotion to his monarch. He promised Austria support, but after Napoleon’s troops invaded it in 1805, he did nothing, preferring to take a wait-and-see approach. He hoped that France would offer him Hanover and other lands in the north for neutrality, but in the end he received them only after he himself abandoned Ansbach, Bayreuth, Cleve and Neuchâtel.

On October 14, 1806, the troops of Frederick William III suffered a crushing defeat from the French at the Battle of Jena and Auerstedt. In 1807, according to the Peace of Tilsit between Alexander I and Napoleon, he lost half of his possessions.

Portrait from the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace

In 1807-1812. Friedrich Wilhelm III, on the initiative and with the help of Minister Baron von Stein, General G. Scharnhorst, Field Marshal Gneisenau and Count Hardenberg, carried out a number of administrative, social, agrarian and military reforms.

Equestrian monument to Friedrich Wilhelm III in front of the new building of the University of Königsberg, 1851, melted down in the 1950s

In 1812, before the invasion of Russia, Napoleon forced Austria and Prussia to sign treaties with him, according to which these countries sent their troops to help the French army. The Prussian army, with the assistance of Gneisenau, Stein and other patriotic officers, formed a Russian-German legion (in November 1812 it numbered 8 thousand people), which fought against the French. In March 1813, Frederick William III issued an appeal to the people, calling them to a war of liberation against the French occupiers.

In 1814, together with its allies in the anti-Napoleonic coalition, the Prussian army entered Paris. Frederick William III took part in the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815. by which decision Rhine Prussia, Westphalia, Poznan and part of Saxony were returned to him.

During the war, Frederick William promised the people a constitution and representative government. After the war, under the influence of Metternich, he refused to fulfill his obligations. As a result, Prussia, together with Austria, remained the center of political reaction until 1848.

Initiator of the Prussian Union (1817) - attempts to forcefully unite Lutherans and Calvinists in Prussia.