Local Name: Friedfrich Wilhelm
Parents: Augustus William, heir of Prussia, and Luise of Brunswick-Wilfenbüttel
Born: 25 September 1744
House: Hohenzollern
Spouse(s): (1) Elisabeth Christina, daughter of Charles I, duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Philippine Charlotte of Prussia, then (2) Frederika Louisa, daughter of Ludwig IX, landgrave of Hesse-Darmstaft, and Caroline of Zweibrücken, alongside (3) Julie and (4) Sophie, daughters of Friedrich Christian von Voss and Amalia Ottilia av Vieregg
Predecessor: Frederick II
Reign: 1786 – 1797
Brief: The reign of Frederick William II was perilous from the start. The king was flirtatious and cared little for the role he played in government. He was artistically-inclined and favored music over warfare, things that sent shivers down the spine of Frederick the Great, his predecessor. As soon as Frederick William took the throne, he lightened the burdens of the Prussian people, encouraging trade at reduced costs and educating more people. The king was also a Rosicrucian and employed many of them in his government. He neglected the army, leaving it under the control of foreign warlords. His foreign policy was a joke, giving concessions to anyone would deigned to invade Brandenburg-Prussia. And when the French Revolution broke out, he delayed, focused more on the wealth that could come out of Poland than the threat in the west. He eventually removed himself from the French-Revolutionary wars in 1795, betraying the other European powers and isolating Prussia. When Frederick William II finally died in 1797, the economy of Prussia was in shambles, the army confused, and the kingship in doubt.
Brief: The reign of Frederick William II was perilous from the start. The king was flirtatious and cared little for the role he played in government. He was artistically-inclined and favored music over warfare, things that sent shivers down the spine of Frederick the Great, his predecessor. As soon as Frederick William took the throne, he lightened the burdens of the Prussian people, encouraging trade at reduced costs and educating more people. The king was also a Rosicrucian and employed many of them in his government. He neglected the army, leaving it under the control of foreign warlords. His foreign policy was a joke, giving concessions to anyone would deigned to invade Brandenburg-Prussia. And when the French Revolution broke out, he delayed, focused more on the wealth that could come out of Poland than the threat in the west. He eventually removed himself from the French-Revolutionary wars in 1795, betraying the other European powers and isolating Prussia. When Frederick William II finally died in 1797, the economy of Prussia was in shambles, the army confused, and the kingship in doubt.
Date of Death: 16 November 1797
Successor: Frederick William III
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Successor: Frederick William III
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Anastasius II, pope of Rome (498)
- Henry III, king of England (1272)
- Hisaaki, shogun of Japan (1328)
- Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden (1632)
- Robert I, duke of Parma (1907)
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