German Friedrich Wilhelm
born Oct. 15, 1795, Cölln, near Berlin, Prussia
died Jan. 2, 1861, Potsdam
King of Prussia (1840–61).
The son of Frederick William III , he was a disciple of the German Romantic movement and an artistic dilettante, but his conservative policies helped spark the Revolutions of 1848 , in opposition. In 1849 he refused the imperial crown offered by the Frankfurt National Assembly . His subsequent efforts to create a German union under Prussian leadership were thwarted by Austria (see Punctation of William I , became regent in 1858.