Frederick III: German Emperor, 1888

242 pp. Frederick III, German Emperor and King of Prussia from March to June 1888, was the husband of Victoria, Princess Royal of Britain. Despite the arch-conservative views of his father Prince (later King) William, from youth he was influence by the liberal beliefs of his mother Princess Augusta and later his father-in-law the Prince Consort, and in these he was staunchly supported by his wife. Bismark's appointment as Prussia's Minister-President in 1862 was a profound blow to Frederick, who was widely recognised as the liberal's champion at court. Deliberately excluded from affairs of state by the ruling clique, as Crown Prince and Princess he and Victoria never gave up hope that eventually they would inaugurate a more democratic and peaceful era for the new German Empire. However, by the time his father died at the age of 90 Frederick was stricken with cancer of the larynx, and he reigned for only three months.