Frederick William IV, who had suffered a…

Frederick William IV, who had suffered a stroke and become mentally disabled in 1857, had died on January 2, 1861, and his brother, the Prince Regent, had ascended the Prussian the throne as William I, inheriting a conflict between Frederick William and the increasingly liberal parliament.

Considered a political neutral, as he has intervened less in politics than his brother, William nevertheless finds a conservative solution for the conflict: he appoints former ambassador Otto von Bismarck to the office of Prime Minister.

According to the Prussian constitution, the Prime Minister is responsible solely to the king, not to parliament.