Frederick III, German Emperor and King of Prussia

Frederick III (German: Friedrich III.; October 18, 1831 – June 15, 1888) is German Emperor and King of Prussia for ninety-nine days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors.

Known informally as "Fritz", he is the only son of Emperor Wilhelm I andis raised in his family's tradition of military service.

Although celebrated as a young man for his leadership and successes during the Second Schleswig, Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars, he nevertheless professes a hatred of warfare and is praised by friends and enemies alike for his humane conduct.

Following the unification of Germany in 1871 his father, at this time King of Prussia, becomes the German Emperor

Upon Wilhelm's death at the age of ninety on March 9, 1888, the thrones passes to Frederick, who has by now been German Crown Prince for seventeen years and Crown Prince of Prussia for twenty-seven years

Frederick is suffering from cancer of the larynx when he dies, aged fifty-six, following unsuccessful medical treatments for his condition.

Frederick marries Victoria, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

The couple are well-matched; their shared liberal ideology leads them to seek greater representation for commoners in the government.

Frederick, in spite of his conservative militaristic family background, has developed liberal tendencies as a result of his ties with Britain and his studies at the University of Bonn.

As the Crown Prince, he often opposes the conservative Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, particularly in speaking out against Bismarck's policy of uniting Germany through force, and in urging that the power of the Chancellorship be curbed.

Liberals in both Germany and Britain hope that as emperor, Frederick III will move to liberalize the German Empire.

Frederick and Victoria are great admirers of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband

They plan to rule as consorts, like Albert and Queen Victoria, and to reform what they sees as flaws in the executive branch that Bismarck has created for himself.

The office of Chancellor, responsible to the Emperor, will be replaced with a British-style cabinet, with ministers responsible to the Reichstag.

Government policy will be based on the consensus of the cabinet.

However, Frederick's illness prevents him from effectively establishing policies and measures to achieve this, and such moves as he is able to make will later be abandoned by his son and successor, Wilhelm II

The timing of Frederick's death and the length of his reign are important topics among historians.

His premature demise is considered a potential turning point in German history; and whether or not he would have made the Empire more liberal if he had lived longer is still discussed.

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