Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia (25 September 1744-16 November 1797) was the King of Prussia from 1786 until his death. He was the Prince of Neuchatel and Prince-Elector of Brandenburg as well as King "in" Prussia and was the antithesis of Frederick the Great. He tried but failed to oppose Enlightenment, but built Brandenburger Tor in Berlin.
Biography[]
Friedrich Wilhelm was born on 25 September 1744 to Augustus Wilhelm of Prussia and Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, and became King of Prussia after the death of King Friedrich II of Prussia in 1786. A pleasure-loving, abusive, and sensual man, he was a poor leader of Prussia. During his tenure as king, he entered Prussia into a war against the revolutionary French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars, culminating in many defeats on the Rhine and the Low Countries. King Friedrich Wilhelm's main reason for entering the war was to prevent a revolution from occurring in Germany, where his extravagant lifestyle showed corruption similar to the guillotined King Louis XVI of France. He opposed Enlightenment, which would restrict his powers, but failed. He died in 1797 and was succeeded by his son Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia.
| King of Prussia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Frederick the Great |
1786-1797 | Succeeded by: Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia |