WILLIAM I. (Ger. FRIEDRICH-LUDWIG WILIIET.M), King of Prussia, and, since 1871, emperor of Germany, is the second son of Frederick William III, and was h. Mar. 22, 1797. He joined the army at an early age, and was engaged in the campaigns of 1813 14 against France. On the accession of his elder brother, Frederick William IV. (q.v.), to the throne in 1840, William became governor of Pomerania, and afterward sat in the Pussian diet, and vigorously supported the absolutist party. In consequence, he wasso much disliked by the people that on the outbreak of the revolution in 1848 he had to flee to England; though he returned some months after, and was elected to the national assembly. However, from this time he interfered little in the quarrels between the con stitutionalists and absolutists, though he gladly accepted the command of the troops dis patched to put down the rising in Baden; and in Oct., 1857, the king having become incapacitated for business, William was commissioned to act as regent, a commission renewed from time to time till his permanent installation in Oct., 1838. At this time he was very popular in Prussia, owing to his supposed opposition to some of the obnoxious measures of the king's ministers, and to his vigorous advocacy of conjoint action with Britain and France in the war of 1854; and his election as regent was consequently op posed by the aristocratic and pietistic parties, who were, on his elevation, dismissed from power, and a more liberal ministry formed. On Jan. 2, 1861, William ascended the throne; and the occasion of his coronation, Oct. 18, following, he himself put the crown on his head, declaring that he " ruled by the favor of God, and of no one else." The result of the elections to the chamber of deputies, which were being carried on at the same time, being much in favor of the liberal party,William, who was quite astonished at the fact of the party whom he looked upon as the opponents of the crown having a majority, attributed it to the intrigues of secret enemies; and in his address at the open ing of the chambers, saying that he " never could permit the progressive development of our inner political life to question or to endanger the rights of the crown and the power of Prussia," disclosed the principle of his policy, a policy which, with all the unflagging perseveranceand unconquerable obstinacy which characterize men, like him, of thorough honesty, unflinching firmness, and considerable narrow-mindedness, he has since unre mittingly pursued. The first chamber which sat after his corona' tion was dissolved, despite the protest of a large majority of the members; but the succeeding elections further increased the liberal majority; and though some popular measures were brought forward, and some obnoxious taxes abolished, the new chamber proved as refractory as its predecessor, and refused its consent to the extensive changes in the Prussian system (the king's pet scheme), and to the raising of money by loan, to be applied for that and other ministerial projects, till its constitutional powers were fully acknowl edged. On Sept. 22, 1862, herr von Bismarck-Schonhausen formerly the ambasSador at
Paris, was made prime minister; and the deputies having not only rejected the minis terial budget, but resolved that the expenditure of moneys not sanctioned by them was s breach of the constitution, the chamber was dissolved, Oct. 14, the king declaring by message that as the three estates could not agree, he should continue to a his duty to his people, without regard to "these pieces of paper called constitu tions," in which he had no faith. The number of the liberals was further increased in the following year, and the contest continued; the deputies displaying the same firmness and extreme moderation as before; while the king and his ministers made it plainly understood that if the lower chamber did Nshat the government asked it to do, all would be well; but if not, the king would "do his duty" without its aid. However, this strife between the old feudal and the modern liberal doc trines was shelved at the close of 1863, by the able strategy of Bismarck, who revived the old dispute with Denmark regarding its government of Sleswick and Milstein, and by forcing Austria to conjoint action, contrived to make the question one of "German" interest. See SLEswieK. Then came the war (see GERMANY) between Pnissi.a and Aus tria. William became the head of the North German Confederation in 1867. At Ems, in July, 1870, took place the memorable interviews between 'William and the French ambassador, Benedetti, which ended in the war of 1870-71. William accompanied the army, and commanded at the decisive battles of Gravelotte and of Sedan. On Jan. 18, 1871, William was proclaimed emperor of Germany in the palace of the French kings at Versailles; and now, as if completely to re-habilitate the old imperial title, the ancient enmity between pope and emperor has been fully revived by the recent educational measures of the German government. In May, 1878, the emperor was twice shot at, being seriously wounded the second time, These attempts were attributed, directly or indirectly, to socialist influence, and have led to legislation tending to repress socialism. 'William married, June 11, 1829, Maria Louisa of Saxe-Weimar, by whom lie has issue Frederick William (q.v.), the crown prince of Prussia; and Louisa, the present grand duchess of Baden.