FREDERICK WILLIAM III, king of Prussia :' b. 3 Aug. 1770; d. 7 Tune 1840. He commenced his reign in 1797 by maintaining a strict neutrality in the various alliances with and against ,France which resulted from the ambitions designs of Napoleon I. In 1805, however, he yielded to the solicitations of Rus sia, and allied himself with the tsar against the French emperor. The rapid campaign of 1806, and the defeat of the Prussians at Jena, opened the gates of Berlin to the enemy, in whose hands it remained till 1809. In 1807 the battle of Friedland led to the humiliating peace of Tilsit. Restored to his capital, the king diligently endeavored to repair the evils of war; but new disasters overtook him, and his kingdom suffered greatly during the struggle from 1812 to 1814. He subsequently joined his troops with those of Russia. The allies having triumphed over the French at Leipzig, Frederick William in 1814 entered Paris with Tsar Alexander. On the return of Napoleon from Elba, he once more joined the allies.
After the victory of Waterloo, in which the Prussians, under Blucher (q.v.), played an im portant part, Prussia, once more at peace, gradually recovered from the losses she had sustained, under the wise and paternal sway of Frederick, whose moderation contributed greatly to the maintenance of peace. Through out his life, he was a warm defender of the Protestant religion, and a patron of education. He never redeemed his promise, however, to bestow a representative constitution on his people, and the Revolution of 1830 only strengthened his determination to withhold it. The establishment of the provincial estates only affected his slightly absolute power. It may finally be said of him, that, a waverer between the Absolutist party and the Liberal party, he secured, as is the lot of most undecided men, the respect and adherence of neither.