F
riedrich Wilhelm IV. of Prussia
born on October 15, 1795 in Berlin, Germany
died on January 2, 1861 in Potsdam, Germany
He was King of Prussia, and during his reign he was confronted with two elementary upheavals: the Industrial Revolution and the bourgeois demand for a political say.
Reference to the Goldener Adler
King Friedrich Wilhelm was a guest at the Goldener Adler on August 22, 1819. He visited Ambras Castle in the afternoon and the Leopold Statue on his return.
E
xcursion tip
King Friedrich Wilhelm was certainly impressed by the “Leopold Statue” which still stands in front of the House of Music, an equestrian statue of Archduke Leopold V.
The work of art was created in the workshop of the bronze-bossier Caspar Gras (1585 Mergentheim-1674 Schwaz), an important representative of Mannerism.
The curving horse without auxiliary support was the first such monumental equestrian statue in Europe.
Other works by Caspar Gras can be seen in the Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, an equestrian statue of Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Tyrol, a masterpiece of Tyrolean bronze casting, as well as in the Cathedral of Sankt Jakob, the tomb of Archduke Maximilian III the Deutschmeister, which he created.
Milestones in the development of European bronze sculpture.
Life and facts
Friedrich Wilhelm was descended from the Hohenzollern family and was born in Berlin on October 15, 1795. In his youth he experienced the Napoleonic domination of Europe.
He participated in the liberation struggles against Napoleon in 1813.
The victorious war against revolutionary France shaped his conservative-monarchical political style. After the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm became the new King of Prussia in 1840.
He refused to honour his father’s constitutional promises and, after the National Assembly, adopted a more liberal constitution that guaranteed freedom of the press and assembly.
In 1849, he refused to be crowned emperor because he did not recognize popular sovereignty and accepted the imperial crown only from an assembly of princes.
Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s attempt to create a pan-German confederation failed because of objections from Russia and Austria. After suffering several strokes in 1857, which also affected his speech, he handed over the reins of government to his brother.
He died in Potsdam on January 2, 1861.
Sources
SAMMELLUST – 180 Jahre Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Wilhelm_IV
data.cfm (innsbruck.gv.at) – Chronik von Innsbruck, zusammengestellt von Carl Unterkircher, Scriptor an der k.k. Universitäts-Bibliothek in Innsbruck. Druck und Verlag der Vereinsbuchhandlung. 1897. UB Innsbruck Separatabdruck der „Neuen Tiroler Stimmen“ 1892–1896.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_Gras
https://www.schlossambras-innsbruck.at
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