Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III of Prussia was the Hohenzollern monarch who presided over Prussia's catastrophic defeat by Napoleon at Jena-Auerstedt in 1806 and its subsequent remarkable recovery, the latter driven largely by reformers he tolerated rather than championed — Stein, Hardenberg, Scharnhorst. At the Congress of Vienna he aligned Prussia firmly with the conservative powers, accepting Metternich's Concert framework in exchange for substantial territorial gains in the Rhineland. A cautious, irresolute ruler who feared both Napoleon and revolution, he consistently chose stability over either reform or national ambition.
- Lived: 1770 CE – 1840 CE
- Nationality: prussian
- Roles: king, monarch
