Prince Henry of Prussia
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- For the brother of Emperor William II, see Prince Heinrich of Prussia (1862-1929).
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Frederick Henry Louis (German: Friedrich Heinrich Ludwig; 18 January 1726 - 3 August 1802), commonly known as Henry (Heinrich), was a Prince of Prussia. He also served as a general and statesman.
[edit] Biography
Born in Berlin, Henry was the 13th child of King Frederick William I of Prussia and Queen Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. The younger brother of King Frederick II of Prussia, Henry's conflicts with "Frederick the Great" are almost legendary.
When he was only 14, Henry was appointed as Oberst of the 35. Infanterieregiment by Frederick after he became king in 1740, leading Henry to participate in the Silesian Wars. Henry lived in the shadow of his older brother "Frederick the Great", and he criticized the king's military strategies and foreign policies. In 1753 he published his memoirs under the pseudonym "Maréchal Gessler".
On 25 June 1752 Henry married Landgravine Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel in Charlottenburg, but they had no children. Henry lived in Rheinsberg after receiving it as a gift from his brother.
Henry successfully led Prussian armies as a general during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), in which he never lost a battle. After the Prussian Army's initial success against one wing of the joint Russian and Austrian Armies in the Battle of Kunersdorf, Henry urged his brother Frederick to stop attacking.[citation needed] The king, who had already sent a message of victory to Berlin, pressed the attack. The day ended with a virtually destroyed Prussian army, a virtually defenceless Kingdom of Prussia, and a complete victory by the Russo-Austrian force. Afterwards, Henry reorganized the routed Prussian forces.
After the Seven Years' War, Henry worked as a shrewd diplomat who helped plan the First Partition of Poland through trips to Stockholm and St. Petersburg. In the 1780s he made two travels to France.
Henry attempted to secure a principality for himself and twice tried to become King of Poland, but was opposed by a displeased Frederick. The king frustrated Henry's attempt to become ruler of a kingdom Catherine II of Russia planned to create in Wallachia. In 1786 either Nathaniel Gorham[1] or Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben[2] suggested to Alexander Hamilton that Henry should become President[3] or King of the United States, but the offer was revoked before the prince could make a reply.
After the death of Frederick in 1786, Heny hoped to become more influential in the Prussian government as the advisor of his nephew, the new King Frederick William II of Prussia. Although he was less influential than he hoped, Henry was more important during the last years of his life in advising King Frederick William III, who began his reign in 1797.
Henry died in Rheinsberg.
[edit] References
- ^ "Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, William Marina. The Independent Institute. Did the Constitution Betray the Revolution?". Retrieved February 1, 2007.
- ^ John Richard Alden. The History of the American Revolution. Da Capo Press, 1989. ISBN 0306803666
- ^ Richard Krauel. "Prince Henry of Prussia and the Regency of the United States, 1786". The American Historical Review, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Oct., 1911), pp. 44-51
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of February 1, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Der König von Rheinsberg (German)
- Biography at Preussen.de (German)
- Prinz Heinrich von Preußen (German)
- Biography at History of Berlin (German)
- The sarcophagus of Henry (German)
