Frederick III, German Emperor

Frederick III was a prince who became the Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia. He was known as 'Fritz' by his family and friends. He was the son of Emperor Wilhelm I. Frederick was like a prince who dreamed of being king, but his time as emperor was very, very short. He was in charge for only 99 days, which is about three months! That's shorter than a school year!

Frederick came from a family that loved soldiers and being in charge. His dad, Wilhelm I, was the first German Emperor. When Wilhelm I got very old and passed away, Frederick became the new emperor. He had waited a long time, being a prince for many years. He married Victoria, who was the daughter of Queen Victoria from the United Kingdom. They were a royal couple with big ideas!

Frederick and his wife Victoria wanted Germany to be a fairer place. They liked the way Britain was run and hoped to make Germany more like it. They wanted the people's representatives to have more say. But sadly, Frederick got very sick with a sore throat problem called cancer of the larynx. This meant he couldn't do all the things he wanted to do as emperor.

Frederick's time as emperor was so short because he was very ill. He tried to get better, but the doctors couldn't help him. He died when he was only 56 years old. Because he was emperor for such a little while, historians still talk about what might have happened if he had lived longer. Would Germany have become a different, more democratic country?