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(1831 –1888) was German Emperor and King of Prussia for ninety-nine days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors. He was the only son of Emperor Wilhelm I and was raised in his family’s tradition of military service. Although celebrated as a young man for his leadership and successes during the wars, he nevertheless professed a hatred of warfare. Following the unification of Germany in 1871 his father, then King of Prussia, became the German Emperor. Friedrich married Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the UK. The couple shared a liberal ideology, that led them to seek greater representation for commoners in the government. So, in spite of his conservative militaristic family background, Friedrich developed liberal thoughts. However, his illness, and as a result of that, his short reign, prevented him from effectively establishing policies and measures to achieve this. The few moves, as he was able to make, were later abandoned by his son and successor, Wilhelm II. His premature demise, is considered a potential turning point in German history; and whether or not he would have made the Empire more liberal if he had lived longer is still discussed.