Reign length of Prussian Kings and German Emperors 1701-1918

The Kingdom of Prussia was established in 1701, with its rulers made up of the heads of the Hohenzollern dynasty. In 1701, Friedrich I was named as the first King in Prussia of the House of Hohenzollern, as Habsburg-Austrian and Polish influence in the region prevented him from claiming the sole stewardship of Prussia. Following victory in the Silesian Wars against Austria, as well as the First Partition of Poland in 1772, Friedrich II (Friedrich the Great) consolidated his power and emerged as the King of Prussia. The dynasty was in place for over 200 years, and as German unification was largely achieved under Prussian leadership, the Kings of Prussia were named as the Kaiser of the new German Empire in 1871, until the abdication of Wilhelm II in 1918, following Germany's defeat in the First World War.

Reign length of Prussian Kings and German Emperors from 1701 to1918 (in years)

Characteristic	King in Prussia	King of Prussia	German Kaiser
Wilhelm II (1888-1918)	-	-	30
Friedrich III (1888)*	-	-	0
Wilhelm I (1861-1888)	-	10	17
Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1840-1861)	-	21	-
Friedrich Wilhelm III (1797-1840)	-	43	-
Friedrich Wilhelm II (1786-1797)	-	11	-
Friedrich II (1740-1786)**	32	14	-
Friedrich Wilhelm I (1713-1740)	27	-	-
Friedrich I (1701-1713)*	12	-	-

Loading statistic...

Download

Source

Show detailed source information?

Already a member?

Source

Use Ask Statista Research Service

Release date

2001

More information

Region

Germany

Survey time period

1701 to 1918

Supplementary notes

Figures were collected by calculating the difference between the starting and ending years of each reign. Figures have been rounded.

For display purposes, the higher titles take precedence - German Emperors were also Kings of Prussia.

*Friedrich I had been Duke of Prussia since 1688.

**Friedrich III's reign lasted just 99 days.

Citation formats