GHDI logo
German History in Documents and Images
return to system

The Crown of a German Kaiser is presented to Frederick William IV (1849)
In the Royal Palace, a delegation from the Frankfurt National Assembly offers the crown of a German Kaiser to Frederick William IV, King of Prussia. The act was a last-ditch effort to save a major goal of the failing revolution: German unification. Having presented himself as a champion of German unity in the face of revolutionary events in Berlin in March 1848, the king had by this time regained control of his state and refused to accept the imperial crown from the people's representatives. Wood engraving, April 3, 1849.