WI: Prussia Under Regency of Queen Luise (of Mecklenburg)?

I've never seen a WI like this before, but I think it's fairly safe to say that Luise was the brains/pants in her marriage. Napoléon referred to her as "my beautiful enemy" and one of his ministers called her "the Prussian harpy". It was her doing that got an audience with Napoléon at Tilsit, and the soldiers loved her - she was known as the "queen of hearts", the "Prussian Madonna" and numerous other titles.

So, what if at some point during the Napoleonic Wars, Friedrich Wilhelm III dies (maybe he and Luise's brother-in-law, Prince Friedrich Ludwig, are killed at the same time) and leaves an underage heir with Luise as regent? Since we know what the personality of Friedrich Wilhelm IV was like, it seems safe to assume that she'd continue to hold influence - even after the regency is officially over. (Note, this assumes that she survives whatever killed her in 1808 and lives to say the 1840s, as well as that Napoleon still rises and falls as per OTL). How does Prussia fare under her aegis? More liberal than OTL? What sort of gains would/could it make at Vienna with her in charge? What impact might her surviving have on her kids (her death profoundly affected the future Wilhelm I and the future Empress of Russia AFAIK)?

I think that this could maybe make for a fun thought exercise.
 
Well Luise was loved by the Prussian people unlike her husband she even appeared in school books. But I dont know how much she got transfigured by the populace. King Frederick Wilhelm IV. one said "The Unity of Germany stays close to my heart, there was a hole myth around her its a part of the legacy of my mother. Even if she would live up partly to the myth she might partake in an earlier unification of Germany (1848/1849) through the power of her son.
 
If Friedrich Wilhelm dies before the War of the Fourth Coalition begins, we could see some ramifications. IIRC, it was partly the Kaiser's indecisiveness as general-in-chief of the Prussian Army that caused Jena-Auerstedt to become an unmitigated disaster, scattering the collected army into small units. A less crushing Prussian defeat in 1806 could spill trouble for Napoleon, who would have to besiege Berlin, giving the Russians time to arrive in quantifiable numbers.
But again, this all depends on the death of FWIII shuffling the Prussian staff around.
 
If Friedrich Wilhelm dies before the War of the Fourth Coalition begins, we could see some ramifications. IIRC, it was partly the Kaiser's indecisiveness as general-in-chief of the Prussian Army that caused Jena-Auerstedt to become an unmitigated disaster, scattering the collected army into small units. A less crushing Prussian defeat in 1806 could spill trouble for Napoleon, who would have to besiege Berlin, giving the Russians time to arrive in quantifiable numbers.
But again, this all depends on the death of FWIII shuffling the Prussian staff around.

Would the generals take orders from the queen (regent or no) though? AIUI the army in those days was an all boy's club, and they'd presumably say "ja, Majestät" to Luise's suggestions and then still do their own thing
 
Would the generals take orders from the queen (regent or no) though? AIUI the army in those days was an all boy's club, and they'd presumably say "ja, Majestät" to Luise's suggestions and then still do their own thing
Well, the Prussian Army, at the time, was headed by the Kaiser. If, in this situation, the Kaiser is dead, his replacement is a boy and the regent is a woman, it must have some either psychological or institutional effect on what battle plan the generals will adopt. I don't know who would lead the army in this case, however.
 
Well, the Prussian Army, at the time, was headed by the Kaiser. If, in this situation, the Kaiser is dead, his replacement is a boy and the regent is a woman, it must have some either psychological or institutional effect on what battle plan the generals will adopt. I don't know who would lead the army in this case, however.
The only Kaiser in 1806 Europe are Alexander of Russia Franz of Austria and Napoleon. Prussia is and was always a kingdom.
 
Did they have Queen-Regents in Prussia? I thought the Regency went to the next adult male in line of succession.

I'm not sure. The regencies in the Holy Roman Empire don't seem to have a hard and fast rule, thus we have the Dowager Electress serving as regentin in Saxony (when Friedrich Christian died it was a tandem between Prince Xaver and Electress Maria Antonia) while in Saxe-Hildburghausen it went to Prince Joseph (great-uncle of the minor prince). But when the duke of Saxe-Meiningen died his widow (Queen Adelaide's mom) served as regent for their underage son. Same in Baden where Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg served as regentin for Ludwig Georg of Baden-Baden.

Prussia only ever had one regency (for Friedrich Wilhelm IV). And a regency for a king who is disabled (with an adult heir) is a different matter to for a king who is still a minor (with no heir, or one who is likewise a minor), I'd imagine.
 
Let's assume, for the intents of the TL, that Luise ends up as regent (IIRC, there was a comment by Bismarck or some other politician that the Empress (Auguste or Victoria) hoped for her husband/son to die and leave a minor heir who she could rule for until the boy came of age, hence why I figure Luise would be regent). A regency is generally a turbulent time for a country's policies in general, but a regency during a time of war might be still worse. How would Prussia fare? Better (Alexander and Elise in Russia liked her, but I'm not sure how the Austrians felt, even though her mother and aunts had been friends with Maria Theresia's daughters)? Worse? Would she be able to make a [decent states]man out of Friedrich Wilhelm IV?
 
For the first time in Prussian history, the queen emerged as a celebrated public personality in her own right, as she occupied a much more prominent role than her predecessors. But rather than taking this as an advantage to herself, she used her formidable intelligence and skill for her husband's sole advantage. She wanted to stay informed of political developments at court, and from the very beginning of his reign the new king consulted Louise on matters of state. She charmed the nation with her grace, beauty and wit, which led to national pride and patriotism among the Prussian people. She also became a fashion icon, for instance starting a trend by wearing a neckerchief to keep from herself from getting ill.

While as queen of Prussia, Louise commanded universal respect and affection, but her life was certainly not without affliction. As Napoleon Bonaparte managed to turn topsy-turvy the balance of power in Europe, he pressured the King of Prussia to allied himself to France on the looming Napoleonic Wars. But Frederick William favored neutrality, and this view was supported by Louise. But because of Napoleon's increasing violations of Prussian treaty rights, Louise began to encourage the King over his long-standing policy of neutrality, pleading with him to break off all relations with the French Emperor. She took the initiative of contacting the Tsar of Russia and the Emperor of Austria, both of whom, along with Frederick William, signed the Potsdam Treaty on November 3, 1805 - a treaty which formed an alliance among these three nations against Napoleon. This greatly infuriated the French Emperor, and he termed Louise "My beautiful enemy" for her role in forming this alliance.

During the war, Napoleon attempted to destroy the queen’s reputation, but the only effect of his charges in Prussia was to make her more deeply loved. Napoleon eventually gained the upper hand over his enemies in battle. It was a disaster for Prussia; as French troops approached Berlin, the royal family was forced to flee for Konigsberg. Louise was already ill during their journey in Konigsberg, and upon their arrival there, they were confronted with a grim situation: they was no food or clean water, and the family was forced to stay in "wretched barns".


Napoleon Bonaparte meets the Queen of Prussia.
In 1807, both Louise and the King were forced to meet with Napoleon in person at Tilsit in Russia to sign a peace treaty. The stipulations of the treaty for Prussia were humiliating, and Louise felt discouraged. However, recognizing that her country depended upon her for moral strength, she regained her sense of optimism. Napoleon callously called her "the only real man in Prussia", but he was greatly impressed by her beauty and determination: "I heard you are the most beautiful of Queens, but I did not know that you are the most beautiful of women," admired the emperor. He had previously attempted to destroy her reputation by questioning Louise's marital fidelity, but the queen met him anyway, attempting to use her beauty and charm to flatter him into more favorable terms. She made a request for a private interview with the emperor, whereon she threw herself at his feet. Though he was impressed by her grace and determination, Napoleon refused to make any concessions, writing back to his wife Empress Josephine that Louise "is really charming and full of coquetry towards me. But don't be jealous...it would cost me too dearly to play the gallant." Napoleon's attempts to destroy Louise's reputation failed however, and they only made her more beloved in Prussia. Her efforts to protect Prussia from French aggression secured for her the admiration of future generations.

Chances are good that she'd be able to charm Franz and Alexander into another sort of alliance in 1815, but I do wonder if she'll ask "how high?" if Alex says "jump!" like her husband did OTL. She wasn't very impressed with Alexander (particularly his treatment of his wife), and spoke with disdain of St. Petersburg.

As to the upbringing of her children, she seems almost proto-Romantic (I'm not sure where the Spartan sort of upbringing of royal kids started, but I know Franz Josef, Nikolai I of Russia (and Alexander III's kids) and a couple of other monarchs in Europe did the camp-bed and cold-water thing - either for themselves or their kids) as to raising her children as simply as possible, saying about a sort of Rousseau-esque upbringing "If they [her kids] had been reared in luxury and prosperity they might think that they will always live like that."

I'm not saying that this upbringing was conducive to rearing adequate statesmen (Nikolai II is the proof it's not). But also, at the TTL Congress of Vienna, I can imagine the teenage king of Prussia and his mothr arriving together. Alexander and Franz maybe deciding to take advantage (think Pyotr the Great and the Three Kings (Saxony, Denmark and Prussia) deciding to take advantage of Carl XII's youth in a similar fashion) of the inexperienced young FWIV. Prussia being humiliated thereby. Luise maybe having some sharp words about it and advocating joining up with the Britain-France against Russia-Austria who "have used us sore"
 
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