Reconciliation between Frederick William I and his son

The crown prince Frederick, intellectually and musically gifted, was at odds with his father, who had him brought up in a strict military way. There was much disharmony between the two. But in the time of the king's illness, which followed the Rhine campaign of 1734, Frederick is said to have exclaimed: "I would gladly give an arm to prolong the king's life by 20 years, if only he would let me live according to my inclination!" The king's condition grew worse and worse; from 1734 at the latest he was a terminally ill man. A dangerous dropsy with its worst symptoms had developed. In the last few years, all serious discord between father and son had been settled and an ever-increasing mutual respect had taken its place. From then on, the King granted the Crown Prince complete freedom and carefree years followed for Frederick in Rheinsberg (1736 -1740). On 26 May 1740, a courier arrived in Rheinsberg with the message that he should hurry to Potsdam if he wanted to see his father alive. One day later, Frederick arrived in Potsdam at noon. He found his father, whose vitality had once again flickered, in a public square next to the palace, where, sitting in his wheelchair, he was watching the laying of the foundation stone of a neighbouring house.
As soon as the king saw his son, he stretched out his arms towards him, into which the prince threw himself, weeping. All that the king could produce in that hour was, "I have always loved you fatherly, even when I have been harsh with you..." The reconciliation that had been in the making for the past few years culminated in this scene. Four days later, on 31.05.1740, Frederick William I died and Frederick became King in Prussia.
Engraving: Werner Otto