Frederick William II (25 September 1744 – 16
November 1797) was King of Prussia, from 1786 until his death. He was in
personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau
inheritance of his grandfather) sovereign prince of the Canton of Neuchâtel.
Pleasure-loving and indolent, he is seen as the antithesis to his predecessor,
Frederick II. Under his reign, Prussia was weakened internally and externally,
and he failed to deal adequately with the challenges to the existing order
posed by the French Revolution. His religious policies were directed against
the Enlightenment and aimed at restoring a traditional Protestantism. However,
he was a patron of the arts and responsible for the construction of some
notable buildings, among them the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.