Editing German Empire (section)

===Year of the three emperors===
[[File:Emperor Friedrich III.png|thumb|upright|[[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick III]] was emperor for only 99 days (9 March{{Spaced en dash}}15 June 1888)]]
{{Main|Year of the Three Emperors}}

On 9 March 1888, Wilhelm I died shortly before his 91st birthday, leaving his son [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick]] as the new emperor. Frederick was a liberal and an admirer of the British constitution,{{Sfnp|Kitchen|2000|p=214}} while his links to Britain strengthened further with his marriage to [[Victoria, Princess Royal|Princess Victoria]], eldest child of [[Queen Victoria]]. With his ascent to the throne, many hoped that Frederick's reign would lead to a [[liberalization]] of the Reich and an increase of parliament's influence on the political process. The dismissal of [[Robert von Puttkamer]], the highly conservative [[Interior Minister of Prussia|Prussian interior minister]], on 8 June was a sign of the expected direction and a blow to Bismarck's administration.

By the time of his accession, however, Frederick had developed incurable [[laryngeal cancer]], which had been diagnosed in 1887. He died on the 99th day of his rule, on 15 June 1888. His son [[Wilhelm II|Wilhelm]] became emperor.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}