Frankfurt Parliament drafts constitution and elects Frederick William IV, who refuses the crown

Background. The Frankfurt National Assembly, elected in 1848, worked to unite German states and draft a constitution. A committee began drafting the Imperial Constitution in May 1848. The assembly adopted a resolution in January 1849 that a reigning German prince should be elected as Emperor. The second reading of the constitution commenced in March 1849, setting the stage for the election of the Emperor.

Election and Refusal. On 28 March 1849, the Frankfurt Assembly elected Frederick William IV as Emperor of the Germans. A delegation met with the King in Berlin on 2 April 1849 to offer him the crown. Frederick William refused the crown, believing the Frankfurt Parliament did not have the right to make such an offer. This refusal marked a turning point in the failure of the 1848–49 revolutions.

Aftermath. The refusal of the crown and the rejection of the constitution by larger states led to political conflict. The achievements of the revolutionaries were reversed in all German states, and basic rights were abolished by 1851. With the backing of conservative opponents of the Erfurt Union in the Prussian government, Austria was able to revive the German Confederation, which had been inactive since the 1848 revolutions.