Frederick William II was the king of Prussia from 1786 to 1797. Born in 1744, he became the heir-presumptive to his uncle, Frederick the Great, when he was in his early teens. Much to his uncle's resentment, Frederick William spent most of his early years pursuing his interest in arts. Despite his wisdom, his conduct during the French Revolution created an impression that he was incapable of becoming a ruler. Hence, Frederick William was mostly kept away from the administration. On the other hand, he had a grudge against his uncle for not letting him indulge in diplomacy or any royal administrative activity. Nevertheless, when Frederick William became the king, he did prove himself to be an able ruler. However, his lack of interest in military issues caused the downfall of Prussia's greatest strength, the army. Despite this, Prussia expanded its territories. Among his prominent foreign policies was the Austro-Prussian alliance that he signed with Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, to oppose the French Revolution. However, he later entered into a coalition with France, which led to Prussia being boycotted in Europe. His domestic policies earned him popularity with his subjects. The fame was marred by his notorious measure to impose the 'Religionsedikt' ("Religious Edict") of 1788, which was based on the theories of his favorite, Johann Christoph von Wöllner. Despite being enforced, the proclamation failed to meet its objective.