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Why did Frederick William III dismiss Karl vom Stein from office in November 1808?

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Karl, Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein Karl, Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein, portrait by Friedrich Olivier, 1820.

King Frederick William III dismissed Karl vom Stein from his position as chief minister of Prussia in November 1808 due to intense pressure from Napoleon.

The catalyst for this decision was the interception of a letter by Napoleon’s agents in August 1808, in which Stein had indiscreetly referred to the likelihood of a future war against France. Yielding to the resulting French pressure, the King removed Stein from office on November 24, 1808. Shortly thereafter, in December, Napoleon declared Stein a public enemy, forcing him to flee into exile on Austrian territory.1