Friedrich Carl was ordered under the provisional name Ersatz König Wilhelm and built at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg under yard number 155.
Her keel was laid down in August 1900 and she was launched on 21 June 1902.
At the launching ceremony, Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia gave a speech; he was the son of the ship's namesake, Prince Friedrich Carl.
Friedrich Leopold's wife, Louise Sophie, christened the ship.
Fitting-out work followed, and in November 1903 a shipyard crew began builder's trials before she was moved to Wilhelmshaven to have her artillery installed.
Work on the vessel was completed by 12 December 1903, the day she began sea trials; her first commander was Kapitän zur See (KzS—Captain at Sea) Johannes Merten.

Trials were interrupted in March 1904 when Friedrich Carl was tasked with escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II aboard the Norddeutscher Lloyd steamer SS König Albert on a trip to the Mediterranean Sea.
On 12 March the ships left Bremerhaven and steamed to Vigo, Spain, where the Spanish king, Alfonso XIII, visited Friedrich Carl on 15 March.
Three days later the ships arrived in Gibraltar, where they met the British Channel Squadron.
They then proceeded to Naples, Italy, by way of Mahón, where on 24 March Wilhelm II transferred to his yacht, Hohenzollern.
King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy visited the ship there before Friedrich Carl, Hohenzollern, and the dispatch boat Sleipner began a tour of Mediterranean ports.
Friedrich Carl was in need of repairs, so she left Hohenzollern and Sleipner on 26 April and began the voyage back to Germany; she stopped in Venice, Italy, on 7 May and arrived back in Kiel on 17 May. There, she was assigned to the reconnaissance force of the Active Battle Fleet, taking the place of the protected cruiser Victoria Louise.

Beginning in June, Friedrich Carl joined II Squadron for a tour of Dutch, British, and Norwegian ports that lasted until August.
During the voyage, Friedrich Carl had to tow two torpedo boats along with the coastal defense ship Odin and the torpedo boat S98 to Stavanger, Norway.
On returning to Germany, the German fleet conducted its annual maneuvers in August and September in the North and Baltic Seas.
Following the conclusion of the maneuvers in September, Merten was replaced as the ship's commander by Fregattenkapitän (FK—Frigate Captain) Hugo von Cotzhausen.
The ship's sea trials were also officially ended at that point.
In November, the crew briefly staged a mutiny against Cotzhausen, citing his inept leadership, though he remained in command.
KAdm Gustav Schmidt, who was the commander of reconnaissance forces of the Active Battlefleet, transferred from Prinz Heinrich, making Friedrich Carl the new flagship of the reconnaissance squadron.

From January to February 1905, Friedrich Carl participated in training exercises in the Baltic.
While cruising north of the Great Belt, she struck a submerged shipwreck but suffered no significant damage in the accident.
Beginning on 23 March, she again accompanied Wilhelm II, this time aboard the HAPAG steamship SS Hamburg, for another voyage to the Mediterranean.
While the ships were in Lisbon, they were visited by King Carlos I of Portugal.
German Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow sent a message to Wilhelm II in Lisbon suggesting he visit Morocco, and on 31 March Friedrich Carl and Hamburg arrived in Tangier, where they encountered the French cruisers Du Chayla and Linois.
Wilhelm II made a speech where he supported Moroccan independence, which led to the First Moroccan Crisis.
The following day, the two German vessels steamed to Gibraltar, where Friedrich Carl accidentally collided with the British pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Prince George.
During the cruise, Schmidt transferred to Prinz Heinrich.
On her return to Germany in June, she resumed her role as flagship, apart from during a maintenance period from 10 to 26 August.
Friedrich Carl was ordered under the provisional name Ersatz König Wilhelm and built at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg under yard number 155. Her keel was laid down in August 1900 and she was launched on 21 June 1902. At the launching ceremony, Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia gave a speech; he was the son of the ship's namesake, Prince Friedrich Carl. Friedrich Leopold's wife, Louise Sophie, christened the ship. Fitting-out work followed, and in November 1903 a shipyard crew began builder's trials before she was moved to Wilhelmshaven to have her artillery installed. Work on the vessel was completed by 12 December 1903, the day she began sea trials; her first commander was Kapitän zur See (KzS—Captain at Sea) Johannes Merten.
Trials were interrupted in March 1904 when Friedrich Carl was tasked with escorting Kaiser Wilhelm II aboard the Norddeutscher Lloyd steamer SS König Albert on a trip to the Mediterranean Sea. On 12 March the ships left Bremerhaven and steamed to Vigo, Spain, where the Spanish king, Alfonso XIII, visited Friedrich Carl on 15 March. Three days later the ships arrived in Gibraltar, where they met the British Channel Squadron. They then proceeded to Naples, Italy, by way of Mahón, where on 24 March Wilhelm II transferred to his yacht, Hohenzollern. King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy visited the ship there before Friedrich Carl, Hohenzollern, and the dispatch boat Sleipner began a tour of Mediterranean ports. Friedrich Carl was in need of repairs, so she left Hohenzollern and Sleipner on 26 April and began the voyage back to Germany; she stopped in Venice, Italy, on 7 May and arrived back in Kiel on 17 May. There, she was assigned to the reconnaissance force of the Active Battle Fleet, taking the place of the protected cruiser Victoria Louise.
Beginning in June, Friedrich Carl joined II Squadron for a tour of Dutch, British, and Norwegian ports that lasted until August. During the voyage, Friedrich Carl had to tow two torpedo boats along with the coastal defense ship Odin and the torpedo boat S98 to Stavanger, Norway. On returning to Germany, the German fleet conducted its annual maneuvers in August and September in the North and Baltic Seas. Following the conclusion of the maneuvers in September, Merten was replaced as the ship's commander by Fregattenkapitän (FK—Frigate Captain) Hugo von Cotzhausen. The ship's sea trials were also officially ended at that point. In November, the crew briefly staged a mutiny against Cotzhausen, citing his inept leadership, though he remained in command. KAdm Gustav Schmidt, who was the commander of reconnaissance forces of the Active Battlefleet, transferred from Prinz Heinrich, making Friedrich Carl the new flagship of the reconnaissance squadron. 
From January to February 1905, Friedrich Carl participated in training exercises in the Baltic. While cruising north of the Great Belt, she struck a submerged shipwreck but suffered no significant damage in the accident. Beginning on 23 March, she again accompanied Wilhelm II, this time aboard the HAPAG steamship SS Hamburg, for another voyage to the Mediterranean. While the ships were in Lisbon, they were visited by King Carlos I of Portugal. German Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow sent a message to Wilhelm II in Lisbon suggesting he visit Morocco, and on 31 March Friedrich Carl and Hamburg arrived in Tangier, where they encountered the French cruisers Du Chayla and Linois. Wilhelm II made a speech where he supported Moroccan independence, which led to the First Moroccan Crisis. The following day, the two German vessels steamed to Gibraltar, where Friedrich Carl accidentally collided with the British pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Prince George. During the cruise, Schmidt transferred to Prinz Heinrich. On her return to Germany in June, she resumed her role as flagship, apart from during a maintenance period from 10 to 26 August.
SMS Friedrich Carl