Wilhelm II of Germany facts for kids
(Redirected from Wilhelm II, German Emperor)Quick facts for kids Wilhelm II |
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A portrait of Wilhelm II by T. H. Voigt
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| German Emperor King of Prussia |
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| Reign | 15 June 1888 – 9 November 1918 | ||||
| Predecessor | Frederick III | ||||
| Chancellors |
See list
Otto von Bismarck
Leo von Caprivi Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst Bernhard von Bülow Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg Georg Michaelis Georg von Hertling Maximilian of Baden |
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| Born | 27 January 1859 Kronprinzenpalais, Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia |
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| Died | 4 June 1941 (aged 82) Huis Doorn, Doorn, Nazi-occupied Netherlands |
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| Burial | 9 June 1941 Huis Doorn, Doorn |
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| Spouse |
Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
(m. 1881; died 1921) Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz (m. 1922)
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| House | Hohenzollern | ||||
| Father | Frederick III, German Emperor | ||||
| Mother | Victoria, Princess Royal | ||||
| Religion | Calvinism (Prussian United) | ||||
| Signature |  |
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Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Hohenzollern, Wilhelm II of Prussia and Germany, (27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and the last King of Prussia, ruling from 1888 to 1918. He went to live in the Netherlands and abdicated (resigned) as King and Emperor. He died at Huis Doorn and is buried there because he ordered that he not be buried in Nazi Germany. Wilhelm died on June 4, 1941.
Kaiser Wilhelm II was born on 27 January 1859. He was the oldest child in his family. His father was Prince Frederick of Prussia. His mother was Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. He was born with a disabled left arm. He got married in 1881. His wife was Augusta Victoria. They had seven children. He studied at the Kassel Gymnasium, and later at the University of Bonn. He became leader of Germany in 1888 after his father died. He disagreed with his father's long-time Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, and dismissed him in 1890.
Wilhelm believed in strengthening Germany’s armed forces, especially the Navy. He led Germany during World War I.
Titles and styles
- 27 January 1859 – 9 March 1888: His Royal Highness Prince Wilhelm of Prussia
- 9 March 1888 – 15 June 1888: His Imperial Highness and Royal Highness The German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia
- 15 June 1888 – 18 November 1918: His Imperial and Royal Majesty The German Emperor, King of Prussia
Images for kids
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Wilhelm with his father, in Highland dress, in 1862
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Prince Wilhelm posing for a photo taken around 1887. His right hand is holding his left hand, which was affected by Erb's palsy.
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Wilhelm in 1905
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"Dropping the Pilot", a cartoon by Sir John Tenniel (1820–1914), published in the British magazine Punch, 29 March 1890, two weeks after Bismarck's dismissal
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Silver 5-mark coin of Wilhelm II
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Portrait by Philip de László, 1908
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Wilhelm talking with Ethiopians at the Tierpark Hagenbeck in Hamburg in 1909
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The Nine Sovereigns at Windsor for the funeral of King Edward VII, photographed on 20 May 1910. Standing, from left to right: King Haakon VII of Norway, Tsar Ferdinand of the Bulgarians, King Manuel II of Portugal and the Algarve, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Prussia, King George I of the Hellenes and King Albert I of the Belgians. Seated, from left to right: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King George V of the United Kingdom and King Frederick VIII of Denmark.
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1898 Chinese imperialism cartoon: A Mandarin official helplessly looks on as China, depicted as a pie, is about to be carved up by Queen Victoria (Britain), Wilhelm (Germany), Nicholas II (Russia), Marianne (France), and a samurai (Japan)
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Wilhelm with Nicholas II of Russia in 1905, wearing the military uniforms of each other's army
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Wilhelm in Jerusalem during his state visit to the Ottoman Empire, 1898
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Wilhelm and Winston Churchill during a military autumn manoeuvre near Breslau, Silesia (Wrocław, Poland) in 1906
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Caricature by Olaf Gulbransson 1909: "Manoeuvre: Emperor William II explains the enemy's positions to Prince Ludwig of Bavaria"
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Wilhelm with the Grand Duke of Baden, Prince Oskar of Prussia, the Grand Duke of Hesse, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Prince Louis of Bavaria, Prince Max of Baden and his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm, at pre-war military manoeuvres in autumn 1909
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Wilhelm conversing with the victor of Liège, General Otto von Emmich; in the background the generals Hans von Plessen (middle) and Moriz von Lyncker (right)
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Italian poster from 1915 showing Wilhelm II biting into the world. The text reads "The glutton – too hard."
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The funeral of Wilhelm II
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Wilhelm and his first wife, Augusta Viktoria
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The reverse shows the couple in Medieval costumes in front of 3 squires carrying the shields of Prussia, Germany, and Schleswig-Holstein
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With second wife, Hermine, and her daughter, Princess Henriette
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Portrait by Max Koner (1890). Wilhelm wears the collar and mantle of the Prussian Order of the Black Eagle and, at his throat, the Protector's diamond-studded cross of the Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg).
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Wilhelm in Amerongen, 1919
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Huis Doorn in 1925
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Wilhelm in 1933
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Huis Doorn today
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