How to Pronounce Wilhelm II, German Emperor
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Jan 27, 1859 Kronprinzenpalais, Berlin, Germany Died on 04 Jun 1941 (aged 82)
German Emperor and King of Prussia
AquariusWilhelm Ii German Emperor - Place of Birth, Date of Birth, Age, Wiki, Facts, Net Worth, Birthday, Biography and Family
Wilhelm Ii German Emperor, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Family, Facts, Age, Net Worth, Biography and More in FamedBorn.com
About Wilhelm Ii German Emperor
- Wilhelm II or William II (German: Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (Kaiser) and King of Prussia.
- He reigned from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918 shortly before Germany's defeat in World War I. The eldest grandchild of Queen Victoria, Wilhelm's first cousins included King George V of the United Kingdom and many princesses who, along with Wilhelm's sister Sophia, became European consorts.
- For most of his life before becoming emperor, he was second in line to succeed his grandfather Wilhelm I on the German and Prussian thrones after his father, Crown Prince Frederick.
- His grandfather and father both died in 1888, the Year of Three Emperors, making Wilhelm emperor and king.
- He dismissed the country's longtime chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, in 1890. Upon consolidating power as emperor, Wilhelm launched Germany on a bellicose "New Course" to cement its status as a respected world power.
- However, he frequently undermined this aim by making tactless, alarming public statements without consulting his ministers.
- He also did much to alienate his country from the other Great Powers by initiating a massive build-up of the German Navy, challenging French control over Morocco, and backing the Austrian annexation of Bosnia in 1908.
- His turbulent reign ultimately culminated in his guarantee of military support to Austria-Hungary during the crisis of July 1914, resulting in the outbreak of World War I.
- A lax wartime leader, he left virtually all decision-making regarding military strategy and organisation of the war effort in the hands of the German General Staff.
- This broad delegation of authority gave rise to a de facto military dictatorship whose belligerent foreign policy led to the United States' entry into the war on April 6, 1917.
- After losing the support of the German military and his subjects in November 1918, Wilhelm abdicated and fled to exile in the Netherlands, where he died in 1941.
