| Wilhelm II, German Emperor | |
|---|---|
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| Emperor of the Germans | |
| Reign | 15 June 1888 – 4 June 1940 |
| Predecessor | Frederick III |
| Successor | Wilhelm III |
| Born | 27 January 1859 Crown Prince's Palace, Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | 4 June 1940 (aged 81) Berlin, Prussia, Germany |
| Spouse | Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (m. 1881; d. 1931) |
| Issue | Wilhelm III, German Emperor Friedrich I of Norway Prince Adalbert Prince August Wilhelm Prince Oskar Prince Joachim Viktoria Luise, Duchess of Brunswick |
| House | Hohenzollern |
| Father | Frederick III, German Emperor |
| Mother | Victoria, Princess Royal |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 1859 – 4 June 1940), anglicised as William II, was Emperor of the Germans and King of Prussia fom 15 June 1888 until his death in 1940. Despite strengthening Germany's status as a great power by expanding its navy, his foreign policies and statements against the other European powers greatly antagonised the international community and are considered by historians to be one of the major causes of the Great War.
Wilhelm II was born in 1859 as the eldest son of Prince Frederick William of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal. His father was the son of Wilhelm I, German Emperor, and his mother was the eldest child of George VII and Marie of Saxe-Altenburg. Wilhelm's grandfather, Wilhelm I, died in March 1888. His father became Emperor Frederick III, but died just 99 days later; in what is called the Year of the Three Emperors, Wilhelm II ascended the throne of the Empire in June 1888.
In March 1890, after disagreements, Wilhelm II dismissed Germany's powerful longtime Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, and effectively took control of the government's policies, leading the country through a "New Course" to stabilise its world power status. Throughout the 1890s and early 1900s, the German colonial empire slowly expanded, as it gained territories from the Qing dynasty and acquired some islands from Spain. However, Wilhelm II gradually harmed the country's foreign policy as he constantly made threatening statements towards other countries without consulting his ministers first. Relations between Germany and France worsened under his reign due to several colonial disputes, he instituted a massive naval expansion which lead to the previously-isolated Serbiaallying with France and the Holy Russian Empire. As a result, Germany mainly had weaker allies such as Italy, Rhomania, and Austria-Hungary, the latter of which later proclaimed neutrality and the United Kingdom was its strongest ally in the Alliance.
Wilhelm II's militaristic foreign policy and guarentee of German support to Rhomania against Serbia lead to the major system of alliances being activated, triggering the Great War. Wilhelm II gradually allowed his military ministers to take control of the conflict, eventually leading to them establishing a de-facto military dictatorship. After the turn of events, in order to prevent revolution and keep the throne, Wilhelm II agreed to an armistice with the Allies, and was forced to pay reparations. Wilhelm II's powers after the war became seriously limited as Germany became a full constitutional monarchy, with Wilhelm II just becoming a figurehead. In his last few years, Wilhelm II travelled a lot through Europe, establishing a summer house in the Netherlands.
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