| Wilhelm II | |
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| Official Portrait of Wilhelm II, painted in 1928 | |
| Emperor of the German Empire | |
| Reign | 15 June 1888- 4 June 1941 |
| Chancellors | Otto von Bismarck Leo von Caprivi Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst Bernhard von Bülow Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg Georg Michaelis Georg von Hertling Max von Baden Erich Luddendorf Wilhelm Marx Otto Wels Franz von Papen Carl Friedrich Goerdeler |
| Predecessor | Frederick III |
| Successor | Wilhelm III |
| King of Prussia | |
| Reign | 15 June 1888- 4 June 1941 |
| Predecessor | Frederick III |
| Successor | Wilhelm III |
| Born | 27 January 1859 Crown Prince's Palace, Berlin, Prussia,  German Confederation
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| Died | 4 June 1941 Berlin Palace, Berlin, Prussia,  German Empire
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| Spouse | Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (d.1921), Hermine Reuss Oct Greiz |
| Issue |
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| Full name | |
| Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Hohenzollern | |
| House | Hohenzollern |
| Father | Frederick III, German Emperor |
| Mother | Victoria |
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Hohenzollern, 27 January 1859 - 4 June 1941) was the German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 to 1941.
Assuming the throne in 1888, he dismissed the country's longtime chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, in 1890 before launching Germany on a bellicose "New Course" to cement its status as a respected world power. However, due to his impetuous personality, he frequently undermined this aim by making tactless, alarming public statements without consulting his ministers beforehand. He also did much to alienate other Great Powers from Germany by initiating a massive build-up of the German Navy, challenging French control over Morocco, and backing the Austrian annexation of Bosnia in 1908.
Wilhelm II's turbulent reign culminated in his guarantee of military support to Austria-Hungary during the crisis of July 1914, which resulted 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. After the war ended in a Central Power victory in 1918, Wilhelm II was personified as the "Father of Europe". In 1919, significant public unrest led to the constitution limiting Wilhelm II's power and giving it to the Reichstag and chancellor.
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