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| Wilhelm IV | |
|---|---|
| German Emperor
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| Photo taken in 1973. | |
| Reign | 20 July 1951 – 26 September 1984 |
| Wilhelm III | |
| Born | 4 July 1906 Marmorpalais, near Potsdam, Prussia |
| Died | 26 September 1984 (aged 78) Sanssouci, Germany |
| Burial | 5 October 1985 |
| Spouse | Adelheid of Austria |
| Full name | |
| Wilhelm Friedrich Franz Joseph Christian Olaf | |
| House | House of Hohenzollern |
| Father | Wilhelm III |
| Mother | Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Wilhelm IV (English: William IV; 4 July 1906 – 5 October 1985) was the fifth German Emperor. Wilhelm IV, though conservative, was more agnostic towards the authoritarian tendencies of his father and grandfather and thus Germany was able to transition into a more moderate and constitutional form of government by the acceptance of its monarch rather than the tug of war that had featured heavily in the reigns of his two predecessors.
Life[]
Childhood[]
Wilhelm was born on 4 July 1906 at the Hohenzollern family's private summer residence, Marmorpalais, or Marble Palace, near Potsdam, where his parents were residing until their own home, Schloss Cecilienhof, could be completed. On his tenth birthday in 1916, Wilhelm was made a lieutenant in the 1st Guards Regiment and was given the Order of the Black Eagle by his grandfather. For the rest of World War I and much of the 1920s, Wilhelm was largely out of the public eye as he continued his noble and military education.
Adulthood and Marriage[]
In addition to his noble education, Wilhelm spent some time at the University of Konigsberg in Germany's far east. Wilhelm's education in Konigsberg, his family, and the attempted revolutions in Germany in 1918 pushed Wilhelm to strongly support anti-communism and German nationalism; privately, Wilhelm never accepted the loss of German territories after the conclusion of World War I. He would largely hold these beliefs for much of his life, only conceding to some losses later in life. In 1922, Wilhelm was made a Colonel (Oberst) in the Imperial German Army.
In the 1930s, speculation became rampant over who Wilhelm might marry. His grandfather, Wilhelm II, had ruled Germany for decades and both the nobility and the general public gossiped over the prince, now in his late 20s. Many different potential brides were floated, including members of the British, Italian, and Brazilian royal families, while most German states eagerly sought negotiations with Wilhelm II to get one of their princesses as the next German empress. Unbeknownst to them all, Wilhelm II already had thoughts in mind. Concerned about the loyalty of Karl I and the Austrian Habsburgs, Wilhelm II wanted a royal marriage to shore up against this perceived risk. Wilhelm II pushed for Wilhelm to marry Adelheid, Archduchess of Austria and eldest daughter of Karl I. While many thought it would be a poor match due to their differences in age and religion, nationalist pressure was strong. Unusually, Wilhelm and Adelheid were soon taken with each other, and the pair were married in 1938, kicking off the Osthochzeiten, or Eastern Weddings. Soon after, as tensions in Europe continued to increase, in 1939 Wilhelm was made a Major General.