Royalty · Literature · Art · 1859–1941
Born: 27 January 1859 · Died: 4 June 1941 · Age at death: 82
Wilhelm II died aged 82. He was born on 27 January 1859 and died on 4 June 1941.
Last German Emperor and King of Prussia, whose aggressive policies helped lead to the First World War and who abdicated in 1918
Did you know?He was a first cousin of both the British King George V and the Russian Tsar Nicholas II.
Wilhelm II was Germany's last emperor. A grandson of Queen Victoria, he had a damaged left arm from birth. Soon after taking the throne in 1888, he dismissed the veteran chancellor Bismarck. He wanted Germany to have a "place in the sun". His naval race with Britain alarmed his neighbours. He led Germany into the First World War. Defeat forced him to abdicate in 1918, and he lived in exile in the Netherlands.
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the last German Emperor from 1888 until his abdication in 1918. His fall from power marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty's 400-year rule over Prussia.
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Profile
German emperor, 1859–1941
Wilhelm II was born in Berlin on 27 January 1859.
He was a grandson of Queen Victoria.
He became emperor in 1888.
He abdicated in November 1918 and lived in the Netherlands.
Career highlights
Did you know?He lived in exile at Doorn in the Netherlands until his death in 1941.
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