Wilhelm was infuriated by his sister's conversion to Greek Orthodoxy; upon her marriage, he attempted to ban her from entering Germany. When it became clear that Germany would experience a war on two fronts and that Britain would enter the war if Germany attacked France through neutral Belgium, the panic-stricken Wilhelm attempted to redirect the main attack against Russia. [26], Langer et al. [citation needed] There is debate amongst historians[according to whom?] From 1861, Wilhelm was second in the line of succession to Prussia, and also, after 1871, to the newly created German Empire, which, according to the constitution of the German Empire, was ruled by the Prussian king. In May 1940, when Hitler invaded the Netherlands, Wilhelm declined an offer from Churchill of asylum in Britain, preferring to remain at Huis Doorn. [neutrality is disputed] Wilhelm wanted to preclude the emergence of another Iron Chancellor, whom he ultimately detested as being "a boorish old killjoy" who had not permitted any minister to see the Emperor except in his presence, keeping a stranglehold on effective political power. For other uses, see, The generations are numbered from the ascension of. A few of these gather there every year on the anniversary of his death to pay their homage to the last German Emperor. Second, there came those who judged Wilhelm to be completely unable to handle the great responsibilities of his position, a ruler too reckless to deal with power. Formal Organization of the Delegates in Berlin – Seeking a New Government Combination", "Labor's Cause in Europe – The Kaiser's Conference and the English Strike. In a letter to his daughter Victoria Louise, Duchess of Brunswick, he wrote triumphantly, "Thus is the pernicious Entente Cordiale of Uncle Edward VII brought to nought. November 10, 1668: Birth of Louis III, Prince of Condé and Duke of Bourbon. Up to that point, he accepted that he would likely have to give up the imperial crown, but still hoped to retain the Prussian kingship. Bismarck resigned at Wilhelm II's insistence in 1890, at the age of 75, to be succeeded as Chancellor of Germany and Minister-President of Prussia by Leo von Caprivi, who in turn was replaced by Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, in 1894. Your comrades in the navy have already passed this test; they have shown that the principles of your training are sound, and I am also proud of the praise that your comrades have earned over there from foreign leaders. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Under Wilhelm, Germany invested in strengthening its colonies in Africa and the Pacific, but few became profitable and all were lost during the First World War. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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, Frederick. Before Wilhelm was born, his grandmother had expected to be asked to help find a nurse, but since her son did everything he could to snub her, the future Wilhelm II asked his aunt Helena to help. [7], Wilhelm, from six years of age, was tutored and heavily influenced by the 39-year-old teacher Georg Hinzpeter. Historians have suggested that this disability affected his emotional development. "From the outset, the half-German side of him was at war with the half-English side. His actions, at home as well as abroad, lacked guidance, and therefore often bewildered or infuriated public opinion. His grandfather and father both died in 1888, the Year of Three Emperors, making Wilhelm emperor and king. The German Emperor, Wilhelm I, watched as his grandson, guided principally by the Crown Princess Victoria, grew to manhood. However, this was impossible under the imperial constitution. Wilhelm was at the Imperial Army headquarters in Spa, Belgium, when the uprisings in Berlin and other centres took him by surprise in late 1918.