Keiser wilhelm biography

He proposed that deserving non-commissioned officers and men be rewarded with land grants in those parts of Belgium and France along the Channel coast that were to be annexed to Germany. In April he demanded the capture of Malta, the Azores, Madeira, and the Cape Verde Islands as naval bases for his fleet, the acquisition of the Belgian Congo, all of the French colonies, and the French ore field of Longwy-Briey together with the annexation of Poland, Lithuania, and Courland southern Latvia to the Reich.

All of these measures were part of a broader programme that would have reduced Britain to an insignificant island under constant threat from the German navy. On 13 Julyhe finally gave in to the relentless insubordination of the generals and dismissed the Reich Chancellor. At the end of Septemberfollowing the failure of his summer offensives, and under the influence of heavy German losses during the subsequent allied counter-offensives of August and September, Ludendorff told the Kaiser that the war was lost and that power must be transferred to civilian statesmen.

On 1 November the Prussian Interior Minister Bill Drews was sent to Supreme Headquarters in Spa to urge the Kaiser to abdicate in the hope of saving at least the institution of monarchy, but Wilhelm refused with fury. At Spa, a poll of commanders revealed that the soldiers would be unwilling to march on their homeland to keep the Kaiser on his throne.

Alternative proposals, such as allowing Wilhelm to relinquish the imperial crown but remain as King of Prussia were dismissed. He failed in his bid to be restored to the throne by Adolf Hitler and died in exile at Huis Doorn, his home in the province of Utrecht, on 4 June Unknown photographer, 10 Novemberphotograph, Eysden, Netherlands. Parker, Charles V.

Courtesy of the British Library. German official court photographer,Germany. German propaganda postcard with Wilhelm II A central lynchpin of German war propaganda was the perception that the conflict had been forced upon the nation. Unknown photographer: Kaiser Wilhelm II. Wilhelm ruled from towhen he abdicated and went into exile in the Netherlands.

Bain News Service: Kaiser Wilhelm, black-and-white photograph, n. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. John C. He was a strong believer in increasing the strength of the German armed forces, particularly the navy. His policies towards Britain were contradictory. He alienated Britain with his naval expansion and a policy of aggressive German colonial expansion, and also supported the Boers in their fight against the British.

But he was also closely related to the British royal family and was particularly fond of his grandmother, Queen Victoria. Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo inWilhelm encouraged the Austrians to adopt an uncompromising keiser wilhelm biography against Serbia, effectively writing them a 'blank cheque' for German support in the event of war.

He appeared not to realise the chain reaction this would trigger. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Keiser wilhelm biography

Mark Antony. Julius Caesar. Napoleon Bonaparte. Queen Elizabeth II. Marcus Aurelius. He spent the rest of his life in exile in the Netherlands, where he died at age His ties to Britain through its royal family would play an important part in his later political maneuvering. Did you know? In addition to its smaller size, the arm was useless for such ordinary tasks as cutting certain foods with a knife at mealtime.

The political event that shaped Wilhelm was the formation of the German Empire under the leadership of Prussia in Wilhelm was now second in line after his father to become an emperor as well as king of Prussia. Twelve years old at the time, Wilhelm was filled with nationalistic enthusiasm. An intelligent young man who possessed a lifelong interest in science and technology, Wilhelm was educated at the University of Bonn.

His quick mind, however, was combined with an even quicker temper and an impulsive, high-strung personality. He had dysfunctional relationships with both parents, particularly his English mother. The couple would go on to have seven children. Imperialism, nationalistic pride and mutual alliances all played a part in building tensions that would erupt into war.

Under the Treaty of Versailles, the German emperor was supposed to be tried as a war criminal.