German Emperor William II

Born in Potsdam on January 27, 1859, he was the son of the future Frederick III and the eldest grandchild of Queen Victoria. He became German emperor and king of Prussia in 1888, during the "Year of the Three Emperors," and soon pushed for a more personal style of rule than the cautious system associated with Otto von Bismarck.

His reign was marked by imperial ambition, naval expansion, and a taste for public drama that helped shape Germany’s image at home and abroad. He remained on the throne through years of rising international tension and the First World War, but in November 1918 he abdicated as Germany collapsed in defeat, bringing the German Empire to an end.

After leaving power, he lived in exile at Huis Doorn in the Netherlands, where he remained until his death on June 4, 1941. Historians still argue over how much responsibility he personally bears for the course of events before and during the war, which is one reason his life continues to attract strong interest from biographers and readers of modern European history.