William II (; 25 February 1848 – 2 October 1921) was the last

King of Württemberg King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...

. He ruled from 6 October 1891 until the dissolution of the kingdom on 30 November 1918. He was the last German ruler to abdicate in the wake of the November Revolution of 1918.

Early years

William was born the son of Prince Frederick of Württemberg (1808–1870) by his wife Princess

Catherine Frederica of Württemberg Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Christian sa ...

(1821–1898), herself the daughter of King

William I of Württemberg William I (; 27 September 178125 June 1864) was King of Württemberg from 30 October 1816 until his death. Upon William's accession, Württemberg was suffering crop failures and famine in the "Year Without a Summer", in 1816. After taking office, ...

(1781–1864). His parents were first cousins, being the children of two brothers, and William was their only child. William's growing years coincided with a progressive diminution of Württemberg's sovereignty and international presence, concomitant with the process of

German unification The unification of Germany (, ) was a process of building the first nation-state for Germans with federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without Habsburgs' multi-ethnic Austria or its German-speaking part). It commenced ...

. In 1870, Württemberg took the side of

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

in the

Franco-German War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Jan ...

. In 1871,

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

became a state of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

, a significant limitation on its sovereignty.

King of Württemberg

William's father died in 1870, but his mother lived to see him seated on the throne of

. In 1891, William succeeded his childless maternal uncle, King Charles I (1823–1891) and became King of Württemberg. This was not, as it may seem, a departure from the

Salic law The Salic law ( or ; ), also called the was the ancient Frankish Civil law (legal system), civil law code compiled around AD 500 by Clovis I, Clovis, the first Frankish King. The name may refer to the Salii, or "Salian Franks", but this is deba ...

which governed succession in the German states; his claim to the throne came because he was the nearest

agnatic Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

heir of his uncle, as the senior male-line descendant of

Frederick I of Württemberg Frederick I (Frederick William Charles, ; 6 November 1754 – 30 October 1816) was the ruler of Württemberg from 1797 to his death. He was the last Duke of Württemberg from 1797 to 1803, then the first and only Elector of Württemberg from ...

through his younger son Prince Paul. King William became a ''

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (; from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire, (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarsch ...

'' during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1918, he was deposed from the throne along with the other German rulers. King William finally abdicated on 30 November 1918, ending over 800 years of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is an uradel, ancient German nobility, German dynasty and former royal family of the Kingdom of Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors ...

rule. He died in 1921 at

Bebenhausen Bebenhausen () is a village (pop. 347) in the Tübingen district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Since 1974 it is a district of the city of Tübingen, its least populous one. It is located 3 km north of Tübingen proper (about 5 km northeast of t ...

Personality and interests

Considered to be a popular monarch, William had the habit of walking his two dogs in public parks in Stuttgart without being attended by bodyguards or the like. During these excursions, he would often be greeted by his subjects with a simple ''Herr König'' ("Mister King"). Despite living in a landlocked kingdom, William II was a

yachting Yachting is recreational boating activities using medium/large-sized boats or small ships collectively called yachts. Yachting is distinguished from other forms of boating mainly by the priority focus on comfort and luxury, the dependence on ma ...

enthusiast. The king was instrumental in the establishment of the

Württembergischer Yacht Club The Württembergischer Yacht-Club (WYC) is a yacht club in Friedrichshafen. It is located on the shores of Lake Constance, Germany. This club was established in January 1911 as the "Königlich Württembergischer Yacht-Club" (Royal Yacht Club of W� ...

(formerly "Königlich Württembergischer Yacht-Club" or ''Royal Yacht Club of Württemberg'') in 1911 on

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

Marriages and children

On 15 February 1877 at

Arolsen Bad Arolsen (, until 1997 Arolsen, being the German name for ''Spa'') is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck (state), Waldeck-Pyr ...

he married Princess Marie of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1857–1882). They had three children: *

Princess Pauline of Württemberg Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

(19 December 18777 May 1965); married in 1898 William Frederick, Prince of Wied (1872–1945), and had issue. *Prince Ulrich of Württemberg (28 July 188028 December 1880), died in infancy *A stillborn daughter (24 April 1882) Marie died on 30 April 1882 in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, from complications resulting from the birth of their third child. William, already depressed by the death of his only son, is said never to have recovered from this blow. Nevertheless, he was King and it was his duty to secure the succession. On 8 April 1886, at

Bückeburg Bückeburg (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Bückeburg ha ...

, he married Princess Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe (1864–1946). They had no children.

Succession

On William II's death in 1921 without male issue, the royal branch of the

became extinct, and the headship of the house devolved to

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg Albrecht, Duke and Crown Prince of Württemberg (Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph; 23 December 1865 – 31 October 1939) was the last crown prince of the Kingdom of Württemberg, a German military commander of World War I, and the head of ...

, head of the Catholic

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

, based at Altshausen. Albrecht was a descendant of Alexander of Württemberg, the 7th son of

Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Friedrich Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (21 January 1732 – 23 December 1797) was the fourth son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis. He was born in Stuttgart. From 1795 until 1797, he was Duke ...

(1732–1797).

Honours

;German awards ;Foreign awards *

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

: ** Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, ''1886'' ** Military Merit Cross, 1st Class * : Knight of the Annunciation, ''25 September 1893'' * : Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's highest Order (decoration), order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the Collar of the Order was added on 4 January 1888. Unlike European counterparts, the order may be Posthumous award, ...

, ''23 May 1896'' * : Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion * : **

Knight of St. Andrew The Order of Barbados is a national Order of honours and decorations for Barbados. History The first Order of Barbados was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II by letters patent dated 25 July 1980. With Barbados becoming a republic on 30 November 20 ...

** Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky ** Knight of the White Eagle ** Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class ** Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class ** Knight of St. George, 4th Class * :

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th century !Year of induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , 1467, , Founde ...

, ''3 May 1892'' * : Knight of the Seraphim, ''9 July 1913'' * : Stranger Knight Companion of the Garter, ''23 February 1904''Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) ''The Knights of England'', I, London
p. 72
/ref> (expelled in 1915)

Arms

Ancestry

References

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:William 02 Of Wurttemberg 1848 births 1921 deaths 19th-century kings of Württemberg 20th-century kings of Württemberg Nobility from Stuttgart Field marshals of the German Empire Kings of Württemberg 19th-century German landowners Members of the Württembergian Chamber of Lords Monarchs who abdicated Burials at Alter Friedhof, Ludwigsburg Generals of Cavalry of Württemberg German Army generals of World War I Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Extra Knights Companion of the Garter Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Grand Crosses of the Military Order of Max Joseph Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree Recipients of the Iron Cross, 2nd class Pretenders to the throne of Württemberg 20th-century German landowners