Germany
Wilhelm II
1859–1941 German Emperor and King of Prussia, 1888–1918
Grandson of Queen Victoria and nephew of Edward VII, Wilhelm was born with a withered left arm and grew into an anxious, theatrical man who craved both respect and action. He dismissed Bismarck, championed Weltpolitik and loved the navy, uniforms and speeches. His public blunders, such as the Kruger telegram and the 1908 Daily Telegraph interview, offended Britain and shook his own throne. In a crisis he veered between belligerence and panic. He was neither the mad warlord of Allied propaganda nor a mere puppet; in July 1914 he encouraged Austria, then tried to hold it back. He abdicated in November 1918 and died in exile in the Netherlands.