William II of Germany and Prussia, full name Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert (1859-1941), Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia (1888-1918), whose policies helped bring about World War I.

William, also known as Kaiser Wilhelm, was born on January 27, 1859, in Berlin and educated at the University of Bonn. He was the son of Prince Frederick William, later German emperor as Frederick III, and Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. In 1881, after a period of military service, he was married to Augusta Victoria, princess of Schleswig-Holstein. He became emperor in 1888 upon the death of his father, who had reigned for only three months.

William II's first major action as emperor was his dismissal in 1890 of the aged chancellor Prince Otto von Bismarck, who had been largely responsible for the growth of the German Empire under the emperor's grandfather, William I. Thereafter he participated significantly, often decisively, in the formulation of foreign and domestic policies. His administration of internal affairs was marked by the rapid transformation of Germany from an agricultural to a major industrial state and by the accompanying development of serious problems in capital-labour relations. William was only partially successful in his attempts to curb the growth of Germany's Social Democratic party, which ultimately became the largest political group in the empire.

The emperor believed that he ruled by divine right; foreign affairs interested him, but his policies were contradictory and confused. He professed deep friendship for Great Britain but drove that country into an alliance with France and Russia by his aggressive programme of colonial, commercial, and naval expansion. Similarly, his policy of friendship with Russia and support of Russian ambitions in the Far East was negated by his encouragement of Austro-Hungarian actions in the Balkans. He believed firmly in the efficacy of the Triple Alliance as a deterrent to war, and he probably was devoid of militaristic ambitions. Imperial policy under his impulsive guidance severely aggravated the international frictions that culminated in World War I.

During the war William's position became increasingly that of a figurehead. Realizing his own incapacity as a military leader, he left the responsibility for military decisions increasingly to the German generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. He ignored the 1917 peace resolutions submitted by the Reichstag and urged continuation of the war. Failure of the German offensive of 1918 brought mounting unrest to the German armies and people, and on November 10, a day before the armistice was signed, William left his country and went to Holland. During the peace negotiations at Versailles, various representatives of the victorious Allies urged vainly that William be extradited and tried as a war criminal. He spent his remaining years in complete seclusion at Doorn Castle in the Netherlands. After the death of the former empress in 1921, William married Hermine, princess of Schönaich-Carolath. He lived to see the resurgence of German armed power and after his death on June 4, 1941, was buried with military honours on the orders of Hitler.