Kaiser Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (English: Frederick William Victor Albert; German: Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918. His fall from power marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty's 500-year rule over Prussia and its predecessor state, Brandenburg. Born during the reign of his granduncle Frederick William IV of Prussia, Wilhelm was the son of Prince Frederick William and Victoria, Princess Royal. Through his mother, he was the eldest of the 42 grandchildren of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. In March 1888, Wilhelm's father, Frederick William, ascended the German and Prussian thrones as Frederick III. Frederick died just 99 days later, and his son succeeded him as Wilhelm II. In March 1890, the young Kaiser dismissed longtime Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and assumed direct control over his nation's policies, embarking on a "New Course" to cement Germany's status as a leading world power. Over the course of his reign, the German colonial empire acquired new territories in China and the Pacific (such as Jiaozhou Bay, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Caroline Islands) and became Europe's largest manufacturer. However, Wilhelm often undermined such progress by making tactless and threatening statements towards other countries without first consulting his ministers. Likewise, his regime did much to alienate itself from other great powers by initiating a massive naval build-up, contesting French control of Morocco, and building a railway through Baghdad that challenged Britain's dominion in the Persian Gulf. By the second decade of the 20th century, Germany could rely only on significantly weaker powers such as Austria-Hungary and the declining Ottoman Empire as allies. Despite strengthening Germany's position as a great power by building a powerful navy as well as promoting scientific innovation within its borders, Kaiser Wilhelm's public pronouncements and erratic foreign policy greatly antagonized the international community and are considered by many to have contributed to the fall of the German Empire. In 1914, his diplomatic brinksmanship culminated in Germany's guarantee of military support to Austria-Hungary during the July Crisis which plunged all of Europe into World War I. A lax wartime leader, Wilhelm left virtually all decision-making regarding strategy and organisation of the war effort to the German Supreme Army Command. By August 1916, this broad delegation of power gave rise to a de facto military dictatorship that dominated the country's policies for the rest of the conflict. Despite emerging victorious over Russia and obtaining significant territorial gains in Eastern Europe, Germany was forced to relinquish all its conquests after a decisive defeat on the Western Front in the autumn of 1918. Losing the support of his country's military and many of his subjects, Wilhelm was forced to abdicate during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 which converted Germany into an unstable democratic state known as the Weimar Republic. Wilhelm subsequently fled to exile in the Netherlands, where he remained during its occupation by Nazi Germany in 1940 before dying there in 1941. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Kronprinzenpalais (former Royal Prussian residence in Berlin, now used for events), Died June 4, 1941 (Huis Doorn (Dutch castle, estate and museum) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1903
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | A-323 | 7-in. | 8/20/1903 | Song to Aegir | Sousa's Band | Band | composer | |
| Victor | B-323 | 10-in. | 8/20/1903 | Song to Aegir | Sousa's Band | Band | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Wilhelm, Kaiser, II," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101935.
Wilhelm, Kaiser, II. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101935.
"Wilhelm, Kaiser, II." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Wilhelm II
Discogs: Kaiser Wilhelm II
RISM: Kaiser Wilhelm II
IMDb: Kaiser Wilhelm II
Britannica: Kaiser Wilhelm II
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: William II, German Emperor, 1859-1941 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50018122
Wikidata: Wilhelm II - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2677
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/121621349
MusicBrainz: Wilhelm II - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e52e76e9-988b-442a-8bd1-4d6cc474758f
Getty ULAN: Wilhelm, Kaiser, II - https://vocab.getty.edu/ulan/500437539
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/5751 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/5751
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