Wilhelm II

British  

noun

1. the German name of William II

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Wilhelm II Cultural  

1. A German emperor, or kaiser, of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. After disagreements with Kaiser Wilhelm in the late nineteenth century, Otto von Bismarck resigned as head of the German government. Wilhelm then made aggressive moves abroad that increased instability throughout Europe. He ruled Germany in World War I and abdicated after his country's defeat. He lived the rest of his life in obscurity in The Netherlands.

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Example Sentences

On the related but perhaps irrelevant question of individual character, the evidence is clear: Wilhelm II was an unstable and vainglorious idiot who wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

It is believed they were named after German emperor Wilhelm II, who also had a moustache.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2023

Kaiser Wilhelm II was determined to counter Britain’s sea power by building up the German navy.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

Bismarck’s autonomy lasted until 1888, when Wilhelm II assumed the throne.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2022

Louis Lépine’s international dragnet—the trains stopped in Belgium, the Kaiser Wilhelm II searched in New York—had been for nothing.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day