Emperor Of Germany Wilhelm I

Personal

Notable

Prince of the House of Hohenzollern who became the King of Prussia (2 January 1861 – 9 March 1888) and the first German Emperor (1 January 1871 – 9 March 1888), as well as the first Head of State of a united Germany. Under the leadership of Wilhelm and his Minister President Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire. Despite his long support of Otto von Bismarck as Minister President, Wilhelm held strong reservations about some of Bismarck's more reactionary policies, including his anti-Catholicism and tough handling of subordinates. Contrary to the domineering Bismarck, Wilhelm was described as polite, gentlemanly and, while a staunch conservative, more open to certain classical liberal ideas than his grandson Wilhelm II. In 1829, Wilhelm married Princess Augusta von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach after Princess Elisa Radziwill, his cousin whom he had been attracted to, was deemed an inappropriate match by his father. Wilhelm and Augusta of Saxe-Weimar had two children: Friedrich (who became Friedrich III, German Emperor) and Princess Luise of Prussia. Wilhelm died on 9 March 1888 in Berlin after a short illness. Link to Wikipedia biography