Wilhelm II von Wuerttemberg

Wilhelm II. King of Württemberg
(25.2.1848 - 2.10.1921)
place of birth: Stuttgart, Württemberg
Generalfeldmarschall: 23 September 1916

King Wilhelm II., born 25 February 1848, was the fourth and final king of Württemberg. He was appointed the rank of Generalfeldmarschall on 23 July 1916. Wilhelm was the son of Prince Friedrich von Württemberg and Princess Katharina, the daughter of King Wilhelm I von Württemberg. He was the couple's only child and became heir to the throne due to the childless marriage of King Karl and Queen Olga. He studied law and finance at Tübingen and Göttingen and married Princess Georgine Henriette Marie von Waldeck-Pyrmont in 1877. This marriage produced two children, Pauline and Ulrich, who died at just a few months of age. This also lead to Katharina's early death, and in 1886 Wilhelm was remarried to Princes Charlotte zu Schaumburg-Lippe.

This marriage resulted in four children, one of who became the heir apparent, Albrecht von Württemberg. Just like his father, Albrecht was promoted up to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall and served as a field army commander during World War One, but he never succeeded to the throne. Wilhelm II succeeded his uncle Karl to the throne in 1891 but was deposed in 1918 along with the other German rulers. He was thus embittered by the fact that he received less protection and support than he had hoped for, having been considered a fairly popular ruler. Wilhelm II had the habit, for example, of walking his two dogs in public parks in Stuttgart without body guard protection. His royal subjects often greeted him with „Grüß Gott, Herr König“ (hello Mr. King) and Wilhelm would reportedly doff his hat and hand out candy to the children. He died on 2 October 1921 in Bebenhausen and was interred at Ludwigsburg next to his first wife and son Ulrich.