William II (25 February 1848 – 2 October 1921) was the last King of Württemberg. He ruled from 6 October 1891 until the dissolution of the kingdom on 30 November 1918. He was the last German ruler to abdicate in the wake of the November Revolution of 1918.

Early years

William was born the son of Prince Frederick of Württemberg (1808–1870) by his wife Princess Catherine Frederica of Württemberg (1821–1898), herself the daughter of King William I of Württemberg (1781–1864). His parents were first cousins, being the children of two brothers, and William was their only child. William's growing years coincided with a progressive diminution of Württemberg's sovereignty and international presence, concomitant with the process of German unification. In 1870, Württemberg took the side of Prussia in the Franco-German War. In 1871, Württemberg became a state of the German Empire, a significant limitation on its sovereignty.

King of Württemberg

William's father died in 1870, but his mother lived to see him seated on the throne of Württemberg. In 1891, William succeeded his childless maternal uncle, King Charles I (1823–1891) and became King of Württemberg. This was not, as it may seem, a departure from the Salic law which governed succession in the German states; his claim to the throne came because he was the nearest agnatic heir of his uncle, as the senior male-line descendant of Frederick I of Württemberg through his younger son Prince Paul. King William became a Generalfeldmarschall during World War I. In 1918, he was deposed from the throne along with the other German rulers. King William finally abdicated on 30 November 1918, ending over 800 years of the House of Württemberg rule. He died in 1921 at Bebenhausen.

Personality and interests

Considered to be a popular monarch, William had the habit of walking his two dogs in public parks in Stuttgart without being attended by bodyguards or the like. During these excursions, he would often be greeted by his subjects with a simple Herr König ("Mister King"). Despite living in a landlocked kingdom, William II was a yachting enthusiast. The king was instrumental in the establishment of the Württembergischer Yacht Club (formerly "Königlich Württembergischer Yacht-Club" or Royal Yacht Club of Württemberg) in 1911 on Lake Constance.

Marriages and children

On 15 February 1877 at Arolsen he married Princess Marie of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1857–1882). They had three children: Marie died on 30 April 1882 in Stuttgart, from complications resulting from the birth of their third child. William, already depressed by the death of his only son, is said never to have recovered from this blow. Nevertheless, he was King and it was his duty to secure the succession. On 8 April 1886, at Bückeburg, he married Princess Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe (1864–1946). They had no children.

Succession

On William II's death in 1921 without male issue, the royal branch of the House of Württemberg became extinct, and the headship of the house devolved to Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, head of the Catholic cadet branch of the dynasty, based at Altshausen. Albrecht was a descendant of Alexander of Württemberg, the 7th son of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg (1732–1797).

Honours

• undefined: • * Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1862 • * Grand Cross of the Friedrich Order • * Knight of the Military Merit Order, 18 August 1866; Commander, 7 November 1886 • Anhalt: Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear, 1889 • Baden: Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1876 • undefined: • * Knight of St. Hubert, 1877 • * Grand Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph • Brunswick: Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion, 1899 • Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order, 1874 • Hesse and by Rhine: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 24 March 1893 • Lippe: • * Cross of Honour of the House Order of Lippe, 1st Class • * Military Merit Medal (Schaumburg-Lippe) • Mecklenburg: Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore • Nassau Ducal Family: Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau • Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown, 13 February 1877 • Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon, 1892 • undefined: • * Knight of the Rue Crown, 1886 • * Grand Cross of the Military Order of St. Henry • Prussia: • * Knight of the Black Eagle, 1 June 1870; with Collar, 1872 • * Grand Commander's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, 11 June 1879 • * Knight of Honour of the Johanniter Order, 28 July 1885 • * Pour le Mérite (military) • * Iron Cross, 2nd Class • Hohenzollern: Cross of Honour of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class

Arms

Ancestry