High above we have four portraits of the women related to Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany we are discussing on the article; above on the left, we have Empress Frederick of Germany, Queen of Prussia Victoria, previously nicknamed as Vicky, the princess royal of United Kingdom who was the oldest daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert; on the right, Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz, the Emperor's second wife; on the centre, the portrait of Emperor himself and below, the portraits of his first wife, Empress Augusta and his favourite daughter, Princess Victoria Louise.
Frederick William Victor Albert (in German: Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albrech), commonly known as Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia, was definitely one of the most controversial characters History knows in 20th century. Often maligned as he's seen as the cause of the first World War that had killed many and left Europe devastated, Wilhelm II's personal life is less ambiguous than his own politics. Born with a temper and a caprice personality, learned to avoid women's company as he had no touch to deal with the subjects they spoke, but nevertheless was the kindness, softest and sweetest when he was around them.
It is impossible to understand a character by only judging his political sides. Even through them, as it is in a society, relationships are formed, engaged and sometimes dissociate by any causes. Wilhelm II as a ruler, did not rule alone, despite how often he addressed himself as the only one to rule Germany. Around him, military and furthermore controversial figures were found. However, often history gives a main focus to male companionship's. What about women's? Why were they left in most cases as footnotes?
Leaving aside politics, this article intends to give a light to the relationships Wilhelm had with the women that most surrounded him in his life: his mother, his daughter and his wives. Naturally, could be added his sisters, but perhaps the impact they left in his life are not as significant as these already cited, did.
Empress Frederick was evidently the woman who left her mark in her son's life in her own raised. Born Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom, the oldest and favourite daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, grew as a brighter child, outspoken and much like her mother. Albert was ever proud of his daughter, giving his Vicky, as she was known by the family, a happy childhood. Her marriage to Frederick, Crown Prince of Germany was a happy one, arranged by the Queen and the Crown Prince of Germany, soon to rule yet Wilhelm I. Wilhelm II was, thus, born in 1859, but his relationship with his mother was very... ambiguous. One of love and hate, indeed. As stated below:
"Victoria, princess royal of Great Britain, did not reciprocate Wilhelm's devotion. Having had high hopes for Wilhelm, she was very disappointed with her son's disability and made no effort to hide her feelings from him. As a result, the boy was burdened with feelings of inadequacy. Princess Vicky was a very difficult woman who tried to mold her son into the image of a 19th-century British liberal. Wilhelm became bitter about her and her country."
This distance would only increase when Wilhelm relied on Bismarck, a man much detested by both of his parents. Bismarck was a military, rough man who united German's states into one single country through his iron's hands. Conservative, he was a man of war who much influenced Wilhelm whilst he was the heir of the Prussian crown. And whilst such differences remained between these two, it's also argued how far was his love for his mother, some even claiming the nature of it:
"In one letter, Wilhelm writes: "I have been dreaming about your dear soft, warm hands. I am awaiting with impatience the time when I can sit near you and kiss them but pray keep your promise you gave me always to give me alone the soft inside of your hands to kiss, but of course you keep this as a secret for yourself."
In another letter, he tells her: "I have again dreamt about you, this time I was alone with you in your library when you stretched forth your arms and pulled me down. Then you took of your gloves and laid your hand gently on my lips for me to kiss it... I wish you would do the same when I am in Berlin alone with you in the evening." "
Ironically was that the rejection from Vicky's part would be the cause of Wilhelm's despise he felt for his mother's homeland, even if he spent most of his days in England and was Queen Victoria's favourite grandson. As a matter of a fact, throughout Wilhelm's childhood, must be remembered the traumas he had to deal with due to a problem he had in his left arm and whose experience affected his personality.
"As he began walking, his good arm would be tied behind his back, in an effort to force him into using his paralysed left arm, a frustrating double handicap that caused Vicky to note that: "He gets so fretful and cross and violent and passionate that it makes me quite nervous sometimes.""
As she wrote as well to Queen Victoria:
"No one should see him with this machine on... Not the servants or brothers and sisters and that it should not be talked about as it would be very painful to us."
And then, to deteriorate their relationship, the letters Wilhelm wrote when he reached age 16. In his love life, he developed a crush towards his first cousin, Grand Duchess Alice of Hesse's daughter, Elisabeth, known as Ella, who was Empress Vicky's niece as she was sister of Ella's mother. But her rejection to his proposal would affect his moral, and that's precisely when Augusta came in.
Auguste Viktoria Friederike Luise Feodora Jenny was not seen as a good match for Wilhelm, at first, due to her lineage, even though she descended from Queen Victoria of United Kingdom's half sister, Feodora and being, thus, Wilhelm's second cousin. Born into the duchy of Schleswig- Holstein, the oldest daughter of the Duke Frederick VIII had a complicated start as her sisters by law thought her rank was low for a future Emperor and Vicky herself distrusted Augusta in the beginning, but eventually Empress Dowager and Empress Augusta's relationship improved, with Augusta often seen at the company of her mother-in-law and sticking with her when Vicky was dying, despite their differences in matters of politics. With Wilhelm, their relationship, however, was definitely happier from the very beginning, despite the contrasting personalities they had. Such devotion can be especially seen here, where we observe that their differences was never an obstacle for the love that Wilhelm longed for:
"The two had a very strong and lasting connection from the very start and enjoyed a happy marriage. She was a source of both stability and pampering to her husband who, it was said, could not survive without a woman to fuss over him. For her part, she adored her husband as probably no one else in the world. She had more artistic interests than he did but they both shared a very conservative political outlook and a very deep Christian faith. (...) The Kaiser, with his notoriously stressed and eratic personality, could always find calm and comfort with Dona who would attend to his every need and invite him to pray with her. Sometimes this meant that she neglected herself. It was commented on that when the Kaiser would take his meals, she would spend most of the time attending to him rather than eating herself and by the time she started her husband would be finished and call for her to walk with him, which she would, leaving many to wonder how she was able to keep from going hungry."
Perhaps everything Wilhelm felt that his mother could not give him, he found on Augusta. She gave him seven children, being six of the male sex and the seventh being of the female one. As a wife, Augusta filled her duties just as the Empress she was, helping, defending and standing for her family regardless the occasion. In return, the Emperor doted on her, displaying her with the sincere affection and kind soul that is rarely known by others.
Of these children Augusta gave birth, it was Victoria Louise (in German: Viktoria Luise Adelheid Mathilde Charlotte) who would give Wilhelm's happiness. She was, by far, his favourite child. Victoria, nicknamed as Sissi, was regarded by willful and dignified manners, and the beauty and grace she inherited from both her parents. Popular amongst the Germans, Sissy would be one always regarded for being the dutiful princess she was. This was a consequence of the education she had as a child:
"From childhood she had been brought up strictly and with discipline, also with the possibility of becoming a regent one day"
Though little is found of their relationship, what can be said is that Wilhelm II, who was a strict father, was more permissive towards this daughter: "her oldest brother later wrote, that Victoria Louise was the only one "...who succeeded in her childhood in winning a earn corner of his heart."".
And when she was married to the grandson of King of Hanover, Ernst August, although there were some political tensions, he did not hesitate in giving her a great festivity. Of that relationship, Wilhelm II would be the great-grandfather of Queen Sophia of Spain, whose mother Frederica was the Queen of Hellenes and only daughter of Victoria Louise.
Indeed a happy home Wilhelm managed to built after his childish and early adult's life frustrations he had towards his mother in general, his eager to please and competitive ways that would make him seen as an eternal child. Well loved by his wife and his daughter, he left his teachings to them and vice-versa. With them, he became softer. And would become more so with his next wife, Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz.
Born in December 18th 1887, in a principality, this lady who would be Wilhelm II's last and also beloved wife was quite younger than him, but age was not an obstacle for Wilhelm to remarry a year after the death of his dear Dona. Raised by the Grand Duchess of Baden, Louise, who was the daughter of Emperor Wilhelm I (Wilhelm's grandfather), Hermine was married before having met the Emperor, to a prince named Johann. With him, they had five children, one of them, Henrietta, who was married to Wilhelm's grandson, Prince Karl (he was the son of Prince Joachim, who was the favourite son of Empress Augusta). Here's an excerpt of how they meta and fell in love:
"In January of 1922, one of Hermine's sons sent birthday wishes to Wilhelm II, former German Emperor, living in exile at Huis Doorn, in Doorn, the Netherlands, who then invited the boy and his mother to Doorn. Wilhelm found Hermine very attractive and greatly enjoyed her company. Having both been recently widowed, the two had much in common. Wilhelm was determined to marry Hermine despite objections from his children. 63 year old Wilhelm and 34 year old Hermine married on November 5th, 1922 in Doorn. Although Wilhelm had abdicated, he continued to use his royal styles and titles and therefore Hermine was styled Her Imperial Majesty The German Empress, Queen of Prussia."
Towards his new wife's family, Wilhelm was less strict and perhaps more amable...
"Hermine's youngest child Princess Henriette came to live with Hermine and Wilhelm at Huis Doorn. Wilhelm stayed out of his stepchildren's affairs, with the exception of Henriette. He seemed to have a genuine affection for her, and she came to be known as "the general"".
Which explains how come Henriette was married to Wilhelm's grandson, Prince Karl. Unfortunately, in 1946 they would get divorced after only six years of marriage.
Finally, we can conclude this article by stating how influential women were and the degrees of their modeling in Wilhelm's character. It is not with this finality, however, to blame one or another who left a great mark in this controversial Emperor, but to remember the social relationships he had with these women and to remember he was too a human being that, even with his flaws, wanted the love his mother never could perfectly give him. But through both marriages, Wilhelm managed to have a peaceful life, even though it was frustrated for not having the life he wanted (as Emperor restored to his throne, a request Hitler denied for his personal dislike for monarchy). However, he did find his happiness and these strong women we here came to know are proof of the just as strong character he had that he left on them.
As a popular dictate says: "Behind every powerful man, lies a stronger woman". Whether this is actually a dictate or not, it does represent the meaning of this article.
Sources:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/kaiser-wilhelm-ii-s-unnatural-love-for-his-mother-led-to-a-hatred-of-britain-8943556.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2507296/The-true-story-Princess-Vicky-son-Wilhelm.html
http://www.meaus.com/0188-victoria-louise.htm
http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-hermine-reuss-of-greiz/
http://listverse.com/2014/11/25/10-mad-tales-from-the-life-of-germanys-last-emperor/
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/wilhelm-ii/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_II,_German_Emperor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Victoria_of_Schleswig-Holstein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Victoria_Louise_of_Prussia
http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com.br/2009/09/consort-profile-kaiserin-augusta.html
http://histclo.com/royal/ger/w2/rgw2cvl.htm
http://histclo.com/royal/ger/w2/rgw2-child.htm
http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2015/07/tiara-timeline-prussian-tiara.html
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