Historedia
Episode 4 of 4

Accession of Wilhelm II

When
15 June 1888
Where
Potsdam
Part of
The Year of the Three Emperors: Wilhelm I dies, Friedrich III and Wilhelm II succeed

Wilhelm II succeeded his father Friedrich III in June 1888, becoming the third emperor of the year.

Following the death of Friedrich III, his 29-year-old son Wilhelm II ascended to the throne. This event finalized the succession of three emperors within the single year of 1888. Wilhelm II would go on to reign until his abdication in 1918.

Sources

  1. Frederick III, German Emperor Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-08
  2. Wilhelm II Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-08

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.