by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017
Kingdom of Württemberg: Württemberg was a County, a Duchy, and an Electorate before becoming a Kingdom in 1806. At the end of 1805, in exchange for contributing forces to France’s armies, Napoleon, Emperor of the French recognized Württemberg as a kingdom, with Elector Friedrich formally becoming King Friedrich I on January 1, 1806. The reign of Wilhelm II, the last King of Württemberg, came to an end in November 1918, after the fall of the German Empire led to the abdications of all the ruling families. Today the land that encompassed the Kingdom of Württemberg is located in the German state Baden-Württemberg.
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Wilhelm II, King of Württemberg; Credit – Wikipedia
King Wilhelm II was the last King of Württemerg, reigning from 1891 until the monarchy was abolished in 1918. He was born Wilhelm Karl Paul Heinrich Friedrich in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on February 25, 1848, the only child of Prince Friedrich of Württemberg, a grandson of King Friedrich I of Württemberg, and Princess Katherina Friederike of Württemberg, a daughter of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg.
He studied law, political science, and finance at the University of Tübingen and the University of Göttingen and served in the Prussian army. As his uncle, King Karl, was childless, Wilhelm was raised with the expectation that he would one day become King.
Princess Marie of Waldeck and Pyrmont. source: Wikipedia
Wilhelm’s first wife was Princess Marie of Waldeck and Pyrmont, the daughter of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Princess Helena of Nassau. The couple married in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse, on February 15, 1877, and had two children:
- Princess Pauline of Württemberg (1877-1965) – married Wilhelm Friedrich, Prince of Wied, had issue
- Prince Ulrich of Württemberg (born and died 1880) – died in infancy
On April 30, 1882, Princess Marie died as a result of complications from giving birth several days earlier to a stillborn daughter. Having already lost his young son, Wilhelm was devastated, and never fully recovered from these two losses. However, with a young daughter, and hoping for a male heir, Wilhelm soon married again.
Princess Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe. source: Wikipedia
His second wife was Princess Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe, whom he married in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, on April 8, 1886. Charlotte was the daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Bathildis of Anhalt-Dessau. They had no children.
Wilhelm became King on October 6, 1891, upon the death of King Karl. By then, Württemberg was part of the German Empire, although it retained its status as a Kingdom. The King was much loved by his people, and respected for his more down-to-earth nature. He was often seen unaccompanied walking his dogs in the streets of Stuttgart and greeting the people he met along the way.
King Wilhelm II with Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, c1909. source: Wikipedia
Wilhelm’s reign ended in November 1918, after the fall of the German Empire led to the abdications of all of the ruling families. Before formally abdicating, Wilhelm negotiated with the new government to receive an annual income and retain Schloss Bebenhausen in Bebenhausen, Germany where he and his wife lived for the remainder of their lives.
Wilhelm II, King of Württemberg; source: Wikipedia
On October 2, 1921, 73-year-old Wilhelm died at Schloss Bebenhausen in Bebenhausen, Germany, and was buried at the Old Cemetery (link in German) in Ludwigsburg, Germany beside his first wife Pauline and their infant son Ulrich. When his second wife Charlotte died in 1946, she was buried next to Wilhelm.
Grave of Wilhelm and his two wives; Credit – Von peter schmelzle – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18586267
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