William II
King of Württemberg
William II (German: Wilhelm Karl Paul Heinrich Friedrich; 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. 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. 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 maternal uncle, as the senior male-line descendant of Frederick I of Württemberg through his
younger son Prince Paul. 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"). On 15 February 1877 at Arolsen he married Princess Marie of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1857–1882). They had three children.
The Württembergian Army (German: Württembergische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The Württembergian Army had its permanent beginnings in the Peace of Westphalia that followed the Thirty Years' War, which permitted states of the Holy Roman Empire to raise standing armies. These troops were, particularly in the 18th century, sometimes used in Soldatenhandel and lent to foreign powers; This practice was often criticized as a form of mercenary service. When the Imperial German Army was established, around the nucleus of the Prussian Army in 1871, the Württembergian Army remained an independent contingent like the Bavarian Army and the Royal Saxon Army. It was formed into the XIII (Royal Württemberg) Corps until 1918, mainly comprising the 26th and 27th infantry divisions and the 26th dragoon regiment.
The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg. The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then called "Wirtemberg", settled in the Stuttgart area. Conrad of Württemberg became heir to the House of Beutelsbach and built the Wirtemberg Castle. Around 1089, he was made Count. Their domains, initially only the immediate surroundings of the castle included, increased steadily, mainly through acquisitions such as those from impoverished homes of Tübingen. At the Diet of Worms in 1495, Count Eberhard V was raised to Duke (Herzog) by the German King, later Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I. During 1534 to 1537 Duke Ulrich introduced the Protestant Reformation, and the country became Protestant. Duke Ulrich became head of the local Protestant Church. In the 18th Century, the Protestant male line became extinct, the Head of the House was succeeded by Duke Charles Alexander, a Roman Catholic. Despite having a Catholic royal family, Protestantism survived as the established church, run by a church council composed by members of the nobility of Württemberg. From 1797, with the
accession of Duke Frederick II, the royal family was again Protestant. Due to the political upheavals during the reign of Napoleon I, and being an ally of Napoleon, Württemberg became a part of the Confederation of the Rhine, Duke Frederick II was made Elector in May 1803, he collected and received secularized and mediated dominions, which greatly enlarged his country in territorial extension. In January 1806 he was made King of Württemberg. In 1828 King William I adopted a new house law, the rights and obligations of the ruling family have been established, including the exclusive primogeniture in the male line as well as marriage restrictions on coequal level. In 1867 the House created the Royal Dukedom of Urach for a younger cousin, Prince Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach, whose parents had married morganatically in 1800, whereby their sons were excluded from ruling the kingdom. In 1871 the Royal Dukedom of Teck was created for the same dynastic reason for Francis, Duke of Teck. At the end of World War I during the German Revolution all the monarchies in Germany were abolished, King William II abdicated on 30 November 1918.
The king is dressed in the uniform of a general of the Army of Württemberg. He wears the collar and sash of the Order of the Württemberg Crown, as well as the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece around his neck. On the king's chest there are stars of the three Württemberg royal orders: the Order of the Crown, Friedrich Order and Military Merit Order.
