Just over a year after the wedding of the Kaiser’s daughter Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia – a glittering society occasion which saw George, Nicholas and Wilhelm together in person for the last time – the cousins were at war, with Britain and Russia allied against Germany. In 1917, Great Britain had the opportunity to offer sanctuary to the Tsar and his family but when the offer was accepted, the government of the United Kingdom withdrew the offer out of fear that it could cause unrest in their country. There was a time where royals ruled over almost every country in Europe, and through colonization, everywhere on earth. George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Since George’s father and Wilhelm’s mother were also siblings, they were first cousins. This means that he is first cousins with King George V. Wilhelm and Nicholas were not first cousins, but they were third cousins. This means that he is first cousins with King George V. Wilhelm and Nicholas were not first cousins, but they were third cousins. From left: Czar Nicholas II of Russia, King George V of Britain and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Wilhelm was ordered to abdicate before any armistice was signed and he did so on the 9th November 1918 leading to the cease-fire being signed on the 11th November 1918. Of course, conflict did break out. King George V (who was of German blood – ultimately leading him to change his name to Windsor on the back of anti-German public unrest in Britain) was direct cousins with both Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Russia’s last Romanov Czar Nicholas II. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/cousins_at_war_01.shtml The war that pitted 3 cousins against each other in turn ended the life of one (Nicholas) and the power of another (Wilhelm) with only one (George) still in the same position he was in prior to the war. a prism though which to tell the march to the first World War, the creation of the modern industrial world and the follies of hereditary courts and the eccentricities of their royal trans-European cousinhood. Can you tell the difference between King George V and Tsar Nicholas II? As well as being closely related, George V and Nicholas II looked uncannily alike and had developed a firm friendship in their younger years. Royal Family news: Kaiser Wilhelm II and King George V (Image: GETTY) Trending "The opposition to them coming here is so strong that we must be … Nicholas, his entire family, and 4 servants were executed in this location by Bolshevik forces on the 17th July 1918. The former Kaiser moved to the Netherlands and on the 28th November, he released his soldiers and officials from their oaths of loyalty to him with the Statement of Abdication: “I herewith renounce for all time claims to the throne of Prussia and to the German Imperial throne connected therewith. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. Many chroniclers of this period have been fascinated by Wilhelm’s rocky relationship with his British relations, particularly noting his fierce animosity towards his Uncle Bertie – dubbed ‘the old peacock’ and even ‘a Satan’ by Wilhelm. It does not appear that Wilhelm felt any guilt regarding the execution of the Tsar. In the words of historian David Fromkin, ‘the half-German side of him was at war with the half-English side’. King George V of the United Kingdom was the monarch of the winning side and was also the only monarch of the three to remain in power following the end of the war. In fact, Wilhelm’s ties with the British Royal Family were far more than a mere matter of genetics. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (1859 - 1941), with King George V (1865 - 1936) Royal Cousins at War Nicholas, Alexandra & children, the family of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia 1910s. Had Queen Victoria still been alive, it may have been possible that the ‘Grandmother of Europe’ could have put a stop to the conflict that resulted in 37 million casualties. If you want to support HistoryColored further, consider becoming a patron on Patreon! The German Kaiser, meanwhile, was Queen Victoria’s grandson through Victoria’s daughter, also named Victoria, who had married Germany’s Frederick III. (George V and Nicholas II were cousins - but the common ancestor in this case was Christian IX of Denmark - Edward VII's father-in-law). Read and learn about 10 interesting facts about Alexander I of Russia that you may have never heard before. All Rights Reserved. . It is believed that George had a strong say in this decision. He served as such until the two countries declared war in 1914. 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Roosevelt meets a young Lyndon B. Johnson, 1937, 6 Greek Myths With Surprising Explanations, Inauguration of the President of the Confederate States, 18 February 1861, The last photograph taken of Vladimir Lenin, May 1923. Edward VII’s oldest sister was Empress Victoria of Germany and her oldest child was the Kaiser Wilhelm II. Whilst in hindsight this seems to have been a very bad decision to make as it led to the death of the entire Romanov family, there was no indication that they were going to be murdered. When supporting us on Patreon, you will get access to early and exclusive content! . He was the great grandson of Emperor Nicholas I … He was the 2nd oldest child but his older brother, Prince Albert Victor, died on the 14th January 1892 making George the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. Nicholas II was a more distant cousin of Wilhelm’s. The first edition of the novel was published in September 3rd 2009, and was written by Miranda Carter. a prism though which to tell the march to the first World War, the creation of the modern industrial world and the follies of hereditary courts and the eccentricities of their royal trans-European cousinhood. He was another first cousin of George V, whose mother, Alexandra of Denmark, was the sister of the Tsar’s mother, Dagmar of Denmark. The tumultuous events of 1914-1918 have long overshadowed the fact that the principle monarchs were blood relatives. Emperor Wilhelm II And George V In A Carriage At The Wedding Of Ernst August III And And Princess Victoria Louise Of Prussia. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany was born on the 27 th January 1859 to Frederick III and Victoria, Princess Royal, who was the sister of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (George’s father). In his memoirs, Wilhelm calls his third cousin Nicholas “weak and vacillating” and stated that he tried to mend the relationship between the two countries because of a promise he made to his grandfather on his deathbed. European royalty was pretty much in the end game by the time of King George V of Britain, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Czar Nicholas II of Russia. I expect of them that until the re-establishment of order in the German Empire they shall render assistance to those in actual power in Germany, in protecting the German people from the threatening dangers of anarchy, famine, and foreign rule. Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; January 27, 1859 – June 4, 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from June 15, 1888 to his abdication November 9, 1918. The third major royal player in World War One, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, also had a very personal stake in things. Indeed, the Kaiser’s militaristic ambitions and strutting on the European stage may well have been partly fuelled by what Miranda Carter, author of The Three Emperors: Three cousins, Three Empires and the Road to World War One, calls ‘his adolescent touchiness and almost oedipal desire to outdo the British’. Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II both held the power to declare war on each other (and they did) as both were rulers in an absolute monarchy. Nicholas is believed to have said “You know not what you do” when told that he and his family would be executed. All had children, so Victoria had 42 grandchildren scattered across Europe with the potential to one day rule a nation. Remarkable blue eyes and exact mustaches defined these men. . The First and Second World Wars wiped out many monarchies in Europe; by 1947 the monarchies of Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, and Yugoslavia no longer existed. World War I was not necessarily a war led by 3 cousins as King George V of the United Kingdom did not declare war on anyone as this was a power that the Prime Minister held. The main characters of this biography, history story are Wilhelm II, German Emperor, George V of the United Kingdom. Nicholas was shot multiple times in the chest and was the first to die. . The war led to the end of the short-lived monarchy that existed in Germany since the foundation of the nation in 1871. The British Prime Minister, Herbert Henry Asquith, declared war on Germany after warning them to leave Belgium by the 3rd August 1914. King George V was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the 8th (Rhenish) Cuirassiers in January 1902, during a visit to Berlin when he was still Prince of Wales. When Britain joined the First World War on the 4th August 1914, George had been King for just over 4 years. He had a withered arm as the result of trauma from his birth. . He said, “The blood of the unhappy Tsar is not at my door; not on my hands” to General Wallscourt Waters in 1935. . 10 Interesting Facts About George Washington, 6 Wars of the 1900s You May Not Have Heard About, What United States President Did This Quiz, 12 Facts About the First World War That You Might Not Know, The Biography of American Photographer Gordon Parks, 7 Fascinating Facts About the Second World War That You Might Not Know, Colorized photograph of Mark Twain sitting in the garden, circa 1900, Cow Shoes that Moonshiners used to hide their footprints, 1924, The testing of a bulletproof vest, September 1923. However, moving into the 20th Century, this was changing rapidly. Queen Victoria had been regarded as the grandmother of Europe, and, as royal historian, Theo Aronson writes, ‘there was hardly a Continental court that did not boast at least one of her relations.’ But all of this would count for nothing in the face of the political alliances that tied different European nations to each other, and would ultimately condemn them all to war. How much do you know about England and its involvement in World War II? Credit... W. and D. Downey/Getty Images (left and center) and Hulton Archive/Getty Images He was unprepared to become Tsar as his father believed that he would rule for many years to come. At the same time, I release all officials of the German Empire and of Prussia, as well as all officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the navy and of the Prussian army, as well as the troops of the federated states of Germany, from the oath of fidelity which they tendered to me as their Emperor, King, and Commander-in-Chief. It is no secret that Wilhelm II was extremely jealous of his British uncle first and then of his cousin, king George V, because of the many colonies they owned (picture on the left, king George and members of the WAFF). . Following his father’s death on the 6th May 1910, George became King. Carter is absolutely unsparing of each man's foibles. In this article, we will be focussing on 3 of Victoria’s grandchildren – King George V of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. The Tsar’s ties with the British royals were further cemented when he married Queen Victoria’s favourite granddaughter, Princess Alix of Hesse (who would perish alongside him and their children when the Tsar’s family was massacred by Communist revolutionaries in 1918). The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 528 pages and is available in Hardcover format. The women in the family initially survived the first wave of bullets due to wearing a large number of diamonds that offered them protection; they took the diamonds as they were under the impression that they were being relocated rather than executed. ©2021 AETN UK. Known among their families as Willy, Georgie, and Nicky, they were, respectively, the royal cousins Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, George V of England, and Nicholas II of Russia-the first two grandsons of Queen Victoria, the latter her grandson by marriage. a prism though which to tell the march to the first World War, the creation of the modern industrial world and the follies of hereditary courts and the eccentricities of their royal trans-European cousinhood. Nicholas and his family were transported to various locations throughout the Russian Empire before being placed in Ipatiev House on the 30th of April 1918. Wilhelm also believed that England was the land of Satan and held anti-England views for the remainder of his life. The whole thing was even more the politicians than the monarchs.. Do realize that Wilhelm II was a semi-constitutional monarch. George’s mother, by the way, was Alexandra of Denmark – a significant fact which we’ll get back to in a moment. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia was born on the 18th May 1868 to Tsar Alexander III of Russia and Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) making him first cousins with George through his mother, who was the sister of George’s mother Alexandra; Nicholas also married a first cousin of George, Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, so technically he is a cousin of blood and marriage. This history revolves around King George V of England (although his father, Edward VII, and grandmother, Queen Victoria, play huge roles as well), Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, both their personal stories and the political roles each one … 700,000 Brits were killed, 1.7 million Germans died, and 9.7 million Russian soldiers died with a further 10 million civilians perishing as a result of the war. Full Credit: Haeckel Archiv - Ullstein Bild / Granger, NYC -- All Righ From Granger - Historical Picture Archive. Wilhelm was the firstborn and the heir to the throne of the German Empire when his father died. In 1917, the British king George V (1865-1936) decided to break relations with his two cousins, German Emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941) and Russian Emperor Nicholas II (1868-1918). . Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941), anglicised as William II, was the last German Emperor (Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. By the time his father, Frederick III, ascended the throne on the 9th March 1888 following his own father’s death, he was suffering from an incurable throat cancer that meant he ruled for only 99 days before Wilhelm succeeded at the age of 29. . “The parallel, interrelated lives of Kaiser Wilhelm II, George V, and Nicholas II are . … Germany declared war on Russia on the 1st August 1914 after Russia began mobilizing its troops on the 31st July 1914 as a reaction to Austria-Hungary, an ally of Germany, attacking Serbia, an ally of Russia. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with their nine children. Find the perfect kaiser wilhelm ii george v stock photo. “The parallel, interrelated lives of Kaiser Wilhelm II, George V, and Nicholas II are . George V’s father, Edward VII, was Victoria’s eldest son. Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate on the 15th March 1917 and was promptly arrested after extreme unrest in the Russian Empire caused constant protests against the government and monarchy in power. He had become king upon his mother’s death in 1901, only ruling for a scant nine years until he himself died in 1910 when George V took over. On the 1st November 1894, Nicholas took the throne at the young age of 26 after his father died of kidney disease. “The parallel, interrelated lives of Kaiser Wilhelm II, George V, and Nicholas II are . While the connections between your own family members may not have quite the same world-historical significance, the story of George, Nicholas and Wilhelm is a reminder of the fascinating revelations that can lie within family trees. Britain may have been swept up in jingoistic fervour against Germany, with Rudyard Kipling warning that ‘The Hun is at the gate’, but what’s often forgotten is that the British monarch at the time, George V, was the first cousin of Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II, both being grandchildren of Queen Victoria. A cease-fire was signed between Russia and the central powers on the 15th December 1917 and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on the 3rd March 1918 formally removing Russia from the war. As a teenager, he’d been awarded the Order of the Garter by Queen Victoria, and he would even be present at her deathbed. . They communicated by telegram and letter in the lead up to World War One, calling each other ‘Willy’ and ‘Nicky’, and sounding increasingly concerned about the likelihood of conflict between their nations. Nicholas and George V were fairly close and when George found out that Nicholas had been executed, he was devastated. Create one through Ancestry and there’s no telling what you might learn. King George V of the United Kingdom was born on the 3rd June 1865 to Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Ireland (child of Victoria) and Alexandra of Denmark. Exactly how were they related and how did they influence the First World War? George was extremely upset with what happened and despite making the decision, he blamed the politicians for what happened.