william i german emperor Wilhelm 1797 1888 House of Hohenzollern Prussia


Wilhelm I, also known as Wilhelm the Great (William Frederick Louis, German: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig) (March 22, 1797–March 9, 1888) of the House of Hohenzollern was the King of Prussia (January 2, 1861–March 9, 1888) and the first German Emperor (18 January 1871–March 9, 1888). Under the leadership of Wilhelm and his prime minister Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire. On January 2, 1861 Frederick William died and Wilhelm ascended the throne as Wilhelm I of Prussia. He inherited a conflict between Frederick William and the liberal parliament. He was considered a politically neutral person as he intervened less in politics than his brother. Wilhelm nevertheless found a conservative solution for the conflict: he appointed Otto von Bismarck to the office of Prime Minister. According to the Prussian constitution, the Prime Minister was responsible solely to the king, not to parliament. Bismarck liked to see his work relationship with Wilhelm as that of a vassal to his feudal superior. Nonetheless it was Bismarck who effectively directed the politics, interior as well as foreign; on several occasions he gained Wilhelm's assent by threatening to resign.


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