Biography:

William II was born on January 27, 1859 in Berlin and was the last German emperor and King of Prussia.  His full name in German was Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert.  He was the oldest son of Crown Prince Frederick and Victoria, the daughter of Great Britain’s Queen Victoria. In 1888, at the age of 29, he became the Kaiser or German emperor and two years later, forced the resignation of the chancellor, Otto von Bismarck.  William II strengthened the navy and military and strongly promoted German colonial expansion. 
In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip.  In response, William II encouraged Austria to use its military might to strike against Serbia and assured Austria that Germany would support them in the event of war.  On July 28, 1914 Austria declared war on Serbia.  Soon after, the Triple Entente or Allies (Russia, United Kingdom, and France) entered into war against the Central powers of Austria and Germany.  The United States Congress declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. 
At the conclusion of World War I, William II abdicated the throne and fled to the Netherlands.  The Allies unsuccessfully tried to extradite him and to put him on trial for war crimes.  He died on June 4, 1941.