She tried to force on her son the outlook of a 19th-century British Liberal and bring him up as an English gentleman. Her intellect was hopelessly at the mercy of her feelings, and she took rapid likes and dislikes. His father’s lack of stamina was not shared by his mother, who had acquired from her father, Albert, seriousness of purpose and from her mother emotion and obstinacy. His father was honourable, intelligent, and considerate but had neither the will nor the stamina needed to dominate.

More influential, however, in influencing his behaviour was his parentage. The limb never grew to full size and some historians have claimed this disability as a clue to understanding his behaviour. William was the eldest child of Crown Prince Frederick (later Emperor Frederick III) and of Victoria, the eldest child of Britain’s Queen Victoria. William II, German Wilhelm II, in full Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert, (born January 27, 1859, Potsdam, near Berlin -died June 4, 1941, Doorn, Netherlands), German emperor (kaiser) and king of Prussia from 1888 to the end of World War I in 1918, known for his frequently militaristic manner as well as for his vacillating policies. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz See all videos for this article Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.

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