View source for Wilhelm I

{{Short description|German Emperor from 1871 to 1888}}
{{For|other royalty with similar names|William I (disambiguation){{!}}William I}}
{{pp-pc|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Wilhelm I
| image        = Kaiser Wilhelm I (3x4 cropped).jpg
| alt          = Black-and-white photograph of an elderly Wilhelm, a bald man with side whiskers 
| caption      = Wilhelm I in 1884
| succession   = [[German Emperor]]
| reign        = 18 January 1871 – {{nowrap|9 March 1888}}
| cor-type     = [[Proclamation of the German Empire|Proclamation]]
| coronation   = 18 January 1871
| predecessor  = ''Monarchy established''
| successor    = [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick III]]
| reg-type     = [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]]
| regent       = [[Otto von Bismarck]]
| succession2  = [[King of Prussia]]
| reign2       = 2 January 1861 – {{nowrap|9 March 1888}}
| cor-type2    = Coronation
| coronation2  = 18 October 1861
| predecessor2 = [[Frederick William IV]]
| successor2   = Frederick III
| reg-type2    = {{nowrap|[[Minister President of Prussia|Prime Ministers]]}}
| regent2      = {{Collapsible list|title=See list|1={{unbulleted list|[[Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern (died 1885)|Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern]]|[[Prince Adolf zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen]]|[[Otto von Bismarck]]|[[Albrecht von Roon]]}}}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| embed        = yes
| office       = Holder of the ''[[Bundespräsidium]]'' of the [[North German Confederation]]<ref>Ernst Rudolf Huber: ''Deutsche Verfassungsgeschichte seit 1789.'' Vol. III: Bismarck und das Reich. 3. Auflage, [[Kohlhammer Verlag]], Stuttgart 1988, p. 657.</ref>
| termstart    = 1 July 1867
| termend      = 31 December 1870
| chancellor   = Otto von Bismarck
}}
| birth_date   = {{birth date|df=yes|1797|03|22}}
| birth_place  = [[Kronprinzenpalais]], Berlin, Prussia
| death_date   = {{death date and age|df=yes|1888|03|09|1797|03|22}}
| death_place  = [[Charlottenburg Palace]], Berlin, Germany
| burial_date  = 16 March 1888
| burial_place = Charlottenburg Palace
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Augusta of Saxe-Weimar]]|11 June 1829}}
| issue        = {{Plainlist|
* [[Frederick III, German Emperor]]
* [[Louise, Grand Duchess of Baden]]
}}
| house        = [[Hohenzollern]]
| father       = [[Frederick William III of Prussia]]
| mother       = [[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
| full name   = {{ubl|{{langx|de|link=no|Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig}}|{{langx|en|William Frederick Louis}}}}
| signature   = Wilhelm_I,_German_Emperor_Signature.svg
| religion     = [[Lutheran]] ([[Prussian United]])
| module      = {{Infobox military person | embed=yes
  | allegiance    =[[Kingdom of Prussia]]<br />[[German Confederation]]
  | branch        = [[Prussian Army]]<br />(active service)
  | serviceyears  = 1809–1858<br />(active service)
  | rank          = {{Lang|de|[[Generalfeldmarschall]]}}<br />(active service)
  | servicenumber = <!-- Do not use data from primary sources such as service records -->
  | unit          =1st Guards Regiment
  | commands      = {{ubli|
    | {{Lang|de|Stettiner Gardelandwehrbataillon}}
    | [[Fortress Mainz]]}}
  | battles_label =
  | battles       =
{{tree list}}
* [[War of the Sixth Coalition]]
** [[Battle of Bar-sur-Aube]]
** [[Battle of Paris (1814)|Battle of Paris]]
* [[Hundred Days]]
** [[Battle of Ligny]] 
** [[Battle of Waterloo]] 
* [[Revolutions of 1848 in the German states|Revolutions of 1848]]
* [[Franco-Prussian War]]
** [[Battle of Sedan]]
** [[Siege of Paris (1870–1871)|Siege of Paris]]
{{tree list/end}}
  | awards        = [[Iron Cross]]
}}
}}

'''Wilhelm I''' (William I<ref>{{cite web |title=William I emperor of Germany |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-I-emperor-of-Germany |publisher=[[Britannica]] |access-date=30 June 2025}}</ref>; William Frederick Louis; {{langx|de|Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig}}; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was [[King of Prussia]] from 1861 and [[German Emperor]] from 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the [[House of Hohenzollern]], he was the first [[head of state]] of a united Germany. He was regent of Prussia from 1858 to 1861 for his elder brother, King [[Frederick William IV]]. During the reign of his grandson [[Wilhelm II]], he was known as '''Emperor''' '''Wilhelm the Great''' (German: ''Kaiser Wilhelm der Große'').

The second son of [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Prince Frederick William]] and [[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]], Wilhelm was not expected to ascend to the throne. His grandfather, King [[Frederick William II of Prussia|Frederick William II]] died the year he was born, and his father was crowned [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Frederick William III]]. Wilhelm fought with distinction during the [[War of the Sixth Coalition]], and afterwards became a prominent figure within the [[Prussian Army]]. In 1840, his childless elder brother became King of Prussia, making him [[heir presumptive]]. Wilhelm played a major role in crushing the [[Revolutions of 1848 in Germany]], although he was briefly forced into exile in England. Frederick William IV suffered a stroke in 1857 and was left incapacitated, and Wilhelm was formally named Prince Regent a year later. In 1861, Wilhelm ascended to the Prussian throne on his elder brother's death.

Upon ascension, Wilhelm immediately came into conflict with the liberal [[Landtag of Prussia|Landtag]] over his proposed military budget. In response, he appointed [[Otto von Bismarck]] to the post of [[Minister President of Prussia|Minister President]] in order to force through his proposals, beginning a partnership that would last for the rest of his life. On the foreign front, Wilhelm oversaw Prussian victories in the [[Second Schleswig War]] and the [[Austro-Prussian War]], establishing Prussia as the leading German power. In 1871, through Bismarck's maneuvers, the [[unification of Germany]] was achieved following the [[Franco-Prussian War]]. The [[German Empire]] was proclaimed and Wilhelm was granted the title of German Emperor. Even though he had considerable power as ''Kaiser'', Wilhelm largely left the affairs of governance to Bismarck. Later in life he was the target of multiple failed assassination attempts, which enabled Bismarck to push through the [[Anti-Socialist Laws]]. In 1888, which came to be known as the [[Year of the Three Emperors]], Wilhelm died at the age of 90 after a short illness and was succeeded by his son [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick]]. Frederick, already suffering from cancer, died 99 days later and the throne passed to Wilhelm II.

==Early life and military career==
[[File:Johann Heusinger Bildnis Prinz Wilhelm (I.) (1797-1888) (C40a).jpg|thumb|left|Prince Wilhelm at age 13, {{circa|1810}}]]

The future king and emperor was born '''Wilhelm Friedrich Louis of Prussia''' ({{lang|de|Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig von Preußen}}) in the {{lang|de|[[Kronprinzenpalais]]|italic=no}} in [[Berlin]] on 22 March 1797. As the second son of [[Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]] and [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Prince Frederick William]], himself son of King [[Frederick William II of Prussia|Frederick William II]], Wilhelm was not expected to ascend to the throne. His grandfather died the year he was born, at age 53, in 1797, and his father Frederick William III became king. He was educated from 1801 to 1809 by {{Interlanguage link|Johann Friedrich Gottlieb Delbrück|de}}, who was also in charge of the education of Wilhelm's brother, the Crown Prince [[Frederick William IV of Prussia|Frederick William]]. At age twelve, his father appointed him an officer in the Prussian army.<ref name=DHM>{{cite web |url=http://www.dhm.de/lemo/biografie/biografie-wilhelm-i.html |title=Biografie Wilhelm I |language=German |publisher=Deutsches Historisches Museum |access-date=12 June 2013 }}</ref>

Wilhelm served in the army from 1814 onward. Like his father, he fought against [[Napoleon I of France]] during the part of the [[Napoleonic Wars]] known in Germany as the {{lang|de|Befreiungskriege}} ("Wars of Liberation", otherwise known as the [[War of the Sixth Coalition]]), and was reportedly a very brave soldier. He was made a captain ({{lang|de|Hauptmann}}) and won the [[Iron Cross]] for his actions at [[Battle of Bar-sur-Aube|Bar-sur-Aube]]. The war and the fight against France left a lifelong impression on him, and he had a long-standing antipathy towards the French.<ref name="DHM"/>

In 1815, Wilhelm was promoted to major and commanded a battalion of the ''1. Garderegiment''. He fought under [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher]] at the Battles of [[Battle of Ligny|Ligny]] and [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]].<ref name="DHM"/> In 1817, he accompanied his sister Charlotte to [[Saint Petersburg]], when she married Emperor [[Nicholas I of Russia]], becoming Empress [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia)|Alexandra Feodorovna]].<ref>Lincoln, ''Nicholas I Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias'', p. 66</ref>

In 1816, Wilhelm became the commander of the {{lang|de|Stettiner Gardelandwehrbataillon}} and in 1818 was promoted to {{lang|de|Generalmajor}}. The next year, Wilhelm was appointed inspector of the [[VII Corps (German Empire)|VII.]] and [[VIII Corps (German Empire)|VIII. Army Corps]]. This made him a spokesman of the Prussian Army within the [[House of Hohenzollern]]. He argued in favour of a strong, well-trained, and well-equipped army. In 1820, Wilhelm became commander of the {{lang|de|1. Gardedivision}} and in 1825 was promoted to commanding general of the [[III Corps (German Empire)|III. Army Corps]].<ref name="DHM"/>

Around this time, Wilhelm became romantically linked with his cousin, Polish noblewoman [[Elisa Radziwill|Princess Elisa Radziwill]]. In 1826, Wilhelm was forced to break off the relationship by his father, who deemed it an inappropriate match. It is alleged that Elisa had an illegitimate daughter by Wilhelm who was brought up by Joseph and Caroline Kroll, owners of the [[Kroll Opera House]] in Berlin, and was given the name Agnes Kroll. She married a Carl Friedrich Ludwig Dettman (known as "Louis") and emigrated to Sydney, in 1849. They had a family of three sons and two daughters. Agnes died in 1904.<ref>Dettman, E. Belinda, and Stevens, Jane (2017). ''Agnes the Secret Princess – An Australian Story''. ISBN 9781543400755.</ref>

In 1829, Wilhelm married [[Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach|Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]], the daughter of Grand Duke [[Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach|Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]] and [[Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (1786–1859)|Maria Pavlovna]], the sister of Nicholas I. Their marriage was outwardly stable, but not a very happy one.<ref name="Kings">{{cite book|last=Feldhahn|first=Ulrich|title=Die preußischen Könige und Kaiser (German)|publisher=Kunstverlag Josef Fink, Lindenberg|year=2011|isbn=978-3-89870-615-5|pages=24–26}}</ref> In 1834-37 he had the [[Old Palace, Berlin|Old Palace]] in Berlin built as a new family home, in which he continued to live later as king and emperor, while he only used the [[Berlin Palace]] for representative purposes.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

On 7 June 1840 his older brother became King of Prussia. Since he had no children, Wilhelm was first in line to succeed him to the throne and thus was given the title {{lang|de|Prinz von Preußen}}.<ref name="DHM"/> Against his convictions but out of loyalty towards his brother, Wilhelm signed the bill setting up a [[Prussian parliament]] in 1847 and took a seat in the upper chamber, the [[Prussian House of Lords]].<ref name="DHM"/>

[[File: Frederick Richard Say (1805-60) - Wilhelm I, Prince of Prussia, later King of Prussia and German Emperor (1797-1888) - RCIN 406464 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|left|195px|Portrait of Prince Wilhelm, by [[Frederick Richard Say]], {{circa|1848}}]]
During the [[Revolutions of 1848 in the German states|Revolutions of 1848]], Wilhelm successfully crushed a revolt in Berlin that was aimed at Frederick William IV. The use of cannons made him unpopular at the time and earned him the nickname {{lang|de|Kartätschenprinz}} (Prince of [[Grapeshot]]). Indeed, he had to flee to England for a while, disguised as a merchant. He returned and helped to put down an [[Baden Revolution|uprising in Baden]], where he commanded the Prussian army. In October 1849, he became governor-general of the [[Rhine Province]] and [[Province of Westphalia]], with a seat at the [[Electoral Palace, Koblenz]].<ref name="DHM"/><ref name="Kings"/>

During their time at [[Koblenz]], Wilhelm and his wife entertained liberal scholars such as the historian [[Maximilian Wolfgang Duncker]], [[August von Bethmann-Hollweg]] and {{Interlanguage link|Clemens Theodor Perthes|de}}. Wilhelm's opposition to liberal ideas gradually softened.<ref name="DHM"/>

In 1854, the prince was raised to the rank of a field-marshal and made governor of the [[German Confederation|federal]] [[Fortress of Mainz]].<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=William I. of Germany |volume=28 |pages=665–667}}</ref> In 1857 Frederick William IV suffered a stroke and became mentally disabled for the rest of his life. In January 1858, Wilhelm became [[Regent|Prince Regent]] for his brother, initially only temporarily but after October on a permanent basis. Against the advice of his brother, Wilhelm swore an oath of office on the Prussian constitution and promised to preserve it "solid and inviolable". Wilhelm appointed a liberal, [[Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern (died 1885)|Karl Anton von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen]], as [[Minister President of Prussia|Minister President]] and thus initiated what became known as the "New Era" in Prussia, although there were conflicts between Wilhelm and the liberal majority in the Landtag on matters of reforming the armed forces.<ref name="DHM"/>

==Life as King==
[[File:Krönungszug Königsberg (1861).JPG|thumb|275px|Coronation of Wilhelm I at [[Königsberg Castle]], 18 October 1861]]
On 2 January 1861, Frederick William IV died and Wilhelm ascended the throne as Wilhelm I of Prussia. In July, a student from [[Leipzig]] attempted to assassinate Wilhelm, but he was only lightly injured.<ref name="DHM"/> Like [[Frederick I of Prussia]], Wilhelm travelled to [[Königsberg]] and there crowned himself at the Schlosskirche.<ref name="Kings"/> Wilhelm chose the anniversary of the [[Battle of Leipzig]], 18 October, for this event, which was the first Prussian coronation ceremony since 1701 and the only coronation of a German king after 1806.<ref name="DHM"/> Wilhelm refused to comply with his brother's wish, expressed in Frederick William's last will, that he should abrogate the constitution.<ref name="DHM"/>

Wilhelm inherited a conflict between Frederick William and the liberal Landtag. He was considered to be politically neutral as he intervened less in politics than his brother. In 1862 the Landtag refused an increase in the military budget needed to pay for the already implemented reform of the army. This involved expanding the peacetime army from 150,000 to 200,000 men and the annual number of new recruits from 40,000 to 63,000. However, the truly controversial part was keeping the length of military service (raised in 1856 from two years) at three years.<ref name="Fred">{{cite magazine | last =Oster | first =Uwe A. | title =Friedrich III. – Der 99-Tage-Kaiser | magazine=Damals | volume = 45 | issue = 3/2013 | pages=60–65 | language=de | issn=0011-5908 }}</ref> When his request (backed by his Minister of War [[Albrecht von Roon]]) was refused, Wilhelm first considered abdicating, but his son, the Crown Prince, advised strongly against it.<ref name="Fred"/> Then, on the advice of Roon, Wilhelm appointed [[Otto von Bismarck]] as Minister President in order to force through the proposals.<ref name="DHM"/> Under the Prussian constitution, the Minister President was responsible solely to the king, not to the Landtag. Bismarck, a conservative [[Prussian Junker]] and loyal friend of the king, liked to see his working relationship with Wilhelm as that of a vassal to his feudal superior. Nonetheless, it was Bismarck who effectively directed affairs, domestic as well as foreign; on several occasions he gained Wilhelm's assent by threatening to resign.<ref>{{cite book |author=Munroe Smith |title=Bismarck and German Unity: A Historical Outline |url=https://archive.org/details/bismarckgermanun01smit |year=1898 |publisher=Macmillan |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bismarckgermanun01smit/page/80 80]–81}}</ref>

During his reign, Wilhelm was the commander-in-chief of the Prussian forces in the [[Second Schleswig War]] against Denmark in 1864 and the [[Austro-Prussian War]] in 1866. After the latter was won by Prussia, Wilhelm wanted to march on to [[Vienna]] and annex Austria, but was dissuaded from doing so by Bismarck and his son Crown Prince [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick]].<ref name="DHM"/> Bismarck wanted to end the war quickly, so as to allow Prussia to ally with Austria if it needed to at a later date; Frederick was also appalled by the casualties and wanted a speedy end to hostilities. During a heated discussion, Bismarck threatened to resign if Wilhelm continued to Vienna; Bismarck got his way. Wilhelm had to content himself with becoming the ''de facto'' ruler of the northern two-thirds of Germany. Prussia annexed several of Austria's allies north of the Main, as well as Schleswig-Holstein. [[Saxe-Lauenburg]] was already in a [[personal union]] with Prussia since 1865 (which became a full union in 1876).{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

In 1867, the [[North German Confederation]] was created as a federation (federally organised state) of the North German and Central German states under the permanent presidency of Prussia. Wilhelm assumed the  ''[[Bundespräsidium]]'', the presidium of the Confederation; the post was a hereditary office of the Prussian crown. Not ''expressis verbis'', but in function he was the head of state. Bismarck intentionally avoided a title such as ''Präsident'' as it sounded too republican.<ref>Michael Kotulla: ''Deutsches Verfassungsrecht 1806–1918. Eine Dokumentensammlung nebst Einführungen''. Vol. 1: ''Gesamtdeutschland, Anhaltische Staaten und Baden'', Berlin 2006, p. 211.</ref> Wilhelm became also the constitutional ''Bundesfeldherr'', the commander of all federal armed forces. Via secret treaties with the South German states, he also became commander of their armies in times of war. In 1870, during the [[Franco-Prussian War]], Wilhelm was in command of all the German forces at the crucial [[Battle of Sedan]].<ref name="DHM"/>

==German Emperor==
[[File:Kaiser-wilhelm-I.jpg|thumb|left|Wilhelm in a hussar's uniform, in a painting by [[Emil Hünten]]]]{{Conservatism in Germany|expanded=politicians}}
During the [[Franco-Prussian War]], the South German states joined the North German Confederation, which was reorganized as the German Empire ''(Deutsches Reich).'' The title of ''Bundespräsidium'' was replaced with the title of German Emperor ''(Deutscher Kaiser).'' This was decided on by the legislative organs, the [[Reichstag (North German Confederation)|Reichstag]] and [[Bundesrat (German Empire)|Bundesrat]], and Wilhelm agreed to this on 8 December in the presence of a Reichstag delegation. The [[Constitution of the German Confederation 1871|new constitution]] and the title of Emperor came into effect on 1 January 1871.<ref>Ernst Rudolf Huber: ''Deutsche Verfassungsgeschichte seit 1789. Vol. III: Bismarck und das Reich.'' third edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1988, pp. 750/751.</ref>

Wilhelm, however, hesitated to accept the constitutional title, as he feared that it would overshadow his own title as King of Prussia. He also wanted it to be ''Kaiser von Deutschland'' ("Emperor of Germany"), but Bismarck warned him that the South German princes and the Emperor of Austria might protest.<ref name="Dawson2017">{{cite book|author=William Dawson|title=History of the German Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bmktDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT355|year=2017|publisher=Merkaba Press|pages=355}}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="huber">Ernst Rudolf Huber: ''Deutsche Verfassungsgeschichte seit 1789. Band III: Bismarck und das Reich.'' third edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1988, pp. 750–753.</ref> Wilhelm eventually—though grudgingly—relented and on 18 January, he was formally proclaimed as emperor in the [[Hall of Mirrors]] in the [[Palace of Versailles]]. The date was chosen as the coronation date of the first Prussian king in 1701. In the [[national memory]], 18 January became the day of the foundation of the Empire (''Reichsgründungstag''), although it did not have a constitutional significance.<ref name="huber" />

[[File:Wernerprokla.jpg|thumb|Wilhelm is proclaimed [[List of German Kings and Emperors|German Emperor]] in the [[Hall of Mirrors]] in [[Versailles]], France flanked by his only son, [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick]] and son in law – [[Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden]]. Painting by [[Anton von Werner]]]]
To many intellectuals, the coronation of Wilhelm was associated with the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire. [[Felix Dahn]] wrote a poem, "''Macte senex Imperator''" ('Hail thee, old emperor') in which he nicknamed Wilhelm ''Barbablanca'' (whitebeard), a play on the name of the medieval emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa|Frederick ''Barbarossa'']] (redbeard). According to the [[King asleep in mountain]] legend, Barbarossa slept under the [[Kyffhäuser]] mountain until Germany had need of him. Wilhelm I was thus portrayed as a second coming of Barbarossa. The [[Kyffhäuser Monument]] portrays both emperors.<ref>{{cite book |first=John B. |last=Freed |title=Frederick Barbarossa: The Prince and the Myth |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |year=2016 |page=631n |isbn=978-030012276-3 }}</ref>

In 1872, he arbitrated a boundary dispute between the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] and the United States, deciding in favor of the U.S. and placing the [[San Juan Islands]] of modern-day [[Washington (state)|Washington]] within U.S. national territory, thus ending the 12-year bloodless [[Pig War (1859)|Pig War]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Mike Vouri|title=The Pig War: Standoff at Griffin Bay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgsHYBCdG_oC&pg=PA248|year=2013|pages=248–250|publisher=Discover Your Northwest|isbn=9780914019626}}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In his memoirs, Bismarck describes Wilhelm as an old-fashioned, courteous, infallibly polite gentleman and a genuine Prussian officer, whose good common sense was occasionally undermined by "female influences". This was a reference to Wilhelm's wife, who had been educated by, among others [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] and was intellectually superior to her husband. She was also at times very outspoken in her opposition to official policies as she was a [[Classical liberalism|liberal]].<ref name="Kings"/> Wilhelm, however, had long been strongly opposed to liberal ideas.<ref name="DHM"/> Despite possessing considerable power as Kaiser, Wilhelm left the task of governing mostly to his chancellor, limiting himself to representing the state and approving Bismarck's every policy.<ref name="DHM"/> In private he once remarked on his relationship with Bismarck: ''It is difficult to be emperor under such a chancellor.''<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article-abstract/25/2/277/30327?redirectedFrom=fulltext |title= Der Weltkrieg: Vorläufige Orientierung von einem Schweizerischen Standpunkt aus  |publisher= Oxford University Press | author=S. von Zurlinden   |journal= The American Historical Review |date= January 1920 |volume= 25 |issue= 2 |pages= 277–279 |doi= 10.1086/ahr/25.2.277 | access-date= 13 April 2020 |url-access= subscription }}</ref><ref name="Bam2016">{{cite book|author=Ludwig Bamberger|title=Bismarck posthumus p. 8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R652vgAACAAJ|date=2 November 2016|publisher=Hansebooks|isbn=978-3-7433-8831-4}}</ref>
<gallery>
File: Wilhelm I and his only daughter.jpg|Wilhem I with his only daughter, [[Princess Louise of Prussia|Princess Louise]], {{circa|1860s}}
File: Wilhelm I German Emperor circa 1870.jpg|Portrait of Wilhelm I, {{circa|1870}}
File: Tsar Alexander II and Kaser Wilhelm I.jpg|Wilhelm I with his nephew, [[Tsar Alexander II]] on a hunting trip together, {{circa|1872}}
File: Kaiser Wilhelm I von Preußen und seine Schwester Alexandrine von Mecklenburg.jpg|Wilhelm I with his sister, [[Alexandrine of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Princess Alexandrine]], {{circa|1882}}
File: König Wilhelm I von Preussischen (1).png|Prince Wilhelm (future Wilhelm I), {{circa|1858}}
</gallery>

===Assassination attempts and Anti-Socialist Laws===
[[File:Caricature of Wilhelm I by Thomas Nast.jpg|thumb|Caricature of Wilhelm I by [[Thomas Nast]] which appeared in ''[[:s:The Fight at Dame Europa's School|The Fight at Dame Europa's School]]'' by [[Henry William Pullen]]]] 
On 11 May 1878, a plumber named Emil [[Max Hödel]] failed in an assassination attempt on Wilhelm in [[Berlin]]. Hödel used a revolver to shoot at the then 81-year-old Emperor, while he and his daughter, [[Princess Louise of Prussia|Princess Louise]], paraded in their carriage on ''[[Unter den Linden]]''.<ref name="DHM"/> When the bullet missed, Hödel ran across the street and fired another round which also missed. In the commotion one of the individuals who tried to apprehend Hödel suffered severe internal injuries and died two days later. Hödel was seized immediately. He was tried, convicted, sentenced to death, and executed on 16 August 1878.<ref name="Meyer">{{Meyers Online|8|603|603|spezialkapitel=Hödel|kapiteltext=Hödel, Max|bemerkung=|kurz=}} (in German)</ref>

A second attempt to assassinate Wilhelm I was made on 2 June 1878 by [[Karl Nobiling]]. As the Emperor drove past in an open carriage, the assassin fired two shots from a shotgun at him from the window of a house off the ''Unter den Linden''.<ref name="DHM"/> Wilhelm was severely wounded and was rushed back to the palace. Nobiling shot himself in an attempt to commit suicide. While Wilhelm survived this attack, the assassin died from his self-inflicted wound three months later.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Elun |url={{Google books|parMDwAAQBAJ|page=43|plainurl=yes}} |title=Assassins and Conspirators. Anarchism, Socialism, and Political Culture in Imperial Germany |publisher=Cornell University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-501-75126-4 |location=Ithaca, New York |pages=43}}</ref>
[[File:Hodel1.jpg|thumb|left|Assassination attempt on Wilhelm I by Max Hödel on 11 May 1878]]
The attempts on Wilhelm's life became the pretext for the institution of the [[Anti-Socialist Laws]], which were passed by Bismarck's government with the support of a majority in the [[Reichstag (German Empire)|Reichstag]] on 19 October 1878 for the purpose of fighting the socialist and working-class movement. The laws prohibited societies, meetings and publications that "aim[ed] at the overthrow of the existing political or social order through social-democratic, socialist or communist endeavours".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anti-Socialist Law (October 21, 1878) |url=https://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=1843 |access-date=22 June 2025 |website=German History in Documents and Images (GHDI)}}</ref> The laws were extended every 2–3 years. Despite the laws and their penalties, the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] increased its influence among the masses. Under the pressure of the mass working-class movement, the laws were allowed to expire on 30 September 1890.<ref name="Darmstaedter19482">{{cite book |author=Friedrich Darmstaedter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2kMmAQAAMAAJ |title=Bismarck and the Creation of the Second Reich, by F. Darmstaedter |publisher=Russell & Russell |year=1948 |pages=xiv, xvii}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Thümmler |first=Heinzpeter |url=https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783112735114/html |title=Sozialistengesetz §28: Ausweisungen und Ausgewiesene 1878–1890 |publisher=De Gruyter |year=1979 |isbn=978-3-112-73510-7 |location=Berlin / Leiden |pages=23 |language=de |trans-title=Socialist Law §28: Expulsions and Expellees 1878–1890 |doi=10.1515/9783112735114}}</ref>

===Later years and death===
[[File:Beisetzung von Kaiser Wilhelm I 1888 - cropped.jpg|thumb|left|Wilhelm's funeral procession in the [[Lustgarten]], in the background the former [[Berlin Cathedral]], 1888]]

In August 1878, [[Alexander II of Russia]], Wilhelm's nephew, wrote a letter (known as ''Ohrfeigenbrief'') to him complaining about the treatment Russian interests had received at the [[Congress of Berlin]]. In response Wilhelm, his wife Augusta, and his son travelled to Russia (against the advice of Bismarck) to mend fences in face-to-face talks. However, by once again threatening to resign, Bismarck overcame the opposition of Wilhelm to a closer alliance with [[Austria-Hungary]]. In October, Wilhelm agreed to the [[Dual Alliance (1879)|Dual Alliance]] (''Zweibund'') between Germany and Austria-Hungary, which was directed against Russia.<ref name="DHM"/>

Another assassination attempt failed on 28 September 1883 when Wilhelm unveiled the ''[[Niederwalddenkmal]]'' in [[Rüdesheim am Rhein|Rüdesheim]]. A group of anarchists had prepared an attack using dynamite which failed due to the wet weather.<ref name="DHM"/>

[[Image:Wilhelm10mark.jpeg|thumb|right|10 goldmark depicting Wilhelm and his titles]]
The [[Berlin Conference]] of 1884–85 organized by Otto von Bismarck can be seen as the formalization of the [[Scramble for Africa]]. Claiming much of the left-over territories in Africa and Oceania that were yet unclaimed, Germany managed to build the large [[German colonial empire]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/article168705897/Diese-deutschen-Woerter-kennt-man-noch-in-der-Suedsee.html |date=17 September 2017 |title=Diese deutschen Wörter kennt man noch in der Südsee |first=Matthias |last=Heine |newspaper=Die Welt |quote=Einst hatten die Deutschen das drittgrößte Kolonialreich[...] }}</ref>

Despite the assassination attempts and Wilhelm's unpopular role in the 1848 uprising, he and his wife were very popular, especially in their later years. Many people considered them the personification of "the old Prussia" and liked their austere and simple lifestyle.<ref name="DHM"/><ref name="Kings"/> Wilhelm died on 9 March 1888 in Berlin after a short illness, at age 90. He was buried on 16 March at the Mausoleum at Park [[Charlottenburg Palace|Charlottenburg]]. He was succeeded by his son Frederick, who was already fatally unwell himself (suffering from throat cancer). Frederick spent the 99 days of his reign fighting his illness before dying and being succeeded by his eldest son [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm]] on 15 June.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

[[File:William_I_grave.jpg|thumb|left|Grave of Wilhelm I in the mausoleum of [[Schloss Charlottenburg]] in Berlin]]
To honour him a large number of memorials/statues were erected all over the country over the following years. The best known among them are the [[Kyffhäuser monument]] (1890–96) in [[Thuringia]], the monument at [[Porta Westfalica]] (1896) and the mounted statue of Wilhelm at the [[Deutsches Eck]] in Koblenz (1897). The [[National Kaiser Wilhelm Monument]] in front of the [[Berlin Palace]] was destroyed by the government of [[East Berlin]] in 1950.<ref name="DHM"/>
{{clear|left}}

==Issue==
Wilhelm and Augusta of Saxe-Weimar had two children:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!  Image !! Name !! Birth !! Death !! Notes
|-
| align=center| [[File:Emperor Friedrich III.png|90px]] || [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick III, German Emperor and King of Prussia]] || 18 October 1831 || {{death date and age|df=yes|1888|6|15|1831|10|18}} || married (25 January 1858) [[Victoria, Princess Royal]] (1840–1901); eight children.
|-
| align=center| [[File:Princess Louise of Prussia.JPG|90px]] || [[Princess Louise of Prussia]] || 3 December 1838 || {{death date and age|df=yes|1923|4|23|1838|12|3}} || married (20 September 1856) [[Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden|Prince Frederick of Baden]] (1826–1907); three children.
|}

==Religion==
Wilhelm was a [[Lutheran]] member of the [[Evangelical State Church of Prussia's older Provinces]]. It was a [[United Protestant]] denomination, bringing together [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] and [[Lutheran]] believers.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

==Titles, styles, honours and arms==
[[Image:Imperial Monogram of Kaiser Wilhelm I.svg|right|thumb|upright|Monogram of Wilhelm I]]

His full title as king of Prussia was ''Wilhelm, [[by the Grace of God]], King of Prussia; [[Margrave]] of [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]], [[Burgrave]] of [[Burgraviate of Nuremberg|Nuremberg]], Count of [[County of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]]; Sovereign and Supreme [[Duke]] of [[Silesia]] and of the [[Glatz Land|County of Glatz]]; [[Grand Duke]] of [[Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine|the Lower Rhine]] and of [[Grand Duchy of Posen|Posen]]; Duke of [[Province of Saxony|Saxony]], of [[Duchy of Westphalia|Westphalia]], of [[Angria]], of [[Duchy of Pomerania|Pomerania]], [[Duchy of Lüneburg|Lüneburg]], [[Holstein]] and [[Schleswig]], of [[Duchy of Magdeburg|Magdeburg]], of [[Duchy of Bremen|Bremen]], of [[Guelders]], [[Duke of Cleves|Cleves]], [[Duchy of Jülich|Jülich]] and [[Duke of Berg|Berg]], Duke of the [[Wends]] and the [[Kashubians|Kassubes]], of [[Duchy of Crossen|Crossen]], [[Lauenburg and Bütow Land|Lauenburg]] and [[Mecklenburg]]; [[Landgrave]] of [[Landgraviate of Hesse|Hesse]] and [[Landgraviate of Thuringia|Thuringia]]; Margrave of [[Margraviate of Upper Lusatia|Upper]] and [[Lower Lusatia]]; [[Prince of Orange]]; Prince of [[Principality of Rugia|Rügen]], of [[East Friesland]], of [[Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn|Paderborn]] and [[Bad Pyrmont|Pyrmont]], of [[Principality of Halberstadt|Halberstadt]], [[Prince-Bishopric of Münster|Münster]], [[Principality of Minden|Minden]], [[Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück|Osnabrück]], [[Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim|Hildesheim]], of [[Principality of Verden|Verden]], [[Principality of Cammin|Cammin]], [[Fulda]], [[Nassau (state)|Nassau]] and [[Moers]]; Princely Count of [[House of Henneberg|Henneberg]]; [[Count]] of [[County of Mark|Mark]], of [[County of Ravensberg|Ravensberg]], of [[County of Hohnstein|Hohenstein]], [[County of Tecklenburg|Tecklenburg]] and Lingen, of [[Mansfeld]], [[Sigmaringen]] and Veringen; Lord of Frankfurt.''<ref>Rudolf Graf v. Stillfried: ''[https://digitale-bibliothek-mv.de/viewer/image/PPN772070954/7/LOG_0005/ Die Titel und Wappen des preußischen Königshauses].'' Berlin 1875.</ref>

=== Honours and awards===
====German decorations<ref name = "HofUndStaat">''[http://opacplus.bsb-muenchen.de/title/6306816/ft/bsb10799169?page=147  Königlich Preußischer Staats-Kalender für das Jahr 1859]'', Genealogy p. 1</ref>====
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]:
** [[Order of the Black Eagle|Knight of the Black Eagle]], ''1 January 1807'';<ref>''Liste der Ritter des Königlich Preußischen Hohen Ordens vom Schwarzen Adler'' (1851), "Von Seiner Majestät dem Könige Friedrich Wilhelm III. ernannte Ritter" [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10362193?page=25 p. 15]</ref> with Collar, ''1815''
** [[Order of the Red Eagle|Grand Cross of the Red Eagle]], with Swords
** [[Pour le Mérite]] (military), ''27 July 1849''; with Oak Leaves, ''4 August 1866''; Grand Cross, ''11 November 1866''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lehmann|first1=Gustaf|title=Die Ritter des Ordens pour le mérite 1812–1913|year=1913|trans-title=The Knights of the Order of the Pour le Mérite|language=de|url=https://gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de/id/PPN135808618|page=423|volume=2|location=Berlin|publisher=[[E.S. Mittler & Sohn|Ernst Siegfried Mittler & Sohn]]}}</ref>
** Grand Commander's Cross of the [[House Order of Hohenzollern#Royal House Order|Royal House Order of Hohenzollern]]
** [[Iron Cross]], 2nd Class, ''1813''; 1st Class, ''1870''; [[Grand Cross of the Iron Cross|Grand Cross]], ''16 June 1871''
** Founder of the [[Order of the Crown (Prussia)|Royal Order of the Crown]], ''18 October 1861''<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch ... Preußen'' (1881/82), "Orden und Ehrenzeichen" [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4XYOAAAAYAAJ/page/n75 p. 42]</ref>
** Founder of the [[Military Merit Cross (Prussia)|Military Merit Cross]], ''27 February 1864''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Patzwall|first1=Klaus D.|year=1986|title=Das preußische Goldene Militär-Verdienstkreuz|publisher=Militair-Verlag K.D. Patzwall |language=de|isbn=3931533158}}</ref>
** Founder of the [[Duppel Storm Cross]], ''18 October 1864''<ref>{{cite web|title=PRUSSIA. Duppel Storm Cross on ribbon for Reserve Troops (PREUSSEN. Düppeler Sturmkreuz am Band für Reservetruppen), 1865|url=http://www.medal-medaille.com/sold/product_info.php?products_id=4284|website=Medal-Medaille.com|access-date=25 February 2021}}</ref>
** Founder of the [[Cross of Merit for Women and Girls]], ''22 March 1871''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ordensmuseum.de/historische-oe/verdienstkreuz-fur-frauen-und-jungfrauen/ |title=Verdienstkreuz für Frauen und Jungfrauen 1871 |publisher=Ordensmuseum.de |access-date=26 December 2018}}</ref>
* [[House of Ascania|Ascanian duchies]]: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Albert the Bear]], ''31 May 1841''<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt'' (1867) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=TYEp3N5O48EC&pg=PA16 16]</ref>
* [[Grand Duchy of Baden|Baden]]:<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden'' (1873), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 58, 63, 73</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[House Order of Fidelity]], ''1836''
** [[Order of the Zähringer Lion|Grand Cross of the Zähringer Lion]], ''1836''
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order]], ''1849''
* [[Kingdom of Bavaria|Bavaria]]:
** [[Order of St. Hubert|Knight of St. Hubert]], ''1842''<ref>{{Cite book|title=Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VJljAAAAcAAJ&q=Hof-%20und%20Staats-handbuch%20des%20K%C3%B6nigreichs%20Bayern&pg=PA8|publisher=Königl. Oberpostamt|date=1867|access-date=15 July 2019|language=de|page=8}}</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Order of Max Joseph]], ''21 November 1853''<ref>{{cite book|last=Ruith|first=Max|title=Der K. Bayerische Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hx3bms&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hx3bms&view=1up&seq=99&skin=2021 83]|location=Ingolstadt|publisher=Ganghofer'sche Buchdruckerei|year=1882|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>
* [[Duchy of Brunswick|Brunswick]]: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Henry the Lion]]
* [[Ernestine duchies]]: Grand Cross of the [[Saxe-Ernestine House Order]], ''May 1846''<ref>''Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha'' (1847), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" [https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00244774/Sachsen_Coburg_Gotha_165771801_1847_0045.tif?logicalDiv=jportal_jparticle_00476515 p. 27]</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Hanover|Hanover]]:<ref name="Hannover1857">{{cite book|author=Staat Hannover|title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch für das Königreich Hannover: 1857|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_XAZTAAAAcAAJ|year=1857|publisher=Berenberg|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_XAZTAAAAcAAJ/page/n47/mode/2up 32], [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_XAZTAAAAcAAJ/page/n77/mode/2up 63]}}</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Royal Guelphic Order]], ''1826''
** [[Order of St. George (Hanover)|Knight of St. George]], ''1840''
* [[Grand Duchy of Hesse|Hesse-Darmstadt]]:<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen'' (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" [https://archive.org/details/hofundstaatshan00gergoog/page/n34 pp. 10], [https://archive.org/details/hofundstaatshan00gergoog/page/n72 47], [https://archive.org/details/hofundstaatshan00gergoog/page/n154/mode/2up 130]</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Ludwig Order]], ''27 June 1838''
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of Philip the Magnanimous|Merit Order of Philip the Magnanimous]], with Swords, ''4 November 1849''
** Military Merit Cross, ''15 March 1871''
* [[Electorate of Hesse|Hesse-Kassel]]: [[House Order of the Golden Lion (Hesse-Kassel)|Knight of the Golden Lion]], ''5 September 1841''<ref>{{cite book|title=Kurfürstlich Hessisches Hof- und Staatshandbuch: 1856|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C_RSAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA11|year=1856|publisher=Waisenhaus|page=11}}</ref>
* [[Hohenzollern]]: Cross of Honour of the [[House Order of Hohenzollern#Princely House Order|Princely House Order of Hohenzollern]], 1st Class
* [[Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]: [[Military Merit Cross (Mecklenburg-Schwerin)|Military Merit Cross]], 1st Class
* [[Duchy of Nassau|Nassau]]: [[Order of the Golden Lion of Nassau|Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau]], ''May 1858''<ref>''[https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10021632?page=25 Staats- und Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Nassau]'' (1866), "Herzogliche Orden" p. 7</ref>
* [[Grand Duchy of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]]: [[House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis|Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig]], with Golden Crown,  ''16 May 1850''; with Swords, ''31 December 1870''<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=NpBYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA30  Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: für das Jahr 1872/73]'', "Der Großherzogliche Haus-und Verdienst Orden" p. 30</ref>
* [[Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]]: [[Order of the White Falcon|Grand Cross of the White Falcon]], ''24 December 1828'';<ref>''Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach'' (1830), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" [https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00184593/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_11_0015.tif p. 7]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> with Swords, ''1870''<ref>''Staatshandbuch ... Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach'' (1885), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" [https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00183988/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_15_0020.tif p. 13] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801001057/https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00183988/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_15_0020.tif |date=1 August 2019 }}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxony]]:
** [[Order of the Rue Crown|Knight of the Rue Crown]], ''1840''<ref>''Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen (1867)'' (in German), "Königliche Ritter-Orden", p. 4</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Order of St. Henry]], ''1870''<ref>{{cite book|title=Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen: 1873|year=1873|publisher=Heinrich|page=[http://opacplus.bsb-muenchen.de/title/9530888/ft/bsb11041169?page=57 35]}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Württemberg|Württemberg]]:<ref name="Württemberg1873">{{cite book|author=Württemberg|title=Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Württemberg: 1873|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NJRYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PR1|year=1873|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=NJRYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA31 31], [https://books.google.com/books?id=NJRYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA70 70]}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Württemberg Crown|Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown]], ''1836''
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Merit Order (Württemberg)|Military Merit Order]], ''12 September 1870''
}}

====Foreign decorations<ref name = "HofUndStaat"/><ref name = "Handbuch">''Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach'' (1885), "Genealogie", p. [https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00285418/Staatshandbuch_Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach_1885_0021.tif?logicalDiv=jportal_jpvolume_00095971 7]</ref>====
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* [[Austrian Empire|Austria]]:
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Stephen of Hungary|Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen]], ''1835''<ref>{{Citation |title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie |year=1887 |page=[http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1887&page=298&size=45 128] |chapter=Ritter-Orden: St. Stephans-orden |chapter-url=http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1887&page=292&size=45 |access-date=15 September 2020}}</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Order of Maria Theresa]]
* Belgium: [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold]], ''27 April 1851''<ref>{{cite book|title=Almanach royal officiel, publié, exécution d'un arrête du roi|volume=1|author=H. Tarlier|year=1854|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=p35NAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA37 37]|language=fr}}</ref>
* [[Empire of Brazil|Brazil]]:
** [[Order of the Southern Cross|Grand Cross of the Southern Cross]]
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of Pedro I]]
* [[Denmark]]: [[Knight of the Elephant]], ''27 February 1841''<ref name="Berlien1846">{{cite book|author=Johann Heinrich Friedrich Berlien|title=Der Elephanten-Orden und seine Ritter: eine historische Abhandlung über die ersten Spuren dieses Ordens und dessen fernere Entwicklung bis zu seiner gegenwärtigen Gestalt, und nächstdem ein Material zur Personalhistorie, nach den Quellen des Königlichen Geheimen-Staatsarchivs und des Königlichen Ordenskapitelsarchivs zu Kopenhagen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-BAZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA176|year=1846|publisher=Gedruckt in der Berlingschen Officin|pages=176}}</ref>
* [[Second French Empire|France]]: [[Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]], ''14 May 1857''<ref>{{cite book| author = M. & B. Wattel. | title = Les Grand'Croix de la Légion d'honneur de 1805 à nos jours. Titulaires français et étrangers |location= Paris |date = 2009 |publisher= Archives & Culture | page = 509 | isbn = 978-2-35077-135-9| ref = M. et B. Wattel}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]]: [[Order of the Redeemer|Grand Cross of the Redeemer]]
* [[Kingdom of Hawaii|Hawaii]]: Grand Cross of the [[Royal Order of Kamehameha I (decoration)|Order of Kamehameha I]], ''1876''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crownofhawaii.com/order-of-kamehameha|title=The Royal Order of Kamehameha|website=crownofhawaii.com|publisher=Official website of the Royal Family of Hawaii|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=28 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228013523/https://www.crownofhawaii.com/order-of-kamehameha|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]], ''8 April 1879''<ref>{{cite book|author=刑部芳則|title=明治時代の勲章外交儀礼|url=http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf|year=2017|publisher=明治聖徳記念学会紀要|language=ja|page=143}}</ref>
* [[Second Mexican Empire|Mexico]]: [[Mexican Imperial Orders#Imperial Order of the Mexican Eagle|Grand Cross of the Mexican Eagle]], with Collar, ''1865''<ref>{{citation|title=Almanaque imperial para el año 1866|year=1866|language=es|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VOAxAQAAMAAJ|chapter=Seccion IV: Ordenes del Imperio|pages=214–236, 242–243|access-date=29 April 2020}}</ref>
* [[Netherlands]]:
** Grand Cross of the [[Military William Order]]
** [[Order of the Netherlands Lion|Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion]]
* [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]]:
** [[Order of the Tower and Sword|Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword]]
** Grand Cross of the [[Sash of the Three Orders]]
* [[Russian Empire|Russia]]:
** [[Order of St. George|Knight of St. George]], 4th Class, ''3 August 1814'';<ref>{{cite book|title=Almanach de la cour: pour l'année ... 1817|year=1817|publisher=l'Académie Imp. des Sciences|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8ZpKAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA144 144]}}</ref> 1st Class, ''26 November 1869''<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DYwWAQAAIAAJ|author=V. M. Shabanov|title=Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George: A Nominal List, 1769–1920|year=2004|location=Moscow|isbn=5-89577-059-2}}</ref>
** [[Order of St. Andrew|Knight of St. Andrew]], ''20 June 1817''<ref>{{cite book|author=Sergey Semenovich Levin|title=Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-called (1699–1917). Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine (1714–1917)|year=2003|chapter=Lists of Knights and Ladies|location=Moscow}}</ref>
** [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky|Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky]], ''20 June 1817''
** [[Order of St. Anna|Knight of St. Anna]], 1st Class, ''20 June 1817''<ref>{{cite book|title=List of Knights of the Russian Imperial and Tsarist Orders|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z_QxAQAAMAAJ|chapter=Knights of the Order of Saint Anna|year=1850|page=96|publisher=Printing house of the II branch of His Imperial Majesty's Chancellery|language=ru}}</ref>
** [[Order of St. Vladimir|Knight of St. Vladimir]], 1st Class, ''30 August 1834''<ref>{{cite book|title=List of Knights of the Russian Imperial and Tsarist Orders|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z_QxAQAAMAAJ|chapter=Knights of the Order of Saint Prince Vladimir|year=1850|page=54|publisher=Printing house of the II branch of His Imperial Majesty's Chancellery|language=ru}}</ref>
* [[Congress Poland|Poland]]: [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Knight of the White Eagle]], ''1829''
* [[Kingdom of Sardinia|Sardinia]]:
** [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation|Knight of the Annunciation]], ''3 September 1850''<ref>{{Cite book|title=Notizia storica del nobilissimo ordine supremo della santissima Annunziata. Sunto degli statuti, catalogo dei cavalieri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2aP6enNFoYC&pg=PA113|publisher=Eredi Botta|date=1869|access-date=4 March 2019|language=it|first=Luigi|surname=Cibrario|page=113}}</ref>
** [[Gold Medal of Military Valor]], ''1866''<ref name="Decorato">[http://www.quirinale.it/onorificenze/insigniti/12329 "Hohenzollern Re di Prussia Guglielmo I"] (in Italian), ''Il sito ufficiale della Presidenza della Repubblica''. Retrieved 5 August 2018.</ref>
* [[Principality of Serbia|Serbia]]: [[Order of the Cross of Takovo|Grand Cross of the Cross of Takovo]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Acović|first=Dragomir|title=Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima|year=2012|location=Belgrade|publisher=Službeni Glasnik|pages=364}}</ref>
* [[Siam]]: Knight of the [[Order of the Royal House of Chakri]], ''1 September 1887''<ref>{{cite report |work=Royal Thai Government Gazette |date=1 September 1887 |url=http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2430/021/167.PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304213651/http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2430/021/167.PDF |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 March 2016 |title=ข่าวพระเจ้าน้องยาเธอ กรมหลวงเทวะวงษวโรปการ ข่าวการเชิญพระราชสาสน์ถวายแด่กษัตริย์ประเทศต่าง ๆ ในยุโรป |language=th |access-date=8 May 2019 |author-link=Royal Thai Government Gazette }}</ref> 
* Spain:
** [[Order of the Golden Fleece|Knight of the Golden Fleece]], ''22 March 1853''<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000941464&search=&lang=es|chapter=Caballeros de la insigne orden del toisón de oro|title=Guía Oficial de España|date=1887|access-date=21 March 2019|page=146|language=es}}</ref>
** [[Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand|Grand Cross of the Military Order of St. Ferdinand]]<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000941464&search=&lang=es|chapter=Caballeros Grandes Cruces: Real y militar Orden de San Fernando|title=Guía Oficial de España|date=1887|access-date=23 May 2020|page=387|language=es}}</ref>
* Sweden:
** [[Order of the Seraphim|Knight of the Seraphim]], ''8 January 1847''<ref>{{citation|title=Sveriges statskalender|year=1877|page=368|url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1877/0392.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=6 January 2018|language=sv}}</ref>
** Knight of the [[Order of Charles XIII]], ''1 December 1853''<ref>{{cite book|title=Sveriges och Norges statskalender|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9JhaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA630|year=1874|publisher=Liberförlag|page=630}}</ref>
**Special [[Order of the Sword|Sword medal]] in Gold, ''1875''
* [[Two Sicilies]]:
** [[Order of Saint Januarius|Knight of St. Januarius]], ''1847''<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.socistara.it/studi/Real%20Ordine%20di%20San%20Gennaro.pdf|page=9|language=Italian|title=Vicende e personaggi dell'Insigne e reale Ordine di San Gennaro dalla sua fondazione alla fine del Regno delle Due Sicilie|author=Angelo Scordo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190749/http://www.socistara.it/studi/Real%20Ordine%20di%20San%20Gennaro.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
** [[Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit|Grand Cross of St. Ferdinand and Merit]]
* [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]:
** [[Order of the Bath|Honorary Grand Cross of the Bath]] (military), ''1 January 1857''<ref name=p192>Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) ''The Knights of England'', '''I''', London, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n283/mode/2up p. 192]</ref>
** [[Order of the Garter|Stranger Knight of the Garter]], ''12 April 1861''<ref name=p61>Shaw, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n149/mode/2up p. 61]</ref>
}}

[[Wilhelm Island]] is named after him.

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Wilhelm I, German Emperor'''
|2= 2. [[Frederick William III of Prussia]]
|3= 3. [[Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]
|4= 4. [[Frederick William II of Prussia]]<ref name="NDB-Friedrich Wilhelm III">{{NDB|5|560|563|Friedrich Wilhelm III|Haussherr, Hans|118535986}}</ref>
|5= 5. [[Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt|Princess Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt]]<ref name="NDB-Friedrich Wilhelm III"/>
|6= 6. [[Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]<ref name="NDB-Louise">{{NDB|15|500|502|Luise|Backs, Silvia|118575155}}</ref>
|7= 7. [[Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt]]<ref name="NDB-Louise"/>
|8= 8. [[Prince Augustus William of Prussia]]<ref name="NDB-Friedrich Wilhelm II">{{NDB|5|558|560|Friedrich Wilhelm II|Haussherr, Hans|11869362X}}</ref>
|9= 9. [[Duchess Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]]<ref name="NDB-Friedrich Wilhelm II"/>
|10= 10. [[Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt]]<ref name="Genealogie-69">{{cite book|title=Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans| trans-title=Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA69|year=1768|publisher=Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel|location=Bourdeaux|language=fr|page=69}}</ref>
|11= 11. [[Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken]]<ref name="Genealogie-69"/>
|12= 12. [[Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]<ref name="Geneaologie-84">''Genealogie ascendate'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA84 p. 84]</ref>
|13= 13. [[Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen]]<ref name="Geneaologie-84"/>
|14= 14. [[Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt]]<ref name="Genealogie-70">''Genealogie ascendate'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=AINPAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA70 p. 70]</ref>
|15= 15. [[Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg]]<ref name="Genealogie-70"/>
}}

==See also==
* [[List of monarchs of Prussia]]
* [[Emperor William monuments]]
* [[Kamerun]]
* [[Togoland]]
* [[German South West Africa]]
* [[German New Guinea]]
* [[German East Africa]]
* [[German Samoa]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26266157 |jstor=26266157 |title=Second-tier Diplomacy. Hans von Gagern and William I in their Quest for an Alternative European Order, 1813–1818 |last1=De Graaf |first1=Beatrice |journal=Journal of Modern European History / Zeitschrift für Moderne Europäische Geschichte / Revue d'Histoire Européenne Contemporaine |year=2014 |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=546–566 }}
* {{cite book |last=Forbes |first=Archibald |title=William of Germany: A Succinct Biography of William I., German Emperor and King of Prussia |publisher=Cassell |year=1888 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7XkNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1 }}
* {{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20457340 |jstor=20457340 |title=Splendid Demonstrations: The Political Funerals of Kaiser Wilhelm I and Wilhelm Liebknecht |last1=Hughes |first1=Michael L. |journal=Central European History |year=2008 |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=229–253 |doi=10.1017/S0008938908000320 |s2cid=144463141 }}
* {{cite book |last=Röhl |first=John C. G. |title=Young Wilhelm: The Kaiser's Early Life, 1859–1888 |year=1998 |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0521497523 }}
* {{cite journal |doi=10.1353/vpr.2011.0007|title=The Other Kaiser: Wilhelm I and British Cartoonists, 1861-1914 |year=2011 |last1=Scully |first1=Richard |journal=Victorian Periodicals Review |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=69–98 |jstor=23079098 |s2cid=153572848 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23079098 }}
* {{cite thesis |last=Sterkenburgh |first=Frederik Frank |title=William I and monarchical rule in Imperial Germany |publisher=University of Warwick |year=2017 |url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/108226/ }}
* {{cite book |last=Steinberg |first=Jonathan |title=Bismarck: A Life |year=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |isbn=978-019978252-9 }}
* {{cite book |first=Christian |last=Schwochert |title=Kaiser Wilhelm I |location=Berlin |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-5118-8283-5}}

==External links==
{{commons|Wilhelm I of Germany}}
* [http://www.archontology.org/nations/german/germ_1871_1918a/wilhelm1.php Archontology.org – William I]
* [http://www.preussen.de Webpage of the House of Hohenzollern] {{in lang|de}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/023775}}
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** [[Carl Schurz]], [[s:Kaiser Wilhelm I|Kaiser Wilhelm I]], 1888
}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Hohenzollern]]|22 March|1797|9 March|1888}}
{{s-reg}}
|-
{{S-bef
| before = [[Frederick William IV]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[King of Prussia]]
| years = 2 January 1861 – 9 March 1888
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick III]]
| rows = 2
}}
{{s-new|creation
| reason = [[Unification of Germany]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[List of German monarchs|German Emperor]]
| years = 18 January 1871 – 9 March 1888
}}
{{S-bef
| before = [[Christian IX of Denmark]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg|Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg]]
| years = 1864–1876
}}
{{s-non
| reason = Incorporated into the<br />Prussian crown
| rows = 6
}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-vac|last=[[Christian IX of Denmark]]|reason=[[Treaty of Vienna (1864)|Treaty of Vienna]]}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Province of Schleswig-Holstein|Duke of Schleswig and Holstein]]
| years = 1864–1888
}}
{{S-bef
| before = [[Adolphe of Luxembourg]]
| as = [[List of rulers of Nassau|Duke of Nassau]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Province of Hesse-Nassau|Prince of Nassau]]
| years = 1866–1888
}}
{{S-bef
| before = [[Frederick William, Elector of Hesse|Frederick William of Hesse]]
| as = [[Elector of Hesse]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Province of Hesse-Nassau|Landgrave of Hesse<br />Prince of Fulda]]
| years = 1866–1888
}}
{{S-bef
| before = [[Karl Konstanz Viktor Fellner|Karl Fellner]]
| as = [[Free City of Frankfurt|Elder Mayor of Frankfurt]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Province of Hesse-Nassau|Lord of Frankfurt]]
| years = 1866–1888
}}
{{S-bef
| before = [[George V of Hanover]]
| as = [[King of Hanover]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Province of Hanover|Prince of East Friesland, Osnabrück,<br />Hildesheim and Verden<br />Count of Lingen and Tecklenburg]]
| years = 1866–1888
}}
{{s-off}}
{{S-bef
| before = [[Francis Joseph I of Austria]]
| as = Head of the ''Präsidialmacht'' of the [[German Confederation]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Holder of the ''[[Bundespräsidium]]'' of the [[North German Confederation]]
| years = 1 July 1867 – 18 January 1871
}}
{{s-non
| reason = Confederation abolished
| reason2 = [[German Empire|German Empire proclaimed]]
}}
{{S-end}}

{{Rulers of Prussia}}
{{German monarchs}}
{{Prussian princes}}
{{German Confederations 1806-1871}}
{{Heads of State of Germany}}
{{GermanUnification}}
{{Recipients of the Grand Cross}}

{{Authority control}}

<!-- Honours -->

{{DEFAULTSORT:William 01, German Emperor}}
[[Category:William I, German Emperor| ]]
[[Category:1797 births]]
[[Category:1860s in Prussia]]
[[Category:1870s in Germany]]
[[Category:1870s in Prussia]]
[[Category:1880s in Germany]]
[[Category:1880s in Prussia]]
[[Category:1888 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century kings of Prussia]]
[[Category:19th-century monarchs in Europe]]
[[Category:19th-century Prussian military personnel]]
[[Category:19th-century regents]]
[[Category:Burials at the Charlottenburg Palace Park Mausoleum, Berlin]]
[[Category:Children of Frederick William III of Prussia]]
[[Category:Colonel generals of Prussia]]
[[Category:Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg]]
[[Category:Extra Knights Companion of the Garter]]
[[Category:German Calvinist and Reformed Christians]]
[[Category:German emperors]]
[[Category:German hunters]]
[[Category:19th-century German landowners]]
[[Category:German people of the Franco-Prussian War]]
[[Category:German Protestants]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Military Order of Maria Theresa]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Military Order of Max Joseph]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Aviz|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint James of the Sword|3]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:House of Hesse-Kassel]]
[[Category:House of Hohenzollern]]
[[Category:Kings of Prussia]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Military Order of William]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of Charles XIII]]
[[Category:Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand]]
[[Category:Members of the Prussian National Assembly]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Berlin]]
[[Category:Prussian Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. George of the First Degree]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion]]
[[Category:Regents of Prussia]]
[[Category:German Freemasons]]
[[Category:Sons of prince-electors]]