WILLIAM I or WILHELM I, emperor of Germany and 7th king of Prussia: b. Berlin, 22 March 1797; d. there, 9 March 1888. He was the second son of Frederick William III and Louisa of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and from his earliest years was trained in military exercises. In the campaign of 1813-14 he joined the Prus sian forces as captain, receiving then, for his bravery in the field, the 'Cross of Saint George° from the Tsar Alexander. On the death of his father in 1840 he became heir presumptive to the throne, and received the title of Prince of Prussia. On the outbreak of the revolution in 1848 he left Berlin for England, but was soon recalled and in the following year pro ceeded against the insurgents with military vigor and suppressed the insurrection in Baden and the Palatinate. His brother having be come incapable of ruling William (1857) was appointed regent, and in January 1861 became king, being crowned at Konigsberg in October of the same year. With the assistance of Otto von Bismarck (q.v.) as president of the Cabinet and Von }
l'russia and France (1870), and the South German States having declared in favor of the former, King William led the combined Ger man forces through the campaign, which re sulted in the defeat of Napoleon at Sedan, and finally in the siege and capitulation of Paris. Meanwhile the North-German Parliament, unit ing with the German princes, desired the king to become German emperor. This honor he ac cepted, and he was crowned as Emperor Wil liam 1 at Versailles on 18 Jan. 1871. After the conclusion of peace with France, and having entered Paris with his army, the emperor re turned to Berlin amid great enthusiasm. The latter part of his reign was passed in consoli dating the power of the new German empire, and in parliamentary and political conflicts with the Catholic. Liberal and Socialist parties in the state. (See G•amAss.). His life was at tempted several times. Among biographies arc those of Forbes (1).); Smith, G. B..
Strauss (1887); Simon (French, 1887, Eng.
trans ) ; Marcks, 'Kaiser V1ilhelm (1899).
oroult also Von Ss Die Begriiclung des I kg' t schen k(irlis ( sl.sn - Eng 18'k) ')2 ) 'Ref,.unding of the (;erman Enipire' (1:-0)2); Krause, 'Growth of German Unity' (1892); thicken, 'Das Zeitalter des Kaisers Wilhelm' (1890-92); Blume. 'Kaiser Wilhelm' (Berlin 1906); Delbruech, F.. `Use Jugend ‘William I' (Berlin 1907).