Titles and ranks of Kaiser Wilhelm II

Kaiser Wilhelm II in the uniform of a Großadmiral of the Imperial German Navy

The list of titles and ranks of Kaiser Wilhelm II (German Empire) shows a selection of the many titles, ranks, orders and decorations awarded to Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Preußen, later Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859–1941), German Emperor and King of Prussia.

Titles and styles

Wilhelm II as Colonel-in-Chief of the Gardes du Corps in white parade uniform; painting by A. H. Hering (1900)

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and German prince Franz-Josef, Kaiser of Austria

Kaiser Wilhelm II as Field Marshal of the Ottoman Army with a master's fez; oil painting by Max Fleck (1916) in the Imperial Embassy Palace

Commemorative Badge for the 70th birthday of Kaiser Wilhelm II (Erinnerungszeichen zum 70. Geburtstag Kaiser Wilhelms II.); The decoration was donated on the occasion of the 70th birthday. The celebration took place in the Doorn house in exile in the Netherlands. This badge of honor was given to people from the circle of friends and family, the immediate environment as well as people who were close to the former emperor and were among the well-wishers. The official guests came to congratulate as soon as 24 January 1929. Among the well-wishers were various representatives of ruling and abdicated houses, representatives of the military such as Generalfeldmarschall August von Mackensen and General of the Infantry Oskar von Hutier. Around 100 pieces are said to have been handed out directly at the main celebration on 27 January 1929. All together, the number of awards of the commemorative badge is given as approximately 290 pieces.

• 27 January 1859 – 9 March 1888: His Royal Highness Prince Wilhelm of Prussia
• 9 March 1888 – 15 June 1888: His Imperial and Royal Highness The German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia
• 15 June 1888 – 9 November 1918: His Imperial and Royal Majesty The German Emperor, King of Prussia

Full title as German Emperor:

His Imperial and Royal Majesty Wilhelm the Second, by the Grace of God, German Emperor and King of Prussia, Margrave of Brandenburg, Burgrave of Nuremberg, Count of Hohenzollern, Duke of Silesia and of the County of Glatz, Grand Duke of the Lower Rhine and of Posen, Duke of Saxony, of Angria, of Westphalia, of Pomerania and of Lunenburg, Duke of Schleswig, of Holstein and of Crossen, Duke of Magdeburg, of Bremen, of Guelderland and of Jülich, Cleves and Berg, Duke of the Wends and the Kashubians, of Lauenburg and of Mecklenburg, Landgrave of Hesse and in Thuringia, Margrave of Upper and Lower Lusatia, Prince of Orange, of Rugen, of East Friesland, of Paderborn and of Pyrmont, Prince of Halberstadt, of Münster, of Minden, of Osnabrück, of Hildesheim, of Verden, of Kammin, of Fulda, of Nassau and of Moers, Princely Count of Henneberg, Count of the Mark, of Ravensberg, of Hohenstein, of Tecklenburg and of Lingen, Count of Mansfeld, of Sigmaringen and of Veringen, Lord of Frankfurt.

Military ranks and titles

• 27 January 1869: 2nd Lieutenant in the 1. Garderegiment zu Fuß and à la suite of the Berlin I. Battalion/2. Garde-Landwehr-Regiment
• 22 March 1876: 1st Lieutenant
• 22 March 1880: Captain
• 16 October 1881: Major
• 16 September 1885: Colonel and Commander of the Garde-Husaren-Regiment
• 27 January 1888: Generalmajor and Commander of the 2. Garde-Infanterie-Brigade
• 15 June 1888: Supreme Commander of the German Army and Chief of the Imperial German Navy, Chief of the Prussian Army

Honorary military ranks

• Imperial Russian Field Marshal (1888)
• Imperial Ottoman Field Marshal
• Field Marshal of the Imperial and Royal Army of Austria-Hungary
• Royal British Honorary Fleet Admiral (August 1889)
• Royal British Field Marshal (27 January 1901)
• Royal Swedish Flag Admiral
• Royal Norwegian Honorary Admiral
• Royal Danish Honorary Admiral
• Admiral of the Imperial Russian Fleet
• Honorary Admiral of the Royal Greek Fleet

Colonel-in-Chief

German and Austrian:

• 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß
  • Company commander of the Leibcompany of the same regiment
• Grenadier-Regiment „König Friedrich Wilhelm I.“ (2. Ostpreußisches) Nr. 3
• Leib-Grenadier-Regiment „König Friedrich Wilhelm III.“ (1. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 8
• Königs-Infanterie-Regiment (6. Lothringisches) Nr. 145
• Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment „Kaiser Wilhelm II.“ Nr. 2
• Regiment der Gardes du Corps
• Leib-Garde-Husaren-Regiment
• Königs-Ulanen-Regiment (1. Hannoversches) Nr. 13
• Regiment Königs-Jäger zu Pferde Nr. 1
• 1. Garde-Feldartillerie-Regiment
• Grenadier-Regiment „Kaiser Wilhelm I.“ (2. Badisches) Nr. 110
• Infanterie-Regiment „Kaiser Wilhelm“ (2. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 116
• Großherzoglich Mecklenburgisches Füsilier-Regiment „Kaiser Wilhelm“ Nr. 90
• 2. Grenadier-Regiment „Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen“ Nr. 101
• 3. Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 21 „Kaiser Wilhelm II., König von Preußen“
• 2. Infanterie-Regiment „Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen“ Nr. 120
• 1. Dragoner-Regiment „Königin Olga“ Nr. 25
• 6. Infanterie-Regiment „Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen“
• 1. Ulanen-Regiment „Kaiser Wilhelm II., König von Preußen“
• k.u.k. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 34 (Austria-Hungary)
• k.u.k. K.u.k. Husaren-Regiment „Wilhelm II. Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen“ Nr. 7 (Austria-Hungary)
• k.u.k. Feldhaubitzen-Regiment Nr. 23 (Austria-Hungary)

Foreign:

• Imperial Russian St. Petersburger Leib-Garde-Grenadier-Regiment „König Friedrich Wilhelm III.“
• Imperial Russian 85. Infanterie-Regiment „Wyborg“
• Imperial Russian 13. Husaren-Regiment „Narva“
• Bulgarian 12. Balkan-Infanterie-Regiment „Balkanski“
• Bulgarian 10. Kavallerie-Regiment
• Royal British 1st (Royal) Regiment of Dragoons
• Royal Portuguese 4. Reiter-Regiments
• Royal Spanish Dragoner-Regiments „Numancia“

Academia (honorary doctorates)

• Dr. iur. utr. h. c. from the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin (promoted by Josef Kohler at the 100th anniversary of the university)
• Dr.-Ing. e. h. from the Polytechnic University of Berlin
• Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Cluj (1910)
• Doctor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford
• Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Pennsylvania
• Dr. med. h. c. from the Karl-Ferdinand University

Non-military ranks and decorations (excerpt)

As King of Prussia, the Emperor was sovereign over all Prussian orders. On appropriate occasions, he wore the corresponding order's insignia of the highest rank. The German federal princes awarded him their country's highest honor.

• Ninth Head and Ninth Sovereign and Master of the High Order of the Black Eagle
• Protector of the Order of St. John (Johanniter-Orden)
• Honorary and Devotional Grand Cross Bailli of the Sovereign Order of Malta
• Grand Master and Holder of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross
• Knight of the Order of the Garter (United Kingdom; subsequently revoked in 1915)
• Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (United Kingdom; subsequently revoked in 1915)
• Knight of the Order of St. Andrew (Russia)
• Knight of the Order of the Annunciation (Italy)
• Knight of the Elephant (Denmark)
• Knight of the Order of the Seraphim (Sweden)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of William (Netherlands)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands)
• Knight of the Order of the Norwegian Lions (Norway)
• Recipient of the Iron Crescent (Ottoman Empire)
• Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Spain)
• Recipient of the Ottoman/Turkish Gallipoli Star (Eiserner Halbmond)
• Recipient of the Military Order of Maria Theresa (Austria-Hungary)
• Recipient of the Grand Cross of the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stephen (Austria-Hungary)
• Recipient of the Grand Cross of the Military Order of St. Henry (Saxony)
• Knight of the Order of St. Hubert (Bavaria)
• Recipient of the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph (Bavaria)
• Tupu Sili o Samoa ("Paramount King of Samoa")