Description
This rich and compelling volume describes the life of Kaiser Wilhelm II from his birth in 1859 to his accession to the Prusso-German throne in 1888, a story so extraordinary that it will fascinate anyone interested in the psychology and the throng of personalities of the period. Its aim is to set the characters on the stage and let them speak for themselves, which in their letters and diaries the Victorians and Wilhelminians did with quite extraordinary clarity and persuasive power. The central theme is the bitter conflict between the handicapped Prince and his liberal parents, and in particular with his mother, the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and the utter failure of a daring educational experiment intended to turn the young Prince into a liberal Anglophile.
John C. G. Roehl's acclaimed life of Kaiser Wilhelm II, from his birth in 1859 to his accession to the throne in 1888.
About the Author
John C. G. Roehl is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Sussex. His many previous publications include The Kaiser and his Court (1994) which was awarded the Wolfson History Prize as well as the two other volumes of his biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II - Wilhelm II: The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 1888-1900 (Cambridge, 2004), which have won the Einhard Prize for the biography of a major European figure in 2012, and Wilhelm II: Into the Abyss of War and Exile, 1900-1941 (2014).
Reviews
Review of the hardback: 'It is a masterpiece ... enthrallingly readable.' Niall Ferguson, The Sunday Times
Review of the hardback: 'Roehl's biography is a stunning achievement by any yardstick, a definitive work which breaks new ground.' The Times Higher Education Supplement
Review of the hardback: '... the definitive biography of Germany's last Emperor. No other scholar has Roehl's command of the sources or his deep commitment to understanding Wilhelm's place in history'. James J. Sheehan, The Times Literary Supplement
Review of the hardback: '... a masterpiece ... shows just how compelling and how readable academic history can be.' Charlotte Zeepvat, Royalty Digest
Review of the hardback: '... Roehl tells a morbidly fascinating story will skill and impeccable scholarship.' The Court Historian
Review of the hardback: 'The morbid charm of Europe's high nobility has evidently cast its spell over the author. Not only their love affairs but also their illnesses exert a quite irresistible attraction ... His account of the Crown Prince's fatal illness of cancer of the larynx, which dominates the last 200 pages of the book ... must be the most exact medical record ever written by a historian.' Volker Ulrich, Die Zeit
Review of the hardback: 'It is unlikely that another biography of Wilhelm II will ever surpass the level of detail or the depth of archival knowledge Roehl has achieved.' Isabel V. Hull, Journal of Modern History
Book Information
ISBN 9781107565968
Author John C. G. Roehl
Format Paperback
Page Count 998
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 1690g
Dimensions(mm) 247mm * 174mm * 39mm
John C. G. Roehl's acclaimed life of Kaiser Wilhelm II, from his birth in 1859 to his accession to the throne in 1888.
About the Author
John C. G. Roehl is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Sussex. His many previous publications include The Kaiser and his Court (1994) which was awarded the Wolfson History Prize as well as the two other volumes of his biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II - Wilhelm II: The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 1888-1900 (Cambridge, 2004), which have won the Einhard Prize for the biography of a major European figure in 2012, and Wilhelm II: Into the Abyss of War and Exile, 1900-1941 (2014).
Reviews
Review of the hardback: 'It is a masterpiece ... enthrallingly readable.' Niall Ferguson, The Sunday Times
Review of the hardback: 'Roehl's biography is a stunning achievement by any yardstick, a definitive work which breaks new ground.' The Times Higher Education Supplement
Review of the hardback: '... the definitive biography of Germany's last Emperor. No other scholar has Roehl's command of the sources or his deep commitment to understanding Wilhelm's place in history'. James J. Sheehan, The Times Literary Supplement
Review of the hardback: '... a masterpiece ... shows just how compelling and how readable academic history can be.' Charlotte Zeepvat, Royalty Digest
Review of the hardback: '... Roehl tells a morbidly fascinating story will skill and impeccable scholarship.' The Court Historian
Review of the hardback: 'The morbid charm of Europe's high nobility has evidently cast its spell over the author. Not only their love affairs but also their illnesses exert a quite irresistible attraction ... His account of the Crown Prince's fatal illness of cancer of the larynx, which dominates the last 200 pages of the book ... must be the most exact medical record ever written by a historian.' Volker Ulrich, Die Zeit
Review of the hardback: 'It is unlikely that another biography of Wilhelm II will ever surpass the level of detail or the depth of archival knowledge Roehl has achieved.' Isabel V. Hull, Journal of Modern History
Book Information
ISBN 9781107565968
Author John C. G. Roehl
Format Paperback
Page Count 998
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 1690g
Dimensions(mm) 247mm * 174mm * 39mm
