Europe's Rival Kings in 1914 Were Family, and It Did Not Stop War
Queen Victoria died in the German Kaiser's arms, yet family ties did not help rival cousins understand each other.
The Rest Is Politics: Leading · The Storm Before The World War? | Odd Arne WestadThe rival rulers who faced each other in 1914 were close relatives, and it did not prevent war.
Odd Arne Westad, who has written a book comparing today to 1914, points to that kinship as a warning. Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II, Russia's Tsar Nicholas II, and Britain's King George V, the rulers of Germany, Russia and Britain, were cousins tied to Britain's Queen Victoria. Wilhelm was Victoria's oldest and favorite grandson, and Westad notes that "she literally died in his arms."
They spoke the same languages and could talk with ease. They talked often but understood each other poorly about the changing balance of power among the great powers before 1914.
Family closeness and easy conversation did not prevent war.
Questions people ask
How exactly were Wilhelm, George, and Nicholas related?
All three were grandchildren of monarchs who intermarried across Europe. Wilhelm II and George V were both grandsons of Queen Victoria, making them first cousins, and George V and Nicholas II looked so alike that people confused them because their mothers were Danish princess sisters. Wilhelm and Nicholas were also cousins through different lines, so the three emperors called each other by family nicknames in letters.
Was Queen Victoria really holding the Kaiser when she died?
Wilhelm was at her bedside when she died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight on January 22, 1901. Contemporary accounts say he was present and supported her, and he later described it as dying in his arms. Historians generally agree he was there at the end, which was unusual for a reigning foreign monarch.
If they were family, why didn't that stop the war?
Personal affection could not settle alliances, military plans, and national ambitions. By 1914, Germany, Russia, Britain, and France were locked into competing blocs, timetables for mobilization, and fears of losing status. Family letters and visits continued even as generals and politicians made decisions that made backing down feel more dangerous than fighting.