What happened to the German king after his countries defeat in the First World War?
Primary Documents: Count Detlef von Moltke on Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Abdication, 29 October-11 November 1918 Updated – Saturday, 1 May, 2004 With Germany actively seeking an armistice and revolution threatening, calls for Kaiser Wilhelm II to abdicate grew in intensity. Wilhelm was himself deeply reluctant to make such a sacrifice, instead expressing a preference to lead his armies back into Germany from the Western Front. Upon being informed by his military advisers that the army could not be relied upon not to harm him Wilhelm abandoned the notion. Wilhelm’s abdication was announced by Chancellor Prince Max von Baden in a 9 November 1918 proclamation – before Wilhelm had in fact consented to abdicate (but after Social Democrat Philipp Scheidemann had announced the Kaiser’s departure from the balcony of the Reichstag). Faced with a fait accompli Wilhelm formally abdicated and went into exile in Holland (an account of these events by a member of his personal staff, Count Detlef von Moltke
