Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor (Kaiser) and King of Prussia. His reckless policies resulted in World War I. Born in Germany, as the son of the Crown Prince of Prussia and the daughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain, Wilhelm served as the Emperor of Germany from 1888 to 1918, until the end of World War I. While growing up, Wilhelm resisted attempts by his parents to raise him with liberal ideology and gradually became a supporter of autocratic rule. Upon the death of his father, Wilhelm inherited the crown of German emperor (Kaiser) as well as the King of Prussia, at the age of 29. Wilhelm was a strong supporter of increasing the strength of the German armed forces and although he was closely related to the British royal family, he alienated Britain with his naval expansion and also enraged several other countries with his highly inappropriate remarks. Without realizing the chain reaction his actions would trigger, which eventually led to World War I, he encouraged the Austrians to adopt a firm line against Serbia, ensuring Austria the German support in the event of war. Subsequently, Russia and its allies, France and Great Britain, entered the war against Germany and Austria. The German military soon collapsed and upon realizing that he would be captured almost immediately, Wilhelm abdicated the throne and then went into exile to the Netherlands, where he died after some years.