Read MacMillan’s essay to learn much more about the lessons of 1914 for our age. All three men were also fifth cousins, being equal descendants of King George II of England. Wilhelm’s mother was the sister of George’s father George’s mother and Nicholas’ mother were sisters from the Danish royal family.

(family tree image by Marcia Underwood see essay for image credits) In fact, they were all cousins with each other: Wilhelm and George were first cousins, George and Nicholas were also first cousins, and Wilhelm and Nicholas were third cousins.* WWI family relationships One aspect of the war upon which she remarks is the close connection among the three principal monarchs of the age, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany King George V of England and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Together, they presided over the last years of dynastic Eu. George, Nicholas and Wilhelm In the years before the First World War, the great European powers were ruled by three first cousins: King George V of. In illuminating the years before 1914, MacMillan shows the many parallels between then and now, telling an urgent story for our time. In the years before the First World War, the great European powers were ruled by three first cousins: King George V of Britain, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. In the latest Brookings Essay, “ The Rhyme of History: Lessons of the Great War,” noted historian Margaret MacMillan compares current global tensions-rising nationalism, globalization’s economic pressures, sectarian strife, and the United States’ fading role as the world’s pre-eminent superpower-to the period preceding the Great War. George, Nicolas and Wilhelm were cousins who reigned in Britain, Russia and Germany during the years leading up to the war. King George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia are all portrayed by Tom Hollander, and are said to be cousins in the movie.

George wilhelm nicholas cousins