Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein VA (Auguste Viktoria Friederike Luise Feodora Jenny; 22 October 1858 – 11 April 1921) was the last German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to Wilhelm II, German Emperor. She was a member of the ducal family of Schleswig-Holstein. Augusta Victoria had not been Wilhelm's first choice for a wife, but he was determined to marry a princess, and selected Augusta, his second cousin. While Wilhelm's family did not support the marriage, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck saw the marriage as an opportunity to solve conflicts between the Prussian government and Augusta's family. This proved to be enough to convince Wilhelm's family to consent. While Augusta and Wilhelm became devoted to each other, her relationship to the rest of his family was often cold. A conflict with Wilhelm's sister Sophie led Augusta to give birth prematurely to her son Joachim. Though Joachim survived, both Augusta and Wilhelm held Sophie responsible. Augusta died in exile in the Netherlands, two and a half years after her husband was forced to abdicate at the end of World War I. Augusta Victoria in "Last Flight of the Swan of the East"[]On 22 October 1914, the crew of the SMS Emden fired off a 21-gun salute to celebrate Augusta Victoria's birthday.[1] References[]
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Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
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