AHC: Kaiser Wilhelm I assassinated in 1878:

While Alexander II may be the most famous 19th Century monarch to be assassinated, his uncle Wilhelm I of Germany had two assassination attempts on his life in 1878. What happens if either of these attempts succeed in killing him and thus propel Frederick III to the position of German Emperor 10 years earlier?
 
Oh, wow. At the height of Bismarck's power, with the reich still finding vits feet, and smack in the teeth of a nasty economic crisis, you get an emperor who loathes the chancellor. Soap opera potential! (On a more serious note, it could tear apart Germany. Or it could remake it in a different mould, of course, but that's not a given at all.)

You realise that, ceteris paribus, you will have books explaining how Bismarck poisoned Emperor Frederick appearing on a yearly schedule.
 
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