Wilhelm II Dies Before Assuming the Throne in 1888

This is an exploratory thread. I plan on writing about this scenario more extensively at a later date. I want to hear thoughts and ideas about the possibilities of the scenario (which will be properly credited if used).

The Premise
Wilhelm II, the heir to the German Empire, dies before he can assume office in 1888. After the death of Fredrick III his next eldest son, Heinrich, assumes the throne. Younger, more reserved, and less aggressive than his now deceased elder brother, Heinrich represents a different path for Imperial Germany in the Belle Epoque and beyond. What would an Imperial Germany under Heinrich's control look like as opposed to the Germany we know under Wilhelm II?
 
In 1888 then crown prince Wilhelm had already son so him would become kaiser if then OTL Wilhelm II doesn't die before prince Wilhelm's birth.
 
Gotcha, I see he was born in 1882, so the PoD for Wilhelm's death would have to be beforehand. Any recommendations?
 
Just a few random, unordered thoughts:

I think a lot depends on the POD. If Wilhelm dies early in his childhood (like two of his younger brothers, so definitely a possible POD), Heinrich's education and upbringing will be drastically altered since he'd be second in line to the throne with the expectation to succeed his father. That probably means he would join the army instead of the navy. Not sure what the long term implications of that would be though. Wilhelm was also geared toward the army from a young age, and still developed a huge fascination with the navy.

If Wilhelm dies close to 1882, on the other hand, Heinrich would be much closer to his OTL-self. I'd say he would be a much better Emperor than Wilhelm in either case. His mother said he was "terribly retarded in everything... hopelessly lazy - boring and sluggish in his school hours." However, his mother Victoria was "difficult" as well so I'd be careful about her judgement. At least in his later life Heinrich appeared pretty competent. Much more so than his brother. I think especially in terms of diplomacy he has a leg up. During his trips abroad he was generally well liked, and didn't have the same kind of baggage in international relations compared to his brother. I think Wilhelm's strange relation to Britain, to a large degree resulting from his mother issues, would not be as prominent in Heinrich. Though that might vary if he is groomed from early childhood as heir, and thus might face the same difficulties as Wilhelm (minus all those issues related to the disability in Wilhelm's arm).

In addition, Heinrich seems to have been generally curious in matters of technology, for example pushing for advances in the areas of naval technology, aviation and motorization. Admittedly, so was Wilhelm, but Heinrich's interest seemed to be much more grounded and tangible than Wilhelm's childish fancies and curious yet erratic mind. Of course Heinrich's interest are also subject to change if he doesn't join the navy, for example.

Politically I'm not sure. Wilhelm basically rebelled against his mother's liberal British influence and turned towards more autocratic tendencies. I don't know enough about Heinrich to comment on that. I would speculate that if he's the designated heir from early on his mother's overbearing nature could drive him in a similar direction.

Another important factor would be Heinrich's marriage as Emperor or heir. In OTL two of his children died of hemophilia. Of course, him already being a grandson of the hemophiliac Queen Victoria, marrying another Granddaughter of her wasn't great in that regard. If the butterflies refreshed the gene pool a bit it would certainly increase the chances of secure successions in the long term. However, basically everyone at that time was a descendant of Victoria so I don't know how likely that is.

Overall, I think Heinrich would be a much more capable Emperor, regardless of POD. You most likely get someone much more stable, competent and with way less emotional issues. Also if you haven't, check out "Es Geloybte Aretz", one of the most popular TLs on this site. There Heinrich becomes Regent for Wilhelm's underage son in 1888, which gives some interesting insights into how he would have behaved in a position of such responsibility.
 
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