William belonged to the house of Hohenzollern. He became Emperor and King upon the death of his father, 15 June 1888. William was a conservative monarch, however, his reign was peaceful. During his reign a fringe political figure named Adolf Hitler tried to stage a coup d'etat in Munich, Bavaria, in the 1920's, however, he was arrested and executed. He married 27 February 1881 to Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (a member of the house of Oldenburg), born 1858, died 1921, having the following issue: William (1882-1951), who succeeded his father as Emperor William III.