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George V, King of Britain; William II, Kaiser of Germany; and Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia. They were cousins and they oversaw World War I, 1914-18, fought largely among the nations that they reined, a global conflict that resulted in the death of millions.

 King George was the second son of King Edward VII, who was the eldest son of Queen Victoria of Britain. William II was the eldest child of Frederick III, the German Kaiser, and Empress Victoria, the latter being the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. Nicholas II of Russia was the nephew of Edward VII, the father of George V. Nicholas married Alexandra, whose mother was Princess Alice, the third daughter of Queen Victoria.

It was upon the death of his elder brother, Prince Albert, that George became heir to the British throne, and he married Mary of Teck, who had been Albert's fianc¨Ĥe.

William was born with a physical handicap, a damaged left arm, which never fully developed. In spite of this, and some people say exactly because of this, William grew to be a hyperactive monarch, with a strong love for military life.

Nicholas II seemed to be a diligent but inept ruler. He prefered privacy of the family and was ill at ease in public. He and tsarina Alexandra had four daughter and one son. The youngest child and only boy, tsarevich Alexis, suffered from hemophilia, a disease which could cause unstoppable bleeding. Partly because of this, tsarina Alexandra came under the influence of some spiritualists and faith-healers, the most notable being Rasputin, who, before his assassination, achieved great power in Russian government.

The Great War of 1914-18 did not break out because of personality-conflicts, but once it got under way, the three monarchs devoted themselves to their respective national war-effort, with Britain and Russia fighting as allies against Germany. 

By the time Germany was defeated, internal upheavals in Russia that culminated in the Bolshevik Revolution had toppled the imperial government headed by Nicholas II. He, Alexandra, and their five children were executed in July 1918.

In the meantime, William II was forced to abdicate. He sought asylum in the Netherlands, where he died in 1941.

George V died in 1936, succeeded by his eldest son Edward, the King who later gave up the crown out of love for a divorced woman.

Here is a picture showing Nicholas II with his son Alexis.

 

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