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August IV Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor von Hohenzollern (born 29 January 1887), Prince of Prussia, is the fourth son of German Emperor Wilhelm II Since 1920, he has reigned as the King of the restored Kingdom of Poland, a de facto German client state encompassing the borders of the former Congress Poland.
The nomination of August as a candidate for the throne was a highly controversial endeavour. More popular candidates in Poland, or those deemed more suitable, such as Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern, the nominal head of the Hohenzollern's Catholic Sigmaringen branch, or the Habsburg Archduke Karl Stephan were passed over in favor of one of the Kaiser's direct relatives. The decision to nominate August can be seen as the incarnation of late Weltkrieg-era power politics between the various German constituent states and between Germany and Austria over the spoils of war.
In Poland, August is perceived as a rather unpopular ruler. Surrounded by advisers from Germany proper, faced with allegations of homosexuality, and having only a limited command of the Polish language, the King is seen as a symbol of foreign domination who is unable to blend into a deeply Catholic, traditionalist country.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Born in Potsdam to then Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and Duchess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince August Wilhelm was educated on Plön Prinzenhaus and attended the universities of Bonn, Berlin and Straßburg, receiving in 1907 a Doctorate in Political Sciences. Marrying in 1908 to his cousin Princess Alexander Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, his house in Potsdam quickly became a meeting place for artists and scholars. During the Weltkrieg, he was named governor of the Ruppin district, developing a great friendship with his personal aide, Hans Georg von Mackensen, son of Field Marshal August von Mackensen. Some rumours, always denied by the Imperial Family, claimed that he had a homosexual relationship with him, contributing to the failure of his marriage with Princess Alexandra Victoria, to whom he divorced in 1920. Taking drawing lessons from Arthur Kampf, Prince August Wilhelm earned substantial incomes from the selling of his paintings.
King of Poland[]
In 1921, August was crowned King of Poland in the silver regalia of King August III (1696-1763).
Family[]
Prince August Wilhelm was married from October, 22 1908 to March 1920 to Princess Alexandra Victoria von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , born on April, 21 1887. They had one son together, Prince Alexander Ferdinand Albrecht Achilles Wilhelm Joseph Viktor Carl Feodor, born on December, 26 1912.