Image of the Day: Emperor Cousins

German Kaiser Wilhelm II & Russian Tsar Nicolas II

This photo is very odd for reasons that are not readily apparent. Taken in 1905, the photo shows the 46-year-old Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire and the 37-year-old Tsar Nicolas II of the Russian Empire. Of course, there is nothing odd about two leaders' posing together. In addition to being reigning monarchs in Europe, the two were also third cousins. There also is nothing strange about two cousins posing together, even if they are from different countries.

Ok, here's the odd bit: Notice the uniforms. One might say that leaders' posing in military uniforms is not unusual, and that is correct. However, how often does a leader of an empire agree to don the military uniform of another empire, and then agree to be photographed while wearing that uniform? Well, that's what these two rascally cousins had done. The German kaiser on the left is wearing the uniform of a Russian general; the Russian tsar on the right is sporting the uniform of a German general. Quite odd, don't you think?

Adding a strong dose of irony to all this is the fact that just 9 years later, these two cousins went to war against one another. Their respective armies killed millions of each other in battle along a front that stretched hundreds of miles.  The war was so devastating that Nicolas was forced to abdicate his throne in 1917, and Wilhelm followed a year later. Nicolas was executed, and Wilhelm fled into exile to the Netherlands, never again returning to Germany. He died in 1941.