Introduction

Abstract

Abstract The introduction reframes the question of monarchy in the German Empire in global terms. It examines recent work on the history of monarchy and sovereignty in the age of empire and posits the necessity of viewing the history of royal relations as a global and not just a European development. It argues that the global relationships between rulers reflected both the structural constraints of imperial priorities and the expressions of agency and sovereignty that sought to direct and subvert metropolitan actions through the exercise of the royal prerogative. It also outlines the constitutional and quotidian limitations on Kaiser Wilhelm II’s involvement in colonial affairs and the necessity of reconceptualizing monarchical power in the German Empire as including the experiences of colonized monarchs.