Events in the year 1888 in Germany, the 'Year of the Three Emperors'.
Incumbents
National level Emperor: William I (until 9 March) Frederick III (9 March to 15 June) Wilhelm II (since 15 June) Chancellor – Otto von Bismarck
State level
Kingdoms King of Bavaria – Otto King of Prussia – William I to 9 March, then Frederick III to 15 June, then Wilhelm II King of Saxony – Albert King of Württemberg – Charles
Grand Duchies Grand Duke of Baden – Frederick I Grand Duke of Hesse – Louis IV Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Frederick Francis III Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederick William Grand Duke of Oldenburg – Peter II Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – Charles Alexander
Principalities Schaumburg-Lippe – Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt – George Albert, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Principality of Lippe – Woldemar, Prince of Lippe Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line Waldeck and Pyrmont – George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Duchies Duke of Anhalt – Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt Duke of Brunswick – Prince Albert of Prussia (regent) Duke of Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Colonial Governors Cameroon (Kamerun) – Eugen von Zimmerer (1st term) to 17 January, then Julius Freiherr von Soden (2nd term) German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika) – Karl Peters (administrator) to 8 February, then Hermann Wissmann (commissioner) (1st term) German New Guinea (Deutsch-Neuguinea) – Georg Freiherr von Schleinitz to 1 March, then Reinhold Kraetke (both Landeshauptleute of the German New Guinea Company) German South-West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika) – Heinrich Ernst Göring (acting commissioner) Togoland – Jesko von Puttkamer (acting commissioner) (1st term) to 17 October, then Eugen von Zimmerer (commissioner) Wituland (Deutsch-Witu) – Gustav Denhardt (resident)
Events 9 March – Emperor Wilhelm I dies at the age of 90 in Berlin. He is succeeded by his oldest son Friedrich Wilhelm, who becomes Friedrich III. 16 April – The German Empire annexes the island of Nauru 15 June – Wilhelm II becomes German Emperor after the death of his father, Friedrich III. 13 December – Heinrich Hertz presents his report on the discovery of electromagnetic radiation to the Berlin Academy of Sciences
Literature 'Theses on Feuerbach' by Karl Marx is published posthumously
Music Johannes Brahms – Violin Sonata in D Minor (opus 108) Max Reger – String Quartet in D minor (with double bass obbligato; without op.) (1888–89) Joseph Rheinberger — Organ Sonata No. 12 in D-flat, Op. 154 Richard Strauss Don Juan, Macbeth (first version) Carl Maria von Weber's opera Die drei Pintos completed posthumously by Theodor Hell
Sport Establishment of association football clubs BFC Germania, TGM SV Jügesheim and KBC Duisburg
Miscellaneous First buildings of the Berufsgenossenschaftliches Universitätsklinikum Bergmannsheil opened
Births
Deaths
References