German Emperor Wilhelm I and his Palladines - Also known as Wilhelm the Great (William Frederick Louis, German: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig) (March 22, - 9, 1888) of the House of Hohenzollern was the King of Prussia (January 2, - 9, 1888) and the first German Emperor (18 January - 9, 1888). Under the leadership of Wilhelm and his prime minister Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire. In 19th century Britain and Germany, paladin(e) was an official rank and considered an honorary title for a man in service of his emperor. As a Knight with additional honors, they were entitled to exercise powers normally reserved to the crown....Scanned steel engraving from "A Pictorial History of the World's Greatest Nations" (Author, Charlotte M. Yonge - Engraver, A.H. Payne - Publisher, Selmer Hess [NY] - 1882).