<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> 28 November 1918 </Td> </Tr> <P> Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated as German Emperor and King of Prussia in November 1918 . The abdication was announced on 9 November 1918 by Prince Maximilian of Baden, and formally enacted by William's written statement on 28 November 1918, made while on exile in Amerongen, the Netherlands, thus ending the House of Hohenzollern's 400 - year rule over Prussia . He had ruled Germany and Prussia from 15 June 1888 until 9 November 1918, when he went into exile . Following the abdication statement and German Revolution of 1918--19, the German nobility as a legally defined class was abolished . On promulgation of the Weimar Constitution on 11 August 1919, all Germans were declared equal before the law . Ruling princes of the constituent states of Germany also had to give up their monarchical titles and domains, of which there were 22 . Of these princely heads of state, 4 held the title King (König) (the Kings of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg), 6 held the title Grand Duke (Großherzog), 5 held the title Duke (Herzog), and 7 held the title Prince (i.e. Sovereign Prince, Fürst). </P> <P> After the Oberste Heeresleitung stated the German front was about to collapse and asked for immediate negotiation of an armistice, the cabinet of Chancellor Georg von Hertling resigned on 30 September 1918 . Hertling, with the support of Haußmann, Oberst Hans von Haeften (de) and Erich Ludendorff suggested Prince Max as his successor . To have Wilhelm II appoint Max as Chancellor of Germany and Minister President of Prussia . When Max arrived in Berlin on 1 October, Emperor Wilhelm II convinced him to take the post and appointed him on 3 October 1918 . The message asking for an armistice went out on 4 October, hopefully to be accepted by President of the United States Woodrow Wilson . In late October, Wilson's third note seemed to imply that negotiations of an armistice would be dependent on the abdication of Wilhelm II . On 1 November, Max wrote to all the ruling Princes of Germany, asking them whether they would approve of an abdication by the Emperor . On 6 November, Maximilian urged Wilhelm II to abdicate . The Kaiser, who had fled from Berlin to the Spa, Belgium OHL - headquarters, was willing to consider abdication only as Emperor, not as King of Prussia . </P> <P> Around 4 November delegations of sailors dispersed to all of the country's big cities . By 7 November the revolution had seized all large coastal cities as well as Hanover, Brunswick, Frankfurt on Main and Munich . On 7 November, Max met with Friedrich Ebert, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and discussed his plan to go to Spa and convince Wilhelm II to abdicate . He was thinking about setting up Wilhelm's second son as regent . However, the outbreak of the German Revolution in Berlin prevented Max from implementing his plan . Ebert decided that to keep control of the socialist uprising the Emperor had to resign quickly and that a new government was required . As the masses gathered in Berlin, at noon on 9 November 1918, Maximilian went ahead and unilaterally announced the abdication, as well as the renunciation of Crown Prince Wilhelm . </P>

Who was the last hohenzollern monarch and why was he forced to abdicate (step down)