High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Georg Friedrich Graf von Hertling (31 August 1843 4 January 1919) was a Bavarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Bavaria 1912 1917 and then as Prime Minister of Prussia and Chancellor of the German Empire from 1917 to 1918. As leader of the largest party in the Bavarian Landtag Hertling was appointed Bavarian Prime Minister in 1912 by Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria. Following the outbreak of World War I Hertling supported the policy of Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg but declined to become his successor. Hertling became German Chancellor and Prime Minister of Prussia only after the fall of Georg Michaelis in 1917 but was incapable of meeting the crisis during the final stage of the war. Due to his age and conservatism he was unable to overcome the power of the military high command, led by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, despite having been a deputy to the Reichstag and a leader of the Centre Party. He was required to resign his seat when he took office under the Kaiser.