The Dispute over the Imperial Title: the Traditionalism of William I and the Policy of State Interests of Otto Von Bismarck

The logical conclusion of the Franco-German War was, according to many contemporaries, the proclamation of the German Empire headed by King William I of Prussia. At the very last moment, a bitter dispute erupted between him and the Iron Chancellor of the North German Confederation, Otto von Bismarck, over the need for the imperial title and its form. There are several interesting sources related to this largely unexplored subject, and their examination will complement the history of the proclamation of the German Empire, bringing to light one of the most dramatic episodes in the long history of the relationship between the Emperor and his Chancellor. Bismarck associated the assumption of the imperial title with the success of the continued process of imperial integration. That was beyond the mere desire of Wilhelm I for the German princes to recognise the supremacy of the Prussian crown in Germany. The result of Bismarck's initiative in preparing the Kaiserbrief was that Wilhelm I agreed to assume the imperial title. The date of 18 January 1871 was chosen for the proclamation of the German Empire – a symbolic date, since the Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg, Friedrich III, was crowned King of Prussia on 18 January 1701. The dispute between Wilhelm I and Bismarck continued over the form of the title. The difference between the title of “Emperor of Germany”, as insisted upon by Wilhelm I, and that of “German Emperor”, as suggested by Bismarck, was not simply a matter of drawing on different historical traditions. The title “Emperor of Germany” carried with it the danger of a territorial claim by the Reich to German lands that were not part of the newly created empire. This dispute culminated in the Grand Duke of Baden Frederick I declaring a triple hurrah for William I in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles.

Keywords

German Empire, reunification of Germany, German Emperor, Wilhelm I, Otto von Bismarck, imperial title

Received

13.09.2021

Publication date

25.01.2022

Number of characters

41580

Cite

GOST	Dudarev V. The Dispute over the Imperial Title: the Traditionalism of William I and the Policy of State Interests of Otto Von Bismarck // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2022. – Issue 1 C. 30-43 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640018256-9-1 (circulation date: 04.10.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640018256-9
MLA	Dudarev, Vasiliy "The Dispute over the Imperial Title: the Traditionalism of William I and the Policy of State Interests of Otto Von Bismarck." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 1 (2022):30-43. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640018256-9
APA	Dudarev V. (2022). The Dispute over the Imperial Title: the Traditionalism of William I and the Policy of State Interests of Otto Von Bismarck. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (1), pp.30-43 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640018256-9

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 445

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Bismark O. von. Mysli i vospominanija [Thoughts And Memories]. Vol. 2. Moskva, 1940. (In Russ.)

2. Dacenko P.A. Srednie germanskie korolevstva i “tretij put'” v reshenii germanskogo voprosa v 1849 g. [Middle German kingdoms and the “third way” in solving the German question in 1849] // Jelektronnyj nauchno-obrazovatel'nyj zhurnal “Istorija” [Electronic scientific and educational journal “History”]. 2020. T. 11. № 7 (93). S. 19. (In Russ.)

3. Matveeva A.G. Germanskaja imperija 1870–1914 [The German Empire 1870–1914]. Moskva, Moskva, 2003. (In Russ.)

4. Matveeva A.G. Konstitucionnoe razvitie Germanii v XIX v. (na primere imperskih konstitucij 1849 i 1871 gg.) [Constitutional development of Germany in the 19th century (on the example of the imperial constitutions of 1849 and 1871)] // Jelektronnyj nauchno-obrazovatel'nyj zhurnal “Istorija” [Electronic scientific and educational journal “History”]. 2018. № 8 (72). S. 23. (In Russ.)

5. Rostislavleva N.V. Predstavlenija o reshenii “germanskogo voprosa” v rannem liberalizme (pervaja polovina XIX v.) [Ideas about the solution of the “German question” in early liberalism (the first half of the 19th century)] // Jelektronnyj nauchno-obrazovatel'nyj zhurnal “Istorija” [Electronic scientific and educational journal “History”]. 2020. T. 11. № 7 (93). S. 18. (In Russ.)

6. Bismarck O. von. Die gesammelten Werke. Bd. VIb. Berlin, 1931 .

7. Bismarcks Briefe an seine Gattin aus dem Kriege 1870/71. Stuttgart; Berlin, 1903.

8. Briefwechsel zwischen König Johann und den Königen Friedrich Wilhelm IV. und Wilhelm I von Preußen. Leipzig, 1911.

9. Bundesgesetzblatt des Norddeutschen Bundes. Bd. 1870. Nr. 51.

10. Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt. Bd. 1871. Nr. 5.

11. Großherzog Friedrich I. von Baden und die deutsche Politik von 1854–1871. Briefwechsel, Denkschriften, Tagebücher. Stuttgart, 1927.

12. Hocker O. Der Nationalkrieg gegen Frankreich 1870–1871. Berlin; Heidelberg, 1915.

13. Huber E.R. Deutsche Verfassungsgeschichte seit 1789. Bd. III. Bismarck und das Reich. 3. Auflage. Stuttgart, 1988.

14. Kaiser Friedrich III. Das Kriegstagebuch von 1870/71. Berlin; Leipzig,1926.

15. Kaiser Wilhelms des Großen Briefe, Reden und Schriften. Bd. 2. 1861−1888. Berlin, 1906.