Age of Bismarck #1: The Paper Eagle
Added 2024-09-26 05:30:01 +0000 UTC[PATRONS]
In the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian victory against Denmark, the destinies of those Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein still hung in the air. How could Vienna administer this enclave so far from its homeland, and would Berlin even permit this strange arrangement to continue? What about the Duke of Augustenburg, who wished to rule both Duchies as an independent German princeling?
Bismarck would have none of this of course. He wanted both Duchies to remain together, but under Prussian control. Within weeks, he set about orchestrating this, and he fortunate in his enemies. Rechberg, the Austrian Foreign Minister who had been led into an alliance with him, was soon compelled to resign, yet his replacement was a cavalry officer with no diplomatic experience.
Bismarck took this as an invitation to cause trouble in the Duchies, but he would have to tread carefully. Despite the angry glares and awkward silences, an Austro-Prussian War was not yet on the cards. Europe would have to wait another year, and the Germans would have to wait also, as this generational question of who would rule in Germany loomed into view. Thanksss so much for joining me for this first episode of the Age of Bismarck, you made it all possible, and you're the best!
