PhD Thesis: Episode 5.1
Added 2024-05-06 05:30:01 +0000 UTC[PATRONS]
Are you sick of the Schleswig-Holstein question? Contemporaries of 1863-64 certainly were.
This complex dispute on the Dano-German border erupted into war in early 1864, when German Confederate forces accompanied by Prussians and Austrians, crossed the Rubicon into Schleswig. These two provinces had long been a source of tension and controversy, but when the Danish King attempted to reimagine Denmark's relationship to these Duchies, he drew the hostility of German nationalists everywhere. Fortunately for Denmark, Britain's PM Palmerston had given assurances that Denmark would not have to fight alone if the Germans did attack, but this commitment was soon exposed as hollow.
The ensuing conflict transformed the map of Europe, settling disputes centuries in the making, and propelling Bismarck to the pinnacle of his popularity. For Britain though, being seen to make promises only to reneg on them, and having one's bluff called several times, the experience was far less rosy. National honour had been sullied, British prestige was damaged, and her influence in Europe was not in decline. These were the claims of Conservative critics aimed at Palmerston's Liberal coalition. How effective they would be depended on Palmerston's political acumen, and his ability to make lemonade from some very bitter lemons.
