Donald B Conrad on WW I

# 7

I'll wager that you paid scant attention to my report of the 1st Prussian-Danish war.

For history's sake, let's review it. OK?

The clash came over the Schleswig-Holstein question.
This, one of the most confused of the minor issues of nineteenth century history, haunted the European chancelleries like a nightmare for more than a generation.
But, leaving to one side its many legal complications, it becomes simplicity itself the moment we view it from a national angle.
The united duchies of Schleswig and Holstein occupied the southern half of the peninsula of Jutland and were inhabited, except for the northern rim of Schleswig, which is Danish, by a German population.
By an accident of inheritance the king of Denmark was also duke of Schleswig and Holstein, but the two duchies were in no sense a part of Denmark and lived under their own legal and administrative
system.
This independence of Denmark the two duchies, because they were preponderantly German, were firmly resolved to preserve.

Toward the middle of the century an issue dawned which put the Germans sharply on guard.
The royal house of Denmark, about to die out in the male line, was faced by a constitutional difficulty.
By law of Denmark the crown would descend to a female line, while by the Schleswig-Holstein law, at least as interpreted by the German population, the crown of the united duchies would pass to the nearest male relative.

There was therefore the prospect of an early divorce between Denmark and the duchies which rejoiced the Germans as much as it grieved the Danes.
In 1846, the king of Denmark took the grave step of issuing a public declaration to the effect that, comes what might, he would see to it that the union between Denmark and the duchies should be maintained.

Frederick VII of Denmark

This royal declaration the German population regarded as a breach of law and custom.
They were thrown into a revolutionary mood and, taking advantage of the general agitation of 1848, they rose in revolt, proclaimed Schleswig-Holstein independent of Denmark, and appealed to the German parliament sitting at Frankfort for support.

The German parliament at once responded with encouraging words.
However, when it came to deeds, it found itself hampered by the fact that it had neither an army nor money at its disposal.
In consequence it was obliged to appeal to Prussia, which bordered on the duchies, to go to the aid of the rebels.
Entering Schleswig-Holstein, the Prussians drove out the Danes, but the latter retaliated by seizing the Prussians merchant vessels in the Baltic.

This fact, coupled with the interference, on behalf of Denmark, of Russia and Great Britain, induced King Frederick William, who had only with reluctance obeyed the German Parliament, to sign a truce with Denmark (August 26).
By its terms he practically redelivered the duchies into the hands of the Danes.

King Frederick William of Germany

Informed of this action, the legislators at Frankfort branded Frederick William a traitor and declared the truce he had concluded null and void.
On sober second thought, however, they recognized that without an army of their own they could not coerce Prussia and, reversing themselves regretfully endorsed all that Prussia had done.

The incident was highly instructive as to the distribution of power between Prussia and the German parliament.
Greatly humiliated, the members turned to the constitutional labors for which they had been summoned, resolved to bring them to a conclusion before the revolutionary tide which had swept the poarliament to power had completely ebbed.
At this task we shall leave them, while we look into the affairs of Austria and Italy.

from
A History of Europe

By Ferdinand Schevill