Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 1128 The breakdown of the relationship between the three generations of the German royal family

"Little William, you must always remember that the Austro-Hungarian Empire is a country with two capitals, one is Vienna in Austria, and the other is Budapest in Hungary.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire is currently in chaos. The most obvious example is that when Franz Joseph I established the dual system in 1867, the Austrian and Hungarian governments had to decide how much tax they should pay to the central government every year. There was a big war of words over the issue of fees.

Originally, Austria had been responsible for 70% of this money. However, with the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungary's status rose, but it still did not assume the obligations consistent with its status. Therefore, the two status governments quarreled over this issue from 1867. By 15 years, now in 1882, there was not even a trace of room for relaxation. What is ridiculous is that Franz Joseph I had no way to get the two local governments to compromise. Therefore, this dispute does not seem to be fatal at present. , is the key factor for our German Empire to intervene in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the future.

Even if one day they fall out with Austria, they can win over Hungary to balance Austria, making it difficult for Austria-Hungary to adopt policies that are hostile to our German Empire.

In addition, as a multi-ethnic country, the current population of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is composed of 11 different ethnic groups, but whether they are Germans or Hungarians like us, their proportion is only about one-fifth of the entire population.

Comparing our German Empire with Tsarist Russia, you will find that both their democratic subjects account for more than half of the total population.

However, the ruling class of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was unable to form a dominant nation with a dominant population. This made it very difficult to popularize a common language, which led to the congenital lack of national cohesion in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Take the army as an example. Most of the officers in Austria-Hungary are mainly Germans. They usually teach in German, but the ethnic minorities who are generally soldiers cannot understand the training content they say. One can only imagine how powerful such an army can be. "

Prince William, the grandson of the German Emperor, who was born in 1859, is 23 years old this year. Over the years, he has been personally trained by his grandfather, Kaiser Wilhelm I. Growth is rapid.

William I even sometimes placed him next to the hired political teacher, German Prime Minister Bismarck, and asked Bismarck to teach him personally.

He has grown rapidly over the years.

In 1877, he entered a famous German university as the emperor's grandson. The University of Bonn, ranked 25th in the world and third in Germany after the Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Munich, specializes in law and national studies and received a bachelor's degree in 1881.

Bismarck felt a lot of relief when he saw Crown Prince William listening attentively.

Starting in the 70s, Crown Princess Victory Yang of Germany suffered a series of blows in her personal life. The deaths of two of her children caused her to fall into inextricable pain and self-pity. Her health was damaged, and she suffered from frequent headaches and rheumatism.

From time to time, the harsh demands of the second Crown Prince William became even more severe, and the eldest son's merits could no longer be seen.

At the same time, Kaiser Wilhelm I and his wife were full of praise for William's performance. They had a natural closeness with Kaiser Wilhelm's grandson. This made Frederick, who had already fallen into loneliness and uneasiness in the conservative Berlin Palace, The Crown Prince and his wife were wary, especially since the Crown Prince had never been able to establish the same close relationship with the Kaiser, his father, Wilhelm I.

The development of the situation soon made the conflict between the three generations of the family truly political, and the relationship between William and Crown Prince Frederick and his wife became irreversible as set by Bismarck and William I.

Especially when he bid farewell to Berlin in 1881 and went to Potsdam to resume military service, William gradually established an independent status and established good political relations with the pro-Russian conservative camp represented by his grandfather William I and Bismarck.

This time, Crown Prince William returned to Berlin and came to visit Bismarck again the next day. The two discussed the current internal situation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the beginning. Bismarck allowed William to absorb more of his own views during the question and answer period.

"Crown Princess Victoria wants you to be engaged to the Portuguese princess of your maternal grandmother, Queen Victoria, but your grandfather, His Majesty William I, is planning to get you engaged to Princess Augusta Stona, the daughter of Grand Duke Holstein of Schleswig. Engagement, I am calling you back this time to discuss this. Your parents and your grandparents want to hear your opinion." Bismarck finally told William I the purpose of asking him to come here this time.

Crown Prince William looked up at Bismarck.

The beard is still as lush, but there are more gray hairs.

This prime minister has been the subject of his research over the years. The German government in his hands has become unprecedentedly powerful.

The grandson of Emperor William was ambitious, but his parents were pro-British liberals, and his grandfather and Bismarck were pro-Russian German conservatives.

There are relatives on both sides. William actually knew the purpose of being called back to Berlin from the beginning. After all, he also had his own secret team.

He even noticed his parents' vigilance and wariness towards him over the years.

Sometimes, after walking on the same road for a long time, it is very difficult to change the route, not to mention that William does not want to waste all his efforts and change the route.

He wanted Germany to be as strong as Britain's global maritime hegemony under his maternal grandmother, Queen Victoria.

So he quickly made up his mind to abandon the Portuguese princess mentioned by his mother, Crown Princess Victoria, and instead choose Princess Donna of Schleswig.

Bismarck and Wilhelm I were naturally very satisfied, and felt that everything was moving towards the life plan they had set for Wilhelm I.

In September 1882, just as the empresses of France and Russia held a dramatic meeting in Paris and announced that the two countries would cooperate more closely in the Mediterranean, in the middle of the month, Archduke Holstein of Schleswig The daughter of the Grand Duke, Princess Augusta Stona, is engaged to the Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany. This marks the Crown Prince Wilhelm becoming a relatively independent factor in German political life, as well as the fact that he and his parents Crown Prince Frederick The couple's relationship grew further estranged, as the princess soon came to regret her future daughter-in-law's outright conservative tendencies.

The personal relationship between Kaiser Wilhelm I, German Prime Minister Bismarck, and Crown Prince Wilhelm became closer and closer. After William's marriage in October 1882, it became even more unfavorable to the liberal camp led by Crown Prince Frederick.

However, compared with the close proximity of France and the Russian Empire, it is difficult for these to cause any splash in the international community.

On August 1882, 8, France and the Russian Empire conducted maritime exercises in the Gulf of Finland in the eastern Baltic Sea, and even docked in the Gulf of Riga.

This is not only close to Sweden, but also close to the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the south.

At this time, Deao couldn't sit still again.

(End of this chapter)