Chapter 28
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Chapter 28: The War Between Denmark and Prussia
King Christian VIII of Denmark came from Aldenburg. He was also the King of Norway and the fifth in line to inherit the throne of Mecklenburg.
When Christian VIII was young, he was very popular. People loved his handsome face, and he was successful in both love and politics. People from all over Europe admired him.
As he grew older, his family, country, and personal life all faced challenges.
Norway was taken over by Sweden, he lost his position as the King of Norway. His uncle, the Grand Duke of Aldenburg, passed away, and the Prussians took over the inheritance rights of Aldenburg. Even though the new Grand Duke of Aldenburg was his nephew, he was pro-Prussian, not Danish.
Aldenburg was the ancestral land of the Danish royal family. Christian VIII lost his heritage, Norway, and his identity.
Time passed, Christian VIII grew old, losing his youthful looks to illness. He became thin and frail.
Sadly, he had eleven sons and eight daughters, but only one son was legitimate. The rest were born out of wedlock and had no rights to the throne.
The only heir to the Danish throne couldn’t have children, leading to the end of the royal bloodline.
At the London meeting after the end of the First Schleswig War, many countries sanctioned Denmark, and the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein no longer belonged to the Danish royal family, but to his family only.
This means that only his direct legitimate descendants could inherit the two duchies, but his son was disabled, so the family line was doomed to die out. When Christian VIII died, and his son also died, the Kingdom of Denmark would lose Schleswig-Holstein as well.
Under Christian VIII’s rule, the Kingdom of Denmark lost 60% of its original influence. This was unacceptable and hard to accept. If nothing was done, future generations would surely hold him in disgrace.
Norway couldn’t be retrieved; Sweden had already digested it.
Aldenburg couldn’t be reclaimed either, as the rightful heir had taken the throne. Trying to take it back would be dishonorable.
After considering all options, only by annexing Schleswig-Holstein, the only nearby territories left, could Christian VIII salvage some reputation and avoid harsh criticism from future generations.
The King of Denmark convened a meeting with the Cabinet Ministers to discuss whether Schleswig-Holstein could be annexed.
Out of the fifteen Cabinet Ministers, fourteen strongly agreed that it could indeed be done, as it would benefit the country and the people.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said, "Currently, the world’s attention is focused on the Crimean War. No one could intervene with us. Russia and France have always supported our country. If we completely give up Norway, the King of Sweden would also support us. If we open the ports of Schleswig-Holstein to the Royal Navy, England would support us as well. Only Prussia opposes, but they would be powerless due to the international situation."
"Besides, Prussia may not necessarily object. Prussia intends to be friendly with our country. In the past five years, they have invested over seven million pounds in our country."
Other ministers also agreed.
The king revealed some information to everyone. During the Silesian Crisis with Prussia and Austria, Bismarck came to see him. Bismarck hinted that Prussia did not oppose Denmark’s control over Schleswig-Holstein.
You hinted that I understand. You want me to interfere in your Schleswig, right?
When the ministers heard this, they agreed even more. Since no other countries are against it, my Denmark can naturally annex it. Even though Schleswig-Holstein is a member of the German Confederation, it has always been under Denmark’s control. By directly incorporating it into Denmark’s territory, it makes perfect sense.
Amidst praises for the king’s wisdom and bravery, only the Danish Prime Minister looked on coldly.
He untimely stood up and strongly opposed the ministers and the king’s decision. The Prime Minister had already seen through the situation – once Denmark annexes the two duchies, it’s a definite death sentence.
The previous Schleswig War has already shown that when Denmark desires control over the two duchies, the world interferes. Don’t be fooled by what everyone is saying now, claiming to be supportive and friendly with Denmark. When the battle starts, no one will lend a hand.
Especially those darn Prussians, they have a plot. They must be hiding something.
The Prime Minister scolded his ministers for taking bribes and betraying the country for personal gain. He had noticed something suspicious when the Cabinet members were given a 70% raise recently, which didn’t seem right.
The Minister of Finance said to the Prime Minister, "Mr. Prime Minister, you are attacking us personally. Everyone here has a respectable status, you can’t just accuse us like that."
In March 1841, the Danish parliament passed a law to protect and shelter stray cats. A charity animal protection organization called the "Cat Foundation" donated five million pounds to the Danish Ministry of Finance for the sheltering of stray cats. They also provided allowances for Cabinet members to care for cats, rescue stray cats, and show their love for animals.
It seemed unreasonable that the fourteen Cabinet Ministers received a 70% pay raise just because of a law to protect stray cats.
Despite the Prime Minister’s efforts, he couldn’t find any clues about the secret agreements the ministers had with the Cat Foundation or even what the Cat Foundation was about.
The Prime Minister had a feeling that these people must have taken bribes and betrayed Denmark behind closed doors.
It was disturbing that the Cabinet Ministers received legal pay raises due to donations from the Cat Foundation. One couldn’t accuse them of taking bribes as the Cat Foundation’s staff were all kind-hearted philanthropists. Also, since they supported Austria, France, and England too, could those countries also be accused of bribery?
The King was very displeased and scolded his Prime Minister.
"You lack compassion. Do not hinder others’ compassionate actions. Denmark is a fairytale and warm country. The Cabinet Ministers welcoming stray cats and receiving allowances for them are not taking bribes. The Cat Foundation is formed by friendly philanthropists who also donate to Austria, France, and England. Are you saying those countries are corrupt too?"
The prime minister lowered his head and sat back on his chair.
Everyone in the court was immersed in a dreamy joy, imagining Denmark easily swallowing Schleswig-Holstein. Even the king had such thoughts. The prime minister’s opposition was drowned out, and he could not stop Denmark from heading towards a self-destructive path.
Ironically, the Danish prime minister, who looked fat like a Nauru headfish, was the cleanest member of the Danish cabinet. He was the only one who didn’t take bribes and remained alert.
Denmark had basically decided to annex the two duchies, but there were still many details to work out, so no action had been taken yet.
At this time, Prussia caused a major disturbance.
Prussian Minister of National Defense, Ron, announced that they would build the world’s second largest navy in ten years.
England and France were deeply concerned about this and were wary of Prussia’s naval development. They did not want any new changes in the naval world order and opposed Prussia’s naval expansion.
Denmark remarked, "Hey, it seems like England and France really dislike Prussia."
At the Versailles Palace, Prussian Prime Minister Bismarck met with Emperor Napoleon III.
Napoleon III stood by the window, hands behind his back, while Bismarck bowed politely beside him.
Napoleon III was a clever man. He knew that Prussia had plans involving Denmark, and he also knew that Anna had come to him with a request.
"Denmark has some colonies, but they are not well-managed. As a strong colonial power, France should provide more help and share colonial expertise," said Napoleon III.
"Of course," Anna replied.
"The head of the German Confederation is Austria, so everything should be led by Austria," said Napoleon III.
"It should be so," Anna agreed.
The meeting only lasted a minute, but everything was settled. Throughout the meeting, the attitude of the French Emperor was particularly arrogant. He admired the beautiful rose garden outside the window, paying no attention to Bismarck who was meekly accommodating beside him, showing no signs of toughness.
France agreed to allow Prussia to go to war with Denmark on the condition that France would take all of Denmark’s colonies and that Austria would lead the war.
Denmark had previously been in the sphere of influence of Russia. Napoleon III hoped to deepen the conflict between Russia and Austria, causing Austria to strongly oppose Russia.
Miss Anna came out of Versailles Palace, unable to suppress her smile, which made me grin.
She was planning to mock the French people, but unexpectedly Napoleon III fell into his own trap. France wanted all of Denmark’s colonies, as stated by Napoleon III himself. You look so clueless, hehe…
At 10 Downing Street, the Prussian Prime Minister met with the British Prime Minister, Robert Peel.
Robert asked, "I heard Prussia is heavily developing its navy. Do you need the Royal Navy’s assistance in this regard?"
Anna chuckled, "Prussia has always been a land power."
The British Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, and Chief Secretary exchanged smiles, realizing the situation.
"If Prussia is a land power, Britain is willing to maintain a long-lasting alliance. Our friendship dates back to the Napoleonic Wars and the Seven Years’ War, where our cooperation led to victories. May there be more victories in the future."
Anna replied, "To be an ally of Great Britain is my greatest honor."
British Foreign Secretary Palmerston suggested, "Since Prussia is a land power, there is no need to heavily build a navy. The Royal Navy is Prussia’s best support. Please reconsider your naval expansion plans."
"I must be honest with you esteemed gentlemen, as you all know me well, I, Bismarck, have always thought of the navy as a waste of money, but recently Prussia has faced great pressure and had to develop its navy."
Palmerston, "The French?"
Bismarck’s expression remained unchanged.
Palmerston, "The Austrians?"
Bismarck nodded slightly, yes, the Austrians. Everyone has noticed recently that France and Austria are getting along very well. They are putting pressure on Prussia together. In German affairs, Prussia has to constantly yield and even open up the tariff alliance for the Austrians.
Now the Austrians are asking Prussia to develop their navy, and Prussia has no choice but to comply. A small and weak country like ours cannot resist the strength of France and Austria.
The Prime Minister of England said, "Do not worry, England will strongly criticize Prussia’s naval development strategy in diplomatic circles to put pressure on France and Austria."
Bismarck nodded, hoping that England’s words would be more forceful, perhaps even suggesting that Prussia could go to war if they continued their naval development. Only this way could Bismarck withdraw his family’s ambitious naval building plans.
In September 1841, Denmark began hinting their desire to annex Schleswig-Holstein.
Russia supported, but Nicholas I didn’t know where these two places were. He thought they were some small overseas islands. The war in Crimea exhausted Russia, yet Russia unconditionally supported Denmark in hopes of getting their help.
France supported, and Napoleon III wanted the war to start quickly. He wanted Denmark to be defeated so that France could take over Danish colonies, deepening the hatred between Austria and Russia.
England pretended to support, hoping to pressure France and Austria by doing so. Denmark took away two important ports from two duchies, making it impossible for Prussia to develop its navy. However, if Denmark truly took over, England would not support them expanding into the German region.
Sweden supported because Denmark gave up its inheritance rights to Norway, allowing Sweden to fully incorporate Norway.
The king of Denmark saw that the situation was in his favor. The major European powers supported him, except for Prussia, whose ally England turned against them due to Prussia’s naval ambitions. Tensions were high between England and Prussia, with Queen Elizabeth having a falling out with the prince regent and returning to her family to have a child.
In that case, let’s go ahead and take over.
The Danish parliament began to pass a resolution on this matter. Out of 333 members, 331 agreed to it. The two dissenters were the Danish prime minister and a Copenhagen University professor who had recently gone mad.
In October 1841, Denmark enacted a constitutional amendment, rejecting the London Agreement. They officially integrated the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein into Danish territory, no longer making them members of the German Confederation.
Austria backed down at a critical moment. The timid Austrian emperor didn’t dare to fight, mistakenly believing that the whole world supported Denmark. Combined with their recent falling-out with Russia, they decided to let Denmark take over. Additionally, North German affairs always revolved around Prussia. Denmark’s annexation of the two duchies dealt the biggest blow to Prussia’s reputation.
The Prime Minister of Prussia, Bismarck, urgently called for a meeting of the German Confederation Congress, but it could not proceed as the representative of Austria did not attend.
On October 20, 1841, the Prince Regent of Prussia delivered a speech known as the "Speech of National Shame" at Frederick Square.
"Fellow countrymen, remember this day, as we watch Schleswig-Holstein being taken over by Denmark, and we are unable to do anything about it."
"The two duchies have always been part of Germany’s territory, with more than half of the German people living there. They have always been members of the German Confederation, and today they are being taken away from us by Denmark."
"Austria, as the leader of the German Confederation, shows no sense of responsibility at this crucial moment, unwilling to take action. Meanwhile, the weak Prussia is unable to resist the world. We must become strong! Rise up! Join the army! Support a three-year military service! Build a powerful Prussia to cleanse this disgrace in the future."
The speech of the prince regent was of masterful skill, as his voice transitioned from deep sorrow to passionate strength. His determination was conveyed to every Prussian and German, igniting the idea of a unified Germany. Everyone yearned for strength and unity.
Under the unstoppable sway of public opinion, Austria reluctantly called for the German Confederation Congress and prepared to take action against Denmark.
The Danish-Prussian War is about to break out.
