Chapter 331: The Turmoil of Germany

For the countries of Europe, the 1880s were undoubtedly a fortunate decade. Although the situation in Europe was not exactly calm, no super-war involving the Great Powers had occurred.

For Spain, this was a precious period of development. Spain could develop its industry and economy safely and soundly, quietly catching up to the various Great Powers in a corner where no one was paying attention.

For Gao Da, the calm situation meant more leisure time. Gao Da preferred to spend his leisure time with his family, focusing together on the growth of his children.

Under such a calm situation, time quickly arrived at 1888.

Logically speaking, 1888 should also have been a calm year, but due to the passing of a monarch, the originally calm situation in Europe experienced some slight fluctuations.

German Emperor Wilhelm I was born in 1797 and was currently the undisputed oldest monarch in Europe. During the reign of Wilhelm I, the Kingdom of Prussia successively won the Second Schleswig War, the Austro-Prussian War, and the Franco-Prussian War, directly founding the current European hegemon, the German Empire.

But whether king or emperor, Wilhelm I was just an ordinary person. Since he was an ordinary person, he naturally had to experience the birth, aging, sickness, and death that everyone must experience.

As of 1888, the age of German Emperor Wilhelm I was already approaching 91. In an era where the average life expectancy in Europe was only thirty or forty, 90 was already an advanced age among the elderly.

But clearly, the limit of a human lifespan was about there. From the beginning of 1888, news came from Germany that Wilhelm I's health was gradually declining, to the point that he could no longer handle state affairs.

Everyone understood that this founder of the empire would eventually die. Currently, what everyone was most concerned about was the change in the German political situation after the death of Wilhelm I, and whether these changes would have an impact on the European situation.

Even Spain was waiting for news from the German side and was closely watching Germany's allies, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy.

It did not make Gao Da wait for long; on March 9, 1888, Chief of Guards Brad Herrera walked over with hurried steps and brought Gao Da news that everyone had been waiting for: "Your Majesty, according to a telegram from the German government, His Majesty German Emperor Wilhelm I passed away a few hours ago."

In fact, Gao Da only knew that after Wilhelm I came his son, the "Hundred Days Emperor" Frederick III. After Frederick III came the well-known German Emperor Wilhelm II.

As for the date of Wilhelm I's death, Gao Da only knew it was this year, but did not know the specific day.

Hearing the news reported by the Chief of Guards, Gao Da nodded, his face not showing much expression.

Gao Da had already experienced the deaths of his father, Victor Emmanuel II, and his mentor and friend, Prime Minister Primo; he was no longer deeply moved by such news of death.

Furthermore, Wilhelm I himself had died of old age; his passing was good news for both Germany and himself.

Even if Germany was at its zenith at this time, it did not need an emperor who reigned for too long. His son, Frederick III, was known as the "Hundred Days Emperor," and the most important reason was that he suffered from throat cancer, which was incurable with the medical conditions of this era.

But then again, if Wilhelm I had lived a few years less, would his son have been able to enjoy a few more years of his imperial career?

The longevity of Wilhelm I and the short life of Frederick III had a huge impact on Germany, and indirectly led to Germany's defeat in World War I.

Why say so? Only three months after the death of Wilhelm I, his son Frederick III also followed his father to heaven.

This also led to the imperial throne of the German Empire quickly falling to the grandson of Wilhelm I, the fallen monarch Wilhelm II.

At this time, Wilhelm II was only 29 years old, and coupled with his physical defects, he became very arrogant and sensitive.

It is difficult for a young monarch and an old, powerful, and highly influential prime minister to achieve close cooperation.

Facts were indeed so; after Wilhelm II succeeded to the throne as emperor, the political career of the "Iron Chancellor" Bismarck basically came to an end.

The biggest difference between the German Empire of Wilhelm I and the German Empire of Wilhelm II was the diplomatic situation Germany faced.

During the German Empire of Wilhelm I, Germany's main enemy was only France, while its allies included the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy, and Russia.

In the German Empire of Wilhelm II, as the German government changed its strategy and exposed more ambitions for colonies and sea power, the diplomatic relationship between Germany and Britain gradually drifted apart, and it could no longer maintain a nominal alliance with Russia.

This led to Germany's enemies changing from one (France) to three Great Powers (Britain, France, and Russia), while its allies remained only the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy.

The final outcome of World War I was already very clear; Wilhelm II's German Empire could not defeat its external enemies, nor could it solve the empire's internal enemies.

In the later stages of the war, Wilhelm II was basically sidelined, which was also the reason why he became the scapegoat after the war ended and was forced to abdicate.

With no time to lament so much, Gao Da's main focus remained on the reactions of various European countries to the death of the German Emperor.

Although Gao Da was clear about the reactions of the European situation after the death of Wilhelm I, who could ensure that the European situation in this world would still develop as it did in history?

Any slight change could cause a larger change in the situation; for himself and for Spain, Gao Da had to pay attention to the movements of all countries.

"At this point in time, all European countries should have received the news, but so far, no country has had any major reactive actions," Kadier of the Royal Security Intelligence Agency answered Gao Da's question.

"Closely monitor the movements of France and Russia; once these two countries have any movements, you must report to me at the first opportunity," Gao Da instructed.

For Germany at this time, the death of Wilhelm I could be said to be the beginning of a turbulent situation.

Frederick III's throat cancer was not discovered after he became emperor, but had already been discovered last year. However, due to a misdiagnosis by a British doctor, the surgery at the time was canceled.

One month before Wilhelm I died, Crown Prince Frederick had just undergone life-saving treatment. To prevent him from suffocating and facing a life crisis due to the swelling of the tumor, the Crown Prince's private doctor had to cut open his trachea and insert a silver tracheostomy tube.

Although this did indeed save Crown Prince Frederick's life, it also left this man who was about to become emperor unable to speak, and he could only express his thoughts by writing.

The old emperor had just died, and the new emperor was also in a life crisis. At such a juncture, Gao Da did not believe France had no ideas.

One must know that since the end of the Franco-Prussian War, the French had been looking for an opportunity to take revenge on Germany. It was just that Bismarck had managed his diplomatic policy very well, and coupled with the fact that there was no turmoil in Germany, the French could never find an opportunity to start a war.

The current stage of Wilhelm I's passing could be said to be a relatively good opportunity; even if they could not completely defeat Germany, they could make the situation within Germany more chaotic.

Although the "Iron Chancellor" Bismarck was still the controller of the German government at this time, he was only 18 years younger than the 91-year-old Wilhelm I, and was already at the advanced age of 73 this year.

The current situation in Germany could be described as "one hair pulling the whole body," and it was very likely that some small changes could lead to Germany's collapse.

Would the French let go of such an opportunity? Gao Da did not know. Gao Da did not even know if a German-French war broke out at this time, whether it would be a good thing or a bad thing for Spain.

But this did not prevent Gao Da from ordering the Royal Security Intelligence Agency to pay close attention to the movements of France and Russia. Once it was discovered that France had a tendency to start a war, Spain would definitely have to make preparations in advance.

For Gao Da and Spain, they certainly did not want to see France win in a war against Germany. Once France became the European hegemon again, the colonial balance in North Africa and West Africa would also be broken.

Spain could negotiate terms with France, the current second-in-command on the European continent, but could not negotiate terms with the leader of the European continent.

Once France became the hegemon of the European continent again, Spain would have to consider huddling with Germany to avoid being invaded by France or having its colonies seized.

But if Germany could defeat France, or if this war did not happen, Spain would not need to worry about threats from France.

After all, what the French worried about most was Germany; as long as Spain did not touch France's bottom line, France would not tear its face off with Spain.

It could not be said that the death of Wilhelm I had nothing to do with Spain. Spain would definitely participate in Wilhelm I's funeral, and it had to send high-ranking officials at the prime minister level to participate, so as to reflect Spain's importance to this funeral.

If only officials at the level of foreign minister were sent, it would inevitably show a lack of importance toward Germany. After all, Germany was one of the most powerful Great Powers in the world, and Wilhelm I was the founder of this powerful empire.

Of course, Gao Da would certainly not take the initiative to go to Germany to attend this funeral. There was actually not much difference between the kings and emperors of Europe, and Spain and Germany did not have a very close relationship, so Gao Da naturally did not need to go in person.

Only countries like Germany's allies, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy, might need their monarchs to go to Germany in person to attend this funeral.

After all, allies still needed to express their importance to their allies, and the alliance relationship also needed to be maintained.

Sure enough, in the following day, various European countries expressed their grief over the news of Wilhelm I's death and announced that they would attend Wilhelm I's funeral.

The lineup attending the funeral was also quite luxurious, including many emperors, kings, and prime ministers of various countries.

Among all the guests attending the funeral, the one with the highest status was Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Franz Joseph I and Wilhelm I were both emperors of Great Power countries, and coupled with his advanced age, being able to come in person to attend Wilhelm I's funeral had already given Germany enough face.

Generally, in this situation, one could send their adult crown prince to participate; on one hand, it could train their successor, and on the other hand, the crown prince could indeed fully represent the royal family externally.

Germany's other ally, Russia, did exactly that. Tsar Alexander III did not personally attend Wilhelm I's funeral, but sent his crown prince, Nicholas.

In fact, this was also related to the worsening relationship between Germany and Russia. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the relationship between Germany and Russia was no longer that close.

This also led to the two originally close allies carrying out various precautions against each other, almost to the point of directly strengthening border defense forces and moving all troops to the border for defense.

Of course, the crown prince attending this funeral was also absolutely of sufficient rank. The crown prince was the future Russian Tsar; except for his current status not being as high as the Tsar's, everything else was about the same.

Alexander III being able to send his crown prince to attend Wilhelm I's funeral also showed Russia's attitude. At least Russia did not intend to completely abandon its relationship with Germany; they still wanted to maintain an alliance with Germany, but were somewhat dissatisfied with Germany's alienation from them, so they sent the crown prince, a status that was quite balanced, to attend the funeral.

If they wanted to tear up the alliance with Germany, Russia only needed to send a foreign minister to attend the funeral to do so.

Only countries with particularly distant relationships, or even competition and conflict, would send officials at the level of foreign minister; otherwise, they would send prime ministers or crown princes, at least to do the surface work.

Even France, which had a poor or even hostile relationship with Germany, sent a luxurious lineup led by the Prime Minister to attend Wilhelm I's funeral.

From this aspect, one could also see the importance European countries placed on surface work; after all, among the noble and gentlemanly groups, this was also considered a form of etiquette.

Spain sent Prime Minister Cánovas, while Italy had King Umberto I go out in person.

Like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy also needed Germany's diplomatic influence to help expand its international status. Italy still attached great importance to its alliance with Germany; upon learning the news of Wilhelm I's death, Umberto I immediately confirmed his itinerary.

Britain did not send Queen Victoria, as it was well known that this queen did not interfere in state affairs. However, the British government also sent Prime Minister Gladstone, doing enough in terms of surface work.

In addition to this group of Great Powers, various European countries also sent their own luxurious lineups to attend this funeral.

This also allowed Wilhelm I's funeral to set a record, becoming the funeral with the largest number of monarchs or prime ministers participating.

Of course, such a record was not much of an honor for Germany itself. The empire's successor, Frederick III, could not even greet guests in person at this time, and could only entrust German Prime Minister Bismarck and the Foreign Minister to help him greet the guests.

After the death of Wilhelm I, Crown Prince Frederick had already confirmed the title of Frederick III. Under normal circumstances, Crown Prince Wilhelm would already be the new emperor of the German Empire.

But this new emperor was lying on a hospital bed at this time; because the tumor in his throat had not been eliminated, this emperor was even in a life crisis at any time.

This also created the awkward scene where the new emperor could not attend Wilhelm I's funeral. Fortunately, the monarchs and prime ministers participating in the funeral were all strictly trained; even if they had various thoughts about Germany's awkward current situation, no one would show it, and they would only express a look of grief, attending this funeral—which had nothing special—in a routine manner.

(End of chapter)