Gastein Convention
The Gastein Convention or the Gastein treaty , the Treaty of Gastein or the Bad Gastein decisions was an agreement between Prussia and Austria , which on 14. August 1865 in the Austrian town of Bad Gastein was signed. In this convention, the major German powers regulated their joint rule over the so-called " Elbe duchies " of Schleswig , Holstein and Lauenburg . The treaty was ratified by both states on August 19, 1865 .
prehistory
Until the German-Danish War of 1864, the duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg were under the Danish crown, with the Danish king also being the duke of the three territories. In terms of constitutional law, Schleswig was a Danish fiefdom, while Holstein and Lauenburg were member states of the German Confederation (and before 1806 Roman-German fiefdoms). After the victory of Prussia and Austria over Denmark in the German-Danish War in 1864, there was disagreement between the two German great powers about how to proceed in Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. Denmark ceded its rights to the duchies in the Peace of Vienna to Austria and Prussia. The Austrians support the formation of a united Schleswig-Holstein within the German Confederation. Prussia, on the other hand, wanted to be incorporated as a province into its own national territory. Finally they agreed on a condominium over the duchies . Soon, however, there were renewed tensions between Austria and Prussia. In Bad Gastein , Austria , Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck, as the Prussian negotiator, finally achieved a new regulation of the joint administration with the Austrian envoy Gustav von Blome in the Gastein Convention . The contract was negotiated and signed in the Badgastein Hotel Straubinger .
content
The convention consisted of 11 articles. It was signed and sealed by Bismarck and Blome on August 14, 1865. Both authorized representatives received a signature copy each.
The common administration of both duchies was abandoned. Prussia got the administration of Schleswig and Austria that of Holstein. Austria renounced Lauenburg and ceded its rights to the duchy for 2.5 million Danish thalers to the Prussian crown. Prussia also secured the right of passage on two old military roads through Holstein, since Schleswig could only be reached by land via Holstein. In addition, Prussia was allowed to build a canal and a telegraph line through Holstein.
It was also agreed to create a fleet of the German Confederation and to expand Kiel into a federal port under Prussian sovereignty. To secure the northern border of the German Confederation with Denmark, Rendsburg was to be given the status of a federal fortress and accordingly fortified and reinforced. However, the resolutions were no longer implemented due to the outbreak of the German War and the dissolution of the German Confederation in 1866.
Effects
The Gastein Treaty favored Prussia and made it easier for Bismarck to exacerbate the tensions between the two powers. There was also greater alienation between Austria and the small and medium-sized states of the German Confederation, which were traditionally more inclined to Austria. In Germany there was a storm of indignation over this country cheat, as it also raised legal doubts according to the federal act .
Bismarck himself described the Gastein Convention as “ gluing the cracks in the building ” and was “ not exactly cheering ” when the agreement was signed . The treaty was a compromise that King Wilhelm made not only with the Emperor of Austria, but also with his minister. He gave him a sign of recognition by being raised to the rank of count (August 15, 1865). By purchasing the Duchy of Lauenburg , the Prussian state expanded its area by around 21 square miles . The King of Prussia ruled the duchy in personal union and assumed the title Duke of Lauenburg.
In terms of foreign policy, the treaty had provoked violent reactions. Especially the French government under Napoléon III. expressed concern and responded with sharp diplomatic notes. The Gastein Treaty was also received unfavorably in Great Britain, as it believed its interests in the North Sea and Northern Europe were impaired. Only Russia was benevolent towards the Prussian endeavors; the Tsar saw the growing power of Prussia as a good counterweight to Austria, whose weakening was in his interest.
With the Gastein Convention, the two German great powers made almost the last attempt at a peaceful settlement in connection with the German question . Austria's decision in the spring of 1866 to transfer the decision on Schleswig-Holstein to the Federal Assembly in Frankfurt am Main was viewed by Bismarck as a breach of the Gastein Treaty and a hostile act. On June 7th, 1866, Prussian troops moved into Holstein from Schleswig. The war could no longer be averted.
Extract from the Gastein Convention of August 14, 1865
Article 1. “The exercise of the rights jointly acquired by the high contracting parties through Art. III of the Vienna Peace Treaty of October 30, 1864 shall, without prejudice to the continuation of these rights of both powers, be exercised by the totality of both duchies in relation to the Duchy of Schleswig to his majesty the King of Prussia, with regard to the Duchy of Holstein, pass over to His Majesty the Emperor of Austria. "
Article 2. “The high contracting parties want to bring the production of a German fleet in the league and designate the port of Kiel as the federal port for it. The warships of both powers use this port until the federal decrees are carried out and the command and the police over it are exercised by Prussia. Prussia is entitled to build the necessary fortifications both to defend the Friedrichsort entrance and to set up the naval establishments on the Holstein shore of the bay for the purpose of the war port. These fortifications and establishments are also under Prussian command, and the Prussian naval troops and men necessary for their crew and guard can be quartered in and around Kiel. "
Article 3. "The high contracting parts will apply in Frankfurt to make Rendsburg a federal fortress."
Article 4. “For the duration of the division provided for by Article 1 of the present Convention, the Royal Prussian government kept two military roads through Holstein, one from Lübeck to Kiel, the other from Hamburg to Rendsburg. "
Article 9. “His Majesty the Emperor of Austria leaves the rights to the Duchy of Lauenburg acquired in the Vienna Peace Treaty to His Majesty to the King of Prussia, whereas the royal. Prussian government is committed to the Kaiserl. to pay the sum of two million and five hundred thousand Danish Thalers to the Austrian government. "
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wolfgang Neugebauer (Ed.): Handbook of Prussian History . Volume 2: The 19th century and major topics in the history of Prussia . Verlag De Gruyter, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-11-008322-1 , p. 340 books.google
- ↑ Otto von Bismarck, Hans Rothfels (ed.): Bismarck letters. Verlag Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1979, ISBN 3-52536-103-3 , p. 320.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber : Documents on German constitutional history . Verlag Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1961, p. 182.
literature
- Imanuel Geiss (Hrsg.): Germany in the world politics of the 19th and 20th centuries . Bertelsmann publishing house, Düsseldorf 1973. ISBN 3-57109-198-1 .
- Rudolf Stadelmann : The year 1865 and the problem of Bismarck's German policy . Oldenbourg publishing house, Munich 1933.
Web links
- Entry on the Gastein Convention in the Austria Forum (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )