Austro-Prussian condominium in Schleswig-Holstein
The Austro-Prussian condominium denotes the sovereignty of Prussia and Austria over Schleswig and Holstein from 1864 to 1866 (and Lauenburg until 1865). In the German-Danish War of 1864, Austria and Prussia fought together against Denmark . After the defeat of Denmark and as a result of the Vienna Peace Treaty of November 1864, Denmark transferred sovereignty over the said duchies to Austria and Prussia, which meant the end of the entire Danish state. At the same time, the German Confederation ended its federal execution in Holstein and Lauenburg .
Prussia and Austria initially administered the duchies in their common condominium together, through two government commissioners. In 1865 they divided the administration according to the Gastein Convention : Austria administered Holstein and Prussia Schleswig.
It was generally agreed that the condominium should only be a temporary solution. In addition, there was the pressure from the growing disagreement between the two great powers. Prussia wanted to annex the duchies , while Austria finally supported the formation of a united duchy under the Augustenburger Friedrich VIII within the German Confederation. There had already been political disagreements between the two German great powers several times, as demonstrated by the conflict over the Frankfurt Reform Act in September 1863. Prussia also linked the Schleswig-Holstein question with the reform of the German Confederation .
There were also different interests within the duchies. A large part of the German-oriented population continued to demand a unified German Schleswig-Holstein among the Augustenburgers, which was supported by the national movement in Germany. In the north of Schleswig in particular, there was also a Danish-oriented population who initially hoped for the implementation of the plebiscite enshrined in the Prague Peace Treaty of 1866.
With the Gastein Convention of August 1865, the looming conflict between the two German great powers was initially averted. The Duchy of Lauenburg fell to Prussia, which paid Austria compensation of 2.5 million Danish thalers for this. They wanted to jointly apply to the Bundestag that the city of Rendsburg become a federal fortress and that a federal fleet be established. In addition, Prussia received special rights in Holstein administered by Austria. These special rights included two military roads in Holstein and in particular the port in Kiel, which was of particular interest to the Prussians as a future war port.
The invasion of Prussian troops in Holstein in June 1866 finally led to the federal decree on the mobilization of federal troops against Prussia. The invasion was the actual trigger for the German War of June / July 1866. After Austria's defeat, Austria transferred its rights to the condominium to Prussia, and the way to the formation of the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein in 1867 was clear.
Establishment of the condominium in 1864
The duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg were ruled by the Danish king in personal union before the German-Danish War in 1864 . In terms of constitutional law, Holstein and Lauenburg were members of the German Confederation, while Schleswig was an imperial fief of Denmark. The Danish king thus ruled in the duchies as a duke, and in Schleswig he was also a liege lord. In terms of language, Holstein was (Lower) German-speaking, while in Schleswig German, Danish and North Frisian were common. Together the real kingdom and the duchies made up the entire Danish state .
Domestically, the years before the German-Danish War were already marked by increasing nationalization with regard to Schleswig's national affiliation and an unresolved constitutional question. The entire state constitution of 1855 was repealed for Holstein by the Bundestag in Frankfurt as early as 1858.
With the subsequent November constitution of November 1863, Denmark violated international agreements in which, contrary to the London Protocol of 1852, it bound Schleswig closer to the actual Kingdom of Denmark. This triggered a federal execution of the German Confederation in December 1863 , during which Holstein and Lauenburg were occupied. In February 1864, Austria and Prussia finally initiated an alien war against Denmark despite criticism from the German Confederation and subsequently occupied the Duchy of Schleswig and large parts of North Jutland .
occupation
First, as part of the federal execution in December 1863, Holstein and Lauenburg were occupied by Saxon and Hanoverian troops. The federal commissioners Eduard von Könneritz from Saxony and Ferdinand Nieper from Hanover set up a Holstein state government. The actual government in Holstein, however, was a cabinet that had been installed by Frederick VIII . Friedrich was the head of the so-called Augustenburg line , which made claims to the title of duke. Most of the German-oriented residents supported this. Austria and Prussia ignored the federal execution and Friedrich's government insofar as they later occupied several important cities in Holstein in order to secure their supply lines ( Altona , Neumünster , Kiel ).
With the start of the German-Danish War in February 1864, the two German great powers also conquered most of Schleswig and Jutland. With the exception of the events at the Düppeler Schanzen near Sonderburg, there were no major fighting. Since then, two civil commissioners have ruled Schleswig on behalf of the two great powers: the Austrian Friedrich Revertera and the Prussian Constantin von Zedlitz-Neukirch .
Austria and Prussia officially cited the fact that Denmark had violated international agreements when it de facto incorporated Schleswig with the November constitution. A pledge was to be filled with Schleswig in order to force that the old state was restored. While Austria was loyal to this conservative line, Prussia had long since had more far-reaching goals. Prime Minister Bismarck swore his cabinet in February 1864 that it was about the annexation of the duchies. He would only have accepted rule by Augustenburg if Schleswig-Holstein had become a kind of Prussian vassal state.
The civil commissioners in Schleswig went beyond the mere occupation and declared the Danish November constitution to be invalid. Although the cities of Schleswig expressed their support for the claim to the throne of Augustburg's Friedrich VIII, the civil commissioners suppressed political associations and rallies. Most of the small and medium-sized German states would have welcomed it if Friedrich had formed a liberal German medium-sized state. However, the two German great powers succeeded in preventing a Bundestag resolution in favor of the Augustenburger. They benefited from the fact that the new Bavarian King Ludwig II supported them because at the beginning of his rule he could not allow himself to pursue a policy that could have blown the German Confederation.
Vienna Peace and Federal Decree at the end of 1864
On October 30, 1864, Austria and Prussia signed the Peace of Vienna with Denmark . Denmark renounced its rights in the three duchies in favor of the two German great powers. The borders were partially revised, so that the previous royal enclaves were mostly slammed into Schleswig. Since November the Austro-Prussian occupation became a legitimate rule. This view, however, depended on the fact that the Danish king was actually the legal heir of his predecessor.
The Augustenburgs were of the opinion that Frederick could continue to lay claim to the title of duke: The Salian law valid in Holstein , unlike Danish law, did not provide for a female succession to the throne. If Austria and Prussia had recognized Frederick's rights to both duchies, the Danish king would not have been able to cede the duchies.
However, federal execution still applied to Holstein. Only a resolution of the Bundestag could end the rule of the federal commissioners there. Saxony in particular opposed this, while Prussia arbitrarily demanded the withdrawal of the Hanoverian and Saxon troops. Austria assured that the cession of the duchies to Austria and Prussia was only a provisional solution. This made it easier for a federal resolution to come about. This took place on December 5, 1864 with a majority of 9 against 6 votes. The civil commissioners in Schleswig then also took control of Holstein.
Future of the duchies
Negotiations 1864/1865
During the armistice in the German-Danish War there were negotiations in London about a possible partition of Schleswig. Despite British and French compromise proposals, Denmark and Prussia could not agree on a peaceful solution to the Schleswig question. There had also been negotiations between Austria and Prussia about a final solution for the duchies. Prussia wanted either to annex them or to have them indirectly under its rule. Austria refused, but did not want to see an Augustburg state established either. Austria's Foreign Minister Bernhard von Rechberg intended, however, to negotiate at least some advantages for Austria in a Prussian solution.
However, this did not succeed at the Schönbrunn Conference in August 1864. Rechberg saw that Prussia would not cede any areas like Glatz or the Hohenzollerschen Lande. His Prussian colleague Bismarck was ready to help Austria regain Lombardy , which Austria had to cede to the emerging Italy in 1859. As soon as Lombardy was Austrian again, Austria would transfer its rights to the Prussian condominium. In addition, a draft for a Schönbrunn Convention said that both great powers would only submit motions to the Bundestag together about Schleswig-Holstein. However, the Austrian emperor and the Prussian king shied away from such an agreement : it could only have been realized in a war against France, since France saw itself as the protective power of Italy.
The two German great powers clashed again and again in the course of 1865 and each invoked their rights in the condominium. The Prussian civil commissioner, for example, demanded action against the Augustburg movement , which his Austrian colleague did not agree to. Prussia independently planned to move its naval base from Danzig to Kiel, against which the Austrians protested. The condominium came under pressure from a resolution of the Bundestag on April 6, 1865: Bavaria and other medium-sized states prevailed with their request that Holstein should be administered by Friedrich.
Bad Gastein Convention
In the Bad Gastein Convention (August 20), the two great powers initially saved the peace:
- While the rule was to remain a condominium, the administration was divided. Austria administered Holstein, Prussia Schleswig. However, Prussia had negotiated all kinds of special rights in Holstein, especially with regard to the port in Kiel.
- Rendsburg on the border between Holstein and Schleswig was to become a federal fortress and had an Austrian or Prussian commander every year. In addition, Kiel was to become the federal war port of a federal fleet still to be built .
- Lauenburg left the condominium and got the Prussian king as duke, for which Austria received two and a half million Danish thalers.
The administration was already divided on September 19th. Field Marshal Ludwig von Gablenz as Austrian governor and General Edwin von Manteuffel as Prussian governor replaced the previous civil commissioners. In Holstein the governor appointed a new civil commissioner, Leopold von Hofmann . He also appointed a "ducal state government" that was Augustburgish. In Schleswig the governor exercised the civil government directly, the previous civil commissioner Zedlitz was subordinate to him.
End of the condominium in 1866
Austria, together with Prussia and some allies, prevented the Bundestag from again speaking out in favor of the Augustenburger (as well as elections in Schleswig-Holstein and an admission of Schleswig to the federal government). However, it allowed the political work of the Augustburg movement in Holstein. On January 23, there was even a large popular assembly in Altona (at that time still Holstein) of Schleswig-Holsteiners as well as democrats and liberals from other parts of Germany. Bismarck was angry about Austria's behavior against the background of the common sovereignty of the condominium. However, as a result of Bismarck, the Augustenburgers would question this sovereignty, and the people's assembly also had a revolutionary character, which was directed against the monarchical principle . Austria rejected the allegations. An attempt at mediation in April and May 1866, the Gablenz mission , failed due to Austria's lack of interest.
Bismarck realized that Schleswig and Holstein could only be annexed if the situation in Germany changed fundamentally. In addition, he had a small German solution in mind, in contrast to the Old Prussians, who only wanted to increase Prussia's power. It turned out to be strategically and tactically wise to combine the Schleswig-Holstein question with the federal reform debate and the German question in general. The small German federal state was a legitimate war target in public.
In April 1866, Bismarck announced a Prussian federal reform plan, which he followed up with a more specific proposal on June 10th. In the meantime, Prussia had signed an alliance treaty with Italy , and Prussian troops had invaded Holstein. Austria responded to the latter by submitting an application to the Bundestag. The federal troops should be mobilized against Prussia . According to Prussia, the successful federal decision of June 14th was unconstitutional because the Bundestag was not allowed to deal with the Schleswig-Holstein question. The German Confederation should therefore be regarded as dissolved. Bismarck accused the former ally Austria that the agreements only allowed joint proposals to the Bundestag.
After the German War in the summer of 1866, victorious Prussia was able to impose its conditions on Austria. Among other things, Austria had to cede its rights to the condominium in Schleswig-Holstein in the Peace of Prague . In 1867 Prussia created a province of Schleswig-Holstein. In 1876 Lauenburg was annexed to this province.
See also
supporting documents
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm . 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, p. 468/469, p. 472/473.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm . 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, p. 473.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm . 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, p. 474.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm . 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, p. 486.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm. 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, p. 484.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm. 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, pp. 484/485.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm. 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, p. 497.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm. 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, p. 507.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm. 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, pp. 512-514.
- ^ Andreas Kaernbach: Bismarck's concepts for reforming the German Confederation. On the continuity of the politics of Bismarck and Prussia on the German question. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1991, pp. 230/231.
- ^ Ernst Rudolf Huber: German constitutional history since 1789. Volume III: Bismarck and the realm. 3rd edition, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart a. a. 1988, p. 515.