AcesandEights
18-Aug-2010, 02:30 PM
I thought this (http://politiken.dk/kultur/article1038865.ece) might be of interest to some history buffs.
I couldn't find an English rendition of this story yet, so to paraphrase:
Frontpage news in the real-world and alternative history - This is actually today's front page story on Denmarks largest non-tabloid newspaper: Denmark offered to join Germany in 1864. This was revealed from archives released recently by the Danish queen.
After Prussia declared war on Denmark over the Schleswig question in 1864 the Danish king offered as an alternative to losing Holstein and possibly Schleswig that the Danish Kingdom as a whole (Denmark, Schleswig and Hostein combined) would join the German Federation.
The offer was made three times, but was only considered in depth the first time. The offer was rejected by Kaiser Wilhelm I, by advice from Bismarck. Officially Bismarck worried that a) The German federation could be forced to intervene on the danish side against possible German rebels in Holstein. b) that the addition of the Danish navy, much larger than any German one would make France intervene and declare war against Germany (earlier than happened in reality). Unofficially it is assumed that Bismarck with his plans to unite Germany as a country was afraid Denmark would add a voice against further unification if allowed into the federation.
Sources (non-english):
http://politiken.dk/kultur/article1038865.ece
http://politiken.dk/kultur/article1038859.ece
I couldn't find an English rendition of this story yet, so to paraphrase:
Frontpage news in the real-world and alternative history - This is actually today's front page story on Denmarks largest non-tabloid newspaper: Denmark offered to join Germany in 1864. This was revealed from archives released recently by the Danish queen.
After Prussia declared war on Denmark over the Schleswig question in 1864 the Danish king offered as an alternative to losing Holstein and possibly Schleswig that the Danish Kingdom as a whole (Denmark, Schleswig and Hostein combined) would join the German Federation.
The offer was made three times, but was only considered in depth the first time. The offer was rejected by Kaiser Wilhelm I, by advice from Bismarck. Officially Bismarck worried that a) The German federation could be forced to intervene on the danish side against possible German rebels in Holstein. b) that the addition of the Danish navy, much larger than any German one would make France intervene and declare war against Germany (earlier than happened in reality). Unofficially it is assumed that Bismarck with his plans to unite Germany as a country was afraid Denmark would add a voice against further unification if allowed into the federation.
Sources (non-english):
http://politiken.dk/kultur/article1038865.ece
http://politiken.dk/kultur/article1038859.ece