219:, to present the French demand that the king should guarantee that he would never again permit the candidacy of a Hohenzollern prince to the Spanish throne. In addition, the Prussian envoy in Paris, Baron von Werther, was asked for King Wilhelm to send a letter to Napoleon III that would amount to a personal apology for the matter. The meeting was informal and took place on the promenade of the Kursaal with the King's entourage at a discreet distance. Politely and in a friendly manner, "with the courtesy that never failed him", the King refused to bind himself to any course of action into the indefinite future. After their exchange, "the two departed coolly."
27:
191:, protested against the offer and hinted at war. Following the protests by France, Leopold had withdrawn his acceptance on 11 July 1870, which was already considered a diplomatic defeat for Prussia. The French were still not satisfied and demanded further commitments, especially a guarantee by the Prussian king that no member of any branch of his Hohenzollern family would ever be a candidate for the Spanish throne.
200:
348:
that it would win. Contrary to popular belief, Bismarck did not prepare everything long before (he himself had contributed to that myth). As a good politician, he tried to keep several options open; when the opportunity showed up, he published the message to the press with the intention to stir up the emotions.
294:
After the news of the renunciation of the Prince von
Hohenzollern had been communicated to the Imperial French government by the Royal Spanish government, the French Ambassador in Ems made a further demand on His Majesty the King that he should authorize him to telegraph to Paris that His Majesty the
160:
were incorporated into
Prussia, whose territory expanded thus by nearly a quarter and its population by more than 4 million to roughly 24 million, which was still less than France's 38 million. France did not take part in the war, which was brief but altered the European balance of power, and did not
236:
Certainly, Bismarck's text, released on the evening of the same day to the media and foreign embassies, gave the impression both that
Benedetti was rather more demanding and that the King was exceedingly abrupt. It was designed to give the French the impression that the King had insulted Benedetti;
343:
France's mistaken attitude of its own position carried matters far beyond what was necessary, and France mobilized. Further improper translations and misinterpretations of the dispatch in the press made excited crowds in Paris demand war, just as
Bismarck had anticipated. The Ems dispatch had also
232:
Bismarck had full liberty to inform the press in a suitable way; it was not his task to publish Abeken's original report. Bismarck decided to use some of Abeken's wording for his own press release. He removed
Wilhelm's conciliatory phrases and emphasised the real issue. The French had made certain
347:
For the French declaration of war the dispatch and the message to the press was rather irrelevant. Napoléon had already decided to go to war to stabilize his regime and keep its dominant position in Europe. This intention did not depend on
Bismarck's action. France went to war because it believed
351:
Benedetti, the messenger for the Duc de
Gramont's demands for pointless guarantees (the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family had withdrawn Prince Leopold's candidature on 11 July 1870 with Wilhelm's "entire and unreserved approval"), became an unseen bit-player; his own dispatches to Paris no longer
240:
Bismarck had viewed the worsening relations with France with open satisfaction. If war had to come, then better sooner than later. His press release, he assured his friends, "would have the effect of a red rag on the Gallic bull." The document was then to be presented as the cause of the war.
280:
and myself, decided not to receive Count
Benedetti any more, but merely to have him informed by an adjutant: that His Majesty had now received from the Duke confirmation of the news which Benedetti had already had from Paris and had nothing further to say to the ambassador.
258:
Count
Benedetti intercepted me on the promenade to demand of me, finally in a very importunate manner, that I should authorize him to telegraph at once that I bound myself in perpetuity never again to give my consent if the Hohenzollerns renewed their candidature.
331:), which implied that the King had deliberately insulted the ambassador by not choosing an officer to carry the message to him. That was the version printed by most newspapers the following day, which happened to be July 14 (
136:(or Sadowa) on 3 July 1866. The preliminary Peace of Nikolsburg, 26 July, was followed by the Peace of Prague, 23 August. Bismarck thus managed to expel Austria from the German Confederation, to set up and dominate the
269:
Naturally, I told him that I had not yet received any news and that since he had been earlier informed concerning Paris and Madrid than I was, he must surely see that my government was not involved in the matter.
298:
His
Majesty the King thereupon refused to receive the Ambassador again and had the latter informed by the Adjutant of the day that His Majesty had no further communication to make to the Ambassador.
356:. Following the French defeat in 1871, the Duc de Gramont attempted to throw the blame for the failures of French diplomacy on Benedetti, who published his version of the events in his defence in
397:. Although strictly speaking, the Sigmaringens, who remained in Schwaben, were the senior branch of the Hohenzollerns, the Brandenburg branch enjoyed much greater status throughout its history.
276:
As His Majesty had told Count Benedetti that he was expecting news from the Duke, he personally, in view of the above-mentioned importunity, upon the advice of Count
352:
mattered. In the legislative chamber, by an overwhelming majority, the votes for war credits were passed. France declared war on 19 July 1870, starting the
284:
His Majesty suggests to Your Excellency, that Benedetti's new demand and its rejection might well be communicated both to our ambassadors and to the Press.
169:
429:
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335:), setting the tone, letting the French believe that the king had insulted their ambassador before the latter could tell his story.
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in Berlin. Wilhelm described Benedetti as "annoyingly persistent". The King asked Bismarck to release an account of the events.
277:
89:
in Berlin, describing demands made by the French ambassador concerning the Spanish succession. Bismarck, the chancellor of the
145:
918:
295:
King undertook for all time never again to give his assent should the Hohenzollerns once more take up their candidature.
923:
903:
838:
183:. French Emperor Napoleon III and his government voiced concern over a possible Spanish alliance with the Protestant
128:, from 16 June to 23 August 1866, which involved south and north German states on both sides as well as the emerging
262:
I rejected this demand somewhat sternly , as it is neither right nor possible to undertake commitments of this kind
898:
781:
137:
133:
90:
20:
225:, Privy Legation Councillor of the North German Confederation's Foreign Office, wrote an account of the event for
928:
913:
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rallied German national feeling. It was no longer Prussia alone; South German particularism was now cast aside.
322:
215:, the French ambassador to Prussia since 1864. Benedetti had been instructed by his superior, Foreign Minister
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176:
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demands under threat of war, and Wilhelm had refused them. That was a clear statement of the facts.
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likewise, the Germans interpreted the modified dispatch as Benedetti insulting the King.
93:, released a statement to the press, stirring up emotions in both France and Germany.
887:
199:
489:
332:
318:
173:
109:
19:
This article is about the 19th-century document. For delivering urgent care, see
445:
863:
808:
709:
78:
744:] (in German). Vol. 2. Munich: C.H. Beck. pp. 56–57, 59–60.
394:
871:
113:
101:
97:
82:
31:
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211:, on his morning stroll in the carpark in Ems, was stopped by Count
308:
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140:(north of the Main) and to secure Prussian territorial gains.
132:, increased Prussia's power. Austria was defeated in the key
16:
Telegram sent by Prussian king Wilhelm I to Otto Von Bismarck
676:] (in German). Munich: Pantheon Verlag. p. 628.
641:
Les grandes heures de l'histoire de France: Napoléon III
421:
The French Second Empire: An Anatomy of Political Power
73:. The actual dispatch was an internal telegram sent by
619:
617:
595:
593:
523:
521:
273:
His Majesty later received a message from the Duke.
879:
Both Ems dispatch versions in their German original
161:gain territories or prestige. French demands for a
836:(December 1900). "Bismarck as a Maker of Empire".
647:] (in French). Paris: Pygmalion. p. 345.
645:The Great Moments of French History: Napoleon III
61:, was published on 13 July 1870; it incited the
8:
326:
312:
424:. Cambridge University Press. p. 412.
788:(illustrated ed.). Psychology Press.
670:Preußen: Aufstieg und Niedergang 1600–1947
708:] (in German). Vol. 3. Munich:
549:German Constitutional History Since 1789
545:Deutsche Verfassungsgeschichte seit 1789
25:
586:. New York: Vintage Books. p. 121.
410:
386:
764:
599:
527:
30:Memorial stone to the Ems dispatch in
321:, but in French, it describes only a
307:The French translation by the agency
7:
807:(1st ed.). Abingdon-on-Thames:
623:
574:
572:
512:
584:Bismarck, The Man and the Statesman
255:His Majesty the King writes to me:
611:Sedan 1870 by Douglas Fermer. 2008
393:The Hohenzollerns originated from
311:did not translate the German word
165:("revenge for Sadowa") took root.
14:
317:, which refers to a high-ranking
702:Deutsche Gesellschaftsgeschichte
674:Prussia: Rise and Fall 1600–1947
551:]. Vol. 3. Stuttgart:
451:Bismarck and The German Empire
179:, had been offered the vacant
69:on 19 July 1870, starting the
1:
839:Political Science Quarterly
668:Clark, Christopher (2008).
203:Wilhelm I of Prussia in Ems
950:
288:
168:In early 1870, the German
138:North German Confederation
91:North German Confederation
21:emergency medical services
18:
712:. pp. 316, 321–322.
209:King Wilhelm I of Prussia
323:non-commissioned officer
177:Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
172:, of the Roman Catholic
57:), sometimes called the
786:The Franco-Prussian War
249:
100:, a resort spa east of
81:'s vacationing site at
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313:
300:
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217:Agenor, duc de Gramont
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112:, a new possession of
65:to declare war on the
54:
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34:
706:German Social History
418:Price, Roger (2001).
292:
289:Bismarck's communiqué
253:
202:
185:House of Hohenzollern
96:The name referred to
29:
919:Diplomatic incidents
805:A History of Prussia
358:Ma mission en Prusse
163:revanche pour Sadova
134:Battle of Königgrätz
63:Second French Empire
924:19th-century hoaxes
904:Franco-Prussian War
803:Koch, H.W. (1978).
738:Deutsche Geschichte
698:Wehler, Hans-Ulrich
541:Rudolf Huber, Ernst
370:Schnaebele incident
354:Franco-Prussian War
126:Austro-Prussian War
77:from Prussian King
71:Franco-Prussian War
834:Sloane, William M.
637:Bordonove, Georges
458:. pp. 168–171
375:German Unification
303:French translation
205:
189:Kingdom of Prussia
187:, which ruled the
146:Schleswig-Holstein
67:Kingdom of Prussia
35:
899:Otto von Bismarck
734:Nipperdey, Thomas
553:Kohlhammer Verlag
482:Crankshaw, Edward
456:Allen & Unwin
431:978-0-521-80830-9
227:Otto von Bismarck
213:Vincent Benedetti
207:On 13 July 1870,
87:Otto von Bismarck
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914:Hoaxes in France
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742:German History
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719:978-3406322631
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654:978-2857045540
653:
628:
626:, p. 267.
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466:– via
460:. Retrieved
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59:Ems telegram
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39:Ems dispatch
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765:Howard 1988
600:Howard 1988
528:Howard 1988
446:Eyck, Erich
888:Categories
850:: 647–66.
454:. London:
405:References
120:Background
909:Telegrams
864:0032-3195
809:Routledge
784:(1988) .
710:C.H. Beck
624:Koch 1978
513:Koch 1978
462:14 August
339:Aftermath
278:Eulenburg
158:Frankfurt
79:Wilhelm I
736:(1990).
700:(1995).
639:(1998).
582:(1967).
543:(1988).
484:(1981).
448:(1950).
395:Schwaben
364:See also
328:adjudant
314:Adjutant
195:Incident
872:2140466
848:Michael
775:Sources
486:Bismark
142:Hanover
114:Prussia
104:on the
102:Koblenz
98:Bad Ems
32:Bad Ems
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846:(4).
740:[
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381:Notes
309:Havas
130:Italy
860:ISSN
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649:ISBN
557:ISBN
494:ISBN
464:2024
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245:Text
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85:to
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