League of the Three Emperors
The League of the Three Emperors or Union of the Three Emperors (
The first League of the Three Emperors was in effect from 1873 to 1878. A second one was established June 18, 1881, and lasted for three years. It was renewed in 1884 but lapsed in 1887. Both alliances ended because of continued strong conflicts of interest between Austria-Hungary and Russia in the Balkans. The second treaty provided that no territorial changes should take place in the Balkans without prior agreement and that Austria could annex Bosnia and Herzegovina when it wished; in the event of war between one party and a great power not party to the treaty, the other two parties were to maintain friendly neutrality.
Bismarck was able to temporarily preserve ties with Russia in the
First agreement (1873)
On 22 October 1873, Bismarck negotiated an agreement between the monarchs of Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany. The alliance sought to resurrect the Holy Alliance of 1815 and act as a bulwark against radical sentiments that the rulers found unsettling.[3] It was preceded by the Schönbrunn Convention, signed by Russia and Austria–Hungary on 6 June 1873.
Policy
Bismarck often led the League as it assessed challenges, centred on maintaining the
According to the coalition, radical socialist bodies like the
The League also met crisis in the Eastern Europe, where Bulgarian unrest elicited violent reaction from the Ottoman forces there, which, in turn, met with horror from observing states. The account of the insurrection from an Englishman, Sir Edwin Pears,[5] describes the gruesome atrocities and reveals British surprise at their extent.
First dissolution (1878)
The collective initially disbanded in 1878 over territorial disputes in the
The body's first conclusion in 1879 gave way to the defensive Dual Alliance between Austria-Hungary and Germany to counter potential Russian aggression. In 1882, Italy joined the agreement to form the Triple Alliance.[7]
Revival (1881–1887)
The Treaty of Berlin (1878) made Russia feel cheated of its gains in the Russo-Turkish War. Its key role in European diplomacy was not, however, forgotten by Bismarck. A more formal Three Emperors' Alliance was concluded on 18 June 1881.[8] It lasted for three years, and was renewed at Skierniewice in 1884, but lapsed in 1887. Both alliances ended because of conflicts between Austria-Hungary and Russia in the Balkans. To preserve a common understanding with Russia, Germany signed the mutual Reinsurance Treaty in 1887.
Although the Russians considered it humiliating and prevented them using their Black Sea Fleet elsewhere, the closure of the Straits to foreign warships, included in the treaties of 1881 and 1884, meant there was little reason to maintain their fleet in the Black Sea.[9]
See also
References
- ^ Raymond James Sontag, European Diplomatic History: 1871–1932 (1933) pp. 3–58
- ^ "Dreikaiserbund". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2016 <https://www.britannica.com/event/Dreikaiserbund>.
- ^ Gildea 2003, p. 237.
- ISBN 0-415-26185-6.
- ^ Sir Edwin Pears, Forty Years in Constantinople, 1873–1915, (New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1916), pp. 16–19, reprinted in Alfred J. Bannan and Achilles Edelenyi, eds., Documentary History of Eastern Europe, (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1970), pp. 191–94. found at [1], last visited June 24, 2011
- ^ a b Gildea 2003, p. 240.
- ^ "GHDI - Document".
- ^ Text of the actual agreement, last visited Oct. 29, 2018
- JSTOR 552495.
Sources
- Gildea, Robert (2003). Barricades and Borders: Europe 1800–1914. Oxford University Press. p. 237. ISBN 0-19-925300-5.
- Goriainov, Serge (1918). ] .
- Langer, William. European Alliances and Alignments 1870–1890 (2nd ed. 1950), pp. 197–212
- Medlicott, W. N. "Bismarck and the Three Emperors' Alliance, 1881-87," Transactions of the Royal Historical Society Vol. 27 (1945), pp. 61–83 online
- Meyendorff, A. "Conversations of Gorkachov with Andrassy and Bismarck in 1872," The Slavonic and East European Review (1929) 8#23 pp. 400–08. in JSTOR
- Schroeder, Paul W. "Quantitative Studies in the Balance of Power: An Historian's Reaction," The Journal of Conflict Resolution (1977) 21#1 pp. 3–22. in JSTOR
- Taylor, A.J.P. The Struggle for Mastery in Europe 1848–1918 (1954)