A Forgotten ‘Merchant of Death’. Auguste Schriever, the deal-maker of Liège

Abstract

Most scholarship on the arms trade of the late nineteenth century has focused on the big players in the industry; the ‘Merchants of Death’ whose activities are said to have made war inevitable. However this article focusses on a smaller, but no less troubling, aspect of the arms business: the trade in new and surplus military rifles and on one largely forgotten dealer; Auguste Schriever of Liège. Using contemporary reporting and the order records of the mighty ŒWG at Steyr, I will outline some of the deals that made him a significant figure in the arms trade. He was trusted by Ferdinand Mannlicher and was so respected by his rivals that they felt the need to spy on him. He was also accused of selling rifles to pirates in the far east and to an Emperor who used them to resist colonial powers and enslave his own people. My article begins to shine a light on this enigmatic figure and on to the complex and hidden trade in military rifles in this period.