British Envoys to Germany, 1816–1866. Volume IV: 1851–1866, ed. Markus Mösslang, Chris Manias and Torsten Riotte

Abstract

This volume is the fourth in the series produced by the German Historical Institute (London) and the Royal Historical Society. Containing the dispatches of British diplomats based in the German states, it covers the period after the revolutions of 1848 and the reintroduction of the Germanic Confederation, and up to the outbreak of war between Prussia and Austria in 1866 and the breakdown of the Confederal system that had existed since 1815. Emanating from the pens of representatives based in Prussia, the Hanseatic Towns, Hanover, Saxony Württemberg, Bavaria, Austria and the Confederation itself at Frankfurt-am-Main, the documents are reproduced in full, with an introduction, explanatory footnotes, a guide to the people mentioned, an index, and (a welcome innovation of previous volumes) a website. The subjects covered in the dispatches are mainly political—though not exclusively so. They cover the reintroduction of conservative order and the reaction, the Crimean War, Franco-German tension, the demise of Austrian rule in Italy, the revival of liberalism and nationalism in the New Era, Schleswig-Holstein, and the rise of Austro–Prussian tension to the point of explosion. Commercial and economic developments also figure prominently—in particular Prussia’s attempt to impose its leadership via the German Customs Union (the Zollverein) and the successive crises of that organisation. Religion becomes a recurring theme, as states either battle with, or accommodate themselves to, the Catholic Church. The editors include thought-provoking and tantalising miniatures, such as reports of King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s extraordinary fixation with Richard Wagner, a plan to deflect German migration to Australia, and discussion of Prussian troops attending Wellington’s funeral.