Letters from the Kaiser to the Czar/1895 letters

by Wilhelm II

I

Neues Palais, 8/XI/94

My dear Nicky The heavy and responsible task for which Providence has destinied you has come upon you with the suddeness of a surprise, through the so unexpected and untimely death of your dear lamented father.^[1] These lines are to express my fullest and warmest sympathy with you and your Alix^[2] and your poor distressed mother.^[3] I can well understand the feelings which must have agitated your heart in witnessing the ebbing away of the life of your father, as his illness and sudden passing away was so very like my own dear Papa's;^[4] with whose character and kind geniality the late Czar had so many likness. My prayers to God for you and your happiness are unceasing. May heaven comfort you in your grief and give you strength for your heavy duties, and may a long and peaceful reign give you the opportunity of looking after the welfare of your subjects. The sympathy and real grief at the so untimely end of your lamented father in my country will have shown you how strong the monarchical instinct is and how Germany feels for you and your subjects. As former you will always find me the same in undiminished friendship and love to you. What our political ideals are we both know perfectly and I have nothing to add to our last conversation in Berlin,^[5] I only can repeat the expression or you and the assurance that I shall always cultivate the old relations of mutual friendship with your house in which I was reared by my Grandfather,^[6] and some examples of which I was so glad to be able to give to your dear Papa in these last six months of his reign, and which I am happy to hear were fully appreciated by him. I would have come myself to pray with you at the funeral,^[7] but I have so much to do with administration at home that it is impossible. Henry will be the bearer of my messages, Gen. v. Plessen,^[8] commandant of my Headquarters, Lieut. Col. v. Moltke^[9] my Aide de Camp, and Gen. v. Villaune^[10] your old friend will accompany him on board his ship to Cronstadt. At the same time by land Col. v. Saussin of the Kaiser Alexander Garde Grend. Reg. I. will report himself to you as the new Chef of the Regiment. Whereas to your Regiment of Hussars^[11] I have given your name of which they will be immensely proud. In the first named Guard Regiment the person of the late Tsar was always highly venered and last Mondays the whole corps of its officers and the four Colours of the Reginal joined their prayers with mine of the chapel of the Russian Embassy at Berlin. Now, dearest Nicky, Good bye, God bless and protect you and dear Alix and give you happiness in your new married life, that is the warm wish of...

Your most aff-ate and devoted friend and cousin William.

II

Potsdam, 5/I/95,

My dear Nicky Your kind letter which Knorring brought to me involved very interesting but very sad news. I am very thankful for your explanation and fully understand the motives which prompt you to decide about Count Schouvaloff.^[12] In the same time I can assure you that I am deeply grieved at losing excellent Paul, who was the only ambassador at Berlin with whom I was on really intimate terms and who was an "ami intime" to me as far as a non-German could claim such name. I will miss him very much indeed!I He fully deserves the eulogies you gave him in your rescript and the near and intimate relations of our Courts and People could not have been better looked after than by him. I hope and trust that the person whom you are going to select to replace him will be able to carry on the work in the same manner and with the same thruthfullness and openess of character like Schouvaloff; as the relations of our two countries rest on traditional bases, quite other than those with other nations, and are of commanding influence on the whole of the world! At your dear Fathers express wish I replaced Schweinitz^[13] by Werder, if I could at the same time express a wish, it would be that you chose either Pahlen,^[14] Richter^[15] or Staal^[16] as remplaçants if possible.^[17]

Now let me wish you a Happy New Year at the side of that dear Angel Alix, and may it be a year of peace and prosperity! My Xmas gift will I hope amuse you, it is an album with photos from the Fahnenweihe at Berlin.

Hoping that we shall be able to meet each other somewhere this year

I remain Your most aff-ate friend Willy

III

Berlin 7/II/95

Dearest Nicky Egloffstein^[18] will, I hope, be able to bring over the whole heap of porcelain without any breakage. He is instructed to arrange the table so as it would be if you gave a dinner for 50; so that you should have the coup d'oeil of the whole affair. I hope that my manufacturer has done everything to fulfill your wishes and that the present may be useful to you both.

Since the sad weeks you had to go through have passed much has happened in Europe. You have lost an excellent old servant of your predecessors, old Giers,^[19] who was a very good fellow whom I much esteemed. France has changed par surprise her head and government^[20] and through the amnesty opened the doors to all the worst malefactors the former people with difficulty had managed to imprison. The impulse given to the Democrats and the Revolutionary party is also to be felt here. My Reichstag^[21] behaves as badly as it can, swinging backwards and forwards between the socialists egged on by the Jews, and the ultramontane Catholiks; both parties beeing soon fit to be hung all of them, as far as I can see.

In England the ministry^[22] is toddling on to its fall amidst universal derision! In short everywhere the "principe de la Monarchie" is called upon to show itself strong. That is why I am so glad at the capital speech^[23] you made other day to the deputations in response to some addresses for reform. It was very much to the point and made a deep impression everywhere.

For the opening of our Canal^[24] in the end of June I have invited all European Governments to send warships to Kiel, I hope your fleet will also be represented by a ship or two? With my respects to your Mamy and many compliments to Alix, I remain...

Your most aff-ate friend

Willy

IV

Kaltenbronn^[25] Schwarzwald 16/IV 95 Dearest Nicky

As Prince Radolin,^[26] leaves shortly for Petersburg I send these few lines by him. He is an excellent and warm friend of mine, who has been proved by the difficult task he had when beeing Papa's Chief of the Household during his short reign he stubbornly resisted any trials of intrigue from any side. You may place full and implicit confidence in him, his discreetness is proverbial and he is burning to do everything in his power to please us both and to tighten the traditional ties which unite our families and countries since nearly a century. He hates the Poles and has no more to do with them or interest in them than with the Sandwich Islanders.

I thank you sincerely for the excellent way in which you initiated the combined action of Europe^[27] for the sake of its interests against Japan. It was high time that energetic steps were taken, and will make an excellent impression in Japan as elsewhere. It shows to evidence how necessary it is that we should hold together, and also that there is existent a base of common interests upon which all European nations may work in joint action for the welfare of all as is shown by the adherence of France to us two. May the conviction that this can be done without touching a nations honour, take root more and more firmly, then no doubt the fear of war in Europe will dissipate more and more. The kind and most valuable messages which you sent me through Osten Sacken^[28] by Count Eulenburgs transmission in Vienna have given me a signal proof of your loyalty and openness towards me. I shall certainly do all in my power to keep Europe quiet and also guard the rear or Russia so that nobody shall hamper your action towards the Far East! For that is clearly the great task of the future for Russia to cultivate the Asian Continent and to defend Europe from the inroads of the Great Yellow race. In this you will always find me on your side ready to help you as best I can. You have well understood that call of Providence and have quickly grasped the moment; it is of immense political and historical value and much good will come of it. I shall with interest await the further development of our action and hope that, just as I will gladly help you to settle the question of eventual annexations^[29] of portions of territory for Russia, you will kindly see that Germany may also be able to acquire a Port somewhere were it does not "gêne" you. I am afraid that, as the Norwegians^[30] are in a state bordering on insanity I may not be able to make my summer tour there, but shall have to cruise about on the Swedish coast of the Baltic. Should that be the case, could not we have a meeting somewhere for our two yachts were it suits you and have quiet little chat between ourselves? It would be so nice. Now good bye dearest Nicky, give my best love to Alix and respectful compliments to your Mama, from Ever

Your most devoted and affate friend

Willy

P.S. Radolin is quite "eingeweiht" in all my ideas I just developed to you.

V

Stora Sundby I0/VII 95

Dearest Nicky My journey in Sweden and along its shores bring me opposite to your shores and to your buen retiro and I cannot let this moment pass, when I am only a short cruise away from you, without sending you a 1ine as I shall not unhappily be able to meet you on the salty brine. Let me once more thank you with all my heart for the sending of those splendid ships^[31] of yours, which so ably and powerfully represented the Russian Navy at Kiel. Alexei^[32] was kindness and joviality itself and did everything in his power to make intercourse with our Russian comrades everything that could be wished for. Your kind permission to place him à la suite of our navy made my officers very proud and seemed to have given him pleasure. I had the opportunity of some serious talk about Eastern Asian Affairs with Alexei and also his good old Baron Schilling who was a very great friend of my Grandfathers. He will I suppose already have reported to you about it. I was glad to be able to show, how our interests were entwined in the Far East, that my ships had been ordered to second yours in case of need when things looked doubtful. That Europe had to be thankful to you that you so quickly had perceived the great future for Russia in the cultivation of Asia and in the Defense of the Cross and the old Christian European culture against the inroads of the Mongols and Buddhism, that it was natural that if Russia was engaged in this tremendous work you wished to have Europe quiet and your back free; and that it was natural and without doubt that this would be my task and that I would let nobody try to interfere with you and attack from behind in Europe during the time you were fullfilling the great mission which Heaven has shaped for you. That was as sure as Amen in Church! One incident took place of which I think I ought to tell you as I am quite certain that it happened without Alexei's knowledge, but having become known among our officers created a very painful impression. On board the Grossiaschtschy -- the vessel which I invited Admiral Skrydlow^[33] and his Captains to pass the Canal with -- two Engineer Officers were secretly embarked which had not been announced to our Authorities. The Eldest was Colon. Buhnow. These in conjunction with a lieutenant who is specially trained for the purpose and who had a large apparatus took photographs of our Forts and batteries made notes and sketches all along the road and finally when Skrydlow saw that my Naval Attaché was rather astonished to see quite strange people on the ship -- were introduced to him as two directors of waterworks and waterways! At Kiel Bubnow's bearing became so "suspecte" that Police and Gendarmes followed him. He went about in plain clothes and was prowling about the fortifications, which was strictly forbidden to strangers!

Now I think this is not quite fair, if you are invited as guest at such a fête in a foreign country which without reserve throws open its gates to you and lets you into its war harbour, to abuse of hospitality in this manner, to try to spy out your friend and that even under assumed character! The consequence is that this will make people very careful with Russian warships and creates uneasy feelings which I so deplore and hope to overcome. Pray excuse my mentioning this matter, but I thought it better to tell you directly instead of making diplomatic notes etc. as you know how I feel for you and Russia. But I do wish to have every difficulty which could arise in the work of drawing our countries closer together, removed before it strikes root.

Goodbye dearest Nicky my best love to Alix and to you, with wishes for a quiet summer and a nice little boy to come believe me dear Nicky

Ever your most affectionate friend and cousin

Willy

Original publisher's notes

1. Alexander III., the father of Nicholas II., died at Livadia on November Ist, 1894.
2. Princess Alix of Hesse, to whom Nicholas was betrothed. They were married 18 days after the date of this letter, on November 26th, 1894.
3. The Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna, formerly Princess Dagmar of Denmark.
4. Emperor Frederick.
5. The conversation referred to took place on January 28th, 1894.
6. William I., the first German emperor.
7. The funeral of the late Czar took place on November 19th, 1894. Prince Henry of Prussia represented the Kaiser.
8. Von Plessen was commandant of the Kaiser's headquarters
9. Lieutenant-Colonel von Moltke a nephew of the great Moltke -- was the Kaiser's aide-de-camp since 1891. From 1906 to December, 1914, he was Chief of the German General Staff
10. Von Villaune is probably General Carl von Villauny.
11. The 8th Hussars.
12. Count Schouvaloff was one of Russia's foremost diplomats. He was Russian Ambassador to London in 1878, during the Berlin Conference. On January 3rd, 1895, he was transferred from his post as Russian ambassador in Berlin, which he filled for nine years, to the Governor-Generalship of Warsaw.
13. General von Schweinitz was German ambassador in Petrograd until 1892, when after Bismarck's fall, he was replaced by General von Werder.
14. Count von der Pahlen a high dignitary of the Russian court.
15. General Richter was chief of the Czar's Military Household.
16. Georges de Staal was Russiqn ambassador in London from 1884 to 1903.
17. The Kaiser's suggestions were ignored by the Czar, and Count Osten-Sacken was appointed to succeed Count Schouvaloff.
18. A Marshal of the Kaiser's Court, who conveyed Wilhelm's wedding present to the Czar.
19. Nicholas de Giers was Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs since 1882.
20. M. Casimir-Périer, President of the French Republic, resigned on January Isth, 1895, when the Dupuy Cabinet was overthrown by the Chamber. M. Félix Faure was elected President on January 17th, and on January 26th, M. Ribot formed a Cabinet which introduced and carried a bill giving amnesty to political offenders.
21. On December 6th, :894, at the first sitting in the new Reichstag building, six socialists refused to rise when the president called for three cheers for the Kaiser.
22. The Roseberry government fell on June 21st, 1895.
23. The historic speech made by the young Czar on January 29th, in reply to a deputation of the Zemstvos come to plead for reforms. Nicholas II. spoke of the reforms asked by the Zemstvos as "unrealizable dreams," concluding his speech with the memorable words, "I shall uphold the principle of autocracy tS firmly and unflinchingly as did my ever-lamented father."
24. The Kiel Canal was opened on June 21st, 1895.
25. Shooting box in Black Forest near Wildbad.
26. German ambassador in Constantinople, 1892-1895; in Petrograd, 1895-1901; in Paris, 190I-I910. He succeeded General von Werder at Petrograd.
27. The protest of Russia, France and Germany made on April 24th against the Chinese-Japanese Treaty of Shimonoseki of April 17th, which forced Japan to give up the Liao-tung peninsula and Port Arthur.
28. Count Nicholas Osten-Sacken, Russian ambassador in Berlin.
29. These annexations were Germany's seizing of Kiao-Chau, Russia's seizing of Port Arthur and England's seizing of Weihai-wei in 1898.
30. Norway was in the midst of a great political crisis. Ten years later the separation of Norway and Sweden took place.
31. The "Imperator Alexander II" and the "Rurik."
32. Grand Duke Alexei, an uncle of the Czar, was for many years the Commander in Chief of the Russian Navy.
33. Commander of the Russian Squadron at Kiel. Later Skrydlow became Chief of the Russian Admiralty.