Page 36 - All About History - Issue 54-17

As uncle and nephew,
Edward VII and Wilhelm II
often didn’t see eye to eye

Kaiser Wilhelm with Austria’s
Franz Joseph I. The caption
reads “steadfast in loyalty”

The kaiser and his first
wife, Auguste Viktoria,
taken in c.1910
ACCUSATION 3:
HE HAD FAVOURITES

The kaiser’s desire to rule like an absolute
monarch was by no means confined to just his
attitude towards his parliament. He made the
common historic mistake of relying too heavily
on his favourites, a small group of 20 or so
influential socialites known as the Liebenberg
Circle. The leading light was a German prince,
Philipp zu Eulenburg, who Wilhelm first met in Wilhelm awarding medals to
May 1886. By the time Wilhelm had acceded to soldiers in World War I
the German throne in 1888, Eulenburg held sway
over the appointments of chancellors, ministers February 1897 when he persuaded the kaiser not Eulenburg was finally brought down when the
and diplomats — and he made sure that his closest to intervene in a struggle between the Greeks German magazine Die Zukunft, spurred on by
friends were duly promoted. and the Turks over the island of Crete. While ministers who wanted to see the back of him,
We know that Eulenburg shared the kaiser’s both of them would have liked nothing better published allegations that he was gay — a serious
fear of so-called ‘democratic extremism’ and than to have demonstrated the might and force accusation as homosexuality was actually illegal
believed in Wilhelm’s personal rule, but he also of the German Navy, holding back through non- at the time. It came as a huge blow to the kaiser
understood that this idea was unacceptable to intervention, as Eulenburg successfully managed as the incident occurred at the height of his own
the liberal elite. Consequently, he helped Wilhelm to argue, helped to reassure the Reichstag about crisis with The Daily Telegraph, leaving him
manipulate the democratic structures for his the kaiser’s intent and made his long-term isolated and resentful towards the majority
own ends. Eulenberg meddled even more in expansionism plan more successful. of his ministers.

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