Law or History? On the political views of the “learned kings” Maximilian II Joseph and Johann on the German question in the middle of the 19th century
The article is devoted to a comparative analysis of the views on the unification of Germany by the kings of Bavaria (Maximilian II Joseph) and Saxony (Johann). Being one of the most educated monarchs of their time and having significant similarities in general political views, they nevertheless were unable to ensure the cooperation of their kingdoms during periods of sharpened controversy about the German Confederation between the revolution of 1848 and the creation of the German Empire. Addressing the issue of similarities and differences in the views and actions of these kings allows us to add new details to the picture of Saxon-Bavarian relations in the question of federal reform, which in most cases is studied through the example of successes and failures of ministers and diplomats. By identifying and examining differences in the early biographies of both kings, their interactions with the ministers who carried out their policies, as well as their personal attitudes to the German question, the author identifies key internal contradictions and the degree of influence of these contradictions on the policy of the «third Germany» and comes to the conclusion that the differences in the policies of the two kings were of an implicit nature and not an insurmountable obstacle to their cooperation. But in the realm of practical decisions these differences not only did not compensate, but also aggravated each other’s mutual mistakes and contradictions, manifesting themselves both in a discrepancy in priorities and in different ideas about the form and essence of the consolidation of the states of the «third Germany».
While nobody left any comments to this publication.
You can be first.
Sources
Beust, F. F. von. (1887), Aus drei Viertel-Jahrhunderten. Bd. I. 1809–1866 [From three quarters of a century. Vol. I. 1809–1866], Cotta, Stuttgart, Germany (in Germ.).
Groß, R. (ed.) (2021), Karl von Weber. Zwischen Reform und Reaktion [Carl von Weber. Between reform and reaction], Steiner, Stuttgart, Germany (in Germ.).
Kretzschmar, H. (ed.) (1958), Lebenserinnerungen Johann von Sachsen [Life memories of King John of Saxony], V&R, Göttingen, Germany (in Germ.).
Matzerath, J. (ed.) (1999), Der sächsische König und der Dresdner Maiaufstand: Tagebücher und Aufzeichnungen aus der Revolutionszeit 1848/49 [The King of Saxony and the Dresden May Uprising: diaries and notes from the revolutionary period of 1848/49], Böhlau, Cologne, Germany (in Germ.).
Sing, A. (ed.) (1997), Die Memoiren König Maximilians II. von Bayern 1848–1864 [Memoirs of King Maximilian II of Bavaria 1848–1864], Beck, Munich, Germany (in Germ.).
References
Datsenko, P. A. (2020), “Between federation and confederation: Bavarian project of German constitution in 1848”, Research Result. Social Studies and Humanities, 6 (4), 102-110 (in Russ.).
Dirrigl, M. (1984), Maximillian II: König von Bayern, 1848–1864 [Maximilian II: King of Bavaria, 1848–1864], 1, Hugendubel, Munich, Germany (in Germ.).
Flöter, J. (2000), “Federal right and the German question. King Johann’s and Beust’s conceptions on the reform of the German Confederation”, in Gumnior, K. (ed.), König Johann von Sachsen 1801/1854–1873. Ein Blick auf Deutschland [King John of Saxony 1801/1854-1873. A look at Germany], AG, Dresde, Germany, 53-60 (in German).
Flöter, J. (2004), “‘Maintaining and strengthening the federal bond’. John of Saxony and the idea of the Third Germany”, in Müller, W. and Schattkowsky, M. (eds.), Zwischen Tradition und Modernität. König Johann von Sachsen 1801–1873 [Between tradition and modernity. King John of Saxony 1801–1873], University Press, Leipzig, Germany, 89-107 (in Germ.).
Franz, E. (1932), “King Max II of Bavaria and his private political advisors”, Zeitschrift für Bayerische Landesgeschichte [Magazine for Bavarian national history], 5, 219-242 (in Germ.).
Greiling, W. (2004), “‘If gentle oppression fails, the fate of all the princes of Germany will be decided’. Prince John of Saxony in the revolution of 1848/1849” in Müller, W. and Schattkowsky, M. (ed.) Zwischen Tradition und Modernität. König Johann von Sachsen 1801–1873 [Between tradition and modernity. King John of Saxony 1801–1873], University Press, Leipzig, Germany, 53-68 (in Germ.).
Hummel, K.-J. (1988), “King Maximilian II of Bavaria and the revolution 1848/49 in Bavaria”, in Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte (ed.), König Maximilian II. von Bayern: 1848–1864 [King Maximilian II of Bavaria: 1848–1864], Rosenheimer, Munich, Germany, 91-99 (in Germ.).
Kretzschmar, H. (1960), Die Zeit König Johanns von Sachsen 1854–1873. Mit Briefen und Dokumenten [The times of king John of Saxony 1854–1873. With letters and documents], Academic Press, Berlin, Germany (in Germ.).
Rahe, J. (2021), Die Rechtsstellung des Monarchen in den Verfassungen der Einzelstaaten des Deutschen Bundes [The legal status of monarchs in the constitutions of the individual states of the German Confederation], Nomos, Baden-Baden, Germany (in Germ.).
Sterkhov, D. V. (2022), “The Hanoverian question and Prussian foreign policy in the early nineteenth century (1801-1806)”, Modern and Contemporary History, 2, 38-47 (in Russ.).
Vlasov, N. A. (2022), “The Austro-Prussian war 1866 as a civil war: contemporary opinion”, Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations, 27 (4), 38-47 (in Russ.).
Wehner, N. (1993), Die deutschen Mittelstaaten auf dem Frankfurter Fürstentag 1863 [The German middle states at the Assembly of German Princes at Frankfurt], Peter Lang, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany (in Germ.).
Weigand, K. (2004), “The learned monarch and the cultural policy. John of Saxony and Maximilian II of Bavaria in comparison”, in Müller, W. and Schattkowsky, M. (eds.), Zwischen Tradition und Modernität. König Johann von Sachsen 1801–1873 [Between tradition and modernity. King John of Saxony 1801–1873], University Press, Leipzig, Germany, 189-202 (in Germ.).
Weigand, K. (2019), “Royal Bavarian dreams of a Third Germany”, in Willoweit, D. (ed.), Föderalismus in Deutschland. Zu seiner wechselvollen Geschichte vom ostfränkischen Königtum bis zur Bundesrepublik [Federalism in Germany. To its varied history from an East Francia kingdom to the federal republic], Cologne, Germany, 297-311 (in Germ.).
The article was prepared in the State Academic University for the Humanities within the framework of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (theme FZNF-2023-0003 «Traditions and values of society: mechanisms of formation and transformation in the context of global history», number 1022040800353-4-6.1.1;5.9.1).