The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-01-18
GERMAN-DANlSH WAR.
A Struggle Fought During the Last Yeal
of Our Civil Strife.


| of Our Civil Strife.
King Frederick VII. of Denmark was
the last member in the male line of the
royal house of Oldenburg. Long before
his decease, which occurred in the au-
tumn of 1868, the succession had been
determined. The treaty by which this
succession had been settled was signed
in London, May 8, 1852, and was the
result of negotiations between Great
Britain, France, Austria, Russia, Prus-
sia and Sweden. BY the provisions OF
this international agreement the crown,
in case of the default of male issue
in the direct line of Frederick, was
to pass to Prince Christian of Schles-
wig-Holstei Glucksborg and his con-
sort, the Princess Louise of Hesse-
Cassel, who through her mother, Prin-
cess Charlotte of Denmark, was niece OF
the late King Christian VIII. of Dem
mark. Austria and Prussia had never
been satisfied with the London treaty,
and they had attempted to obtain con-
cessions in the details of tile constitu-
tion which Frederick VII. had issued in
1856, but they had failed because of the
influence of strong Danish party in
Copenhagen. In 1868 Austria and Prus-
sia determined to send what was termed
"an army of execution" into the duchies
of Schleswig- Holstein. Denmark felt
encouraged to oppose this movement,
because the daughter of Christian of
Glucksborg, the Princess Alexandra,
had become the wife of the Prince of
Wales. and because this alliance
seemed to promise British support.
At this juncture Frederick VII. died
very suddenly at the castle of Glucks-
borg, in Schleswig, the seat of his sue
cessor. Then the complications multi
piled. The question of the succession
to the duchies, which had long been
more or less unsettled, assumed serious
proportions for Denmark. The first step
was the setting up by Frederick of Au-
gustcnborg of his claims. His father,
the Duke, had in 1S4S forfeited his
claims to the succession, and he had
solemnly renounced all claims on the
titles and possession of the Danish royal
house, in consideration of his receiving
a free pardon and accepted large sum
of money from the crown, and this had
been regarded by Denmark as a final
settlement of his pretensions. Prince
Christian of Glucksborg was proclaimed
King as Christian IN, while the preten-
der of Augustenborg was supported by
the German confederation. 1t was not
long before troops occupied the duchies,
in command of Prussian and Austrian
Generals. 1t soon became apparent that
the object of these greater powers was
to incorporate the duchies with the Ger
man Confederation. Denmark had
hoped for help from Great Britain and
France, but in this was disappointed.
They made gallant but Intellectual re-
sistance, and gave way only when to
continue the struggle meant national
extinction. The Danes accepted the
terms of the treaty of Vienna in Octo.
Der, 1864, by which Christian TX. re-
nounced all claim to Lauenborg, Hol-
stein and Schleswig, and agreed to have
no voice in the final disposal of those
provinces. Austria demanded later,
that North Schleswig and Alsen, where
the Danish language was spoken, be re-
stored, provided the people so expressed
themselves, but Bismarck had become
SO powerful that he was able to humili-
ate Austria, and to make the duchies an
integral part of his own country.-Chi-
cago Inter Ocean.