The Life of Bismarck, Private and Political

459 Pages·09.562 MB·English

by  George Hesekiel

The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Life of Bismarck, Private and Political, by
George Hesekiel, Translated by Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.
You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project
Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If
you are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the
country where you are located before using this ebook.
Title: The Life of Bismarck, Private and Political
With Descriptive Notices of His Ancestry
Author: George Hesekiel
Release Date: January 27, 2019 [eBook #58776]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF
BISMARCK, PRIVATE AND POLITICAL***

E-text prepared by MFR
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
(http://www.pgdp.net)
from page images generously made available by
Internet Archive
(https://archive.org)

Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See
https://archive.org/details/lifeofbismarckpr00hese
THE
LIFE OF BISMARCK,
PRIVATE AND POLITICAL.
“Mit Gott für König und Vaterland.”
COUNT OTTO VON BISMARCK.
THE
LIFE OF BISMARCK,
PRIVATE AND POLITICAL;
WITH
DESCRIPTIVE NOTICES OF HIS ANCESTRY.
BY
JOHN GEORGE LOUIS HESEKIEL,
AUTHOR OF “FAUST AND DON JUAN,” ETC.
TRANSLATED AND EDITED,
WITH AN INTRODUCTION, EXPLANATORY NOTES, AND APPENDICES,
BY
KENNETH R. H. MACKENZIE, F.S.A., F.A.S.L.
WITH UPWARD OF ONE HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS BY DIEZ, GRIMM,
PIETSCH, AND OTHERS.
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1870.
CONTENTS
EDITOR’S PREFACE. Page xv
Book the First.
THE BISMARCKS OF OLDEN TIME.
CHAPTER I.
NAME AND ORIGIN.
Bismarck on the Biese.—The Bismarck Louse.—Derivation of the
Name Bismarck.—Wendic Origin Untenable.—The Bismarcks in
Priegnitz and Ruppin.—Riedel’s Erroneous Theory.—The
Bismarcks of Stendal.—Members of City Guilds.—Claus von
Bismarck of Stendal.—Rise of the Family into the Highest Rank
in the Fourteenth Century. 31
CHAPTER II.
CASTELLANS AT BURGSTALL CASTLE.
[1270-1550.]
Rulo von Bismarck, 1309-1338.—Excommunicated.—Claus von
Bismarck.—His Policy.—Created Castellan of Burgstall, 1345.—
Castellans.—Reconciliation with Stendal, 1350.—Councillor to
the Margrave, 1353.—Dietrich Kogelwiet, 1361.—His White
Hood.—Claus in his Service, while Archbishop of Magdeburg.—
The Emperor Charles IV.—The Independence of Brandenburg
threatened.—Chamberlain to the Margrave, 1368.—Subjection of
the Marks to Bohemia, 1373.—Claus retires into Private Life.—
Death about 1377.—Claus II., 1403.—Claus III. and Henning.—
Friedrich I. appoints Henning a Judge.—Ludolf.—His Sons.—
Pantaleon.—Henning III. obiit circâ 1528.—Claus Electoral
Ranger, 1512.—Ludolf von Bismarck.—Electoral Sheriff of
Boetzow, 1513.—His Descendants. 36
CHAPTER III.
THE PERMUTATION.
[1550-1563.]
Changes.—The Electoral Prince John George and Burgstall.—Forest-
rights.—The Exchange of Burgstall for Crevese.—Schönhausen
and Fischbeck.—The Permutation completed, 1563. 50
CHAPTER IV.
THE BISMARCKS OF SCHÖNHAUSEN.
[1563-1800.]
Further Genealogy of the Bismarcks.—Captain Ludolf von Bismarck.
—Ludolf August von Bismarck.—His remarkable Career.—Dies
in the Russian Service, 1750.—Frederick William von Bismarck.
—Created Count by the King of Würtemberg.—Charles
Alexander von Bismarck, 1727.—His Memorial to his Wife.—
His Descendants.—Charles William Ferdinand, Father of Count
Otto von Bismarck. 57
CHAPTER V.
Armorial Bearings. 68
CHAPTER VI.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF BISMARCK’S BIRTHPLACE.
Genthin.—The Plotho Family.—Jerichow.—Fischbeck.—The
Kaiserburg.—The Emperor Charles IV.—The Elector Joachim
Nestor.—Frederick I.—General Fransecky “to the Front.”—
Tangermünde.—Town-hall.—Count Bismarck.—His Uniform,
and the South German Deputy.—Departure for Schönhausen. 77
CHAPTER VII.
SCHÖNHAUSEN.
The Kattenwinkel.—Wust.—Lieutenant Von Katte.—Schönhausen.—
Its History.—The Church.—Bishop Siegobodo.—Bismarck’s
Mansion.—Interior.—Bismarck’s Mother.—Bismarck’s Birth-
Chamber.—The Library.—Bismarck’s Youthful Studies.—
Bismarck’s Maternal Grandmother.—The Countess with the
Dowry.—Ghost Stories.—Anecdote of a Ghost.—The Cellar
Door.—The French at Schönhausen.—The Templars.—The Park.
—The Wounded Hercules.—The Pavilion.—Two Graves.—The
Orangery.—The Knight’s Demesne.—Departure from
Schönhausen. 81
Book the Second.
YOUTH.
CHAPTER I.
SCHOOL AND COLLEGE DAYS.
Bismarck’s Parents.—Brothers and Sisters.—Bismarck Born.—
Kniephof, Jarchelin, and Külz.—The Plamann Institute.—The
Frederick William Institute.—Residence in Berlin.—Bismarck’s
Father and Mother.—Letter of Count Bismarck to his Sister.—
Confirmation.—Dr. Bonnell.—Severity of the Plamanns.—
Holiday Time.—Colonel August Frederick von Bismarck and the
Wooden Donkey at Ihna Bridge.—School-life with Dr. Bonnell.
—The Cholera of 1831.—The Youthful Character and
Appearance of Bismarck.—Early Friends.—Proverbs.—“Far
from Sufficient!” quoth Bismarck. 101
CHAPTER II.
UNIVERSITY AND MILITARY LIFE.
[1832-1844.]
Göttingen.—The Danish Dog and the Professor.—Duels.—Berlin.—
Appointed Examiner.—Anecdotes of his Legal Life.—Bismarck
and his Boots.—Meeting with Prince, now King, William.—
Helene von Kessel.—Aix la Chapelle.—Greifswald.—
Undertaking the Pomeranian Estates.—Kniephof.—“Mad
Bismarck.”—His Studies.—Marriage of his Sister.—Letters to
her.—Norderney.—Saves his Servant Hildebrand’s Life.—“The
Golden Dog.”—A Dinner Party at the Blanckenburgs.—Von
Blanckenburg.—Major, now General, Von Roon.—Dr. Beutner. 123
CHAPTER III.
BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE.
[1847.]
Falls in Love.—Johanna von Putkammer.—Marriage.—Meets King
Frederick William IV.—Birth of his First Child.—Schönhausen
and Kniephof with a New Mistress. 148
Book the Third.
LEARNING THE BUSINESS.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.
“UT SCIAT REGNARE.”
Bismarck’s Policy.—Its Gradual Growth and Political Character.—
Contrast with Lucchesini.—Bismarck’s Open Honesty.—Vassal
and Liege.—Liberalism a Danger.—Democracy a Danger.—The
Relative Positions of Prussia and Austria in the Federation.—
Gerlach’s Ideal Conservatism. 157
CHAPTER II.
THE ASSEMBLY OF THE THREE ESTATES.
[1847.]
The February Constitution.—Merseberg.—First Appearance of
Bismarck in the White Saloon.—Von Saucken.—Bismarck’s
First Speech.—Conservatives and Liberals.—The First of June.
—Jewish Emancipation.—Illusions Destroyed. 165
CHAPTER III.
THE DAYS OF MARCH.
[1848.]
Rest at Home.—Contemplation.—The Revolution in Paris, February,
1848.—Progress of the Revolutionary Spirit.—The March Days
of Berlin.—The Citizen Guard.—Opening of the Second Session
of the United Diet, 2d April, 1848.—Prince Solms-Hohen-
Solms-Lich.—Fr. Foerster.—“Eagle’s Wings and
Bodelswings.”—Prince Felix Lichnowsky.—The Debate on the
Address.—Speech of Bismarck.—Revolution at the Portal of the
White Saloon.—Vaticinium Lehninense.—The Kreuzzeitung
Letter of Bismarck on Organization of Labor.—Bismarck at
Stolpe on the Baltic.—The Winter of Discontent.—Manteuffel. 178
CHAPTER IV.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP.
[1849-1851.]
The Second Chamber.—The Sword and the Throne.—Acceptance of
the Frankfurt Project.—The New Electoral Law.—Bismarck’s
Speeches.—The King and the Stag.—Birth of Herbert von
Bismarck.—“What does this Broken Glass Cost?”—The
Kreuzzeitung Letters.—The Prussian Nobility.—“I am Proud to
be a Prussian Junker!”—Close of the Session. 191
Book the Fourth.
ON THE VOYAGE OF LIFE.
CHAPTER I.
ON THE VOYAGE OF LIFE.
[1851-1859.]
Ambassador.—Interview with the King.—Lieut.-General von
Rochow.—Anecdotes.—Frankfurt.—Reception of the Prince of
Prussia.—Society at Frankfurt.—The King’s Birthday.—Position
of Prussia.—Correspondence. 217
CHAPTER II.
BISMARCK ON THE NEVA.
[1859-1862.]
Ambassador to St. Petersburg.—Illness.—Journey.—Hunting.—The
Coronation of William I. 280
CHAPTER III.
BISMARCK ON THE SEINE.
[1862.]
The Premiership ahead.—Ambassador to Paris.—Unveiling of the
Brandenburg Statue.—Uncertainty.—Delivers his Credentials to
Napoleon III.—Description of the Embassy House at Paris, and
of Prussia House, London.—Journey to the South of France.—