The Schleswig Wars were fought over the destiny of Schleswig and Holstein, the two duchies at the base of the Jutland Peninsula. Both were ruled by the king of Denmark as their duke, but while Schleswig was part of Denmark, Holstein was a member of the German Confederation. The mixed population of Schleswig (Danish in the north and German in the south) also complicated matters. Danish nationalists wanted to separate Schleswig formally into Denmark, while German nationalists wanted to combine the two duchies as one within the German Confederation.
The First Schleswig War of 1848 began with the dilemma over who would succeed the heirless King Frederick VII of Denmark. While it was likely he would be succeeded by Prince Christian of Oldenburg, the two duchies would go to Prince Frederick of Augustenburg. In 1848, Frederick announced a constitution that would rule both Denmark, Schleswig and Holstein under a single system. But the two duchies were appalled and established a provisional government in the port city of Kiel in March. The provisional government, nominally led by Augustenburg, requested membership to the German Confederation, which the Confederate Diet agreed.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 117-utgaven av History of War.
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COUPS & CHAOS
How the French armed forces lost the war in Algeria and almost destroyed French democracy in the process
BATTLE OF ALGIERS
When the Front de libération nationale FLN) took its war to the streets of the capital, France’s military responded with merciless wrath
THE RISE OF ALGERIAN RESISTANCE
How the anti-colonialist struggle around the globe helped inspire Algeria’s liberation movement to organise and fight back
ROOTS OF REVOLUTION
A century of French occupation led to a genocide in Algeria that provoked one of the bloodiest showdowns of the modern age
DWIGHT W BIRDWELL
In the opening hours of the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive, this Specialist Five led his armoured cavalry detachment in repulsing a fierce communist assault against Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon
THE FIVE STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP
Phillips O’Brien discusses how this quintet of national leaders impacted the course of the Second World War
Great Battles FLODDEN
On the morning of 9 September 1513, King James lV of Scotland stood atop Flodden Hill with what seemed an insurmountable advantage over the English. Yet by the day's end he would lay slain and his army shattered
FERDINAND 'THE BLOODY'
Known for his brutal martial punishment and execution of his own men, Ferdinand Schérner’s ruthlessness was matched only by his devotion to Nazi ideology
AIRBORNE UNDER SIEGE ARNHEM
For nine days the heroic 1st Airborne fought desperately, waiting vainly for relief that never came
SCANDINAVIA UNDER ATTACK
Hitler’s forces smash through Denmark and Norway ina grim foretaste of the terrible fate awaiting the rest of Western Europe
