What was the most pivotal moment in World History? The Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales. All History changed.
78Contents.
An event that changed the world.
Some more world changing events.
The rise of communism. The worst change for The World.
The death of Princess Charlotte of Wales changed the world.
An event that changed the world.
It is one of the fascinations of studying history to realise how sometimes, what on the face of it can seem an almost inconsequential incident in the tapestry of world events, can, on further study, prove to have profound, world changing effects for the generations, at that time, yet unborn. There have been some occurrences that have led to such momentous consequences as to lead one to consider the notion of a possible malevolent guiding hand in the affairs of the human race. It is of one such happening that I want to write now. The readers will indulge me if I am not always exact in my dates. This piece is essentially a theory of history rather than just a relation of dry dusty facts. My time is limited, and I do not propose to spend any of it dipping into enclyopedias to get exact spellings of names, or absolutely accurate dates. The knowledge that I am using is taken directly from my own head. Nevertheless I shall try to be as accurate as it is possible for a mere amateur to be.
The girl from whose death all these, mainly sad things ensued was Princess Charlotte of Wales. For those who are unacquainted with her story, she was the only daughter and the heir to the Prince Regent, later to become King George IV of Great Britain. She was married to Prince Leopold of Saxe Cobourg Gotha. In the year 1817 she rather tragically died in childbirth. The immediate consequence of this was that there was no heir in the next generation for the British throne. The brothers of the Prince Regent, who were largely unmarried, straight away started scouring Europe for suitable princesses to marry in order to secure the succession. The only one to actually father a child that lived to adulthood was the Duke of Kent. That child became Queen Victoria. She married Prince Albert of Saxe Cobourg Gotha, the nephew of Leopold, and they had nine children.
Some more world changing events.
Here is where it starts to become interesting for students of world history. Their eldest daughter married Prince Frederick of Prussia, and had a son who went on to become Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, whose expansionist belligerent policies are largely blamed for the First World War. The treaty of Versailles, which ended that conflict, was so unfair on Germany that it gave great impetus to the disaffection that lead to the rise of Hitler, which in turn lead on to the second world war. The abominable treatment meted out to the Jewish people in the holocaust lead on to the founding of the modern state of Israel. The results of that decision are still being felt throughout the world. The intervention of The United States in both the first and the second great wars had profound effects in world history. The pernicious meddling of Woodrow Wilson resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Monarchical system of government in Central Europe, which of course aided the rise of communism at a later date.
But to go back a bit there are more strands to our story.
You remember Prince Leopold, the grieving widower. When the modern state of Belgium was founded he was asked to be its first king. Nothing really earth shattering about that. He was a good ruler, beloved of his people and he died in 1862. It was his son who made the real mark on the world; not a very good one I'm afraid. He was King Leopold II of the Belgians, and he is principally remembered as the exploiter of the Congo. His misrule was responsible for the enslavement and massacre of millions of people in that part of Africa. He was a thoroughly wicked man. The effect of his malevolence scars the African psyche to this day.
The rise of communism. The worst change for The World.
The final strand of our story has to do with Russia and the evil effects for the world that came from the rise of communism. Yes, the demise of our fair princess even managed to lead on to that, although it doesn’t let Woodrow Wilson entirely of the hook.
What happened here is that the second daughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Alice married the Grand Duke of Hesse. They had a daughter called Alix who married Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Unfortunately she was a carrier of Haemophilia, which affected the heir to the Russian Empire, Alexei. Worry over her son affected her judgement, with the result that she allowed herself to fall under the influence of the monk Rasputin. The interference of this malevolent "Man of the People" in the government of the empire contributed greatly to the revolution, which in turn lead on to the rise of Stalin, and the enslavement and murder of a large part of the population of eastern Europe for many years.
So you see very serious and important effects can sometimes flow from the most minor of events. I need scarcely add that the results for Great Britain itself were not negligible either. Without the death of Princess Charlotte there would be no Elizabeth II. At least some blessings have come from her sad demise.
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Mr De Greek. I am well aware that Kaiser Wilhelm II tried to avert catastrophe at the last minute in 1914. nevertheless that does not take away from the fact that his policies, and the attitude of the german government are largely blamed for the start of the first world war. Note I said "largely blamed", not "Responsible". I said the first in the hub as well. It is worth reading articles properly before commenting on them. The point of the article was not to apportion blame, but to expound the notion that these events would not have happened if the people concerned had not occupied their positions, and that situation was largely brought about by the death of Princess Charlotte.
"WWI was caused by nationalism. When the war was declared on Germany, people burst out on the street celebrating in France and Britain. If the population had not been primed to support the war, the government might not have started it!
WWI was the result of a long string of events dating back to the 1890's. Conflict in the Balkans and complex European alliances were the main causes. Germany had a huge role in this. They fought for the independence of Morocco in an attempt to break the alliance between France and Britain. Germany also participated in an arms race. Kaiser Wilhelm II started building up a navy, trying to surpass Britain's fleet. Since Britain was an island nation, and had many overseas colonies, it had a gigantic navy, so what the Kaiser was attempting to do was no easy feat. Germany wanted to increase its own colonial empire, and most of the good colonies were already taken. These actions and policies helped fuel the fire that was WWI."
"In Eastern Europe: The breakup of the Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe, leading to the Slavic independence movements in areas such as Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia. The Serbian-Austrian relations were especially tense as Austria had demanded an independent Albania, thus preventing Serbia from expanding into the Adriatic during the 1900s. This aggressive movement led to increased tension between Russia and Austria as Russia supported the independence movements of the Slavs. Turkey then supported Austria to gain Austrian support.
In Western Europe: The loss of Alsace-Lorraine by France to Germany in 1871 led to much bad feeling between the two countries. The Kaiser's self-proclaimed goal that Germany "have a place in the sun" did nothing to ease tensions. Instead, the military buildup in Germany, especially the expansion of the Navy, drove Britain (alarmed at the direct challenge posed by the German High Seas Fleet to the British Royal Navy) into an alliance with France. When World War I began, everything began falling into place: Austria and the Ottoman Empire declared war on Serbia. This caused Russia and France to declare war on the both of them. And this led to Germany declaring war on Russia and France (which were allied with Britain). In order to attack France via the Schlieffen Plan (invasion of France via Belgium), Germany invaded Belgium. This direct violation of the neutrality guarantee led to Great Britain's declaring war on the Central Powers. The War was on."
"There were Seven Causes of World War One
The first one is the Franco-Prussian war. During the Franco Prussian war France lost Alsace-Lorraine to Prussia (Germany). With the loss of their land, tension was created. The second cause was the alliance systems. When the triple entente and triple alliance were created, all of the countries were trying to build up a stronger power against each other. The third cause was the Balkan Powder Keg. The Balkans were in an area that other countries wanted but they believed that if something happened there, the countries would erupt in war. The fourth cause of WWI was imperialism. All of the countries were fighting over land in Africa to increase their nationalism. Nationalism is the fifth cause of WWI. People had so much nationalism that when the war was announced everyone was signing up to be included in it. This also led to the Arms race which is the sixth cause. The Arms Race was where all of the countries were building up their military. No country wanted to be behind another country in militarism. Then the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand occurred, which is the last cause of WWI. When he was killed by a Serbian, the Balkans were outraged and sparked the war to start. By the time that the Archduke was assassinated, the world was just looking for an excuse to start the war."
Mr De Greek. I see nothing in what you are writing to disagree with. But you still seem to be missing the point of what I wrote in the first place, which is that historical events are shaped by the actions of individuals, and in the cases of World War I and the Russian revolution, and the consequences that flowed from them, some of the key players would not have even existed if it was not for the unfortunate demise of Princess Charlotte. That is the point I was making, and no other. I appreciate your attempt to educate me on the causes of "The Great War", but most of them I know already.
thanks for the informative hub on world history. I have been reading Life Magazine under Google books from years 1936 to 1942 so far, a weekly magazine published here. so much history of Europe. thanks.
Hi lefseriver.
I might have a look at Life Magazine myself. Thanks for the compliment to my hub.
What a Great discussion took place here. Thank You. (Mute: If those parties involved in starting The War had been able to discuss things through so articulately, the world might have been spared this misfortune!)
I gleam from it that if the Princess had not died, the countries would perhaps have been more united by her singularity rather than split apart by wanting the same thing for themselves.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, and Thanks for your comment to my hub "vote me!"
Hi days leaper.
I dont think there was anything specific in the character of Princess Charlotte that lead on to the various events.
It is just that her death resulted in the placing of the various protaginists in their places.
Fascinating discussion, for sure. I'm spellbound. Disputing facts can be enlightening, but in the final analysis, much of it is "armchair football" the day after the game, as it's sometimes called here. All of it has the wonderful quality of subjective imprint on objective facts, as gleaned from reports and retellings of past events. Nothing wrong with that. It has value, as all historic accounts and reviews of them have.
What I find most clarifying is that Christropheranton distilled a single thread on which several pearls of births are strung because they are from the same oyster, and almost by accident they have had major influence, with far-reaching effects but yet simply relating them with precious little editorialization or interpretation other than the shimmering presence of the chain of their occurrences and those occurrences' visitations on the world's history during the times. It is not designed to pin-the-blame for the history, but to show from whence arose and went some effects of events.
All the other discussion that followed - very well-presented - has a ring of truth about it - but not of contradiction, which it seems to have intended doing. Perhaps it comes through more like confirmation of this thread, even though not recognized for what it was in attempting to contradict it. It's ok! That's what made the football game a game - but still - the score speaks for itself!
Still - it's all very valuable! Every "play" is part of what made the game.
And I feel like I've had some valuable lessons in history, logic, observation skills, detail & globalized thinking and viewing human nature.
Thank all who have participated - my gurus - but most especially Christopher for the very very good article which stirred such thought and presented such pearls!!
I'm a fan!
Once again Nelleanna. Thankyou for your reasoned and detailed comments. I have always been a fan of the "What if" school of history, and the Princess Charlotte story is one of the prime examples of the type.
It seems that history is is a matter of opinion rather than facts, but then the politics are so complex that no other course is possible. The important fact is the debate that this article has inspired and for that i thank all the participants for world war three in the making. Only kidding of course. Cheers
Keith thanks for dropping in. I have always found the "what if" school of history fascinating. And Princess Charlotte it's ultimate expression.
Such a shame... Apparently charming,healthy future queen dies giving birth to fine,big son...But one who dies in the birth process...What might have been...?
Thanks for reading RRW. Not just what might have been, but what might not have been.
Realy interesting site...What if James II hadn't abdicated and his son had become king?...No Queen Mary,King William,Queen Anne...and no Hanoverians...Like Princess Charlotte
Realy interesting site...What if James II hadn't abdicated and his son had become king?...No Queen Mary,King William,Queen Anne...and no Hanoverians...Like Princess Charlotte
Filmkid. Thanks for reading.
If you were a Jacobite the current King of The United Kingdom would be His Royal Highness Franz, Duke of Bavaria, of Fraconia and in Swabia; Count Palatine of the Rhine, who is the current direct heir of King Charles I. He would also be The King of Bavaria if there hadnt been a revolution in that country in 1918.
really good hub
pleaser to read
jackie_fish.
Your welcome. Thanks for reading.
Thanks for the education gentlemen. I have learned a lot! The untimely death did indeed trigger Some unpleasant consequences. Doesn't history repeat itself? So what next?
One of the positives of living in this more democratic age, is that the death of any royalties, at least in Europe, is unlikely to have the effect that it once had; on account of them fulfilling a more symbolic role nowadays.
Thanks for dropping by Gypsy Willow.
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De Greek Level 2 Commenter 2 years ago
Interesting approach, if one believes in the wisdom of being ruled by a hereditary monarch instead of by elected leaders. Also. there is documented proof that Kaiser Wilhelm II tried to prevent WWI, including letters to his cousin the Czar of Russia. It is worth investigating historical facts before putting pen to paper :-)