Calls Bismarck ‘sick to death’ (1859) because of rage 147, 238, 468
Bismarck writes to say ‘highest personalities’ (1848) calmed down 92
Attends Junker parliament 94
Dines with Bismarck in Berlin (1859) 147
Recipient (1861) of the famous ‘sovereignty swindle letter’ 169
Breaks with Bismarck in 1870s 280
Benedek (Benedec), Ludwig von (1804–81), Austrian General commanding at Battle of Königgrätz/Sadowa 1866 249, 251, 252
Benedetti, Vincent, Count (1817–1900), French Ambassador to Prussia
Asks Bismarck about rumours of Hohenzollern candidacy 281
Asks King again about candidacy 286
His ‘demands’ at Bad Ems and King’s refusal 288
Berlepsch, Hans Hermann Freiherr von (1843–1926), Prussian Minister
Superior President of the Rhine Province during miners’ strike, seeks conciliation with strikers 441
Bismarck rejects conciliation by 442
Bethmann Hollweg, Moritz August von (1795–1877), banker and conservative politician, 473
Co-founds (with Bismarck) conservative group in 1848 101
As ally of von der Goltz, Bismarck consider as enemy 119
Joins ‘New Era’ cabinet in 1858 138
Member of ‘clique’ against Bismarck 212
Bismarck, Bernhard Friedrich Alexander Ferdinand Roman von (1810–93), Bismarck’s older brother 368
Mother writes (1830) that disappointed in 33
Bismarck urges brother to lie to parents 34
Letters from teenager Otto to 37–8
Takes over Kniephof in 1845 on father’s death 63
Bismarck writes to (1847), of future mother-in-law’s ‘melancholy’ 84
Otto’s shrewdness about revolution in Paris in 1848 88
Describes how he, Otto, and Hans Kleist financed foundation of Kreuzzeitung 92
Otto describes new life (1851) as ambassador in Frankfurt to 118
Otto complains (1859) to about expensive move to Russian embassy 149
Votes against Otto on Prussian local government bill (1872) 337
Bismarck, Nikolaus Heinrich Ferdinand Herbert Prince von (1849–1904), Bismarck’s elder son 413, 416, 425, 427, 429, 431, 435–6
Description of his birth and career 406
Love affair with Elizabeth Princess Carolath, broken up by father 406–8
Hildegard Spitzemberg reflects on the coarseness of 408–9
‘Ruined’ in society and made worse by obtuse bad manners 409–10
Explains to Holstein (1887) diplomatic complexity makes father indispensable 424
Holstein warns Phili Eulenburg against 429
Holstein records Herbert’s disillusion with Prince William 438
Asks for an audience of the Kaiser on 23 January, and urges father to come at once 442
Kaiser does not ask for his resignation along with father’s 450
After resignation, father plays ‘pseudo-politics’ 452
Engaged to and marries Marguerite Hoyos in Vienna 455
January 1894 invited to annual Ordensfest (party for the Orders), Kaiser ‘cuts’ him 457
Complains that father has muddled 1884 and 1887 treaties 461–2
Bismarck dies holding Herbert’s hand 463
Bismarck’s wrath destroys his son 469
Bismarck, Johanna Friederike Charlotte Dorothea Eleonore (née von Puttkamer) (1824–1894), Bismarck’s wife, 51, 58, 117, 147, 148, 148, 151, 161, 198
Letter to describes Otto’s troubled relationship to parents 29
Marie von Thadden tells of Bismarck reading Romeo to her Juliet 62
Why Bismarck suddenly chose her and why she accepted him on the rebound 64
21 December 1846, the famous Werbebrief about Bismarck’s faith 65
12 January 1847, engagement to 66
Letters to during engagement 66ff
Holstein on her as ‘a peculiar person … attached no importance to dress’ 67
Hildegard on meeting her for the first time 67–8
Hildegard no longer welcome in Bismarck house after Johanna’s death (1894) 70
Letters to during Bismarck’s debut in politics during 1847 72, 75, 77, 78–9, 79, 83
Honeymoon (1847) 83–4
Letters to on critical moments for the government in September and October 1848 95–6, 97, 99
Letters to on living with the super-pious Hans von Kleist 102–3
On the crisis at Erfurt between Radowitz and Manteuffel (1850) 106
Bismarck writes to say that he will go to Frankfurt 110
3 May 1851, Bismarcks lies to ‘I repeat I have not with a syllable wished
or sought this appointment’ 113
Hedwig von Blanckenburg begs her to adapt and change 114
Bismarck begs her to improve her French and adapt to society 114–15
Bismarck doubts that Johanna will adapt to diplomatic life 118
17 May 1862, Bismarck again lies, to ‘I do nothing for and nothing against’ a ministerial post 172
Perthes on her Lutheranism but relationship to evangelicals 173
Reports on his infatuation with Princess Orloff 175–7
Bismarck to Sister, affair‘without doing any harm to Johanna’ 176
Holstein writes that she looked like a cook but could not cook 188
Crown Prince blames for spreading story that Crown Princess blocked bombardment in 1871 300
Goes with Bismarck in 1890 to see Empress Frederick 443
At farewell dinner, 23 March 1890, ‘loudly and without reserve’ expresses views 451
Died at Varzin, 27 November 1894 459
Vindictiveness of
Stosch an enemy 279
card file of the Deklaranten 344
stirred Bismark’s hatreds 415, 469
Bismarck, Otto Eduard Leopold von (1815–98)
Absences from Berlin
Pflanze calculates totals of 267
Ailments
Complaints that nerves shattered 156, 238, 248, 284, 367, 386
Roon worries about Bismarck’s health and mental stability (March 1866) 238–9
Keudell describes a clash between Moltke and Bismarck and the swollen foot that follows 297
Unable to sleep and vomiting 402
Because of rage, 106, 156, 272, 278, 326
Gluttony: ‘Here we eat until the walls burst’ 404
Dinner menu (1878) 345–6
‘Half a turkey’ 11
Disraeli on 371
Second helpings from every course 10
Blood and iron speech (30 September 1862) 7,465
Early version of ‘to heal … infirmity of Prussia with ferro et igni’ 154.
Causes a furore and threatens his job 180–1
Crown Prince Frederick (1871) condemns for its damage to image of Germany 302
Mühler condemns as sign of Bismarck’s lack of morals 320
Boards new Emperor’s train in 1888 as after speech in 1862 432
Charm
Of his prose style 4
His letters from St Petersburg have 150
As part of the contradictions in Bismarck’s character 183
Roon (1870) on Bismarck’s error to imagine that with ‘charm he can overcome all the difficulties’ 280
Disraeli on his conversation 466
Bamberger on the charm of his smile 466
Perthes sees behind 466
Mary Motley and Lucius von Ballhausen overwhelmed by 224, 471
Character sketches of Bismarck
Bamberger watches Bismarck at dinner in 1878 365, 466
Perthes’ portrait of and doubts about 172–3
Roon writes crushing judgement on Bismarck’s character (January 1870) 280
Hohenlohe, Prince Alexander goes to Friedrichsruh 460
Stosch on way Bismarck humiliated him 5–6
Waldersee on his ‘bad character’ 445
Christian faith
His conversion the necessary step to gaining aristocratic patrons 57
Converted to defence of the Christian State, but Gall doubts it 82
Pflanze on his religion as reinforcement 82
Marie von Thadden tries to convert him 62ff
Describes his Christian vocation to Herr von Puttkammer (the Werbebrief) 64ff
Mühler denies that has any religion; only ‘Blood and Iron’ materialism 320
Von Below thinks prayer only solution to ‘the amazing visions and thoughts [Vorstellungen] that threaten to draw him to death’ 155
Treitschke shocked that he has ‘not the slightest notion’ of morality 247
No sign of Christian repentence and will to amend life 468
Colonies 418
‘Conspiracies’ against
Tells Busch that stenographers (1878) garble his speeches intentionally 3–4, 169, 434, 468
Sees Victoria’s three ladies-in-waiting (1888) as plotting against him 434
Queen Augusta at centre of 239
Contempt for the political class and court
Prussian civil servants bad, produce ‘legal shit’ 106
German parliamentarians ‘dumb in the mass’ 194
‘If I have to eat with members of parliament, I must drink myself the courage’ 350
Rejects right of speaker of the house to call him to order 382
Contradicting Bismarck
Diest (1871): ‘He no longer tolerated contradiction’ 326
King Albert of Saxony (1880): ‘cannot listen to a contrary opinion’ 405
Conversation and indiscretion
Fontane, even when Bismarck sneezes or says prosit more interesting than anybody 5
Disraeli on his conversation 369
‘a monologue, a rambling amusing, egotistical autobiography’ 370
‘Rabelaisian monologues: endless revelations of things he ought not to mention’ 371
His views on all subjects are original, but there is no strain, no effort at paradox. He talks as Montaigne writes’ 373
Stosch on the ‘enchantment’ of Bismarck’s talk 5
Lucius on how Bismarck held the cabinet ‘absolutely enthralled’ 387
Spitzemberg ‘bewitched’ by Bismarck’s ‘magic’ 466
Lucius on Bismarck’s easy conversation with groups 325–6
Demonic power of 79, 184, 185, 336, 343, 465, 470, 480
Kölnische Zeitung: ‘Mephistopheles climbed up in the pulpit’ 241
Odo Russell: ‘The demonic is stronger in him, than in any man I know’ 5, 335
Lasker: too much of ‘a demon’ to give up power 336
Windthorst: ‘Il est le diable’ 413, 465
Kaiser William II: ‘lust for power had taken a demonic hold on’ 450
Heinrich Otto Meissner: ‘the characteristics of a demonic genius’ 455
Bamberger: ‘the Great Devil who towers over his nation’ 452
Russell and Morier call Zornesbock 465
Despotism of, 467
Hohenlohe: ‘individual was oppressed and restricted by the dominant influence of’ 3
Motley to Lady William Russel: ‘you as a despot ought to sympathize with’ 194
Stosch to Freytag (1867): ‘The more Bismarck grows in stature the more uncomfortable for him are people who think and act for themselves’ 267
Bronsart von Schellendorf (25 January 1871): Bismarck, ‘a modern major domus, has insured that all respectable existence in his environment has been crushed’ 309
Von Neumann (1877): people are ‘degrading themselves to mere tools of the All-Powerful One’ 362
Disraeli: Bismarck ‘is a complete despot here’ 372
Fontane: ‘Bismarck is a despot, but he has a right to be one, and he must be one’ 398
Crown Prince to Stosch: ‘under the present regime … every capable person is subordinated’ 429
Contemporaries consider him ‘dictator’ or ‘despot’ but he knew better 480
Diplomacy
Morier on Bismarck
‘quickest eye for the right combination at the right moment’ 128
As chess with all squares open 131
Cannot play if 16 out of 64 squares blocked in advance 133
To remain ‘one of three’ in a Europe of five great powers 328
Kissinger Dictation (1877) 355–6
Failure of his policies by 1890 356
Revelation of the Reinsurance Treaty in 1896 460–2
Diplomatic difficulties never provoke rage 130, 131, 472
Outplayed over ‘war in sight’ crisis 352
Disloyalty to superiors and colleagues
sends his bi-monthly reports to Manteuffel secretly to Leopold von Gerlach 118–19
Roggenbach describes Bismarck’s rule as ‘a specialization in dishonourable humiliation’ 336
Stosch (1877): ‘thinks he can trample all over me and then still dispose of me freely’ 362
Betrays Fritz Eulenburg (1872) 338–40
Shouts at Tiedeman for daring to quit his service 404
Says nothing about Roon’s vital role in his memoirs 379
Reveals secret help for Boetticher 453
Divided nature of Bismarck
Sir Robert Morier on 128
Schlözer sees 183
Hildegard von Spitzemberg on contrasts in Bismarck’s character 465–6, 471
Duels
as student in duelling fraternity 40–1
with Vincke 1852 120
Enemies
Of the Reich in his view (Catholics, Socialists, Liberals) 8, 424, 444
Makes enemies in 1847 by provocative speeches 79–80
Rage in cemetary at ‘murderers’ who fought Prussian state in 1848 103
Robert von der Goltz and the New Era cabinet as enemies 119, 138
Von Below thinks concentration on enemies has deranged him 155, 468
Freiherr von Roggenbach as enemy 165–6
Stosch on how Bismarck makes enemies in the aristocracy 235
At court, Queen, Crown Prince, and Crown Princess really enemies 238
Lippe and Hans von Kleist now enemies 260
Complains
to Roon that numbers of enemies grow and friends diminish (1872) 342
To Tiedemann (1875) 346
Johanna keeps card file of ‘Deklaranten’ as enemies not to be invited 344
Anti-semitism used to undermine Liberal enemies 396
Mimi Countess von Schleinitz, Elisabeth Princess von Carolath, and Franziska Freifrau von Loë, a clique of enemies 407
Queen Augusta, see Augusta
Hatred of ‘enemies’ destroys eldest son 409
Guido von Usedom persecuted after death in Bismarck’s memoirs 453
Windthorst, see Windthorst
Moritz Busch punished Kaiser William II by publishing full text of Bismarck’s resignation after his death 463
Jews as and allows anti-semitic fury to crush Liberal leadership and Lasker 475–6
Estates
Friedrichsruh 70, 358, 359, 361, 376, 377, 403, 405, 436, 446, 447
Tiedemann brings news (1878) of attempt on Kaiser’s life to Bismarck in the fields 367
too near to Berlin to prevent business and vistors arriving 404
Kniephof, 28, 34, 37, 38, 52, 55, 63, 64, 65,
(1869) offers to sell to brother but only at market price 264
Schönhausen 13, 14, 18, 51, 84, 88, 89, 106, 337, 357
Bismarck prefers forests of Kniephof to flood plain of 36
Bismarck romanticizes ‘old castle’ 45
Ferdinand von Bismarck ill and dies 22 November 1845 at 62–3
Bismarck to Bernhard on the terrible crisis of farming at 75
Bismarck rouses peasants of, in 1848 86
Fund raised (1885) to clear debt of and purchase as tribute to Bismarck 418
Herbert moves to and starts to farm at, in 1890 452
Bismarck to Bill on the barking dog at 460
V
arzin 267, 278, 284, 285, 286, 326, 333, 337, 339, 340, 346, 349, 354, 357, 361, 362, 363, 388, 404, 405, 406, 407,
Tiedeman describes typical long working day at 11
King William gives ‘dotation’ (1867) to purchase 264
Motley visits (1869) and describes 264–5
The ‘Reich Dog’ dies and Bismarck inconsolable 346
Agricultural depression affects revenues from 359
Christmas 1877, visitor from tells Stosch that Chancellor ‘already crazy or soon would be’ 362
Princess Bismarck dies at, on 27 November 1894 459
German culture
Bismarck completely untouched by the great nineteenth-century developments in German culture 418
Only reads German lyric poetry (Heine, Chamisso, Uhland, and Rückert) 45
Home
Dines unfashionably early 2
Goes home to Schönhausen to reduce debts 51
Feels at home for first time with Marie and Moritz at Cardemin 65
Johanna makes Hildegard (1863) feel at home 68
At home ‘in another atmosphere’ 69
Johanna unwilling to leave family home 113
Urgent need for home and security 156, 166
Bismarcks live in 76 Wilhelmstrasse without any luxury 188
Eulenburg comments on ‘absence of good taste in’ 418
Hypochondria 5, 184, 379, 405
Stenographers make him ill (1878) 4
Pflanze uses Oedipal theory to explain 34
Wilhelmine Mencken Bismarck also suffers from 34
Serious condition, not a cunning device 36
Worries about drafts in corridors at Royal Palace (1858) 138
Explains his symptoms of to Bernhard (1859) 139
Bismarck uses it of himself, ‘my growing hypochondria’ 156
Acute attack of (1869) with vomiting and sleeplessness 279
Moltke refuses to bombard Paris and Bismarck gets pains in foot as a result 297
Waldersee (1870) sees Bismarck: ‘His eyes grew bigger. Sweat formed on his brow. He looked seriously disturbed’ 302
As a ‘patient from hell’ 403
Rejection by King and Bismarck puts himself to bed 412
Wears thick wig at coronation of William I because of fear of colds 170
Convinced he had stroke (1880) 402
King accuses Bismarck of (1869) 277–8, 470
Bucher explain how ‘annoyed by affairs … he has physical complaints’ 340
Irritability 238
Lucius calls ‘morbid’ 11
Roon on ‘neurotic impatience’ of 222
Tiedeman sees ‘extreme irritability tied to insomnia’ 347
Bismarck: A Life Page 73
