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Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, German Emperor Friedrich III, German Emperor Wilhelm I, German Empire, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, Kingdom of Aragon, Kingdom of Castile, Kingdom of Spain, Regnal Number
From The Emperor’s Desk: In 1888 German Emperor Friedrich III ascended the Imperial throne. For a short while he was hesitant in deciding what to call himself. At first he wanted to call himself German Emperor Friedrich IV.
I always found that strange and wondered if the new emperor really understood his history? But through the years my mind has been changed and now as I think about it, desiring to call himself Friedrich IV tpwas not a strange idea whatsoever.
This blog entry will be discussing how calling himself Emperor Friedrich IV was plausible and I will design the historical precedence behind it.
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In 1871, following Prussia’s victories, the German states were united into the German Empire, with King Wilhelm I of Prussia as the German Emperor and Crown Prince Friedrich as heir-apparent to the Kingdom of Prussia and the new German Empire.
Three days after Crown Prince Friedrich was confirmed to be suffering, and dying from laryngeal cancer in early March of 1888, his father, German Emperor Wilhelm I died aged 90 at 8:22 a.m. on March 9,1888, upon which Friedrich became German Emperor and King of Prussia.
His son Wilhelm, now Crown Prince, telegraphed the news of the death of German Emperor Wilhelm I to his father in Italy where he was convalescing from his illness. Later the same day, Friedrich wrote in his diary that he had received the telegram upon returning from a walk, “…and so I have ascended the throne of my forefathers and of the German Kaiser!
Logically, Friedrich could have taken as his regnal name as German Emperor Friedrich I, if the German Empire created by Chancellor Otto von Bismark was considered a new entity. Generally, though not always, when a monarch adopts a new title a new numbering system will begin. For example, in my previous blog post, Margrave Friedrich IV of Meissen, when he became Prince-Elector of Saxony, he adopted the name Friedrich I of Saxony.
The new German Emperor wanted to call himself Friedrich IV as he considered this new Empire a continuation of the old Holy Roman Empire, which previously had three emperors named Friedrich. This was the style and title he himself preferred to be called as he did view this new Empire as an extension of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
However, on the advice of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, he stated that this would create legal problems, and it was suggested that he opt to simply keep as his Imperial style and name the same regnal name he had as King of Prussia, which was King Friedrich III.
It is here where I questioned the emperor’s knowledge of History. I saw the German Empire created in 1871 by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck as a completely new entity separate from the old Holy Roman Empire. While this was the case, this was an entirely new Empire, I have come to see that wanting to give himself a regnal name of Friedrich IV and connecting himself to the old Empire did have its precedence.
There have been kingdoms and empires in the past where Regnal names and numbers were maintained from older States and transferred to newer States. Here are some examples.
I will begin with Spain.
In 1469, the crowns of the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon were united by the marriage of their monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and Fernando II of Aragon, respectively. The dynastic union of the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon is often considered the basis for modern Spain and the Spanish Empire, although each Kingdom of Spain remained a separate country socially, politically, legally, and in currency and language.
In other words, the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon we’re in a personal Union with the monarch and not politically united.
On Fernando II’s death in 1516, his grandson was proclaimed as King Carlos I of Castile and of Aragon (in authority) jointly with his mother Joanna I as the Queen of Castile (in name). As the first monarch to reign over Castile and Aragon, King Carlos I may be considered as the first operational “King of Spain.” King Carlos I also became Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire in 1519.
King Carlos was the first king to officially use a derivation of the name “Spain” as the name of the realm. He also used Rex Hispaniarum et Indiarum (i.e. King of the Spains and the Indies). This title was often used after his title of Holy Roman Emperor which was superior to that of king.
Despite the personal Union of the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon the numbering system for its monarchs maintained the numbering system used in Castile. For example, King Fernando II of Aragon is often referred to as King Fernando V of Castile, even though his sovereignty was by the right of his wife.
The next Spanish ruler with the name of Fernando continued the Castilian numbering system and became King Fernando VI of Spain.
This system was tested when King Alfonso XII became king. On June 25, 1870, Infante Alfonso was recalled to Paris, where his mother Queen Isabella II of Spain abdicated in his favour, in the presence of a number of Spanish nobles who had tied their fortunes to those of the exiled Queen.
He assumed the name King Alfonso XII, for although no King of united Spain had borne the name “Alfonso”, the Spanish monarchy was regarded as continuous with the more ancient monarchy represented by the 11 kings of Asturias, León and Castile also named Alfonso.
The various Spanish states were not formally administered as a single unit, the Kingdom of Spain, but as separate political units under the same monarchs. The legal merging of Aragon and Castile into a single Spain occurred under King Felipe V in 1707–1715. The name Felipe is another example where the numbering of the monarch stayed consistent despite the change of the name of the state.
Archduke Phillipp of Austria, reigning Duke of burgundy became King of Castile by right of his wife Queen Joanna of Castile. And in Castile he is known as King Felipe I. His grandson, Infante Felipe, when he became King of Spain he continued the Castilian numbering system by becoming King Felipe II of Spain.
Therefore, despite there being many monarchs over the changing status of various Spanish States the numbering system remained consistent with that of the ancient Kingdom of Castile.