SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEES . 



works at. Rcndsburg, and six villages claimed 

 by the Danes as belonging to Schleswig). 



The Federal Commissioners, which accom- 

 panied the federal army, at once organized a 

 provisional Government. The " Holstein Gov- 

 ernment," which had been established on Nov. 

 12th, 1802, by the King of Denmark at Ploen, 

 lor the administration of the duchies, was abol- 

 ished and a " Ducal Government " established 

 at Kiel. 



The Prince Frederic of Augustenburg sud- 

 .lenlyand unexpectedly arrived at Kiel on Dec. 

 80th, 1863, and addressed a proclamation to 

 the people announcing his arrival and his acces- 

 sion to the Government as Frederic VIII., Duko 

 of Schleswig-Holstein. He was received by the 

 people with great and unanimous enthusiasm. 

 All the towns of Holstein sent deputies to the 

 duke, to pay him their homage, and the clergy, 

 at a meeting held at Neumunster, on Jan. loth, 

 unanimously resolved to petition the Diet to 

 recognize the rights of Duke Frederic. 



On Dec. 28th, 1863, Prussia and Austria pro- 

 posed to the Federal Diet to summon the Dan- 

 ish Government not to execute, with regard to 

 the duchy of Schleswig, the fundamental law 

 of Nov. 18th, 1863, and to declare, that in case 

 of a refusal on the part of Denmark, the Ger- 

 manic confederation would be obliged to pro- 

 cure, by means of a military occupation of 

 Schleswig, a pledge for the accomplishment of 

 their legitimate wishes. This proposition was, 

 on Jan. 14, 1864, rejected by 11 against 5 votes, 

 viz. : Austria, Prussia, Hesse-Kassel, Mecklen- 

 burg, and 16th " curia" (the States casting col- 

 lectively the 16th vote).* The two great 

 powers, Prussia and Austria, declared that 

 they would henceforth carry out their proposi- 

 tion, not as members of the German Diet, but 

 as great powers of Europe. Bavaria, Saxony, 

 Wiirtemberg, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, Saxe- 

 "Weimar, Meiningen, Coburg-Gotha, the 13th 

 and 15th " curia)," protested against this decla- 

 ration. On Jan. 16th Austria and Prussia 

 notified the Danish Government that they 

 would recall their ministers, if the constitu- 

 tion of Nov. 18th, 1863, were not withdrawn 

 within forty-eight hours. In reply the Danish 

 Government, on Jan. 18th, demanded a delay 

 of six weeks, in order to give it time to convoke 

 the Rixrad of Denmark and Schleswig, and de- 

 liberate with it concerning a change in the con- 

 stitution of Nov. 18. This demand was rejected 

 by Austria and Prussia. On the other baud, 

 the Prime Minister of Denmark, Bishop Mon- 

 rad, declared on Jan. 27th to the Landsthing 

 that the Danish Government would never con- 

 sent to a union of Schleswig with Holstein, or 

 to an autonomy of Schleswig, or to a division 

 of the duchy. 



The Prussian and Austrian troops, on Jan. 

 17th, began to move, without obtaining pre- 

 vious authority from the Governments con- 

 cerned, or from the Federal Diet, through the 



* For the composition of the Federal Diet, see the article 

 Germany in the ANNUAL CYCLOI--EDIA for 1H63. 



territory of Oldenburg and Hamburg. On Jan 

 21st they entered Holstein. On the next day 

 the Federal Diet gave its consent to the march 

 of the Austrian and Prussian troops through 

 Holstein, after having previously (Jan. 19th) 

 received the assurance from these two powers 

 that they would in no way obstruct the action 

 of the federal commissioners, or the commander- 

 in-chief of the federal troops. On Jan. 30th 

 the Field-Marshal, Gen. Wrangel, comrnander- 

 in-chief of the " Austro-Prussirm Army for 

 Schleswig-Holstein," summoned Lieut.-Gen. 

 de Meza, general in chief of the Danish Army, 

 to evacuate Schleswig. This demand was, on 

 Jan. 31st, rejected by the Danish general. 



On Feb. 1st the Austro-Prussian army crossed 

 the Eider, extending its line from Kiel to Rends- 

 burg, the Prussians forming the right wing under 

 command of Prince Frederic Charles of Prussia, 

 and the Austrian s the left wing under the com- 

 mand of Lieut. Field-Marshal de Gablenz. The 

 Danish line, which extended from Eckenfurde 

 to Sorgbriick, was driven back by the allies. 

 The Austrian vanguard, under command of 

 Maj.-Gen. Gondrecourt drove, on Feb. 3d, the 

 Danes from the fortified positions of Jagel and 

 Oberselk, and stormed the Koenigsberg. The 

 Danish forces then withdrew behind the strong- 

 ly fortified line of the " Dannevirke." This, 

 however, became at once untenable, when, on 

 Feb. 5th, the Prussians effected a passage over 

 the Schley, opposite Amis. Amidst constant 

 skirmishing the Danes fell back to the fortifica- 

 tions of Duppel opposite the island of Alsen. In 

 one of the engagements, which took place dur- 

 ing this retreat, at Oeversee, Prince Wilhelm 

 of Wurtemberg, who commanded one of the 

 Austrian regiments, was seriously wounded, 

 In a few more days the whole main land of 

 Schleswig, with the exception of the fortifica- 

 tions near Duppel, was in the hand of the allies. 

 Immediately on the retreat of the Danes, every 

 town of Schleswig proclaimed Prince Frederic 

 D'uke of Schleswig. On Feb. 7th a proclama- 

 tion from Gen. Wrangel announced to the peo- 

 ple of the duchy the appointment of two Aus- 

 tro-Prussian civil commissioners for the ad- 

 ministration of the duchy (Baron de Zedlitz for 

 Prussia, and Count de Revertera for Austria). 

 The commissioners, on Feb. 8, issued a procla- 

 mation declaring the power of the King of Den- 

 mark to be suspended and the laws of the coun- 

 try to remain in force ; the expression " royal " 

 authority and the use of the " royal " seal were 

 prohibited ; protection was promised to all who 

 would submit to the authority of the general- 

 in-chief ; political societies and manifestations, 

 especially such as would aim at prejudging the 

 question of succession, were forbidden. On 

 Feb. 17th the commissioners issued a decree 

 suspending the constitution of Nov. 18, 1863, 

 and by another decree issued two days later, 

 they reestablished the use of the German lan- 

 guage in the churches and schools in the places 

 in which it had been suppressed by the Danish 

 edicts of 1851. 



