Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Emperor Karl warned about wife's family

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 April 25, 1918

The Berliner Tageblatt has published the following dispatch from its Vienna correspondent:

"The members of the Imperial House of Austria met at the Archduke's palace and decided through him to point out to the Emperor the prejudicial consequences which the activities of members of the House of Bourbon-Parma residing abroad might have for the interests of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine."

The complaint by members of the Imperial House refers to Prince Sixtus, one of Empress Zita's brothers.

On March 31, 1917, Emperor Karl wrote a letter to Prince Sixtus, an officer in the Belgian army, where he "made peace suggestions for unofficial submission to France and Great Britain."

The French government published the letter earlier this month, alluding to "France's just claims regarding Alsace-Lorraine," which Emperor Karl "promised to support."

The letter's publication led to further complications for Austria, including statements by several Austrian statesmen in an effort to explain and deny, and "heal Germany's injured feelings." 

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