Paul von Hatzfeldt

Paul von Hatzfeldt
German Ambassador to the United Kingdom
In office
23 November 1885 – 14 November 1901
MonarchsWilhelm I
Frederick III
Wilhelm II
Preceded byGeorg Herbert zu Münster
Succeeded byPaul Wolff Metternich
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
In office
16 July 1881 – 24 October 1885
MonarchWilhelm I
ChancellorOtto von Bismarck
Preceded byClemens Busch
Succeeded byHerbert von Bismarck
German Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
In office
12 July 1878 – 15 July 1881
MonarchWilhelm I
Preceded byPrince Heinrich VII Reuss of Köstritz
Succeeded byJoseph Maria von Radowitz
German Minister to Spain
In office
20 August 1874 – 12 July 1878
MonarchWilhelm I
Preceded byJulius von Canitz und Dallwitz
Succeeded byEberhard zu Solms-Sonnenwalde
Personal details
Born(1831-10-08)8 October 1831
Düsseldorf, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation
Died22 November 1901(1901-11-22) (aged 70)
London, United Kingdom
Spouse
Helene Moulton
​
(m. 1863)​
Children3
Parents
RelativesHermann von Hatzfeldt (cousin)
OccupationDiplomat

Melchior Hubert Paul Gustav Graf[a] von Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg (8 October 1831 – 22 November 1901) was a German diplomat who served as ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1901. He would also serve as envoy to Spain and the Ottoman Empire, foreign secretary, and head of the German Foreign Office. He is best known for signing the Yangtze Agreement in 1900.

Early life

Born into the House of Hatzfeld, Paul was born in Düsseldorf, Kingdom of Prussia, a part of the German Confederation, on October 8, 1831. He was the son of Count Edmund Gottfried Cornelius Hubert von Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg (1798–1874) and his wife, Countess Sophie von Hatzfeldt-Trachenberg, member of another branch of the same noble family. In 1888 he would be appointed German ambassador to the United Kingdom, serving in this capacity until his retirement in 1901.[1]

Career

Hatzfeldt had a long career in the German Foreign Office. He was once described by Otto von Bismarck as das beste Pferd im diplomatischen Stall ("the best horse in the diplomatic stable").[2] The two had worked closely together, with Haztfeldt having served as serviced Bismarck's secretary in Paris during the latter's tenure as Prussian Ambassador to France in 1862. In 1874, Hatzfeldt was appointed as German Minister to Spain in Madrid, followed by Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, before being recalled in 1881 to serve as foreign secretary and head of the Foreign Office. In 1885, he succeeded Count Münster as German ambassador to United Kingdom.[1]

Wihlemine period

Coinciding with the ascension of Wilhelm II in 1888, the last decade of Haztfeldt's appointment to the Court of St. James's would see a deterioration of Anglo-German relations.[3] The new Emperor's volatile, domineering, and possibly bipolar[4] personality and aggressive foreign policy ("New Course") would result in a number of diplomatic incidents between Britain and Germany as tensions rose within the broader context of 19th century imperial rivalries.[3] But while Wilhelm's foreign policy and personal behavior, especially towards to Britain and his British relatives, took on an increasingly hostile, confrontational, and unpredictable aspect,[5] Hatzfeldt himself received little direction from Berlin. It should also be noted that at this time Bismarck himself was coming under mounting pressure. All of this put Hatzfeldt in a uniquely difficult position, and upon being summoned by his British counterparts to answer for his government and its head of state, the German ambassador could not always furnish them with a satisfying or even coherent explanation.[6]

Role in the Vienna protocol incident

Less than two months after the death of Frederick III and the coronation of Wilhelm II in June, 1888, Hatzfeldt was caught in the middle of a disagreement between the new Emperor and Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in Vienna. Tensions between the two countries were already high due to Germany's attempts to acquire Zanzibar in East Africa through gunboat diplomacy. Although the Prince of Wales was his uncle, Wilhelm had unexpectedly refused to see him and acted prickly towards him and British diplomats Sir Leopold Swaine and Sir Augustus Paget. Afterwards, Hatzfeldt relayed to Lord Salisbury, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, a terse note written by Bismarck, which simultaneously justified the Emperor's conduct as both a purely pragmatic diplomatic move directed towards appeasing Russia (Britain's greatest geopolitical adversary at the time) and, paradoxically, as a justified and completely reasonable response to a series of purported indiscretions on the part of Albert. But when Salisbury responded with Albert's side of the story, including details of the exchange not mentioned by Bismarck, Hatzfeldt claimed that it was "entirely new to him."[6]

The affair enraged Queen Victoria (Edward's mother and Wilhelm's maternal grandmother) and in response Salisbury again summoned the German Ambassador. Baffling the Prime Minister, Hatzfeldt told him that since their last meeting he had communicated nothing of the matter to either Bismarck or Foreign Office. Likewise, Salisbury's warning to Hatzfeldt, that "England could not permit an attack on the Sultan of Zanzibar," did not reach Berlin. On October 22nd, 1888, Salisbury reported to the request that he believed Hatzfeldt did not do this "he was simply afraid to do so." Speaking in the customary third person, he adds that "from the hints [Hatzfeldt] let drop, Lord Salisbury gathered that the young Emperor was very difficult to manage, that Prince Bismarck was in great perplexity, and his temper had consequently become more than usually unbearable." The Prime Minister dryly concludes his report, noting that "Lord Salisbury's impression is that Count Hatzfeldt's position is very insecure."[6]

Yangtze Agreement

As one of his final official actions as ambassador, Hatzfeldt signed the Yangtze Agreement in 1900, by which, in an attempt to relieve international tensions, both parties announced their opposition the official demarcation of spheres of influence in China. In 1897, it was reported that he would resign on account of ill-health, followed by similar reports in the years leading up to his actual retirement in November 1901, a few weeks before his death.[1] He was succeeded by Count Paul Wolff Metternich.[1]

Retirement

In his letter accepting Count von Hatzfeldt's request to retire, Emperor Wilhelm II wrote: "I feel impelled to express my imperial thanks for the excellent services which, during the forty-four years of your official life, you have rendered to my predecessors on the throne, to myself, and to the whole Fatherland." Upon his retirement, the Emperor bestowed on him the Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown as "a token of my good-will."[1]

Personal life

Hatzfeldt was married on 24 November 1863 in Paris Helene Moulton (3 September 1846 – 9 April 1918), the daughter of New York real estate speculator Charles Frederick Moulton and Cesarinne Jeanne (née Metz) Moulton.[7] They divorced in 1886, but were remarried two years later in order that their daughter might marry Prince Max of Hohenlohe-Öhringen. Together, they were the parents of:[7]

  • Helene Nelly Susanne Pauline Hubertine Luise (3 March 1865 – 21 May 1901), who married Prince Max Anthon Karl zu Hohenlohe-Öhringen (1860–1922), a son of Prince Hugo zu Hohenlohe-Öhringen and grandson of August, Prince of Hohenlohe-Öhringen.[7][8]
  • Paul Hermann Karl Hubert (30 June 1867 – 10 June 1941), a diplomat who married Baroness Maria von Stumm (1882–1954), daughter of diplomat Baron Ferdinand Eduard von Stumm.[9][10]
  • Marie Augusta Cesarinne Melanie (10 January 1871 – 15 April 1932), who married Prince Friedrich Karl zu Hohenlohe-Öhringen (1855–1910), brother of her sister's husband.[7][8]

Count von Hatzfeldt died in London on 22 November 1901.[11] In 1910, his son inherited the title and properties of Paul's nephew, Prince Franz von Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg.[12][b]

Honours

He received the following orders and decorations:[15]

German

Foreign

Ancestry

Ancestors of Paul von Hatzfeldt
8. Edmund Gottfried Wilhelm, Count of Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg
4. Edmund Karl Eugen, Count of Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg
9. Baroness Maria Anna Antonia von Cortenbach
2. Edmund Gottfried Cornelius, Count of Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg
10. Baron Klemens August von Hersell
5. Baroness Friederike von Hersell
11. Baroness Anna Maria von Bourscheidt-Burgbrohl
1. Paul, Count of Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg
12. Karl Ferdinand, Count of Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg
6. Franz Ludwig, Prince of Hatzfeldt-Trachenberg
13. Baroness Maria Anna Elisabeth von Venningen
3. Countess Sophie von Hatzfeldt-Trachenberg
14. Count Friedrich Wilhelm von der Schulenburg-Kehnert
7. Countess Friederike Karoline von der Schulenburg-Kehnert
15. Helene Sophie Wilhelmine von Arnstedt

Sources

  • Hermann von Eckardstein. Lebenserinnerungen u. Politische Denkwürdigkeiten. Leipzig: Verlag Paul List, 1919.
  • Vera Niehus: Ein »ambassadeur idéal«, jedoch »den Anstrengungen des ministeriellen Dienstes nicht gewachsen«: Paul von Hatzfeldt als außenpolitischer Mitarbeiter Bismarcks. In: Lothar Gall, Ulrich Lappenküper (Hrsg.): Bismarcks Mitarbeiter. Schöningh, Paderborn 2009, ISBN 978-3-506-76591-8.
  • Franz-Eugen Volz: Paul Graf von Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg. In: Lebensbilder aus dem Kreis Altenkirchen. Altenkirchen, 1975.

Notes

  1. ^ Regarding personal names: Graf was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Count. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine form is Gräfin.
  2. ^ Prince Franz Edmund von Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg (1853–1910)[13] was married to Clara Elizabeth Prentice, the adopted daughter of American financier Collis P. Huntington, in 1889.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "GERMAN AMBASSADOR IN LONDON TO RETIRE.; Count von Hatzfeldt-Wildenburg Will Be Succeeded by Count Wolff von Metternich". The New York Times. 13 November 1901. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  2. ^ Hermann von Eckardstein, Lebenserinnerungen u. Politische Denkwürdigkeiten (Leipzig: Verlag Paul List, 1919), p. 174.
  3. ^ a b McDougall, Walter (3 June 2025). "20th century international relations: competing alliance systems, 1890-1907". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 28 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Lieb, Julian (2008-01-01). "Two manic-depressives, two tyrants, two world wars". Medical Hypotheses. 70 (4): 888–892. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2007.07.036. ISSN 0306-9877.
  5. ^ "How Kaiser Wilhelm II Changed Europe Forever". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  6. ^ a b c Victoria, Queen of Great Britain (1930). The letters of Queen Victoria. Internet Archive. London, J. Murray. pp. 438–442.
  7. ^ a b c d Diplomat, A. Veteran (12 March 1911). "SOME EUROPEAN NOBLES THAT ARE ALMOST AMERICANS; The Family Histories of Prince Hermann Hatzfeldt and Baroness Stumm, Who Are Soon to Wed, Show Their Close Relation to This Country". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, vol. 75, 1980, pp. 141, 143.
  9. ^ Times, Marconi Transatlantic Wireless Telegraph To the New York (19 February 1911). "BETROTHED TO A PRINCE.; Fraulein von Stumm to Wed Prince Herman von Hatzfeldt". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  10. ^ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, vol. 1, 1951, p. 488.
  11. ^ "COUNT VON HATZFELDT DEAD.; German Ambassador to Great Britain Expires in London -- His Resignation Announced a Few Days Ago". The New York Times. 23 November 1901. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Big Fortune for Count Hatzfeldt". The New York Times. 30 November 1910. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  13. ^ "PRINCE HATZFELDT DEAD.; Was ex-Ambassador to England and Son-in-Law of Late C. P. Huntington". The New York Times. 5 November 1910. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  14. ^ "AMERICAN PRINCESS DIES IN ENGLAND; Widow of Prince Hatzfeldt Was Adopted Daughter of Late C.P. Huntington. BECAME A SOCIAL LEADER Child of a Poor Grocer Was Noted for Lavish Entertainments-- Left No Heirs. Daughter of Poor Grocer. Prince a Noted Gambler". The New York Times. 19 December 1928. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  15. ^ Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat fur das jahr 1901, p. 70
  16. ^ "Eisernes Kreuz von 1870", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 3, Berlin: Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei, 1877, p. 1158 – via hathitrust.org
  17. ^ a b "Königlich Preussische Ordensliste", Preussische Ordens-Liste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin, 1886, pp. 40, 936 – via hathitrust.org{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ "Rother Adler-Orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (in German), vol. 1, Berlin, 1895, p. 26.
  19. ^ "Schwarzer Adler-Orden", Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.) (in German), vol. 5, Berlin, 1886, p. 5 – via hathitrust.org{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. ^ "Count Hatzfeldt". The Times. No. 36611. London. 13 November 1901. p. 5.
  21. ^ "Königliche Orden", Hof- und – Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern (in German), Munich: Druck and Verlag, 1890, pp. 30, 83, retrieved 3 March 2021
  22. ^ Sachsen (1901). "Königlich Orden". Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1901. Dresden: Heinrich. p. 145 – via hathitrust.org.
  23. ^ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1892, p. 78, retrieved 25 November 2024
  24. ^ "Real y distinguida orden de Carlos III". Guía Oficial de España (in Spanish). 1883. p. 147.
  25. ^ Acović, Dragomir (2012). Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima. Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 607.
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