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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

BBC2 Royal Cousins at War


Anneca

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Fascinating programme. However, I'm having to draw and re-draw a very large and complicated family tree on my lounge wall to keep track of the multiple inter-connections between them all!

There are four pages of family trees in the book. I can send them to you if you want - but you seem to be enjoying yourself!

They are: Hohernzollens, Queen Victoria, Glucksburgs and Romanovs.

Edit: typo

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Really enjoyed it. Fascinating insight into

an extended family ruling Europe and competing for half the world. The fact that the constitutional monarch prevailed was no accident.

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  • Admin

Watched the first dose of this up to the point where we were informed that the Kaiser was born bottom first" which imprinted such a horrific image in my mind that I did not see the rest, even reading this brings it all back!

Norman

Not only that but a very complicated delivery owing to the placenta being very low in the uterus

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Discussing the book with my son tonight and he pointed out that we had also watched a programme about it. I had forgotten all about it and I had enjoyed it too: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/three-kings-at-war/episode-guide

Edit: Makes me wonder why the BBC chose to cover something C4 had already done and why C4 didn't rerun it.

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Liz, I did see the programmes. What exactly is your point please?

TR

Ah Liz and Terry - one could almost believe they were telepathically linked. Two minds perfectly attuned.

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Ah Liz and Terry - one could almost believe they were telepathically linked. Two minds perfectly attuned.

Oh yes. And poor Norman traumatised by a breach birth. He's probably at the FA Rest Station as I type this!

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Discussing the book with my son tonight and he pointed out that we had also watched a programme about it. I had forgotten all about it and I had enjoyed it too: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/three-kings-at-war/episode-guide

Edit: Makes me wonder why the BBC chose to cover something C4 had already done and why C4 didn't rerun it.

Yes I saw that one also, however I believe that the "Royal Cousins at War" went into more detail.

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Liz, I did see the programmes. What exactly is your point please?

TR

My point was (and I'm afraid what was intended to be a relatively light reply, and certainly not a claim to expert knowledge of this area, is now getting horribly ponderous):

I believe you adduced the importance of Bismarck's dismissal in the events leading up to WW1 to support your argument that the importance of royal personalities and relationships should not be over-emphasised. I asked who sacked Bismarck. knowing (indeed it was mentioned in the programmes) that the Kaiser did. So if you were arguing for the importance of the royal relationships, early life etc in shaping the Kaiser's personality and leading to war, this could just as well be part of that argument, as he might not have done it if he'd been a thoughtful man without personality problems.

I told you it would sound ponderous. I have nothing more to add!

Liz

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One interesting point which came up in the programme was the misunderstanding by the German Ambassador of what the King said about Britain standing aside.

The programme did not make the point that his report to the Kaiser led to the Kaiser ordering the start of the war to be put off by 12 hours so that he could get confirmation of this (and of course, Grey said that they had misinterpreted what the King had said, and of course, the British would stand by the French et al).

Unfortunately, no one took into account that telegrams take time to arrive at outflung outposts. This led to a certain detachment on the frontier with Luxembourg only getting the telegram an hour after they had invaded thwe Grand Duchy! This story and what happened is to be the subject of at least a part of a programme with Michael Portillo which is to be recorded next Sunday.

If you want the story, buy my book - "Victims Nonetheless" (on Amazon/kindle).

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Not sure the term incestuous is accurate - perhaps 'close' would be more accurate.

Very close would suffice.A good program nonetheless.

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Millions of men sent to their deaths over an inbred family squabble.....???

regards

Tom

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I thought it was a very enlightening series, but then I do enjoy seeing the gloss rubbed off these people, and seeing them exposed for what they are/were.

Edward VII came out of it looking rather impressive though in my humble opinion.

I dread to think who`s side we would have been on if Victoria was still on the throne in 1914.

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  • 2 years later...

Just stumbled across this on the History Channel, part 2 next week.   I had no idea of the intricate, complex and destructive relationships!  At the same time we are ploughing through a DVD of the First World War based on the book of Hew Strachan.  It is a good duo, learning a lot, the sheer numbers of those killed and wounded as always just horrifies me

Shirley

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8 hours ago, ShirlD said:

Just stumbled across this on the History Channel, part 2 next week.   I had no idea of the intricate, complex and destructive relationships!  At the same time we are ploughing through a DVD of the First World War based on the book of Hew Strachan.  It is a good duo, learning a lot, the sheer numbers of those killed and wounded as always just horrifies me

Shirley

Shirley

if you are enjoying the documentary I heartily recommend the book it's based on 'The Three Emperors' by Miranda Carter. I found the section about the Kaiser's life in exile in Holland particularly interesting because it is not something widely chronicled

 

David

 

PS Sorry we won't be seeing you at the Conference this year. I very much enjoyed meeting you last time

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Hello David, that does sound interesting, and I note it is available on our friendly kindle option too!

I hope we can make another Conference in the future, it was such a good way to start our European travel and to meet all of you in the formal venue, and then bars, pubs and curry houses!  

Cheers

Shirley

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

For anyone who missed it before, the series is being repeated on BBC Four starting tonight (20th November '18) at 22:00  (Click),  so should also be available on BBC iPlayer for a while as well.

 

NigelS

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