Monarchies and the Great War

Description

This volume challenges the traditional view that the First World War represents a pivotal turning point in the long history of monarchy, suggesting the picture is significantly more complex. Using a comparative approach, it explores the diverse roles played by monarchs during the Great War, and how these met the expectations of the monarchic institution in different states at a time of such crisis. Its contributors not only explore less familiar narratives, including the experiences of monarchs in Belgium and Italy, as well as the Austro-Hungarian, Japanese and Ottoman Empires, but also cast fresh light on more familiar accounts. In doing so, this book moves away from the conventional view that monarchy showed itself irrelevant in the Great War, by drawing on new approaches to diplomatic and international history - ones informed by cultural contextualization for instance - while grounding the research behind each chapter in a wide range of contemporary sources The chapters provide an innovative revisiting of the actual role of monarchy at this crucial period in European (indeed, global) history, and are framed by a substantial introductory chapter where the key factors explaining the survival or collapse of dynasties, and of the individuals occupying these thrones, are considered in a wide-ranging set of reflections that highlight the extent of common experiences as well as the differences. Front Matter ....Pages i-xiii Introduction (Matthew Glencross, Judith Rowbotham, Christopher Brennan)....Pages 1-39 The British Royal Family and the Making of the War-Time Anglo-American Relationship (Erik Goldstein)....Pages 41-65 Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, the German Command and Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1914–1915 (Jonathan Boff)....Pages 67-85 ‘Hesitant Heir and Reluctant Ruler’: Karl I/IV of Austria-Hungary During the Great War (Christopher Brennan)....Pages 87-119 Contextualising the Ottoman Dynasty: Sultan Mehmed V Reşad and the Ottoman Princes in the Great War (Mustafa Serdar Palabıyık)....Pages 121-151 A Cause of Tension? The Leadership of King George V: Visiting the Western Front (Matthew Glencross)....Pages 153-189 ‘How To Be Useful in War Time’ Queen Mary’s Leadership in the War Effort 1914–1918 (Judith Rowbotham)....Pages 191-223 The Victorious King: The Role of Victor Emmanuel III in the Great War (Valentina Villa)....Pages 225-249 Albert I, King of the Belgians: A ‘Neutral’ Sovereign and Commander (William Philpott)....Pages 251-276 Monarchy, the Armed Services and Royal Alliances: The Case of Britain and Japan, 1902–1975 (Antony Best)....Pages 277-296 Epilogue (Judith Rowbotham, Matthew Glencross)....Pages 297-303 Back Matter ....Pages 305-332