Heinrich Abeken13 July 1870
Bismarck uses Abekens telegram to declare war
Germany · Warfare / Franco-Prussian War. Chronological records rendered directly from the World History Database.
Bismarck uses Abekens telegram to declare war
Bismarck uses Abeken's telegram to declare war
Bismarck's released statement of the telegram to the press becomes known as the Ems Dispatch
Originally a message from the Prussian King to Otto von Bismarck in Berlin, reporting demands made by the French Ambassador
The Ems Dispatch, sometimes called the Ems Telegram, incites France to declare the Franco-Prussian War in July 1870
The Ems Telegram is sent from the Prussian Kaiser, Wilhelm I, to his Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck
The telegram's contents outline details of a disagreement between Wilhelm and the French ambassador concerning the succession to the Spanish throne. Bismarck doctors the telegram to give the impression that each side had insulted the other
When the Ems Telegram is published (as anticipated by Bismarck) it precipitates the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71
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