Well.
Britain (Great Britain), an island of NW Europe, separated my mainland by the English Channel and the North Sea; since 1707 the name has applied politically to England, Scotland, and Wales. 88, 139 sq. mi. (228,280 sq. km).
France is a republic in W Europe, 212, 736 sq. mi. (550,985 sq. km). Capital: Paris
Britain’s traditional allies against the French had been the German states; the Holy Roman Empire, Habsburg Austria, Prussia, etc. Without Blucher’s army hitting Napoleon’s right flank at Waterloo, Wellington’s army would have been ground to bits.
As part of that tradition, Queen Victoria (who spoke German at home with her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) married her firstborn, the Princess Victoria, to the Crown Prince of Prussia. As a result, her first grandchild was the boy that grew up to be Kaiser Wilhem II. Kaiser Wilhelm felt his English heritage strongly, correctly perceived British strength came from its navy, and incorrectly deduced Germany would get a similar benefit from building a powerful fleet; the High Seas Fleet, or Hochseeflotte.
Wilhelm II’s uncle, King Edward VII, did not take kindly to this decision, and neither did Edward VII’s ministers. The result was an arms race, with Great Britain laying down as many as eight battleships a year. The British decided it was past time to rebalance their traditional alliances, and reached out to the French. France was just emerging from 30 years of diplomatic isolation and still burning to retrieve Alsace-Lorraine from Germany, and eagerly accepted the offer.
Thanks!
- Eddie