ABSTRACT

Otto von Bismarck shouldered the gigantic task of creating an empire, and the further he advanced in it, the more he feared that his enterprise might be foiled by opposition or circumstances, or by his own premature death. Bismarck's career took him first to Berlin, then to Frankfurt, St. Petersburg, Paris, back to Berlin, while his wife Johanna remained at their country estate. After Bismarck became the minister-president of the Prussian government in 1863, he regularly accompanied the king on his annual tour of Carlsbad, Gastein and Baden-Baden. Bismarck spent evenings with the king and attended the little music parties Grand Duchess Elena arranged. Sometimes Bismarck helped her find performers. At the last spa in the king's circuit, Baden-Baden, Bismarck stayed at a suburban villa in order not to be overwhelmed by visitors. In the autumn of 1864, Bismarck came with a political goal in mind, but also hoping for another miraculous cure and a meeting with the Orlovs.