100620 | GERMANY & AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. Wilhelm II & Franz Joseph silver Medal.

100620 | GERMANY & AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. Wilhelm II & Franz Joseph silver Medal. Issued 1914. World War I series: The German and Austro-Hungarian Alliance (34mm, 18.54 g, 12h). By L. C. Lauer in Nürnberg.

 

KAISER FRANZ JOSEPH I KAISER WILHELM II, jugate uniformed busts right / EINIGKEIT MACHT / STARK / AUGUST / 1914, two shields with coats-of-arms of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Edge: SILBER 990.

 

Zetzmann 3013. Choice Mint State. Attractively toned, though some scattered marks and hairlines are noted.

 

Following the formation of the German Empire in 1871, Otto von Bismarck sought to preserve peace and create a climate which would allow the fledging empire to grow, mostly worrying about rivals Russia to the east and France to the west. A deal was struck in 1879 with the Austro-Hungarian Empire in that they would support each other in the event that either were to be attacked by Russia. Further, if any other European power were to attack one, the other would practice a policy of benevolent neutrality, limiting the possible number of rivals and ideally serving as a deterrent for the belligerent European power in the first place. This alliance served as the basis for that which would become the Central Powers (later adding the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Bulgaria) during World War I.

 

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