Bismarck and the foundation of the German empire . st,or a Katte, or a Bredow, or an Arnim, or an Alvens-leben, or any other of the neighbouring nobility ; hemarried a simple Fraulein Mencken. She was, how-ever, of no undistinguished origin. Her father, theson of a professor at the University of Leipzig, hadentered the Prussian Civil Service ; there he had risento the highest rank and had been Cabinet Secretaryto both Frederick William H. and Frederick HL Hewas a man of high character and of considerableability ; as was not uncommon among the ofificials ofthose days, he was strongly affected b
Bismarck and the foundation of the German empire . st,or a Katte, or a Bredow, or an Arnim, or an Alvens-leben, or any other of the neighbouring nobility ; hemarried a simple Fraulein Mencken. She was, how-ever, of no undistinguished origin. Her father, theson of a professor at the University of Leipzig, hadentered the Prussian Civil Service ; there he had risento the highest rank and had been Cabinet Secretaryto both Frederick William H. and Frederick HL Hewas a man of high character and of considerableability ; as was not uncommon among the ofificials ofthose days, he was strongly affected by the liberal andeven revolutionary doctrines of France. Fraulein Mencken, who was married at the age ofsixteen, was a clever and ambitious woman. Fromher her son inherited his intellect ; from his father hederived what the Germans call Gemiith, geniality,kindliness, humour. By his two parents he was thusconnected with the double foundation on whichPrussia had been built: on his fathers side he hadsprung from the fighting nobles ; on his mothers,. LUISE WILHELMINE VON BISMARCK. BISMARCKS MOTHER. Birth a7id Parentage. 11 from the scholars and officials. In later life we shallfind that while his prejudices and affections are all en-listed on the side of the noble, the keen and criticalintellect he had inherited from his mother enabledhim to overcome the prejudices of his order. The early life of the young pair was not altogetherfortunate. Several children died at a very early age ;the defeat of Prussia brought foreign occupation ;Schoenhausen was seized by French troopers ; themarks of their swords are still to be seen in a beamover one of the doors, and Rittmeister v. Bismarckhad to take his wife away into the woods in orderto escape their violence. Of all the children of the marriage only threelived: Bernhard, who was born in i8iO, Otto, andone sister, Malvina, born in 1827. Otto did not live at Schoenhausen long ; when hewas only a year old, his father moved to Pomeraniaand se
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbismarckottofrstvon1
