Queer as folk: The gay scandal that shook the German Empire
Key takeaways
- Germany's last emperor, a gilded porcelain vase and a general who had a heart attack in a pink tutu: The Eulenburg Affair shook the German Empire and Europe to its core and paved the way for the downfall of the monarchy.
- The just over 116-centimeter-tall porcelain vase is thought to have been made as a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last emperor of Germany, to his friend Prince Philipp of Eulenburg-Hertefeld.
- As Kaiser, Wilhelm had a reputation as a feckless, insecure and erratic leader obsessed with his own press coverage, who developed increasingly authoritarian tendencies.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Germany's last emperor, a gilded porcelain vase and a general who had a heart attack in a pink tutu: The Eulenburg Affair shook the German Empire and Europe to its core and paved the way for the downfall of the monarchy.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Cpqt Kaiser Wilhelm II (at left) was known for his fecklessness, indiscretion and obsession with his own media coverage Image: Photo12/Ann Ronan Picture Library/IMAGOAdvertisement Embellished with a gilded iguana and a bouquet of fruits topped with a pineapple, an ostentatious piece of queer history was sold on April 24 for €300,000 ($350,000) at the Berlin branch of Germany's Lempertz auction house. The just over 116-centimeter-tall porcelain vase is thought to have been made as a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last emperor of Germany, to his friend Prince Philipp of Eulenburg-Hertefeld.
Little known about today, the relationship between the emperor and the prince was at the center of a scandal, the so-called Eulenburg Affair, that German historian Norman Domeier, said shook all of Europe to the core and transformed public opinion on the monarchy.