PHOTO: Emperors Nicholas II and Wilhelm II meet on the deck of German ship Berlin, 24th (O.S. 11th) July 1905

On 24th (O.S. 11th) July 1905 – Emperor Nicholas II and German Emperor Wilhelm II, met off the Finnish coast, where they signed the Treaty of Björkö, a secret Russian-German defense accord between the two empires. It was never ratified due to opposition from authoritative political circles on both sides, mainly because it was directed against existing alliance commitments between Russia and France.

On the evening of Sunday 23rd July 1905, the Kaiser arrived at Koivisto Sound from Viipuri Bay on his yacht, the Hohenzollern, dropping anchor near the Russian Imperial Yacht, the Polar Star.

Nicholas II transferred from the Polar Star in a launch, taking him to the SMS Berlin – which had escorted the German emperor’s yacht – and lay anchor in the bay. He was greeted by Wilhelm II, who personally escorted his Russian cousin on an inspection tour of the newly commissioned cruiser of the German Imperial Navy.

Evidence of the meeting is given in telegrams that the two emperors exchanged, titled the Willy–Nicky correspondence. The letters were made public in 1917 by the new Provisional Government in Russia, and later translated to English.

PHOTO: the Russian Imperial Yacht Polar Star

PHOTO: the German Imperial Yacht Hohenzollern

Wilhelm II’s efforts were linked to the Entente cordiale between France and England concluded in 1904 and at the same time tensions between England and Russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, which raised hopes of drawing Russia to the side of the German Empire. 

The Kaiser had been trying for some time to reach a treaty with Russia and on 27th October 1904 had a draft treaty sent to the Tsar, which he had worked out with Reich Chancellor von Bülow. In July 1905, due to political developments in Russia, the Kaiser finally saw an opportunity to realize it.

Wilhelm II was the chief author of the Treaty of Björkö, also known as the Treaty of Koivisto, but he acted without first consulting with his ministers. This secret mutual defence treaty was signed at a meeting that had been arranged by Wilhelm himself only four days beforehand.

The initiative to conclude a treaty belonged to German diplomacy, which sought to destroy the Russian-French alliance and prevent the creation of the Entente. To this end, it was supposed to turn the Russian-German alliance into a tripartite Russian-German-French, directed against Great Britain, the traditional rival of Russia (in Asia) and France (in Africa).

The overall defence treaty contained four articles and was signed by Emperors Wilhelm II and Nicholas II, and countersigned by Heinrich von Tschirschky (1858-1916), head of the German Foreign Office, and Aleksei Birilev (1844-1915), a member of the State Council of the Russian Empire and minister of the Russian Imperial Navy.

PHOTO: The Treaty of Björkö signed by Emperors Nicholas II and Wilhelm II on 24th (O.S. 11th) July 1905

Treaty of Björkö

Their Majesties the Emperors of all the Russias and Germany, in order to ensure the continuance of peace in Europe have decreed the following Articles of a Defensive Alliance Treaty.

Article I

In case one of the two Empires is attacked by a European Power, his ally will help it in Europe with all its land and sea forces.

Article II

High Contracting Parties undertake not to conclude separate peace with any common adversary.

Article III

The present Treaty shall enter into force as soon as peace between Russia and Japan is concluded and shall remain valid as long as it is not denounced a year in advance.

Article IV

The Emperor of all the Russias, after the entry into force of this treaty, will take the necessary steps to initiate France to this agreement and engage it to join as an ally.

PHOTO: the cruiser SMS Berlin of the German Imperial Navy, escorted the German Imperial Yacht Hohenzollern

PHOTO: Emperor Nicholas II pulls up alongside the SMS Berlin

PHOTO: Nicholas II is greeted by officers on the deck of the SMS Berlin

PHOTO: Nicholas II is greeted by officers on the deck of the SMS Berlin

PHOTO: Emperors Nicholas II and Wilhelm II meet on the deck of the SMS Berlin

PHOTO: Emperors Nicholas II and Wilhelm II on an inspection tour of the SMS Berlin

PHOTO: Emperors Nicholas II and Wilhelm II review the crew of the SMS Berlin

PHOTO: Emperor Nicholas II completes his review of the crew of the SMS Berlin

Reaction

The treaty needed to be ratified by both the German and Russian governments.

Germany

The driving motive for the treaty on the German side was to undermine the Franco-Russian Alliance and to strengthen Germany’s position vis-à-vis Britain. Initially drafted as a global mutual defence pact, Wilhelm’s insertion of the words “en Europe” into the first article, thereby restricting the treaty’s remit to Europe, put the Kaiser at odds with the German Reich Chancellor, Bernhard von Bülow, who had not been forewarned of the late amendment. Bülow took the view that Russia’s support would be needed in relation to the British presence in India, but Wilhelm thought such operations would just draw Germany into a fruitless war in that region at the expense of Germany’s position in Europe. Bülow threatened to resign over the disagreement, which prompted a melodramatic letter from the Kaiser ending with the words, “if a letter of resignation arrived from you, the next morning would find the Kaiser no longer alive! Think of my poor wife and children!” Bülow therefore offered to compromise, but before the issue could be resolved on the German side, the Russian government rejected the agreement.

Russia

Although Tsar Nicholas had signed the treaty, it was not ratified by his government because of the pre-existing Franco-Russian Alliance. Russian Prime Minister Sergei Witte and Foreign Minister Vladimir Lambsdorff had been neither present at the signing nor consulted beforehand; they insisted that the treaty should not come into effect unless it was approved and signed by France. Lambsdorff told the Tsar that it was “inadmissible to promise at the same time the same thing to two governments whose interests were mutually antagonistic”. The Tsar gave in to their pressure, much to the consternation of the Kaiser, who reproached his cousin: “We joined hands and signed before God, who heard our vows!… What is signed, is signed! and God is our testator!” Wilhelm’s chancellor, Count Bernhard von Bülow, however, also refused to sign the treaty because the Kaiser had added an amendment to the draft, against the advice of the Foreign Office, which limited the treaty to Europe

The initiative of Nicholas II met with resistance from the Russian government and the Foreign Ministry. V. N. Lamsdorf and S. Y. Witte managed to convince the emperor of the need to terminate the agreement. As a result, in November 1905, Nicholas II sent a letter to Wilhelm II, in which the effect of the Björko Treaty was conditional on the consent of France to join it. Formally, the Treaty of Björko was not terminated, but in fact it did not enter into force. At the same time, his actions frightened the French government and accelerated the provision of a large French loan.

© Paul Gilbert. 26 July 2023