Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
A seasoned Bavarian aristocrat who steered a young, ambitious German Empire through a period of cautious diplomacy and internal tension.
1819–1901 (age 82)·Chancellor of the German Empire from 1894 to 1900·Birthday: March 31
Biography
Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, represented the old order navigating the new world of a unified Germany. Born in 1819, his career began in Bavarian politics, where his moderate liberalism and diplomatic skill were honed. His appointment as Chancellor of the German Empire in 1894, succeeding the dominating Leo von Caprivi, was seen as a stabilizing move by the aging Kaiser Wilhelm II. Hohenlohe's tenure was defined not by bold initiatives but by managerial restraint; he acted as a buffer between the Kaiser's volatile impulses and the Reichstag, often pursuing a foreign policy of peace and consolidation to avoid entangling alliances. His aristocratic detachment allowed him to manage, rather than master, the complex forces of militarism, socialism, and naval ambition bubbling within the empire. By the time he resigned in 1900, the stage was set for the more aggressive chancellorship of Bernhard von Bülow, making Hohenlohe's era a final chapter of relative calm.
#1 When Chlodwig, Was Born
The biggest hits of 1819
Chlodwig,'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1819Born
1824Started school
1832Became a teenager
1835Could drive
1837Could vote
1840Turned 21
1849Turned 30
1859Turned 40
1869Turned 50
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Turned 60
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1889Turned 70
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Turned 80
President: William McKinley
1901Died at 82
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
Key Achievements
- Served as Chancellor of the German Empire and Minister-President of Prussia from 1894 to 1900.
- Previously served as Minister-President of Bavaria and later as Governor of Alsace-Lorraine.
- Helped pass a major civil code, the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, which unified German law and came into effect in 1900.
- Maintained a policy of diplomatic caution, notably refusing to pursue an aggressive colonial policy or a formal Anglo-German alliance.
Did You Know?
He was born a Catholic prince but was a strong advocate for secular state policies and rights for German Jews.
His elder brother was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church.
He kept detailed diaries throughout his life, which became valuable historical sources.
Before German unification, he was a Bavarian envoy to several European courts.
“The art of government is the art of the possible.”
