The King as a Diplomatist and Peace-Maker.
In the olden days Kings used to very often be their own Generals; in
these modern times King Edward has set an example by means of which they
may well be their own Ambassadors. He had every qualification of
capacity, intellect and trained experience to serve him in such
conditions. If Queen Victoria, remaining very largely at home, could
wield an immense and undoubted personal influence in Europe, partly
because of an ability which made the late Lord Tennyson describe her as
"the greatest statesman in Europe" and the Earl of Rosebery say that in
matters of foreign policy she advised her Minister of Foreign Affairs
more then he advised her,[7] how much more was King Edward entitled to
personal _prestige_ in Europe and fitted for diplomatic work amongst its
rulers. His Royal Mother had known many Sovereigns and seen many Kings
and statesmen come and go; he had also met and known many of them more
intimately than she could possibly do in the semi-seclusion of her quiet
Court. He was uncle to the German Emperor, the mother of the Russian
Czar was Queen Alexandra's sister, the King of Norway was a son of Queen
Alexandra's brother the King of Denmark, the King of Spain was married
to his niece and King George of Greece was his wife's brother. Even more
important were the friendships which, as Prince of Wales, the King had
made in all the Courts of Europe, the statesmen whom he knew like a
book, the policies of which he understood the origin and every detail of
development.
In 1902 King Edward had received the German Emperor in England and had
entertained other visiting monarchs and statesmen and diplomats. Early
in 1903 he visited Rome, was received by His Holiness, the Pope, and by
the King of Italy, and managed the difficult situation of the moment
with a delicacy and tact which prevented even a hint of unpleasantness;
and served to greatly increase the traditional friendship of Italy and
Britain while sending a glow of appreciation throughout the Roman
Catholic world which lives under the British flag, and helping to settle
troubles which had arisen in Malta between the Government and the
Italian residents. A little later he was in Portugal and proved a prime
factor in promoting an understanding in Lisbon which substantially
facilitated arrangements at far-away Delagoa Bay which, in turn, were of
great advantage to South Africa. Then, on May 1st, came his famous visit
to Paris and the commencement of an era of new and better feeling. It
was not an easy task or one entirely without risk. French sentiment had
been greatly excited during the South African war, the Parisian populace
had not been friendly to Britain, the press had, at times, been grossly
abusive and relations were undoubtedly strained. Through all the formal
ceremonies of this visit, however, the King showed his usual tact and
powers of conciliation. A difficult situation was successfully met;
ill-feeling engendered by the misrepresentations of the War period were
greatly ameliorated; the friendly settlement of controversial questions
rendered probable. In his speech to the British Chamber of Commerce in
Paris, on May 1st, His Majesty touched the key-note of the visit:
"A Divine Providence has designed that France should be our near
neighbour and I hope always a dear friend. There are no two
countries in the world whose mutual prosperity is more dependent
upon each other. There may have been misunderstandings and causes
of dissension in the past but all such differences are, I believe,
happily removed and forgotten, and I trust that the friendship and
admiration which we all feel for the French nation and their
glorious traditions may in the near future develop into a sentiment
of the warmest affection and attachments between the peoples of the
two countries. The achievement of this aim is my constant desire."
Such an incident, followed by the cordial expressions of the French
press and by a visible _rapprochement_ between the two countries, could
not but be of special interest to the French-Canadians of Quebec.
Naturally monarchists at heart, the incident seemed to increase the
personal loyalty already existing there. The Toronto _Globe_ of April
20, 1903, voiced a strong feeling in Canada when it hoped for a future
Royal visit to the Dominion and declared that "it would be a mistake to
suppose that Edward VII. is merely an urbane gentleman, not to say a
lover of the common people; he is a statesman and diplomat of breadth of
view, depth of insight, and quickness of intuition. He knows how to time
his visits in the interest of the peace of the world for which he
humanely and seriously labours." From July 6th to 9th President Loubet
of France was the guest of the King and his reception in London tended
to still further promote good feeling. On October 14th came the
signature of an Arbitration Treaty between England and France. In this
connection much praise was accorded to the King as one of the chief
factors in its evolution. Mr. W. R. Cremer, M.P., the well-known
Radical, made the following comment in the _Daily News_ as to this
victory for Arbitration: "It has been the privilege and joy of others to
do the spade work in this beneficent movement, but to King Edward the
opportunity was, at the psychological moment, presented to complete the
work of thirty years. How well and how nobly His Majesty performed his
part the history of the past nine months clearly shows. Indeed, the King
seems likely to distinguish himself by efforts of a character not
recorded in the reigns of any other English or Foreign monarch."
Addressing a British Parliamentary Delegation to Paris on November 26th,
the Premier, M. Combes, eulogized King Edward and toasted him as the
sovereign to whom they owed the treaty. At the annual banquet of the
British Chamber of Commerce in Paris on December 3d, its president, Mr.
O. E. Bodington, made a similar reference to the King. To the Montreal
_Witness_ on December 7th, Senator Dandurand, who had just returned from
England, paid the following French-Canadian tribute to His Majesty: "The
King is the most popular crowned head in Europe to-day. He is beloved at
home, he is admired and praised in France, he is respected by every
Power on the Continent."
But the Continental tour of 1903 by King Edward did more than effect
great results in France. The signing of a Treaty of Arbitration with
Italy in January, 1904, with Spain in March, and with Germany on July
12th--following upon the King's visit to Berlin in June--were supposed
to be largely due to His Majesty's personal influence with the rulers of
those countries and to a popularity with the masses which, in two cases
at least, helped greatly in soothing current animosities. On April 8th
of this year a Treaty was signed with France, in addition to the
Arbitration Treaty already mentioned, which disposed of all outstanding
and long-standing subjects of dispute and as to which, while Lord
Lansdowne was the negotiator, King Edward was a most potent factor.
Under this arrangement Egypt was freed from foreign control and
practically admitted to be British territory, while Newfoundland was
finally relieved of its coast troubles and conflicts of a century. On
November 9th, preceding, Sir W. McGregor, Governor of Newfoundland,
had, during a banquet at St. John's, conveyed a personal message from
the King which assured the people of that colony of his earnest
endeavours to promote a settlement of the French Shore question. To
Canada this matter was also one of the most vital importance, because of
its large French population. In the controversy with Russia over the
Hull fishing fleet outrage of October 23, 1904, which so nearly plunged
the Empire into a great war, it may be said that the King's influence,
coupled with the statecraft of Lord Lansdowne, as exhibited in the
latter's historic speech of November 9th, alone held the dogs of war in
leash. The remark of a member of the Trades' Union Congress at Leeds on
September 7th of this year that in his opinion "King Edward was about
the only statesman that England possessed" was significant in this
connection even if it was unfair. Still more significant was the
description of His Majesty in the Radical _News_ of London, on November
10th, as "the first citizen of the world and the chief Minister of
Peace."
During 1905 King Edward continued his public services along these lines
of international statecraft. On April 30th he paid an unofficial visit
to Paris, accompanied by the Marquess of Salisbury as Minister in
attendance. A great banquet was given at the Elysee by President Loubet
and there followed a general press discussion of the _entente_ between
England and France. In June the King of Spain visited England and at a
state banquet given by King Edward at Buckingham Palace, on June 6th,
the latter said: "Spain and England have often been allies; may they
always remain so; and above all march together for the benefit of peace,
progress and the civilization of mankind." On August 7th a French fleet
arrived in the Solent and its men fraternized with those of the British
cruiser squadron while the King gave a banquet on board the Royal yacht
to the chief French officers. On the following day His Majesty reviewed
two fleets which together made a splendid aggregation of seventy
warships; while the press of the civilized world commented upon the new
friendship of the two nations and very largely credited King Edward with
the achievement.
Early in 1907 the King's visit of two months' duration in Europe did
more service in the cause of international friendliness; later on the
German Emperor visited England, as did the King and Queen of Denmark,
and the King and Queen of Portugal. In June a triple agreement was
concluded between Great Britain, France and Spain for the joint
protection of their mutual interests in the Mediterranean and on the
Atlantic. This arrangement and the improved relations with Germany were
credited largely to the efforts of King Edward, just as the _entente
cordiale_ with France had previously been conceded to be greatly due to
his tact and popularity. In October he was able to crown his work by
accepting a Convention with Russia which dealt primarily with the
affairs of Persia, Afghanistan and Thibet, but really made future war
between the two Powers a matter of difficulty. The year 1908 saw state
visits to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Christiana in April; the King's
opening of the Franco-British Exhibition in London on May 26th and
reception of President Fallieres of France; his visit, with Queen
Alexandra and a large suite, to Russia--the first of the kind in British
history--and a meeting with the Czar at Revel on June 8th; his
conference with the German Emperor at Cronberg on August 11th and with
the Austrian Emperor at Ischl on the 12th. During the last year of his
reign, King Edward's personal intercourse and diplomatic meetings with
other rulers were undoubtedly conducive to continued peace and to better
mutual understandings. His Majesty met the German Emperor at Berlin on
February 8, 1909, the French President at Paris on March 6th, the King
of Spain at Biarritz on March 31st, the King of Italy on April 29th, the
Emperor of Russia at Cowes on August 2d. Just as Britain was an
American Power at this time because of Canada, an Asiatic Power because
of India and an African Power because of many possessions, so Canada was
an European Power because of its connection with Great Britain, and
Australia an Eastern Power because of its proximity to China and Japan,
and a European Power because of the nearness of Germany in New Guinea
and of France in New Caledonia. Hence, to all these countries and for
obvious reasons of common interest, the importance in an Empire sense of
the King's personality and diplomacy during these years.
King Edward's training was of a nature which fitted into his personal
characteristics in this respect. His Royal mother had cultivated his
boyhood memory for faces and names most carefully; from the days of his
youth he was thoroughly conversant with many foreign languages; from his
coming of age he was in constant touch with the best of British and
European leaders. He had not reached maturity before experiencing the
difficulties of a tour of Canada and the United States in days when
there was no royal road mapped out by precedent for the management of
the tour and at a time when Orange and Green were in frequent conflict
in the British-American provinces and feelings of international
kindliness were not quite so strong in the United States as they were at
the close of his reign. In 1876 he had toured India amidst gorgeous
ceremonial and amid an infinite variety of racial and religious
occasions, or incidents, which only rare tact could successfully meet.
How much exercise there was of this Royal statecraft behind the scenes
during his nine years of sovereignty only the distant future can reveal
and then but partially. His Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs,
Lord Salisbury, Lord Lansdowne and Sir Edward Grey, were all men of
exceptional capacity and rare experience.
It is probable, in view of the broad statecraft and high standing of
these Ministers and the uniformity of policy which they pursued, that
advice was frequently given by the King and consultations continuously
held. They were only too glad, as was Lord Rosebery during the late
Queen's reign, to benefit personally by his knowledge and experience;
they were only too happy that the Nation and other nations should
benefit by his tactful conduct of delicate negotiations with monarchs
and rulers abroad. The alliance with Japan may or may not stand to his
credit; the probabilities are that it does, in part at least. It
safeguarded British interests in the East, checkmated the, at that time,
dangerous ambitions of Russia, put up a barrier against certain efforts
of Germany. The French _entente cordiale_ and subsequent treaties gave
British interests in the Mediterranean and Northern Africa an ally
against German plans and settled the Newfoundland troubles while
solidifying Britain's position in Egypt. Italy was partially separated
from its German alliance; Spain was brought close to Britain by the
young King's marriage with the Princess Ena; Russia was swung into the
circle of a friendship which not even the Japanese alliance has broken;
Norway made King Edward's son-in-law its King. If Germany did not become
one of this circle of friendly nations it was not due to any lack of
diplomacy, or effort, or desire on the part of the British Sovereign; it
was because of national ambitions and an aggressive personal leadership
by the Kaiser which had other ends in view. Nominally, at any rate, the
friendly relations existed, and it is safe to say that there was no
greater admirer of King Edward's character and statecraft in Europe than
the Emperor William.
FOOTNOTES:
[7] Personal statements made to the writer of these pages.