Note 44 — VII THE CRISIS OF 1907

In 1812 Prussia was ostensibly an ally of France. It was due to General York, the commander of the Prussian Auxiliaries, rather than to the Emperor’s somewhat pusillanimous ancestor, King Frederick William, that Prussia was liberated from the rule of Napoleon. York commanded the Prussian troops who were to serve as auxiliaries to Napoleon. On December 30, 1812, he, on his own authority, concluded the convention of Tauroggen with the Russians by which he broke with the French and declared his corps neutral. The vacillating Prussian King, in spite of his country’s humiliation, was too solicitous about maintaining his throne to dare venture upon any really decisive action. It was popular pressure far more than the King’s (or even the Queen’s) initiative which brought about the national uprising against foreign domination.