The year 1888 went down in history as the ‘Year of the Three Emperors’. It was the year in which three emperors reigned in succession, namely Emperor Wilhelm I, who founded the German Reich in 1871 and passed away in March; his successor, Frederick III, who died after 99 days; and Wilhelm II, who came to power as a result of Frederick III’s death.
Even contemporaries knew that 1888 was a noteworthy year. This view was expressed, for example, in the form of commemorative coins, postage stamps, or clocks portraying three emperors.
Even in retrospect, the Year of the Three Emperors represents a turning point:
While Wilhelm I founded the German Reich following the victory in the Franco-Prussian War, the German Reich ended under Wilhem II following its defeat in the First World War.
Hence, when Nietzsche hypothesized as early as in December 1888‚ ‘There will be wars, the like of which have never yet been seen’, it was as if a prophecy had been fulfilled.
‘Three Emperors’, Wall Clock with Glass Shield, Black Forest, c. 1890, Inv. 2018-002