What was the League of the Three Emperors?

The League of the Three Emperors was an alliance between the German Empire, the Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary, from 1873 to 1887. It was the idea of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck to maintain a peaceful Europe, based on the balance of power.

Bismarck feared that the combination of Austria, France and Russia would crush Germany in a potential war. If two of three were allied together, then the remaining would ally with Germany only if Germany conceded excessive demands. The solution was to ally with two of the three.

In 1873 he formed the League of the Three Emperors, an alliance of the German Emperor, the Emperor of Russia, and the Emperor of Austria-Hungary. Between the three empires they would control Eastern Europe, making sure that restive ethnic groups would not pose any problems for them. It also aimed at neutralizing the rivalry between Russia and Austria-Hungary by an agreement over their respective spheres of influence in the Balkans and at isolating Germany’s enemy, France.

The first League was in effect from 1873 to 1875. A second one, was established June 18, 1881, and lasted for three years. It was renewed in 1884 but lapsed in 1887. By 1890, Bismarck had been dismissed as Chancellor and could not revive the alliance. The alliance had ended because of continued conflicts of interest between Austria-Hungary and Russia in the Balkans. With the end of the League, Russia and France developed an alliance that continued through the First World War.