Today -100: August 17, 1914: Of ultimata and kings

Japan gives Germany an ultimatum: remove your navy from Japanese and Chinese waters and to turn over to Japan your colony (“concession”) in China, Kiautschou, “without condition or compensation.”  Japan will give it back to China, you know, eventually.

Austria, jumping the gun a little on annexing Russian Poland, names a King of Poland, the Archduke Karl Stephan.  This may be a rumor or someone floating a kite.  So Russia’s offering the Poles “autonomy,” and Austria is offering them... another Habsburg.

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