Draft:Wismar affair
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The Wismar affair refers to the political discussions over the status of the town of Wismar between 1796-1903. Wismar was leased to Mecklenburg-Schwerin from Sweden for a sum of 1,250 000 riksdalers. The lease was supposed to last every 100 years, whereafter Sweden (later the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway) would possess the right to redeem the city. However, as the German Empire rose throughout the 19th century, the possibility of Sweden demanding the return of the territory seemed more and more unlikely as King Oscar II would not like to challenge a great power. Furthermore, the rent of the loan had grown to 96 million kronor, an amount that Stockholm was not too enthusiastic to pay. As 1903 came, the German and Swedish diplomats met in Stockholm to discuss the future of the town. Oscar II would agree to sign the treaty of Stockholm which stipulated the waving of all Swedish claims on the city.
Background
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Wismar first came under Swedish rule as the soldiers of Gustavus Adolphus marched into the city in 1632 during the Thirty Years War. However, the city (including the surrounding territories of Neukloster and Poel) became a De-jure part of Sweden due to the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. However, the territories were somewhat neglected in favor of the bigger and more profitable Swedish-German territory of Pomerania. Wismar did however remain an important Mecklenburgan trading city well into the 18th century.
Affair
[edit]In 1796, Gustav IV of Sweden divorced Luise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her father, Duke Friedrich Franz, was outraged and demanded Wismar as compensation. Friedrich appealed to the Danish court for mediation where it was decided that a sum of 100,000 Riksdalers would be paid by Sweden as compensation (6,000 every year). However, Mecklenburg-Swcherin's desire to take control over Wismar persisted regardless as Mecklenburg diplomats attempted to persuade Russia to support them in the matter in 1797. The Tzar assured Friedrich that Russia would not hesitate to support Mecklenburg-Schwerin in a defensive war but refused to support any aggressive expansion into the city. Failing to gain the support of Russia, August von Lützow was instead tasked with securing a deal with Sweden to buy Wismar. The Swedes had themselves tried in vain to sell the territory to Prussia just a few years earlier. Lützow met with the Swedish general Von Toll in Russia and managed to make him agree to bring up the matter when he returned home. Although Gustav IV was fond of the idea of selling Wismar to Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the negotiations on the stipulations of the handover would drag on. Eventually, the respective sides would both sign the 1803 Treaty of Malmö which stipulated that Sweden would lease the territory to Wismar in exchange for a loan of 1,250 000 Riksdalers. Furthermore, Sweden would have the right to redeem the territory every 100 years in exchange for the return of the loan.
1903
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