Joseph von Klopp

Joseph von Klopp was born on December 2nd, 1860, into the extended royal family as the eldest child of Ludwig von Klopp (born 1828), son of Magnus von Klopp and brother of Hans von Klopp, and Princess Luise von Prueßen (born 1838), son of Carl. Joseph’s father, Ludwig, was something of an outsider to the rest of the von Klopp family. After an incident between Ludwig and his father, Ludwig was essentially exiled from the main von Klopp estate, and made his new home in a family castle near Flensburg. In a series of events orchestrated by his brother and largely outside of Ludwig’s control, he would be married to Princess Luise von Preußen in the early months of 1860, and in December of the same year the two would bear their first child in Joseph von Klopp.

Joseph von Klopp was raised a royal, quite distant from the Junker origins of his father or grandfather. His father, Ludwig, differed from his father in repelling the tendency to influence the thinking of his children. Joseph was raised without particular influence from his father, and while his father selected a conservative tutor to educate Joseph he also provided Joseph with a variety of resources and a general openness towards change that would not have been tolerated under Magnus’s roof. Joseph grew up particularly intrigued by the governments of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the ideals of the French Revolution and First French Empire, and from a young age became a strong believer in the rights of man and the ability of a strong executive such as the kaiser to guide the people towards enlightenment and freedom. However, such a government must come with a constitution, lest the horrors of Russian absolutism lead to chaos.

During his childhood, Joseph would become friends with Adolf von Hoth who was 5 years older than him. They met in 1870, and quickly Joseph found that by allying himself with Adolf he could achieve much more than standing on his own. Adolf proved to be something more than a friend, in fact being a guiding mentor that Joseph could rely on. Adolf and Joseph both came to learn together, and found that they had similar aspirations for the future of a free and great Germany. The next 5 years are what Joseph considers to have been the best of his childhood.

In 1875, as Hans von Klopp gave a speech which destroyed the reputation of the von Klopp family, Joseph found that he was largely longer welcome among the royals he called family. He found ever more solace among his father and his friends in the house von Hoth, but he quickly realized that if he was to find success it must be outside of this place. At the age of 16, in 1876, Joseph signed on with the German army and was stationed in the IV. Korps, under the command of Hans Friedrich von Röhm. Joseph would not have to wait long to prove himself on the battlefield, as the Kaiser declared an intervention in the Balkans in 1877. At the battle of Regensburg, Joseph quickly proved himself as a capable commander as, while his comrades struggled against the superior Austrian defenses and were battered by their artillery, Joseph rallied them, inspiring them to charge against the Austrians in the name of god and kaiser, for the glory of Germany! While the losses were immense, it proved vital to winning the battle and Joseph would find himself swiftly promoted to the rank of Sergeant and made a cavalry officer.

In 1880, Joseph would briefly travel back home to marry Lara von Scharf (born 1860), the daughter of nobility in Holstein. This marriage was largely the result of Ludwig’s machinations but the two found love in each other regardless. Joseph would have a son with Lara in the summer of 1881, named Heinrich, but Joseph would soon be called back to war in April  of 1883 as the Kaiser declared war to liberate the Poles. Joseph once again distinguished himself in battle against the Russians, this time as a cavalry commander, and found himself promoted to the rank of Fähnrich and granted the Order of the Red Eagle, Knights 3rd. Class.

Joseph entered politics in 1885, 10 years after his uncle’s dishonorable actions, seeking to restore the honor of his house and his house. He stood for election with the Nationalliberale Partei, primarily due to the supposed alignment between his own beliefs and the platform of the party. However, it would not be long before Joseph would leave the NLP for different opportunities. When Joseph learned of Ernst Krüger’s actions while negotiating the coalition terms with the Kaiser, he grew disgusted with the way that the NLP acted in the presence of royalty, and their clear disregard for the authority of the kaiser. Thus, Joseph would soon after publish the Krüger Letter on March 21st, 1885.

However, the DkP also proved unsuitable for Joseph. While he agreed with their views on social conservatism, he could not support their reactionary viewpoint on the people's political freedoms. Joseph was allegedly invited to a plot against the SPD by Otto Hessler shortly after joining the Conservatives; he reported this to the kaiser but without evidence his claims were dismissed.