Point of Divergence

 Prime Timeline 

In 1917 Emperor Karl I of Austria initiated secret peace negotiations with the English and French through the back-channel of Karl’s brother-in-law, Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma, who was then serving as an officer in the Belgian army. Despite initial interest from the English and French leadership, the negotiations would eventually fall apart over the problem of Italian demands for Austrian territory and the resignation of French prime minister Aristide Briand who had been open to negotiating a peace with Austria. The new Prime Minister Alexandre Ribot had no interest in a separate peace with Austria. The Central Powers would go on to lose the war and face harsh terms in the Treaty Versailles. This would spell the end of German monarchy and the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire altogether.

 The Divergence 

In January of 1917 Karl I contacted the British and French heads of state and heads of government through the intermediary of his Brother-in-Law Prince Sixtus. The initial contact lead to further negotiations in March during which Karl agreed to support the French claims to Alsace-Lorraine, as well as the allied demands for the liberation of Serbia, Belgium, and the Italian claim to Trentino.

Rather than keeping the talks secret, the French and British inform the Italian government of Austria's peace overture. Despite some initial disagreement by the Italian Prime Minister, the King of Italy lends his support to the agreement. On April 4th the allied agreement was communicated to Karl I. Prime Minister Aristide Briand and his cabinet, though they disagree strongly with the proposed Nivelle Offensive, decide not to resign and instead push for a peace settlement with Austria.

During the ongoing secret negotiations, Emperor Karl contacted Kaiser Wilhelm and suggested the possibility of opening peace talks with the allies. The German government refused to consider any such possibility as they were expecting an imminent Russian collapse to bring victory on the Eastern Front. Following the failure of this initial attempt, Karl went personally to Berlin to meet with the Kaiser and tell him frankly that Austria could not continue the war. Again the German government refused to consider the possibility of peace talks, and steadfastly refused to give up either Belgium or Alsace-Lorraine.

In the third week of April 1917, Karl I sent a communique to Wilhelm II of Germany informing him of Austria’s intent to make peace, agree to France’s terms, and abandon the war. He strongly urged the Kaiser to do the same and come to the table for a general Armistice and peace conference.

Wilhelm II and the German High Command were infuriated by the communique, considering it a betrayal. They were initially determined to fight on. Crown Prince Willhelm, however, along with his younger brothers, prince Eitel Friedrich, Prince Adalbert, and Prince Oskar prevailed upon their father to reconsider.

Two factors were particularly influential in convincing the Kaiser to seek peace. First, America's entry into the war two weeks previous had proved a disastrous blow to German hopes for victory. This had also seriously undermined the Kaiser's faith in the advisors and generals who had claimed that the United States would never enter the war. Second, it was becoming apparent that the military high command was running the country and Germany was in danger of becoming a military dictatorship rather than a Monarchy.

The Kaiser's decision plunged German leadership into a crisis and nearly caused a coup attempt by some of the high command. Never the less, Germany’s willingness to enter into peace negotiations was communicated and a general armistice was concluded in June of 1917, the USA having been in the war for a grand total of two months.

The Allies initially proposed that the peace negotiations would be held in Paris but Karl I requested that Brussels host the negotiations. This would be more neutral territory, but also it would signal the German willingness to recognize the liberation of Belgium, a key tenet of the British demands.