Georg Alexander von Müller (24 March 1854 – 18 April 1940) was an Admiral of the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

and a close friend of the

Kaiser Kaiser ( ; ) is the title historically used by German and Austrian emperors. In German, the title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (). In English, the word ''kaiser'' is mainly applied to the emperors ...

in the run up to the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Career

Müller grew up in Sweden, where his father worked as a professor of agriculture. He joined the Imperial Navy in 1871 and served in many different positions, including commander of the gunboat in East Asia from 1891 to 1892, and then officer on the staff of

Prince Heinrich of Prussia A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in some ...

. He was Adjutant from 1904 to

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...

. He was named to the

Prussian nobility 01 or 01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * ''01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * ''01011001'', the seventh studio album from Arjen Anthony L ...

(''Adelstitel'') in 1900. In 1906, he succeeded

Gustav von Senden-Bibran Gustav Ernst Otto Egon Freiherr (Baron) von Bibran-Modlau, Senden-Bibran (23 July 1847, Rokitki, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Reisicht, Lower Silesia, Germany – 23 November 1909 in Berlin) was an admiral of the Kaiserliche Marine, German I ...

as Chief of the German Imperial Naval Cabinet and served until the end of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

in 1918. As chief of the Naval Cabinet, he dealt with not only with technical issues but also the Court and many politicians. By the start of the

, he had become an ally of Chancellor

Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg Theobald Theodor Friedrich Alfred von Bethmann Hollweg (29 November 1856 – 1 January 1921) was a German politician who was chancellor of the German Empire, imperial chancellor of the German Empire from 1909 to 1917. He oversaw the German entry ...

in his attempts to control and moderate the Kaiser's actions.The Entourage of Kaiser Wilhelm II, 1888-1918 by

Isabel V. Hull Isabel Virginia Hull (born 1949) is John Stambaugh Professor Emerita of History and the former chair of the history department at Cornell University. She specializes in German history from 1700 to 1945, with a focus on sociopolitics, political th ...

; Cambridge University Press, 2004, , 9780521533218, p. 25 As one of the Kaiser's principal military decisionmakers before to the First World War, he was mostly pro-war. During the October 1911

Second Moroccan Crisis The Agadir Crisis, Agadir Incident, or Second Moroccan Crisis, was a brief crisis sparked by the deployment of a substantial force of French troops in the interior of Morocco in July 1911 and the deployment of the German gunboat to Agadir, a ...

, he told the Kaiser that "there are worse things than war". He saw a coming

racial war An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's position within so ...

in which the German race must be upheld against the

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

and Roman races.Helmuth von Moltke and the origins of the First World War by Annika Mombauer; Cambridge University Press, 2001, 325 pages. pp. 122, 153. He was serving in that position at the start of the First World War. During the Kiel Regatta in June 1914, he was responsible for delivering news of the

assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was one of the key events that led to World War I. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg ...

to the Kaiser. On 30 August, the Kaiser named his brother Grossadmiral

as commander of the Baltic Sea Squadron (''Oberfelshaber der Ostseestreikräfte''). Müller advised against that as the Prince had held the largely-ceremonial post of Navy Inspector General and was not really qualified. The Kaiser agreed but saw the Baltic theatre as not critical and intended to give his brother a capable staff. Only a few days later, Müller objected the mining by Heinrich's forces on 5 August of an area of Danish territorial waters, thus threatening Danish neutrality. Finally, after it was reported that Heinrich had lost his nerve at the prospect of battle with the Russians, other arrangements were made on 9 October 1914 to keep him from commanding any important actions.''A naval history of World War I'', by Paul G. Halpern; Routledge, 1995, , , 591 pages. P. 182-3 Once war was declared with the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in the early days of August 1914, Müller agreed with the Kaiser for only a limited

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism ...

against Britain, with no use of

capital ships The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet. Strategic i ...

to allow a negotiated peace once France and Russia had been defeated. As the war progressed and the Kaiser withdrew into a sheltered life at Imperial Headquarters in an atmosphere of "fear of the world and flight from reality", Müller worked with Generaloberst

Moriz von Lyncker Moriz is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Moriz Haupt (1808–1874), German philologist * Moriz Heider (1816–1866), Austrian dentist * Moriz Henneberger (1878–1959), Swiss chess master * Moriz von Kuffner (1854–1939), Jewish-Aust ...

at great lengths to persuade the Kaiser to spend more time on the business of the government in Berlin. Lyncker and Müller had long realised Wilhelm II's lack of effective leadership, but hoped to protect the institution of the monarchy from a revolution in Germany and to prevent reforms that would turn Germany into a

constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...

because Germany's greatness rested on its semi-absolutist constitution and royal prerogative. For them, the Kaiser had to fulfill his symbolic purpose by occasional appearances in public but could not be trusted with real responsibility for decisionmaking. Finally, by October 1918, Müller had decided that the Kaiser should abdicate to save the monarchy. In January 1917, Müller acquiesced to the decision for the implementation of unrestricted U-boat warfare on the basis of Admiral

Henning von Holtzendorff Henning Rudolf Adolf Karl von Holtzendorff (9 January 1853 – 7 June 1919) was a German admiral during World War I, who became famous for his December 1916 memo about unrestricted submarine warfare against the United Kingdom. He was a recipient ...

's memorandum during

Pless conference The Pless conference was a conference held at the castle of Prince Pless located in the Duchy of Pless on January 8, 1917. The conference involved the German army and navy arguing which division should take command of German activity in World War ...

on 9 January 1917.Die U-Boote des Kaisers: Die Geschichte des deutschen U-Boot-Krieges gegen Grossbritannien im ersten Weltkrieg by Joachim Schröder; (Lauf an der Pegnitz: Europaforum-Verlag, 2001). In Müller's memoirs, he dealt intensively with the personality of Wilhelm II.

Decorations and awards

He received the following orders and decorations: *

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle () was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I of Prussia, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the ...

(Prussia) * Grand Cross of the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

with oak leaves and Crown (Prussia) * Order of the Crown, 1st class (Prussia) * Grand Commander of the Royal

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various versions of the order were crosses an ...

with Swords *

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

of 1914, 1st and 2nd class *

Service Award A Service award was awarded by a country to a soldier or civilian for long service. It is comparable to a service medal but can be awarded to civilians as well as soldiers. Germany Kingdom of Bavaria * Königliches Ludwigsorden for 50 years' ser ...

(Prussian) * Lifesaving Medal, on sash * Cross of Merit, First Class of the Princely

* Grand Cross of the Order of Berthold I with Swords (Baden) * Grand Cross of the

Order of the Zähringer Lion The Order of the Zähringer Lion was instituted on 26 December 1812 by Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, in memory of the Dukes of Zähringen from whom he was descended. Classes It had five classes: *Grand Cross *Commander, First Class *Commander, ...

(Baden) * Grand Cross of the Military Merit Order with Crown and Swords (Bavaria) * Commander Second Class of the

Order of Henry the Lion Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

(Brunswick) *

Hanseatic Cross The Hanseatic Cross () was a military decoration of the three Hanseatic city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were members of the German Empire during World War I. Each republic established its own version of the cross, but the design ...

of Hamburg * Grand Cross of the Order of Philip of Hesse * Cross of Merit, First Class of the House Order of the Honour Cross (Lippe) *

War Merit Cross (Lippe) The War Merit Cross () was a military decoration of the Principality of Lippe. Established on 8 December 1914, by Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe, it could be awarded to combatants and to non-combatants for significant contributions to the war effort. ...

* Grand Commander of the

Order of the Griffon (Mecklenburg) Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

* Honorary Grand Cross of the

House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis The House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Frederick Louis (German: ''Haus und Verdienstorden von Herzog Peter Friedrich Ludwig'') or proper German Oldenburg House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Frederick Louis (German: ''Oldenburgischer Haus- und Verd ...

(Oldenburg) * Grand Cross of the

Albert Order The Albert Order () was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, s ...

with golden star and Swords * Cross for Faithful Service (Schaumburg-Lippe) * Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown with Swords (Württemberg) * Grand Cross of the

Friedrich Order The Friedrich Order ( or ''Friedrichsorden'') was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on 1 January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, King Friedrich I. In 1918, ...

with Crown * Honorary Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(United Kingdom) * Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

(Japan) * Grand Cordon of the Order of Meiji (Japan) * Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(Sweden) * Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

, 1st Class (Sweden)

Works

''The Kaiser and His Court: The Diaries Note Books and Letters of Admiral Georg Alexander Von Muller Chief of the Naval Cabinet 1914–1918''; Harcourt Brace and World (1964).

References

Sources

*Walter Görlitz (Hrsg): Der Kaiser ... Aufzeichnungen des Chefs des Marinekabinetts Admiral Georg Alexander v. Müller über die Ära Wilhelms II. Göttingen 1965 {{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Georg Von 1854 births 1940 deaths Admirals of the Imperial German Navy Imperial German Navy admirals of World War I Military personnel from Chemnitz Military personnel of the Kingdom of Saxony Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Grand Crosses of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria) Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword Knights First Class of the Order of Vasa