The Kreuznach Conference refers to a series of conferences held in 1917 in

Bad Kreuznach Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke (Bad Kreuznach), Alte Nahebrücke, ...

, then the headquarters of the

Oberste Heeresleitung The ''Oberste Heeresleitung'' (, "Supreme Army Command", OHL) was the highest echelon of command of the army (''Heer'') of the German Empire. In the latter part of World War I, the Third OHL assumed dictatorial powers and became the ''de facto'' ...

(OHL), the German Supreme Army Command. The first Kreuznach Conference, held on April 23, 1917, brought together the political and military leaders of the

Reich ( ; ) is a German word whose meaning is analogous to the English word " realm". The terms and are respectively used in German in reference to empires and kingdoms. In English usage, the term " Reich" often refers to Nazi Germany, also ca ...

to define the war aims of the Reich, which was then occupying a significant portion of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The second conference, held between May 17 and 18, 1917, was a meeting between the

German Emperor The German Emperor (, ) was the official title of the head of state and Hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the abdicati ...

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 Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

, and the

Austrian Emperor The emperor of Austria (, ) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The hereditary imperial title and office was proclaimed in 1804 by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorra ...

King of Hungary The King of Hungary () was the Monarchy, ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Magyarország apostoli királya'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since the enthronement of the Austro-Hungarian monarch on November 22, 1916. The objective of this conference was to establish a unified framework for the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

' policy.{{cite journal , last1=Snell , first1=John L. , date=1951 , title=Benedict XV, Wilson, Michaelis, and German Socialism , url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25015254 , journal=

The Catholic Historical Review ''The Catholic Historical Review'' (CHR) is the official organ of the American Catholic Historical Association. It was established at The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research u ...

, volume=37 , issue=2 , pages=151–178 , issn=0008-8080 , jstor=25015254 , access-date=14 November 2023 The third conference, held on August 9, 1917, had the objective of defining German policy towards the dual monarchy in the wake of the publication of the Papal Note of August 1. The fourth conference, convened on October 7, 1917, sought to define a new program of war aims. The final conference, held on December 19, 1917, focused on redefining the Reich's Eastern policy.

References

Bad Kreuznach April 1917