The rapprochement between France and Russia could not remain mere lip service. Though Napoleon III was only making a tentative move, hoping to gain a greater voice within the Anglo-French-Austrian Triple Alliance, he still had to produce concrete action.
On March 6, 1871, the Russian Empire's Foreign Ministry announced that Crown Prince Alexandrovich would embark on a tour of the European Continent, with France as his first stop.
The Russians' cooperation came as a surprise. Under normal circumstances, the crown prince's first stop abroad ought to have been Vienna; Denmark would also have made sense.
The order of the crown prince's foreign visits might seem unimportant, but it was in fact laden with political meaning. It was a political signal sent to the outside world.
Austria was the Russian Empire's most important ally, and its only ally of real weight, holding a vital place in its diplomacy.
The Kingdom of Denmark, meanwhile, was tied to the Russian royal family by marriage. Crown Prince Alexandrovich had married the Danish princess Maria Fyodorovna.
Geographically, both nations bordered the Russian Empire. By convention, if traveling by sea, he would visit Denmark first and save Austria for the final stop; if traveling overland, he would visit Vienna first and Denmark last.
That was the normal procedure for diplomatic visits. It demonstrated due importance while preserving proper courtesy.
Now, however, they were striking out on a different path by starting with France. That was intriguing. This was not an official mission abroad; so many countries along the route were potential stops, yet they were being skipped over outright. Alexandrovich's itinerary was plainly awkward.
But when politics were involved, no matter how awkward it was, Crown Prince Alexandrovich had to follow the route through to the end. It concerned the Tsarist Government's foreign policy.
The outside