Return To Berlin
In 1858, Wilhelm became Regent after his brother was no longer able to lead his government due to suffering several strokes. He and Augusta traveled to the Court at Berlin.
Wilhelm soon dismissed the old ministry when he succeeded his childless brother as King in 1861 and appointed liberal ministers of his own, notably from his own Court at Koblenz, inlcluding: Alexander von Schleinitz, who became Foreign Secretary; August von Bethmann, who became Minister of Culture; and Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who became Prime Minister of Prussia. The conservative opponents saw this as the work of Augusta, but her political influence on Wilhelm was rather low. This became evident a few months later, when he dissolved Parliament, which was not bending to his will. The King appointed Otto von Bismarck as the new Prussian Prime Minister. Augusta, now Queen, regarded Bismarck as her mortal enemy and Bismarck likewise despised Augusta for her (albeit low) influence on her husband.
Augusta was particularly horrified at Bismarck's foreign policy and his cause in the commencement of the Austro-Prussian War. At the same time, she become more and more estranged from the King and Bismarck began to comment negitavely on the Queen in Parliament; the Queen reacted by being rude to Bismarck's wife, Johanna.
The Queen soon began to suffer from her manic-depressive phases again and started making frequent trips to Baden-Baden, in search of a cure. At this time, the Prussian population was rejoicing in the victory at Königgrätz, but Augusta began mourning for the dead and injured. Augusta also became estranged from her daughter-in-law, Vicky, who began to sympathise with the Prussian cause and Bismarck's policies. The religious and distinctively dutiful Augusta felt Victoria to be "without religion," scorned at her occasional absenteeism from official occasions, but began to take an interest in the upbringing of her grandson, Wilhelm, and held him in high esteem.
Augusta, who clearly abhorred war, founded the National Women's Association in 1864, which looked after wounded and ill soldiers and convened with Florence Nightingale for ideas. Several hospital foundations exist today from Augusta's initiative, including the German Society For Surgery.
Read more about this topic: Augusta Of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
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