The connections between Freemasons, the Order of the Black Hand, and assassination attempts and successes seem to paint a clear picture of the greedy motives of certain individuals. Many strings were being pulled by forces on the periphery of politics. Shadowy figures seemed entrenched in the very sources of the great war to come, although history books were later glossed over the secret society connections, and by extent occultism, that contributed to so many fatalities and war-torn cities. The Freemasons were of course initially established as a way to continue occult practices yet still retain an air of respectability.
When word of Franz Ferdinand’s death reached Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, the Kaiser immediately offered a hand of support and relief, declaring it would demolish the Order of the Black Hand. Thus, the first allegiance was born, leading to a war with the Serbians. When Franz Josef officially declared war on Serbia on July 18th, 1913, Russia began mobilizing its forces to come to the aid of its ally Serbia. Germany threatened Russia with its own mobilization if Russia did not back down, but the Russian troops refused, bringing the total number of key players to four. Looking back on history, it is amazing how such a deeply dangerous conflict arose from an occult practicing Serbian secret society.
The Kaiser himself was related to most of European royalty via his Grandmother Queen Victoria. Kaiser believed he saw firsthand the impact the Freemasons had on European conflicts and financial upheavals. His conspiratorial beliefs shaped how he handled both his foreign and domestic affairs, believing these less savory interests were in the business to take him down entirely. His fears did come to fruition when his reign became threatened by the military, and Wilhelm saw himself become little more than a puppet to the German military. The German people were so enraged at Germany’s failures during World War I, the Kaiser abdicated himself from the German throne and personally saw himself to his own exile in neutral Holland. This abdication led to the end of a 400-year-old reign of the Hohenzollern royal dynasty.
Wilhelm’s library in Holland contained many books containing information about the occult, spiritualism, and rituals. Wilhelm had always been fascinated by Freemasonry and Luciferianism, however, his exile appeared to catapult him into an almost obsessive collector of information regarding secret societies. Although he was fascinated with the subject matter, he condemned the many civil servants he came across that participated in occult activities or had secret society ties.
Even his cousin, the Russian Czar, shared Wilhelm’s interests and ideologies, and the Czar and his wife frequently patronized Rasputin and his claims of magical ability. Wilhelm continued to assert his views publicly, including those of German superiority he supposedly found while researching the occult. His findings would mark the beginning of Adolph Hitler’s obsession with a German master race.