iam I (Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig, 1797-1888), the seventh king
of Prussia, was acclaimed first Emperor of Germany in January 1871 at
Versailles in France, following the victory of Germany over France in the
Franco-Prussian War.

118. the one whose power transcended thy power, and whose station excelled
thy station #86

This is a reference to Napoleon III (1808-1873), the Emperor of the
French, who was regarded by many historians as the most outstanding
monarch of his day in the West.

Baha'u'llah addressed two Tablets to Napoleon III, in the second of which
He clearly prophesied that Napoleon's kingdom would be "thrown into
confusion", that his "empire shall pass" from his hands, and that his
people would experience great "commotions".

Within a year, Napoleon III suffered a resounding defeat, at the hands of
Kaiser William I, at the Battle of Sedan in 1870. He went in exile to
England, where he died three years later.

119. O people of Constantinople! #89

The word here translated as "Constantinople" is, in the original, "Ar-Rum"
or "Rome". This term has generally been used in the Middle East to
designate Constantinople and the Eastern Roman Empire, then the city of
Byzantium and its empire, and later the Ottoman Empire.

120. O Spot that art situate on the shores of the two seas! #89

This is a reference to Constantinople, now called Istanbul. Located on the
Bosphorus, a strait about 31 kilometres long which links the Black Sea and
the Sea of Marmara, it is the largest city and seaport of Turkey.

Constantinople was the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1453 until 1922.
During Baha'u'llah's sojourn in this city, the tyrannical Sultan
'Abdu'l-'Aziz occupied the throne. The Ottoman Sultans were also the
Caliphs, the leaders of Sunni Islam. Baha'u'llah anticipated the fall of
the Caliphate, which was abolished in 1924.

121. O banks of the Rhine! #90

In one of His Tablets written before the First World War (1914-1918),
'Abdu'l-Baha explained that Baha'u'llah's reference to having seen the
banks of the Rhine "covered with gore" related to the Franco-Prussian War
(1870-1871), and that there was more suffering to come.

In God Passes By Shoghi Effendi states that the "oppressively severe
treaty" that was imposed on Germany following its defeat in the First
World War "provoked 'the lamentations'" of Berlin "which half a century
before, had been ominously prophesied".

122