Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: The National Policy Forced Out
Translator: 549690339

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During the critical moments of the Anglo-Austrian negotiations, Princess Sophie, his mother, brought him news that captured all of Franz’s attention.

His uncle, Emperor Ferdinand I, was going to abdicate early and wanted him to be ready to ascend the throne prematurely.

By all that is sacred, Franz could swear in the name of God, that he had no hand in this. As the legitimate heir to Austria, he was not in such a hurry to pressure his uncle to abdicate.

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The decision was not actually made by Ferdinand I himself but by the collective agreement of the Habsburg Family.

Despite Austria’s conservative reputation, over the years, the public’s tolerance for the mentally challenged Emperor had reached its limit, and the Vienna rebellion had elements of this frustration.

For the Habsburg Family, this was a disaster. The monarch’s dignity was swept away, and jokes were frequent. If this continued, it would undermine the status of the Royal family.

At this moment, Franz emerged as the Regent and quickly seized control of power, quelling the domestic rebellion, which gave many people hope.

The Austrian Empire’s national power was on the decline, and the Royal family members saw it with their own eyes and felt an urgency, yet the dukes were willing but powerless, lacking the ability to turn the tide.

Franz’s outstanding performance brightened their prospects, and it seemed that a savior was on the horizon for the Habsburg Family.

Then, after a private consensus, they felt that Ferdinand I could no longer disgrace the position of the Emperor; the Habsburg Family had monopolized the aristocracy’s jokes for the last few decades.

For the sake of long-term interests, they unanimously decided to have Ferdinand I abdicate early, allowing the capable Franz to ascend and restore the glory of the Habsburg Family.

Once the decision was made, everyone took turns persuading Ferdinand I to abdicate. No, it was more accurate to say they were persuading Queen Maria-Anna to agree to the Emperor’s abdication.

Ferdinand I was sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. He might agree to something one moment and completely forget about it the next. His most vivid memory was his command to the chef: “I am the Emperor, I want to eat dumplings.”

When he was lucid, he wasn’t much different from normal, except for being a bit slow in responding and a little less intelligent than the average person. Once he fell ill, he became utterly oblivious.

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Most critically, he fell ill several times a day, and no one knew when he would be lucid or ill. Relying on him to make decisions was too unreliable, so everyone decided to take the reins instead.

To avoid making a mockery, they had to persuade Queen Maria-Anna. As long as she didn’t object, Ferdinand I’s own opinion could be ignored.

Undoubtedly, Queen Maria-Anna was never power-hungry; the Vienna Palace, because of her husband’s inability to wield power, was more like a prison to her.

The outbreak of the Vienna revolution, especially, terrified her, fearing that she might follow in the footsteps of Louis XVI.

Everyone happily agreed to have Ferdinand I abdicate as soon as possible, with Franz stepping in to clean up the mess.

Indeed, to many, the Austrian Empire seemed like a mess. The rebellion had been quelled, but domestic issues were still severe.

Many people saw that one of the main reasons for the national rebellion was the loss of monarchical prestige; Ferdinand I could no longer be recognized by the people of various ethnic groups in Austria.

Franz was not averse to ascending the throne prematurely. Without a legitimate title, speech does not follow. Many things are much easier for an Emperor to do than for a Crown Prince.

Perhaps out of sheer endurance, everyone chose to cut the Gordian knot quickly. The date of Ferdinand I’s abdication was soon set, and so was Franz’s coronation, both on September 1, 1848.

It was now the end of June; only a little over two months remained. Franz had to arrange domestic affairs to ensure there were no embarrassments at his coronation.

Franz was generally satisfied with the outcome of the Anglo-Austrian negotiations. He got a good deal from the Kingdom of Sardinia and gained the support of the British on the Austrian Balkan issue, as well as a ticket to overseas colonies.

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The one headache was the British stance on the German issue; like all the great powers, they opposed Austria’s expansion into the Germany Region.

Unlike the Kingdom of Prussia, Austria had too much influence in the Germany Region, and the Habsburg dynasty’s name rang too loudly. Once the Germany Region was united, the impact would be much greater.

Not to mention, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Belgium had all once been Habsburg territories, and the idea of unification was also prevalent in these countries.

Who knew whether Austria could integrate them? Whether it was feasible or not, no one wanted to take the risk.

The Habsburg dynasty’s influence was greatly feared. If Austria prepared to unite the Germany Region, it would face a situation similar to that of Napoleon.

Even before Austria could unite the Germany Region, the intervention armies of other nations would have already set out. This conclusion was painful for everyone, especially the proponents of Greater Germany.

It couldn’t be helped; an Austria of merely eight million core people was everyone’s best ally, but an Austria with a population core of forty-five million was the nightmare of Europe.

After unifying the Germany Region, the Austrian Empire, with its population surpassing that of Russia and its industry surpassing that of France, became an absolute behemoth in Central Europe.

The British saw this very clearly, so they encouraged Austria to expand into the Balkan region. As long as the main ethnic group did not hold an absolute advantage, infighting was inevitable.

An Austria plagued with severe internal strife could not threaten the global hegemony of the Great Britain Empire; they could still be good friends.

Franz consoled, “The stance of the British was anticipated by us, and it’s not us who should be worrying now. The Kingdom of Prussia also wants to unify the Germany Region, and their options are even more limited.”

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“Unable to expand into the Germany Region, we can turn to the Balkan region and pursue overseas colonies. The Austrian Empire’s steps forward won’t stop.”

This was also self-consolation; Prussia was merely an excuse. At that time, the Kingdom of Prussia lacked the power to unify the Germany Region.

The Austrian Empire itself had the power to unify the Germany Region, yet the international environment did not permit it.

The British, who were most likely to remain neutral, were strongly opposed to the unification of Germany, not to mention neighboring Russia. Who could sleep peacefully by the side of one’s bed?

Unable to annex the Germany Region, Austria had no choice but to address its internal ethnic strife first and then honestly cultivate the fields, slowly accumulating strength.

The so-called expansion was merely picking up scraps. In the Balkan region, it was necessary to make concessions to the Russians, and in establishing overseas colonies, compromises with England and France were inevitable.

Felix suggested, “Since the British oppose the unification of the Germany Region, let’s settle for the next best thing and divide the Germany Region with the Kingdom of Prussia. How does that sound?”

“If we could annex the South German States, we could afford some sacrifices. At worst, we give up the Italian Area in exchange for support from England and France and cede Austro-Poland to the Russians in return for their understanding.”

Metternich sighed and said, “It’s not that simple. Many of the sub-states in the South German Region are our allies. How can we expand?”

“If we act against our allies, do we still care about our reputation? In the future, who would dare to form an alliance with us?”

If he had known that the international situation would become what it was, he would have dispatched the House of Wittelsbach to the Italian Area and directly annexed the Kingdom of Bavaria during the construction of the Vienna System.

Unfortunately, history has no ifs. To guard against the French, Austria supported the Kingdom of Bavaria as a buffer ally, and now this ally was blocking Austria’s path to expansion.

Before the rise of nationalism, nobody realized the importance of the main ethnic group. After experiencing the great revolution, everyone understood the weaknesses of multiracial countries.

Hungarians wanted independence, Italians wanted independence, Polish wanted independence, Czechs wanted autonomy…

Fortunately, nationalism hadn’t seeped into the entire society, and only capitalists and some nobility were stirring up independence, which allowed Austria to suppress them.

The greatest wealth of the South German Region wasn’t anything else but its fifteen million people.

If the German Confederation of religiously and culturally similar South Germany were annexed, the main ethnic group of the Austrian Empire could immediately surpass half, and the risk of disintegration would be minimized.

After thinking, Franz said, “Let’s not just think about expansion. To solve the ethnic problem, we can also look for solutions internally.”

“There are over twenty million illiterate people in the entire Austrian Empire; how many of them know to which ethnicity they belong?”

“I want the Ministry of Education to compile a textbook for me, connecting the ethnicities from all regions and tracing their Germanic roots.”

“If there’s no connection at all, then justify it with ethnic integration. I don’t believe that none of their ancestors for the past eighteen generations have any relation to the Germanic people.”

“As long as they are uncertain about their ethnic affiliation, just tell them they are German People.”

“For those few minorities with cultural heritage, we should promote the Austrian System to them. Emphasize that everyone is of mixed descent, with multiple ethnic bloodlines, which naturally includes Germanic lineage. Those who doubt can go home and dig into their family history.”

“With many years of ethnic integration, I don’t believe there are still many pure-blooded ethnic groups.”

“First, we sort out the ethnic relations clearly, then promote the Austrian language across the nation, gradually replacing local dialects.”

Franz was prepared to play the rogue. If the main ethnic group wasn’t sufficient, they would simply create one.

No matter whether they were truly Germanic people, it was worth a try to cheat first. As long as they themselves believed it, that was what mattered.

Cheat one, count one. As long as the bureaucrats make an effort, it wouldn’t be long before the Germanic people rapidly expanded.

Historically, the Kingdom of Prussia also underwent Germanization, where Germanic people were not initially predominant, but they managed to assimilate others into a leading position through language and writing.