Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Chapter 5, Swiss Mercenaries

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Whether the military liked it or not, Austria’s disarmament resolution had been decided. The government shifted its focus from military affairs to local construction.

Above all, the most important national policy was obligatory education. To motivate the bureaucrats, Franz decided to implement an appraisal system.

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That is, to link the effectiveness of obligatory education with the promotion of officials.

At the core of this was the promotion of the Austrian language. After all, the purpose of this compulsory education was not simple—it was mainly to unify the language and culture, laying the foundation for national integration.

“Have the assets purchased from the Church been accounted for?” Franz asked with concern.

Finance Minister Carl replied, “Your Majesty, it’s still being tallied. Many of these assets are complex and difficult to appraise.

An initial estimate shows about 4.78 million hectares of land, including farmland, forests, meadows, etc.; 386 mines of various sizes, including gold, silver, copper, iron, coal, and other minerals; as well as immovable property like shops and residences…”

Franz nodded. These assets were indeed difficult to appraise. The cash, antiques, and paintings had already been divided up among the clergy.

Even if there were any artworks left, they would be in the churches, and the Austrian Government couldn’t possibly take them.

Many of these immovable properties had become the private possession of some clergy, but under pressure from the Austrian Government, they were forced to hand them over.

They had no choice in the matter. Immovable property could not be hidden, and if they didn’t hand them over, they would have to join the death squads in the Papal State.

“Take your time with the valuation of these assets. First, give me an estimate of the annual income, how much is it approximately?” Franz inquired.

“Around 80 million shields, Your Majesty. This income is very stable and unlikely to vary significantly,” Carl answered.

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This figure did not astonish anyone. Since ancient times, religion has been a wealthy institution, especially in a monotheistic system like Europe’s, where the Church is often much wealthier than the government.

They enjoy many privileges, such as tax exemptions on church properties and the freedom to manage donations from believers.

This is after the religious reformation. If it were the Middle Ages, the Church would have controlled most of the European Continent, and kings and emperors would have had to depend on them.

“What about the tithe?” Franz continued to ask.

By the mid-19th century, the tithe in Austria was not exclusive to the Church; monarchs and nobility would also take a share of the profits.

After being converted into an education surcharge, this money would go directly into the finance department’s purse, with no need to share it.

The tithe, originating from the time of the Old Testament, had continued through to the present, mainly targeting agricultural products, including grain, wheat, fruits, vegetables, and livestock.

The tax rate was a fixed 10%. As far as Franz knew, even by the 21st century, some places would still be collecting this tax.

The French were the first to abolish it during the Great Revolution of the 18th century, and other European countries gradually followed suit during the 19th century, with the British continuing until 1936.

“Your Majesty, the Austrian tithe is roughly between 80 million to 100 million shields. However, considering the actual situation, we probably cannot directly convert it into an education surcharge,” Carl said thoughtfully.

“The reason?” Franz asked.

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“Your Majesty, as obligatory education benefits all Austrian citizens, if we impose an education surcharge, only targeting landowning farmers and the nobility, that would be unfair,” Carl reminded.

Franz instantly understood that the name of a tax could not be arbitrarily changed; its social impact must also be considered.

If it were converted into an education surcharge, then it would have to be collected from all industries. Otherwise, there was no hope that the nobility would pay their taxes honestly, and it could easily stir up social strife.

If Austria were to levy an education surcharge on all industries, other taxes would have to be cut back, otherwise it would exceed their economic capacity.

On the surface, changing it seemed trivial since everything was already in the pot. In practice, however, it was difficult to implement.

The first to be unable to bear this tax burden would be the working class. Their incomes were limited. Just as their financial binds had loosened a bit, if an education surcharge was imposed, they’d soon revert to their old difficulties.

Such a move was definitely not feasible. Franz did not wish to court disaster by losing the public goodwill he had carefully built up.

“Does the Finance Department have any suggestions to avoid this issue?” Franz asked with interest.

After thinking for a while, Carl replied, “Your Majesty, the Finance Department suggests that the tithe continues to be collected by the clergy, without changing its name. The Finance Department will oversee it.

We can request His Holiness the Pope to issue a decree to transfer all of Austria’s tithe to the government, serving as education funds.”

Now, it seemed the Austrian Government was prepared to turn the Vatican into their subsidiary, letting the Church take care of all the unpopular duties.

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Having thought it over, Franz said, “Alright, let’s put aside the issue of the education surcharge and continue to allow the Church to levy the tithe.”

He truly could find no reason to object. For the sake of Austria’s obligatory education, the black mark could continue to stain the Church.

After all, the Almighty was omnipotent. A few complaints could be withstood, and after collecting for thousands of years, a few more decades wouldn’t matter.

When the Austrian Government became wealthier, they could find a reason to abolish it.

The Austrian Government’s scrutiny wasn’t limited to the Catholic Church; other churches also couldn’t escape the same fate.

However, these were not mainstream and didn’t have enough influence or wealth, so not much money could be extorted from them. They weren’t worth Franz’s personal attention.

On November 2, 1848, at the invitation of Pope Pius IX, the Austrian Government dispatched 80,000 troops to help mediate the internal power dispute in the Papal State.

This naturally met with the opposition of the reactionary bourgeois governments, and the anti-Austrian movement within the Italian region surged once again. Countless nationalists gathered in Rome, attempting to deter the Austrian Army with their actions.

In the end, the result was that Pope Pius IX ordered—kill, and then the brave Austrian army sent them to meet God.

On November 7, 1848, the Austrian Army launched an attack on the reactionary governments, killing over eight thousand people on the spot and capturing more than thirty thousand, inflicting severe physical damage on the Italian nationalists.

The stronghold of Italian nationalism was in the Kingdom of Sardinia, and unfortunately, the Kingdom of Sardinia was annihilated by Austria, dealing a heavy physical blow to the backbone of nationalist thought.

The Charles Albert Government, which had just returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia, was already frightened and dared not act recklessly anymore.

In order to preserve their power, they clung to the United Kingdom’s coattails on the one hand and on the other suppressed domestic radicalism, fearful of provoking Austria and attracting a catastrophic demise.

The disheartened Italian nationalists fled to Rome, where they plotted their final counterattack, attempting to preserve their last stronghold.

The outcome, of course, was tragic. Pope Pius IX returned to Rome, and the first thing he did was to suppress the nationalists.

Uniting the Italian region was also the wish of Pius IX, provided the unification was led by the Papal State he governed. If this was not possible, then preserving the Papal State was his foremost priority.

Among the Italian States, the Kingdom of Sardinia was the strongest and most progressive, and many nationalists supported it.

In the eyes of Pius IX, this was a blatant betrayal, just as detestable as the Revolutionaries. Now that he had Austria’s support, he was naturally ready for a major slaughter.

Killing may not solve problems, but it indeed is the best way to physically eliminate enemies. After the bloody suppression, the situation in Rome stabilized.

After the recapture of Rome, the Papal Army naturally sided with Pius IX, and the subsequent battles no longer required the intervention of the Austrian Army.

During his time in Vienna, Franz had given Pius IX a bad piece of advice, suggesting that he disband part of the army and, with the savings, hire Swiss to ensure the security of the Papal State.

This had a precedent; Swiss mercenaries were a force renowned throughout the European Continent for their combat abilities, and they often undertook tasks to defend or attack a country.

Since the 16th century, the Vatican Guards had been Swiss, and the Swiss had gained respect through their actions.

In 1789, 138 Swiss mercenaries vowed to protect Louis XVI in the Palace of Versailles, and all died in battle without a single deserter.

Having experienced a coup, Pius IX readily agreed. If Franz had recommended German mercenaries, he might have feared a plot.

But with Swiss mercenaries, he had no such worries. Everyone knew of the grudge between the Habsburg Family and the People of Swiss; though relations had thawed, most Swiss still wouldn’t be influenced by the Habsburgs.

Under Franz’s butterfly effect, henceforth the guards of Rome would not be Italians, but the valiant and skilled fighting Swiss mercenaries.

With these mercenaries willing to die for pay, the authority of Pope Pius IX was greatly strengthened.

Other armies might empathize with the revolution, even support the Revolutionary Party, but these foreign Swiss mercenaries had no interest in the revolution whatsoever.

Of course, that was a matter for the future. His Holiness the Pope’s Swiss Guard had not yet had the chance to form, and the forces currently at his disposal were still those of the Papal Army.

As for this army, Pius IX did not trust them at all, they were all sent out to suppress the rebels, and it was still the Austrian army that guarded his safety.

The Vatican

A Cardinal said with joy, “Your Majesty, we have contacted three Swiss mercenary regiments willing to accept our employment, with a total strength of more than two thousand men.”

Pius IX nodded with satisfaction. The Swiss mercenaries were a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for. These men were loyal and reliable, far better than the rabble of the Papal Army outside.

Consider this—if Louis XVI had not had 138 Swiss mercenaries but 1,380, would he have been sent to the guillotine?

He probably would have cut his way out under their cover and called upon the Royalist forces to suppress the rebellion long ago.

Take, for instance, King Louis-Philippe, who was just overthrown. Had he had a Swiss mercenary regiment in his hand, he would have quelled the revolution early on, without the need to flee in such a disgraceful hurry.

Reflecting on his own experiences, Pope Pius IX realized that had he had two thousand Swiss mercenaries back then, he would have already decimated the Revolutionaries, obviating the need for an overseas exile.

The more he thought about it, the more sidetracked he became.

Pius IX had forgotten that the very fact a monarch needed foreigners to secure his safety was ample evidence of his utter failure.

This implied an extreme lack of trust in his subjects, and once that trust was lost, the relationship between monarch and subjects could never again be intimate and close.

However, this was of no concern to the Pope. After all, his throne was not hereditary; as long as he was comfortable, why bother about his successor?

After pondering, Pius IX said, “Sign the contract with them as soon as possible and have them come to Rome to take up their posts immediately.

Also, continue to reach out to Swiss mercenary regiments. A little over two thousand isn’t enough for a single regiment’s strength, far from sufficient to defend the Papal State.”

“Your Majesty, are the Austrians withdrawing their troops?” the Cardinal asked with concern.

“Indeed, Lieutenant General Edmund has urged us multiple times to form a loyal army as soon as possible, as they want to return home to celebrate Christmas with their families,” said Pius IX cheerfully.

Requesting the Austrian army to suppress the rebellion, his biggest worry was that it might be easy to invite them, but hard to see them leave; should the Austrian army refuse to go, that would cause a great deal of trouble.

Fortunately, none of this happened. The Austrian army took the initiative to propose a withdrawal, which perfectly aligned with Pius IX’s wishes, sparing him a significant headache.

The Austrian army’s conduct also greatly satisfied Pius IX—strict military discipline, no harassment of the locals, and even their looting was disciplined, never overreaching.

Perhaps it was his too pleasant cooperation with the Vienna Government; the Austrian army’s commander, Lieutenant General Edmund, showed great respect for him as the Pope, always held him in high regard, never causing any trouble.