Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 525

Chapter 525: Chapter 98, The Unpopular Throne

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Out of respect for the approaching Christmas season, the Vienna Government did not rush to seek trouble with the Polish Government. Even the news of Poland’s diplomatic notes was suppressed, and the Foreign Ministry simply conveyed Franz’s threat.

It’s a European tradition not to stir up trouble during Christmas, and Vienna was as lively as ever this holiday. Franz held the customary court banquet.

The good times are always fleeting. Right after Christmas, Franz received some bad news—Otto I of Greece had died.

Compared to the original timeline where he was deposed in 1862, Otto I on this timeline was quite fortunate. With the strong rise of Austria, he, being a pro-Austrian, naturally wouldn’t be deposed for aligning himself with the wrong side in diplomacy.

The troublesome thing was that Otto I, who came from the Wittelsbach Dynasty, had no children, and his brothers were unwilling to convert to Orthodoxy, leaving the position of the Greek crown prince perennially vacant.

Now the question arose, who should inherit the throne of Greece? Franz had already sent a telegram to the House of Wittelsbach, now the Lombard throne, hoping they would send a prince to undertake this heavy responsibility.

The result was quite embarrassing—no one was willing to pick up this mess. Understandably so, given that Greece’s situation was far from good. They were heavily in debt to foreign creditors, and internal strife brewed within.

This was a repercussion of the Near East War, where Greece, despite being on the winning side, had backed down midway due to military pressure from England and France.

As a result, not only did they lose their war booty, but they were also heavily disciplined by England and France, incurring a massive post-war debt.

Regardless, Greece had still shed blood in the Near East War, sacrificing tens of thousands of lives and stalling part of the British-French-Ottoman alliance’s troops.

Following the war, Russia and Austria still gave Otto I a hand, helping him retain his throne. After the war, anti-British and anti-French sentiment ran high among the Greek people, and Otto I naturally gravitated towards Russia and Austria.

With changes in the international situation, Austria successively struck deals with England and France, taking over the French-Balkan Peninsula and obtaining Corfu Island through negotiations with the British.

In the Mediterranean disputes, France and Austria worked together to sideline the British. Under these circumstances, Greece obtained support from the Vienna Government, and Otto I seized the opportunity to expel the British.

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This “expulsion” was almost tantamount to the British voluntarily giving up. After all, Greece’s interests were quite minor. Although their strategic location was important, the British were spread too thin to bother with this peripheral issue.

In the end, with Austria’s mediation, the Greece Government paid a redemption fee to facilitate the “withdrawal” of the British troops from Greece.

This outcome was inevitable; who would tolerate an adversary beside their couch? Since the French relinquished the Balkan Peninsula, Greece’s geographical position precluded long-term British occupation.

Faced with continued resistance by the Greek people, the London Government, lacking the energy to suppress it, wisely chose to cut a good deal, ultimately leading to the Greece Government incurring a substantial debt to the British.

Nationalism is a double-edged sword. Since driving out the British, radical Greek groups have turned their sights on Austria, aiming to restore the Roman Empire.

Such extremist ideologies were naturally suppressed by Otto I’s government. Rational people understood it was an impossible dream, but idealists were the exception.

The disgruntled idealists wanted to overthrow Otto I’s reign. Unquestionably, this ragtag bunch was far from posing a serious threat.

As the agricultural crisis broke out, economic problems also emerged within Greece, with many farmers going bankrupt in the initial wave, exacerbating social conflicts.

Despite Austria having absorbed a number of immigrants, there were still many left, and Greece’s public security was in continuous decline.

This created favorable conditions for the radical groups to rebel. If Otto I were still alive, dealing with such rabble would not be an issue, but now the throne was vacant and the government was in disarray.

The Wittelsbach family had already invested a lot in the Greek throne and had yet to see any returns. Now they were unwilling to continue their commitment.

This was not what Franz wanted to see. If the Greek succession was not settled quickly, it wouldn’t be long before England, France, and Russia would become involved.

If all these nations got involved, Austria would have difficulty maintaining a dominant position. If a government that was against Austria emerged in Greece, then all of Franz’s initial investments would have been in vain.

“Prime Minister, who is the most suitable candidate to inherit the throne of Greece right now?”

Prime Minister Felix furrowed his brow, “The best candidates are naturally Prince Luitpold and Prince Adalbert, Otto I’s brothers, but both have clearly renounced their claims.

There are many other possible successors, but due to age, we cannot be certain if any of Otto I’s nephews could firmly hold the Greek throne.”

Otto I’s sudden death left behind a mess. The role of King of Greece was not an enviable one; without significant ability, it was impossible to control the situation.

Otherwise, Franz could have simply cheated a member of the Wittelsbach family into taking the throne by force.

Europe is a world where lineage matters, and the closer the bloodline is to the throne, the better because closeness implies legitimacy. In the case of those ranked in the tens for succession, even if they ascend to the throne, it’s hard for them to gain public support.

After pacing for a few steps, Franz made a decision, “Continue to make contact with them, as long as they are willing to inherit the throne of Greece, they won’t have to convert to the Orthodox Church, and we’ll solve all the problems.”

Although this might be them holding out for a better offer and trying to gain benefits from Austria, Franz still decided to give in. What choice did he have when the Greek throne was so unpopular?

The House of Wittelsbach was worried about the large investment without seeing a return, and their desire to find someone to share the costs is understandable.

There’s no free lunch in the world. If you accept Austria’s favors, then you must do Austria’s bidding. The more you take, the more you must give back.

Greece might be small, but Franz wouldn’t dare underestimate it; it was better to keep it under his control. Otto I had done an excellent job even though Greece was a bit chaotic, which was tolerable.

Franz didn’t have high demands, only that the population control policy of Otto I should continue. At this time, the population of European countries was rising rapidly, and it was remarkable that Greece could maintain a standstill.

As long as it continued, Greece, with a population of less than a million, couldn’t cause much of a splash no matter what happened.

This was all borrowed from France’s advanced experience. Had it not been for the rapid economic development after Napoleon III ascended to the throne, France’s population growth rate might have been even lower.

However, only the unreasonable parts were altered before these methods were sold to the Greece Government, and when coupled with Malthus’s theory of population, it became very convincing.

Given Greece’s current land capacity, it genuinely couldn’t support a larger population. In the short term, the effect was noticeably significant:

Since the head tax had been increased, the Greek public’s enthusiasm for reproduction declined significantly, and with fewer children to support, the living standards of the public went up instead of down.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg shook his head, “Your Majesty, our involvement might be problematic. Anti-Austrian sentiment among the Greek populace is growing. If we intervene, we might complicate matters.

Moreover, we cannot disregard the stance of England, France, and Russia. They wouldn’t like to see us controlling Greece. If they interfere, the Greek throne might be indefinitely delayed.

Instead of that, it’s better to wait and see how things unfold. We’ll support whoever is willing to work with us. If someone refuses to see reason, overthrowing a country’s regime is much easier than establishing one.”

Franz got the subtext right away. It was really about the concern that such a precedent might affect the political structure of the Empire.

The Empire had many sub-states. If the House of Wittelsbach utilized too much of the Empire’s power during their struggle for the Greek throne, wouldn’t that mean other royal families could use the Empire’s power to expand as well?

This wasn’t unwarranted worrying; it was an actual possibility. The relationships between royal families in Europe were a tangled mess, and having succession rights to other countries’ thrones was commonplace.

Right now, the thrones of Poland and Spain were vacant. There were plenty of nobles interested domestically, but they lacked the support of the great powers and couldn’t gain an advantage in the competition.

The Vienna Government didn’t back any major noble family domestically; instead, it supported the House of Wittelsbach to secure the Greek throne. If they received a substantial return, well and good. But if not, it would certainly trigger political turmoil.

According to the rules of the game, the House of Wittelsbach could seek the Empire’s support, but they had to exchange resources for it.

This system of rules was designed by Franz himself, including the actions in Mexico, where the royal family bore a significant part of the military expenses.

Franz frowned, “This is indeed a problem, but it’s not difficult to solve. The Empire will get as much in return as it has invested.

We can make this clear beforehand. If the House of Wittelsbach is still unwilling, then let it be. I believe no one would oppose bringing Greece back into the embrace of Catholicism.”

Austria was suppressing religion, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t use religion to achieve its goals. No law stipulates that the King of Greece must not be a Catholic.

Even if there were such a law, it would have to be abolished as outdated. It is an era of religious freedom after all; how can religious discrimination be tolerated?

Investment returns are not a concern for Franz. If necessary, Greece could be encouraged to start cotton cultivation. In later generations, Greece became a major cotton exporter, which could also be possible now.

This would not only add another source of raw materials but also a new market for the surplus of food, satisfying the interest groups at home.

With this thought, Franz suddenly saw a new direction, and perhaps the agricultural crisis could be resolved sooner than anticipated.