The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1092 A surprising choice
Vienna, headquarters of the German Confederation.

Once upon a time there was an unwritten rule that the king would not come directly to the Confederate Conference.

But this time it was different, because Franz announced that he would attend in person, so all the German monarchs said they would be there in person.

This even included King William IV of Prussia, who had always been estranged from Austria, and King Georg V of Hanover who had just succeeded.

Historically, Georg V was to succeed to the throne in 1851. However, his father Ernst August I's reputation was too infamous and he always chose the wrong path at the wrong time.

Ernst August I was an extreme religious figure. On the one hand, he persecuted Catholics in the country, and on the other hand, he even opposed the "Catholic Emancipation Act of 1828" implemented in Britain.

In addition, as soon as he ascended the throne, he abolished the liberal policies of the previous king and insisted that he was the legal heir to the British throne.

Ernst August I was born in Buckingham Palace, England, so he claimed to be a noble Anglo-Saxon, not a barbaric German.

This was not a big deal in the early nineteenth century, but with the rise of nationalism in the mid-nineteenth century, his words became somewhat anachronistic.

Although Ernst August I's original intention was just to say that he was the one more suitable to be the king of England, these words deeply hurt the hearts of the nationalists in the Kingdom of Hanover.

Ernst August I's personal morals were also questionable, although there was no evidence for rumors that he had committed incest with his sister and killed innocent people in his estate.

But people subconsciously think of something bad when they mention Ernst August I, and it fits the liberal description of the old aristocracy, which makes his reputation even more infamous.

The most critical thing is that at the climax of the entire German Civil War in 1848, the German Civil War finally chose to side with the constitutionalists and promulgated a liberal constitution.

However, before Hanover's army had finished gathering, news came that the Austrian army had invaded Frankfurt, and that the Orthodox faction had won a great victory and was arresting people all over the world.

In desperation, Ernst August I decided to ask for help from Britain. His behavior completely angered domestic nationalists. In fact, liberals were also very angry at his wavering behavior.

Finally, before liberals and conservatives took action, Georg V couldn't stand it anymore and forced his father to abdicate to end the crisis.

However, Georg V was blind. Although he had two sons, they were considered the illegitimate children of his wife and her lover, so no one was optimistic about his rule.

Fortunately, with a good brother like Franz, the free city of Bremen was transferred to Hanover, which greatly eased the crisis of Georg V's rule.

However, the purpose of Georg V's trip was not only this, he also wanted to go further.

In fact, before the meeting, many people had already heard the news that King Friedrich August II of Saxony would propose a proposal for the merger of the same clans to the Confederate Parliament.

This is not a trivial matter. It would be explosive enough for the Austrian emperor to cancel the status of the four free cities, arrest the mayors of the four free cities and classify them into the four great powers.

After all, the four free cities have hundreds of years of history, and it has been said that they have the strength to fight against the four powerful countries, and can even control the emperor's dethronement and the economy of the entire German region.

It's just that when the armies of Austria and the four major powers really come to attack, none of the four free cities can put up a decent resistance.

Only Frankfurt's city guard offered desperate resistance, and as a result, it only lasted less than half an hour after the Austrian army launched its attack.

Most of the troops from other free cities had already become honor guards when the Austrian army arrived, and some even arrested the main officials of the free cities first to claim credit from the Austrians. However, compared with the merger of the same clan, the fate of the four free cities seems not worth mentioning.

The biggest beneficiary of the merger of the same clan will undoubtedly be Saxony. The Kingdom of Saxony will become one of the four major powers in the true sense, not just economically and verbally.

This is a reinforcement and reshuffle for the major families in the German region. The Wetting family has done something that everyone wants to do but dare not do.

However, some people are happy and some are worried. Some branches are not willing to give up the power in their hands. They will definitely oppose it vigorously and even take risks.

This is also the reason why Franz did not propose it himself.

Although the strength and prestige of the Austrian Empire at this time can completely suppress other states, it is not impossible to even directly establish the German Empire like Prussia in history.

But at what cost?

First of all, Britain and France will form an alliance again. This time it will no longer be a loose alliance that is divided and divided, but a close alliance that cooperates fully, fights side by side, and fights to the death like they did in World War I.

Secondly, Franz will wipe out the popularity accumulated by the Habsburg family for hundreds of years at once, and will leave countless stubborn diseases internally, which will then become a real national prison.

These are all hidden dangers. Once they break out, the Austrian Empire will be blown to pieces, and even Austria will not be able to retain it. By then, Franz may really go to Rome to be his "King of Rome."

Finally, this will also create a gap in the alliance between Russia and Austria. Although Russia has been supporting Austria's expansion on the surface at this time, the so-called support is nothing more than some verbal words and some waste paper.

If Franz really rebuilt Western Rome, then the Russians would be the first to enter Vienna.

Friedrich August II, Franz's uncle, was not a wise man. He was a king with serious liberal tendencies, more like a loose nobleman than a king.

August II liked skiing, loved art, and would even perform on stage himself. However, he was not a qualified monarch. He hated war, did not like fighting for hegemony, and was not even willing to fulfill the obligations of a king.

August II announced a series of liberal reforms as soon as he came to power, but most of them were not implemented due to various constraints.

So he began to show off, and after becoming obsessed with opera, he became one of Wagner's patrons. You must know that art was very expensive back then, so the Saxon government soon became heavily in debt.

Whenever funds were insufficient, August II would demand disarmament, which initially received strong support from liberals in Saxony.

However, over time, the size of Saxony's army has been reduced from its peak of 80,000 to 10,000. By this time, even the liberals who had always advocated disarmament began to panic.

Fortunately, the Würstbach family is rich in strong women, and Mrs. Sophie's twin sister has taken the lead. Coupled with Austria's entry into the German Customs Union and Franz's strong support, Saxony once again became the number one in North Germany economically. Strong country.

However, some people just can't even win. In 1848, August II sized up the situation and formulated a series of liberal reform plans, appointed a large number of liberal officials, and even created a relatively complete free election law. , and placed his wife and some conservative ministers under house arrest.

However, the liberal reforms failed to solve Saxony's original problems. Instead, they dealt a heavy blow to Saxony's economy and even led to the outbreak of a workers' movement, which further worsened the situation.

This time the liberals attributed all the blame for the failure of the reform to August II himself who refused to give up, and pointed the finger directly at August II himself.

At this time, Augustus II made another surprising decision. He decided to ask Prussia for help.