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...okay, what the fuck does Cavour want from her, a propaganda campaign? :p
The undisputed queen of the salons in Paris in the second half of 1830s must have been a diplomat in her own right, and Cristina di Belgioioso was also athwart both the sides of the Milan insurrection: impeccable revolutionary credentials as well as an impeccable aristocratic pedigree, not to mention the respect and the gratitude of Gabrio Casati, who could not forget how strongly Cristina campaigned from Paris for the freedom of his brother-in-law Confalonieri. Cavour was not planning to have her at his side, but is certainly not a man to waste an opportunity. Mostly she will be very useful to pour oil on the stormy waters of the two Milanese factions: the moderates of the Provisional Government and the democrats of the War Council. ITTL the political atmosphere in Milan is much less charged than it was IOTL: first, the agreement to postpone any decision on the political future of Lombardy to the end of the war ("a causa vinta") is holding and the Piedmontese have been less intrusive in Milan; second, and possibly more important, the war is going very well, better than anyone would have anticipated; third, Ferdinando's decision to support the resurgence of the Serenissima and to offer an alliance against the Austrians without attaching a price tag to it is certainly paying dividends, both in Venice and Milan.
This said, moderates and democrats are both very good at finding reasons to bicker with each other, and often quick to forget who the true enemy is: anyone who has the capacity to keep them on good behavior is certainly useful, and should be used.
For the time being Cavour has not yet hinted anything about Ferdinando's political goals, not to Cristina di Belgioioso not to anyone else. The cards, however, are going be put on the table pretty soon. ;)

@Tarabas : anything to add?
 
The undisputed queen of the salons in Paris in the second half of 1830s must have been a diplomat in her own right, and Cristina di Belgioioso was also athwart both the sides of the Milan insurrection: impeccable revolutionary credentials as well as an impeccable aristocratic pedigree, not to mention the respect and the gratitude of Gabrio Casati, who could not forget how strongly Cristina campaigned from Paris for the freedom of his brother-in-law Confalonieri. Cavour was not planning to have her at his side, but is certainly not a man to waste an opportunity. Mostly she will be very useful to pour oil on the stormy waters of the two Milanese factions: the moderates of the Provisional Government and the democrats of the War Council. ITTL the political atmosphere in Milan is much less charged than it was IOTL: first, the agreement to postpone any decision on the political future of Lombardy to the end of the war ("a causa vinta") is holding and the Piedmontese have been less intrusive in Milan; second, and possibly more important, the war is going very well, better than anyone would have anticipated; third, Ferdinando's decision to support the resurgence of the Serenissima and to offer an alliance against the Austrians without attaching a price tag to it is certainly paying dividends, both in Venice and Milan.
This said, moderates and democrats are both very good at finding reasons to bicker with each other, and often quick to forget who the true enemy is: anyone who has the capacity to keep them on good behavior is certainly useful, and should be used.
For the time being Cavour has not yet hinted anything about Ferdinando's political goals, not to Cristina di Belgioioso not to anyone else. The cards, however, are going be put on the table pretty soon. ;)

@Tarabas : anything to add?
The only thing I would add is that the general trend of our TL is to put better cards in the hands of some people who OTL were relegated to marginal roles, if not outright footnotes, and to see what happens. Cristina di Belgioioso is one of those: she is now at the core of the action , in the middle of an unofficial but critical diplomatic event, where her skills and personality can do a lot more than she could ever dream of with her 200 or so volunteers. Which is not to say that she's not going to make good use of them, somehow.
I was right it's GLORIOUS!!! 😍🤩😍 Can we have more 🥺🥺🥺
Again, thank you so much for your support: it really means a lot to us. I second @LordKalvan 's answer ;)
 
Narrative Interlude #23: Venice, Rivoli... and Rome?
Isola della Scala, Villa Pindemonte- 4 April 1848, early evening

Ferdinando greeted in person the delegates of the Republic of St. Mark when they entered Villa Pindemonte. It was an impressive group, confirming the commitment of the Republic to the alliance and to the prosecution of the war: Daniele Manin, President of the Provisional Government and Foreign Secretary, Giovanni Francesco Avesani (1), Minister for Justice, Leone Graziani (2), Minister for the Navy and recently promoted to vice-admiral, Count Alvise Mocenigo (3), President of the Municipality of Venice, Count Sebastiano Tecchio (4), delegate for Vicenza, and Giuseppe Olivi (5), podesta' of Treviso.
"Gentlemen, welcome to Villa Pindemonte. Other delegations have already arrived to Isola della Scala: you will meet them tomorrow.
A dinner will be served soon. Please refresh yourselves, accommodations have been set aside for you in the Villa."
"We thank you for your kind welcome, Your Highness. The trip from Venice was hardly arduous, and we will be at your disposal shortly." Daniele Manin replied, bowing courteously.
While the delegates were taken away, Ferdinando thought that the composition of the delegation was quite telling,
Manin and Avesani were the acknowledged leaders of the two wings of the liberal moderates in Venice, with the former closer to the "New Men" in the city, merchants and manufactory owners, and the latter closer to the traditional landed interests. Manin had also a strong support among the workers of the Arsenale, the Arsenalotti, always a player to be reckoned with in Venetian politics.
Count Mocenigo was obviously the representative of the Venetian patriciate a man of his class, no doubt, but Ferdinando had met him in Venice, and he thought the Count was no hidebound reactionary: his presence here was a clear indication that the Venetian patriciate was willing to support the re-birth of the Republic.
Leone Graziani had been a navy man all his life, with a distinguished career in the Austrian navy, but that was not all. Graziani had been also high in the councils of the Prometheus organization, and Ferdinando thought he had been the strongest supporter of the plan to incite a mutiny in Pola. Well, it was not surprising to see him promoted and chosen as minister for the Navy after his plan had been so incredibly successful.
Count Tecchio was another man who Ferdinando had met in Vicenza, and then again in Venice: a level-headed man, another lawyer, unsurprisingly , and most important of all his presence here, together with the podesta' of Treviso, was proof that Manin and Avesani had took to heart the idea that the mainland provinces had to play a front-line role in the new Republic: all to the good.
It was somehow surprising that no representative from Friuli was in the delegation. Most likely, it was because the war front had moved to Friuli, and the delegates from there had considered their presence there to be necessary. It would be good to confirm this by making a few polite enquiries, though, If there were problems between Friuli and Venice, the war effort might be affected, and Henri informed. Besides, where on earth was Henri?

...........

" Henri. I am going to Villa Borghi tonight, and meeting the Sicilian delegation. And the other delegations too, of course"
The last statement came in as an afterthought, and Henri sighed: he knew his wife very well, and when she was speaking in that particular tone of voice the chances to change her mind were close to zero.
" I can understand your eagerness, Maria Cristina, and certainly I do sympathize. It is a matter of protocol, though. The Sicilian delegation, well all the delegations actually, have not yet been properly introduced, and a princess cannot just go there unannounced and unexpected."
"A princess maybe cannot... But my dear friend, the countess of Rivoli, can and will, without affecting any protocol of any sorts. her handsome French husband can join as well, if so he wishes.... What was his name? Comte D'or..."
"Comte d'Ormes. A dear friend of mine, by happenstance." He sighed, but he could not help but smile.
"See? It was not so difficult after all. Send a note to count Cavour, letting him know that our fiends are going. I'll get ready to leave. Letizia (6) can also come with us, so that I... The Countess of Rivoli can be properly chaperoned if you want to have a drink with the other gentlemen. Or, if she wishes to meet personally with the famous Princess of Belgioioso without her husband around."
Henri's sigh was almost audible this time, and he closed his eyes. But we he opened them up, Maria Cristina was donning her most intense and seductive smile.
"You know, my dear, what the Comte d'Ormes told me once about his wife, the Countess of Rivoli?" He said, piercing his blue eyes into hers.
"I do not think you mentioned that, my love" she replied, as they drove closer, their breaths becoming one.
"That she's got the same terrible beauty that only the fiercest battles have. But that's a battle he never gets tired of, on the contrary. Lose or win, it doesn't matter: he will fight this until he dies, because it's the only thing that keeps him alive."
Maria Cristina's answer came in the form of the most passionate kiss. (7)

..........

Shortly after the departure of Maria Cristina, Letizia and Henri, there was a last surprise visitor arriving to Villa Pindemonte.
" Your Highness, Monsignor Corboli Bussi (8) has arrived from Rome. He apologizes for not having let you know in advance of his arrival, and would like to speak to you at your convenience."
Ferdinando frowned. Monsignor Corboli Bussi was a high-level diplomat of the Secretary of State in Rome: he had been in Turin to discuss for the Customs Union of the papal States, Tuscany and Sardinia, and he was also a close advisor of the Pope himself. He must have had his own reason to come here, but what was he going to bring forward?
"Please inform the Monsignore that I will meet him tomorrow morning, and let him know that dinner will be served soon if he wants to join us and is not too tired. I assume the majordomo has already provided him with accommodation?"
"Yes, Your Highness"
"Please send a note to the Count of Cavour, informing him that the Monsignore has arrived, and I'll meet him tomorrow morning"

Footnotes
  1. G. F. Avesani, lawyer and close to the positions of the Municipality of Venice. IOTL was a rival of Manin for the leadership of the Provisional Government, and Manin prevailed. ITTL, the different status of the war and the presence of Ferdinando in Venice has avoided the breach, and both Manin and him are member of the Provisional Government​
  2. Leone Graziani, served 40 years in the Navy of the Kingdom of Italy and then of Austria, being promoted up to senior captain. IOTL he was appointed as Chief of the Arsenale and promoted to rear admiral by Manin. ITTL, the role played by him within Prometheus has boosted him higher. Remarkably, he was the father-in-law of Attilio Bandiera, one of the two brothers who were executedt in Calabria after an ill-fated attempt to raise a Mazzinian insurrection​
  3. Count Alvise Mocenigo, scion of a very ancient patrician family in Venice. A moderate and progressive thinker in the ranks of the Patriciate​
  4. Count Sebastiano Tecchia was a lawyer and patriot, very active in the insurrection of Vicenza in 1848​
  5. Giuseppe Olivi, Podesta' of Treviso from 1847 to 1852: patriot and politician. His 5 sons all fought against Austria during the siege of Venice (and one was killed there).​
  6. Letizia Tadini, Countess of Savignano and Acceglio. Chief lady-in-waiting and best friend of Maria Cristina​
  7. Allegedly, the famous picture "Il Bacio" by Hayez was inspired by this clandestine kiss. As the legend goes, Letizia was going to see Maria Cristina and happened to see the scene unnoticed, and was so surprised by this bruto of passion that she had to talk about it to a close friend, who commented of it to another close friend, and so on, until the account reached the ears of the famous painter. Probably we will never know the truth, but the kissing couple represented in this iconic picture do carry an impressive resemblance of Maria Cristina and Henri .​
  8. Monsignor Giovanni Corboli Bussi, diplomat and advisor of Pius IX. One of the few true liberals among the Roman Curia. IOTL he was sent to Peschiera, to meet Carlo Alberto and try to obtain a loan to offset the deficit in the Papal finances.​
Made in @LordKalvan and Tarabas
 
Henri and Maria Cristina will make it to history as one of the most well matched couples in the history of European royalty, for sure.

Now, if they were to act like horny teenagers in public, after Maria Cristina has donned the crown of Sicily... I can already hear the Pope blaspheming more and worse than your average Venetian pub crawler, a thousand writers of lurid mid-19th century romances furiously taking notes, and the whole Ruritanian romance genre being born decades ahead of schedule. :p
 
Henri and Maria Cristina will make it to history as one of the most well matched couples in the history of European royalty, for sure.

Now, if they were to act like horny teenagers in public, after Maria Cristina has donned the crown of Sicily... I can already hear the Pope blaspheming more and worse than your average Venetian pub crawler, a thousand writers of lurid mid-19th century romances furiously taking notes, and the whole Ruritanian romance genre being born decades ahead of schedule. :p
The pope is going to have more pressing worries than two young people making up in public, but i get your point. Maria Cristina and Henri are those rarest birds, two royals falling in love with each other and being allowed to wed
 
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Henri and Maria Cristina will make it to history as one of the most well matched couples in the history of European royalty, for sure.

Now, if they were to act like horny teenagers in public, after Maria Cristina has donned the crown of Sicily... I can already hear the Pope blaspheming more and worse than your average Venetian pub crawler, a thousand writers of lurid mid-19th century romances furiously taking notes, and the whole Ruritanian romance genre being born decades ahead of schedule. :p
The pope is going to have more pressing worries than two young people making up in public, but i get your point. Maria Cristina and Henri are those rarest birds, two royals falling in love with each other and being allowes to wed
Well, in their defense, they thought no one was watching. As for their match, their meeting was a blessed one, last but not least, because it happened when Charles Albert was seeking rapprochement with France and starting to think "bigger", so to speak. As for the Pope, this is a dance of War, Love and Revolution... I would say the third and the first should be more worrying to him. Not that our dear Pious IX was always spot on with his priorities, far from it, truth to be told.
 
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Narrative Interlude #24: The Queen of the Adriatic
Isola della Scala, Villa Pindemonte- 4 April 1848, early evening

"You are telling me that you do not know General d'Orleans' whereabouts, Augusto, just that he left Villa Pindemonte?Why? Did he receive information regarding a possible attack by the enemy?"
Ferdinando's tone was very dry, and Augusto di Cavour blushed deeply: "Your Highness, there has been no report of enemy movements. However, I do have some news of sorts for you, even though..."
"Which news, Captain?"
"A note from the Count of Cavour, Your Highness. He informs that the Countess of Rivoli and the Compte d'Ormes are headed do Villa Borghi."
To that, Ferdinand eased, and nearly chuckled. Puzzled, Augusto went on,
"If you require the presence of General d'Orleans for the dinner, I can keep searching for him."
"No need for that... It seems you knew more than you think. I urge you to ponder over that a bit... send for General Menabrea, he can replace d'Orleans, and you'll join the dinner too. From what I have seen in Venice, you are quite able to mingle with Venetians without embarrassing yourself. But I must warn you: there will be no ladies tonight, don't be disappointed."
Augusto's handsome face turned from red to outright purple.

................

The dinner had gone smoothly, in a convivial atmosphere, and Monsignor Corboli Bussi has proved to be a witty and charming person.
He had apologized for his unannounced arrival, and excused himself pretty early, alleging to be fatigued after a long ride.
The prince had obviously granted him leave to retire, and invited him for a meeting in his study next morning.
On the face of it, everything was fine, but Ferdinando thought that he had seen a hint of worry and tension in the eyes of the Monsignore, which was out of character for an accomplished diplomat.
No reason to worry now, better to pay attention to the delegation from Venice.

Daniele Manin was the first to speak: "Our warmest thanks for your hospitality, Your Highness. I am pleased to inform you that we bring good news from Dalmatia: the coast is already completely freed, and population has joyously welcomed the resurgence of the Republic of St. Mark and the promise of freedom. The flag of the Lion has been raised from Zara to Spalato to the Bocche di Cattaro and Ragusa, and Dalmatian delegates are under way to give their allegiance to the Republic. Even Signor Tommaseo, the best of friends and a true patriot, but also a morose and pessimist man to the core, is sending back glowing reports. General La Marmora has carried out the occupation of the island of Pago (1) in the north, and is supervising the construction of defensive position along the Tedanio (2) river, from Obrevazzo (3) to Possedaria (4), the former border of the duchy of Dalmatia. General La Marmora is confident that he will be able to hold the border, given the poor roads in the area and our complete control of the sea. Admiral Graziani will provide all necessary information about our naval strategy."

"Very good news, Signor Presidente. There are good news also from our side: the avant-garde of Gen. De Sonnaz Corps has reached Udine, and the rest of his troops should be there in two-three days. A second Corps, under Gen. Bava, has departed three days ago: within a week they should also be in Udine. General d'Orleans, who will command the eastern theatre, will leave the day after tomorrow, with some additional cavalry: he should be able to overtake Gen. Bava's Corps and reach Udine with him. We are however in need of more information about Friuli, in particular with whom our troops should liaise with on the political side. We are going to need guides, and also pilots who know well the Isonzo river. Some jaegers from the mountains would also help."

"Signor Cavedalis (5) from Udine, whom you met in Venice, was supposed to be part of this delegation, but he decided to go back to Friuli in order to be of assistance to your troops: he's outstanding experience as a military engineer, and knows the region very well, in particular the easternmost part. Then there is signor Antonio Dragoni (6), Podesta' of Udine, a stout patriot and a member of the Provisional Government of Friuli, and many others which would be too long to name. I will make an exception for Captain Calvi (7), whom we sent to Cadore from Venice to organize the insurgents. The first news we have received back from him confirm that the Cadore is in full insurrection and he has already started to organize battalions of Jaegers from the region to keep watch on the mountain passes between Friuli and Austria. Captain Calvi is an able and dedicated man, a former senior lieutenant in the Austrian army who resigned his commission upon receiving news of the insurrection of Venice and joined us without hesitation.
He will need guns and ammunitions, but he should be able to put in the field 4,000 or 5,000 volunteers, all familiar with the mountains and the woods of Cadore. Finally, the Provisional Government of Friuli has unanimously voted to join the Republic of St. Mark, on the basis of a perfect equality of rights and duties (8), which is also the basis on which the Republic of St. Mark stands."

"Thank you, signor Manin. General Menabrea, our General Staff Quartermaster, will take care of supplying guns and ammunitions to Captain Calvi, as well as to other volunteer forces that the Provisional Government of Friuli may raise. If nothing else, we have collected quite several thousands of Austrian guns on the battlefield of Goito which can be put to good use. " The prince's smile had a sharkish quality , and was joined by similar expressions around the table. "Of course, the main bottleneck would be distances. I intend to make good use of rivers and marine transportation, and for this purpose we will need a good port: I was thinking of Monfalcone, unless there is any problem I am not aware of. Maybe tomorrow Admiral Graziani and General Menabrea may sit down together, and discuss the matter. General Menabrea is also in charge of training, and as I remember we discussed the possibility of providing a training cadre for your newly enlisted soldiers in Veneto. Maybe now it is also the right time for Admiral Graziani to report on naval operations in the Adriatic."

"I am at your command, Your Highness. As President Manin already said, our naval forces are in full control of the Dalmatian coast, and we are proceeding to occupy all the islands there and also in the Gulf of Carnaro. This last task should not be too difficult, since there are only token Austrian forces on the islands, and the population is welcoming our arrival. The only fortress is on the island of Lissa, and it might require a formal siege to reduce it. Our navy is also blockading Trieste, Pola and Fiume: no enemy sortie has been attempted until now, and I am confident that the blockade can be kept as long as needed. I would not suggest to attempt a landing there, however, since the three harbours are protected by fortifications. Monfalcone is not so fortified, and I would suggest a shelling of the harbour together with a landward attack along the right bank of Isonzo. We'll try to get better intelligence on local forces and naval assets before proceeding, but it should be possible to take the town without having to fight a real battle."

"It looks like the Venetian navy is in full control of the sea, which brings me to my second question. A Sardinian taskforce was planned to be sent to the Adriatic, to support naval operations there, but from your report it does not look like it is really needed. The successful operation in Pola has made again Venice Queen of the Adriatic. " Ferdinand knew very well when it was necessary to be diplomatic.

"I do agree with your appraisal, Your Highness. What naval assets the Austrians still have are bottled in their home ports."

"In such a case, I have a suggestion to make. As you are probably aware, my sister, Princess Maria Cristina, has been offered the crown of Sicily by the parliament in Palermo. The formal offer will take place tomorrow afternoon at Villa Borghi, and you are all invited, of course. Unfortunately, the Sicilian Provisional Government has only a few naval assets at its disposal, and there is always the possibility that Ferdinando of Bourbon might try a landing in Sicilia to put down the insurrection. With your agreement, I would suggest to dispatch the Sardinian task force to Palermo, to show the Sicilian people that we are on their side in the battle for freedom. Furtherly, it would be useful if you would also join the task force with a few Venetian ships. A token force is all that is required, since this is mostly a political statement: it would show the world that the Italians are willing to stand by each other in the battle for freedom. I am going to make the same proposal to the delegates from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, of course, but I wanted to make it first to the Republic of St. Mark."

"Your suggestions are sound, Your Highness, and I can remember very well the help you provided, and continue to give, to the Republic. As a private citizen, I am very much in favor of showing our Sicilian brothers that we are willing to help. As the President of the Provisional Government, I have to discuss these proposals with my fellow delegates. With your indulgence, we'll give you our position tomorrow.

"One last question, Your Highness. I was surprised by the arrival of Monsignor Corboli Bussi. Do you know the reason for such a visit?" This was Avesani.

" Not yet, signor Avesani. I trust that tomorrow the Monsignore will tell me the reasons behind such an arduous voyage."

"Hopefully, it will not be anything hard to give him. I'm however concerned by the attitude of the Patriarch of Venice: he has always been a supporter of the Austrian government. After the insurrection, he has not made any public proclamation against the Republic, but he has also not made any sign of approval of these political developments. Let's hope for the best."

Footnotes
  1. Island of Pag in Croat​
  2. Zrmanja river in Croat​
  3. Obrevac in Croat​
  4. Posederjie in Croat​
  5. Giovanni Battista Cavedalis, military engineer and patriot​
  6. Antonio Dragoni was one of the main promoters of the Provisional Government​
  7. Pietro Fortunato Calvi, the commander of the volunteers corps in Cadore who managed to hold at bay Austrian forces until the end of July 1848​
  8. The Provisional Government of Friuli voted IOTL to join the Republic of St. Mark on the basis of this same wording
Made in @LordKalvan & Tarabas
 
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I was going to bed, and then I told myself to check the website. And what I found: a STUNNING new chapter 🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍 best present ever!!!
 
I know the question has probably been asked before, but is it realistic that rebels manage to take all the major cities in Dalmatia? Weren't Italians already a minority in most of them at the time, expecially Cattaro?
Aside from that, great update.
 
I know the question has probably been asked before, but is it realistic that rebels manage to take all the major cities in Dalmatia? Weren't Italians already a minority in most of them at the time, expecially Cattaro?
Aside from that, great update.
For the time being, the insurrection is in Dalmatia, which is also where the Sardinian, Papal and Venetian forces are going.
Since we are in 1848, a Croat identity in Dalmatia is quite doubtful, for a number of reasons:
  • Croats and Italians (I should say better Venetian-speaking Dalmats) are both catholic, have been intermarrying for centuries and most of them are bilingual. How do you differentiate between them?
  • The (few) newspapers and gazettes which are published in Dalmatia are in Italian. The schools are in Italian, in particular the gymnasium and the lycee (I am quite sure that there are a few parish schools in Croat, but mostly in the interior)
  • Even those who speak Croat at home are peppering them with a very high number of Italian/Venetian words
  • There is a reason why the official language of the Austrian navy is Venetian: there are some German-speaking officers at the top of the greased pole, but the majority of the officers and the crews are Italian/Venetian speaking (the father of the Fratelli Bandiera was anadmiral in the Austrian navy)
The Croatization of Dalmatia started later on in the century, in the 1860s, with incentivation of Croatian immigration from Zagreb and surrounding area, but also with making sure that bishops were German-speakers, and parish priests mostly Croatian (the census was based on parish registers, and there was a growing pressure to write down surnames in the Croat form).
Now, if the reborn republic of St. Mark deals with Dalmatia on a colonial basis (importing from the mainland officials, forcing Croat speakers to learn Italian and so on) it might raise resentment, but why they should do it? The "federalist" approach is going to prevail in the republic mark 2, quite a number of Venetian patricians have blood ties in Dalmatia, the Proveditor di Dalmazia who is despatched to Zara is Tommaseo, born in Sebenico, and also the acting commodore in charge of the brigs sent to Zara is from a patrician family with roots in Dalmatia.
The farmers and shepherds in the interior of Dalmatia are mostly Croats, with a large minority of Serbs, most of them coming from Ottoman Bosnia.
I do not see a resistance coming from there, not when there is the religion barrier and also some linguistic barriers.

Incidentally, the Croats from the Military Frontier never agitated to recreate a kingdom of Croatia, they just wanted not to be under the Hungarian heel, and were looking at the emperor in Vienna as their protector and defender. Over the 1848-49, the war in Hungary and Croatia (Military Frontier and Banat) quite often became an ethnic strife: there were Croat and Serb villages (usually cultivating the land allotted to them under military tenure in common, and providing regiments to the empire, in lieu of taxes and rents, Magyar villages and towns, even Rumanian villages in the Banat, and atrocities started to mount up pretty fast.

Istria is pretty similar on the coast, but the interior was not Venetian: most of the time it was under the Counts of Gorizia, and therefore with more German presence.
You are right. The question has already been asked, and here is quoted the answer I gave.
I will also point out that the insurrection was carried out in the name of the Republic of St. Mark, which was cancelled by Napoleon barely 2 generations before the events narrated here, and that the last flag of the Most Serene Republic was lowered in Perasto, in the bay of Cattaro, at the end of August 1797. It was preserved under the altar of the town cathedral, in a moving ceremony where the last Venetian governor of the town, count Giuseppe Viscovich, made a moving speech, known as the "Discorso de Pregasto" which can be found here: https://vec.wikisource.org/wiki/Discorso_de_Perasto
The grandson of Count Viscovich was 9 years old when he attended the speech, and is probably still alive in April 1848.

Hope you like the TL, and any comment will be welcome
 

pls don't ban me

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@Tarabas
Just finished catching up with the TL.
good job until now.
I'm very curious of how you'll handle the Genoese question later.
Also as a Genoese i'm satisfied of the premature death of Vittorio Emanuele so he can't define my fellow citizens as " Razza di canaglie vile e infetta" as he did after the sack of Genoa in 1849.
if you need info about the events, i'll be glad to help
 
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@Tarabas
Just finished catching up with the TL.
good job until now.
I'm very curious of how you'll handle the Genoese question later.
Also as a genoese i'm satisfied of the premature death of Vittorio Emanuele so he can't define my fellow citizens as " Razza di canaglie vile e infetta" as he did after the sack of Genoa in 1849.
if you need info about the events, i'll be glad to help
Benvenuto a bordo! Thanks a lot for your feedback, I am glad you liked it. Also, thanks for your offer to help; it is most welcome! The idea of the death of Vittorio Emanuele in the crib (besides the fact that it almost happened, hence it is a good POD IMHO) came from the observation that in most cases, VEII had been useless if not detrimental to the cause (like Carlo Alberto, albeit in a different way). Since Ferdinando seemed quite a decent fellow, and the POD gave liberty to give him a different upbringing, we thought it was worth it to give him a chance. As for Genoa itself, we will have an update to cover it after the end of the war. In the meantime, hope you enjoy the rest, and any comment, remark, criticism, question is always most welcome!
 
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