A Hapsburg upon the Italian Throne

Cosmedian

Banned
Leopold II of Tuscany was very popular, in fact he was the most popular Italian ruler when he was in power. I plan to use this in a TL - having him, instead of Victor Emmanuel, lead unification of Italy (probably without the Two Sicilies).

However, there are many challenges involved with this. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany cannot by itself unite Italy. My first idea is that Corsica is given to Tuscany during the Treaty of Paris in 1814, which, since in the past has been a Kingdom, would give the Grand Duke a royal title, as King of Corsica. Similar to how the Savoyards were Kings of Sardinia even though their main powerbase was Piedmont.

I'm going to unite the Habsburg domains of Parma, Modena and Lombardy-Venetia with Tuscany, but i'm not sure how to go about that... maybe Lombardy-Venetia are given during worse revolutions of 1848, as a compromise with Austria instead of warring against them, and in return, Tuscany declares helps the Austrians against the Piedmontese? Then the Archduke gifts Modena and Parma (both of which are directly owned by the Archduke at this point, IIRC) to Leopold, and this state (which is now all of Northern Italy except Sardinia-Piedmont) is ripe to take on the Savoyards.

Is this possible/plausible? If not, how could I improve the idea/what needs to be changed?
 
WI the Savoy-Carignan branch of the family dies out before the main line did in 1831?

With no male line remaining, the next heir after Charles Felix is his niece Mary, who is married to the Habsburg Grand Duke of Modena. Some sort of Italian union might eventually be formed under him.
 

Cosmedian

Banned
That's interesting, but this was more of a 'how plausible is my scenario and how to fix it' type thing instead of a 'give me a scenario' type thing. Thanks for replying though!

Anyone else?
 
To give Corsica to Tuscany, surely you need to let do Napoleon something of really irritable to force France to cede the island. But I guess that if the Hapsburg will really force over giving his Lorena-Asburgo branch a royal title in contrapposition of the Savoia and the Borbone, they could eventually cave it. But they would need the British support for that claim. Surely, if Parma and Modena will fell under the Lorena-Asburgo due to different inheritance dynamics...

Also, a Franco-Sardinian defeat in an alternate II war of indipendence against an Austro-Tuscan army could help for sure.
 
The main issue, i can imagine the hasburg giving lombardy to the italian hasburg domain but never venetia, venetia is the home of Austrian Navy(Osterreich-venetien) at the time and they only loss thanks to french treats, so is possible the rest, more if that allow consolidated austrian power in the peninsula.

Why not use Maximiliam Instead?
 

Cosmedian

Banned
The main issue, i can imagine the hasburg giving lombardy to the italian hasburg domain but never venetia, venetia is the home of Austrian Navy(Osterreich-venetien) at the time and they only loss thanks to french treats, so is possible the rest, more if that allow consolidated austrian power in the peninsula.

Why not use Maximiliam Instead?

Use Maximilian for what? Uniting Italy?

I just don't see how, because he'd also be Archduke.
 
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