Ah Challenge: Italian unification led by the Habsburgs

[Onkel Willie]

*waddles in*

Ahem... The following has been mulled over by Ivy (and others) for quite some time now. Ivy some day hopes to have enough time to write a TL based on and incorporating it, ya know after I get around to writing ANFTP Mk II...

Early 1848
Archduchess Sophia has a brilliant idea! She decides it is in the best interest of her sons and her husband's family that rather than opposing the nationalists meeting in Frankfurt, the House of Habsburg must once again do as Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Ferdinand II of Aragon agreed to, and divide the hereditary Habsburg lands. She, using her force of will, convinces Chancellor Metternich and other key figures in the Habsburg power elite of this and negotiations are opened with Frankfurt (which IOTL at it's beginning was pro-Habsburg, and led by one of Franz II's sons). Negotiations are also opened with Polish, Italian, Hungarian, and Croatian magnates within the Empire. All this culminates in the Promulgation of Schönbrunn by Ferdinand I which detailed the following:

Ferdinand I would abdicate his throne and his Empire would be dissolved into 4 states, with his 4 nephew's each taking the throne of one.

His elder nephew Franz would ascend to the German Imperial Throne, in accordance with the agreement the Habsburgs reached with the nationalists at Frankfurt, become Franz III and overseeing German Unification (to include Austria and Bohemia).

Ferdinand Maximilian would rule over the Habsburg Italian territories (Venezia and Lombardy).

Karl Ludwig would ascend to the thrones of the Dual Monarchy of Hungary-Croatia, with Archduke Stephen, Palatine of Hungary serving as his Regent until he came of age (Stephen was the eldest son of Archduke Joseph who was very popular with the Hungarians).

Ludwig Viktor would ascend to the Galician throne, and his mother, Archduchess Sophia would serve as Regent for the 6 year old.


Now to focus back to Italy: Ferdinand Maximilian, an Italian romantic to begin with, decides to revive the Iron Crown of Lombardy. [1] He (and his mother and Italian national advisors) also arrange a family pact with the Tuscan line, where rather than being dethroned, the Tuscan branch submits to Ferdinand as King of Lombardy while retaining their prestige and non-governing privileges. Thus Ferdinand is crowned with the centuries old Crown in the Cathedral in Milan and Ferdinand II (acknowledging Ferdinand I of Austria's reign).

Through diplomacy and war, with the backing of his brothers in Germany and Hungary, and with a much better relationship with the Pope, Ferdinand's Lombardy unifies Italy by say 1860 at the latest. Ferdinand arrives in Rome, where in St. Peter's Square he is crowned Roman Emperor of Italy by the Pope.[2] He decides to call upon the title of Byzantine/Roman Emperor bought by his ancestors Ferdinand II and Isabella, and thus as Roman Emperor of Italy, takes the styling (in Latin/Italian) Ferdinandus/Ferdinando III. [3]


[1] Credit to Hapsburg in one of his mini TLs for the idea of a Habsburg restoring the Iron Crown of Lombardy.
[2] Credit to Eurofed for the idea of Ferdinand becoming an Emperor of Italy.
[3]Ferdinand II of Aragon being "Ferdinandus/Ferdinando I" and Ferdinand I of Austria being "Ferdinandus/Ferdinando II". This acts under the assumption that the Byzantine title went to the Austrians with the rest of the Spanish line's European titles after the War of Spanish Succession, or at least that this is what Ferdinand Maximilian would argue.

DONE... well I didn't create a Triple Monarchy, so no bonus, but that's a 100% right there so I don't need it!

Very interesting, but Archduchess Sophie doesn't strike me as the type to do a thing like that seeing how she was quite conservative and intended to preserve the Empire.

 

[Grand Prince Paul II.]

And they were unpopular everywhere.

No, they were not. Habsburgian Tuscany was Italy's most peaceful region.

​

 

[RyuDrago]

No, they were not. Habsburgian Tuscany was Italy's the most peaceful region.

Maybe Parma and Modena could be ceded to Lorenian Tuscany and later also the Lombardo Veneto passed in their hands and we have a North Italy peacefully united.

Pratically could be the Lorenian Hasburgs first to unite Italy and then in some way inherited AH.

 

[archaeogeek]

Maybe Parma and Modena could be ceded to Lorenian Tuscany and later also the Lombardo Veneto passed in their hands and we have a North Italy peacefully united.

Pratically could be the Lorenian Hasburgs first to unite Italy and then in some way inherited AH.

There might be a way. The Bourbon-Parma compromised themselves significantly during the war; I mean Denmark and Saxony levels of significantly, with intrigues to get hold of Northern Portugal and seizing Tuscany from the Habsburgs, and Empress Maria Louisa got Parma along with Lucca at Vienna. I'm not sure whether the succession accounted for the possibility of Napoleon Francis (the king of Rome/duke of Reichstadt depending on whose side was talking about him) surviving and inheriting the territories. Anyway assuming that he dies of tuberculosis as per OTL it would not be too fanciful to have a situation where the inheritance of Parma goes to Leopold instead.

It could probably be managed in a situation where the house of Habsburg-Este is somehow compensated with some land to be mediatized in the empire (IOTL they got the Breisgau, but almost got Trento which was instead mediatized as part of the grand duchy of Salzburg) instead of recovering Italian territories.

So basically a few dynastic cockups and a slightly more vengeful position in central Italy could lead to a Tuscany with about twice its OTL population which can probably stand up to the Savoies and have dreams of Tuscan-wank come 1848. The pope is likely to stick around longer but the northern legations are probably going to whoever takes over, with the Papacy slowly (or rapidly) taken out.

 

[Susano]

So basically a few dynastic cockups and a slightly more vengeful position in central Italy could lead to a Tuscany with about twice its OTL population which can probably stand up to the Savoies and have dreams of Tuscan-wank come 1848. The pope is likely to stick around longer but the northern legations are probably going to whoever takes over, with the Papacy slowly (or rapidly) taken out.

Hm. I think any "Italian-Nationalist Tuscany Habsburg" scenarios need the Papacy. After all, where is Tuscany going to fight against for Italy? Lombardy-Venetia? Not likely, theyd end up subordinate to Sardinia there. Said northern legations of the Papacy, or maybe even all of it, though... yeah, that would maybe set a sign of Italian nationalism.

For a greater Tuscany, alternatively, if there is no lenient Treaty of Paris 1814, and there are some French territories to be given out, Tuscany might grab Corsica. And for Corsica there is precedent to have a royal title, so that way Tuscany could be on equal rank with Sardinia. A Kingdom of Sardinia thats really Piedmont, and a Kingdom of Corsica thats really Tuscany

 

[archaeogeek]

Hm. I think any "Italian-Nationalist Tuscany Habsburg" scenarios need the Papacy. After all, where is Tuscany going to fight against for Italy? Lombardy-Venetia? Not likely, theyd end up subordinate to Sardinia there. Said northern legations of the Papacy, or maybe even all of it, though... yeah, that would maybe set a sign of Italian nationalism.

For a greater Tuscany, alternatively, if there is no lenient Treaty of Paris 1814, and there are some French territories to be given out, Tuscany might grab Corsica. And for Corsica there is precedent to have a royal title, so that way Tuscany could be on equal rank with Sardinia. A Kingdom of Sardinia thats really Piedmont, and a Kingdom of Corsica thats really Tuscany

lol. Also it's not much of a stretch to see 1848 grand dukes of Tuscany going to the liberal side enough to make landgrabs in Popistan. I mean, the grand duchy of Tuscany has surprisingly often been the most liberal part of the Habsburg domains, although even moreso when it was an imperial secundogeniture.

 

[Susano]

lol. Also it's not much of a stretch to see 1848 grand dukes of Tuscany going to the liberal side enough to make landgrabs in Popistan. I mean, the grand duchy of Tuscany has surprisingly often been the most liberal part of the Habsburg domains, although even moreso when it was an imperial secundogeniture.

Well, yeah. It was the test lab for liberal reforms. Much easier to experiment there than in the Austrian mainlands. As poor Emperor Joseph had to find out.

 

[archaeogeek]

Well, yeah. It was the test lab for liberal reforms. Much easier to experiment there than in the Austrian mainlands. As poor Emperor Joseph had to find out.

I'm sure he must have regretted his cozy enlightened despotate in Florence a lot when he started bringing the reforms to Austria

 

[ImperialVienna]

Very interesting, but Archduchess Sophie doesn't strike me as the type to do a thing like that seeing how she was quite conservative and intended to preserve the Empire.

Sophie was a conservative more out of necessity and pragmatism than as a baseline personality, or at least that has always been my impression. If she could have found a better path to power for her son/sons, she would have taken it. I should note, as part of the PoD I would use for this TL, Franz Karl would have [German] nationalist sympathies instead of being politically apathetic, hence where the impetus for change in Sophie comes from.