Suppose that the Sardinian army adopts a different strategy in the First Italian War of Independence: instead of trying to besiege and take the Austrian fortresses in the Quadrilateral directly (and, among other things, wasting a precious amount of time at the siege of Peschiera), they cross the Adige and fight Laval Nugent's army in Veneto before it can join forces with Radetzky in Verona (while leaving a detachment behind so he doesn't pull off any shenanigans), something that IOTL paved the way to a decisive Austrian victory at Custoza.

With its forces in Lombardy-Venetia either defeated or slowly starving in the Quadrilateral, Vienna is forced to hand over most (if not all) of its lands in Italy to the Piedmontese more than a decade earlier than IOTL (or almost two decades, in Veneto's case). How does this affect the unrest taking place elsewhere in the empire, particularly in Hungary? IOTL the Hungarians only declared independence in April 1819, could they do it earlier here? What about the uprisings in Prague and Vienna?
 
The fact that Austria actually managed to hold-onto these lands was quite a big surprise for the powers that were in Vienna. Indeed, Empress-mother Sophie's diaries claim the victories at Custozza and Novarra to be unexpected miracles. However, its effects on Prague and Vienna revolutions was rather small, as the court had to depart for Olmutz even afterr the news of Custoza. In the end it was the defection of the worried moderates and Windisgratze's brutall use of force that doomed the uprisings.

A defeat in Italy might actually allow Austria to withdraw Radetzky's army and use it against Hungary. With a much more competent commander then that butcher Windisgratz, the war might end in Austia's favour much more quickly and without requiring Russian intervention.
 
The fact that Austria actually managed to hold-onto these lands was quite a big surprise for the powers that were in Vienna. Indeed, Empress-mother Sophie's diaries claim the victories at Custozza and Novarra to be unexpected miracles. However, its effects on Prague and Vienna revolutions was rather small, as the court had to depart for Olmutz even afterr the news of Custoza. In the end it was the defection of the worried moderates and Windisgratze's brutall use of force that doomed the uprisings.

A defeat in Italy might actually allow Austria to withdraw Radetzky's army and use it against Hungary. With a much more competent commander then that butcher Windisgratz, the war might end in Austia's favour much more quickly and without requiring Russian intervention.
That would be quite ironic. Would Ferdinand still abdicate if Hungary is subdued before the end of the year?
 
That would be quite ironic. Would Ferdinand still abdicate if Hungary is subdued before the end of the year?
Most likely yes. There had to be someone who would take the blame for putting down the revolts, and poor Ferdinand's passivity was considered problematic. It will go the way it did IOTL, unless the Sardinians somehow managed to kill Franz Jospeh (who did spent several months with Radetzky in Italx)
 
Suppose that the Sardinian army adopts a different strategy in the First Italian War of Independence: instead of trying to besiege and take the Austrian fortresses in the Quadrilateral directly (and, among other things, wasting a precious amount of time at the siege of Peschiera), they cross the Adige and fight Laval Nugent's army in Veneto before it can join forces with Radetzky in Verona (while leaving a detachment behind so he doesn't pull off any shenanigans), something that IOTL paved the way to a decisive Austrian victory at Custoza.

With its forces in Lombardy-Venetia either defeated or slowly starving in the Quadrilateral, Vienna is forced to hand over most (if not all) of its lands in Italy to the Piedmontese more than a decade earlier than IOTL (or almost two decades, in Veneto's case). How does this affect the unrest taking place elsewhere in the empire, particularly in Hungary? IOTL the Hungarians only declared independence in April 1819, could they do it earlier here? What about the uprisings in Prague and Vienna?
It's quite hard, because I imagine even if Piedmont won a Pyrrhic victory at Custoza, they'd likely be doomed in the long run when the Austrians were able to re-consolidate after the counter-revolution in the autumn of 1848 and spring of 1849 (at Novara, they were outnumbered 2-1 in terms of cavalry and by more than 20,000 men numerically). So you likely have to make 1848 succeed, which, given the gulf between the loftiness of the aims and the speed at which they had to accomplish them, and the inability of the procedure-minded parliament to rapidly build a common army or constitution, is also quite difficult. I have a few suggestions to at least make their life easier; one, change the outcome of the Neapolitan Counter-Revolution that Spring to failure, because as a result troops that were heading to join Piedmont's efforts to beat Radetzky were recalled, which improves Piedmontese numbers by about 10,000 and helps their chances. You can also make Manin more willing to co-operate with the Piedmontese than in our otl, where they were suspicious and dragged their feet until it was too late into joining, and the addition of Venetian troops to the North Italian forces could certainly help them win at Custoza. If you have a summer victory, you can make it permanent perhaps through the intervention of the French Republic in demanding Austria does not seek re-invasion, which in their parlous state in 1848 they might have been forced to accept.
 
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It's quite hard, because I imagine even if Piedmont won a Pyrrhic victory at Custoza, they'd likely be doomed in the long run when the Austrians were able to re-consolidate after the counter-revolution in the autumn of 1848 and spring of 1849 (at Novara, they were outnumbered 2-1 in terms of cavalry and by more than 20,000 men numerically). So you likely have to make 1848 succeed, which, given the gulf between the loftiness of the aims and the speed at which they had to accomplish them, and the inability of the procedure-minded parliament to rapidly build a common army or constitution, is also quite difficult. I have a few suggestions to at least make their life easier; one, change the outcome of the Neapolitan Counter-Revolution that Spring to failure, because as a result troops that were heading to join Piedmont's efforts to beat Radetzky were recalled, which improves Piedmontese numbers by about 10,000 and helps their chances. You can also make Manin more willing to co-operate with the Piedmontese than in our otl, where they were suspicious and dragged their feet until it was too late into joining, and the addition of Venetian troops to the North Italian forces could certainly help them win at Custoza. If you have a summer victory, you can make it permanent perhaps through the intervention of the French Republic in demanding Austria does not seek re-invasion, which in their parlous state in 1848 they might have been forced to accept.
My scenario is that the Sardinians don't engage Radetzky at all, and instead trap him in Verona while focusing most of their forces against Nugent's smaller army in Veneto.
 
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