Primavera d'Italia: War, Love and Revolution
- Thread starter Tarabas
- Start date
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The next interlude will deal with the crisis in Vienna.
The main player will be Prince Felix zu Schwarzenberg, who was introduced at the siege of Verona. Finally released from imprisonment, he arrives in Vienna on 3 May 1848, to find the city in a chaotic situation. The other main players include Franz Anton von Kolowrat (who had been recently forced to resign from the Staats Konferenz) and Archduke Ludwig, the senior member of the Habsburg dynasty, and uncle to emperor Ferdinand
Prince Felix zu Schwarzenberg
Count Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinski
Archduke Ludwig von Habsburg-Lorraine
{all images from Wiki}
The main player will be Prince Felix zu Schwarzenberg, who was introduced at the siege of Verona. Finally released from imprisonment, he arrives in Vienna on 3 May 1848, to find the city in a chaotic situation. The other main players include Franz Anton von Kolowrat (who had been recently forced to resign from the Staats Konferenz) and Archduke Ludwig, the senior member of the Habsburg dynasty, and uncle to emperor Ferdinand
Prince Felix zu Schwarzenberg
Count Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinski
Archduke Ludwig von Habsburg-Lorraine
{all images from Wiki}
A teaser of next interlude, to whet a little your appetite
A Meeting at the Hofburg
Vienna, 3 May 1848
Prince Schwarzenberg had finally reached Vienna after a taxing ride from the Brenner pass: their Italian watchdogs had arranged a parley with the Austrian pickets guarding the northern end of the pass and finally the small group of Austrian officers had completely regained their freedom. Schwarzenberg knew in his bones that there was no time to loose, but archduke Ranieri had opted for a more leisurely ride: it looked that the archduke was feeling no particular urgence to reach the capital, where he was anticipating a cold welcome, and most likely a strong rebuke for the loss of Lombardy-Venetia, but the Prince announced he would ride forward at post haste, accompanied only by his aide-de-camp. Servants and luggage would travel with the archducal group. He had been surprised when general von Haynau had not joined him on the ride, but he was less than disappointed: the German general was a dour and unpleasant fellow, as the prince had learnt to his chagrin during the past month.
There was no challenge when the small group entered Vienna, but Schwarzenberg was surprised that there were no soldiers manning the door. Security was apparently in the hands of some kind of militia: blue coats, grey trousers, black felt hats, and all very young (1). Another unpleasant surprise was the prominent cockade on their breast: the black-gold-read of the German tricolor, rather than the yellow-black colors of the dynasty. "Had the situation in Vienna spiraled so badly?" the prince mused while riding towards the Hofburg and noticing that the German tricolor was also exposed above most shops, although in some cases together with the yellow-black flag. The other strange thing was that there were no regular soldiers anywhere, but a different militia, this one with black coats, white trousers and a kepi on their heads, and they were sporting a cockade with the dynastic colors on their breasts (2). It was with sincere relief that arriving on the esplanade in front of the Hofburg he saw the familiar white uniforms of regular military. Turning to major von Hartung (3) who had accompanied him, the prince instructed him to report his arrival at palace, and to ask a meeting with Archduke Ludwig at the Archduke's earliest convenience. "I'll be waiting at my city palace, Ernst", he added.
A Meeting at the Hofburg
Vienna, 3 May 1848
Prince Schwarzenberg had finally reached Vienna after a taxing ride from the Brenner pass: their Italian watchdogs had arranged a parley with the Austrian pickets guarding the northern end of the pass and finally the small group of Austrian officers had completely regained their freedom. Schwarzenberg knew in his bones that there was no time to loose, but archduke Ranieri had opted for a more leisurely ride: it looked that the archduke was feeling no particular urgence to reach the capital, where he was anticipating a cold welcome, and most likely a strong rebuke for the loss of Lombardy-Venetia, but the Prince announced he would ride forward at post haste, accompanied only by his aide-de-camp. Servants and luggage would travel with the archducal group. He had been surprised when general von Haynau had not joined him on the ride, but he was less than disappointed: the German general was a dour and unpleasant fellow, as the prince had learnt to his chagrin during the past month.
There was no challenge when the small group entered Vienna, but Schwarzenberg was surprised that there were no soldiers manning the door. Security was apparently in the hands of some kind of militia: blue coats, grey trousers, black felt hats, and all very young (1). Another unpleasant surprise was the prominent cockade on their breast: the black-gold-read of the German tricolor, rather than the yellow-black colors of the dynasty. "Had the situation in Vienna spiraled so badly?" the prince mused while riding towards the Hofburg and noticing that the German tricolor was also exposed above most shops, although in some cases together with the yellow-black flag. The other strange thing was that there were no regular soldiers anywhere, but a different militia, this one with black coats, white trousers and a kepi on their heads, and they were sporting a cockade with the dynastic colors on their breasts (2). It was with sincere relief that arriving on the esplanade in front of the Hofburg he saw the familiar white uniforms of regular military. Turning to major von Hartung (3) who had accompanied him, the prince instructed him to report his arrival at palace, and to ask a meeting with Archduke Ludwig at the Archduke's earliest convenience. "I'll be waiting at my city palace, Ernst", he added.
Narrative interlude #59: A Meeting at the Hofburg
A Meeting at the Hofburg
Vienna, 3 May 1848
Prince Schwarzenberg had finally reached Vienna after a taxing ride from the Brenner pass: their Italian watchdogs had arranged a parley with the Austrian pickets guarding the northern end of the pass and finally the small group of Austrian officers had completely regained their freedom. Schwarzenberg knew in his bones that there was no time to loose, but archduke Ranieri had opted for a more leisurely ride: it looked that the archduke was feeling no particular urgence to reach the capital, where he was anticipating a cold welcome, and most likely a strong rebuke for the loss of Lombardy-Venetia, so the Prince announced he would ride forward post haste, accompanied only by his aide-de-camp. Servants and luggage would travel with the archducal group. He had been surprised when general von Haynau had not joined him on the ride, but he was less than disappointed: the German general was a dour and unpleasant fellow, as the prince had learnt to his chagrin during the past month.
There was no challenge when the small group entered Vienna, and Schwarzenberg was surprised that there were no soldiers manning the door. Security was apparently in the hands of some kind of militia: blue coats, grey trousers, black felt hats, and all very young (1). Another unpleasant surprise was the prominent cockade on their breast: the black-gold-read of the German tricolor, rather than the yellow-black colors of the dynasty. "Had the situation in Vienna spiraled so badly?" the prince mused while riding towards the Hofburg and noticing that the German tricolor was also exposed above most shops, although in many cases together with the yellow-black flag. The other strange thing was that there were no regular soldiers anywhere, but a different militia could be seen, this one with black coats, white trousers and a kepi on their heads, and they were sporting a cockade with the dynastic colors on their breasts (2). It was with sincere relief that arriving on the esplanade in front of the Hofburg he saw the familiar white uniforms of regular military guarding the palace. Turning to major von Hartung (3) who had accompanied him, the prince instructed him to report his arrival at palace, and to ask a meeting with Archduke Ludwig at the Archduke's earliest convenience. "I'll be waiting at my city palace, Ernst", he added.
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Vienna, 4 May 1848
The convocation for a meeting with the Archduke had come promptly, but the meeting had been quite disappointing. He had been confronted by the members of the StaatsKonferenz, at least the current members: Archduke Ludwig, Archduke Joseph Franz, Count von Fiquelmont. Von Schwarzenberg had some respect for Archduke Ludwig, but none for the others. The Minister for War, Count La Tour was also present: in the prince's opinion he was a superannuated bumbler, and a shiver run along his back thinking that this man was in charge for the conduct of the war.
Schwarzenberg had learnt the day before that count von Kolowrat had resigned (or forced to resign, the rumors went) from his position as Chancellor and member of the StaatsKonferenz. That was a pity: Prince Felix had always been close to Metternich, and as such not particularly close to von Kolowrat, but he knew that the count was the only member of the StaatsKonferenz who was almost on a par with Prince Metternich in intelligence and political finesse.
The welcome at the Hofburg had been cold: Archduke Ludwig had not appeared to be much interested in news from Italy, and had berated him (as well as the still absent Archduke Ranieri) for the loss of Lombardy and Veneto, capped with what was termed "a craven surrender of the fortress city of Verona". The Prince managed to keep calm, and mildly enquired about the internal situation of the empire, expressing his surprise for the presence of two separate militias in the city, and the apparent absence of regular soldiers. No real answer was given, but Count von Fiquelmont, now raised to the position of Chancellor, replied that the situation in Vienna was under control, and the measures taken during the month of April had succeeded in keeping the city orderly. Austrian troops had been removed from Vienna to avoid incidents, and were barracked not far from the city under the command of gen. von Windischgrätz (4) ("The first good news of the day" the Prince thought "Von Windischgrätz is a good and proven military man, and from a Bohemian family to booth"). The situation in the rest of the empire had quieted down, again according to Fiquelmont. Most, if not all, of the ethnic minorities in the empire had sent their envoys to Vienna, to confirm their allegiance to the dynasty and to beg the "Good Emperor" to protect their tradition and their identities. Bohemians, Croats and Serbs had been the most vociferous in their representations. Even Hungary had somehow quieted down, after the concession of the 13 points voted by their Diet at the end of March, and Kossuth had been offering to raise Hungarian regiments to support the war in Italy (5).
Von Schwarzenberg managed to keep his face impassible, with a considerable effort, thinking: "Did he? Of course he is willing to raise Hungarian regiments, whose allegiance will be to Pest and the Hungarian government, and he is even more willing to see Austrian regiments bleed in a war which is already lost."
"There is no reason to raise Hungarian regiments at this point." Archduke Ludwig interjected "We have decided to launch a major attack against Italian lines in Friuli: if everything works as we hope, we will be in a position to breach the front, and regain Friuli and Veneto. Even if we do not manage a breakthrough, we will be in a stronger position to discuss a negotiated peace. Minister La Tour will outline his strategic plan for you: it has been kept completely under wraps until now, but the decisive battle is expected to be fought tomorrow or the day after."
Minister La Tour, almost bursting with pride, spoke at length of his masterpiece, and von Schwarzenberg learnt to his chagrin that even the most pessimist man may end up discovering that he had been an optimist after all.
"The plan appears to be quite bold, and there might be some difficulty in managing a two-prong attack on a front so far away from Vienna. I learnt in Verona that there will be at least 30,000 regular troops, from Sardinia and the Papal States, in Friuli, and this does not include the volunteers. Some of these troops left after the battle of Goito, and the rest followed even before the surrender of Vienna: this means that they have arrived on the Isonzo river in time to prepare defensive position before investing Gorizia." Prince Schwarzenberg countered.
"Don't fall prey to timidity, Prince Schwarzenberg. The army we will confront has little or no experience in fighting against the Austrian army" (and the Prince knew that there was a "since you kept it holed up in Verona for so long" let unspoken here)
"their command will be shaky, and they will be overextended, since they are trying to gobble down too much. Half of the army will be in Trieste, for example. The element of surprise will do the rest: who can imagine that a strong column of Croat infantry will suddenly appear out of the blue?"
"I will pray for a victory, and I am looking forward to hearing news from Gorizia. I apologize for my apparent criticism, Your Grace. I've delivered a full report on the situation in Italy, and my advice, for your perusal."
"Thank you, Prince Schwarzenberg. You are excused."
Leaving the palace, the prince was shaking his head. "Are these going to be the last days of the empire? There is a smell of madness, and of death, lingering in the air." he thought "I will have to speak to von Kolowrat, and to gen. von Windischgrätz too, and soon. When the news from Gorizia will arrive, I must have a plan in place."
He could not help but thinking about the two-headed Imperial Eagle, which seemed now headless since Metternich had gone away.
" The emperor is not allowed to rule (6), and he is under the regency of the StaatsKonferenz; Archduke Ludwig is too set in his ways, and Archduke Joseph has never shown any interest whatsoever in politics. Archduke Ranieri is under a cloud, after the Italian events, and Archduke Albert (7) is too young and untried: it's a pity his father died last year. How can you save a dynasty from herself?"
The last thought was bitter, but then he realized that there might be a solution, and allowed a small smile to creep on his lips. It would be a risky move, but there was a woman who might save so many helpless men.
"She is Archduchess Sofia (8), the wife of Archduke Joseph, who's like a lioness when it comes the time to protects the rights of her sons, and may be willing to listen to my advice and convince that weak reed of her husband. It will be painful, but emperor Ferdinand will have to abdicate: not immediately, the abdication will be delayed a few months, but preparations must start now.
I have seen the marvels the strength of youth may accomplish(9): this we need to copy from the damned Sardinians. I will see what I can do to meet the Archduchess soonest."
Footnotes
Vienna, 3 May 1848
Prince Schwarzenberg had finally reached Vienna after a taxing ride from the Brenner pass: their Italian watchdogs had arranged a parley with the Austrian pickets guarding the northern end of the pass and finally the small group of Austrian officers had completely regained their freedom. Schwarzenberg knew in his bones that there was no time to loose, but archduke Ranieri had opted for a more leisurely ride: it looked that the archduke was feeling no particular urgence to reach the capital, where he was anticipating a cold welcome, and most likely a strong rebuke for the loss of Lombardy-Venetia, so the Prince announced he would ride forward post haste, accompanied only by his aide-de-camp. Servants and luggage would travel with the archducal group. He had been surprised when general von Haynau had not joined him on the ride, but he was less than disappointed: the German general was a dour and unpleasant fellow, as the prince had learnt to his chagrin during the past month.
There was no challenge when the small group entered Vienna, and Schwarzenberg was surprised that there were no soldiers manning the door. Security was apparently in the hands of some kind of militia: blue coats, grey trousers, black felt hats, and all very young (1). Another unpleasant surprise was the prominent cockade on their breast: the black-gold-read of the German tricolor, rather than the yellow-black colors of the dynasty. "Had the situation in Vienna spiraled so badly?" the prince mused while riding towards the Hofburg and noticing that the German tricolor was also exposed above most shops, although in many cases together with the yellow-black flag. The other strange thing was that there were no regular soldiers anywhere, but a different militia could be seen, this one with black coats, white trousers and a kepi on their heads, and they were sporting a cockade with the dynastic colors on their breasts (2). It was with sincere relief that arriving on the esplanade in front of the Hofburg he saw the familiar white uniforms of regular military guarding the palace. Turning to major von Hartung (3) who had accompanied him, the prince instructed him to report his arrival at palace, and to ask a meeting with Archduke Ludwig at the Archduke's earliest convenience. "I'll be waiting at my city palace, Ernst", he added.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vienna, 4 May 1848
The convocation for a meeting with the Archduke had come promptly, but the meeting had been quite disappointing. He had been confronted by the members of the StaatsKonferenz, at least the current members: Archduke Ludwig, Archduke Joseph Franz, Count von Fiquelmont. Von Schwarzenberg had some respect for Archduke Ludwig, but none for the others. The Minister for War, Count La Tour was also present: in the prince's opinion he was a superannuated bumbler, and a shiver run along his back thinking that this man was in charge for the conduct of the war.
Schwarzenberg had learnt the day before that count von Kolowrat had resigned (or forced to resign, the rumors went) from his position as Chancellor and member of the StaatsKonferenz. That was a pity: Prince Felix had always been close to Metternich, and as such not particularly close to von Kolowrat, but he knew that the count was the only member of the StaatsKonferenz who was almost on a par with Prince Metternich in intelligence and political finesse.
The welcome at the Hofburg had been cold: Archduke Ludwig had not appeared to be much interested in news from Italy, and had berated him (as well as the still absent Archduke Ranieri) for the loss of Lombardy and Veneto, capped with what was termed "a craven surrender of the fortress city of Verona". The Prince managed to keep calm, and mildly enquired about the internal situation of the empire, expressing his surprise for the presence of two separate militias in the city, and the apparent absence of regular soldiers. No real answer was given, but Count von Fiquelmont, now raised to the position of Chancellor, replied that the situation in Vienna was under control, and the measures taken during the month of April had succeeded in keeping the city orderly. Austrian troops had been removed from Vienna to avoid incidents, and were barracked not far from the city under the command of gen. von Windischgrätz (4) ("The first good news of the day" the Prince thought "Von Windischgrätz is a good and proven military man, and from a Bohemian family to booth"). The situation in the rest of the empire had quieted down, again according to Fiquelmont. Most, if not all, of the ethnic minorities in the empire had sent their envoys to Vienna, to confirm their allegiance to the dynasty and to beg the "Good Emperor" to protect their tradition and their identities. Bohemians, Croats and Serbs had been the most vociferous in their representations. Even Hungary had somehow quieted down, after the concession of the 13 points voted by their Diet at the end of March, and Kossuth had been offering to raise Hungarian regiments to support the war in Italy (5).
Von Schwarzenberg managed to keep his face impassible, with a considerable effort, thinking: "Did he? Of course he is willing to raise Hungarian regiments, whose allegiance will be to Pest and the Hungarian government, and he is even more willing to see Austrian regiments bleed in a war which is already lost."
"There is no reason to raise Hungarian regiments at this point." Archduke Ludwig interjected "We have decided to launch a major attack against Italian lines in Friuli: if everything works as we hope, we will be in a position to breach the front, and regain Friuli and Veneto. Even if we do not manage a breakthrough, we will be in a stronger position to discuss a negotiated peace. Minister La Tour will outline his strategic plan for you: it has been kept completely under wraps until now, but the decisive battle is expected to be fought tomorrow or the day after."
Minister La Tour, almost bursting with pride, spoke at length of his masterpiece, and von Schwarzenberg learnt to his chagrin that even the most pessimist man may end up discovering that he had been an optimist after all.
"The plan appears to be quite bold, and there might be some difficulty in managing a two-prong attack on a front so far away from Vienna. I learnt in Verona that there will be at least 30,000 regular troops, from Sardinia and the Papal States, in Friuli, and this does not include the volunteers. Some of these troops left after the battle of Goito, and the rest followed even before the surrender of Vienna: this means that they have arrived on the Isonzo river in time to prepare defensive position before investing Gorizia." Prince Schwarzenberg countered.
"Don't fall prey to timidity, Prince Schwarzenberg. The army we will confront has little or no experience in fighting against the Austrian army" (and the Prince knew that there was a "since you kept it holed up in Verona for so long" let unspoken here)
"their command will be shaky, and they will be overextended, since they are trying to gobble down too much. Half of the army will be in Trieste, for example. The element of surprise will do the rest: who can imagine that a strong column of Croat infantry will suddenly appear out of the blue?"
"I will pray for a victory, and I am looking forward to hearing news from Gorizia. I apologize for my apparent criticism, Your Grace. I've delivered a full report on the situation in Italy, and my advice, for your perusal."
"Thank you, Prince Schwarzenberg. You are excused."
Leaving the palace, the prince was shaking his head. "Are these going to be the last days of the empire? There is a smell of madness, and of death, lingering in the air." he thought "I will have to speak to von Kolowrat, and to gen. von Windischgrätz too, and soon. When the news from Gorizia will arrive, I must have a plan in place."
He could not help but thinking about the two-headed Imperial Eagle, which seemed now headless since Metternich had gone away.
" The emperor is not allowed to rule (6), and he is under the regency of the StaatsKonferenz; Archduke Ludwig is too set in his ways, and Archduke Joseph has never shown any interest whatsoever in politics. Archduke Ranieri is under a cloud, after the Italian events, and Archduke Albert (7) is too young and untried: it's a pity his father died last year. How can you save a dynasty from herself?"
The last thought was bitter, but then he realized that there might be a solution, and allowed a small smile to creep on his lips. It would be a risky move, but there was a woman who might save so many helpless men.
"She is Archduchess Sofia (8), the wife of Archduke Joseph, who's like a lioness when it comes the time to protects the rights of her sons, and may be willing to listen to my advice and convince that weak reed of her husband. It will be painful, but emperor Ferdinand will have to abdicate: not immediately, the abdication will be delayed a few months, but preparations must start now.
I have seen the marvels the strength of youth may accomplish(9): this we need to copy from the damned Sardinians. I will see what I can do to meet the Archduchess soonest."
Footnotes
- The Academic Legion, made up of university students and leaning to the left.
- The National Guard, raised among the burghers of Vienna, and leaning towards the moderates.
- Major Ernst von Hartung was a historical character, who was in Verona in OTL 1848, and fought with distinction at Santa Lucia and Custoza
- Gen. von Windischgrätz (another historical character), born in 1771 in Styria from a noble Bohemian family. IOTL he became famous for repressing the insurrections of Prague and Vienna, and died fighting against Hungarians.
- Historical. Kossuth was in favor of continuing the war in Italy, since this would have allowed the Hungarians time to raise regiments and consolidate their polity
- Ferdinand I of Austria was crowned in 1835 even if he was not in a condition to reign, due to a mental condition. Prince von Metternich was the architect of this coronation, and it is thought that he wanted a weak emperor under regency on the throne. IOTL, Ferdinand abdicated in November 1848, and his nephew Franz Joseph, barely 18 years old, was crowned on 2 December 1848. Franz Joseph's father, Archduke Joseph Franz, would have been the natural heir to the throne, but his wife Sofia and von Schwarzenberg convinced him to renounce this right in favor of Franz Joseph.
- Archduke Albert of Habsburg Teschen was 30 years old in 1848. In OTL 1866, he commanded the Austrian army in Italy. Historical character.
- Sophia of Bavaria. She had 4 sons (Franz Joseph, Maximilian, Karl Ludwig and Ludwig Viktor) and a daughter (Marie Anne). Historical character.
- An obvious reference to the feats of the young Princeps Italiae.
Images of the Academic Legion in Vienna taken from internet. No copyright claim available.
Franz Karl Joseph not Joseph Franz. He was known as Franz Karl. Barred this good job.
Oh God, I'm honestly skipping those names 🤦♂️ . Franz Joseph, Joseph Franz....Franz Franz, Joseph Joseph?You're right. Bloody dynastic names, are always there to make confusion
I'm changing my mind about the French kings, Only one name, you just have to remember the number...14, 16! (seems like a game of "Capture the flag", though).Habsburgs were among the worse dynasties for giving confusing names to sons and daughters, the Savoia were a close contenderOh God, I'm honestly skipping those names 🤦♂️ . Franz Joseph, Joseph Franz....Franz Franz, Joseph Joseph?
And this generation went light on the number of names, still. Franz Ferdinand had five, Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria; Karl, the last Emperor was Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Maria;
Hi Tarabas and LordKalvan, it has been quite a while since the last update! I really hope everything is ok in your real lives. Do you know if you will resume the story in the future and, if so, when we can expect a new installment?
The story is not dead, it will continue (up to which date it's hard to say). As you guessed, real life issues have thrown a spanner in the gears of a regular posting. Nothing too bad, it's just that @Tarabas and I have been pretty busy with other things over the last couple of months.
There are a couple of Interludes under way: I am not in a position to commit to hard dates for posting, but I'm confident you may see something new over the next couple of weeks. Thanks for the interest
First, apologies for answering after so many days, and thank you very much for asking. I keep having a hard time IRL, mostly because I am really busy at work and this saves me little time and energy to think about the TL. As @LordKalvan mentioned, though, the TL is far from dead. I cannot make promises, though, about the next installment. Thanks a lot for your patience and kind support!
No need to apologize and thank you both for the answer. I can understand that real life's concerns come before everything else. Take the time you need, I'll eagerly wait for the next update.
Besides RL's interference in developing this narrative, there are also other concerns that must be deal with: a lot of chickens are coming to roost, and the peace negotiations with Austria are probably not even the most significant one. As Prince Ferdinand (actually he should be referred to as king Ferdinand from now on) used to say, the most important goal is winning the peace after winning the war. This includes securing a place for the Italian Confederation in the Concert of Europe (not an impossible task, given the good relations with Great Britain, as well as the positive impact of the victories on the battlefield, but also something which requires both a careful approach and a firm hand on the tiller), but also a daunting number of reforms which must be tackled in a short time frame: writing a workable constitution for the Confederation stands, in my opinion in the first place, and some significant steps forwards have already been taken during the informal Constitutional Convention which took place in Isola della Scala, but it's still a work-in-progress (our aim is to have in place a Constitution which is short and sweet, addressing the issues which must be under the purview of the Confederation, but avoiding to put in place a straightjacket which would impinge on the rights of the Member States: a delicate and tricky balance to achieve), address economical issues which are necessary to ensure an ordered development of the Confederation (both in the short and in the long terms: this includes short term remedial measures for the poorest classes, but also a land reform and an industrialization of the country, as well as the development of suitable infrastructures) and finally eliminating the traditional perches of the aristocracy and the clergy, to ensure that all citizens are equal before the law).
A daunting prospect, by all means, were it not for two reasons: the first is that the victories against Austria will ensure a longish honeymoon vis-a- vis the conflicting demands of the citizens, and the second is that the luck of the draw has provided a very good crop of politicians and thinkers, a good number of them getting to know each other in person during the months in Isola della Scala and Verona.
I believe there are reasons for a cautious optimism, even if I say so myself
A daunting prospect, by all means, were it not for two reasons: the first is that the victories against Austria will ensure a longish honeymoon vis-a- vis the conflicting demands of the citizens, and the second is that the luck of the draw has provided a very good crop of politicians and thinkers, a good number of them getting to know each other in person during the months in Isola della Scala and Verona.
I believe there are reasons for a cautious optimism, even if I say so myself
Is Ferdinand married yet cause if not a brit or a russian princess could be good for the confederation. The natural resources both countries have an abundance of would be great for italian industrialization.
Ferdinand has been married fit 6 years now to the daughter of Archduke Ranieri (heirs to a throne are required to marry quite young).
It might be counter-intuitive, but a marriage to a British or a Russian princess would not have produced any special benefit in foreign relations (see for reference the case of the marriage between the Prussian heir and the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria: foreign relations were no more based on dynastic alliances even before the 19th century, but rather on the interests of a nation). OTOH, marriage a non-Catholic princess was not too easy for a Catholic prince even in the 19th century: IOTL Ferdinando met the daughter of the Czar in Palermo, and fell in love with her, but the marriage negotiations went nowhere: Nicholas I refused to countenance a conversion to Catholicism for his daughter, and Carlo Alberto could not accept a non Catholic bride for his son.
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