Chapter 3 The Peace of Prauge
Chapter 3 The Peace of Prague
"I have failed you Prussia."- Chancellor Otto von Bismarck 1866
"If the damned Sardinian refuses to fight the Austrians then I have no choice but to take Rome myself."- Giuseppe Garibaldi 1866
"My brother may have won the war but he shall lose the Empire if he refuses to see it reform."- Archduke Maximillian von Hapsburg 1866
With Austria maintaining mastery of the battlefield from Silesia all the way to Venice, the terms of the peace deal were sure to be almost entirely in their favor. While both Italy and Prussia had not surrendered unconditionally, there was little that they could do beyond limiting their losses and preparing for the next war. With the fighting wrapping up in August, all parties involved in the war were invited to Prauge, Bohemia in order to lay down the conditions of the treaty. Though the peace conference was set within the Austrian Empire, the actual negotiations were conducted by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte III and a French delegation who appeared to the conference as neutral mediators. The real reason for the appearance of Napoleon was so that he could control the flow of the talks and ensure that Prussia would never become a threat to France, but at the same time wouldn't be too far decimated that Austria would become a superpower within Central Europe. The talks took place for one week from August 30th to September 6th, during which emotions rang high as both parties fought back and forward on the terms. To start off Austria demanded the complete annexation of eleven of Prussia's allies to the other parties within the war so that Prussia would no longer find any alliances within Germany in the future and the organization of the German Confederation would be simplified. When the topic shifted to Prussia, Austria struck hard with demands for over a third of Prussia's territory as compensation, mainly through the cession of Silesia and the partition of Western Prussia. Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck who was present for the conference, fought long and hard to preserve Prussian territorial integrity and shift focus to potential diplomatic and economic reparations instead. Austrian Foreign Minister Frederich von Beust would have none of it as he claimed that it was Bismarck's fault for the war starting and that he was paying the price, if Prussia would not concede their territories than Austria would continue the war and cripple their nation for generations. Many sources say that von Beust watched with a sort of sadistic satisfaction at Bismarck's futile attempts at negotiation, the Junker having no cards for which to manipulate the situation. Lastly was the situation of Italy who the Austrians bested resoundingly with many expecting their retaining of Venetia. To the surprise of many present Austria would offer the Kingdom of Venetia to Italy. This was not without a price however as Austria would retain the economic and manufacturing center of Venice and Udine while forcing Italy to pay $16 million Vereinsthalers for the rest. Then there was the most humiliating part of the deal for Italy when Austria demanded that the above situation could only take place if Italy dropped its claims on the Papal State and recognized its sovereignty as an independent nation. King Victor Emmanuel was reported to be erupt into outrage over this term, lambasting Austria for meddling in affairs that were not within the war and proclaiming that Garibaldi could retake Venice by the end of the year. This was scoffed at by Emperor Franz Joseph who in turn retorted that Austria had crushed the Italian Army with only a fraction of its former strength and that they could easily retake Lombardy if they wanted to. Seeing the current deal as the only way to win in any form, Victor Emmanuel reluctantly agreed. All the while an enthusiastic Napoleon watched the proceedings, nearly all of his foreign policy issues having been resolved in a week.
The following are the terms of the Treaty of Prague:
Aftermath of the Peace of Prague with Germany (Left) and Italy (Right)
The results of the Peace of Prague would cause shockwaves within Europe for decades to come. Since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, many had been predicting that Prussia would rise as the leader of Germany and one day become a Great Power that would dominate the continent. Yet in just twelve weeks the once mighty kingdom had fallen down to the status of a second-rate regional power with a large portion of its industry gone, millions of citizens forced into new nations, and thousands dead for Bismarck's folly. Within Prussia the political situation became volatile as the masses turned against the monarchy for their grievous loss in what was increasingly seen as a senseless war brought on upon by the greed of the nobility. Protests were staged in dozens of cities across the reduced kingdom with an even greater intensity than what was seen in the 1848 Revolutions with calls for reform and justice for the misconduct of the Prussian High command. The Liberal Diet became hostile to King Wilhelm with mass walkouts from sessions with the treaty never even being voted upon, only by King Wilhelm's decree was it put into action. Talks were spread throughout the Junker ruling class of potentially forcing Wilhelm to abdicate, something the man would never be willing to do as he had only been King for 5 years. However the plans for an abdication ran into several problems as the nominal successor Prince Frederick, became shunned throughout Prussia for his loss and capture at Koniggratz with many associating the war's outcome with him. Some ambitious nobles wanted to bypass Fredrick entirely and crown the young seven year old Prince Wilhelm as King so that they could shape his upbringing and gain control of the Kingdom in a regency. Among the lower classes alternatives came up with calls for the establishment of a Republic in the same vain as Britain in the aftermath of Victoria's abdication. Fearing for the welfare of his family legacy, King Wilhelm set about on damage control by shifting blame of the war unto those below him, Otto von Bismarck and the Prussian High Command.
In October a series of court martials began within the Prussian Army to focus on the High Command and those who were present at Koniggratz. The purpose of the witch hunts were so that the people could find a scapegoat to shift their grief on in the military and avoid the implication of the monarchy. A total of 37 officers were tried with nine being convicted of misconduct during the war. Due to the faulty nature of the proceedings and fear of later legal reprisals, the convicted officers were solely dishonorably discharged from the Army but were allowed to keep their noble titles and property. The sole exception to this was General Karl von Bittenfield who was sentenced to five years in prison, later being released on parole in 1870. Bittenfield's reason for his punishment was due to him solely being the man in charge of the Army of the Elbe along with his actions at Koniggratz. Today military historians generally agree that Bittenfield did nothing wrong in his actions during the battle, his punishment was deemed necessary at the time due to the anger and humiliation that the Prussians associated with the battle. Most noticeably absent from the proceedings though were Prince's Frederich Karl and Frederich Wilhelm who were spared for being the King's kin, something that Republicans would use as a rallying cry in later years. The most tragic tale of the post-war environment was Otto von Bismarck who quickly became the most despised man in Prussia. Before the war Bismarck was a rising star in German politics with a vast amount of control over both the King and Prussian Diet. Many believed that Bismarck would perhaps be the second coming of Klaus von Metternicht. Historians today generally agree that what caused the war and Bismarck's later downfall was his immense hubris of his skill and personal ambition for the creation of a personal empire. While Bismarck had achieved much during his time as chancellor, he had done so through cutthroat politics and intimidation, earning him few allies for the aftermath of Prague. The first to turn against him was the King who was finally happy to be rid of Bismarck's influence upon his reign. Wilhelm leaked to the Berlin Times in a scathing interview that responsibility for the war lied solely in Bismarck as he was the one who craved for war with Austria like a madman while Wilhelm was reluctant for the whole affair and cautioned reason (something that was later found to be a lie). Wilhelm told of numerous scandals both true and false that happened during Bismarck's term, warping the man into a caricature similar in comparison to Oliver Cromwell's actions in British history. With the King turning against his favored servant, the Liberal MP's joined the bandwagon and spread numerous tales of Bismarck's shady dealings and how he had constantly blocked numerous proposals for social and legal reform within the Diet. Within weeks the name Bismarck was cursed all over Prussia with rallies organized with dummies of the chancellor being burned in protest of his reign. On October 5th, King Wilhelm officially relieved Bismarck of his office as Chancellor with the Prussian Diet erupting into thunderous applause at the acclamation. Eduard Lasker was chosen as his successor with Wilhelm promising the implementation of universal male suffrage and new elections in the next year, actions being done so that the King could keep his throne and restore trust among the people. After his tenure ended, Bismarck became a changed man with the former chancellor entering into a heavy depression while his home and family were constantly harassed by citizens. On November 11th Bismarck committed suicide within his study by a gunshot. With Bismarck's demise came the end of the post-revolutionary era for Prussia. The Kingdom would never be the same again as the 1870's would become a time of strife with the Prussian people struggling to find a sense of identity and a return to normalcy after their terrible loss. Two differing movements of the political spectrum would find a rise of popularity in this time, Republicanism and Communism.
Demonstrations in Berlin against King Wilhelm (Left) Eduard Lasker, Bismarck's successor (Right)
On September 5th as news of the Peace of Prague spread throughout the Austrian Empire, celebrations rang out for the glorious victory against the hated Prussians. However these celebrations were only inside the Austrian half of the Empire with most Hungarians being ambivalent to the domination of Germany, most just simply happy that the Pope would be able to retain independence in the deal. For an entire week Vienna would erupt into a festival of celebrations over the monumentous occasion. Similar affairs sprang up in the rest of the German Confederation for the added territory of the victors and the prestige of the armies that had won in battle. However soon the euphoria of sweet victory ended and the people of Austria and Germany had to face multiple questions of where to proceed from here. The main issue of the Austro-Prussian War was the unification of Germany with Prussia wanting to create a lesser Germany scenario where it reigned supreme and Austria was kicked out. While that was prevented, it still did not solve the lingering tensions with the high feelings of Nationalism that millions of Germans had across the Confederation. For an onlooker's perspective the simple answer would be for Austria to unify Germany. Yet the solution was not as simple as that due to the multiethnic nature of the Hapsburg empire where unification would've allowed the inclusion of Hungarians, Slavs, and other "undesirable" ethnic minorities to the new Germany. Emperor Franz Joseph was not one for unification either as he felt that a German Empire would lead to a loss of independence for Austria and would force the Hapsburg dynasty to submit to the will of Liberals. Franz Joseph was in many ways a reactionary and would not dare to oversee any sort of reforms beyond the military. The fact that Conservative Austria had won over "Liberal" Prussia seemed to validate this for him. Diplomatic correspondence was exchanged across Germany over the fall and winter of 1866 with talks beginning of a possible Second Frankfurt Conference to settle the matter of German Unification once and for all. Most thought that Unification was a dream that was years away. This would be the exact opposite as Germany would see its birth within only two years.
While Italy had technically won the Third War of Independence in a manner of speaking with the gain of the majority of Venetia, it was still a devastating defeat for them that was only slightly above Prussia's. During the war Italy had barely scored a single victory against the Austrian military who was still filled with several organizational and leadership deficiency on the same level as their Italian counterparts. Italy hadn't even won its territorial gains through the battlefield as Austria had only given them up due to French pressure for a more balanced peace. Of the Venetian territory that was received, the critical province of Venice was kept within the Austrian Empire which gave them a critical shipyard and a major trade route in the Mediterranean. Beyond the hefty monetary price that had to be paid for the land, the worse embarrassment was the fact that Rome was now off-limits to Italy and had to be respected as an independent state. Since the liberation of Lombardy in the Second War for Independence, Revolutionary leader Giuseppe Garibaldi had been promoting the idea of a reborn Roman Empire which the Kingdom of Italy would take place. In order for this to be necessary Rome had to be conquered so that the capitol could move there and the rule of Italy could be centralized with power being taken away from Piedmont. Garibaldi's motivations were many though they were mostly a mix of anti-Catholicism and Italian Nationalism. While Victor Emmanuel had been reluctant at first to pursue Rome over the potential consequences, he later gave into the idea thanks to pressure from the masses. With Rome now becoming out of the way for the foreseeable future due to its defense by both France and Austria, Italy started to implode on itself. Giuseppe Garibaldi immediately called the peace a sham and promised to raise a volunteer army where he would lead a Revolution in Rome and claim it for Italy. Conservatives and Catholic's while in support of the status quo with Rome, were angry over the fact that Venice and other potential Italian territories such as Trieste were kept out of the war. The Liberal majority within the Italian Parliament began to turn against Victor Emmanuel with calls of cowardice and treason against the King despite the loss of his son Amadeus. Meanwhile tensions began to flare within Sicily as the Sicilians who were once proud Italian Nationalists begging for Unification, were now beginning to regret their decision due to Sardinia's virtual control over the Kingdom, something that would continue in the near future. With the Peace of Prague came the death of the Italian Unification movement. While the nation of Italy had been birthed into existence, it was a forced one with numerous social, political, religious, and regional divisions that made the situation reminiscent of the Holy Roman Empire. The coming decade would be a dark time for young Italy, as the nation teetered on the verge of destruction each day with the destruction of the envisioned reborn Roman Empire before it even began.
Victor Emmanuel and Giuseppe Garibaldi. In time the two would go from cordial allies to staunch enemies.
"I have failed you Prussia."- Chancellor Otto von Bismarck 1866
"If the damned Sardinian refuses to fight the Austrians then I have no choice but to take Rome myself."- Giuseppe Garibaldi 1866
"My brother may have won the war but he shall lose the Empire if he refuses to see it reform."- Archduke Maximillian von Hapsburg 1866
With Austria maintaining mastery of the battlefield from Silesia all the way to Venice, the terms of the peace deal were sure to be almost entirely in their favor. While both Italy and Prussia had not surrendered unconditionally, there was little that they could do beyond limiting their losses and preparing for the next war. With the fighting wrapping up in August, all parties involved in the war were invited to Prauge, Bohemia in order to lay down the conditions of the treaty. Though the peace conference was set within the Austrian Empire, the actual negotiations were conducted by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte III and a French delegation who appeared to the conference as neutral mediators. The real reason for the appearance of Napoleon was so that he could control the flow of the talks and ensure that Prussia would never become a threat to France, but at the same time wouldn't be too far decimated that Austria would become a superpower within Central Europe. The talks took place for one week from August 30th to September 6th, during which emotions rang high as both parties fought back and forward on the terms. To start off Austria demanded the complete annexation of eleven of Prussia's allies to the other parties within the war so that Prussia would no longer find any alliances within Germany in the future and the organization of the German Confederation would be simplified. When the topic shifted to Prussia, Austria struck hard with demands for over a third of Prussia's territory as compensation, mainly through the cession of Silesia and the partition of Western Prussia. Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck who was present for the conference, fought long and hard to preserve Prussian territorial integrity and shift focus to potential diplomatic and economic reparations instead. Austrian Foreign Minister Frederich von Beust would have none of it as he claimed that it was Bismarck's fault for the war starting and that he was paying the price, if Prussia would not concede their territories than Austria would continue the war and cripple their nation for generations. Many sources say that von Beust watched with a sort of sadistic satisfaction at Bismarck's futile attempts at negotiation, the Junker having no cards for which to manipulate the situation. Lastly was the situation of Italy who the Austrians bested resoundingly with many expecting their retaining of Venetia. To the surprise of many present Austria would offer the Kingdom of Venetia to Italy. This was not without a price however as Austria would retain the economic and manufacturing center of Venice and Udine while forcing Italy to pay $16 million Vereinsthalers for the rest. Then there was the most humiliating part of the deal for Italy when Austria demanded that the above situation could only take place if Italy dropped its claims on the Papal State and recognized its sovereignty as an independent nation. King Victor Emmanuel was reported to be erupt into outrage over this term, lambasting Austria for meddling in affairs that were not within the war and proclaiming that Garibaldi could retake Venice by the end of the year. This was scoffed at by Emperor Franz Joseph who in turn retorted that Austria had crushed the Italian Army with only a fraction of its former strength and that they could easily retake Lombardy if they wanted to. Seeing the current deal as the only way to win in any form, Victor Emmanuel reluctantly agreed. All the while an enthusiastic Napoleon watched the proceedings, nearly all of his foreign policy issues having been resolved in a week.
The following are the terms of the Treaty of Prague:
- Prussia is kicked out of the German Confederation and shall be unable to apply for admittance for the next 50 years unless the Confederation decides to allow membership.
- The German customs union Zollverein is to be disbanded.
- The Province of Silesia is ceded to the Austrian Empire.
- The Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein are to be united as the new Grand Duchy of Schleswig-Holstien. The Grand Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein shall be run by Archduke Maximillian von Hapsburg.
- West Prussia is to be split into the Duchy of the Rhineland and the Duchy of Westphalia. The Duchy of the Rhineland shall be given to Alexander of Hesse as Duke. The Duchy of Westphalia shall be given to Moritz of Hesse-Kessel as Duke.
- Prussia shall annex the Duchy of Anhalt.
- Wurttemburg and Baden are to split the Province of Hohenzollern with the Northern half going to Wurttemburg while Baden receives the Southern half.
- Bavaria is to annex the southern half of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha along with Southern Oldenberg.
- The Kingdom of Saxony shall annex the eastern portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Altenberg.
- The Duchy of Saxe-Meinengen shall annex the northern half of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha along with western Saxe-Altenberg.
- The Kingdom of Hanover shall annex the Principality of Lippe, the Duchy of Brunswick, the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont and the Free City of Lubeck.
- The Electorate of Hesse shall annex the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
- The Grand Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein shall annex Hamburg, Bremen, and Saxe-Lauenburg.
- The Papal State is to be guaranteed independence and the respect of its current territorial integrity must be uphold. Any potential violation of the Papal State's borders, shall result in an intervention by Austria.
- Italy is to renounce all potential claims on territory within the Austrian Empire.
- The Kingdom of Venice with the exception of the provinces of Udine and Venice are to be annexed by Italy. In return Italy must pay $16 million Vereinsthalers. If the monetary amount is not produced by January 1st, 1867; then the Kingdom of Venetia shall stay within Austria in entirety.
- The Iron Crown of Lombardy shall be kept in Austria.
- All prisoners must be exchanged by January 1st, 1867.
Aftermath of the Peace of Prague with Germany (Left) and Italy (Right)
The results of the Peace of Prague would cause shockwaves within Europe for decades to come. Since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, many had been predicting that Prussia would rise as the leader of Germany and one day become a Great Power that would dominate the continent. Yet in just twelve weeks the once mighty kingdom had fallen down to the status of a second-rate regional power with a large portion of its industry gone, millions of citizens forced into new nations, and thousands dead for Bismarck's folly. Within Prussia the political situation became volatile as the masses turned against the monarchy for their grievous loss in what was increasingly seen as a senseless war brought on upon by the greed of the nobility. Protests were staged in dozens of cities across the reduced kingdom with an even greater intensity than what was seen in the 1848 Revolutions with calls for reform and justice for the misconduct of the Prussian High command. The Liberal Diet became hostile to King Wilhelm with mass walkouts from sessions with the treaty never even being voted upon, only by King Wilhelm's decree was it put into action. Talks were spread throughout the Junker ruling class of potentially forcing Wilhelm to abdicate, something the man would never be willing to do as he had only been King for 5 years. However the plans for an abdication ran into several problems as the nominal successor Prince Frederick, became shunned throughout Prussia for his loss and capture at Koniggratz with many associating the war's outcome with him. Some ambitious nobles wanted to bypass Fredrick entirely and crown the young seven year old Prince Wilhelm as King so that they could shape his upbringing and gain control of the Kingdom in a regency. Among the lower classes alternatives came up with calls for the establishment of a Republic in the same vain as Britain in the aftermath of Victoria's abdication. Fearing for the welfare of his family legacy, King Wilhelm set about on damage control by shifting blame of the war unto those below him, Otto von Bismarck and the Prussian High Command.
In October a series of court martials began within the Prussian Army to focus on the High Command and those who were present at Koniggratz. The purpose of the witch hunts were so that the people could find a scapegoat to shift their grief on in the military and avoid the implication of the monarchy. A total of 37 officers were tried with nine being convicted of misconduct during the war. Due to the faulty nature of the proceedings and fear of later legal reprisals, the convicted officers were solely dishonorably discharged from the Army but were allowed to keep their noble titles and property. The sole exception to this was General Karl von Bittenfield who was sentenced to five years in prison, later being released on parole in 1870. Bittenfield's reason for his punishment was due to him solely being the man in charge of the Army of the Elbe along with his actions at Koniggratz. Today military historians generally agree that Bittenfield did nothing wrong in his actions during the battle, his punishment was deemed necessary at the time due to the anger and humiliation that the Prussians associated with the battle. Most noticeably absent from the proceedings though were Prince's Frederich Karl and Frederich Wilhelm who were spared for being the King's kin, something that Republicans would use as a rallying cry in later years. The most tragic tale of the post-war environment was Otto von Bismarck who quickly became the most despised man in Prussia. Before the war Bismarck was a rising star in German politics with a vast amount of control over both the King and Prussian Diet. Many believed that Bismarck would perhaps be the second coming of Klaus von Metternicht. Historians today generally agree that what caused the war and Bismarck's later downfall was his immense hubris of his skill and personal ambition for the creation of a personal empire. While Bismarck had achieved much during his time as chancellor, he had done so through cutthroat politics and intimidation, earning him few allies for the aftermath of Prague. The first to turn against him was the King who was finally happy to be rid of Bismarck's influence upon his reign. Wilhelm leaked to the Berlin Times in a scathing interview that responsibility for the war lied solely in Bismarck as he was the one who craved for war with Austria like a madman while Wilhelm was reluctant for the whole affair and cautioned reason (something that was later found to be a lie). Wilhelm told of numerous scandals both true and false that happened during Bismarck's term, warping the man into a caricature similar in comparison to Oliver Cromwell's actions in British history. With the King turning against his favored servant, the Liberal MP's joined the bandwagon and spread numerous tales of Bismarck's shady dealings and how he had constantly blocked numerous proposals for social and legal reform within the Diet. Within weeks the name Bismarck was cursed all over Prussia with rallies organized with dummies of the chancellor being burned in protest of his reign. On October 5th, King Wilhelm officially relieved Bismarck of his office as Chancellor with the Prussian Diet erupting into thunderous applause at the acclamation. Eduard Lasker was chosen as his successor with Wilhelm promising the implementation of universal male suffrage and new elections in the next year, actions being done so that the King could keep his throne and restore trust among the people. After his tenure ended, Bismarck became a changed man with the former chancellor entering into a heavy depression while his home and family were constantly harassed by citizens. On November 11th Bismarck committed suicide within his study by a gunshot. With Bismarck's demise came the end of the post-revolutionary era for Prussia. The Kingdom would never be the same again as the 1870's would become a time of strife with the Prussian people struggling to find a sense of identity and a return to normalcy after their terrible loss. Two differing movements of the political spectrum would find a rise of popularity in this time, Republicanism and Communism.
Demonstrations in Berlin against King Wilhelm (Left) Eduard Lasker, Bismarck's successor (Right)
On September 5th as news of the Peace of Prague spread throughout the Austrian Empire, celebrations rang out for the glorious victory against the hated Prussians. However these celebrations were only inside the Austrian half of the Empire with most Hungarians being ambivalent to the domination of Germany, most just simply happy that the Pope would be able to retain independence in the deal. For an entire week Vienna would erupt into a festival of celebrations over the monumentous occasion. Similar affairs sprang up in the rest of the German Confederation for the added territory of the victors and the prestige of the armies that had won in battle. However soon the euphoria of sweet victory ended and the people of Austria and Germany had to face multiple questions of where to proceed from here. The main issue of the Austro-Prussian War was the unification of Germany with Prussia wanting to create a lesser Germany scenario where it reigned supreme and Austria was kicked out. While that was prevented, it still did not solve the lingering tensions with the high feelings of Nationalism that millions of Germans had across the Confederation. For an onlooker's perspective the simple answer would be for Austria to unify Germany. Yet the solution was not as simple as that due to the multiethnic nature of the Hapsburg empire where unification would've allowed the inclusion of Hungarians, Slavs, and other "undesirable" ethnic minorities to the new Germany. Emperor Franz Joseph was not one for unification either as he felt that a German Empire would lead to a loss of independence for Austria and would force the Hapsburg dynasty to submit to the will of Liberals. Franz Joseph was in many ways a reactionary and would not dare to oversee any sort of reforms beyond the military. The fact that Conservative Austria had won over "Liberal" Prussia seemed to validate this for him. Diplomatic correspondence was exchanged across Germany over the fall and winter of 1866 with talks beginning of a possible Second Frankfurt Conference to settle the matter of German Unification once and for all. Most thought that Unification was a dream that was years away. This would be the exact opposite as Germany would see its birth within only two years.
While Italy had technically won the Third War of Independence in a manner of speaking with the gain of the majority of Venetia, it was still a devastating defeat for them that was only slightly above Prussia's. During the war Italy had barely scored a single victory against the Austrian military who was still filled with several organizational and leadership deficiency on the same level as their Italian counterparts. Italy hadn't even won its territorial gains through the battlefield as Austria had only given them up due to French pressure for a more balanced peace. Of the Venetian territory that was received, the critical province of Venice was kept within the Austrian Empire which gave them a critical shipyard and a major trade route in the Mediterranean. Beyond the hefty monetary price that had to be paid for the land, the worse embarrassment was the fact that Rome was now off-limits to Italy and had to be respected as an independent state. Since the liberation of Lombardy in the Second War for Independence, Revolutionary leader Giuseppe Garibaldi had been promoting the idea of a reborn Roman Empire which the Kingdom of Italy would take place. In order for this to be necessary Rome had to be conquered so that the capitol could move there and the rule of Italy could be centralized with power being taken away from Piedmont. Garibaldi's motivations were many though they were mostly a mix of anti-Catholicism and Italian Nationalism. While Victor Emmanuel had been reluctant at first to pursue Rome over the potential consequences, he later gave into the idea thanks to pressure from the masses. With Rome now becoming out of the way for the foreseeable future due to its defense by both France and Austria, Italy started to implode on itself. Giuseppe Garibaldi immediately called the peace a sham and promised to raise a volunteer army where he would lead a Revolution in Rome and claim it for Italy. Conservatives and Catholic's while in support of the status quo with Rome, were angry over the fact that Venice and other potential Italian territories such as Trieste were kept out of the war. The Liberal majority within the Italian Parliament began to turn against Victor Emmanuel with calls of cowardice and treason against the King despite the loss of his son Amadeus. Meanwhile tensions began to flare within Sicily as the Sicilians who were once proud Italian Nationalists begging for Unification, were now beginning to regret their decision due to Sardinia's virtual control over the Kingdom, something that would continue in the near future. With the Peace of Prague came the death of the Italian Unification movement. While the nation of Italy had been birthed into existence, it was a forced one with numerous social, political, religious, and regional divisions that made the situation reminiscent of the Holy Roman Empire. The coming decade would be a dark time for young Italy, as the nation teetered on the verge of destruction each day with the destruction of the envisioned reborn Roman Empire before it even began.
Victor Emmanuel and Giuseppe Garibaldi. In time the two would go from cordial allies to staunch enemies.
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