Disclaimer:
I hope to not offend anyone with this fiction. I to be honest kind of fell in love with the idea of the Austrian Empire and by no means wish to belittle the negative experiences of the minorities of this multinational country. It kind of reminds me of the condition of my home nation, we have more than 200 different ethnic groups, some of the issues that Empire faced parallel the tension of my home nation and so this reflects is a hope that I can re-imagine a stable multination country as a great power in Europe & the world over, a state that could survive the throngs of ethnic nationalism. Apologies if my sentences run on a bit. Also if possible I’d like some honest criticism and maybe some help in adjusting this ATL to make it more realistic while maintaining the overall outcome. Also in entirety Wikipedia is my source, so I’d love it if anyone has better sources that are internet accessible that’d be wonderful.
BACKGROUND:
Revolutions of 1848 take place in the Austrian Empire as they have in OTL, Metternich resigns, Emperor Franz Joseph (EFJ/FJ) assumes the throne and Prince Felix of Schwarzenberg assumes his position of Minister-President of the Empire. Franz Joseph is more of a compromising individual and realizes the Empire needs more drastic reforms than those being pursued by Schwarzenberg. Franz Joseph, in light of the Erfurt Union also realized that Prussia and the other German states could not be trusted to follow Austria’s lead. Having had to rely on Russia’s help to maintain her hold on Hungary and then again in the German regions (a la the Punctation of Olmutz), Franz Joseph also grew worried of Austria’s military situation in addition to her governance problems.
However, Schwarzenberg is allowed to maintain his course until his death in 1852. During that time FJ meanwhile builds a powerbase and decides to focus on the Empire’s governance issues leaving the military in its current states intact in order to have a stable force to enforce his reforms should that prove necessary (FJ also negotiates a secret treaty with his Bavarian in-laws that either nation’s army would provide the other support should it prove necessary)
April 1852 rolls in, Schwarzenberg passes and FJ now has the chance to make his moves. He convenes the estates/diets/representatives of each kingdom to Vienna with the intention of hearing their thoughts on how the Empire can reform (with the intention of hearing them out but also isolating and gathering any possible opposition in one location, don’t worry nothing bad is going to happen to anyone) Forces loyal to the emperor garrison the capital under the guise of ensuring order but they’re really there to make sure none of the members of the diets leave in protests at least until they’ve seriously considered the reforms (The army presence is not to compel them).
After meeting with the respective diet’s, FJ convenes a joint diet and proposes a series of reforms. He understands several of them will be disappointed but knows that not all can be satisfied.
His Imperial Majesty, Franz Joseph I recognises the grievances of the peoples of his Empire and as such shall move forward with the following reforms:
• First and foremost, the Empire shall henceforth be referred to as the Imperial Habsburg Commonwealth. The flag and coat of arms will be adjusted to reflect this (I’d love some Photoshop help here, The flag shall remain the black and gold however, the Habsburg Double Eagle will be placed in the centre surrounded by a commonwealth wreath of green, blue, red and white leaves; on its left the Bohemian White Lion (left hand) and on the right the Hungarian Angel (right hand) to represent the core kingdoms and make it known that each needs the other. Green: Lombardy-Venetia, Red & White: Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia & Dalmatia; Granduchy of Nitra (to represent the Slovak regions within what was Upper Hungary and is now Slovakia), Blue: Grand Principality of Transylvania (referring the region of Transylvania which is now part of Romania)
• Each Kingdom shall be allowed to convene a national diet which shall bear the responsibility of electing two representatives to the Emperor. A Chancellor/High Minister and his deputy, these representatives along with the Emperor himself and a Prime Minister/Foreign Minister for the Empire will together form a Commonwealth Council that is responsible for drafting the common laws of the Commonwealth. The regional diets will bear the responsibility of adjusting the laws to accommodate local sensitivities whilst preserving the integrity of the law. This means they can adjust the law to accommodate the customs & realities of the Kingdom but these adjustments are subject to review by the Commonwealth Council to ensure the law’s integrity is maintained.
• In order to ensure equal representation of all peoples of the Commonwealth within the Council and avoid domination of one group versus another while maintaining the Archduchy of Austria’s preponderance of power within the Commonwealth government (more compromising doesn’t mean a complete idealist) the following re-organisations within the Commonwealth would also take place
Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia & Slavonia will no longer be subject to the Diet of Hungary and shall convene its own diet in Zagreb. The Triune Kingdom is still in personal union with Hungary. The High Minister would always be a Croat while the position of deputy minister would go to one of the minorities within the Kingdom most preferably a Serb (as to my knowledge they had the next highest population of peoples within the region of the Triune Kingdom)
The Kingdom of Hungary Proper would be re-organised, Romanian dominated areas in the S/East would be re-constituted as the Grand Principality of Transylvania within the Kingdom of Hungary, the Slovak dominated areas in the upper Hungary (present day Slovakia) re-constituted as the Granduchy of Nitra. Each would elect their own local parliament/diet that is part of the Diet of Hungary. I couldn’t really think of a name for what would constitute the rest of Hungary (no offense to the people of Hungary, any help here would be appreciated). The High Minister of the Diet of Hungary would always be Magyar while the position of deputy would be alternated between a Slovak and a Romanian.
The Kingdom of Bohemia would have a Czech as its High Minister and a German/Austrian as it’s deputy; Galicia-Lodomeria High Minister a Pole and deputy a Ruthenian (a Ukrainian of the region); Lombardy-Venetia High Minister an Italian and deputy a Slovene.
The Archduchy of Austria would have both its High Minister would have both its High Minister and Deputy be German/Austrian.
Overall not including the Emperor & the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth there would be 3 Germans/Austrians, 1 Magyar, 1 Ruthenia, 1 Pole, 1 Italian, 1 Czech, 1 Ruthenian, 1 Slovene, 1 Slovak/Romanian, 1 Croat & 1 Serb. The Prime Minister could be of any nationality and is to be voted on by the council excluding the Emperor who would propose someone for the position let the council vote on him.
High Minister’s & deputies have equal votes on the council
The Emperor retains Veto on any legislature Council decides should he conclude that it threatens the unity of the Commonwealth. (I recognise this makeup still allows for Austrians/Germans to dominate out right and I am working under the assumption that FJ seems himself as the Emperor of all the nations within the Commonwealth not just the Germans/Austrians.)
• Universal Male Suffrage in introduced into all parts of the Empire, suffrage is extended to unwed landholding women (eventually to be extended to all women, but hold up y’all this is 1852). To hold a position within any Diet or on the Council one must have completed education up to a university level (this is limiting yes but necessary to ensure persons who dealt with the affairs of governance were not too easily swayed by blind ethnic nationalism though being educated doesn’t stop you from being a bigot). No multiple voting.
• German/Austrian is ascribed lingua franca/common language status throughout the Commonwealth and as such governance may be carried out in any region through it. The aim is not to Germanise but rather ensure that there is a common language in the Commonwealth that anyone who goes anywhere within its border can use and get around or assistance from a government official. All languages are granted official status and equal status as follows
Kingdom of Hungary: Maygar & German throughout, Slovak in addition in the Granduchy of Nitra, Romanian in the GrandPrinicipality of Translyvania
Triune Kingdom: Croatian & German throughout, Serbian in Serb dominated areas
Galicia-Lodomeria: German throughout, Polish in the Pole dominated areas, Ruthenian in the Ruthenian dominated areas
Lombardy-Venetia: German & Italian throughtout, regional languages in the regions they dominate
Kingdom of Bohemia: Czech & German
Archduchy of Austria: German & Slovene in the Slovene dominated areas.
• The Diets of the Kingdoms would elect their own ministers for economy, finance, industry etc which would be responsible for advising the Commonwealth Council on how best to develop each region and then tasked with carrying out the Council’s mandate.
• On taxation and funding 75% of all taxes collected will be remitted to the central Commonwealth government while 25% would remain within the Kingdom of origin for investment. After expenditures, the surplus if there was any would be distributed amongst the Kingdoms for investment based on need.
Whilst the reforms aren’t perfect, they offer a voice to all the nationalities of the Commonwealth in deciding its fate. FJ presents these to the diet/representatives and asks for an immediate vote stating either they accept these reforms or the status quo is maintained. The reforms are begrudgingly accepted by some, happily by others. They are slowly phased in with new elections first in Austria, then Bohemia, Galicia-Lodomeria, Hungary, Croatia and lastly Lombardy-Venetia. During the time that the reforms are slowly being phased in Count Karl Ferdinand von Buol serves as Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of the Commonwealth as he did in OTL. Crimean War occurs and Austria maintains her position as she did in OTL and loses the Franco-Austrain war of 1859 before the reforms of governance can be implemented fully in Lombardy-Venetia.
The Reforms managed to placate the nationalities enough and garner the FJ enough support in the Civil and public circle to reform the military. The military command could not very well resist in light of the results of the war, and with Austria dangerously isolated amongst the great powers following her position in the Crimean war she needed to ensure that she’d be able to at least win any defensive war against her neighbours. Soldiers in the army are educated to take at least basic command of German to allow for a more streamlined command and railway lines are expanded to allow for swifter transport of troops between mobilisation points and fortresses. The economic reforms allow for a more permanent military budget and so a border military force is set up to be ready for battle in the border region. Their purpose was not to engage but to delay any invading armies as long as it could while the Commonwealth mobilised sending in reinforcements when needed before larger armies could come in.
Bismarck comes into power in Prussia and begins his German Unification policies. Austria establishes secret alliances with Hannover, Bavaria and Saxony to come to each other’s aid in the event of a war with Prussia.
The 2nd Schleswig War occurs, only this time Austria calls Hannover into the war to alongside herself and Prussia. The War roles on with in same result, and the Gastein Convention that partitions Schleswig Holstein between Austria and Prussia occurs as it did in OTL. FJ feeling that Schleswig is too far for Austria to defend in the event of war as the lowland were and under pressure from the Council who felt the region would be a burden on the Commonwealth’s finances to administer; decides to sell the rights of administration to Hannover with Frederick VIII of Augustenburg as its nominal duke. This is what now serves as pretext for the Austro-Prussian war.
In this version of the War, Austria and her allies do better (border force holds out at the fortresses), the Commonwealth mobilises and moves it armies faster to meet up with their allies against Prussia and its allies. Prussia manages to occupy all Hannover, but is pushed back at Sadova. Austria and her allies move in and occupy all of Silesia in turn and the war develops into something of a stalemate. With neither claiming victory, Napoleon III already had an understanding with Bismarck not to intervene but proposes peace negotiations. FJ despite being distrustful of Nappy III present Nappy with an interesting proposal to allow Austrian and Prussia save face.
Prussia will cede Prussian Silesia to Austria in exchange Austria will recognised Prussia’s annexation of Schleswig-Holstein, and Hannover (no way to push them from Hannover). In compensation George the V of Hannover would be granted the title King of Galicia-Lodomeria which would be spun off from Austria. Prussian Swabia would be transferred to Wurttemberg in exchange for financial compensation.
Venetia province would be transferred to France who would pass this on to Italy. Austria retains all of Friuli.
Austrian would not attempt to interfere with the affairs of the existing states of the North German Confederation or any other states which seek to join it.
Neither part would be fully satisfied but with the war having entered 1868 with no end in sight and rumblings of an intervention by the Scandinavian nations (Denmark & Sweden-Norway) and Russian, the agreement was accepted. George V was against the New Peace of Prague (1868) despite his compensation in the form of Galicia-Lodomeria. FJ aimed at using this newly spun off Kingdom as a buffer against Russia in the event of war with her and Silesia would compensate to a degree the loss of Venetia & G-L. Nappy III prevents Prussia from completely dominating Germany while Bismarck & Prussia are compensated with Hannover, S-H.
This new peace however, leaves others discontent. Austria’s allies in S/Germany conclude that Austria in her current states can’t defend their interests and her essential ceding of Hannover to Prussia in seen as in bad faith. The smaller states that were annexed as a result in OTL join the NGC (north german confederation) extending its borders to the Main river. The Southern States agree to co-ordinate policy with each other against Prussian-domination with Austria and form alliances amongst themselves but exclude Austria from any such alliance.
Bismarck and Nappy III have their falling out as in OTL and the Spanish Succession crises and Ems Dispatch go on in 1870. Nappy expecting Prussia to not have recovered from her war with Austria is more emboldened. The two nations go to war with the same result. Meanwhile Austria is firmly focused on continuing her reforms. No Austro-Hungarian Compromise as she managed to save face and had won over enough of the nationalities with the earlier reforms to outnumber any revolt in Hungary. George V is pressure into recognising the loss of Hannover and accepting his polish throne, entering a secret defensive alliance with Great Britain to defend his new Kingdom in 1879, GBR establishes this alliance as a distraction against Russia due to tensions between the 2 over the fate of the Ottoman Empire as well as the Great Game in Asia.
Germany is unified under Prussia and the Habsburg Commonwealth and Germany co-ordinated policy as they did in OTL with full-fledged alliances. (Would love some help with and possible redrawing of an image to reflect these imagined borders). Bosnia-Herzegovnia is awarded to the Commonwealth by the Treaty of Berlin 1878 which sours German-Russian Relations leading to the Franco-Russian Alliance.
The Commonwealth & German establish defensive alliances which is extended to include Italy. FJ annexs Bosnia-Herzegovnia in 1908 unifying it as a duchy under the Croatia. To reflect the changes in the ethnic make-up of the Commonwealth the Council is adjusted:
Triune Kingdom: Deputy will alternate between a Serb & a Bosniak
Italians will now share their vote on the council with Slovenes & Fruilians and must come to a joint decision (of 2 out of the 3) in order for their vote to be counted. In the event that they can’t their votes is considered inconclusive and the rest of the council + the Emperor & the Prime/Foreign Minister shall decide on the issue.
Bosia-Herzegovnia may convene its own local diet subject to oversight and part & parcel of the Diet of the Triune Kingdom based in Zagreb similar to the diets of the Grand Principality of Transylvania & the Grand duchy of Nitra
Ruthenians & Poles have lost their votes on the council with the cessation of Galicia-Lodomeria
Language rights of the Bosniaks recognises
Less tension in Bosnia-Herzegovnia & FJ marriage with Sisi is a little better (FJ finds his mother domineering as well and raises his children together with Sisi, want to ensure that his heir will be able to maintain balance between the ethnicities of the Commonwealth) also lucky, he and Sisi have twins at the birth of Marie Valerie (their last daughter) naming the boy Charles Maximillian Maria Stephan. FJ grows the prefer CS and trains both him and Crown Prince Rudolph in the ways of governance. CS is closer to FJ than he is to his mother Sisi, so when Mayerling incident occurs all are sad but FJ feels more confident that Charles Stephan (CS) will be able to maintain the Commonwealth. Sisi is assassinated in 1898 as in OTL, this leads FJ to be far more protective of his children & family.
Meanwhile tension had been building up in Europe, the Moroccan Crises and the Balkan Wars. Tension had also built up Serbia & the Commonwealth over Bosnia-Herzegovnia. FJ concerned with the continued degeneration of the Ottoman situation fearing it may lead to the expansion of Russian Power forms a strictly defensive alliance with the Ottomans & Bulgarians against Serbia (only in the event that Russia were to intervene against them in a defensive war). Germany becomes party to these alliances, over concern with of Russia & its economic investments in the Ottoman Empire. Albania wary of Italian & Serbian designs on its territory become party to an alliance with Austria against Italy & Bulgaria against Serbia.
(ATL gets really weak here, couldn’t really think of another fuse for ww1)
A new Albanian Crisis develops over the treatment of Albanians in Serbia. Albania & Bulgaria go to War and Serbia begins to lose. Russia follow the loss of the Russo-Japanese war of 1905 aims to restore her prestige in Europe and demands Bulgaria and Albania cease hostilities returning to the status quo ante, Bulgarian calls in Germany. Austria hoping to avoid war informs Wilhelm II they will support her only diplomatically and against France & only France if France were to intervene against Germany and on the condition the Germany not march through Belgium (plans for war against France haven been discussed by the Commonwealth & Germany prior to this point), for fear that it may draw in Great Britain. Diplomacy fails Russia & Germany are at war and the Ottoman pasha’s as in OTL against the wishes of the Sultan join Germany & Bulgaria. France mobilises to assistance of Russia, Germany moves through Belgium, Great Britain declares war on Germany.
The Commonwealth refuses to join Germany but agrees to give her (secret) right of transit and provide non-lethal aid, taking the position of armed neutrality against other powers. Italy joins the game to expand into Ottoman Africa. Galicia-Lodomeria remains neutral but provides secret aid to the Allies in the hopes of being compensated with the rest of Poland-Lithuania. Continues as it does in OTL with Treaty of Versailles and all except Habsburg Commonwealth remains neutral. Germany’s loss of the war and the ensuing aftermath create grave distrust between the Commonwealth and the Germany. Many coming to conclude that had the Commonwealth come to Germany’s assistance she would’ve won. FJ dies and CS assumes the thrown. During this alternate WW1 war some Germans/Austrians would volunteer to join the German army. The allies would pressure CS to stop this practice &end Germany’s right of transit later in the War. The Council worried that the allies would declare war on the Commonwealth seal its borders with Germany and bar anyone who volunteered to join Germany in the war re-entry until it war concluded.
Hi don’t know if you’ve liked this so far. Please let me know what you guys think. I’d like to do a WW2 version as well but I want to see the plausibility of this first. The WW2 version will result in the Commonwealth ending up in today’s borders with some slight adjustments and still intact but with a different name & structure. Thanks. Apologies if any offences caused.