The only winning move

Ok this is my first TL so please be gentle...and naturally comments and criticism are welcomed

________________________________________________________________________


I'm tired of this farce, i probably cannot resist more than some days before hit someone, the negotiations are becoming more and more a kindergarten fight between unruly children than serious diplomatic talks, the italians want too much and the austrians don't want give nothing or just some useless scrap, it's seem to talk with two wall, i despair that my mission will be a failure and Germany will pay the price.
Maybe i have still a change, Maria Anna[1] last night has give me an idea, it's a long shot and probably doomed from the start but frankly i cannot think other move to save the mission and blocking the spread of this madness beyond our control.
Tomorrow i will begin the preliminary contact with Cardinal Gasparri [2] and with the old bastard[3],with God help i will succeed.

Entry of the 18 April 1915 of the personal diary of Bernard von Bulow


Bernhard_von_B%C3%BClow.jpg


Prince Von Bulow February 1915 during the Austro-Italian talk

Pope Benedetto XV with his pubblic proposal of a concordat between the Kingdom of Italy and the Catholic Church so to resolve all the problem born from the Unification wars was a sudden storm on the italian political scene, until this moment dominated by the fight between neutralist and who will want join one the alliance in the european war.
The papal proposal consisted in three parts:

1 - A political treaty recognising the full sovereignty of the Holy See in the State of Vatican City, which was thereby established.
2- A concordat regulating the position of the Catholic Churc and the Catholic religion in the Italian state.
3 -A financial convention agreed on as a definitive settlement of the claims of the Holy See following the losses of its territories and property.
The signing of this accord will finally end the proibithion of the catholic to partecipate to the italian political life and ease internal and external tension, at the same time giving to the goverment some need good press and breath from all the economic and social tension bring by the war. What was really important was instead the secret protocol included in the proposal, basically the Pope stated that the condicio sine qua non for the signing of the document was the succesfull end of the talk with the Austro-Hungarian empire regarding Italian neutrality. In later years this clerical intrusion on the italian internal affair had bringed a lot of criticism, expecially from the ultranationalistic crowd, who see the italian failure to join the conflict as a wasted occasion for completing the work beginned with the Risorgimento and to destroy an old enemy, but at the time this controversial move resulted in a little political coup, because with this provision a 'peculiar' interpretation of the concordat transformed the diplomacay between Vienna and Rome in an italian internal affair and so outside the king prerogative. The motive of the acceptance by Benedict XV of the Von Bulow proposal was numerous, and the final answer at this question many time simple depend by the political leaning of the interested party. The true is probably a mix of the various theories floating in the cultural and accademic circles; the idea of the Prince give at the Pope the occasion to play peacemaker (a role he sincerely pursuit during the entire great war period) and at the same time give him the occasion to normalize the relationship with the italian state, an objective who the pope tried from his days as cardinal, the fact that all this endevour in the end will help a staunch catholic power as the Austro-Hungarian Empire was simply the ice in the cake
Noi non ci saremo – La neutralità italiana nella grande guerra (italian neutrality in the great war) – M.Rossi Einaudi editori 1980

Yesterday the ambassador of Great Britain and France were seen enter the house of his excellency the Prime Minister early in the morning and leave in the evening, reliable source indicated that they were not happy and some strong words were exchanged between the foreign ambassadors and recently appointed for the fifth time Prime Minister Giolitti.
Corriere della Sera 27 April 1915


Italy will stay neutral, all this rumors about secret negotiations, of honorless behind the scene pact between us and other powers are pure nonsense. Simple the usual alarmist rubbish who thrive in period of great strife like this. In all sincerity is not in the best interest of the Kingdom of Italy and his people to enter the war, so his majesty government will mantain his current policy, but the other nations be warned that we are ready to defend ourself and protect our interest and the sacred border of Italy from any enemy, from east and west, to guarantee the independece of the country and at the sole goal of the indissoluble good of the king and country. Long live the King, Long live the army.
Original transcript of Prime minister Giovanni Giolitti adressing the Parliament 30 April 1915 - Historical archive of the Chamber of Deputies


0000012.jpg

Prime minister Giovanni Giolitti in 1916 at the apex of his success walking in the streets of Rome

The immediate consequence of the declaration of neutrality, apart the diminishing of the commerce with France and Britain and the following need to find alternative source of raw material, were a series of riot in all North Italy great cities and some in the South expecially in Naples, but luckily for the governement the interventionist greatly overstimated the support of the common people for their cause and the carabinieri and the police quickly quell them, even if in Milan at least three days were needed to end the protest and at the cost of 23 deaths and numerous wounded. Naturally the fact the leaders of the movement like Mussolini and D'Annunzio were arrested little before the declaration helped a lot.

History professor and author R. Drago during an interview by Emilio Fede for the documentary 'La storia siamo noi - 150 anni d'Italia'

Giovanni Giolitti know of how terrible the first great war will be, so keep Italy neutral to avoid the other empire fate, using the Prophecy of Nostradamus? We of Voyager believe so.
Roberto Giacobbo - Voyager: ai confini della conoscenza - 24 November 2009 episode (season 4) - Rai tre


[1] Maria Anna Von Bulow, wife of the Prince, born in Naples
[2] Cardinal Pietro Gasparri – Cardinal Segretary of State
[3] Giovanni Giolitti, former italian prime minister and very influential political
 
Last edited:
Treaty of Rome of 1 May 1915

I. The Cession to Italy by Austria-Hungary of the Trentino up to Salorno,
II. The correction of Italy's eastern frontier so that they coincide with the west bank of the Isonzo River
III. The transformation of Trieste in a Free Imperial City
IV. The recognition by Austria-Hungary of the importance of italian culture on Trieste, Istria and Dalmatia and included the enstablishment of an italian university in Trieste
V. The recognition by Austria-Hungary of Italy's full sovereignity over Valona and it's bay, comprising the isle of Saseno together with such hinterland as might be requisite for their defense.
VI. Austria-Hungary's immediate and complete cessation from interesting itself in Albania as comprised within the frontiers traced by the Conference in London
VII. Italy undetakes to mantain a benevolent neutrality towards Germany and Austro-Hungary throughout the war.
VII. The goverment of Austria-Hungary pledge to give the greatest possible importance at the other italian request and to resolve the situation to both party satisfaction after the end of the current conflict.
IX. The recognition of italian sovereignity of the Dodecanese Island.
X. For the delivery of the ceded territories (Articles I and II) from their quota of responsibility in the Austro-Hungarian Public Debt as well as in the debt resulting from pensions to retired Imperial and Royal functionaries, and against the integral and immediate transference to Italy of all domanial property, movable or immovable, with the exception of arms, situated in the said territories, and in compensation for every State right concerned the said territories, in all that may refer to them whether at present or in future, without any exception whatsoever, Italy will pay Austria-Hungary the capital sum in gold of 150,000,000 Italian lire.
XI. Austria-Hungary is to grant a complete amnesty followed by the immediate release of all those prosecuted and convicted upon military and political grounds who are natives of the ceded territories (Articles I. and II)
XII.His majesty Kaiser Wilhelm II Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia pledge to be the guaranteer of the terms of treaty
 
Gabriele D'Annunzio

attachment.php


Image of D'Annunzio in his legionary uniform just before his flight over Instabul


The incarceration of D’Annunzio in 1915 or as he later recalled his ‘Dark days of
May’ were a double-edged sword for the government of Giolitti.
Sure he was now not in the condition of directly committing sedictious act or incite people to rebellion, but he was quickly becoming a martyr for the interventionist cause, even worse a martyr with powerfull friends who from day one of his detention asked the release of the ‘vate’ first of them General Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia-Aosta duke of Aosta, and cousin of the current King.
The Giolitti solution of the ‘D’Annunzio problem’ in theory was meant to be acceptable to both parts, if the artist was so eager to fight and so fond of war, considered essential to clean the world, well he can participate at the fray enrolling in the ‘Legione Garibaldina’ a volunteers corps who Giuseppe ‘Peppino’ Garibaldi (nephew and named in honor of great patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi and who already commanded a Italian volunteers formation who fight in the French front in the first stage of the war) was forming to fight at the Entente side and many interventionist was flocking to him so to get a change to fight the hated Austrian but also to escape government persecution.
When in early November 1915 the Legion was sent to the struggling Macedonia Front D’Annunzio was with them with the grade of Lieutenant and, as the entire Legion, distinguished itself in the doomed attempt to save the remnants of the Serbian Army.
Two of the more astonishing and memorable effort of D’Annunzio in this theater: The slap of Durazzo and the the fly over Instabul even if of little military value were of great psychological and propagandistic impact especially for internal use of the Entente.
Even after the war this feat were famous and lionized enough (true to be told most is due to D’Annunzio great skill in self-promotion) to be object of various film and books, one of the most famous is naturally ‘The Flyboys’ the 1963 kolossal directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
The greatest achievement of the poet will be obtained not against the hated Hasburg but in the desert during the arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire, when by change the now captain D’Annunzio was paired with T.E. Lawrence so beginning one of the greatest friendships of the author.
The so called ‘Odd couple’ was instrumental in enstablishing and preserve relationship with the arab tribes fighting the Ottoman and coordinate their effort.
The Italian artist, who put is though and experience during this period in his monumental opera Notturno, demonstrated to be well versed to what now we call guerrilla warfare, Lawrence himself stated in his diary that Gabriel always claim to have a cunning plan.

Extract of the Gabriele D’Annunzio entry from ‘Hollywood – the other side of the golden age’ by Stephen M. Ambrose



xp080515102142.jpg
 
caracciolo class battleship

Castellamare di Stabia

Yesterday in a magnificent day and during a moving ceremony, his majesty the King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III had officially launched the Francesco Caracciolo the newest battleship of our great fleet and the first of the same named class. This prodigy, product of the italian genius and technical capacity with the extraordinary speed of 28 knots, a state of the art armor and 8 380mm guns is on par with the most modern british battleship of the Revenge Class and cleary superior of the new flagship of the Austro-Hungarian navy the Franz Ferdinand (formerly Ersatz Monarch) launched just a month ago

Il Secolo XIX - 13 May 1917

300px-Italian_battleship_Francesco_Caracciolo_launching.jpg

300px-Italian_battleship_Francesco_Caracciolo_launching.jpg
 
IX. The recognition of italian sovereignity of the Dodecanese Island.

So the Germans have screwed the Ottomans over as well as forcing the Austrians into doing something they OTL had no intention of doing?

Does this mean they both will cut out on the Germans at the first opportunity presented?
 
I don't think Austria-Hungary is in any position to refuse anything to Italians or Germans or scr*w them over later on. Ottomans on the other hand... Hmmmm.

Anyway, might be interesting TL. Subscribed.
 
So the Germans have screwed the Ottomans over as well as forcing the Austrians into doing something they OTL had no intention of doing?
Well from the Germans pow is simple accept an already enstablished fact as the italians already occupied the islands and they don't have any intention of go away and honestly the treaty drafted here is what the other CP powers were intentioned to give in OTL in exchange of the italian neutrality. For the Austrian, well as the 'smart and cunning' leader and diplomat that they are they agreed on the basis that Italy will not see nothing of the promised land...unfortunely reality, as usual, will probably disagree

Does this mean they both will cut out on the Germans at the first opportunity presented?
Maybe or maybe not, frankly the Sublime Porte has more pressant things to do and the Dodecanese is not an immediate problem...and the German ambassador heavily intend that there are other reward on the orizon
 
I don't think Austria-Hungary is in any position to refuse anything to Italians or Germans or scr*w them over later on. Ottomans on the other hand... Hmmmm.

Anyway, might be interesting TL. Subscribed.

Only time will tell;)....and thanks
 
Well from the Germans pow is simple accept an already enstablished fact as the italians already occupied the islands and they don't have any intention of go away and honestly the treaty drafted here is what the other CP powers were intentioned to give in OTL in exchange of the italian neutrality

The islands were occupied by treaty as a guarantor of the treaty, they were dejure owned by the ottomans, and were supposed to be returned to their control, although the date was not fixed. The Germans are giving away stuff they don't own here.

This is the kind of brilliant high handed german diplomacy that get's them in so much trouble all the time OTL, and it will likely bite them in the ass in future. Maybe they will send the zimmermann telegram a year early too.
 
The islands were occupied by treaty as a guarantor of the treaty, they were dejure owned by the ottomans, and were supposed to be returned to their control, although the date was not fixed. The Germans are giving away stuff they don't own here.

This is the kind of brilliant high handed german diplomacy that get's them in so much trouble all the time OTL, and it will likely bite them in the ass in future. Maybe they will send the zimmermann telegram a year early too.

Yeah, its not like the Allies would be willing to make a separate peace with either Austria or Turkey . . . oh, wait, yes they would.
 
Top