The Presidency of Daniele Manin
The presidency of Manin got started with a personal tragedy for the new President. When he had fled Venice with his family, shortly after the fall of the city, they had hidden themselves away on a ship sailing for France. His wife, her health already shattered during the hardships of the siege, died shortly after the ship reached port in Marseilles. His daughter too remained in ill health for some time, and Manin did not return to Italy till mid 1850. Despite their arrival in the new nation, a revival of the fortunes of Manin, and the best medical care they could find, Daniele Manin’s daughter passed shortly before her father’s inauguration.
Manin’s inauguration was a somber one. Despite having won the election handily, despite the acclaim from the people, Manin felt empty without his family. During his inauguration Manin vowed to continue his predecessor’s work of seeking to maintain good relations with the various states in Europe, reasserting Italian claims to occupied sections of northern Italy, promising to finish the job of uprooting the corrupt bureaucrats that plagued various government ministries, and reiterated the offer of the prior administration to allow the Pope to return to Rome.
The beginning of the new Presidency was absorbed with reshuffling the cabinet, creating new ministries to handle the growing government bureaucracy, and returning Italian troops from the Crimea. Manin also expanded the Italian army, and the legislature passed a law which the President signed mandating at least two years service in the armed forces or, if unfit for duty, in the civil service.
As Manin began his work of reshaping the domestic affairs of the nation, Cavour was busy in the realm of international diplomacy. Italian advisors were hired out to the Ottoman military with the intention of helping the creaky empire to modernize its army. Relations with Russia were improved by the signing of a series of trade deals between the two nations. In seeking further assistance from France and Britain in the quest to unite all the Italian lands, Cavour made no progress. Neither nation had any interest in supporting a war in which they had nothing to gain, but neither would they interfere for either side. In February of 1856 however, the military situation changed dramatically.
Cavour in a meeting with the Prussian ambassador found the conversation turned towards Prussian ambitions in northern Germany. Cavour maintained that Italy had no objections to the unification of the German states under Prussian leadership, in fact he felt it would increase European stability. The ambassador hinted that Prussia, while confident they could defeat Austria, would prefer to have a secure ally in their venture, and would be prepared to sign a secret protocol maintaining an alliance between the two states should one become embroiled in a war with Austria. According to the protocols, there would be no separate peace and peace would only be accepted on the basis of achieving both nations war aims.
Cavour met with Manin, who though was unsure about the treaty, agreed to sign, provided that there were guarantees in place so that Italy would not be tied to overt Prussian aggression and have world opinion turned against her. The Prussian ambassador agreed to the Italian amendments and, in secret, the treaty was signed and ratified by both nations. An alliance had been found, now both nations only waited for the appropriate spark.
The presidency of Manin got started with a personal tragedy for the new President. When he had fled Venice with his family, shortly after the fall of the city, they had hidden themselves away on a ship sailing for France. His wife, her health already shattered during the hardships of the siege, died shortly after the ship reached port in Marseilles. His daughter too remained in ill health for some time, and Manin did not return to Italy till mid 1850. Despite their arrival in the new nation, a revival of the fortunes of Manin, and the best medical care they could find, Daniele Manin’s daughter passed shortly before her father’s inauguration.
Manin’s inauguration was a somber one. Despite having won the election handily, despite the acclaim from the people, Manin felt empty without his family. During his inauguration Manin vowed to continue his predecessor’s work of seeking to maintain good relations with the various states in Europe, reasserting Italian claims to occupied sections of northern Italy, promising to finish the job of uprooting the corrupt bureaucrats that plagued various government ministries, and reiterated the offer of the prior administration to allow the Pope to return to Rome.
The beginning of the new Presidency was absorbed with reshuffling the cabinet, creating new ministries to handle the growing government bureaucracy, and returning Italian troops from the Crimea. Manin also expanded the Italian army, and the legislature passed a law which the President signed mandating at least two years service in the armed forces or, if unfit for duty, in the civil service.
As Manin began his work of reshaping the domestic affairs of the nation, Cavour was busy in the realm of international diplomacy. Italian advisors were hired out to the Ottoman military with the intention of helping the creaky empire to modernize its army. Relations with Russia were improved by the signing of a series of trade deals between the two nations. In seeking further assistance from France and Britain in the quest to unite all the Italian lands, Cavour made no progress. Neither nation had any interest in supporting a war in which they had nothing to gain, but neither would they interfere for either side. In February of 1856 however, the military situation changed dramatically.
Cavour in a meeting with the Prussian ambassador found the conversation turned towards Prussian ambitions in northern Germany. Cavour maintained that Italy had no objections to the unification of the German states under Prussian leadership, in fact he felt it would increase European stability. The ambassador hinted that Prussia, while confident they could defeat Austria, would prefer to have a secure ally in their venture, and would be prepared to sign a secret protocol maintaining an alliance between the two states should one become embroiled in a war with Austria. According to the protocols, there would be no separate peace and peace would only be accepted on the basis of achieving both nations war aims.
Cavour met with Manin, who though was unsure about the treaty, agreed to sign, provided that there were guarantees in place so that Italy would not be tied to overt Prussian aggression and have world opinion turned against her. The Prussian ambassador agreed to the Italian amendments and, in secret, the treaty was signed and ratified by both nations. An alliance had been found, now both nations only waited for the appropriate spark.