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I'm sure the topic of Austria-Hungary and it's politics have been discussed to death on here, and there are many timelines as well that deal with the empire following a more liberal line rather than it did IOTL, with changes such as Maximilian becoming Emperor or Franz Josef being succeeded by his son Rudolf.

But what if Franz Josef was actually more liberal himself? Granted, he wasn't terribly autocratic, but he was definitely a product of his time, traditional, conservative, and old fashioned. He was very close to his grandfather, Franz I and the events of 1848 certainly had some effect on him too. His marriage was also an ill match, considering the Empress Sisi was everything he wasn't -- a dreamer, liberal, and impulsive. He was also reared from the time of his birth as future Emperor, given his father was unambitious and the mental capacities of his uncle, Ferdinand IV.

What if Franz Josef had different characteristics than his OTL counterpart that result in him having a different outlook? Given how dependent he was on his mother even after he became Emperor, it may help (however tragic) if she dies while she is young, perhaps after giving birth to him or his brother Maximilian. Perhaps a different education as well; almost all Habsburg Archdukes served in the military, as the Franz Josef himself was made a Colonel at 13 and even served under Radetzsky in Italy, receiving his first baptism of fire. This would likely still happen, but perhaps this Franz Josef views army life with more disdain rather than with the gusto he did for the remainder of his life IOTL, always wearing army fashion and the uniform of an officer.

Once 1848 hits and he becomes Emperor, this is where we can make some changes. Being so young and without guidance from his mother, he'd likely lean on his ministers; I see no reason why his first Minister-President wouldn't be the one who served IOTL, Prince Schwarzenberg, whose ministery included liberal allies such as Alexander von Bach, Karl Ludwig von Bruck and Anton von Schmerling and even a Bohemian Federalist, Leopold von Thun und Hohenstein.

One big change is the Constitution of 1849 which was granted under Schwarzenberg's guidance and that Franz Josef felt free to toss away once the Hungarians and the Sardinians had been crushed and authority restored over the Austrian Empire might actually stick. This could have effects on the Italian front as well, as it was largely the Austrian successes that caused many Italian leaders who were initially reformers, such as Leopold II of Tuscany and Pope Pius IX to renege on their promises.

I'm not sure what Franz Josef can really do in that situation: Sardinia will still end up losing against Austria, and the Italians will still hate Austrian dominance no matter what. He can make some moves towards reforms in Lombardy-Veneto, but it'd definitely still be within the framework of the empire, not of it. So no matter what, in regards to Italy, Austria is still in a very hard place, but it could effect the careers of Leopold II and even Pius IX, and perhaps they don't go back on their original reformist visisions, giving the Italians multiple options of unification, rather than just looking to the House of Savoy. Dividing the movement is really the best thing Austria can do, other than hoping the Tuscan Grand Duke becomes a popular option for King of Italy (seems pretty unlikely) or unification ultimately results in a relatively decentralized Italian Federation or something of that sort.

Hungary is also tricky, as calling in the Tsar to help is a bad idea. With realpolitik, Franz Josef could definitely do it regardless, but putting down the uprising without the use of foreign force would go a long way of (eventually) reconciling the Hungarians. It might take longer though (we could see the revolt carry into 1850, which poses the risk of Hungary gaining sympathy abroad). In 1849 there aren't going to be any compromises, but if Franz Josef uses the carrot and the stick when the revolt is crushed, it'll make things easier. Not involving the Russians also won't sour things when the Crimean War happens, as they won't be expecting Austrian help.

So, after the mess of 1848, what comes next? Schwarzenberg died IOTL, but perhaps butterflies can help him live a bit longer, as he was definitely an efficient Minister-President and could get things done. How does Italy play out, and more importantly, where does the Habsburg Empire go from there? Does it end up a centralized state with one common Parliament with autonomy for the various crowns that make it up, a federation of states, or a warped form of power sharing between the four main crowns of the empire: Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia (with it being given Dalamatia)? Franz Josef ending up as Emperor of Großdeutschland with Hungary gaining it's independence and Galicia, along with Croatia in a personal union (and a Habsburg Prince as their King to boot?) Or maybe it still rots and decays just like IOTL?

International relations are also interesting and I wonder how they would turn out. Schwarzenberg was a supporter of an Austro-German federation, but also wished to included the Austrian territories outside the Confederation, which frankly, is never going to happen. Schwarzenberg pulled all the Austrian delegates from the Frankfurt Parliament anyways. Bismarck may still rise to power in Prussia, and if Schwarzenberg lives longer, it'd be interesting to see how those two personalities clash, because just because Franz Josef ends up more liberal, doesn't mean Austria's army would be more prepared. I'm more interested in the politics more than anything, rather than a more liberal Franz Josef leading a Großdeutschland.
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