WI: Habsburgs promote the Venetian language

From what I have read the old area where Venetian is spoken is at one point called Austria, I think the Habsburgs could take advantage of this in some way.
 
Well... they could have used it to restore and to foster a sense of Venetian nationalism and separateness from the rest of the Italian peninsula... could've come in handy around 1866, if the Austrians could've presented themselves as the defenders of Venetian cultural autonomy, rather than as unwanted occupiers...
 
Maximilian, before his unfortunate Mexican adventure, was fairly well-regarded as Viceroy of Lombardy and Venetia. This really isn't so far-fetched...
 
Except that whatever Venetian nationalism could have existed (none was there IOTL) was going to look at the Old Republic's legacy and therefore to be likely hostile to Vienna.
 
Would it be productive for them to also do this with the Italians in dalmatia?
It would've been logical, considering that most of the Italian population in Dalmatia was there because of the old Venetian Stato da Mar... could've been a way of blunting the Italia Irredenta sentiment - "these people are Venetians! They don't want to be Italians... go and talk to the French about your Irredentia" :p
 
It would've been logical, considering that most of the Italian population in Dalmatia was there because of the old Venetian Stato da Mar... could've been a way of blunting the Italia Irredenta sentiment - "these people are Venetians! They don't want to be Italians... go and talk to the French about your Irredentia" :p
Italy would care little about Dalmatia if she does not have Venetia in the first place. They would argue that all Venetians are Italians anyway. I agree it would be logical within the premise, though.
 
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Thomas1195

Banned
Well... they could have used it to restore and to foster a sense of Venetian nationalism and separateness from the rest of the Italian peninsula... could've come in handy around 1866, if the Austrians could've presented themselves as the defenders of Venetian cultural autonomy, rather than as unwanted occupiers...
And by doing so they would end up turning the whole region into a republican and separatist hotbed at the same time. Don't forget that the Republic of Venice was completely different from say, First French Republic. It was 1000 years old, which means the republican tradition was extremely strong and many of its former citizens in Venetia and Dalmatia still held attachment to the Republic, especially in the city of Venice proper. They would have made the Hungarians look like loyal subjects of the Empire.

In an ATL ww1, Venetia would have been the first group to defect if A-H was on the losing side.
 

Thomas1195

Banned
It would've been logical, considering that most of the Italian population in Dalmatia was there because of the old Venetian Stato da Mar... could've been a way of blunting the Italia Irredenta sentiment - "these people are Venetians! They don't want to be Italians... go and talk to the French about your Irredentia" :p
They would in turn tell the Habsburgs - "we are the citizens of the Republic of St Mark, not subjects of a foreign monarch". If Austria is somehow on the losing side of a major war, they would turn on the Habsburg.
 

Thomas1195

Banned
Enemies of the Habsburgs can simply promise to recreate the Republic of Venice as a sovereign state to cause the Venetians to turn coat.
 
I wonder if it would lead to people seeing it as a a tool of foreigners and go with the Tuscan originated stuff that became modern Italian. Also, would this be for the Kingdom of Venetia-Lombardy, for Venetia after giving up Lombardy, or for Italian areas in the empire as well? I imagine they might not need to go out of their way to use it in the coastal cities in Dalmatia or for Ragusa. Also all those Frilulian languages that they may just leave as is. Whichever administrative divisoin they are in while decide what to teach them and if they bother subsidizing schools in the area.
 
I wonder if it would lead to people seeing it as a a tool of foreigners and go with the Tuscan originated stuff that became modern Italian. Also, would this be for the Kingdom of Venetia-Lombardy, for Venetia after giving up Lombardy, or for Italian areas in the empire as well? I imagine they might not need to go out of their way to use it in the coastal cities in Dalmatia or for Ragusa. Also all those Frilulian languages that they may just leave as is. Whichever administrative divisoin they are in while decide what to teach them and if they bother subsidizing schools in the area.
Trentino is partially Venetian speaking as well...
 
To separate the Venetians and Friulians from Italians.
There wasn't really anything to do about that regarding language, in the 1860s, only 2.5% to 10% of the population of the Kingdom of Italy could speak "modern" Italian, with dialects and vernacular languages being widespread and common use.
In the Habsburg Italian-speaking territories, the mainstream languages wouldn't be italian anyway except for immigrants from the Kingdom of Italy.
 
And by doing so they would end up turning the whole region into a republican and separatist hotbed at the same time. Don't forget that the Republic of Venice was completely different from say, First French Republic. It was 1000 years old, which means the republican tradition was extremely strong and many of its former citizens in Venetia and Dalmatia still held attachment to the Republic, especially in the city of Venice proper. They would have made the Hungarians look like loyal subjects of the Empire.

In an ATL ww1, Venetia would have been the first group to defect if A-H was on the losing side.
You may be right... but... the old Venice was very different from the First Republic, namely that it was barely democratic in most senses of the word. The only thing that made it a "republic" was that there was no hereditary monarch. I doubt if its complex electoral system and limited franchise, with substantial oligarchic/plutocratic/aristocratic elements would be much inspiration in, say, 1848...
I agree this would be a tall climb for the Austrian Habsburgs, but not completely impossible, particularly if substantial local autonomy is granted and if the economy does well under A-H rule. Politics in Italy were a mess both before and after the Risorgimiento, and the economic conditions frequently none too good (hence the high levels of emigration). You may have the attitude develop that "well, it's not an ideal situation but, eh, life's not too bad here..." Sometimes ethnic nationalism can be an overplayed hand...
 
Enemies of the Habsburgs can simply promise to recreate the Republic of Venice as a sovereign state to cause the Venetians to turn coat.
Which enemies? If the Kingdom of Italy were to play this angle, it would certainly be a ruse, and the nascent "Republic of Venice" would find itself annexed at the 1st opportune moment :p
 
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