Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 47: Chapter 47, The First Italian-Austrian War Breaks Out

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio     Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

On March 27, 1848, the Vienna Government announced the abolition of local tariffs and prohibited local governments from collecting tariffs under any name. The Hungarian representatives in Vienna stormed out on the spot.

Don’t be surprised, though the Hungarians had proposed the abolition of local tariffs as a condition, they had demanded that Austria unilaterally rescind them, not that Hungary would also give up collecting tariffs from Austria.

Otherwise, there would have been no need for debate on this matter. As early as the Maria reforms in 1795, the abolition of local tariffs had been suggested, and by 1848, other places had already abolished them.

Due to the obstruction of interest groups, this tariff was prolonged in Hungary.

The truth of the matter and the propaganda to the outside world were two different concepts entirely; the art of writing history to suit one’s purposes was equally applicable in Europe.

Otherwise, the Vienna Government would not have waited until after the suppression of the Hungarian revolution to abolish tariffs with Hungary.

When one wave settles, another arises!

The issues in the Czech region had not yet been resolved when more bad news reached Vienna: the Kingdom of Sardinia had declared war on Austria!

On the evening of March 23, King Charles Albert of Sardinia delivered a speech in the palace square declaring war on Austria. Due to the war, the news did not reach Vienna until the 27th.

“Have the reinforcements we sent to Marshal Radetzky arrived?” Franz asked.

After the suppression of the Vienna rebellion, the Austrian Government had reassigned fifty thousand troops to reinforce Marshal Radetzky.

This was originally prepared by Franz to confront the war with the Kingdom of Sardinia; otherwise, there was no need for reinforcements just to suppress the Austrian Italian rebellion.

Without reinforcements, it seemed likely that history would repeat itself with Marshal Radetzky contending against the Italians with limited troops, waiting for domestic reinforcements before defeating the Italians.

The situation now was different. The rebellion in Vienna had been suppressed early on, and other rebellions had not yet erupted. Austria had the strength to be committed to the Italian battlefield.

“They arrived in the Venice Area the afternoon before yesterday and have already begun suppressing the rebellion,” Felix said, his face ashen.

A small Kingdom of Sardinia, daring to challenge Austria at such a time, was truly like courting death.

Franz shook his head. This anti-Austrian agitation in Italy involved not just the Kingdom of Sardinia; the Papal State, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and the Kingdom of Naples all joined the war under public pressure.

The Austrian embassies in the Italian States had all sent messages calling for increased vigilance at home.

“Send orders to Marshal Radetzky to fight as he sees fit, and we will see how far he gets. If he needs reinforcements, he can wait another month!” Franz considered before speaking.

He had no intention of consulting the Cabinet on military matters; these people were amateurs, and their military understanding probably did not even compare to his own.

The risks of laypeople leading experts were too great. After the outbreak of the revolution, the telegraph lines in Vienna and the Italian Area were damaged.

Franz was unclear about the specific situation on the Italian battlefield, and the only thing he could do now was to delegate authority and ensure logistical support for Marshal Radetzky.

Historically, he had suppressed the Italian rebellion and defeated the armies of the Italian States. Now that Austria had an even greater advantage, there was no reason to lose.

Since the suppression of the Vienna rebellion, the Austrian Government had been expanding its forces in preparation for war, not just to suppress the revolution but also out of concern that foreign powers might take advantage of the situation.

Sometimes, Franz really wanted to simply deploy troops and shoot those nobles and capitalists who might rebel, then carry out a land reform, and all problems would be solved.

Unfortunately, this was impossible. Even the nobles who participated in the rebellion had to be dealt with by the Noble Assembly, let alone those who hadn’t rebelled yet?

Up to now, only twelve rebel aristocrats had been executed by the Noble Assembly, and their crime was using despicable means to kill other nobles in an attempt to fraudulently seize their titles!

Well, Franz had nothing to say, as this was the result that Archduke Louis had striven for in the Noble Assembly because of the grief of losing his son.

Of course, Franz had not done nothing. At least the estates of the twenty-eight noble families confirmed to have no heirs were temporarily taken into state custody. All collateral heirs were not allowed to inherit the titles until they proved they were not involved in the murders.

Regrettably, this was an unsolvable problem. As soon as someone applied to inherit a title, they had a motive for the crime.

You didn’t participate in the rebellion, but did your relatives or friends? If not them, perhaps your neighbors did, or maybe someone you know. All of that could not absolve you of suspicion.

Franz directly gave the Noble Assembly the power to determine their innocence. As long as more than eighty percent of the nobility assembly members confirmed you had no suspicion, and you were also the legal primary heir, you could inherit the title.

Relationships among nobility were too complicated, with a great many relatives having inheritance rights and everyone susceptible to jealousy. Internal issues were difficult to resolve.

As long as there was proof that the primary heir had issues, then the title and lands would go to the second in line.

Because of marriages between noble families, the primary and secondary heirs often were not from the same family, and might even be adversaries, which made it even more difficult.

Who doesn’t have a bunch of relatives and friends? It’s hard to aspire to inherit a title yourself, but it is quite easy to prevent someone else from inheriting.

“Your Highness, if all the major states in Italy enter the war, Marshal Radetzky might find himself short of troops. Should we call for reinforcements from other areas?” Felix suggested.

“The Italian states are not a united front; they sent troops under the pressure of public opinion, and each is probably still bargaining.

The Sardinians have now come forth, and my guess is they will launch an attack only if the Revolutionary Party agrees to unite with them.

In the Italian area, we already deployed forty thousand troops, and with these fifty thousand reinforcements, it’s not a problem to hold our ground against the enemy for a while, even if not to defeat them.

The situation within the country is unstable now; if we continue to divert more troops, and if a rebellion breaks out in other areas, we will be exhausted by the endless running.

You may tell Marshal Radetzky not to worry about the loss of one city or another. As long as we can ultimately secure victory, losing some ground now doesn’t matter.”

Franz still resisted the temptation to quickly defeat the Italians and chose to make steady progress.

In history, Marshal Radetzky, without any preparation and with orders from the Vienna Government to abandon Italy, was able to hold out. There is no reason to believe that with reinforcements, he would lose now.

Franz was unsure of the combat effectiveness of the Austrian army, but thinking about the performance of the Italian army reassured him.

Throughout history in numerous conflicts between Austria and Italy, except for the original ruler personally commanding and losing to the Franco-Italian Allied Forces, at all other times, Austria had thrashed Italy, including in later times when the Austro-Hungarian Empire was at its most corrupt and still managed to thrash Italy.

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