Chapter 1092: Amazing Choice

Vienna, headquarters of the German Confederation.

Once upon a time, there was an unwritten rule that the king would not come directly to attend the Confederation meeting.

But this time was different, because Franz announced that he would attend in person, so all the German monarchs said they would be there in person.

This even included King William IV of Prussia, who had always been at odds with Austria, and the newly succeeded King George V of Hanover.

Historically, George V was to succeed to the throne in 1851, but his father, Ernst August I, was too notorious and always chose the wrong path at the wrong time.

Ernst August I was an extreme religious person. On the one hand, he persecuted Catholics in the country, and on the other hand, he even opposed the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1828 implemented in the UK.

In addition, he abolished the liberal policies of the previous king as soon as he ascended the throne, and insisted that he was the legitimate heir to the British throne.

Ernst August I was born in Buckingham Palace, England, so he claimed to be a noble Anglo-Saxon, not a barbaric German.

This was not a big problem in the early 19th century, but with the rise of nationalism in the mid-19th century, his words became somewhat out of place.

Although Ernst August I's original intention was just to say that he was the one who was more suitable to be the King of England, these words deeply hurt the hearts of the nationalists in the Kingdom of Hanover.

Ernst August I's personal morality was also problematic, although there was no evidence for the rumors that he had committed incest with his sister and killed innocent people in the manor.

But when people mentioned Ernst August I, they always subconsciously thought of some bad things, and it was very consistent with the description of the old aristocracy by the liberals, which made his reputation even more notorious.

The most important thing was that at the climax of the entire 1848, he finally chose to stand on the side of the constitutionalists in the German Civil War and promulgated a liberal constitution.

However, before the Hanoverian army had assembled, news came that the Austrian army had entered Frankfurt and the orthodox had won a great victory and was arresting people all over the world.

In desperation, Ernst August I decided to ask Britain for help. His behavior completely angered the nationalists at home. In fact, the liberals were also very angry about his wavering behavior.

Finally, before the liberals and conservatives took action, George V could no longer bear it and forced his father to abdicate to end the crisis.

However, George V was a blind man. Although he had two sons, they were considered to be the illegitimate children of his wife and her lover, so no one was optimistic about his rule.

Fortunately, there was a good brother like Franz, who assigned the free city of Bremen to Hanover, which greatly alleviated the crisis of George V's rule.

However, the purpose of George V's trip was not only this, he wanted to go further.

In fact, many people had heard the wind before the meeting that King Friedrich August II of Saxony would propose a motion of fusion of the same clan to the Confederation Parliament.

This is no small matter. The Austrian emperor abolished the status of the four free cities, arrested the mayors of the four free cities and included them in the four powerful states. It was explosive enough.

After all, the four free cities have a history of hundreds of years, and it has been said that they have the strength to fight against the four powerful states, and can even manipulate the emperor's dethronement and the economy of the entire German region.

However, when the armies of Austria and the four powerful states really came, none of the four free cities could put up a decent resistance.

Only the city guards of Frankfurt put up a desperate resistance, but they only lasted less than half an hour after the Austrian army launched the attack.

When the Austrian army arrived, most of the troops of other free cities had become honor guards, and some even arrested the main officials of the free cities in advance to win credit from the Austrians.

However, compared with the merger of the same clan, the fate of the four free cities seems to be not worth mentioning.

The biggest beneficiary of the merger of the same clan will undoubtedly be Saxony. The Kingdom of Saxony will become one of the four powerful states in the true sense, not just economically and verbally.

This is a reinforcement and reshuffle for the major families in the German region. The Wettin family has done something that everyone wants to do but dares not to do.

However, when some people are happy, others are worried. Some branches are unwilling to give up the power in their hands. They will definitely oppose it strongly, or even take risks.

This is why Franz did not propose it himself.

Although the strength and prestige of the Austrian Empire at this time can completely suppress the states, it is not impossible to directly establish the German Empire like Prussia in history.

But what is the price?

First, Britain and France will form an alliance again. This time it will no longer be a loose alliance that is independent and disunited, but a close alliance like the First World War, full cooperation, fighting side by side, and fighting to the death.

Secondly, Franz will clear out the popularity accumulated by the Habsburg family for hundreds of years at one time, and will leave countless stubborn problems inside, which will become a real national cage at that time.

These are hidden dangers. Once they erupt, the Austrian Empire will be blown to pieces, and even Austria will not be able to survive. At that time, Franz may really have to go to Rome to be his "King of Rome".

Finally, this would also create a rift between the alliance between Russia and Austria. Although Russia had been supporting Austria's expansion on the surface at this time, the so-called support was nothing more than some verbal words and some waste paper.

If Franz really rebuilt the Western Roman Empire, the first to enter Vienna would be the Russians.

Friedrich August II, Franz's uncle, was not a wise man. He was a king with serious liberal tendencies and more like a casual aristocrat than a king.

August II liked skiing and art, and even went on stage to perform in person, but he was not a qualified monarch, hated war, did not like hegemony, and was even unwilling to fulfill the obligations of a monarch.

August II announced a series of liberal reforms as soon as he came to power, but most of them were not actually implemented due to various constraints.

So he began to play badly, and after becoming obsessed with opera, he became one of Wagner's sponsors. You know, it was very expensive to engage in art back then, so the Saxon government soon became heavily in debt.

Whenever there was a shortage of funds, August II would demand disarmament, which was initially strongly supported by the liberals in Saxony.

However, after a while, the size of Saxony's army had been reduced from 80,000 at its peak to 10,000. At this time, even the liberals who had always advocated disarmament began to panic.

Fortunately, the Wilsterbach family was rich in strong women, and Mrs. Sophie's twin sister took up the responsibility. In addition, Austria joined the German Customs Union, and with Franz's strong support, Saxony once again became the strongest state in North Germany in terms of economy.

However, some people just can't even win by lying down. In 1848, August II formulated a series of liberal reform plans based on the current situation, appointed a large number of liberal officials, and even created a relatively complete free election law, and placed his wife and some conservative ministers under house arrest.

However, the liberal reforms did not solve Saxony's original problems. Instead, they severely damaged Saxony's economy, and even a workers' movement broke out, causing the situation to deteriorate further.

This time, the liberals attributed the failure of the reform to Augustus II’s refusal to give up, and pointed the finger at Augustus II himself.

At this time, Augustus II once again made a surprising decision: he decided to ask Prussia for help.