Chapter 1301 Holy Alliance
Franz invited all the monarchs in Europe. Secondly, the rebellion in Spain was big enough to at least irritate the nerves of most of the monarchs in Europe.
The royal family was massacred, the king was changed twice within a year, and in 1848, the monarchs in Europe wanted to do something.
It's not that no one is willing to take the lead, but the small countries are not strong, and the big countries are all stumbling for various reasons.
So Franz plans to stand up and be the leader.
In fact, Nicholas I was the most staunch supporter of sending troops to Spain. As soon as he learned that the Spanish Republicans had executed the king, he ordered the whole country to be on war preparedness.
It's just that Russia at this time is like a giant with feet of clay, and the rebellion under its feet makes it unable to move.
Otherwise, Nicholas I would like to pack up the Cossack cavalry and ship it to the Iberian Peninsula to give Ferrante Duval a hard time.
In terms of opposing the republic, Russia is definitely a trustworthy ally. Although Russia has a main ethnic group, the actual situation is not much better than that of the Austrian Empire.
Due to his personal experience, Nicholas I hated "democracy and republic" extremely. The Decembrists and Napoleon were his lifelong pain.
Although Russia could not provide any substantial help, with Russia as a powerful ally, it could still influence the direction of public opinion and the attitude of small countries to a certain extent.
Russia has the strength to be stingy, but Prussia is not qualified. Facing the request of the Austrian Empire, William IV did not dare to refuse.
After the rebellion of 1848 and the Spanish Republicans, the monarchs in the German region have become extremely sensitive. If Prussia hesitates a little, it will be regarded as a potential supporter of the Republicans.
Franz naturally knows the little tricks that Prussia has done in private, and the latter will not let the former get what he wants.
In fact, all this was originally designed by Franz, with the purpose of making Prussia feel the pain of the dual system.
William IV either chooses to pay money or chooses to send people. However, no matter which option Prussia chooses, it has offended the French and Spanish Republicans, and it is also a consumption of Prussia's national strength.
In addition, according to Franz's estimation, William IV would definitely choose to let the Rhine region bear the war obligations.
This behavior seems to be a beautiful move to shift the contradictions and responsibilities to the opponent, but in fact it is further dividing the country.
The Rhine region has many barriers with Prussia, not only in terms of geographical location, but also in religion, customs, language, and culture.
Those small countries in history are naturally unable to stop the merger of the eastern and western parts of Prussia. However, after Franz's kinship merger, the strengthened Hanover and Hesse are no longer objects that Prussia can manipulate at will.
The development of the Rhine region in the industrial age cannot be stopped, and William IV's approach will only make the Rhine region and the Prussian government more alienated.
Other states in the German region have even less reason to oppose. As mentioned above, both the French Revolution and the Spanish Republican rebellion at this time are too bloody and cruel.
At least in the eyes of the monarchs of European countries, this is true. Coupled with the influence of the Holy Alliance itself, it is not surprising that they are willing to pay and send people.
Needless to say, the states in Italy were more deeply influenced by the Austrian Empire.
The only one who was a little hesitant was the Kingdom of Sardinia, Vittorio Emanuele II. The Austrian Empire had already made him very uncomfortable with the joint defense agreement in the Apennines.
At this time, the Kingdom of Sardinia had to join the Holy Alliance Army. He really wanted to quit.
However, Vittorio Emanuele II could only think about it. Cavour and the high officials of the Kingdom of Sardinia knew that the Kingdom of Sardinia could not send troops or pay money, but it must have an attitude.
The attitude of the Kingdom of Sweden was ambiguous, with neither clear opposition nor clear support.
Oscar I actually admired Napoleon very much and advocated liberalism.
He supported the Spanish Revolution. If it had not been a bad influence, Oscar I would have wanted to open champagne to celebrate.
However, Oscar I was a qualified monarch and would not do anything to shake the rule of the Bernadotte Dynasty.
Oscar I would not pay for other countries. He wanted Sweden to stay out of the matter like Britain, but at the same time have a strong influence, and it would be best if he could benefit his country.
However, due to the limitations of national strength, Oscar I's idea could only be a fantasy.
Due to their political positions, the British and Portuguese royal families did not send people directly to the meeting, but they sent special envoys to privately express their support for the Austrian Empire's war.
The actual support the Austrian Empire received throughout the meeting was very limited, but this was enough for Franz, and he had no intention of relying on the power of other countries.
France, Paris.
Louis Napoleon did not expect that the Austrian Empire would ignore the advice and directly declare war on Spain. France and Spain had already formed an alliance. At this time, the Austrian Empire declared war on Spain, and France could skip the armistice agreement and go to war with the Austrian Empire directly.
In Louis Napoleon's heart, he was unwilling for the Austrian Empire to fight to the death in Spain. This was not because Louis Napoleon did not want to defeat the Austrian Empire, but because he did not want the Republicans to continue to expand their influence.
The actions of the French Republicans were not actually approved by Louis Napoleon, and in fact the president only learned of the actions at the very end.
Although the alliance between France and Spain was beneficial to the Second French Republic, it was forced by the Republicans on Louis Napoleon.
No leader likes to be forced. Even if it is good for the country, it is a heavy blow to his personal prestige.
In addition, the reputation of the republicans increased greatly, and the first unlucky one was Louis Napoleon. Many republicans could not stand his policies.
Moreover, the Republicans already held a majority of seats, and the United Order Party had only previously squeezed the Republicans out of important positions.
This time Louis Napoleon may have no reason to refuse, and the Republicans will definitely come up with their own policies to implement them. The two sides will easily become opposites, and it will be impossible to reconcile them.
The most important thing is that the Republicans held a conference to prevent Louis Napoleon from ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor, which he could not tolerate.
However, the wheel of history could not be stopped by Louis Napoleon. In the face of fierce public opinion, he could only choose to give in temporarily.
However, for Louis Napoleon, if he could defeat Austria and the so-called Holy Alliance coalition forces in Spain, it would be equivalent to tearing a hole in the Vienna System.
This is a good thing for the future of France, and it is in line with his plan, and it can enhance the confidence of the current French people.