Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 408: Treaty of June 6th

The European arms race has been initiated, and negotiations between France and Austria are also nearing conclusion. The aspirations of Napoleon III to establish Greater France and those of Franz to establish the Greater Holy Roman Empire each harbored their own calculations.

Undoubtedly, strategic conflicts between France and Austria are almost inevitable. However, the timing of the conflict is definitely not now.

Until the empires are established, France and Austria remain allies, necessitating joint efforts to share international pressure. This marks a collaboration akin to bargaining with a tiger for its skin.

On June 6, 1866, Wessenberg, the Foreign Minister of the new Holy Roman Empire, and Abraham, the French Foreign Minister, signed the alliance treaty known as the Treaty of June 6th.

The treaty provisions include:

One. France and the new Holy Roman Empire officially forms an alliance, with the treaty valid for a period of ten years;

Two. The two countries mutually recognize each others spheres of influence, mainly based on the areas currently under their actual control;

Three. Austria will sell the sovereignty of various Italian states, including the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Papal States, and Tuscany, to France for the price of 20 million guilders (250 million francs);

Four. France will sell the Balkan territories under its control to Austria for the price of 200 million francs (A total of 16 million guilders) and will also sell the colonial territories overlapping with those of Austria in West Africa for the price of 50 million francs;

Five. Austria tacitly agrees to France annexing Belgium, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Papal States, Tuscany, and other regions. In return, France refrains from interfering in Austrias unification of Germany (disputed territories are temporarily set aside);

Six. Both countries agree to divide their spheres of influence on the African continent in accordance below:

The French will acquire the majority of North Africa and parts of West Africa.

(Note: Mainly including parts of present-day Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan...)

The new Holy Roman Empire, in turn, obtains the majority of territories in West Africa and Central Africa, as well as portions of North Africa and South Africa.

(Mainly todays Libya, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Chad, and Sudan...)

Note: East Africa and most of South Africa, which have not yet been incorporated into the spheres of influence of either country, will belong to whoever claims them first. Both parties mutually acknowledge each others expansion of influence on the African continent.

...

Without a doubt, the Treaty of June 6th is filled with compromises and uncertainties, with the alliance lasting only ten years, and both sides mentally preparing for potential future conflicts.

The core conflict, the Rhineland region, is not explicitly addressed in the treaty, laying the groundwork for future disputes between the two countries.

Of course, there is no verbal agreement in the treaty on who gets what. In other words, its a matter of who has the bigger fist.

The specifics of how to determine this will be resolved either when the French Empire is established or when Germany is unified.

From Franzs perspective, aside from sharing diplomatic pressure with the French, the only other aspect of interest in this treaty is the division of benefits in the African continent, where both France and Austria have staked claims to one-third each.

Had their strength in East and South Africa not been lacking, they may have simply partitioned the whole African continent between the two of them.

However, both of them demarcating territories was merely an agreement the African continent is not small, with even one-third being one million square kilometers.

Franz has sent so many immigrants over, yet their actual control area in the African continent is less than five million square kilometers. The rest is merely a nominal rule.

As for the French, despite Napoleon IIIs vigorous immigration efforts from the Balkan Peninsula, the number of immigrants in French African colonies is only in the millions. They control the coastal areas, but any further expansion seems unlikely.

Austrias colonization efforts are relatively better. Even though there are various colonial outposts from other countries, they dont pose a serious threat, and clearing them out wouldnt be difficult.

The French, on the other hand, have their hands full. For instance, in the situation in Egypt, does the British agree? And in Morocco, do Spain and John Bull agree?

For now, it makes sense to leave East Africa and South Africa alone. The French simply cant digest them. Its easy to sign a treaty, but if they dont even have the strength to turn it into reality, it would be laughable.

The division of the African continent between France and Austria is merely a closed-door self-indulgence for the two countries. In reality, without first kicking out the British, Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch, this plan is impossible to achieve.

For Franz, the Dutch can be ignored, and the Spanish can also be disregarded; their influence in Africa is minimal, and they have nothing to do with the new Holy Roman Empire.

The treaty sometimes referred to Austria, sometimes the new Holy Roman Empire this was a European tradition, otherwise it would lack legal effect.

The sovereignty of the Italian states lies with Austria, albeit this is only tacitly acknowledged by all; since the French now recognize it, they can now only purchase it from Austria.

Similarly, since Franz planned to incorporate the French Balkan territories into Austria, Austria itself had to pay for it, or else other states would object.

As for the colonies, they belonged to the new Holy Roman Empire, so funding for their purchase naturally came from the central government. Though for Franz, this is a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul, the proper legal procedures must still be followed.

The various states within the Empire benefited from the colonies, so naturally, the colonial costs must also be shared collectively.

With the integration of the African colonies, there will be even more problems to face, so it is imperative to clarify these systems now.

Franz is very satisfied with this treaty. Austria has long lost control over the Italian states, or rather, has never truly controlled them.

If Austria were to annex the Italian states, within ten years, it would become a duplicate of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, perhaps called the Austro-Italian Empire.

It should be noted that Italy has a population of 25 million and shares a unified cultural tradition. Franz understood well the difficulty of assimilating them.

After all these years, Lombardy-Venetia still retains a strong Italian identity, while other regions of Austria have undergone changes under the influence of Germanic culture.

Its easy to teach them German and have them learn German, just send the kids to school, but erasing local customs and cultures will take a lot of time.

Regardless, with each passing generation, the imprint of Italy will fade bit by bit, and at the current rate, it will take two to three generations for the Austro-Italian regions to complete ethnic integration.

As for other ethnicities within Austria, many have already become Germanized.

For example, the Czech people have long been assimilated. Apart from the difference in language and writing, influenced by the nobility, there was no difference in their local life, customs, and habits from the Germans. Now, with the unification of language and writing, the last issue no longer exists.

Franz was powerless against the twenty million Italians, so he could only send them to trouble the French. No matter how powerful the French Empire becomes in the short term, as long as France and Italy merge, they will eventually follow in the footsteps of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Dont just look at the current total population of France which is already 44 million, as this is the result of annexing the Kingdom of Sardinia which brought in 6 million people. The main ethnic groups in France now include the French, Corsicans, Bretons, and Italians.

The French, Corsicans, and Bretons have already completed ethnic integration, while the newly added Italians do not fit in with them.

If a few more Italian states are annexed, then the Italians will become the largest ethnic group in Napoleon IIIs Greater French Empire.

He probably wouldnt care about this issue; with the emperor himself being Italian, is it really a problem if the Italians become the largest ethnic group?

Its too early to discuss this issue; for Napoleon III now, the biggest problem is how to annex these Italian states, not the troubles that might arise afterward.

Directly swallowing them whole is impossible; European countries will not allow such a thing to happen. France is also not the Holy Roman Empire, where additional seats for states can just be added.

Legally, the Kingdom of Sardinia is still an independent country with a shared monarchy with France, but it is not truly part of France.

Despite the French government controlling the internal affairs and diplomacy of the Kingdom of Sardinia, this fact remains unchanged. Frances desire to merge with the Kingdom of Sardinia is still a long and arduous task.

Franz doesnt yet know what Napoleon III is thinking, but he has already assisted in drafting plans to annex the Italian states.

When conditions are ripe, it will all fall into Napoleon IIIs hands. The method is quite simple: first, establish an Italian federation, let the Italian states join it, and then let the Italian federation and France form a new federal empire.

Doesnt it sound very familiar? Thats right, Franz referenced the Austro-Hungarian Empire to design this specifically for Napoleon III.

Since no one has experienced it before, no one still knows how tricky a dual monarchy can be. Just like in the original timeline, the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was considered a great revival of the Habsburg dynasty.

Adding to that, Napoleon III has no legitimacy in Italy and has a tiny number of supporters among the people there. He can now only take power by force, making this hidden danger even greater.

Prime Minister Felix expressed his concerns, saying, Your Majesty, while we have acquired the French Balkan territories, there is a series of issues ahead that need to be addressed. One misstep could lead to even greater trouble.

There was a clear agreement in the Russo-Austrian Secret Treaty, stipulating that the current French Balkan territories were originally designated for the Russians. Although we acquired them from the French, the explicit provisions in the treaty pose a significant challenge.

Especially concerning the Dardanelles, the Russians have always had their eyes on it. Since they are currently preoccupied with the Russo-Prussian War, they may not raise objections now, but these issues could become potential hazards in the future for Russo-Austrian relations.

The annexation of the French Balkan territories is undoubtedly a boon for Austria. Not only has it removed a thorn in its side, but it has also extended its influence into the Aegean Sea.

However, it also brings considerable trouble. Austria now acts as the gatekeeper of Europe, blocking the Russians from the Black Sea, which will inevitably lead to the division of the Russo-Austrian alliance.

With the ambitious France and the troublemaker John Bull to the west, and now facing off against the Russians to the east, Austrias future days are not promising.

Franz shrugged indifferently, saying, It doesnt matter. This is our deal with the French. If the Russians are interested in these territories, they can pay to buy them; just multiply the price by ten.

We are also open to territorial swaps. If the Russian government is determined to enter the Mediterranean, they will have to pay an appropriate price!

The Foreign Ministry can contact the Russians. Apart from Poland which we dont want, we can accept any region adjacent to our homeland.

This is nonsense. If the Russian government were so wealthy, they would have conquered the entire Balkan Peninsula in one go. The Russo-Prussian War would have also ended last year.

At that time, the Polish territories were still intact, and most of the military provisions could be obtained locally. With waterways connecting Austria, logistics were not an issue. As long as they were willing to spend money, a million-strong army could easily advance, and the Prussians would have long surrendered.

If they lack funds, then territorial exchange is the only option. Despite the grand ambitions of the Russians, the only territory bordering Austria, aside from Russian Poland, is Western Ukraine. This is practically telling the Russians in broad daylight that they have their eyes on Western Ukraine.

How to exchange territories and whether the Russian government agrees is not the focus. In any case, in the next twenty years, it will be impossible for the Russians to make a comeback.

Twenty years is enough time to change many things. By then, Austrias African strategy will have been completed, and barring any surprises, the French will also have fallen into the pit.

If lucky, the French might self-destruct on their own. Napoleon III, who is nearly 60 years old, is not in the best health. In the original timeline, he passed away in 1873, so its uncertain how much longer he will live.

He has many illegitimate children, but only one legitimate son. Born in 1856, his son would not be able to control the empire if Napoleon III could not live much longer.

A dual monarchy is not something an ordinary person can handle. Without sufficient prestige and skill to suppress opposition, problems will arise at the slightest provocation.

Especially in revolutionary Paris, any slight issue could trigger a revolution in that region. With a young monarch, it would be a disaster.

Even if theres no disaster, one can be manufactured, such as supporting Italian independence or a sudden outbreak of a Franco-Austrian war.

As long as France is beaten down, eliminating the danger of a two-front war, Russia and Austria can truly befriend each other.