Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 272 The Situation in Austria
Naserdin embarked on another trip to Europe, while Vienna was engulfed in endless disputes.

This naturally involved the Balkan issue, with Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece embroiled in heated disputes with the Ottomans. Russia also intervened, and Britain subsequently issued threats against the Ottomans.

Currently, it seems that Bulgaria's independence is almost certain. However, only the northern region of Plovdiv will be independent, while the southern region, Rumilya Province, will remain within the Ottoman Empire.

Bulgaria naturally disagreed, and of course, Greece and Serbia's conditions were also unacceptable. But despite the arguments, the specifics were ultimately decided by Britain, France, Russia, and Austria; Prussia, being too far away, did not participate.

"Your Majesty, the Ottoman ambassador has proposed that our country temporarily take over Bosnia, which is beneficial to our expansion."

Austrian Foreign Minister Albrecht briefed Franz on the progress of the Vienna Conference, stating that Austria could effectively acquire Bosnia, but would nominally remain under Ottoman control. This was good news.

Austria also needed to maintain good relations with the Balkan countries, and he had received Nasser al-Din's letter. It suggested cultivating good relations with Bulgaria; if that was the case, then so be it.

"How did the discussions with the Bulgarian Foreign Minister go?" Franz asked.

Albrecht spoke candidly about how Bulgaria was relatively close to Russia due to its Orthodox Christian ties, but Russia's influence was too great, even forcing the Bulgarian government to elect a Russian nobleman as Grand Prince, which aroused Rakovsky's resentment. Furthermore, Russia could not provide sufficient support for Bulgaria on the Macedonian issue.

"Your Majesty, the Russians want to bring Bulgaria under their rule without any effort. We can use this as a starting point to win them over."

Upon hearing this, Franz sighed, "The Russians haven't changed at all," and then continued, "It seems Bulgaria is our only breakthrough point. We need to reach an agreement with them. Only then can we move quickly after the Ottoman forces withdraw more."

Tell them that if they are willing to form an alliance with our country, then we are willing to recognize their rights in Macedonia.

His Majesty's promise is far too weighty; Macedonia is a territory coveted by both Serbia and Greece. Granting it would be tantamount to pushing these two countries directly towards Russia.

"Your Majesty, isn't this a bit too reckless?"

Franz shook his head. "No, the probability of reconciliation between our country and Serbia in the future is basically zero. In that case, let them directly join Russia. We only need to cultivate an opponent that is even stronger than Serbia."

Albrecht left with the orders, intending to explain the details to the Bulgarians. Franz, of course, had more important matters to attend to: Austria's domestic problems.

From the revolution of 1848 to the beginning of this period, the Austrian Empire's performance abroad was relatively acceptable. They forced Prussia to submit, curbed Russia's expansion, and Austria's status slowly improved. However, the only plan the empire could not accomplish was to ensure that all Italian and Slavic provinces belonged to the Austrian Empire. The loss of Lombardy severely damaged public confidence in Austria, with Bohemian peasants saying, "If we are defeated, we will get a constitution; if we win, we will get a trial."

Meanwhile, a series of events over the past decade had depleted Austria's already impoverished treasury, and the country had received no relief in recent years. Consequently, despite increasing tax revenues, the annual deficit continued to grow. To cope with the financial crisis, the Austrian government was forced to issue discounted banknotes, effectively even putting banknotes with a face value reduced to five cents into circulation.

Facing internal and external difficulties, Franz decided to expand parliament to counter the momentum of his opponents. However, this meant that Austria was about to abandon its long-standing absolute monarchy, and now Austria was left with only two paths: the first was a dual system, which left Hungary with a long-standing constitution and barely unified the other states; the second was a federal system, which satisfied national aspirations while preserving the historical traditions of the different groups that made up the Austrian Empire.

The Slavs and some Germans demanded a federal system because they admired its traditions and autonomy. The Hungarians, on the other hand, demanded a dual system.

The Kingdom of Hungary was the first country to undergo a new purge after 1848. Everything the Austrian government did was aimed at stripping Hungary of its independence. The Austrian Empire sent an acting official to Pest; the Kingdom of Hungary was divided into five parts. Public office was first given to Germans, and German became the common language in administrative offices, courts, and schools. Ruthless police monitored the citizens.

But Hungarians are the second largest ethnic group after Germans, and given their large population, Franz felt that nothing he did would work.

During the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century, the fragmented Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, replaced by a similarly fragmented German Confederation. The Austrian Habsburg family consolidated the various titles, and the Austrian territory controlled by the family, along with the numerous ethnic groups in its southeast, became the foundation of the later Austrian Empire.

Napoleon spread the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity from the French Revolution to every corner of Europe, conveying a message that was incredibly detrimental to the Austrian Empire—nationalism. The Austrian Empire was already a multi-ethnic nation. After the Napoleonic Wars, Austria acquired vast territories in northern Italy, and the influx of Italians further complicated Austria's ethnic problems.

To the south, Italy was plagued by unrest, Czechoslovakia and Vienna were filled with demonstrations, and Hungary was openly seeking to establish its own government. After 1848, Austria finally enjoyed a period of peace, but the Italian war, like a domino effect, exposed Austria's weakness.

However, since the Magyars of Hungary have been taken into consideration, should the Slavs also be taken into account? The Slavs within the country are also divided into numerous factions, so should they also be dealt with in a divide-and-rule manner? All of this made the emperor feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat; ethnicity is truly a difficult issue.

"Your Majesty, King Nasser al-Din of Iran is almost at Vienna."

This was probably good news for Franz personally; upon hearing it, he immediately perked up.

"Tell me as soon as he arrives. Make sure everything is ready. We can't let anyone else ruin the friendship between our two countries."

When Franz was away from family and politics, he was full of energy and eager to get advice from Naserdin, even if it was not possible, it was better than doing nothing at all.

(End of this chapter)