Chapter 12: Holy Roman Alliance/Empire

Since everyone has no objections, the plan to create an Austrian economic circle naturally passed with overwhelming support.

As for how to implement it, honestly, Franz really doesn't know. Times are different, national conditions are different, and many things cannot be directly copied.

Even when rallying younger brothers (or smaller allies/states), one has to work on each of their thoughts individually. The benefits promised to each state might differ.

Franz still trusts Metternich on this aspect. After all, this 'Chancellor of Europe' has vast experience, and balancing everyone's interests is his expertise.

In Franz's view, this economic alliance can evolve into a political or military alliance in the future. As the economy grows, everyone's interests being intertwined is just a matter of time.

It's crucial to be prepared.

For example, the name of the alliance must be representative. Franz thinks that the 'Holy Roman Alliance' is a good choice.

"Your Majesty, if we name it after the Holy Roman, I fear the Italian states might find it emotionally hard to accept," Prime Minister Felix pondered.

"What if we set the headquarters of the alliance in Rome? We could even place it next to the Vatican, incorporating both 'Holy' and 'Rome' in the title. Wouldn't that be acceptable?" Franz countered.

Metternich advised, "Your Majesty, placing the headquarters in Rome could damage the empire's reputation in the alliance."

Franz reflected and said, "That's not important. The economic alliance is essentially centered around Austria. We already dominate; the impact on reputation is minimal.

We can also send a message to the outside world that this is merely an economic union, lowering other countries' guard.

We don't have to suggest the name directly. We can call everyone for a meeting to decide where to set up the headquarters. As long as Austria doesn't compete, which place could rival Rome?

Once the headquarters is set, let the Pope suggest the name. Pope Pius IX won't refuse something that expands his influence."

Titles and such, he doesn't prioritize them. If the economic alliance headquarters were in Vienna, even if everyone agreed, Franz wouldn't dare to use the banner of the Holy Roman.

Don't think that just because the Holy Roman Empire has been extinct for many years, everyone has forgotten. European nations are very vigilant. If Austria shows intentions of reviving the Holy Roman Empire, there will be diplomatic consequences.

Naming it this way is a fine line, having headquarters next to the Vatican in Rome, with both 'Holy' and 'Rome' in the name, is plausible.

"Your Majesty, what benefits does this bring us?" Metternich asked, puzzled.

In other words, this has become a religious version of the Holy Roman Alliance. It seems unrelated to the Habsburg's Holy Roman Empire and doesn't seem beneficial to Austria.

"On the surface, there are no apparent benefits, but there's only a two-word difference between the Holy Roman Alliance and the Holy Roman Empire.

If the economy continues to grow, we can have the media slightly change the name, perhaps calling it the Holy Roman Economic Empire or directly the Holy Roman Empire.

These are just media titles, not related to us. If state governments have opinions, they'll have to reluctantly accept it," Franz explained calmly.

The influence of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe is profound, especially in the German region, known as the First German Empire, the only empire recognized by the German states.

This is a massive political resource left by the Habsburg dynasty; how could Franz not use it?

If it's mentioned often, people will get used to it. Ordinary people don't have the time to distinguish between this 'Holy Roman Empire' and that 'Holy Roman Empire.'

Once everyone recognizes the Holy Roman Empire, the basis for Austria to annex the southern German states will be established.

With economic ties and political infiltration, there would be no need for force to achieve unification.

Only by tools and names can one not deceive people.

Franz is capitalizing on the historical time difference to seize the naming rights. As long as Austria can develop and grow stronger, increasing its advantage over the various states, it can establish facts by replacing one thing with another.

People's minds change. The unification of the historical Italian region and the Germanic region were both due to the deep-rooted idea of unification in people's minds.

Without this foundation, the Kingdom of Sardinia wouldn't have the capability to unify the Italian region; and the Kingdom of Prussia would likely experience the hardships of the Habsburg dynasty, being beaten by a coalition of German states and foreign powers.

Prime Minister Felix sneered, "As long as the people of the Germanic region accept it, even if the governments of the various states don't want to recognize it, they will have no choice in the end.

To avoid external interference, we better act secretly. Sign confidential agreements with these states one by one and announce them to the public only after the agreements are reached."

As a staunch supporter of the Germanic cause, Prime Minister Felix is not willing to miss any opportunity to expand into the Germanic region.

In his eyes, the Holy Roman Alliance, or the Holy Roman Empire, is the best tool to counter the idea of "Lesser Germany" proposed by Prussians.

If the power of Prussia and Austria continues to grow, the German states will have only two options: either join the "Lesser Germany" led by Prussia or the Holy Roman Empire led by Austria.

Indeed, in the future, it will not be the Holy Roman Alliance but the Holy Roman Empire.

Because of religious beliefs, the North German states would likely lean towards the Kingdom of Prussia, but the South German states are different; they naturally gravitate towards Austria.

Under Franz's influence, there are voices in Austria suggesting that Prussia and Austria should jointly divide the Germanic region. This voice is not only popular in Austria but also has supporters in Prussia.

Before the unification of the Germanic region, the Prussians themselves couldn't believe that they could unify it. Frederick William IV's ultimate goal was just to annex the North Germanic region.

The Junker aristocrats weren't as awe-inspiring as they were in later times. Asking them to defeat Austria and France, they'd probably back down before the war even started.

It's not about willingness to fight, but about not being able to win.

Otherwise, during the latter part of the Crimean War, the Kingdom of Prussia would have taken action. The British, French, and Russians were deeply mired in a tough battle. All Prussia had to do was defeat Austria, and they could unify the Germanic region.

The invincibility of the German army in later times should not be mistaken for the present. The rise of the Kingdom of Prussia began after the 1848 reforms, entering a period of rapid development.

It's still a feudal dynasty now, with its national strength limiting the power of its army. Historical success is full of coincidences, and both the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars were gambles.

It wasn't as textbooks say, winning in terms of systems, obligatory education, or comprehensive national power.

If the Austrian government hadn't made mistakes in appointments and military deployments, the Austro-Prussian war wouldn't have ended so easily. If it had dragged on for a few months, Prussia would have been in tears.

The Franco-Prussian War was a farce. Napoleon III, already complacent, believed he was a reincarnated military genius and did not carry out a full national mobilization. He hastily declared war on the Kingdom of Prussia, using 220,000 French troops to face off against 470,000 Prussian troops.

The result was evident. After the Franco-Prussian War, a newly packaged unified Germany saw the establishment of its military spirit, reaching its peak.

Successful people should always be respected, and Franz was very wary of the rising Prussia.

In his view, either break the Kingdom of Prussia's unification path in advance or simply let Prussia unify the Germanic region and shift Austria's development direction.

This choice wasn't up to him; reality had made the decision. The Austrian public could not tolerate losing the leadership position in Germany, and the Austrian government couldn't bear the political consequences either.

So, Franz could only follow the first path. Simply disrupting Prussia's plans was not enough. Since Austria's focus was on the Germanic region, there must be some gains.

The idea of Prussia and Austria jointly dividing the Germanic region was a good one. As compensation, Austria would support Prussia's expansion in other directions.

Okay, this was pure bluffing. Except for naïve teenagers, most politicians wouldn't believe Austria would genuinely support Prussian expansion, especially when they had no direction for expansion.

Expand to Scandinavia? Did they ask the Russians?

Expand to the Southern Countries? First, see if the French agree.

Colonize overseas? Where's the powerful navy?

"The issue of negotiations will be well handled by our Foreign Ministry. The current question is, where is the mutual interest of this alliance, and how do we entice them to join?" Metternich asked indifferently.

Since it's about binding interests, the benefits must first be shown.

"We can emulate the German Confederation and establish a customs union, but it has to be an upgraded version. The original model was too loose and wasn't enough to bind the interests of the member states. This time, we need to set up a joint military command and joint customs office. We must also set up an administrative body to coordinate the economic policies of the member states. The trade barriers between the member states will be removed, and there will be a unified currency, weights and measures."

The purpose is clear. The Austrian-led customs union would not only tie the economic interests of the member states but also ensure that they would act in unison during times of war.

It's like reorganizing the German Confederation, but with a stronger organization and clear leadership. If it can be successfully implemented, Austria will be in the center of this system.

Once established, it's hard to destroy. As long as Austria maintains its position as the leader, it will always be the core.

This setup is very beneficial to Austria. Even if the states were independent in name, they would be completely tied to Austria in substance. This is equivalent to adding the strength of these states to Austria.

At that time, let alone the Kingdom of Prussia, even the Kingdom of France would not dare to easily provoke Austria.

This is a huge ambition, and its realization is bound to be challenging. But for Austria, this is the best path for survival and development.

If this plan can be successfully implemented, Austria will not only be able to ensure its dominant position in the Germanic region but also gain a massive influence in Europe.