Holy Roman Empire

Constantinople

A negotiation began to determine the fate of the three empires, Russia represented Alexander Menshikov, Austria represented Mestre, and the Ottoman Empire Herdegler Pasha.

The three of them were at loggerheads, and the gunpowder-flavored negotiations began.

In fact, this is not the case. Everyone tried to exercise restraint in diplomatic occasions, and the negotiations were very harmonious at the beginning of the negotiations.

Except for Heldegler Pasha's gloomy face, the atmosphere of the negotiation was quite harmonious.Negotiations between Menshikov and Mestres went very well.

The contents of the secret agreement between the two countries have been agreed upon, and now it is difficult to think of disharmony when it comes to the scene.

The Ottomans tried to take advantage of the conflict of interests between the Russians and Austria in the Balkans, and the strategic goal of dividing the two countries went bankrupt.

The representatives of Britain and France who participated in this mediation were dumbfounded. The three-party talks are bullshit. The Russians and Austria have clearly negotiated to slaughter the Ottoman Empire together.

In less than a morning, the Russian representative Menshikov reached a consensus with the Austrian representative Mestre, and the two countries divided the sphere of influence in the Balkans openly.

The angry Ottoman representative was furious, but everyone is a civilized person, even if they are carve up the Ottoman Empire, it is impossible to say it directly?

What Russia and Austria are saying now is: divide the commercial and trade circles, avoid vicious competition, and help the Ottoman Empire join a civilized society as soon as possible.

It is indeed joining the civilized society, but not as the Ottoman Empire, but after being annexed by the two countries, it becomes a member of the civilized world.

Heldegler Pasha said with a gloomy face: "You two, we appreciate your kindness. The Ottoman Empire does not need your kind of help!"

Menshikov replied with a sneer: "It doesn't matter, your country doesn't need this kind of help now, it will need it soon.

For the peace and stability of the world, as the leader of the civilized world, the Russian Empire is obliged to help the Ottoman Empire to progress. "

Weak countries have no diplomacy, which has been vividly reflected here.Even if Britain and France are inclined to the Ottoman Empire, on the issue of the Balkan Peninsula, Russia and Austria still have a greater say.

"You, you..." Heldegler was so angry that he couldn't speak

It is not a day or two since the Russians have been messing around. It is still unacceptable to be so explicit on a diplomatic occasion.

In particular, the phrase "the leader of a civilized society" angered the British representative, Joseph Edward, who asked tit for tat:

"When did your country become the leader of the civilized world? Why don't I know? Do you know?"

Everyone present wanted to laugh, but due to diplomatic etiquette, it was painful to hold back.

How is it possible to admit that the Russians are the leaders of the civilized world?Except for the Russians themselves, no one in Europe has ever admitted it.

If you put it another way, for example: "as a member of the civilized world", it is estimated that everyone can accept it.

Let alone the leaders of the civilized world, even if they are allies with the Russians, it is impossible for Mestre to support the Russians on this issue.

Diplomacy has never been the strong point of the Russians. The Russians have made a lot of jokes in diplomacy, and they don't care to repeat it again.

Menshikov's expression turned ugly when he was caught talking. Isn't that what everyone said when he announced his foreign policy?

Whether it is the British or the French, they are all self-proclaimed leaders of the civilized world when they colonized and invaded overseas. Of course, the Russians have followed suit and kept pace with the times.

It's a pity that it doesn't matter if you say these things in private, but if you say them on a formal diplomatic occasion, there will be problems.

Now that the words had been spoken, Menshikov had no choice but to hang on.He bit the bullet and said: "As the most powerful country on the European continent, it is naturally the leader of the civilized world."

The British representative Joseph Edward sneered: "Your Excellency, you forgot to add the word army. By the way, I would like to remind you that the criterion for judging the civilized world is not force, that is the practice of barbarians."

Menshikov said angrily: "Whoever you call a barbarian, I will fight you!"

……

Looking at Menshikov who was tricked, Mestre shook his head helplessly.For the Russians to send this believer in force as a representative, he is really powerless to complain.

But he had to help with the aftermath, otherwise a full martial arts would be staged soon.

"If the two of you are going to duel, it is better to change the time and place. Otherwise, we will be famous forever as a joke in the history of diplomacy."

Considering the gap in force, Joseph Edward resolutely chose to give up, and said coldly: "Hmph!"

Menshikov was also not a fool, but he was forced into a corner by the British, and he simply went to the end. Anyway, there are not one or two Russian diplomats who duel with others.

Of course, duels with people in such formal diplomatic occasions have rarely happened in this century, and duels at the duke level have never happened, and Menshikov does not want to be No. 1.

However, the tradition of dueling is still prevalent in Russia. Even Pushkin, the father of Russian literature, died in a duel with others.It is worth mentioning that Pushkin is also a member of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

With such a strong smell of gunpowder, the negotiations could not go on.Anyway, everyone is not in a hurry, and the expectations for resolving conflicts through negotiations are not high. It is better to rest for a few days to clear up the fire and continue the negotiation.

……

Vienna

Franz naturally didn't know about the farce that happened in Constantinople, and he was busy welcoming guests at this time.

As a neighbor, the Bavarian government has always been very wary of Austria. After seeing Austria's military expansion, the Bavarian government became worried.

Even if they think that Austria is thinking about the Balkans, they also want to repair the relationship between the two countries as soon as possible and remove possible threats.

Empress Dowager Sophie advocated the marriage of the royal families of the two countries. After Franz delayed the time due to political needs, he did not reject the proposal of the Bavarian royal family, but gave the answer to wait a few years.

The Bavarian royal family, worried about long nights and dreams, simply asked Princess Helen to visit this aunt.Of course, she was not the only one who came, but also members of the younger generation of the royal family, including the famous Princess Sissi.

As the protagonist, Franz naturally wanted to give his mother a face and presided over the welcome banquet himself.

Europeans develop earlier, and frankly speaking, these two girls are very good.From the point of view of words and deeds, Princess Helen should have received a good court education, while Princess Sissi's performance is much worse.

Don't think that they are real princesses under the name of princesses.In an Eastern monarchy country, they can only be regarded as clan women at best.

Their father is the Duke of the offshoot of the royal family, the lord of more than three generations of blood relationship.Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for them to marry Franz, and the Bavarian royal family would not have this idea.

The reason for all this is that Empress Dowager Sophie, she and Princess Helen's mother are sisters, and they have had a very good relationship since childhood.Marriage was proposed long before Franz came to the throne.

In contrast, Princess Sissi is a tragedy.She was born in the countryside, and she had very few opportunities to socialize. She had no contact with Queen Sophie, so naturally she couldn't talk about feelings.

This is also one of the reasons for the tragedy of Princess Sissi in history. Her elder sister, Princess Helen, was raised by Empress Dowager Sophie, so she was naturally favored.She was cut off halfway, obviously she couldn't expect Empress Dowager Sophie to have a good face.

That's all, the Austrian court also has rules, and the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law does not actually affect the status of the queen.

But on the issue, Princess Sissi is a rebellious type who is out of step with court rules and often does things beyond her status, causing the royal family to be criticized.

The empress dowager naturally had to intervene in the discipline, and the conflicts between the two sides gradually accumulated.

In the later period, the voice of criticism became louder and louder. The Vienna court believed that Princess Sissi was not qualified to educate the next generation. Empress Dowager Sophie deprived her of the right to educate her children, and the contradictions intensified completely.

On these issues, the original owner naturally made what he thought was the right decision, but it didn't actually play any role.

Of course, even changing any one person can't solve this problem.Unless the character of Princess Sissi is completely changed, tragedy will be inevitable.

If the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law can be reconciled, the education of children can also be handled by the father.Then the political pot is very deadly.

Especially on the issue of promoting the birth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while her queen won the support of the Hungarian people, she also stood on the opposite side of the Austrian people.

For a while, the voice of expulsing the queen became mainstream in Vienna, and one knew how difficult the situation she was facing.

History and movies are completely two concepts. The protagonist's tragedy is not so much caused by the court, but why is it not caused by herself?

The rules of the Vienna court protected her while restraining her. If these rules did not exist, she would probably be the first queen of Austria to be deposed.

Looking back at history, Franz did not make any comments.While enjoying the convenience of being born, you have to pay for it.

Before this political marriage, Princess Sissi's parents did not hold any positions and were far away from the center of power.

On the surface, the idyllic life seems to be very beautiful, but in fact Duke Maximilian had to stay away from big cities due to economic difficulties.

When I was a child, I lived an unfettered life. In other words, my family couldn’t afford to hire a tutor due to financial difficulties, so I had to go to public schools to go to school with others. Naturally, it was convenient to skip classes.

Just look at Franz. A student is stared at by dozens of teachers. He wants to skip class and dream!Do you know that when you skip class, the teachers will have a collective holiday?

Don't think that the nobles are very rich. Like them, the remote branch of the royal family, who has been away from the center of power for a long time, does not engage in production, and sits and eats for a long time, how can he maintain the expenses of the big nobles?

This point can also be seen from Princess Sissi's shabby dowry.The dowry obtained by marrying as a queen is actually not enough for Franz to hold a large banquet.

Empress Dowager Sophie asked with a smile: "Frantz, what are you thinking? Are you fascinated?"

Franz casually found an excuse and said, "No, I just thought about the negotiations in Constantinople."

Empress Dowager Sophie smiled and said, "Really? There are guests here today, please leave these questions after the banquet!"

Anyway, she was very satisfied with Princess Helen's performance. The only regret was that her background was a little lower, but she was her niece, so she didn't care about it.

"Yes, mother!" Franz laughed.

In any case, mother's face still has to be given.Franz invited the two little cousins ​​to a dance, and asked them out to talk about life.

In fact, he didn't do anything. Franz simply didn't like to participate in this kind of noble banquet.Being surrounded by people and flattering every day will get tiresome after a long time.

Next, in the Vienna Palace, there were two more little lolitas.

Chapter 55 The Vanishing Nation

Constantinople

The Russian representative Alexander Menshikov, who lost face at the negotiating table, was quickly found back, but the means were a bit unsightly.

On April 1851, 4, Menshikov visited Sudan, and in a very domineering tone, ordered the Sudanese government to dismiss Fuad, the pro-British and French foreign minister, and be replaced by Rifat, who was pro-Russian.

Facts have proved that brutal means are often the most direct and effective. Under the pressure of the Russians, the Sudanese government compromised.

Menshikov told the world with practical actions who is the boss in the Near East.Politicians from various countries collectively lost their voices. Facing a player who does not abide by the rules, everyone will feel a headache.

Britain and France, who have been slapped in the face, will naturally not be reconciled to failure, but in the Near East, their right to speak is simply not comparable to that of the Russians, and even lower than that of Austria.

Without waiting for them to take action, Menshikov submitted a diplomatic note to the Sudanese government, accusing the Sudanese government of unfair treatment of the Orthodox Church, and asked the two countries to sign an agreement that the Russian government would manage the Orthodox Christians, and the Ottoman government should not intervene in the affairs of the Orthodox Church. .

Unfair treatment is inevitable. In fact, the Sudanese government has relaxed religious policies in this era in an attempt to eliminate domestic religious conflicts.

It is a pity that this contradiction has continued since the establishment of the Ottoman Empire.It cannot be solved by a government decree, and the Russian intervention has made the situation even more chaotic.

... (Specific religious issues, omit [-] words)

The demands of the Russians have touched the bottom line of the Ottoman Empire.If this condition is agreed, it means that more than one-third of the population will be handed over to the Russians for management.

Britain and France could not bear the expansion of the sphere of influence of the Russians. At this time, the British had realized that the war was inevitable.

London

After the Constantinople negotiations were delivered, the British government was considering how to choose in the next Russian-Turkish war.

Foreign Minister Palmerston thought for a while and said: "Your Excellency, if we want to suppress the Russian ambitions, it is not enough to win over the French, we must get the support of Austria.

When necessary, we can organize European coalition forces to jointly curb Russian ambitions. "

John Russell shook his head and said: "Mr Palmerston, let's put aside the issue of organizing coalition forces for now, we all know that things are not that simple.

On the issue of Russia, European countries have different attitudes. Many countries have no immediate pain. It is almost impossible for them to work together to fight the Russians.

You still talk about how to win over Austria. If we can win them over and combine the power of the three countries, we can suppress the Russians in the Near East. "

Palmerston analyzed: "Information from Constantinople shows that the Russians and Austria have reached a compromise, and we don't know the exact terms.

Now that the Russians have recognized Austria's sphere of influence in the Balkans, in return, Austria also supports the Russians' ambitions for the Ottoman Empire.

This kind of compromise does not mean that the contradiction between the two countries on the Balkan issue no longer exists, but is temporarily suppressed by common interests.

According to the appetite of the Russians, even if the two countries reach an agreement, they will eventually break up due to conflicts of interest.It is impossible for the Austrian government to be ignorant of these issues.

Metternich's old fox will side with the Russians this time, which also marks a change in the Austrian government's national policy.

It seems that the collapse of the Vienna system has hit the Austrians hard, and now they no longer want a European balance.In this respect we have lost an ally in continental policy.

We all know that being neighbors with Russians means staying awake at all times, and taking a nap is dangerous. The current Austrian government is preparing to cause trouble.

Partitioning the Balkans is only a superficial reason.It is more that the Austrian government feels threatened and is unwilling to continue to bear the responsibility of blocking the Russians.

Wanting to delay the Russians by provoking the Russian-Turkish war and buy time for domestic development, the expansion in the Balkans is just incidental. "

By this time, the London government had already regretted letting the Vienna system collapse.After the collapse of the Vienna system, they could indeed get rid of restrictions and intervene in European affairs, but the result was not ideal.

From supporting the Kingdom of Sardinia to the current crisis in the Near East, the London government has hardly achieved decent results in diplomacy.

Now the situation in Europe has become more complicated, which has involved a lot of their energy.On the contrary, it is not as good as the era of the Vienna system. The European continent is balanced and stable, and they can rest assured and boldly expand their power overseas.

In this respect, the Vienna system also achieved the hegemony of the British Empire.

The Minister of State asked suspiciously: "Mr. Palmerston, according to your judgment, it is impossible for us to win over Austria?"

The Austrian Empire has always been on the front line of resistance to Russia, and the two countries have not become enemies, which shows the diplomatic ability of the Habsburg family.

Such confrontation is obviously not conducive to the development and growth of Austria.The energy of the government is exhausted by its neighbors, how can it still develop itself?

Before the collapse of the Vienna system, the Austrian government asked the British for help, asking the London government to pay to maintain the system, but the government at that time refused.

The suggestion given by the British at the beginning was to let the Austrian government carry out social reforms, and after the social reforms are completed, there will be money.

Facts have proved that after completing social reforms, financial difficulties can indeed be reversed.However, the current Austrian government is no longer interested in the Vienna system.