Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 116: Chapter 104: Visit to Austria-Hungary (Part 2)

This also means that if the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire wants to develop a navy, it will definitely be constrained by the United Kingdom.

The Austro-Hungarian Navy needs to consider the attitude of the British if they want to leave the Mediterranean, which is hard for them to tolerate as a great power.

If they maintain good relations with Spain, the Austro-Hungarian Navy will have hope of passing through the Gibraltar Strait into the Atlantic Ocean in the event of major future events.

The attitudes of various countries towards Carlo’s current diplomatic visit are markedly different. However, considering the existing tensions between Austria-Hungary and Italy, this alliance is actually acceptable.

For the British Empire, a marriage alliance between Spain and Austria-Hungary is far better than one with Germany or Russia.

And for France, avoiding a situation of being flanked is considered good news.

After traveling by sea and land, and after several twists and turns, Carlo and his entourage finally arrived at the power center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Vienna, the capital of Austria.

It is worth mentioning that while the previous trip to the Kingdom of Italy was just a normal visit, it resembled a formal diplomatic mission.

A large number of officials followed Carlo to Italy, and a certain cooperative agreement was reached between Spain and Italy.

This time, however, the nominal diplomatic visit did not include many officials. Besides a guard army of several hundred ensuring Carlo’s safety, there were only some servants and a few diplomats.

As soon as Carlo arrived at the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he was warmly welcomed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire Government. An Austro-Hungarian military unit followed Carlo’s entourage to provide protection, ensuring that Carlo’s visit would be free of issues within Austro-Hungarian territory.

After all, in this era, there were still some radical individuals, and assassination attempts targeting government elites and royal family members occurred frequently.

Since Carlo is the King of Spain, any incident on Austro-Hungarian soil would greatly impact both Austria-Hungary and Spain.

As such, Carlo’s safety is one of the most pressing topics for the Austro-Hungarian Empire Government, and the reason why it has mobilized part of the military for protection.

The train arrived in Vienna, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where Carlo met with government officials and royal family members.

As a relatively unique dual monarchy on the European Continent, the government of Austria-Hungary is also quite distinctive.

Austria-Hungary can be seen as comprising two parts: one formed by the original Austrian Empire, and another by the Kingdom of Hungary with high autonomy.

As the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, Franz Joseph I is the Emperor of the Austrian Empire and also the King of the Kingdom of Hungary.

Even though Austria-Hungary seems like a unified nation, its government is divided into two parts: the Austrian Empire Government and the Kingdom of Hungary Government.

This dual government represents the biggest issue in Austria-Hungary: the conflict between the Austrians as the main body of the Empire and the Hungarians, who seek greater autonomy.

As Austrians, being the core of the Empire and having a stronger industry and economy, there is a sense of superiority over the Hungarians.

The Kingdom of Hungary possesses strong agriculture, much of which is transported to the Austrian Empire to supply the Austrians.

This creates imbalance for the Hungarians, as the food grown on their side is transported to Austria, and even the large landowners do not receive much compensation. Isn’t this outright exploitation?

The various conflicts between the government of the Kingdom of Hungary and that of the Austrian Empire led to the eventual breakup of Austria-Hungary after their defeat in future wars. It was divided into multiple smaller countries, including Austria and Hungary, ending its history as one of Europe’s Five Great Powers.

In fact, signs of the Austrian Empire’s decline were evident as early as the Austro-Prussian War. The legal history of the Austrian Empire traces back to the Holy Roman Empire, which once controlled the entire German region and much of the Italian region.

The Habsburg family constantly held the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, and at that time, the Austrian Duchy was one of the most powerful states within the Empire.

However, with the rise of the Kingdom of Prussia, Austria’s control over the Holy Roman Empire faced increasingly severe challenges.

Under the threat from strong adversaries like France, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at the time had to relinquish the title of Holy Roman Emperor, adopting instead the title of Emperor of the Austrians, which marks the founding of the Austrian Empire.

The subsequent history is more familiar: The Austrian Empire completely failed in its competition with Prussia and was entirely excluded from Germany, watching as Prussia became the master of Germany.

Although it formed Austria-Hungary with Hungary, they maintained the strength of a great power. But the dominant ethnicity in Austria-Hungary, the Germans, were not in the majority. There were a large number of Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, and others.

This issue continuously troubled Austria-Hungary, threatening to explode like a time bomb within the Empire, leading to its disintegration at any moment.

The current Prime Minister of Austria-Hungary is Julo Andrássy, who previously served as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary and is rumored to have been Princess Sisi’s lover.

Of course, disregarding unfounded gossip, the appointment of a Hungarian Prime Minister as the Prime Minister of Austria-Hungary already indicates the Austrian Empire’s forced recognition of Hungarian opinions. They can no longer exert overwhelming dominance before these are formed.

After a brief meeting with officials from the Austro-Hungarian Empire Government, Carlo, led by members of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Family, went to one of the largest palaces in Europe, Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace.

The history of Schönbrunn Palace dates back to 1743, when Queen Maria Theresa ordered the construction of a palace in the southwestern area of Vienna.

The palace is named Schönbrunn, due to a spring nearby, which refreshes the spirit upon drinking. It served as the summer residence for the Austrian Habsburg Imperial Family and was one of their long-time residencies.

The entire Schönbrunn Palace is immense, deserving its title as one of Europe’s largest palaces. It contains approximately 1,400 rooms and boasts a variety of architectural styles due to its long history, including Oriental Classical architecture, stressing luxury and grandeur.

Inside Schönbrunn Palace, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary held a grand welcome ceremony for Carlo.

No matter the purpose of Carlo’s visit, as the King of Spain, he is entitled to the grand welcoming banquet organized by the Austro-Hungarian government and Imperial Family.

Though Spain has weakened, it is only so in comparison to its peak during the Spanish Empire. The present Kingdom of Spain is still one of the relatively strong countries in Europe. Compared to middle and small countries like Belgium and the Netherlands, Spain undoubtedly deserves more respect from Austria-Hungary.

It is not an exaggeration to say that among all the European countries, apart from the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Austria, and Italy, Spain should be ranked seventh in Europe, at least in the perspective of all European countries.

Clearly, one reason for the enthusiastic reception of Carlo is his half Austrian noble heritage.

Although Carlo’s mother, Archduchess Adelaide, is no longer alive, his Austrian noble lineage cannot be faked.

European nobles are essentially family, their ties running deeper than blood, whether one is the King of Spain, a member of the Savoy Dynasty, or of Austrian noble blood, it is enough to gain the attention of the Habsburg family.

Franz Joseph also appeared at the welcoming banquet for Carlo, but after a brief conversation, departed citing busy state affairs.

Carlo was delighted with the relaxed atmosphere, and accompanied by the Habsburg Imperial Family, he enjoyed a dinner. Later, he retired to a pre-arranged room for rest.