“My dear son, you are young and do not yet understand that political marriages can also be very happy, just like your father and I,” Empress Isabella said to her son's retreating back.
After Charles left, Empress Isabella waited, and then the Emperor said to the Empress, who was nestled in his arms, “Since Charles has agreed, I can now inform Prince Kaunitz-Rietberg, and then tell the ambassadors of both countries to discuss the marriage arrangements.”
“Hmm,” Empress Isabella nodded in agreement.
Back in his room, Charles lay spread-eagle on the bed, completely exhausted. The marriage alliance between Austria and Britain was indeed the best solution he could think of at the moment.
Charles, with his God's-eye view, knew that the “Three Petticoats” alliance of Austria, France, and Russia, formed during the reign of his grandmother, Empress Maria Theresa, to blockade and encircle Prussia, would not last much longer.
In the original history, on January 14, 1784, the American Revolutionary War officially ended, and the US Congress ratified the peace treaty with Britain.
The British were also able to extricate themselves from the quagmire of an eight-year war.
The Americans were able to gain independence from the British largely thanks to Charles's uncle-by-marriage, King Louis XVI of France, also known as the “Father of the American Revolution” and “the headless king,” who supported America by providing money, guns, cannons, men, and effort to vex the British.
Louis XVI: As long as it causes trouble for the British, we French will definitely help out!
Without Louis XVI's headlong support for America, the Americans, with a population of less than three million, were not yet the powerful “world police” they would later become. To achieve independence from the British, who had defeated France and gained maritime hegemony after the Seven Years' War, would have been a pipe dream.
To help the Americans gain independence and vex the British, France had already accumulated a debt of 4.8 billion livres. It's worth noting that France's annual total fiscal revenue was only a little over 400 million livres, leading to continuous annual budget deficits. This was one of the important internal causes of the French Revolution in 1789.
Charles was truly speechless. To vex the British, the debt incurred was equivalent to more than ten years of the national treasury's total fiscal revenue. It was a thankless task, just to spite the British. Wasn't this clearly a case of harming others without benefiting oneself?
Was his uncle-by-marriage a pig-brain?
That's right, if Louis XVI wasn't a pig-brain, he wouldn't have designed the guillotine that ultimately beheaded him.
The French Revolution would eventually shatter the “Three Petticoats” alliance that Prince Kaunitz-Rietberg and Empress Maria Theresa had painstakingly cultivated for decades.
At that time, it would be a catastrophe for the German region, which served as the first barrier on France's path of eastward expansion.
After all, with the famous Napoleon, who would dare say they were 100% confident in defeating this God of War?
Something had to be done. Time was running out for Charles and Austria.
Although Austria and Britain had been hostile during the Seven Years' War, they had always been in a quasi-alliance. As early as the War of the Austrian Succession, Britain had supported Austria.
Britain's biggest enemy was undoubtedly France, not Austria, a landlocked country. There were no serious conflicts of interest between the two nations.
To contain France, Austria was Britain's natural ally. As an island nation separated from Continental Europe, Britain's distance from Continental Europe's conflicts was both an advantage and a disadvantage—it didn't have much say in Continental Europe's affairs. Therefore, to intervene in Continental Europe's affairs, it needed a strong ally on Continental Europe. Previously, it was Prussia, but later, the “Three Petticoats” alliance of Austria, France, and Russia almost stifled Prussia.
I believe this marriage olive branch extended by Austria to Britain will appeal to Britain. In terms of being an ally, Charles felt that Austria was more substantial than Prussia.
Although he knew his own family's business, Charles was aware that Austria's internal situation was not optimistic. His father, Joseph II's reforms, while well-intentioned, were too hasty, leading to escalating conflicts within Austria.
Austria's current situation was like dancing on eggs; one wrong step, and the empire would face an abyss. As an empire lacking a dominant ethnic group, the number of Germans within Austria accounted for less than one-third of the empire's total population, which made the empire internally unstable.
However, the tide of nationalism would not begin to blossom across European Countries until after the Napoleonic Wars. Austria still had time. Most countries in Europe at present had no concept of nationhood whatsoever.
As long as the Hungarian nobility, who were dragging the empire down, were dealt with, the rest would be easy. The Bohemians and other ethnic groups could continue to be assimilated; after all, they were just Germans who spoke Slavic languages.
One step at a time; haste makes waste.
Austria's current paper strength was still quite astonishing. As one of the traditional five great powers of Europe (Britain, France, Russia, Austria, Prussia), Austria was the third most populous country in Europe, with a population of nearly 27 million, second only to Russia's 38-39 million and France's 27.6 million. Its military strength exceeded 400,000, second only to Russia's nearly 600,000 standing army, and surpassing France.
Although its population was smaller than France's, because Austria did not have to maintain a large and expensive navy, it had more financial resources to invest in its army.
As long as war didn't break out, Austria's apparent strength looked quite formidable... Soon, the plan for a marriage alliance between Austria and Britain was put on the agenda.
Charles's father, Emperor Joseph II, specifically appointed the young Privy Councilor, Count Johann Philipp von Stadion of Warthausen, who was only twenty-one years old, as the plenipotentiary ambassador for Austria's marriage negotiations in Britain.
Charles even made a point to meet him. One shouldn't underestimate him because of his youth; in fact, those who leave their names in historical records are never ordinary individuals.
Johann Philipp von Stadion, Count of Warthausen, was an Austrian statesman and diplomat. He was capable and persistent. In the original history, he served as Imperial Privy Councilor from 1783 to 1787. He later worked at the Austrian Embassy in Stockholm.
In the original history, he was sent to London in 1790, where he was deeply influenced by Edmund Burke's philosophy, strongly opposed the French Revolution, and called for an alliance between Austria, Prussia, and Russia. In 1801, he became Ambassador to Berlin, in 1803, Ambassador to Saint Petersburg, and in 1804, he signed the Austro-Russian defense agreement. After the defeat at Austerlitz in 1805, he became Foreign Minister and headed the government. For the revival of the empire and administrative reforms, he believed that only by inciting German nationalist sentiment could Napoleon's France be defeated. After Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Wagram in 1809, he resigned as minister. In 1813, as Napoleon was about to fall, he guided Austria to join the anti-French coalition and served as Austria's special plenipotentiary ambassador among the allied nations. In 1816, he became Finance Minister, founding the Austrian National Bank and adopting a uniform land tax law.
However, during the anti-French wars, he was always overshadowed by Metternich.
Thinking of this, Charles's recently rekindled spirits drooped again. He had originally wanted to recruit Metternich, known as the “Butterfly Minister” and “Chancellor of Europe,” but upon careful reflection, this future famous Chancellor of Europe was currently only an eleven-year-old child.
Forget it, he'd wait a few more years until he grew up.
If I'm not mistaken, Napoleon is only fifteen now, right? Charles stroked his chin, pondering.
As for Austria's future rising military star, Charles's cousin—Archduke Charles—was also only thirteen years old.
The future luminaries who would stir up the winds and clouds of Europe were all still budding talents.
Charles sighed, no longer dwelling on such thoughts.
Soon, after a “sea and land combined transport” journey by Count Johann of Warthausen, the plenipotentiary envoy of Emperor Joseph II of the Holy Roman Empire for the marriage negotiations in Britain, he finally arrived in London, the capital of Britain.
After a few days of rest, John went to Hampton Court and presented his credentials to British King George III.
“Oh, my dear Count of Warthausen, Your Excellency, are you saying that my dear brother Joseph (Note: European monarchs customarily refer to each other as brothers) wishes to facilitate a marriage alliance between our two countries?” George III asked.