Chapter 434: The Struggle for the Spanish Throne |
The outbreak of the economic crisis has worsened relations not only between Prussia and Poland. As the source of this crisis, the British have become the primary target of resentment.
Engaging in dumping is one thing, but the problem is that they dumped goods into Europe. During this era, international relations revolve around the European continent and other countries can be largely ignored.
Everyone was already facing overproduction, and the British dumping directly triggered the crisis. Naturally, governments everywhere blamed the British for the situation.
In Paris, patriots have once again taken to the streets. This time, they are not protesting against the government but calling on citizens to boycott British goods and support domestic products.
Similar scenes are occurring in many cities across Europe, with capitalists playing a significant role behind the scenes. The British have taken over markets, threatening the survival of local businesses.
Governments have indeed raised tariffs, but they can’t return the already imported goods. Every country has its compradors, and when faced with profit, people’s principles often falter.
Against the backdrop of mass dumping, relations between Britain and France have worsened, as have relations between Britain and Austria, Britain and Prussia, Britain and Belgium...
If the British were a continental country, they would need to worry about being ganged up on. However, as a maritime empire with the Royal Navy, they remain fearless.
Dreaming of a united Europe is futile, as relationships have deteriorated between many countries. Due to trade conflicts, relations have also soured between Prussia and Austria, Prussia and France, France and Austria, and Russia and Austria...
You dump on me, and I can dump on you. Everyone hurts each other. Many conflicts are stirred up by capitalists for profit and are beyond control.
In the face of a crisis, only the fastest-responding companies can escape unscathed by converting inventory into cash quickly and reducing production capacity promptly. Companies that react slowly can only rely on their own strength to survive.
To weather an economic crisis, the most common method is war. War can consume excess goods and also seize wealth and markets.
As a result, many countries suffer undeservedly.
The French initiated the Egyptian War, the Mali War, and the Algerian War. The British, while launching the Ethiopian War, also waged war against Tunisia.
The rapid deterioration of relations between Britain and France directly contributed to this. They no longer respected each other and instead engaged in direct conflict.
According to the prevailing international practice of the time, whoever seizes a territory keeps it. Before the actual occupation, all countries had a chance.
Austria was not idle either, igniting conflicts in Africa, and turning regions like Botswana, Tanzania, and Kenya into battlefields.
Tensions also rose in the Middle East. Franz was still contemplating whether to launch an attack on the Arabian Peninsula. If the economic situation continued to deteriorate, it was certain that the Ottoman Empire would suffer once again.
While relations were tense in Europe and battles raged across Africa, Asia was not spared. Tensions suddenly escalated among the Central Asian countries, leading to the breakdown of their fragile alliance due to the unequal distribution of spoils.
Undoubtedly, the British had a hand in this. By playing the Central Asian countries against each other and mediating between them, they aimed to secure the greatest benefits.
To overcome the economic crisis, European countries also intensified their invasions of Japan, Indochina, and the Southeast Asian countries, with the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Federal Empire being particularly aggressive.
The Prussians destroyed the Kingdom of Cambodia, while the German Federal Empire occupied most of the Malay Peninsula and even clashed with Thai forces.
The Americas, relatively speaking, remained more peaceful and generally stable. However, the civil war in Mexico continued, with the rebels gaining ground, which had become an undeniable fact. Maximilian I had repeatedly written to Franz to complain about this issue.
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Spain also did not escape the impact of the economic crisis. As the domestic economy continued to deteriorate, the Spanish government delayed and defaulted on military pay, causing strong discontent within the military.
In September 1868, the Cádiz military camp welcomed a group of special and mysterious guests. Disguised as mule drivers transporting logistics supplies, they entered the camp.
“General Prim, that seductress Isabella II spends all day indulging in debauchery with her male lovers and appointing her cronies, throwing the country into chaos.
For the future of Spain, we cannot let her continue her outrageous behavior. Otherwise, our great Spain will be ruined by her.”
The speaker was Burgos, a representative of the radical faction “Iraga” in Spain. The purpose of this secret visit to the military camp was to persuade General Prim, a leader of the military faction, to launch an armed uprising and overthrow Queen Isabella II.
Though the description may be exaggerated, Queen Isabella II indeed was not a good ruler, and her scandalous private life was quite notorious.
In this era, if there were a global ranking of incompetent monarchs, Queen Isabella II would undoubtedly be at the top, reputed as the most unpopular queen in Europe.
She had a bad reputation not only among the common people but also among the nobility. She was ostracized in royal circles and especially disliked by the other European queens.
In short, she not only lowered the average intelligence of monarchs but also tarnished the overall image of queens.
The military’s dissatisfaction with Queen Isabella II had been longstanding. General Prim, representing the military, was in charge of this secret negotiation.
The fact that the negotiation took place in a military camp speaks volumes.
Prim didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly, “After overthrowing Isabella II, who will take the throne of Spain?”
As a noble, Prim was naturally a royalist. Like in most countries, the Spanish army was a stronghold of noble influence and a bastion of royalist power.
The radical faction represented by Burgos was, in reality, part of the constitutional monarchy faction; otherwise, they would have had no basis for an alliance.
If it had been the Republicans, General Prim wouldn’t have been so agreeable and might have ordered their arrest outright.
“General, we agree with your previous proposal: a prince from the House of Hohenzollern will assume the Spanish throne.”
The issue of the throne had always been the main point of contention between the two sides. Once this issue was resolved, the remaining matters would be easier to handle.
The military’s support for House Hohenzollern was primarily driven by the desire to expand their power. The perks enjoyed by the Junker nobility were highly appealing, and with this opportunity, they naturally wouldn’t want to miss out.
Spain was set to establish a constitutional monarchy, where the king’s power would be limited. The identity of the king was less significant, which is why the radicals were willing to compromise.
Moreover, having a prince from the House of Hohenzollern as king carried political implications, signaling an increase in the military’s influence.
This was one of the foundations of their cooperation. After overthrowing Queen Isabella II, the radicals could control the new government, and the military would naturally obtain some benefits.
Without sufficient incentives, no one would engage in such a high-risk matter. Expanding military power was the reward for their participation in this uprising.
Everyone knew the consequences of increased military power, and the radicals were no exception. Initially, they opposed it.
However, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. As the domestic economy worsened, their backers’ tolerance for Queen Isabella II’s rule reached its limit.
No group can operate without support, or they become like rootless duckweed. “Iraga” was no exception. Under pressure from their supporters, they decided to compromise with the military.
There was no choice. The revolutionaries had failed many times and learned that without military support, a successful uprising was impossible.
With the answer he wanted, Prim smiled with satisfaction. The subsequent negotiations went smoothly, and the parties quickly reached an agreement.
This led to the famous “Revolución de Septiembre or la Septembrina” in Spanish revolutionary history, where the military faction and the domestic political radicals allied to overthrow Queen Isabella II.
The Spanish people had suffered under Isabella II for a long time, so the uprising needed to be swift and decisive.
On September 17, 1868, Francisco Serrano led the Cádiz army in a military uprising.
The wave of uprisings was ignited, and Spain was soon engulfed in turmoil. Ordinary citizens, nobles, capitalists, and the military—all sectors of Spanish society—demanded Queen Isabella II’s abdication.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, the panicked Queen Isabella II appointed Marquis José to lead the army to suppress the rebellion. Unsurprisingly, Isabella’s usual practice of nepotism came at a cost.
The government forces were defeated by the rebels, and the revolutionary army led by Francisco Serrano marched towards Madrid. On September 28th, with no hope left, Queen Isabella II fled to France.
The sudden Spanish revolution disrupted the plans of European countries. “Revolution” was a dreaded word for all governments, and to prevent its spread, everyone closely monitored the situation in Spain.
Franz was no exception. Following the outbreak of the Spanish revolution, he promptly convened a high-level meeting.
In recent years, Spain had declined, but it was still a great power. For Austria, a stable and relatively strong Spain could distract some of France’s attention and alleviate defensive pressure on the Western front.
The Austrian government had made several attempts to ally with Spain to face their common enemy—France. However, after multiple failed attempts, Franz gave up. Seeing that Spain couldn’t be propped up, the Austrian government turned to ally with the French instead.
With the lessons of past failures in mind, Franz had little confidence in the new Spanish revolutionary government.
After all, this Spanish revolution was more of a coup than a real revolution.
The traditional vested interests have not been broken. The ones who initiated this uprising were the beneficiaries of the existing system, dissatisfied with Isabella II’s policies that harmed their interests.
Simply put, Isabella II implemented reforms.
Reforming is all well and good, and under normal circumstances, the nobility wouldn’t easily revolt. However, Isabella II’s reform policies managed to offend all sides.
Coincidentally, an economic crisis exacerbated domestic conflicts, reaching a point where an upheaval was inevitable, thus creating the conditions for the uprising.
Currently, they have only overthrown a queen and her corrupt government, replacing them with a new government. Essentially, Spain has not changed.
Foreign Minister Wessenberg analyzed, “Isabella II’s reputation in Spain is already ruined. It’s impossible for her to be restored.
If the French support her son, Prince Alfonso, in ascending the throne, there might be a slight possibility.
However, Prince Alfonso is too young to handle the current situation, and no party would allow Isabella II to act as regent again, so we can basically rule that out.
There are many candidates left. Excluding the House of Bourbon, those with higher support include Prince Leopold of House Hohenzollern. He has the support of the Spanish military, although Napoleon III is likely to oppose him.
Then there’s Isabella II’s brother-in-law, the Duke of Montpensier, but he killed Prince Enrique in a duel, making his succession very difficult.
Next is the former Regent of Portugal, Fernando, but according to our intelligence, Fernando is not interested in the Spanish throne.
Among the remaining candidates, including former Sardinian royalty, the House of Orléans, and several princes from our own country, none have high support. It’s still hard to say who will ultimately take the throne.”
After speaking, Wessenberg looked nervously at Franz, seemingly worried that the emperor might insist on pushing a Habsburg prince for the throne.
If not for the rules established by their ancestors, which deprived the Austrian Habsburgs of the right to inherit the Spanish throne, the House of Habsburg’s support in the current struggle for the throne would certainly not be low.
Unfortunately, the rules set by Charles V deprived the Austrian line of the House of Habsburg of the right to inherit the Spanish throne, becoming the biggest obstacle to the Habsburgs re-establishing themselves in Spain.
Lacking legal grounds and with the certain opposition of European countries, Franz naturally couldn’t go against the tide.
The fact that several princes of the House of Habsburg could appear on the list of candidates was already a courtesy extended by others.
“There’s no need to consider the princes from our country. When the House of Habsburg split, it was agreed that the Austrian and Spanish lines would have no mutual inheritance rights.
The Spanish line of the House of Habsburg has already died out; otherwise, the throne would never have passed to the House of Bourbon, and Spain wouldn’t be in its current situation.”
After speaking, Franz sighed, regretting that this opportunity had to be given up.
