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I say you can't fight italian unification without loosing the respect of the frenchman!
 
Don't you mean the land which had held him a virtual prisoner for years, and which had helped defeat his father? Death to the Austrians, I say!

More seriously - with France handling the negotiations, you can easily thwart Sardinia's ambitions by denying them any of their war goals. Any chance of releasing Lombardy or Venice as nations? Or you could retain Lombardy as part of the Orleans French inheritance...

You can look at that sentence both ways.

I could release Lombardy, and Venice but the need to isn't quite there on either of them. Originally Saradina-Piedmont declared war on Two Siciles to grab land. my main goal right now is to prevent them from obtaining additional land down south, as I'm going to try and build Two Siciles into a counter-weight against Sardina-Piedmont. But oh how quickly master plans quickly can become a thing of the past!
 
I think it's a good idea, trying to build up the Two Sicilies. But don't you have any additional steps to preventing an Italian Unification, such as the occupation of an independent Italian state (ala Tuscany or the Papal States?)
 
A very diplomatic letter it is, we'll just stay in Italy, so you can fight us overthere, but do no more...:D

Yeah I would try to get three powers in Italy with about the same strength (Sardinia - Piedmont, Kingdom of 2 Sicilies and either Papal States or a revived Venice)

Nevertheless, no Italian Unification! And no Austrian dominance ;) quite a task but surely a fun one!

Good Luck

Tim
 
The Son of the Emperor
Prince Imperial
An Alternative History Affair


Chapter 6: Reliving the Past
Part Two


Marshal Soult’s nose went wild from the fresh crisp air of northern Italy in the early weeks of spring was always a relaxing scent to the mind. His mind quickly returned to reality. The ground was damp, the day was cold, yet the mist was prevalent; which was to the advantage of the detachment of Imperial Guards under control of the Marshal. The scouts had reported Austrian detachments estimated at numbers of 2,700 to 3,000 were garrisoned at Novara, which had been escalated provincial capitol during the reign of Napoleon I.

By dawn the Imperial Guards, numbering 24,000 strong marched in two pincer movements to surround the town and force the surrender of the Austrian garrison. As the French soldiers moved in the smell in the air became that of morning fires and smoke rising from the chimneys of the buildings that housed the Austrians. Within an hour of a double time march, the French had surrounded the town and a brief fire fight ensued. The Austrians were mostly caught surprised, though a few small groups of Austrians put up fierce resistance. By noon, the town of Novara had been captured, along with three cannons, several dozens of muskets and close to 700 Austrian soldiers.


Outside of the ‘Battle’ of Novara, France was advancing further ahead with ambitious plans. On March 22nd, Greece was proclaimed to be within the sphere of influence of France. Saint Petersburg, London and Istanbul were furious at the increased French influence within Athens. However; only additional rebuking by the ambassadors of the three offended nations were issued. France it seemed had dodged a bullet, if the nations chose to act; France would most likely be hard pressed to defeat the might of Great Britain, Russia, the Ottoman Empire and the Austrians at the same time.



 
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Tekcor Mind if I give you some advice? Lay off the updates!
They're great but give the fanbase some time to enjoy them. Make them longer; and hey! Give yourself some time to rest.
You deserve it maybe go out or make some tea and rest.
 
Tekcor Mind if I give you some advice? Lay off the updates!
They're great but give the fanbase some time to enjoy them. Make them longer; and hey! Give yourself some time to rest.
You deserve it maybe go out or make some tea and rest.

The updates are short and relatively sweet for a reason right now; there are a few main battles that will pretty much be their own updates. I know there are slower readers, that is why there is a detailed table of contents with the Chapter and Part of Update section that contains a link to the section.

Giving myself some time to rest? I get a good amount of time to rest, and writing is actually relaxing.
 
The Son of the Emperor
Prince Imperial
An Alternative History Affair


Chapter 6: Reliving the Past
Part Three


After the battle of Novara, the Imperial Guards lead by Marshal Soult advanced farther into Austria, trying to force a battle; which would hopefully effectively end Austria’s will and power to fight within northern Italy. A battle would occur between May 10th and into the next afternoon, however it was not the victory that Soult or France sought. The Austrians, though more numerous than in the Battle of Novara, were still outmatched at Modena by the Imperial Guards, who were accompanied by a detachment of forces from Sardinia.

The Austrian commander, Karl Geiss, a political appointee was inept, and had badly positioned his forces. The first day of battle witnessed minor skirmishes between both armies as the main forces were brought into position. On the second day of battle, heavy pressure was applied to the Austrian right flank. The flank had already been weakened by a feint attack on the left flank by Sardinia’s forces.

With his position compromised, Karl Geiss ordered a retreat, however it was too late. The Austrian army was in disarray and suffered heavy causalities. Geiss had walked onto the field with 16,896 soldiers and walked away with 11,653 soldiers in various states of alive or wounded. Meanwhile, The Imperial Guards, along with Piedmont had marched with 26,696 soldiers and suffered a mere 2,039 loss.


Soult would quickly follow Geiss in hopes of bringing about the destruction of the rag-tag remains of his force. However Mother Nature would aid the Austrians in the form of rain followed by a heavy fog, allowing them to escape the clutches of death. Geiss’s escape would come to an end on June 3rd, when he was trapped with his back near Verona because the nearby river was flooding and proven to be impassable due to its fast currents.

Shortly after ten in the morning, the Imperial Guards began marching across the open field, the magnificent colors, the thunderous music from the drums was almost enough to cause panic within the Austrian lines. A volley was unleashed upon the Imperial Guard, however the aim of the Austrians was quite off; while a few guards did fall dead or wounded, most were unscathed. A furious war cry came from the Guards who had already fixed bayonets before departing. As the Guards clashed with the front line troops, the Austrians morale quickly wavered. After a few minutes, white flags were raised.


At the Battle of Verona, Soult would obtain a the victory he had been seeking, Soult entered the field with 21,657 soldiers and would depart with 19,596. Meanwhile his counterpart Geiss began the day with 11,653 troops, of which all were either killed, wounded, missing or captured, including the general himself. With the defeat at Verona, no Austrian army was left within northern Italy, an army would have to be drawn from elsewhere in the country; which would lead to speculation. Who would challenge Austria while she was clearly weakened?


The situation in Northern Italy as of Mid July, 1843.​


 
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Looks like you're home and dry in North Italy - but now the danger is that Prussia will jump Austria and there's a risk they'll form Germany.
 
A small spoiler, there is another battle coming =)
 
The Son of the Emperor
Prince Imperial
An Alternative History Affair


Chapter 6: Reliving the Past
Part Four



The month of August would begin without much glamour or appeal, as the majority of France’s attention was directed towards the war in northern Italy. The population was surprised when on August 4th, the cease of hostilities in Algeria with the official proclamation of a protectorate being established. If needed, the French troops residing within north Africa could be dispatched against Austria; however the need was heavily unlikely, as Austria appeared to have little resistance left to offer. The French troops would remain within Africa, hoping for some action, but the likely hood of Austria challenging the French Navy and sailing for Africa was just a dream.

On the morning of August 23rd, eloquently waving Austrian flags appeared off the horizon from the Imperial Guard’s encampment at Verona. The guards had been resting at Verona since their last battle in June. Though given the time, little earthworks or other defenses had been prepared for a possible attack, as Austria was considered a defeated power. Marshal Soult quickly rallied his officers and men into action for defensive maneuvers and waited for the attack; which would come within the next few hours.

Though lacking in cannons, the Austrians began the second battle of Vienna with a barrage which turned out to be highly ineffective as it overshot most of the French positions. After the barrage which lasted for close to an hour, the Austrians launched a weak frontal attack which served as a diversion against the strong flanking attacks. Unaccustomed to the reality of being outnumbered, Marshal Soult had to use his 20,988 men wisely. The men holding the center line were weakened, and most dispatched to the left flank, where the brunt of the blow was expected to fall.


What followed was a deadly prestige hit to the Imperial Guards. Though not defeated, the Imperial Guards had been decimated. Of 20,988 men starting the battle, 10,218 of them had been killed. The Austrians fared slightly better when put into ratio, starting with 26,790 and losing 10,429. The 1st and 2nd Guard Royal regiments, which were positioned on the left flank, were nearly broken, with both units combined only having 165 men and officers remaining. The only units without a loss of life were the artillery regiments; which had performed admiral-ably and prevented a defeat.

What had spared the Imperial Guards, besides the effectiveness of the French artillery was the reality of the situation. Reports later surfaced that this army was the last troops that Vienna could scrape up and throw into the fray. Losses on the Austrian side were already high and a retreat was about to be ordered after the 24th of August. The commander had wanted to finish off the Imperial Guards, but his scouts had reported a massive French reinforcement army numbering over 50,000 marching south from Trent. With his point proven, the Austrian commander withdrew.



 
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I was pretty close. How did you lose so many men?

Mostly bad rolls on the part of my general. I kinda figured I'd suffer some losses in this battle - but whats the fun if you win every single battle?
 
The Son of the Emperor
Prince Imperial
An Alternative History Affair


Chapter 6: Reliving the Past
Part Five


The Italian peninsula was rife with tension, as rumors had spread since the beginning of the war with Austria that the land would be united under one flag. Who would become the ruler of the land was divided between a pope, a king, princes, and everybody in between. In the north, the King of Sardinia, Charles Albert saw himself as the rightful ruler of the unified Italian state, even with though widespread dissent to this thought was felt within Italy and the inner circle of Napoleon II. In the center of Italy, the Pope and the Catholic Church while a strong figure would not be an acceptable choice for leader of a unified Italian state.

A suitable replacement was desired; yet a tough decision had to be made. The son of King Charles Albert, Victor Emmanuel was liked by the people; however his relative youth (23 years old), along with grand vision of Italy were a great disturbance to the French officials at the Piedmontese court. The young prince wanted to unite the entire of the peninsula, including Lombardia, and Venetia which were inconsistent with French goals. The attention of the French court and Napoleon II turned elsewhere, focusing towards the House of Bonaparte.

With his own children far too young for kingship, Napoleon II had no choice but to turn towards other family members. The uncles Joseph (former King of Spain) and Louis (former King of Holland) were both well beyond their years of competency, and had questionable reputations as rulers. The third uncle, Jerome (former King of Westphalia) was a more desirable choice, though as the king of defunct Westphalia, he had earned a reputation of living beyond his means. In a meeting with the Emperor Napoleon II, Jerome had expressed great desire to lead in his nephew’s vision of an Italian state, and help re-establish control of the Bonaparte order to Europe.

On September 9th, correspondence was received by both Jerome and Napoleon II that Pope Gregory XVI believed the arrangement of a Bonaparte upon the throne of an Italian kingdom was suitable, as long the Catholic Church’s rights and freedoms were protected. The Pope had expressed concern that the House of Savoy would be granted compensation for the loss of their status. However in correspondence dated September 11th, Napoleon II did not mention any compensation to the House of Savoy; which in his mind betrayed the by French by forcibly accelerating her plans for unifying an Italian state.


King Jerome I of Italy.​

While dealing with the arrangement of Italy, a peace treaty was being forged with the Austrian state. Rumors of rebellion and liberation movements had become common themes within Vienna and the provincial capitals of the Hapsburg Empire. Simple terms were offered to Austria, she would cease her influence and interference within the peninsula, part ways with Lombardia; which was to be annexed by the Kingdom of Italy, and transfer the rule of Schleswig back to Denmark. On October 4th, the Treaty of Venice was signed between France and Austria.

On October 24th, the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed with Jerome Bonaparte being coronated as King Jerome I of Italy. His second son, Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte, would become the crown prince of the kingdom which stretched from the Alps to Rome, with the islands of Sardinia and Sicily included. On October 25th, in a concession to the French and Emperor Napoleon II, who had added the title “Protector of the Italians”, Italy ceded the provinces of Nice, Annecy, and Chambery.



 
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I've added the next three chapter names to the main title page, I'll just share them here.

Chapter 7
213 Reasons for Marching 544 Miles

Chapter 8
The Duke of Versailles

Chapter 9
In Father's Footsteps

Go ahead and start your speculation!
 
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