From the personal diaries of Pope Innocent XIV
Sunday 28th of January 1855
We are at war. It took quite a while for me to take this decision but I've sent the Austrian ambassador back to Vienna and ordered the mobilization of the army reserves.
All those letters that I'd sent to Napoleon have finally born fruit as he agreed to extend the goals of the war from the transfer of Lombardy to the Piedmontese to the assignment of Veneto to the Papal States. He wasn't too easy to convince but I knew which strings to pull to make sure he saw things my way.
He started quite partial to the idea of providing a stable counterweight to Piedmont-Sardinia in Italy but was tipped over after my long exhausting letter where I reminded him of that time back in '31 when I used my position as archbishop of Spoleto to hide him from the Austrian authorities who were looking for a young revolutionary. The mistakes of our youth often come and bite us in the end and, now that Bonaparte pursues Austria yet again, it has come time for him to return the favor to old Innocent.
If there is something that I have learned in my time in Greece, it's that all Italians are more alike than we are different, and, if we cling to our petty differences, we will simply make ourselves into prey for stronger powers. Mazzini may be a dangerous extremist but I have to agree that a united Italy is the way forward and an Italy under the Papacy is the only way to prevent the resentment that would come with one petty kingdom overpowering the others. The Church has many flaws but, in the end, it has a universality and unity that cannot be found in other ideals.
Of course, this lofty project will take some time but I feel that this "Second Italian War of Independence" might be a step in the right direction by expelling the foreigners and leaving a contest purely among Italians. My one reservation on the endeavor is that the Papal armies were perfectly suitable to humble Greece but they definitely are not up to the task of defeating Austria. This means that I will mostly have to rely on French support while we hold the line in Romagna. The Lord only knows whether our efforts will be enough but I believe I have been given this opportunity for a clear reason and now I will find out if my choice will be worth the cost.
Saturday 3rd of March 1855
This war has not started well. Mobilizing the army reserves did provide a good amount of men but it has plunged the state into an even deeper recession than it was in previously and I could sense Cardinal Cappellini's peace of mind splinter into a thousand little shards. Unfortunately, the cost of fighting does not limit itself to mere money but lives as well. Last week, a newly mobilized group of three thousand men in Bologna was surprised by Austrian forces during their transfer to the main army. The forty thousand Austrians made short work of these poor farmers and artisans and I have not received reports of any survivors. This, combined with the imminent occupation of Ferrara has forced us to form a defensive line in Ravenna, once ravaged by plague and soon to experience bloodshed and even famine.
This individual tragedy was compounded by yet another when, two days later, while I was deep in prayer for the souls of those killed, an aide brought me the news of a naval disaster in the Gulf of Taranto. Our fleet was returning from its position in Corinth to blockade the Venetian coast but was surprised by an Austrian contingent that appeared smaller in number. Admiral Lunardi chose to attack them first but soon found himself terribly outmatched when he realized that the enemy was equipped with modern heavy warships and his fleet was mainly composed of transports. The transports later proved useful when they had to take on the survivors of eleven sunken ships and limp home with a mere five. All in all, I am given another one-thousand six-hundred and fifty souls to pray for.
The Piedmontese seem to have a foothold in Lombardy and Louis Napoleon has assured me that French soldiers are coming. I can only hope that this painful beginning was a necessary evil to ensure success. For now, I will keep praying.
Saturday 5th of May 1855
Finally a victory! I have just gotten news that forty thousand Papal soldiers together with fifty-six thousand Piedmontese have pushed the dreaded Austrians out of Ferrara and have proceeded to chase them back into Veneto. The losses have been severe but, if things continue along with this pace, they will soon be repaid with the common good. I'm told that our general Matteo di Borbone-Due Sicilie took control of the allied forces and surprised an Austrian detachment out looting the countryside and made them prisoners after a brief resistance. The other twenty-thousand Austrians were ambushed during their attempt to break into the besieged city but they put up fierce resistance taking many of our allies with them. In any case, as painful as it is to have caused such hardship, Ferrara is free once more and we can move on to the liberation of Veneto.
Lombardy has been mostly occupied by the Piedmontese although he Austrians have begun a counteroffensive which seemed dangerous until a few days ago but will soon be met with a combined French and Belgian force twice the size of our own army. This war for Italy would have turned out quite differently had it not been for old (or, more accurately, young) Louis Napoleon. In the meantime, I've ordered General Borbone-Due Sicilie to aim for Venice and plant the Papal flag in Piazza San Marco. After that, he is to take Udine while the Piedmontese guard the Alps near Belluno.
And so it begins, I feel uncomfortable saying this but there is a certain elation in seeing one's forces victorious and advancing. I must remember not to get carried away with meaningless conflicts for the sake of this thrill. Many wounded are being brought to Ravenna to recover and I think it is only right and proper that I travel there to give them comfort and remind myself that those battle reports I receive speak of thousands of fathers, husbands, and sons. The war continues and so must our humanity.
Wednesday 18th of July 1855
The eagle's feathers have been clipped. No Austrian soldiers remain within the confines of Italy and we have begun a full advance into German lands. They attempted one last move on Udine but General Borbone-Due Sicilie managed to hold off the attackers. It was a hard-fought battle where the core of our forces had to take the brunt of the remaining Austrian army. The General took up defensive positions around a town called Caporetto and blocked access to the Italian road with hastily constructed fortifications while artillery was positioned in the surrounding mountains to bombard the enemy force. Though we had the advantage in position, the Austrians had brought along more than three times our own artillery and caused significant casualties for the infantry at the center of the valley. The encounter lasted for about a week from start to finish but the attack was repelled and a final cavalry charge sent the Austrians running back towards Vienna. Speaking of which, while our forces are marching along the Adriatic coast, a combined French and Belgian army lays siege to the enemy capital. Our war is over, we just need to wait for the Austrians to realize it.
Thursday 3rd of January 1856
Campoformio, of course, that's where Louis Napoleon wanted us to meet. At least the voyage gave me a chance to tour the Venetian countryside and learn several dozen creative ways to shout the Lord's name in vain. At first, I blushed as the shepherds' cursed at their flocks to make way for my carriage but after a few days of travel, I'm just impressed by the sheer volume of available sentences.
The treaty itself was drafted by me, Louis Napoleon, Victor Emmanuel, and the Austrian foreign minister von Buol-Schauenstein. I'd never noticed until now how prominently mustaches figure in modern politicians until I saw how unadorned Buol-Schauenstein appeared among all of the other participants, although I'm sure I was the subject of the same consideration. Louis Napoleon has aged since the last time we met but maintains all of the ambition and rebellious spirit that almost got him arrested so many years ago, I should be careful that his ambition does not end up consuming Italy as well. Victor Emmanuel was an interesting fellow, spoke only Piedmontese to his aides and ministers, and made no mystery of his extramarital relationship even so shortly after the death of his wife. He is a picturesque character who appears to be bored by politics but I must remember to keep a close eye on Cavour, the bespectacled advisor who seems to be the true mind behind the king's actions.
The negotiations proceeded without much opposition voiced by the thoroughly defeated Austrians and primarily consisted in Napoleon trying to gain favors from me and Victor Emmanuel by tweaking what exactly the borders between Lombardy and Veneto are. The back and forth resulted in the border being drawn down from Lake Garda through the Mincio river until it merges into the Po with Mantua handed to the Piedmontese.
And thus, Italy is a little freer but, alas, not much more united. It will take considerable work for Piedmontese, Lombards, Venetians, and Romans to surrender their millenary divisions and become one. We can start by the restoration of Veneto to Italian control and the Lord only knows what the future holds. I just hope that He doesn't listen too closely to the Venetians lest a new flood make them swallow their words.