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In the marble halls of the royal palace, Don Vincenzo Roberto Pes di Villamarina stands up. He clears his throat, before starting to speak.
My lords of the Privy Council,
We are entering the new age of Piedmontese politics. The will of His Majesty the King has created new legislative institutions that would assist him in the governance of our great country. Matters that up to now have been decided by few will now be discussed by many - and this is, as always, a coin of two sides. On one hand, it would mean openess, new opportunities, neccessary changes, additional control over the bureaucracy, make the Authority closer to the Society - and, at the same time, it may give way to dangerous ideas and amateureness. It is a tool that can be used excellently for the benefit of the state and the nation - but at the same time can damage it, if misused. Therefore all of us should understand that, from this moment, we must be more diligent, more cautious, more responsible and more thoughtful than ever - and always bear in mind that, from this moment, the government will not only be accountable to the Crown, but will be also scrutinized this new institution, which represents the instincts of the masses.
What will be, in my opinion, the main aims of the Privy Council of His Majesty in these new times?
First of all, we should preserve our Christian traditions and the monarchy, its historic institutions that hold our nation together. His Majesty is the god-annointed ruler, he is the supreme representative of the nation, its apolitical leader, standing above all parties. authorities and factions. And we should always loyally defend his role and importance, the unity of the state, its moral basis, from any threats, both internal and external.
Secondly, we should assist the King to make decisions that would benefit the people and the state, assist him to cooperate with new legislative organs and the government. We must act impartially and fairly, forgetting about own enrichement or glory. We must remember that we, his advisors, help the Monarch to execute his royal prerogative, the one which, most certainly, be attacked by the radicals of all kinds. The image of the monarch must remain untarnished, he must not be seen as a puppet of certain special interests or factionalism. Many a regime have fallen, because of bad servants that thought about their aims, instead of the aims of their sovereign and master. The King has demonstrated his trust towards us, by appointing us to the Council, and we should not betray it. All of us belong to the class that has, for centuries, dedicated itself to the service of the country, such values as honor and duty have been taught to us from the childhood, we are immune to petty corruption and greed. Let us stay so and remember the great role that is played by the House of Lords in Great Britain and Chamber of Peers in France due to these qualities.
Thank you.
- Vincenzo Roberto Pes, Marquis di Villamarina, Leader of Traditionalists
My lords of the Privy Council,
We are entering the new age of Piedmontese politics. The will of His Majesty the King has created new legislative institutions that would assist him in the governance of our great country. Matters that up to now have been decided by few will now be discussed by many - and this is, as always, a coin of two sides. On one hand, it would mean openess, new opportunities, neccessary changes, additional control over the bureaucracy, make the Authority closer to the Society - and, at the same time, it may give way to dangerous ideas and amateureness. It is a tool that can be used excellently for the benefit of the state and the nation - but at the same time can damage it, if misused. Therefore all of us should understand that, from this moment, we must be more diligent, more cautious, more responsible and more thoughtful than ever - and always bear in mind that, from this moment, the government will not only be accountable to the Crown, but will be also scrutinized this new institution, which represents the instincts of the masses.
What will be, in my opinion, the main aims of the Privy Council of His Majesty in these new times?
First of all, we should preserve our Christian traditions and the monarchy, its historic institutions that hold our nation together. His Majesty is the god-annointed ruler, he is the supreme representative of the nation, its apolitical leader, standing above all parties. authorities and factions. And we should always loyally defend his role and importance, the unity of the state, its moral basis, from any threats, both internal and external.
Secondly, we should assist the King to make decisions that would benefit the people and the state, assist him to cooperate with new legislative organs and the government. We must act impartially and fairly, forgetting about own enrichement or glory. We must remember that we, his advisors, help the Monarch to execute his royal prerogative, the one which, most certainly, be attacked by the radicals of all kinds. The image of the monarch must remain untarnished, he must not be seen as a puppet of certain special interests or factionalism. Many a regime have fallen, because of bad servants that thought about their aims, instead of the aims of their sovereign and master. The King has demonstrated his trust towards us, by appointing us to the Council, and we should not betray it. All of us belong to the class that has, for centuries, dedicated itself to the service of the country, such values as honor and duty have been taught to us from the childhood, we are immune to petty corruption and greed. Let us stay so and remember the great role that is played by the House of Lords in Great Britain and Chamber of Peers in France due to these qualities.
Thank you.
- Vincenzo Roberto Pes, Marquis di Villamarina, Leader of Traditionalists
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Vincenzo-Ettore Ferrero Guglielmo Visconti di Modrone, Marquis of Vimodrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo
Name: Vincenzo-Ettore Ferrero Guglielmo Visconti di Modrone, Marquis of Vimodrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo
Born: Vimodrone, Milan
Date of Birth: 10th of June 1789
Nationality: Milanese
Class: Aristocrat
((Ancestral lands: Milan, but I assume that has no impact for the time being))
Biography:
Vicenzo-Ettore's childhood had been marked by the French occupation, and he had grown up getting accustomed to peasant uprisings that often led to pogroms and lynchings of pro-French liberals. This had a deep impact on him, as he saw his kinsmen getting conscripted, he viewed the power of his family, the Visconti of Milan, dwindle as the star of the little Corsican's nobility shone brightly. When the Ogre was defeated at last, he witnessed the popular movements in Piedmont and Genoa, and they made him wary of populism and of the power of the rabble. The Viscontis had been overshadowed during the French period and welcomed the end of the tyrant's power but to the young Vincenzo-Ettore, who had imagined the country would go back to the days that preceded Napoleon effortlessly, this was a shock. The smallfolk refused to let their betters rule and instead armed force had to be used to subdue them. Vincenzo-Ettore had no memories that predated Napoleon's arrival in the peninsula, but when he realized he wouldn't get to know a blessed life such as the one his forefathers had lived, he felt depressed.
Vicenzo-Ettore was and remains to this day romantically attracted by the old Piedmont, the country his forefathers lived before the French came. In his idealized view, this was a land where all shared duties and obligations and were bound by their faith and their loyalty to their monarch. A reactionary by thought, Vincenzo-Ettore's aversion of violence and strife makes him however a man of compromise, for he fears anything that could lead to a popular reaction and reenact the scene he saw far too often during the occupation. He left Milan for Turin a few years earlier, in the hope that the new liberal tendencies of Piedmont could be toned down to finally go back to an Ancien Regime society.
For all intents and purposes, he hails from a prestigious family that has little else than its name to offer. Would he live in the society he wished for, it would have been all he needed but for the sake of his family and pressured by his heir, Vincenzo-Ettore has recently taken an interest in monetary affairs, although he loathes what he considers 'bookkeeping'. He is Milanese first and foremost, Piedmontese afterwards and has no interest in expansionism - let alone nationalism - and believes Piedmont should work to preserve the Metternich order and grow closer to Austria, as the resurgent shadow of Bonapartism in France with the July Monarchy made him worried.
((Tell me if the title is bad, I made an AH character but I have issues with completely random dynasties. On top of that, it's a little homage to Visconti.))
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((A cool bio, Mathrim! Yet TH forbids us to use the ducal title, for currently there is no Dukes in Piedmont outside the royal family. A count or a marquis is a maximum))
((The counts of Vimodrone were made dukes in 1816, maybe it's an Austrian title then? Anyhow, as I said if TH feels it must be removed, that's no problem. I don't really want the title - or the mechanical benefits that come along with it, apparently - but I feel it would be weird not to use a historical title.
Expanded Play for Demagogues: Yes/No/Abstain
Expanded Play for Militarists: Yes/No/Abstain
Dynasticism: Yes/No/Abstain
Carrot and Stick: Yes/No/Abstain
Expanded Colonialism: Yes/No/Abstain
Easier Bonuses and Penalties: Yes/No/Abstain
Franchise and Parties: Yes/No/Abstain
Direct Effect of Taxation: Yes/No/Abstain
Party Regionalism: Yes/No/Abstain
Aristocrat))
Expanded Play for Demagogues: Yes/No/Abstain
Expanded Play for Militarists: Yes/No/Abstain
Dynasticism: Yes/No/Abstain
Carrot and Stick: Yes/No/Abstain
Expanded Colonialism: Yes/No/Abstain
Easier Bonuses and Penalties: Yes/No/Abstain
Franchise and Parties: Yes/No/Abstain
Direct Effect of Taxation: Yes/No/Abstain
Party Regionalism: Yes/No/Abstain
Aristocrat))
((I know that this is a photo, however I could not find a good portrait.))
Born: Nice, Piedmont (At the Time it was under the First French Empire.)
Date of Birth: July 4, 1807
Nationality: Piedmontese
Class: Politician
Biography:
Born in the French-Italian border city of Nice, Achille was lucky enough to be given an education at a young age. He was found of the Classics, the stories of the Great Roman Empire and how it brought civilisation to the peoples of Europe, the Kingdoms of Italy who had once united the peninsular, and the great cities of the Italian Renaissance; who expanded the ranges of knowledge and explored the world.
He then found himself under the patronage of a local Noble to make his own family's history, in which Achille learnt a lot of the history of Sardinia-Piedmont. He then went into politics, and found himself a member of the La Sinistra Partito, not because he was a Tri-colour-waving republican, merely because the liberals agreed more with his idea of a united Italy, which he valued above all other matters.
((What! No Constitutional Convention?!?))
((Picture to come))
Name: Guiseppe Camilleri
Born: Palermo, Sicily 15 July 1803
Nationality: Southern Italian (Sicilian)
Class: Industrialist
Guiseppe comes from a family prominent in Sicilian society. A family eager to spread its influence across the Italian states. Guiseppe was sent to open a Sardinia office for the family's commercial enterprises in 1830. The time has been spent cultivating local contacts and exploring opportunities for a new industrial enterprise.
((Picture to come))
Name: Guiseppe Camilleri
Born: Palermo, Sicily 15 July 1803
Nationality: Southern Italian (Sicilian)
Class: Industrialist
Guiseppe comes from a family prominent in Sicilian society. A family eager to spread its influence across the Italian states. Guiseppe was sent to open a Sardinia office for the family's commercial enterprises in 1830. The time has been spent cultivating local contacts and exploring opportunities for a new industrial enterprise.
((The King would have been mad to call a constitutional convention in the established state, instead of simply granting a constitution ;P))
((Further to what Dadar says, the only political grouping explicitly pro-unification, to the best of my knowledge, are the Traditionalists.))
((Eh, currently Sinistra Partito is known for its will to apply tarrifs and pursue antimilitary policies, but not for any unification agenda))
On the so-called Traditionalist Party
One can only wonder if the Constitution that His Majesty saw fit to grant upon His subjects was an idea befitting the realm and if it was just according to the intemporal principles laid by the Lord and the Holy Church. Including parts of the population in the decision-making process to advise the monarch may look like a wise idea, and I applaud our beloved King for this decision but alas it appears that some elements - even among the nobility of this land - have interpreted it as a sign of weakness and as an approval of their revolutionary methods and goals.
The tradition is what we should all strive for, for it is the natural order of the Piedmontese realm. The Church and the Crown must act together and enable us to live the good lives our forefathers lived, in rhythm with the the seasons and organized by the Church and its ministers. While Italy binds us all and is the framework Piedmont-Sardinia exists in, it is no goal we should strive for. We all have our particularisms and there is no greater need to bring so-called unity to the Italian states for we can all work, live and die as good Catholics in distinct states. All men men should endeavour to reach the Kingdom of God and the ideas of the liberals lead us astray, and make us doubt the order the Lord saw fit to impose.
As such, I cannot fathom why some liberals in disguise would call themselves Traditionalists when their objective and visible goal is to destroy every tradition good and pious men stand for. Free trade won't give prosperity to the good artisans of Genoa, only established guilds can preserve their prosperity and standing. Once British goods come to our ports, how will we ensure they remain able to sustain their families as good fathers? Truly, we must raise tariffs upon foreign goods if similar products made within the Kingdom are available. Free trade will only bring misery, and then disorder, strife and shatter the institutions we are sworn to protect.
Any expansionist policy would weaken our international standing and the established order. We have no need to live in the same state as the people of Parma to be under the same roof, that of the Holy Church. We have no need to antagonize Austria, instead we should befriend them and the Holy Alliance to preserve the status quo, avoid wars and bloodshed and enable all Christians to live pious and simple lives. Let us cast away the shadows the Corsican Ogre put in our minds, and let us preserve the traditional order, the one who gave every Christian a chance to live according to the Lord's laws.
Vincenzo-Ettore Ferrero Guglielmo Visconti di Modrone, Marquis of Vimodrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo
((Seriously, the conservatives want free trade and Italian unity? What are we, liberal bourgeois?))
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The banner was raised in the square near the merchants quarter. Doing as they were bid, many of the artisans that worked sent their apprentices, sons or wives to hear the words of the Confraternita, speaking under the horseshoe and cross. Many children, street urchins without a cause or a purpose, also came to watch, distracting themselves from their pitiful lives. A thin man with a loud voice stood on the box that was his stage and looked upon his audience, ever as an actor would. Many in the crowd recognised him, and chanted out what very well had become a tradition in of itself.
"Il Banditore, tell us the news!" the crowd happily asked.
But the banditore pantomimed not hearing them, waving his arms dramatically for a louder cry.
"Il Banditore, tell us the news!" the crowd screamed.
With a smile known only to those with a captive audience, the banditore began to speak as he was told to. He wasn't told to show some flair, but it wasn't needed, for he would not have the job without the flair for the audience. Speaking emotionally, he repeated (essentially) the speech of Count Visconti di Modrone. With arms bringing the corwd to a fervor he spoke the words he needed to, as told to by Il Capitano.
"Women, Children, go back to your men and tell them of the Count Visconti di Modrone! A man of men, he knows the heart of the city unlike any other nobile. As I Tradizionalisti try to destroy our livelihoods with British silk and French boots, the Count defended our role. Stating that we are the heart of the nation, we must be strong in the face of these winds of change. Truly a scryer, his words should be taken to all! Join the Sinistra Partito, defend your jobs, defend your homes. For without men like us to stand with the brave Count, who shall stand with us when we need it.
Avanti Visconti! Avanti Sinistra!"
Normally it was here that the gendarme would break up the scene, but so far into the peasant slums they had no desire to venture. As such the crowd dispersed to their homes in a more natural fashion, many pressing the banditore for more news. But that news carried, throughout the square and throughout the quarter. For the Confraterita, the Count was now a hero.
"Il Banditore, tell us the news!" the crowd happily asked.
But the banditore pantomimed not hearing them, waving his arms dramatically for a louder cry.
"Il Banditore, tell us the news!" the crowd screamed.
With a smile known only to those with a captive audience, the banditore began to speak as he was told to. He wasn't told to show some flair, but it wasn't needed, for he would not have the job without the flair for the audience. Speaking emotionally, he repeated (essentially) the speech of Count Visconti di Modrone. With arms bringing the corwd to a fervor he spoke the words he needed to, as told to by Il Capitano.
"Women, Children, go back to your men and tell them of the Count Visconti di Modrone! A man of men, he knows the heart of the city unlike any other nobile. As I Tradizionalisti try to destroy our livelihoods with British silk and French boots, the Count defended our role. Stating that we are the heart of the nation, we must be strong in the face of these winds of change. Truly a scryer, his words should be taken to all! Join the Sinistra Partito, defend your jobs, defend your homes. For without men like us to stand with the brave Count, who shall stand with us when we need it.
Avanti Visconti! Avanti Sinistra!"
Normally it was here that the gendarme would break up the scene, but so far into the peasant slums they had no desire to venture. As such the crowd dispersed to their homes in a more natural fashion, many pressing the banditore for more news. But that news carried, throughout the square and throughout the quarter. For the Confraterita, the Count was now a hero.
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((It's not as if the idea is a new one.
))While I respect the opinions of the Duke of Vimodrone, I cannot say that I agree with them in the slightest – as is perhaps to be expected. How on Earth he believes the idea of a united Italian state is one which will shatter the very framework of our existing nation is truly beyond me. We do not seek violence, we do not seek war, and God knows we do not seek upheaval. What we seek is for the Italian people to unite for the good of the commonweal, sharing prosperity directly as brothers, united under God and a strong and caring state. This is not a revolutionary viewpoint. Neither is it one which should cause massive upheaval. It is merely the translation of a system we already enjoy, and in which we already exist, from Piedmont to all of Italy.
Further, these ideas that presenting a united state would weaken our standing in the eyes of the world are nonsense. Who can truly be said to look upon Italian princelings with awe? Who respects a disunited and irrelevant people, so easily brushed aside by the belligerent forces of Bonapartism? Who fears those states who must act so as not to offend their mighty neighbours in every walk of life – whose allies may one day seek not to protect, but to exploit?
Sirs, the arguments put forward by His Grace the Duke are without base. They are a nonsense. He seeks to foster fear via vague claims of disruption and upheaval, posting that a unified state would exist contrary to the laws of the Lord God. Patently, this is untrue. Fanciful, even. To use his words, let us cast away the shadows that Corsican ogre put into our minds – the shadow cast over Italy's patchwork of principalities – and let us emerge a force of our own, united for the good of all Italians, living as one under God and the King!
~Carlo Agostino Uleri, Leader of the Traditionalists within the Chamber of Deputies
Yes please let's raise the tariffs! This, this would be a most excellent policy if I have ever seen one for not only would starve our resource poor nation of well resources it would completely stop any attempt to industrialize or modernize! Sardinia is a shit hole, our only natural resources are a piteful amount if coal and a trinket amount of sulphur. Those two resources are not enough to even think of building an economy! If we were to pursue an importation tariff it would hurt the good artisans and Everyman who would try to seek a job in the newly built industry.
I can guarantee that an attempted importation tariff would see the destruction of everything we hold dear in Sardinia the middle class, the upper class and the lower class will all be reduced to beggars on the street as they all fail to make a living off of a country completely devoid of useful natural resources.
- Riccardo Cavalieri
I can guarantee that an attempted importation tariff would see the destruction of everything we hold dear in Sardinia the middle class, the upper class and the lower class will all be reduced to beggars on the street as they all fail to make a living off of a country completely devoid of useful natural resources.
- Riccardo Cavalieri
((Well, tariffs are supposed to exist, they were pretty high at the time.
I believe that running on a Cavourist platform in 1836 is very strange, free trade is something inherently liberal, and as there is no large-scale popular movement for unification the elite doesn't feel too concerned about that. The carbonari aren't very active in Sardinia either. On top of that, openly claiming we want to destroy the Vienna order is something conservatives don't sit well with. So your platform seems very anachronistic to me. As Dadarian put it, you're more liberal than the liberals. But we can talk about that on IRC)).
I believe that running on a Cavourist platform in 1836 is very strange, free trade is something inherently liberal, and as there is no large-scale popular movement for unification the elite doesn't feel too concerned about that. The carbonari aren't very active in Sardinia either. On top of that, openly claiming we want to destroy the Vienna order is something conservatives don't sit well with. So your platform seems very anachronistic to me. As Dadarian put it, you're more liberal than the liberals. But we can talk about that on IRC)).
The Duke of Milan should note that not all members of the Tradizionlisti support the liberal policies of free trade. Protecting our economic is the best economic path for Sardinia-Piedmont.
~ Marchese Antonio Maria Enrico di Susa
~ Marchese Antonio Maria Enrico di Susa
((Free trade has been supported by elements of the right wing in the UK since about 1830, so it's not too strange for me. As for pan-nationalism, my character has a tendency to support it, but just because he's managed to wangle his way into a rather prominent position within the grouping, that doesn't suggest his views are shared by everyone – as LatinKaiser notes.
We decided on the platform because it isn't clichéd, and because it provides a little more multi-dimensionality than simply stating than any change is inherently bad. It takes the Concert of Europe and interprets it in its own way – never advocating any sort of violent birth of a united state, not that we wish to "destroy the Vienna order", but rather a more pacific and diplomatic ends to opposing Bonapartism via Italian unity.
Personally, I don't find it far-fetched or anachronistic at all, but if you wish to debate the matter further then feel free to PM me (I don't use IRCs often for various reasons).))
On trade, nobility and Italy
My view on policy is fairly simple: I wish to preserve the legacy our forefathers built and to enable future generations to live the same way we do, and to continue the unbroken chain of pious generations. I do not feel fully concerned by the everyday affairs of the realm, but the rise of the Tradizionalisti alarmed me, because while they are maintaining a pretence of tradition they wish to thoroughly alter our way of life.
I believe that the nobility received greater rights and privileges than commoners but that the Lord has given us this position so that we could better protect all of His folk. This means that the decisions we make on behalf of the King must be carefully planned, to ensure that we do not endanger the commoners. Every noble must ponder if we wish to see the people work as modern slaves in 'factories' or if we intend to let them continue their trade, and let them teach their children who will later pick up their fathers' trade. Is modernity so enviable that we will put the prosperity of the artisans of our state at risk? I do not oppose 'free trade' merely for ideological reasons, but because I think of the smallfolk of Genoa and Turin.
Patriotism and nationalism are good thing, they make a man close to his community and can help him get closer to God and the Holy Church. But it is a mere tool, not some sacred mission. We are Piedmontese, Italian, European, but first and foremost we are Christian. And this must remain the centre of our preoccupations. Uniting Italy wouldn't benefit the Faith nor the Church, it wouldn't make the people more prosperous or happier. It is a fallacy that would force us to fight our allies and friends, that would lead to countless deaths and ultimately that would see us embrace the heinous principles of Buonaparte. Our Piedmont is a rich and beautiful country and so are all other Italian states, each in its own way. Why would we seek to shatter the order our forefathers built and maintained?
Vincenzo-Ettore Ferrero Guglielmo Visconti di Modrone, Marquis of Vimodrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo
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