-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Chapter 24
June 10, 1846 – December 23, 1846:
June 10, 1846:
With the annexation of Venice came the realization that many of Greece’s troops would be tied up on the Italian peninsula for the next few decades. These were, after all, the very same people that had just rebelled against Austrian rule. Granted, Otto would do some things differently – upgrading infrastructure, building factories, investing in the people – but he didn’t want to take any chances. The risks were just too high and you couldn’t expect the people to willingly trade one foreign master for another. However, leaving soldiers in Italy meant that he would have to come up with more to defend the home front. With only 20,000 troops in Athens, there would be no way to repulse any sort of Ottoman attack if it were to come now.
Thankfully he had converted many of his Arabian subjects into soldiers, ready to be trained and to die for the empire. This meant that he had a surplus of men waiting for their training camp assignments – 78,000 to be exact. That would just make it that much easier and that much faster to begin when Otto formally gave the order for them to converge on Mesolongion for their training. Over 70,000 men, six divisions each with artillery support, would be ready and waiting for any would-be conquerors.
August 14, 1846:
The Lombards had left themselves defenseless. Much like the Venetians, they attempted to seize the moment, launching an offensive into Austrian territory when its troops were tied up with rebellions. Also like the Venetians, they had achieved some degree of success in their quest, capturing Trento and Bozen and even marching on towards Innsbruck. Unfortunately, like the Venetians, they had not counted on any sort of outside help for the Austrian Empire, which seemingly was ready to collapse. Of course, it could be expected that most of the German kingdoms would declare war on them. After all, they wanted to stand by their German brothers. It could even be expected that if Lombard armies tried to advance anywhere north of Austria the Germans would repulse them and, possibly, launch a counteroffensive. They didn’t, however, expect that the Greeks, led by an ambitious young king, would take their declaration of war seriously. Much like the rest of Europe, they expected Otto to declare war, fulfilling his promise to Franz Joseph, and wait in Athens for the war to wrap itself up. That, unfortunately for them, would not be the case.
Even when the Greeks advanced on Venice the Lombards weren’t worried. After all, they were well aware of his hatred for the Venetians for their part in the fall of Byzantium. They honestly believed that he would crush them, possibly burn the city and return to Athens. However, again, that wasn’t the case. After capturing Udine and Venice a Greek army advanced into Brescia unopposed. When Otto annexed most of the Venetian nation, the situation began to become clear – the Lombards were next on Otto’s list. Unfortunately, by that time they were so deep in Austrian territory that there wasn’t much they could do about it but pray that the people would rise in rebellion or some kind nation would offer some sort of support.
Again, it wasn’t that Otto had any great hatred of or feud with the Lombards. They had never done anything to him and, as far as anyone knew, had never done anything to the Greeks. In this sense, they were blameless. That didn’t seem to matter. The really disconcerting part about all of it was that now, with Greek troops standing outside of the capital, Lombardia was a small enough nation that Otto could, if he so desired, annex the whole thing at once.
August 30, 1846:
Lombardia was gone, its leaders in prison for the time being. It was now nothing more than a “what could have been” in the history books. It was, curiously enough, Greece’s border with Switzerland, of all nations. It was a province to fuel the Greek economy and cannon fodder for the Greek military. It was nothing. Seemingly.
Curiously enough, though, the Greeks were leaving Lombardia, marching north into Novara. Of course everyone had known that the Battle of Novara had been raging for weeks, a desperate struggle between Greece’s General Charilaos and Sardinia’s General Barbarito. However, it was widely believed that the battle was nothing more than a battle designed to keep the Sardinians, an ally of Lombardia, at bay while the Greeks could mop up their occupation and annexation of the nation. Now, with all of the fighting between the Greeks and the rebels a thing of the past, the fighting continued. Is it possible, many wondered, that Otto meant to conquer parts of Sardinia-Piedmont?
September 22, 1846:
The Greeks had done it. They had won the Battle of Novara – at the cost of almost half of their troops. Tens of thousands of soldiers, Greek and Sardinian alike, lay dead at their feet, mixed in with the bodies of the cavalry’s mode of transportation – their horses. The once green grass, or what was left of it, was red with the blood of those caught in the struggle. The setting sun caused an eerie reflection on the blood, making it shimmer and appear as if it were a red ocean. Gunpowder smoke hung low over the field of battle, stinging the nose of those still alive. That, however, was the pleasant part. There was another odor. It was something more sinister. In any battle lasting weeks some of the dead would remain exposed for too long. Now they could smell it. Overpowering the scent of battle was the scent of their friends’ rotting flesh. Even the veterans gagged, though they were careful not to let the new recruits see. It was something you could never get used to.
They paused only long enough to bury the Greek soldiers and treat their wounded. The Sardinian dead would be left exposed, an easy meal for the wild animals that inevitably come to pick a battle site clean. That was, of course, after the Greeks themselves picked them clean. After all, a good pair of boots and extra gunpowder could be hard to come by and the Sardinians they encountered had no more use for theirs. Even with reinforcements and materials arriving from home it was better to be safe than sorry. For now, though, it was time to march on towards Novara. The city would fall quickly once their defenders had been dispersed.
Otto had watched silently as the soldiers buried their comrades. Had the loss of life touched him, Charilaos wondered. Would this cause him to return home, relieving the general of a great burden? Would it strengthen his resolve, forcing him to stay until the end to see that none of his soldiers had died in vain? Of course he had seen dead before. He had been with the soldiers as they fought the Venetians and the Lombards. It was nothing like this, though. It was not a slaughter. That had a habit of staying with someone, changing them forever. Perhaps Otto would be more reluctant to use his military in the future.
Even when word arrived from Austria Otto said nothing. Franz Joseph thanked Otto profusely for his help in dealing with the rebels in Italy, backhandedly cursing him for annexing Austrian territory, and sent him good news. As of September 15, the Venetians had surrendered. They were once more part of Austria.
November 6, 1846:
After securing and Novara and assimilating their reinforcements, the two Greek armies separated from each other once more. There were two Sardinian armies to be dispatched and it was felt that they could do so much more quickly if the Greeks were divided into their original units. The first Greek detachment headed for Torino. It was the capital and, therefore, the most important and most dangerous of the two target cities. General Charilaos, and Otto with him, headed south for Alessandria, a city close to Sardinia’s border with Parma. There were less troops here and it would keep the king of out harm’s way.
The original plan was for the two armies to divide the nation between them. One force would head for Torino, cutting the nation in half, and then head north to capture the provinces along the borders with Switzerland and France. The other would head south towards Alessandria and Genoa. Once the ancient port city was captured, they’d head west along the Mediterranean, capturing every city they encountered along the way. If any resisted, they would be crushed. As they marched the Greek navy would set sail for the Ligurian Sea to ferry Charilaos and Otto to Sardinia, should it be necessary. The second Greek army would remain in Italy to crush any rebellions that might occur. In this way the nation would be more quickly captured and the remaining Sardinian armies would be prevented from concentrating their forces into one large hammer with which to smash the Greeks. It was a good plan – until France and Two Sicilies joined the war on the side of Sardinia.
Despite the new danger and overwhelming odds, the Greeks fought bravely, shattering the Sardinian lines wherever they encountered them. After victories all along the north of the Italian peninsula, they were understandably sure of their skills on the battlefield. The Sardinians, still in disarray from their loss at Novara, were easy enough to defeat. In fact, Charilaos only suffered 1,110 casualties at Alessandria, something that seemed to raise Otto’s spirits greatly.
December 23, 1846:
Otto was back in Novara with his army, who had returned to put down a rebellion, when he received some news that infuriated him, though he would come to appreciate it later. Tired of war and tired of rebellions, Franz Joseph had negotiated a peace with the kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont. That in and of itself was not what infuriated Otto, he would later appreciate it because there was no way he could have defeated France and Two Sicilies as well; but the terms were what did it. Austria and Sardinia had agreed to a white peace. For all of his troops’ suffering and all of the deaths, Greece wouldn’t receive one square inch of territory. In Otto’s eyes, it had all been for nothing. Of course, to the rest of the nation it was a great victory. After all, they had acquired territory that would double their holdings in Europe. They had earned respect. They could be at peace again. Otto would have none of that, though.
In the confusion that was 1846, many governments had been deposed and new ones declared. Italy, much like Germany, was once a great spider web of alliances designed to keep any would-be enemies at bay – of course it had failed, but that was not the point. Now, however, it was a series of newly formed governments allied with no one, possessing no armies and possessing no sort of assurance from the dangers the world posed. Otto intended to take full advantage of that. While marching his troops south to the ships now intended to take him home, he encountered the seemingly defenseless nation of Modena. In his anger with Austria he declared that it would be his. Otto would return home to Athens, he had been gone almost a year, to a parade in his honor thrown by Prime Minister Kolettis. However, a state of war now existed between Modena and Greece.
Next: They All Fall Down pt. II
You know, without giving too much away, it's funny how immigration changes your nation in ways you wouldn't have guessed. For instance, I would have thought that my industrial center would be Italy or Greece. That's not the case, though. In my current game, I have a machine parts factory in Bosnia that's currently at 35 workers and I'm STILL having to expand it. Not that I mind, of course. The machine parts are very nice. Those immigrants are just crazy, though. 
Nice march through Northern Italy..... just how far south is Otto planning on going, by the by?
Bosnia?
(Scrolls back...) bosnia? bosnia?
Sorry, but unless I am really missing out, you haven;t yet conquered Bosnia? So that means you are giving us a bit of a glimpse into the future?
All good stuff though - It seems your romp through Italy is going well - I hope you have strategies for dealing with those who may become unhappy about your aggression.
Heretic
(Scrolls back...) bosnia? bosnia?
Sorry, but unless I am really missing out, you haven;t yet conquered Bosnia? So that means you are giving us a bit of a glimpse into the future?
All good stuff though - It seems your romp through Italy is going well - I hope you have strategies for dealing with those who may become unhappy about your aggression.
Heretic
Great AAR Josh. I started reading it today and I managed to read it all!!! It was really exciting. I really like your narration. I am anxious to see if you are going to restore the Byzantine empire to the extent of Ioustinianos (Byzantine Emperor 527-565):
When are you going to take 'Την Πόλη' (The City - Constantinople)?
For as Constantine Palaiologos told Moameth the 2nd when the latter asked the Greek Emperor to surrender the City:
«το δε την πόλιν σοι δούναι, ουτ΄ εμόν εστίν, ουτ΄ άλλου των κατοικούντων εν ταύτη. Κοινή γαρ γνώμη πάντες αυτοπροαιρέτως αποθανούμεν και ου φεισθόμεθα της ζωής ημών»
or
"To give you the City is neither mine (right) nor anyone else's of those who live in it. We all share the same opinion that we would gladly, by our own will, die and we will not take into account our lives. "
When are you going to take 'Την Πόλη' (The City - Constantinople)?
For as Constantine Palaiologos told Moameth the 2nd when the latter asked the Greek Emperor to surrender the City:
«το δε την πόλιν σοι δούναι, ουτ΄ εμόν εστίν, ουτ΄ άλλου των κατοικούντων εν ταύτη. Κοινή γαρ γνώμη πάντες αυτοπροαιρέτως αποθανούμεν και ου φεισθόμεθα της ζωής ημών»
or
"To give you the City is neither mine (right) nor anyone else's of those who live in it. We all share the same opinion that we would gladly, by our own will, die and we will not take into account our lives. "
Immigration is way cool. Especially if they come from lots of places, and don't assimilate.JoshWeber said:You know, without giving too much away, it's funny how immigration changes your nation in ways you wouldn't have guessed. For instance, I would have thought that my industrial center would be Italy or Greece. That's not the case, though. In my current game, I have a machine parts factory in Bosnia that's currently at 35 workers and I'm STILL having to expand it. Not that I mind, of course. The machine parts are very nice. Those immigrants are just crazy, though.
If you can get some large POPs (preferably Greeks) to be Clerks, and some other large POPS (preferably not Greeks) to be capitalists, you can make your immigrant-filled factories very efficient and profitable indeed.
Heretic said:
It's a glimpse of the future.
Yeah, I started the 60,000 new troops to protect Greece so I can keep as many as possible in Italy for the inevitable revolts.TheGeneral said:Great AAR Josh. I started reading it today and I managed to read it all!!! It was really exciting. I really like your narration. I am anxious to see if you are going to restore the Byzantine empire to the extent of Ioustinianos (Byzantine Emperor 527-565):
When are you going to take 'Την Πόλη' (The City - Constantinople)?
For as Constantine Palaiologos told Moameth the 2nd when the latter asked the Greek Emperor to surrender the City:
«το δε την πόλιν σοι δούναι, ουτ΄ εμόν εστίν, ουτ΄ άλλου των κατοικούντων εν ταύτη. Κοινή γαρ γνώμη πάντες αυτοπροαιρέτως αποθανούμεν και ου φεισθόμεθα της ζωής ημών»
or
"To give you the City is neither mine (right) nor anyone else's of those who live in it. We all share the same opinion that we would gladly, by our own will, die and we will not take into account our lives. "
I've captured Constantinople several times, but I have to conquer the entire Ottoman Empire to annex it. I was going to move it to Ankara, but decided that'd be cheating. Plus, it gives me a reason to get rid of Otto when he left historically. (Something I'll leave up to ya'll.) As I said before, I'm surprised at the way a few of my wars are gone. It's been mostly positive too. (Not for the dead troops, but for the empire, of course.)
LM+ said:
And immigrants give Otto a nice choice - empire or republic?
Anyway, I have to pick my girlfriend up from the airport soon, but I'm going to try and get another nice, long update written for tomorrow or Saturday.
Hey guys. Sorry for the delay on the update, but every time I've checked Paradox for about a week it's been down. I'm at work now, but I'll get the new updates up ASAP. I know you're looking foward to Greece kicking Italian butt.
Hey guys. Sorry for the delay again. We've had MORE health problems so I've been distracted. (To give you an idea of how much fun we've had, you can write off medical expenses if it's 17% (I believe) of your total income for the year. My parents have been able to write it off for 4 years in a row.) Anyway, the tests are coming back and they're looking good, so I'll be less distracted and able to write again soon.
Well, good news and bad news on the health front again, but the good news for my AARs is that I should have time for some updates this weekend! I thought I was going to have to put them on hold, but it looks like I may not have to now.
Well, my mom had a "minor" stroke about two weeks ago now. She's in the middle of doing all sorts of tests and it looks like the stroke didn't do too much damage, but she's at an increased risk for more strokes for the rest of her life. (Her grandma kept having minor ones over and over until she had a major one and couldn't hardly move for the last seven years of her life, so my mom's a little scared.) However, while doing the tests for her stroke (full body scans and stuff), the found an abnormality in her breast. They did another test and it looks like she may have breast cancer again on top of the stroke. This will be her 5th time with breast cancer. So, with that and full-time work, hopefully ya'll can understand why the updates have been scarce recently. I'm coming along on a Swedish one and have an idea for my next Greek one, though. Hopefully I'll finish the Swedish one tonight and get it posted.
Oh dear, that's bad. Hope your mamma get well very soon so that you can continue with both of your magnificent AAR.
Chapter 25
December 23, 1846 – August 14, 1847:
When Barbarossa begins, the world will hold its breath.”
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
December 23, 1846:
A century before the Nazis made the world hold its breath, the Greeks seemed as if they would make the world hyperventilate. Seemingly by sheer force of will, Otto had transformed the tiny kingdom for a subsistence agrarian society to an emerging industrial power. Even more amazing, they were quickly becoming a military and diplomatic powerhouse. Throwing off the shackles of the Ottoman Empire, Otto quickly conquered Crete, Cyprus, parts of the Levant and united most of Arabia. Then, more amazingly, he launched an attack into the heart of the Ottoman Empire itself and emerged successful. Clearly the days of Ottoman dominion were through. The one complaint that many of his subjects had, though, was that he was not expanding quickly enough.
Many complained when he failed to annex all of Egypt – something he could easily have done in their opinion. Many more complained at the result of the Greco-Ottoman War. Why, with the Ottomans seemingly on the ropes, did Otto settle for a few islands in the Aegean and expending the northern border a few miles north when he could have united all of the Greeks under one government? Didn’t they deserve it? As the Germans would say a century later, Ein Volk, Ein Reich . . . But Otto didn’t want to take everything at once. Well, more accurately, Otto knew he couldn’t take everything at once. He didn’t want to take hundreds or thousands of square miles of land only to lose them to revolts a few years later. He was still young, he still had time to united the Greeks. Why risk it all now when he could be patient and secure it all later? He had taken a page from the Byzantine Empire – the restoration of which remained his ultimate goal – and decided that all conquests must be sustainable for the good of the empire. From 1836 to 1846 that philosophy guided his internal and external politics. Recently, though, that had all seemed to change. Now, in Athens, he seemed to crave land.
With the effects of the Greek Constitution wreaking havoc in Europe, a unique opportunity presented itself to him and he intended to seize it. Through the very fortunate timing of Otto’s alliance with the Austrians, he was able to conquer most of Venice and Lombardia from the Austrians without actually having to fight them. The revolutions in Europe had led to an opportunity for the upstarts in both “nations” to declare independence and, because of the riots ravaging the Austrian Empire, Franz Joseph had no choice but to ask for help from Otto – help he was more than willing to give for a price.
But when the conquest of Venice and Lombardia was complete, the world found itself in a very different situation. The interwoven alliances that had protected the Italian states from outside aggression had been washed away, along with many other “outdated” ways of thinking, by the revolution. This meant that the Italian states, formerly strong, were now each weak, begging for a new master. With thousands of battle-hardened troops stationed in northern Italy, the temptation was more than Otto could resist. If he were to rebuild Byzantium in all of its glory, he’d have to conquer the Italian states anyway. Now, with most of the world looking in other directions, it seemed as if they were being presented to him on a silver platter. That is how he found himself at war with Modena. That is how Otto found himself the sudden focus of so many of Europe’s capitals. That is how the Greek people, once so happy with their seemingly brilliant king, found themselves beginning to doubt him, beginning to wonder if he might bring the whole of Europe’s armies down on their heads, beginning to wonder if he was their destruction.
February 7, 1847:
In early 1847 Otto found his war in Modena gaining steam. Though he was not actually ready for war when it began – his troops were still making their way out of Sardinia-Piedmont – they had now begun the actual invasion of the small Italian state. Though there were guards in Modena itself, Massa was unmanned and defenseless, falling to Greek troops by February 7. However, for historical reasons more complicated than Otto cared to fully understand, the entire German world found itself at war with Denmark over the seemingly insignificant piece of land known as Holstein. Unfortunately the entire German world included Austria, an ally of Otto. And unfortunately, this ally of Otto’s asked that he join the war on the same side as the great Empire to the north – and now the east – of Greece. Because he wanted to remain in Franz Joseph’s good graces, Otto accepted, sending a declaration of war to Copenhagen, simultaneously causing an anxious groan among his people. The war in Denmark was not what worried him, though, and he assured his people that no Greek soldier would set foot north of the Alps. The war in Modena didn’t even bother him – it now seemed a certainty that the war would be finished by Summer and very few Greeks would die. What worried him was the possibility that the war in the north would drag on too long, limiting him from any future wars in Italy until the Germans decided to stop slaughtering each other.
Otto honors his alliance with Franz Joseph and declares war on Denmark:
April 18, 1847:
Try as they might, the defenders of Modena could do little to stop the Greek onslaught. Wave after wave of battle-hardened troop faced their revolution-weary guards, themselves numbering only several thousand strong. The defenses, tiny and mediocre at best, could do little to stand in the way of an army that had captured city after city. In other words, it was hopeless. Desperate to end the war, the Modenas had made an earlier offer to cease hostilities between the nations by ceding Massa, an offer quickly rebuffed by Otto. “What good is Massa to me without Modena? It will either be defenseless or, worse, will leave my troops a week’s journey around the peninsula away from the front should we ever need to defend our other Italian territories. No, I think that I shall have all of Modena when this war is through.” As is often the case when a king has his mind set, he had his way. On April 18, 1847, Modena was no more. It became known as Parma-Modena, giving a hint at Otto’s next move.
Prime Minister Ioannis Kolettis met up with Otto outside of his stables. The king was preparing for an evening ride around the Athenian countryside as was his custom.
“Your majesty,” he proclaimed, “my sincerest congratulations. I have heard that just today your great empire has expanded once again. God surely smiles upon you and upon the Greek people.”
Grunting as he hoisted himself onto his horse, Otto smiled a silent thanks. “Yes, I believe that He does smile upon me – upon us. If he did not, how could we have accomplished so much?”
Kolettis bowed forward ever so slightly to show proper deference. The tight-lipped smile creasing his cheeks ever so slightly. “Oh course, your Majesty. We are Greek. We were some of the first Christ—“
“Of course,” Otto interrupted, “how could He not smile upon the man that seeks to rebuild the Byzantine Empire, that once great bulwark against Ottoman expansion?” By now Otto’s desire to rebuild the Byzantine Empire was well known throughout Greece and Europe. It was a fact that did not sit well with some of Europe’s great rulers, especially the Ottomans. “How can we not receive God’s blessings when we seek to expel the Muslim hordes from the Balkans and the Holy Land?”
Prime Minister Kolettis waited, sure that Otto would have something more to add. When it seemed as if he might actually allow a moment of response, Kolettis seized the moment, for they were growing increasingly rare. “Well, Your Majesty, I believe that you are right. However, there are some that might disagree with you.” Otto rolled his eyes and shot his bodyguards a knowing look, prompting a laugh. “While every true Greek is amazed at what you have accomplished, some wonder why you now concentrate on Italy instead of the liberation of our Greek brothers under Ottoman domination. After all, isn’t the unification of Greece the main point of my Megali Idea? And isn’t the Megali Idea the guiding force in your rule?”
“Prime Minister, you have grown short sighted! Of course the Megali Idea is the guiding force of my reign. I want nothing more than to unify the Greek people and to expel the Ottomans. But while the Greeks were the main force behind the Byzantine Empire, they were not the only force. Don’t forget that the great Byzantine Empire once stretched from far-flung Morocco, across to Egypt, into Anatolia, up to the Danube and around into Italy. There are many nations included in the future empire. Do not worry, though; I assure you that the Greeks hold a special place in my heart and will hold a special place in my empire. Italy, though, has provided me with an opportunity that I intend to take.”
Kolettis was shocked. “Sire, surely you don’t mean that you intend to wage war again on the peninsula! You have already conquered three nations! What more is left? How much more will the people take? I assure you that they will not stand for much more war.”
“The people will stand for anything as long as I keep delivering them glories!”
“And what about when you don’t?” Kolettis
“Well . . . then maybe my soldiers will be put to other uses.”
The Prime Minister was speechless. He had come to congratulate the king on the close of the wars with Modena and Denmark – who had accepted a white peace just hours before – and instead was greeted with this. The king, who had so eagerly embraced his Megali Idea, had now seemingly thrown it aside in favor of empire. Even worse, he had resolved that he might have to use troops against his own people if they did not bend to his will. How was he to support such a man? How could he support someone who had bastardized his grand scheme to such an extent? It was at this point that Kolettis began to contemplate leaving the post of Prime Minister.
Otto’s horse was beginning to grow restless. It craved the sprints that were surely coming once the open fields were reached. It began to circle, causing Otto to strain to remain in control. “At any rate, it’s senseless to discuss now. Parma-Modena is now a part of the Greek Empire. The only part of that province that is missing is Parma. That is something that I intend to rectify. As we speak, Prime Minister, Greek troops are crossing into Parma in order to seize and annex the tiny nation. And when that is complete, save for Sardinia-Piedmont, all of northern Italy will be under my rule.”
“And then what, Majesty? More useless bloodshed? More was that brings Greece no closer to the fulfillment of the Megali Ideal?”
“Then we shall see what God has in store for us. If it is more war, so be it. If it is peace, so be it. What you fail to see, though, is that I am gaining more soldiers and more raw materials for the fulfillment of the Megali Idea. Your goal is no longer yours. It is mine; and I have made it something greater than you could ever imagine.”
With that, Otto spurred his horse on, leaving Prime Minister Kolettis to ponder what had just happened. Could he really continue to be this man’s puppet when he didn’t believe in the direction that he was taking the nation?
Modena becomes part of the Greek Empire:
Denmark accepts Otto’s offer of peace:
Otto declares war on Parma:
Denmark accepts Otto’s offer of peace:
Otto declares war on Parma:
June 2, 1847:
Vienna
Once again, Otto was happy that it was his utmost priority to remain on good terms with Europe’s most powerful nations. Though he had caused quite a strain on Greco-Austrian relations when he annexed Lombardia and Venice, it seemed that his declaration of war against Denmark fixed everything. To be quite honest, it seemed that Franz Joseph was happier having rid himself of the Italian rebels. And if Otto wanted to take them on as his problem, so be it. It was impossible, though, for the Austrians to allow the Italians to gain independence without a fight. That would have given all of the different nationalities in Austria ideas of their own. At least, that was the logic at the time.
It was logic that seemed to have failed, though. Despite crushing the Italian revolutions, the problem only seemed to spread. And while Otto was determined to make the journey to Vienna, it was an increasingly dangerous one. In fact, the route that he had taken to Vienna was now closed to him and he would be forced to journey back through Tyrol and his newly conquered provinces in Italy. Rebels were everywhere in Austria and attacked everything that seemed to be opposed to them. As the king who crushed the Italian rebels, the Austrian rebels were safe to assume that Otto was opposed to them as well. That being the case, they would have given just about anything to be able to capture and kill him as well. Quite obviously, that was something that he wasn’t prepared to let happen.
In any case, an exceedingly happy Otto and a significantly less happy Franz Joseph feasted tonight in celebration of their recent diplomatic deal. It came, coincidentally, on the same evening that Otto received word that Parma had finally capitulated and agreed to become part of the Greek Empire. Everything seemed to be going his way.
As far as the deal with Austria was concerned, Otto would be gaining several new territories along the Adriatic as well. It was hard to argue which was the most significant, though. First, he and Franz Joseph had agreed on the transfer of Kotor from Austrian to Greek hands. While there was no real strategic significance in that little strip of land, it would provide the Greeks with unmolested access to Podgorica, that small outpost along the border with the Ottomans.
Secondly, Otto was able to secure Triest from the Austrians. And while Franz Joseph didn’t particularly want to rid himself of the city, it was already under siege and would soon be lost to the rebels. With his troops occupied in Hungary and Tyrol, he deemed it better to gain the technology that would be exchanged in the deal than to face an independent Bosnia or Croatia, depending on “whichever of these damned rebels controls the towns at the moment,” as he would say to Otto.
Finally, and most significantly for Otto, was the transfer of Venice from Austrian to Greek hands. It had bothered him that he was unable to annex all of the “Venetian Republic” at the time of the rebellions. And though he had gained his revenge in the Greco-Venetian War, he felt that he would never be satisfied, and his revenge never complete, until Venice was a part of his empire. Just like his Byzantine aspirations, this was a well-known fact as well and it was widely feared that, should he gain permanent control over Venice, he would destroy at least parts of the city since he didn’t in the Greco-Venetian War. As such, Franz Joseph sought his guarantee as a king and as a Christian that he wouldn’t harm the residents of Venice in any way. It was a promise that he willingly gave and a promise that he fulfilled. Despite their fears, not one single hair on any Venetian’s head was harmed because of Otto’s acquisition of the city. In fact, during the coming years, the construction of several railroads and factories would serve to better the average Venetian’s life considerably.
The price that Otto paid for these new acquisitions was relatively small. Technology, one of his main focuses as a king, would be given in exchange for hundreds of thousands of new subjects to tax and new land to rule. For Otto, he couldn’t have gotten a better deal.
Parma becomes part of the Greek Empire as well:
Austria and Greece arrive at a deal:
Austria and Greece arrive at a deal:
August 14, 1847:
On August 14, Otto issued an order that, for a time, made the entire world stand still. Foreign leaders, enemies and allies alike, were not quite sure of what action to take. Some debated in parliaments while others considered signing directives to begin mobilization. Others, of course, laughed and declared that it was about time. This mighty nation, so full of itself and sure of its place in the world, would not taste the sword. Otto’s Greece would devour this nation like it had many before.
For the Greeks themselves, they were unsure what to do. Otto’s declaration of war had finally forced Kolettis’ hand, forcing him to resign. “The king,” he declared, “has abandoned the Megali Idea. It is not Greece that is important to him, it is his own glory. While he ran around northern Italy like a madman, we could look the other way. But this latest declaration of war threatens to bring the wrath of the whole of civilization down upon the Greek people. And for what? A few more provinces for his empire? No! Again I say no! This is not worth it! We must fight back before it is too late. We must strike! We must take up arms, if necessary! All that matters is uniting the Greek people, not the recreation of Byzantium! Otto is an enemy of Greece and must be treated as such!” And with that, former Prime Minister Kolletis became an enemy of the state.
But while many Greeks felt the same way as Kolletis, most of them avoided his firey rhetoric in favor of hand-wringing. After all, Otto had brought them through tough spots before. Why not now? And besides, no one had actually done anything yet. There were just rumors of war. After all, the people may look the other way. What are the chances that all of Europe will unite in defense of the Papal States?
Otto declares war on Papal States:
Next: Armageddon?