Chapter 1272: The Stuttgart Declaration
Only states like Cologne and Hesse-Kassel, which had close ties to the House of Habsburg, gained nothing.
Naturally, the most aggrieved were England and the House of Habsburg.
Hanover was partitioned by Prussia, Brunswick, and Oldenburg, disappearing from the map of continental Europe forever.
Meanwhile, Austria's direct territories in North Germany were carved up and distributed among neighboring states, resulting in a loss of over 6,000 square kilometers.
Two days later, after all the "empty land" had been fully allocated, the various nations signed The Stuttgart Declaration to formalize the new borders.
Indeed, this was the result of a unanimous vote by all North German states. From then on, anyone who dared to renege would be declaring themselves an enemy of all North Germany.
However, there was a minor detail that no one paid much attention to: at Talleyrand's suggestion, the Declaration's effective date was set for two months later, ostensibly to allow national administrative departments sufficient preparation time. Only Joseph and his senior diplomats knew that these two months were actually reserved for Hesse-Darmstadt.
After the signing ceremony of the Declaration concluded, Joseph stood before a new, massive map of Western Europe and declared passionately to everyone present:
"Finally, we have arrived at this great day.
"But we must not be content with this. After securing peace, we must continue to focus on national development and forge a brilliant prosperity.
"As everyone knows, only robust trade can foster the accumulation of wealth, and this first requires dismantling trade barriers between nations.
"I propose that following The Stuttgart Declaration, we append a Stuttgart Trade Agreement, dedicated to eliminating unreasonable tariffs and increasing trade channels among all countries...
"This agreement will be based on the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement, adhering to principles of fair trade and the protection of small economies, to create a vast market encompassing all Western European nations..."
Karl Friedrich was the first to raise his arms and exclaim, "Long live development and prosperity! My country is eager to join the new trade agreement."
The Count of Nassau immediately followed, "This is the dawn of North German economic prosperity. My country will also join the agreement."
Württemberg, Mainz, Prussia, and other nations also expressed their desire to join the trade agreement.
This had already been agreed upon during their discussions with Talleyrand regarding territorial distribution, and they had all received promises of being able to set protective tariffs in areas of concern, so there was no resistance.
Moreover, these nations had all witnessed how Northern Italy, after forming a common market with France, experienced a brief economic downturn but quickly began to flourish once accustomed to the new trade environment, becoming much wealthier than before.
With such a positive example, the North German states were eager to emulate this success, hoping for a similar outcome.
That very evening, almost all North German principalities, with the exception of a few states like Cologne and Hesse-Kassel, signed the letter of intent for The Stuttgart Trade Agreement.
As the trade agreement involved numerous intricate details, such as finalizing specific tariff rates for various industries, detailed negotiations would take a long time to complete. However, France undeniably became the dominant force and arbitrator in these trade talks.
The Stuttgart Summit, which had a profound impact on the European situation, concluded successfully after more than half a month. Trade representatives from various nations remained to continue negotiations, while most of their monarchs traveled to Karlsruhe to attend the coronation ceremony of the King of Baden.
In another ten days, there would be the coronation of the King of Bavaria.
Of course, some returned directly to their home countries, such as the archbishops from Cologne.
Inside a customized golden "Jewel VIII" luxury carriage, Archbishop Maximilian voiced his concern, "The current situation is dire. We must be prepared for the Imperial army to not achieve victory in the short term."
The "Empire" he referred to was, naturally, the Holy Roman Empire.
Archbishop Frederick August of Osnabrück frowned and nodded, "At the moment, all we can do is try to prevent France from entering the North German market."
Archbishop Franz Egon of Paderborn merely hunched his shoulders, offering perfunctory 'hmm's now and then.
"Fortunately, many nations have not succumbed to France," Maximilian said. "We must quickly form an alliance with them to secretly oppose the French trade agreement."
Frederick August added, "We can spread rumors that France will seize control of their domestic industries, and that tariffs won't be enough to protect them..."
The three discussed as they traveled until they neared the northern border of Aschaffenburg, where they parted ways to return to their respective territories.
Frederick August was hunched over a small table, writing a letter to King George III of England, reporting on the Stuttgart Summit. Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt halt.
The immense inertia caused his pen to draw a long ink streak across the half-written letter.
Enraged, Frederick August forcefully pulled back the curtain. The reprimand he was about to unleash died in his throat, stunned by the sight before him.
Surrounding the carriage were hundreds of Papal Guards, dressed in blue coats with red trim and wearing tricorn hats adorned with ostrich feathers.řǍNοɓeş
Many of them were aiming their flintlock muskets towards the carriage.
Frederick August's captain of the guard commanded his men to block these uninvited guests, while loudly declaring, "This is the procession of His Grace, the Archbishop of Osnabrück! Clear the road immediately!"
A high-ranking cleric stepped out from the ranks of the Papal Guard, holding up a gilded document, and announced loudly, "The Holy See has obtained ample evidence that Frederick August, who falsely claims the title of Archbishop, has long illegally occupied the Diocese of Osnabrück through bribery, intimidation, and coercion, thereby gravely defiling the sacred order and causing terrible devastation to the faithful of the diocese.
"The Holy See demands that you immediately provide a reasonable explanation for this matter."
Frederick August's face flushed. 'Explain what? By what right does the Roman Curia demand an explanation from me?'
But he was only accompanied by about 30 guards and dared not act rashly, being cornered here.
Earlier, his captain of the guard had been fiercely pushed back by a Papal Guard with a gun.
Indeed, apart from Bishop Campanella, who was Archbishop Muzzarelli's subordinate and was reading the "Holy See's Verdict," the others were essentially French soldiers in Papal Guard uniforms.
Thus, over the next few days, Frederick August was confined to a remote village near Aschaffenburg, "repenting" under the watchful eyes of these unreasonable Papal Guards.
Meanwhile, the government of Mainz seemed blind, never sending a single official to inquire about the matter.
On the other side, the Diocese of Osnabrück was plunged into upheaval.
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