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Chapter 1296: The Annoying Prince-Electors

Metternich didn't even have time for lunch. He immediately bent over his desk, poring over the Treaty of Dresden clause by clause.

Previously, Austria had been in a terrible fix itself, battered by France, and all the high-ranking officials were preoccupied with their own affairs. Thus, they only knew that Saxony had surrendered to France, declared its withdrawal from the Anti-French Coalition, and had its army limited to no more than 26,000 soldiers. No one had actually bothered to seriously study the specific contents of the treaty.

"Article Three: Saxony shall uphold its neutral status and grant wartime passage rights to all neighboring countries and France..."

"Article Five: Saxony shall join the Seine-Rhine Trade Agreement, or any subsequent trade agreements inheriting its content..."

"..."

"Article Eleven: The Saxon Prince-Elector renounces all rights and claims to Poland, as well as any Polish territories it possesses..."

The Saxon Prince-Elector had long held the dual title of King of Poland, wielding considerable influence over the latter.

Metternich was about to skip over this seemingly "insignificant" clause when his pupils suddenly constricted.

He saw it in the second-to-last line of that very article—"The Saxon Prince-Elector must align with the Palatinate Prince-Elector in all resolutions concerning the Imperial Diet..."

He didn't read any further. Instead, he hastily donned his coat and rushed to the Foreign Minister's office, carrying the treaty. This small, inconspicuous passage alone was enough to shake the very foundations of the Holy Roman Empire!

That evening, Cobentzel, Spielmann, and other high-ranking Austrian officials stood before the Emperor, their expressions fraught with worry.

Finally, Metternich, standing to the side with the Treaty of Dresden in hand, broke the silence. He said softly, "Your Majesty, the immediate priority is to win over the Prince-Electors of Mainz and Salzburg as much as possible, to ensure they cooperate with our nation's interests. Additionally, we must push for the transfer of the Cologne Prince-Elector's qualification to the Paderborn Archbishop."

The Mainz Prince-Elector had always served as the chairman of the Imperial Diet, wielding considerable influence, and had to be courted at any cost.

After the Archbishopric of Trier was destroyed by France, Franz II had arranged for the Archbishop of Salzburg to inherit its Prince-Elector qualification.

As for Paderborn Archbishop Franz Egon, his father had long served as a senior advisor in Vienna.

These two Prince-Electors were the most likely to side with the House of Habsburg.

Only with the support of these three Prince-Electors, coupled with the Bohemian Prince-Elector already held by the Holy Roman Emperor, could they barely ensure that the Imperial Diet would not make decisions detrimental to the House of Habsburg.

The "Imperial Diet" was the de jure governing body of the Holy Roman Empire. In particular, its "College of Electors" held the rights to elect the Emperor, enact imperial laws, determine imperial tax rates, and even declare imperial wars. The College of Electors, as its name suggested, was essentially the "board of directors" made up of the current eight Prince-Electors of the Holy Roman Empire.

Although the House of Habsburg had, through centuries of management, virtually monopolized the powers of the Imperial Diet, according to the Golden Bull and the Treaty of Westphalia, the Prince-Electors possessed the right to limit the Holy Roman Emperor, and even depose him!

Historically, two Emperors, Adolf von Nassau and Wenceslaus, had been deposed by a vote of the Prince-Electors in 1298 and 1400, respectively. Of course, while they were "voted" out of office, it ultimately came down to military might.

For centuries prior, Austria had possessed overwhelming power in Germany, and thus paid little heed to the attitudes of the Prince-Electors.

If any Prince-Elector became too presumptuous, Austria would quickly bring them down with a heavy hand.

Now, however, Austria had just suffered a major defeat, its national strength was weakened, and it had nearly lost control over the German states.

If the Palatinate Prince-Elector, who was now the King of Bavaria, incited other Prince-Electors to create any decrees unfavorable to the Emperor, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for Austria.

Especially now, with the Prince-Electors of Brandenburg, Palatinate, and Saxony clearly opposing Austria, if even one or two more Prince-Electors supported them, such a disaster would almost certainly occur!

Franz II irritably gestured to Little Cobenzl. "You are to immediately go to Mainz and other states to mediate. Also, keep a close eye on Bavaria's movements."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Metternich cleared his throat softly and continued, "Your Majesty, there is another matter of great importance. Oh, and it might be exactly what France truly intends to push for."

"Please elaborate."

"That is, the question of the Hanover Prince-Elector's succession."

Franz II's brow immediately furrowed into a deep chasm, like the Mariana Trench.

Yes, Hanover had been annihilated. Prussia, Brunswick, and Oldenburg had divided its territory.

According to imperial tradition, the Prince-Elector would be appointed from among these three houses.

Excluding Prussia, which was already a Prince-Elector (i.e., Brandenburg), the remaining two houses were currently very pro-French.

This would mean four votes against Austria in the Imperial Diet...

"My God..."

Franz II hurriedly dispatched several other high-ranking officials to various states for diplomatic missions.

For a moment, he even felt that being the Holy Roman Emperor was more trouble than it was worth.

Just as Metternich had predicted, only five days after Austria's "diplomatic delegation" departed, news reached Vienna: the Mainz Prince-Elector, Franz Egon, had convened a meeting of the College of Electors.

Yes, this was Joseph's strategy for the Holy Roman Empire.

The Holy Roman Empire's various laws and the Prince-Elector system were tools of imperial rule, but at the same time, they were also shackles that constrained the Emperor.

When Austria was unable to effectively control the German states, the constraining nature of these shackles became even more pronounced.

Historically, Napoleon's direct dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire was an absolute reckless waste of potential.

Now, simply having the Prince-Electors convene a meeting at every opportunity would immediately throw Vienna into a state of chaos and panic, forcing them to offer substantial benefits to bribe the various Prince-Electorates.

The states that benefited, however, would thank France, the "convener," and become enthusiastic about orchestrating more such events.

And what if the Holy Roman Emperor feigned indifference and ignored the Prince-Electors?

Then the Imperial Diet could pass a decree today, mandating "tolls for passage on the Rhine and Danube Rivers to be paid according to each state's population," and tomorrow, another decree stating, "the Emperor has no right to mobilize the Imperial Legions." Let's see if Franz II could endure that.

The Imperial Legions were armies levied by the Emperor from various states, garrisoned within those states, with the Emperor allocating a certain proportion of military funds. Currently, all states had outlawed the Imperial Legions, but if the Emperor had no right to mobilize them yet still had to pay for them, their numbers would surely increase rapidly.

Of course, if one day Franz II himself cried and pleaded for the Holy Roman Empire to end, Joseph could only express his regret.

...

Paris.

All factories and shops were closed today, and dense crowds stretched from the city center to over ten kilometers into the suburbs, all gathered to welcome their triumphant Crown Prince.