Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 118: Swiss Mercenaries

Regardless of whether the military is willing or not, Austria’s decision to demobilize has been finalized. The government's focus is shifting from the military to local development.

Above all, the most important national policy is compulsory education. To motivate bureaucrats, Franz decided to implement an evaluation system.

That is: to link the effectiveness of compulsory education to the promotion of officials.

The core of this is still the promotion of the Austrian language since the main purpose of compulsory education this time is not purely for education but mainly for the unification of language and culture, laying the foundation for national integration.

“Have the assets acquired from the Church been counted?” Franz asked with concern.

Finance Minister Karl replied, “Your Majesty, it’s still in the process of counting. Many of these assets are quite complex and difficult to evaluate.

Preliminary estimates indicate approximately 4.78 million hectares of land, including farmland, forests, pastures, and more; 386 mines of various sizes, including gold, silver, copper, iron, coal, and other minerals; and numerous immovable properties such as shops and residences…”

Franz nodded in understanding. Indeed, these assets are challenging to assess, and the cash and antique artworks, for instance, were likely already divided among the clergy.

Even if there were artworks left, they would be inside the churches, and the Austrian government can’t exactly retrieve those.

Some of these immovable properties have become private assets of certain clergy members, but under pressure from the Austrian government, they were forced to surrender them.

They had no choice; immovable properties can’t be hidden, and if they didn’t hand them over, they would have to serve as part of suicide squads in the Papal States.

“Let’s start by estimating the annual income from these assets while we work on assessing their total value. Any rough figures on that?” Franz inquired.

“Approximately around 80 million florins, and this income is quite stable, with minimal fluctuations,” replied Karl.

This figure didn’t elicit much surprise among those present. Throughout history, religious institutions, especially in the monotheistic systems of Europe, have been wealthy, often eclipsing governments.

They enjoyed various privileges, such as tax exemptions on church property and the freedom to allocate funds raised from believers.

Even in the aftermath of religious revolutions, the Church remained a substantial financial power. In medieval times, the Church even controlled a significant portion of the European continent, with kings and emperors often subservient to its authority.

“What about the tithe?” Franz continued to inquire.

By the mid-19th century, the tithe in Austria was no longer exclusively for the Church; monarchs and aristocrats also received a share of the proceeds.

However, with the introduction of the education tax, this money would now go directly into the treasury, without being shared among various entities.

The tithe has its origins in the Old Testament era and has persisted over the years. It primarily targeted agricultural products, including grains, wheat, fruits, vegetables, and livestock.

The tithe was a fixed 10%, and as far as Franz knows, even in the 21st century, some places still collect this tax.

The tithe was abolished earliest in France, during the French Revolution in the 18th century. European countries gradually followed suit during the 19th century, with the British abolishing it in 1936.

“Your Majesty, the tithe in Austria amounts to approximately 80 to 100 million florins. However, considering the actual situation, we may not be able to directly change it to education tax,” Karl explained after giving it some thought.

“And what’s the reason?” Franz inquired.

“Your Majesty, compulsory education benefits all Austrian citizens. If we only impose an education tax on land-owning farmers and nobility, it would be unfair,” Karl reminded.

Franz immediately understood the point – tax names couldn’t be changed arbitrarily and had to consider their social impact.

If it were changed to an education tax, it would need to be levied across all industries to prevent the nobility from evading taxes and potentially sparking social conflict.

To maintain fairness, other taxes would need to be reduced to keep them within the economic capacity of taxpayers.

On the surface, changing the tax might seem feasible, but implementing it was complicated.

The first issue was that the working-class, with limited income, would bear the brunt of this tax. They’ve already relaxed the tax burden to some extent, and imposing an education tax would immediately reverse that.

Doing such a thing is absolutely out of the question. Franz didn’t want to risk jeopardizing the public support he had painstakingly built up.

“What does the Ministry of Finance suggest to avoid this issue?” Franz asked with concern evident in his tone.

Karl thought for a moment and said, “Your Majesty, the Ministry of Finance suggests that tithes should still be collected by the clergy without changing its name. The Ministry of Finance can send inspectors to supervise the process.

We can request His Holiness the Pope to issue an order transferring all of Austria’s tithes to the government to serve as educational funds.”

It seemed like the Austrian government was preparing to subordinate the Holy See to them. They were leaving the contentious issues to the Church to handle.

Franz considered for a moment and said, “Very well, let's set aside the issue of the educational tax for now and allow the Church to continue collecting tithes.”

He couldn’t find a valid reason to refuse. For the sake of Austria’s compulsory education, he decided to let the Church continue carrying this burden.

After all, God had great powers, and a few complaints wouldn’t bother Him. The Church had been collecting tithes for centuries, and a few more decades wouldn’t matter.

When the Austrian government became more prosperous, they could find a reason to abolish it.

Not only the Catholic Church but also other smaller religious institutions were targeted by the Austrian government.

However, these smaller churches were not mainstream and had limited influence and wealth. Plundering them wouldn’t yield much, so Franz personally didn’t pay much attention to them.

……

On November 2, 1848, the Austrian government, in response to an invitation from Pope Pius IX, deployed 80,000 troops to help mediate internal disputes over power in the Papal States.

This move faced strong opposition from the reactionary bourgeois regime, leading to a resurgence of anti-Austrian movements in the Italian regions. Countless nationalists gathered in Rome, hoping to deter the Austrian military through their actions.

The outcome of this situation was that Pope Pius IX ordered the suppression of these nationalists, and the courageous Austrian military executed this order by making them meet their maker, resulting in significant casualties among the Italian nationalists.

On November 7, 1848, the Austrian forces launched an attack against the reactionary regime and killed more than eight thousand individuals while capturing over thirty thousand, inflicting severe damage upon the Italian nationalists.

The heartland of Italian nationalism was in the Kingdom of Sardinia, but unfortunately, Sardinia fell to Austrian forces at one point, and the core of the nationalist movement suffered great setbacks.

Upon their return to Sardinia, the government of Charles Albert had been shaken and dared not take any bold actions.

In order to preserve their authority, they sought the support of the British, while also suppressing domestic radicalism, fearing that any provocation of Austria would lead to disastrous consequences.

Disillusioned Italian nationalists flocked to Rome, where they plotted their final counterattack in a last-ditch effort to preserve their remaining stronghold.

The outcome was inevitably tragic. Pope Pius IX returned to Rome and his first action was to suppress these nationalist elements.

While Pius IX was willing to support the unification of Italy under his leadership, he insisted that the primary condition was the unification of the Papal States. If this condition couldn’t be met, then preserving the Papal States remained his top priority.

Among the Italian states, the Kingdom of Sardinia was the strongest and most well-developed, with many nationalists supporting its cause.

In the eyes of Pius IX, this was a blatant betrayal, similar to the actions of revolutionary factions. With the support of Austria, he was determined to crack down on these nationalist movements.

Massacres may not solve problems, but they are indeed an effective means of eliminating enemies. After the bloody suppression, the situation in Rome stabilized.

Following the reconquest of Rome, the Papal States’ army naturally pledged allegiance to Pope Pius IX, and further military intervention by the Austrian army was no longer necessary.

While in Vienna, Franz had proposed a cunning idea to Pope Pius IX, suggesting that he disband part of his army and use the saved funds to hire Swiss mercenaries to safeguard the security of the Papal States.

This was not without precedent, as Swiss mercenaries were renowned throughout Europe for their combat prowess. They often undertook missions to defend or attack various countries.

Starting from the 16th century, the Papal Guard became composed of Swiss soldiers, and the Swiss earned respect through their actions.

In 1789, during the French Revolution, 138 Swiss mercenaries stationed at the Palace of Versailles swore to defend Louis XVI to the death, all died in battle as none of them chose to flee.

For Pope Pius IX, who had experienced a coup himself, this recommendation from Franz made perfect sense. If Franz had suggested German mercenaries, he might have been concerned about potential conspiracies.

However, with Swiss mercenaries, he had no such worries. Everyone knew about the historical tensions between the Habsburgs and the Swiss. Although relations had improved, most Swiss people still harbored resentment toward the Habsburgs and were unlikely to support them.

Under the influence of Franz’s “butterfly effect,” the guardians of Rome would no longer be Italians but rather skilled and valiant Swiss mercenaries.

With these mercenaries, who fought for pay, the authority of Pope Pius IX was greatly strengthened.

While other armies might sympathize with the revolution or even support revolutionary movements, these foreign Swiss mercenaries had no interest in such matters.

Of course, this was a development for the future. The Pope’s Papal Swiss Guard had not yet been established, and for now, he relied on the armed forces of the Papal States.

Regarding this army, Pope Pius IX did not trust them entirely. He dispatched them to suppress the revolutionary factions, and for his personal security, he still relied on the Austrian military.

Vatican.

A cardinal in red robes joyfully exclaimed, “Your Holiness, we have already contacted three Swiss mercenary groups willing to be hired by us, totaling more than two thousand men.”

Pope Pius IX nodded in satisfaction. Swiss mercenaries were a bit costly, but they were worth the investment. These men were loyal and reliable, far better than the regular troops of the Papal States.

Just think, if Louis XVI had not had a mere 138 Swiss mercenaries but 1380, would he have been sent to the guillotine?

He probably would have escaped and rallied Royalist forces to suppress the rebellion.

For example, consider the recently overthrown King Louis Philippe. If he had a Swiss mercenary group at his disposal, he would have easily suppressed the revolution, and there would have been no need for him to flee in haste.

Reflecting on his own experiences, Pope Pius IX realized that if he had two thousand Swiss mercenaries back then, he would have swiftly executed the revolutionaries, and there would have been no need for him to go into exile.

The more he thought about it, the more twisted his perspective became.

Pope Pius IX had forgotten that the need for foreign protection as a monarch was a clear indication of his own failure.

This meant an extreme lack of trust in his subjects, and once this trust was lost, it became nearly impossible to have a close and harmonious relationship between ruler and subjects.

However, this issue didn’t bother Pope Pius IX much. After all, his papal throne wasn’t hereditary, and as long as he lived comfortably, why bother about the next pope?

Pope Pius IX thought for a moment and said, “Hurry and sign contracts with them, so they can come to Rome and take up their positions immediately.

And continue to contact more Swiss mercenary groups; two thousand men are just the size of one group, and it won’t be enough to defend the Papal States.”

“Your Holiness, are the Austrians withdrawing their troops?” the cardinal asked with concern.

“Yes, Lieutenant General Edmund has urged us several times to quickly form a loyal army. They also want to return home and spend Christmas with their families,” Pope Pius IX replied with a cheerful smile.

Asking the Austrian troops to suppress the rebellion was one thing, but what worried him the most was that it’s easy to invite the gods, but difficult to send them away. If the Austrian troops decided to stay, it would be a big problem.

Fortunately, none of that happened. The Austrian troops voluntarily proposed their withdrawal, aligning perfectly with the intentions of Pope Pius IX and saving him from a major predicament.

The conduct of the Austrian troops also greatly pleased Pope Pius IX. They maintained strict discipline, refrained from causing disturbances in the region, and even demonstrated discipline when it came to looting. They did not engage in any disorderly conduct.

Perhaps it was the smooth cooperation between him and the Austrian government that led to such pleasant interactions. The Austrian military commander, Lieutenant General Edmund, held great respect for the Pope, treating him with utmost deference and causing no trouble for him.