Chapter 381 Luxembourg Agreement (Part 1)
January 15, 1843.
In the Grand Duke's residence in Luxembourg City, Palmerston, who had never been lonely, suddenly realized that he had become an awkward outsider. Belgium had been divided like a box of exquisite cakes on the dining table.
Not only was his presence worthless, but Leopold I's objections were deliberately omitted by other attendees.
The Dutch took the Flemish territory, but it was seen as due compensation in their eyes. Another neighbor, France, gained the right to protect the downgraded Principality of Belgium, but only the two provinces of Hainaut and Bratban remained under its jurisdiction.
Luxembourg regained its lost territory and took back West Luxembourg from Belgium, and took back Limburg from the Netherlands, and became a constitutional monarchy. It will no longer be controlled by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but its monarch, William II, will still serve as the Grand Duke.
Namur and Liege merged to form the independent Principality of Liege, with the Austrian Emperor also serving as Duke, and they were merged into the German Confederation.
In a sense, this also means that Austria will return to the Netherlands again in a few decades.
As for the support Palmerston had been expecting from St. Petersburg, which he had hoped for, Tsar Nicholas I, who insisted on orthodox principles, summoned the British ambassador and stated to the latter that he supported the German Confederation in annihilating the products of the revolution and was willing to do so. Decisions to provide force support.
Although Russia never sent troops to intervene, the German Confederation generously expressed its willingness to spend 10 million florins to make up for the loss of the Tsar's failure to participate in the war.
Of course, this was all discussed by Franz in the name of Archduke Karl. Naturally, the Tsar was very willing to participate in this kind of behavior that was both honorable and honorable.
And as far as Nicholas I is concerned, compared with the Anglo-Saxons who have interests first, the unbreakable Holy Alliance is worthy of his trust. After all, this is the most beneficial to the country.
Palmerston and other Whitehall lords believed that Britain had never been in this situation, but at this time the entire European continent seemed to be monolithic.
Even France, which did not benefit much, did not object to this distribution.
Not to mention the so-called allies, the Dutch. Although they did not regain all their homeland this time, the top government officials regarded it as a great victory.
(Dutch civilians had no interest in the country or the war, but the army and officials took great pleasure in plundering people's wealth when they took over the Flemish region.
However, the large number of Catholics made the people very dissatisfied and strongly demanded that the government drive out these guys who were stealing jobs from them. At that time, Dutch civilians naively believed that as long as there were fewer people, they would get more. )
As for the German Confederation, which has many states, although it has always been a loose alliance, everyone is extremely tight on this matter. Moreover, thanks to the previous battles, Prussia's reputation has fallen to a low point, and it has become the title of "the shame of the great powers".
(Before the military reform, the Prussian army’s combat effectiveness was limited.)
On the other hand, its competitors captured the entire territory of Belgium in just one week and defeated the "main force" of the French army in one day. Their results can be described as glorious.
At this time, Austria's reputation was at its peak, and Palmerston knew very well that the old fox Metternich had set up the whole situation, and he was just waiting for Britain to get into it.
"Why are you carving up innocent Belgium!? You bunch of robbers."
The domineering diplomat's sensational questioning was interrupted by others before he started. He looked around and saw the representatives of the German Confederation. Prince Metternich looked calm and unmoved.
This starts from the liberation of Luxembourg. Those small states also have their own plans. After all, the economic strength of the place is not weak.
Although the Netherlands is still its nominal sovereign state at this time, anyone with a discerning eye can see that it is only in name only, and Luxembourg will definitely be merged into a certain country in the future, which will have a major impact on the situation of the German Confederation.
As a result, all the states wanted to express themselves, let the brothers of Luxembourg realize the benefits of joining the Confederation, and pave the way for future plans.
Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria, Hanover and other powerful states almost came to blows over the uneven distribution of the spoils. At this time, the European prime minister, who had been staying out of the meeting since the beginning, took the initiative to draw lots to determine the list of final signatories.
In the end, this right actually fell into the hands of the Kingdom of Hanover. The German Confederation was actually very dissatisfied with the result of this draw.
Because since George, the Elector of Hanover, came to England in 1714, it has been more than a hundred years since Hanover, Great Britain and Ireland formed a co-ownership confederacy.
Although after the death of King William IV in 1837, the British throne was passed to his niece Victoria, Princess of Kent, who was closely related by blood.
Due to the European continental Salifa law in Germany, which prohibited women from inheriting the throne, the throne of Hanover was passed to her fifth uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, known historically as Ernst August I.
Although they seemed to be separated on the surface, the trade between Hanover and Britain has never been cut off over the years, and the former even refused to join the German Customs Union because of this.
Whether the Hanovers are reliable or not is not yet confirmed within the Confederacy. Moreover, on such an important occasion, the person who wanted to sign was actually a blind man, which made the representatives of the German states even more angry.
(Georg Friedrich Alexander Carl Ernst August is the current Crown Prince of Hanover, later Georg V, the famous blind king of Hanover)
Georg spent his childhood in Berlin and England. As a child, he lost the vision in one eye due to illness; after an accident in 1833, he lost the other eye and became a veritable blind man.
Will a blind prince be able to rule a kingdom in the future?
This was the question that Georg and his surrounding people thought about most, but his father Ernst August I insisted on establishing him as his heir and becoming a great king in the future.
Historically, Georg V sent troops to defeat the Prussian army during the Austro-Prussian War and achieved partial victory on the battlefield, but failed to expand the results.
With the defeat of Austria, Hanover had to choose to surrender, and Georg V could only go into exile overseas, and finally died in a foreign country.
Closer to home, in the venue at this moment, the "blind" crown prince made a shocking statement.
"The land in Belgium was originally taken from other countries, and now it is just returned to its original owner. As for banditry, I heard that your ancestors, Lord Palmerston, were engaged in this industry, right?"
Although Georg's above words are true, they are indeed hurtful. They directly eliminate the legitimacy of the Kingdom of Belgium, and at the same time draw a clear line with its long-term ally, the United Kingdom.
Palmerston did not become angry because he had no hope for this peace conference; because every country seemed to have received benefits, even Prussia, which had made a big mistake this time.
Luxembourg directly borders it, and has been stationed by Prussian troops for a long time. It is very likely to merge or join the Prussian side in the future. This will undoubtedly actually enhance the strength of the Prussians.
The benefits obtained by Diou are the simplest, but they are more practical. Ten million florins may be looked down upon by other countries, but for the impoverished bear, it is a long-lost rain.
France, the Netherlands and Austria are also very satisfied with this. If they threaten war at this time, it will only have the opposite effect and make the three countries form an offensive and defensive alliance with the same hatred.
But Palmerston was worthy of being one of the most powerful diplomats of the nineteenth century. He understood that "there are no eternal friends and no eternal enemies, only eternal interests."
He believed that time would change everything, and he made a brief speech at the end of the peace meeting
"The British Empire refused to sign this contract and history will prove that today was a mistake."
This was a nail planted by Palmerston, and it was also a curse on the peace conference. He believed that interests would lead to changing situations, and one day the Luxembourg Agreement would be broken by the people who made it.