Chapter 832: Chapter 740: Uneasy Apennine Peninsula

(Still incomplete, please check back in 15 minutes. Very sorry.)

“The Vilar Family donated 30,000 francs…”

“The Broy Family donated 35,000 francs!”

“Count Eche donated 40,000 francs…”

“Duke of Luddan donated 40,000…”

The nobles and capitalists quickly split into two factions, fiercely competing, unwilling to be outdone by the other.

The donations began to resemble an auction, with amounts steadily rising.

As someone donated 50,000 francs, a voice rang out: “The DuPont Family will fund the construction of a naval escort ship.”

Instantly, the Hall of Mirrors fell silent.

Even the cheapest escort ship would cost at least 120,000 francs!

But the silence lasted only a few seconds before Prince Conde’s attendant loudly proclaimed, “His Highness will also donate a warship.”

For a moment, no one else–noble or capitalist–dared to speak.

Those still willing to donate quietly approached the court officials recording donations and whispered their amounts.

Soon enough, another Bordeaux winemaker donated a warship.

The banquet had now turned into a warship donation summit.

Anyone unable to donate a warship felt ashamed to speak up.

By 10 PM, five warships had appeared on the donation list, with other monetary contributions reaching nearly 3 million francs!

Before the banquet concluded, the Countess of Debreninac publicly announced that all gentlemen who donated warships would be invited to dine with the Royal Family the following week.

Meanwhile, Queen Mary silently summoned the donation record officer and instructed him to list jewelry worth 2.7 million francs as her contribution.

A significant portion of her annual income was spent on jewelry, yet she handed it over without hesitation.

The following day.

Across Paris newspapers, in addition to the names of nobles and wealthy merchants who donated last night, phrases like “Evil Alliance,” “Lost 30 Years,” and “War of National Defense” appeared repeatedly.

Soon after, these slogans spread across France

…

Rome.

St. Peter’s Cathedral.

Pope Pius VI stared intently at Archbishop Muzareli and said in a deep voice, “‘Shield of God’ has always belonged to Hungary, and granting it to Austria, which jointly rules with Hungary, is acceptable. But His Majesty Franz II has no widely recognized noble deeds–‘The Just’ is not a suitable title for him.”

Muzareli smiled, glancing at the 20-plus cardinals seated nearby: “Regarding the title for the Holy Roman Emperor, what do the rest of you think?”

A cardinal in his seventies immediately nodded, saying, “His Majesty Franz II has received widespread praise within his realm–‘The Just’ is not an exaggeration.”

Subsequently, more than ten others echoed this sentiment, while only three or four cardinals expressed dissent. The rest remained silent.

They all remembered that a few months ago, Muzareli had returned to the Vatican and publicly argued with His Holiness the Pope, rebuking him for failing to immediately refute rumors of a Polish crusade–a dereliction of responsibility.

The Pope had been deeply embarrassed but was helpless against Muzareli.

Just days earlier, Venice and Tuscany had mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers near the Vatican’s northern and southern borders under the guise of conducting military exercises, with the roar of cannons lasting for nearly a week.

Their stance had clearly been to bolster Muzareli’s power.

Since then, Muzareli’s faction had grown increasingly influential within the Vatican.

Today, Muzareli openly proposed that the Vatican declare Austria “Shield of God” and confer the title “The Just” upon Franz II.

Pope Pius VI knew well that war between Austria and France was imminent; Muzareli was trying to boost Austria’s prestige.

But doing so would alienate France.

For the Vatican, this was undoubtedly a precarious move.

Seeing the Pope’s continued reluctance, Muzareli smiled and said, “Everyone should recognize that France has, in essence, separated itself from the Vatican’s authority.

“Meanwhile, His Majesty Franz II has granted the nomination rights for Austria’s cardinal to the Vatican, making the Holy Roman Empire the true follower of the Church!

“When war begins, hundreds of thousands of troops will surround France, and the Vatican need not worry about the attitude of the French.

“After the war concludes, the Church will, with the assistance of the Holy Roman Emperor, once again spread the Lord’s light across Europe!”

What Muzareli didn’t mention was that most Italian states around the Vatican were allied with Austria. If Franz II were offended over the title, the Vatican would face severe repercussions.

In truth, Muzareli hoped the Pope would stubbornly reject his proposal.

Such defiance would only push Austria to support Muzareli more strongly, potentially even “removing” Pope Pius VI early and elevating Muzareli himself to the papacy.

Ten minutes later, Pope Pius VI scanned the faces of the cardinals present, then reluctantly rose and said to Muzareli, “For this matter, I leave it to you to convey the will of the Lord.”

As the Vatican announced Franz II’s new titles and reaffirmed Austria as “Shield of God,” Austria’s Foreign Minister, Count Rheinphels, had already reached the northernmost kingdom of Italy–Sardinia.

Sardinia’s capital, Turin.

——–Still incomplete, please check back in 15 minutes. Very sorry.

Vittorio Amedeo III was the grandson of Vittorio Amedeo II, the founder of the Savoy Dynasty, and the eldest son of the second king Carlo Emanuele III and his second wife Polyxena. The three kings who succeeded him–Carlo Emanuele IV, Vittorio Emanuele I, and Carlo Felice–were all his sons. After ascending the throne in 1773, Vittorio Amedeo III focused on reforming bureaucracy and military affairs. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution, he fought the French Army for four years but was ultimately defeated in 1796 in the battles of Montenotte, Millesimo, and Mondovi by forces led by Napoleon. Sardinia was forced to sign the Treaty of Paris and withdraw from the First Anti-French Alliance. The treaty also caused Sardinia to lose the Duchy of Savoy and Nice in northwest Italy. That same year, Vittorio Amedeo III succumbed to illness, and the throne was inherited by his eldest son, Carlo Emanuele IV.

Vittorio Amedeo III was the grandson of Vittorio Amedeo II, the founder of the Savoy Dynasty, and the eldest son of the second king Carlo Emanuele III and his second wife Polyxena. The three kings who succeeded him–Carlo Emanuele IV, Vittorio Emanuele I, and Carlo Felice–were all his sons. After ascending the throne in 1773, Vittorio Amedeo III focused on reforming bureaucracy and military affairs. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution, he fought the French Army for four years but was ultimately defeated in 1796 in the battles of Montenotte, Millesimo, and Mondovi by forces led by Napoleon. Sardinia was forced to sign the Treaty of Paris and withdraw from the First Anti-French Alliance. The treaty also caused Sardinia to lose the Duchy of Savoy and Nice in northwest Italy. That same year, Vittorio Amedeo III succumbed to illness, and the throne was inherited by his eldest son, Carlo Emanuele IV.