Das Große Vaterland

 This is the Portal Page for the Das Große Vaterland timeline

Point of Divergence
The year is 1866, August has just ended, and a new mindset has just set in in the Austrian capital of Vienna. The Prussians reign victorious over Germany, as Austria has just lost a vital war with Prussia over the summer. Although the war was only seven weeks long in time, its effects ripple throughout Europe, as the world sees the Germans work evenr harder for unification. Austria desperately seeks revenge against its German nemesis, and former counterpart, Prussia. The Austrian Chancellor, Count Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust, seeks to rebuild the nation, as it seeks new prestige, and seeks to overthrow the Prussians, now high masters of the German people. He seeks to establish an anti-Prussian alliance with the Second French Empire, ruled by Napoleon III, and with the young Kingdom of Italy, ruled by Victor Emmanuel II. Both Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II wanted to join the alliance with Austria, but Rome stood in the way.

Italian popular opinion was heavily against the French as they continued to occupy the city of Rome, the de facto capital of Roman Catholicism and the de jure capital of Italy. Victor Emmanuel II knew he couldn't make the alliance with the French as long as they occupied Rome, and Napoleon III wouldn't join an alliance with Austria unless Italy was part of it. Napoleon III tried continously to get Pope Pius IX to allow him to vacate his forces from Rome, but the Pope refused any deal which required the French to leave the city. Without the Pope's agreement, in OTL, the idea of a triple alliance between Austria, Italy, and France broke down.

However, in this timeline, on November 13, 1866, the Pope Pius IX, signed a treaty with the Second French Empire, under immense political pressure from Austria, Italy, France, and even some of his own cardinals. The Rome Agreement of 1866 was a compromise which allowed the Pope authority over the Vatican region, along with being given a personal bank, invested upon by Italy, France, and Austria, which the Pope ran, but was made to benefit the Church. In exchange, the papacy would recognize the Italian authority over Rome and the former Papal States. With this agreement, signed the French agreed to vacate Rome of their soldiers, the Italian government enterred Rome on November 14, and a treaty was signed on November 28, which officially established a triple alliance against Prussia and her German allies.

The Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, saw that Prussia being surrounded by enemies, and hoped that at least one of its appearant enemies could be swayed. In this role, they found a potential ally in the Kingdom of Italy.