Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 481

Chapter 481: Chapter 54, Crisis of Faith
 

The Anglo-Austrian countries were at loggerheads in South Africa, and the nations of Europe were happy to sit back and enjoy the farce. To prolong the duration of this war, the French even took practical actions to support the “Boer Republic.”

In this Anglo-Boer war, nearly one-fifth of the strategic materials were contributed by the French. The supplies transported from Austria, through Egypt, to the South African front line were also facilitated greatly by France.

Rather than being an Anglo-Austrian game of chess, the Anglo-Boer war was more like a joint effort by France and Austria to give the British a headache. Although Austria ultimately occupied South Africa, the French investment was not in vain.

Tying up the British in South Africa was preferable to letting them devote that portion of their energy to the European Continent.

The Anti-French Alliance remained on paper and did not become a reality, and this “Anglo-Boer War” played an important role in that.

In theory, now with the confrontation between the Anglo-Austrian two countries, the situation should be very favorable for the French, with nobody to stop the establishment of the Greater French Empire. Napoleon III should be happy about this.

However, with the external threats gone, internal troubles emerged.

The first to jump out was the Pope, and the Italian States, unwilling to accept defeat, attempted to challenge him by supporting the Pope.

As a Catholic country, the Vatican’s influence is still very significant. Now that the Emperor and the Pope resided in the same country, it was a headache to determine who held greater authority.

Napoleon III was now somewhat regretful; if he had known it would be so troublesome, he would have kicked out the Papal State.

The Pope turning into a political opponent was no laughing matter. He wasn’t without a solid foundation; churches all over the country were his supporters, at least nominally so.

At a recent parliamentary session, the Pope directly occupied the main seat, infuriating Napoleon III to the point of absence.

Divine and imperial authority collided once again, plunging the whole of France into a vortex of storms. A mishandling of the situation could cause this newborn great empire to collapse.

Neither Napoleon III nor Pope Pius IX could back down now. They represented not just their own interests but also those of the interest groups behind them.

The domestic bourgeoisie, already dissatisfied with Napoleon III, were now almost openly supporting the Pope. Politically, Napoleon III no longer had an overwhelming advantage.

These people supported Pius IX not out of deep faith, nor did they truly wish to see the Church gain more power; their main purpose was to stir up discord and create opportunities to seize power.

As the Emperor and the Pope feuded over authority, it was bound to trigger public dissatisfaction. When the people’s anger reached its peak, it would be time for the parliament to take over the nation’s powers.

It can be said that the establishment of the Greater French Empire ignited internal conflicts within France. Everyone wanted to use this opportunity for a reshuffle of power to gain even more for themselves.

At the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon III’s trusted Security Minister Ansoche suggested, “Your Majesty, since Pius IX refuses to see reason, why not just… ”

Ansoche stopped in mid-sentence, making a throat-slashing gesture, seemingly suggesting that offing Pius IX would solve everything once and for all.

Napoleon III glared at him fiercely, saying sternly, “No, such an event absolutely cannot occur.

If anything were to happen to Pius IX, we would be the prime suspects, and the situation would become uncontrollable.

Not only can we not make a move against him, but we must also ensure his safety, and not let anyone else take him out!

Moreover, even if the Pope were to be replaced, the situation would remain unchanged. Whoever became the Pope would still stand against us.

Those people will not rest, and without their behind-the-scenes troublemaking, Pius IX would not have stepped out and become our adversary.”

Political struggles are least conducive to assassinations, and now that Napoleon III had “gone white,” such methods were absolutely unusable.

If word got out, France might very well erupt in civil war; at the very least, the Revolutionary Party would certainly take the opportunity to rebel, and it’s possible there could even be a coup within the government.

The Italian Area is not stable, and for now, it’s only subdued by military force. One spark could detonate the conflicts, not to mention assassinating the Pope.

At this time, Napoleon III’s mind was still exceptionally clear. He understood that his enemy was not the Pope himself, but the interest groups supporting the Pope.

Master strategist Pelisi suggested, “Your Majesty, why not continue to promote religious reforms? Find an excuse to abolish the Papal State, set up provinces governed directly by the Central Government. Let religion be religion, and secular matters be secular.”

This was a way to cut the ground from under the Pope’s feet, driving religious reforms and the abolition of the Papal State, effectively severing the Pope’s root in political matters. Henceforth, the Pope would be separate from politics and exist only as a Religious Leader.

Napoleon III’s eyes brightened at the prospect of kicking the Pope out, making the following matters easier to handle. Without that figurehead, the opposition would become fragmented.

“That’s a good idea, and it would be best to limit the Pope’s power at the same time to avoid troubles in the future.

Pelisi, I entrust this matter to you. Find a way to disgrace the Vatican, and do not give them a chance to turn things around.”

As he spoke these words, there was a trace of resentment in Napoleon III’s eyes. The enmity between the Bonaparte family and the Vatican wasn’t new; their relations have always been frosty.

Napoleon I initially didn’t receive recognition from the Vatican, later conquering Italy through force. During his coronation as Emperor, he directly snatched the crown from the Pope’s hands.

When it was Napoleon III’s turn, the situation wasn’t much better. Catholicism had always supported legitimacy, and Napoleon III had no legitimate ties to it.

After staging a coup to seize power, Napoleon III’s coronation as emperor was met with great disapproval by the Roman Curia. The invitation to Pope Pius IX to perform the coronation was flatly ignored.

Napoleon III had only two choices left, either to go to Rome for the coronation or to become emperor first and figure out the crowning later.

These were the two choices for European emperors who could not gain the Vatican’s recognition. Of course, going to Rome for the coronation would definitely not be harmonious, and it usually involved sending troops to force the Pope to perform the coronation.

The insecure Napoleon III endured, doing many thankless tasks to appease the Pope, and could be called a “Catholic Filial Piety.”

He was truly a “Catholic Filial Piety,” unlike the previous French monarchs who only harmed the interests of the Vatican.

After doing so much and not achieving what he wanted, he naturally harbored resentments. Had he not annexed Italy, he might never have known if he could be crowned by the Pope and become a legal emperor in his lifetime.

Now, standing on the opposing side again for interests, Napoleon III also wanted to emulate his predecessors, continuing the story of the “Catholic Filial Piety.”

Being a “Catholic Filial Piety” was not a compliment; the deeds of the French had nothing to do with being filial, such as the Avignon Papacy, the Holy Alliance, joining the Protestant Alliance during the Thirty Years’ War, and the dissolution of the Knights Templar…

In any case, the French made outstanding contributions to the decline of Catholicism, greater even than those of Protestantism.

Naturally, Napoleon III wasn’t that extreme. With his predecessors’ great achievements, he wasn’t ready to surpass them. However, he was essential in delivering the final blow to the declining Vatican.

The struggle between imperial and religious power was irreconcilable, and even as both sides were on the decline, a victor had to emerge.

On this issue, Napoleon III was not short of supporters, as monarchs across Europe were his potential allies.

…

With an order from Napoleon III, the Vatican’s dark history suddenly multiplied. Not only were old accounts being dug up, but current clergy members were frequently dragged through the newspapers.

These were all true stories with not a hint of exaggeration, real-life cases happening right among the people, indisputable. Seemingly overnight, the Vatican’s reputation became unbearably offensive.

The telegraph sped up news distribution, and scandals involving the Vatican that occurred in France and Italy quickly reached the European continent.

In this era, the Vatican no longer possessed the power to dominate Europe. The endless dark history of the Vatican reported by newspapers spoke volumes.

In this epoch of explosive thought, people began to doubt the existence of God, and faith was no longer as devout.

Anti-Vatican movements emerged in many places post-impact, with some areas even witnessing people attacking churches.

It was only then that Napoleon III realized he had taken it too far, but by then, the situation was beyond his control.

Seizing the moment, he successfully eliminated his political rivals but triggered a European crisis of faith, plunging the nation into ideological turmoil.

The impact wasn’t limited to France; Austria could not remain unscathed. Following the outbreak of the religious crisis, Austrian clergy also did not escape unscathed.

Many clergy members with loose personal lives and poor moral discipline were exposed by newspapers.

With the evidence irrefutable, the ideological shock these news brought to the public can only be imagined, and even Austria, the bastion of conservatism, experienced a crisis of faith.

Fierce public debates erupted, and atheistic ideas rapidly spread. Various experts and scholars emerged, using newspapers as their battleground, and soon it was a chaotic melee.

Watching the increasingly fierce ideological free-for-all, Franz could not sit idle. If this continued, who knew what bizarre ideas might emerge?

“Prime Minister, how is the Cabinet planning to calm this storm?”

As a successful leader, Franz always had full trust in the abilities of his subordinates. In times of trouble, asking the Cabinet first was never wrong.

After contemplating for a moment, Prime Minister Felix replied, “Your Majesty, this matter may require you to personally reassure the people.

The consequences of a collapsed faith are very serious. If we don’t address it promptly, and allow a mishmash of ideas to spread, the results could be grave.”

Great, so now he had to stand up for Catholicism. This faith crisis had begun with a focus on the Roman Curia, so naturally, Catholicism was hit the hardest.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz spoke, “Hmm, the clergy’s corruption is a result of their lack of true piety and the Vatican’s insufficient oversight.

We can help in this regard; the government can legislate to oversee the clergy’s behavior, acting on God’s behalf to punish these sinners.”

Reassuring the populace was one thing, but suppressing the Church was another necessity. Since France had taken the lead, Franz was naturally not averse to kicking someone when they were down.

If the Church couldn’t regulate its clergy, then the government would do it. Institutions like ecclesiastical courts are better off nonexistent.