Dawn Of A New Power

Conference of Prague (POD)
At the beginning of the Conference of Prague (March 1867), Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I announces his firm intention of abdicate the Crown in favor of his only son Prince Rudolf (future Rudolf III), who is eight years old at that moment, regardless the outcome of the conference.

The delegation of the Kingdom of Prussia, as the main winner side, only demands, besides the usual reparations, the concession of the Lands of Bohemia (Bohemia, Moravia and Austrian Silesia), which were in fact occupied by Prussian troops at that time. The intention of the Prussians is setting a puppet state, ruled by a German prince, which would be integrated in the planned North German Confederation, set to succeed the defunct German Confederation.

However, the Russians oppose such move unless the whole territory of Galicia is conceded to them, Cracow included. Neither Prussia nor Austria want to approve such concession, so they finally agree with Russia a more Solomonic decision: the new Principality of Bohemia and Moravia will be an Austrian subject under the authority of the King of Austria, but also a member state of the North German Confederation, granting that the state will be ‘co-ruled’ de facto by Prussia and Austria; in the other hand, Galicia will be divided in four parts: the duchy of Cracow, as a separate Austrian subject; the northern districts, including Lemberg, will be conceded to Russia; the southern districts will be ceded to Hungary and Bukovina and the surrounding districts will be ceded to (still Turkish) Moldavia.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian magnates push hard for the recognition of the Kingdom of Hungary as a fully independent state. They have even agreed on the candidate for the throne, count Laszló Teleki de Szék; after a harsh process of negotiations, the Kingdom of Hungary is recognized by the European powers, but under several conditions:

· Hungary has to cede the Western Strip (an area populated by ethnic Germans, including cities like Pressburg, Ödenburg and Stein am Anger) to Austria. As compensation, Hungary receives the southern Galician districts. · Hungary has to grant self-government for the Transylvanian Saxons in its written Constitution. · Hungary has to recognize the independence of the Kingdom of Croatia. · Hungary should follow a neutral foreign policy, which will be observed by all the powers present at the Conference. The conference ends on a note that this new German Federation is to unite into a nation at some point in the near future.

Franco-Prussian War: Start Of The German Empire
By 1870 the idea of a united Germany had gained a huge amount of traction, and the only way to unite Germany in the eyes of most was to acquire Alsace-Lorraine, a historic province of the HRE, and add it to the new proposed nation.

To Be Continued