The Life and Influence of Francisco Sabatino di Arnaud Part 2: Duke of Savoy
Arnaud is asked about how he will respond to the growing number of troops on the border near Verano, and replies, �I have a few cards up my sleeve, and they�re aces!� German and Italian forces are victorious on the field with only small setbacks. Arnaud and Bismarck begin to converse about a possible alliance after the war, but the fighting continues.
On the 26th, General Rossini and his Second Army move out from Chambery on the main road towards Lyons with about 45,000 troops. General de Wimpffen engages the Italian Second army outside La Tour du-Pin later on in the day. . De Wimpffen, with about 35,000 troops and militia attack Rossini�s men and utilize a feigned withdraw. Unfortunately, he fails. General de Wimpffen is wounded, but survives. Rossini and de Wimpffen both lose about 5,000 men, and de Wimpffen withdraws to Villeurbanne outside Lyons. General Mantegna and the Fourth Army advance to St. Etienne utilizing railroads and hell for leather tactics by the 28th.
German forces outside Chalons engage forward units of Bazaine�s forces. Bazaine is ordered to withdraw to Reims. On the 25th, German forces around Metz put the city under siege, but Napoleon III believes the fortress will hold. Meanwhile, through retreating into fortified towns, the French army in the north has lost the ability to maneuver. Von Moltke is very happy with current proceedings in the war, and believes German troops will have Paris under siege by October 1st.
Garibaldi�s Third Army with more than 80,000 men marches to Cannes, where MacMahon�s strength dwindles at 30,000 due to mass desertion from the defeat at Nice. MacMahon has time to construct massive field works and shuts himself into the town. Garibaldi surrounds Cannes on the 26th, and begins bombarding the town and manages to destroy the piers. After a disastrous breakout attempt on the 28th, MacMahon surrenders his army to Garibaldi, effectively destroying major French opposition in Provence.
An effort by the Marina Militaire to bombard Cannes results in a naval force consisting of two Lepanto-class battleships and assorted battery ships being sent to Cannes. The squadron is met by elements of the French navy near Monaco. The French arrive with the Alma, the Gloire, Invincible, and the brand-new Ocean. These state-of-the-art vessels decisively defeat the Italian force and most of the Italian ships are sent to the bottom. The Battle of Monaco, the only significant naval battle of the war, is the first naval debacle of modern Italy. The naval leadership and politicians agree to make significant changes to build a first-class navy after seeing the results of negligence.
On the 30th, Austria-Hungary declares war on Italy, but Bismarck stubbornly refuses to declare war on A-H. Austro-Hungarian troops under General Tisza with 75,000 invade the Trentino region and burn Verano to the ground. Arnaud quickly sends the newly created Fifth Army under Brevet General Edmondo Di Amicis, an officer who received great honor and recognition at the Battle of Moutiers. Di Amicis has 90,000 total troops and militia, with the First Army under his command as well.
Di Amicis arrives at Vincenza on the 3rd of September. General Tisza attacks the Italian camp the next morning, but Italian earthworks and trenches built overnight inflict massive casualties on the Austrian army, which has not received much training on assaulting works. Di Amicis pursues the Austro-Hungarian army to their base at Schio and encamp outside the town. Tisza receives reinforcements and has strength of 70,000 men.
General Rossini begins to besiege Lyons on the 30th, and General Mantegna and the Fourth Army arrives from the rear, surprising French forces preparing to evacuate, and trapping them inside Lyons. French morale is extremely low, and numbers of men and officers are dwindling. De Wimpffen with about 25,000 effectives defends Lyons, and surrender to the Italians on September 2nd. After the surrender, Rossini says to reporters nearby,� The French fought bravely and with honor, and it is always sorrowful to see a great army taken to the state they were in.�
On September 6th, Napoleon III surrenders at Metz with 114,000 men. Upon receiving intelligence of the capture of the French emperor, Paris rises in rebellion and France is proclaimed a republic. On the 7th of September, Strasbourg, one of the last points at which the French hope to stem the German advance, capitulates, and Paris is now completely surrounded.
On September 2nd, General Di Amicis attacks the Austrians at Schio, and drives them out, forcing them to retreat to Bolzano. The assault takes it�s toll on the Fifth Army, and it now numbers 82,000 to Tisza� 68,000. General Tisza calls for more reinforcements, and non-garrisoned soldiers are brought together from all over the Empire to fight the Italians.
On the 10th, General Garibaldi enters Marseilles after fighting several small battles at Brignoles, Toulon and Aubagne, where the Third Army continuously overruns much smaller French armies. General Garibaldi is recalled to Rome to become Chief of Staff, and General Mantegna is given control over all Italian forces on the Rhone Front. The Fourth Army is sent to Crest to make sure there is no chance of a wedge separating the two army groups.
General Di Amicis receives 10,000 men from the Rhone front, and moves to attack Bolzano and secure the southern Tyrol region and Trent for Italy on the 17th. Di Amicis splits his force into two and utilizes the local mountains to ambush Austrian troops outside of Bolzano. Di Amicis has the city surrounded on all sides, and Tisza surrenders on the 25th. Garibaldi orders Di Amicis to proceed to Innsbruck and burn it to the ground in retaliation for Verona. Only then can peace be possible, when blood matches blood.
September 12, German forces move south of Reims, where General Bazaine has his army encamped, the last major French army in combat. Helmuth von Molke himself commands the Germans, and the French army is forced out of the city between the Aisne and the Reims. The Germans surround the French, and Bazaine is forced to surrender with 90,000 men. The Germans quickly complete their siege of Paris, and the city is now under extreme duress.
The Italian Fifth Army meets a new Austrian force outside of Innsbruck on September 30th. Constant reinforcements trickling in from the peaceful Rhone front have provided Di Amicis with over 100,000 men. The Austrians present 85,000 men in an effort to stop the Italian invasion. Initial confrontations with the battle-hardened Italians result in 5000 men captured by Di Amicis, and the rest of the Austrians retreat to Innsbruck. The Italians begin shelling the town after they have surrounded it, and the Austrians manage to get themselves cut off with few supplies.
On the 2nd of October, Italian troops capture Innsbruck, and Arnaud sends the Austrian government word that Italy is ready to make peace. Arnaud consults with Garibaldi and the general lets Innsbruck go unharmed. A six-week cease-fire is declared, and Arnaud�s demands are a 1 billion franc indemnity and the Trentino region. Emperor Franz Josef grudgingly agrees, somewhat relieved to finally eliminate most of the Italian minority for good. Prime Minister Andrassy informs Arnaud that he will do what ever is necessary for peace.
Arnaud is quite popular with the Italian populace for restoring Italy to power and strengthening the economy, but his power is not completely secure. Arnaud approaches King Victor Emmanuel II about the possibility of a full alliance with Prussia, or what will become Germany, and perhaps declaring an Italian Empire. The King approves of an alliance with Germany, but will only only ascend to the imperial throne with the support of the Italian people.
Arnaud supports the King�s decision and will make it official policy. Arnaud asks Parliament to consult with the people about changing to an imperial government, and the populace approves Arnaud�s plan. The King will become an Emperor, and a one house Senate will be adapted, with a Chancellor presiding, and Arnaud will be Chancellor.
The Austrians sign the Treaty of Innsbruck on the 18th of November with a 500 million dollar indemnity and the Trentino region ceded to Italy. Arnaud is pleased and leaves immediately. On the 25th, the city hall explodes, setting fire to many other buildings downtown, and causing much damage to the city. Czech nationalists are blamed for the incident.
December 12, 1870
The streets of Paris are empty of most of the crowds that would normally be seen there. The people are in rags and scrounging for food, anything that can sustain them for just another day. Parisians are forced to eat their own cats for food, and there is no end to the siege in sight.
On December 25, 1870, the German Empire is declared. Wilhelm I, the first Kaiser of Germany is crowned in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Also on this day, Victor Emmanuel II is crowned Emperor of the Italian Empire along side Wilhelm, and the two nations announce that they will begin negotiations for a formal alliance. The former lands of Charlemagne�s Holy Roman Empire become empires once more exactly one thousand and seventy years after Charles himself was crowned.
The next day, the French government at Tours begins surrender negotiations. A three-week cease-fire is declared, and the Paris Commune becomes involved in civil war. The Treaty of Mainz is signed on April 15, giving Germany Alsace and Lorraine, and an indemnity of five billion francs. The Treaty of Turin is signed on March 7th, giving Italy Nice, Savoy and Corsica, along with a two billion franc indemnity.
The Second War of the Spanish Succession is over after almost a year. Emperor Victor Emmanuel I gives Francisco di Arnaud the title of Duke of Savoy, and the people of Italy celebrate their new Empire, Emperor and good fortune. The Italian Empire now contains almost all the ethnic Italians in Europe, and yet Arnaud still plans for the future.