The Story of Mankind [145]
in joining
two countries which nature and history had put asunder. The
dual Scandinavian state was never a success and in 1905,
Norway, in a most peaceful and orderly manner, set up as an
independent kingdom and the Swedes bade her ``good speed''
and very wisely let her go her own way.
The Italians, who since the days of the Renaissance had
been at the mercy of a long series of invaders, also had put
great hopes in General Bonaparte. The Emperor Napoleon,
however, had grievously disappointed them. Instead of the
United Italy which the people wanted, they had been divided
into a number of little principalities, duchies, republics and
the Papal State, which (next to Naples) was the worst governed
and most miserable region of the entire peninsula. The
Congress of Vienna abolished a few of the Napoleonic republics
and in their place resurrected several old principalities
which were given to deserving members, both male and female,
of the Habsburg family.
The poor Spaniards, who had started the great nationalistic
revolt against Napoleon, and who had sacrificed the best blood
of the country for their king, were punished severely when the
Congress allowed His Majesty to return to his domains. This
vicious creature, known as Ferdinand VII, had spent the last
four years of his life as a prisoner of Napoleon. He had improved
his days by knitting garments for the statues of his
favourite patron saints. He celebrated his return by re-introducing
the Inquisition and the torture-chamber, both of which
had been abolished by the Revolution. He was a disgusting
person, despised as much by his subjects as by his four wives,
but the Holy Alliance maintained him upon his legitimate
throne and all efforts of the decent Spaniards to get rid of this
curse and make Spain a constitutional kingdom ended in
bloodshed and executions.
Portugal had been without a king since the year 1807 when
the royal family had fled to the colonies in Brazil. The country
had been used as a base of supply for the armies of
Wellington during the Peninsula war, which lasted from 1808
until 1814. After 1815 Portugal continued to be a sort of
British province until the house of Braganza returned to the
throne, leaving one of its members behind in Rio de Janeiro
as Emperor of Brazil, the only American Empire which lasted
for more than a few years, and which came to an end in 1889
when the country became a republic.
In the east, nothing was done to improve the terrible conditions
of both the Slavs and the Greeks who were still subjects
of the Sultan. In the year 1804 Black George, a Servian
swineherd, (the founder of the Karageorgevich dynasty) had
started a revolt against the Turks, but he had been defeated
by his enemies and had been murdered by one of his supposed
friends, the rival Servian leader, called Milosh Obrenovich,
(who became the founder of the Obrenovich dynasty) and the
Turks had continued to be the undisputed masters of the
Balkans.
The Greeks, who since the loss of their independence, two
thousand years before, had been subjects of the Macedonians,
the Romans, the Venetians and the Turks, had hoped that their
countryman, Capo d'Istria, a native of Corfu and together
with Czartoryski, the most intimate personal friends of
Alexander, would do something for them. But the Congress
of Vienna was not interested in Greeks, but was very much
interested in keeping all ``legitimate'' monarchs, Christian,
Moslem and otherwise, upon their respective thrones. Therefore
nothing was done.
The last, but perhaps the greatest blunder of the Congress
was the treatment of Germany. The Reformation and the
Thirty Years War had not only destroyed the prosperity of the
country, but had turned it into a hopeless political rubbish
heap, consisting of a couple of kingdoms, a few grand-duchies,
a large number of duchies and hundreds of margravates, principalities,
two countries which nature and history had put asunder. The
dual Scandinavian state was never a success and in 1905,
Norway, in a most peaceful and orderly manner, set up as an
independent kingdom and the Swedes bade her ``good speed''
and very wisely let her go her own way.
The Italians, who since the days of the Renaissance had
been at the mercy of a long series of invaders, also had put
great hopes in General Bonaparte. The Emperor Napoleon,
however, had grievously disappointed them. Instead of the
United Italy which the people wanted, they had been divided
into a number of little principalities, duchies, republics and
the Papal State, which (next to Naples) was the worst governed
and most miserable region of the entire peninsula. The
Congress of Vienna abolished a few of the Napoleonic republics
and in their place resurrected several old principalities
which were given to deserving members, both male and female,
of the Habsburg family.
The poor Spaniards, who had started the great nationalistic
revolt against Napoleon, and who had sacrificed the best blood
of the country for their king, were punished severely when the
Congress allowed His Majesty to return to his domains. This
vicious creature, known as Ferdinand VII, had spent the last
four years of his life as a prisoner of Napoleon. He had improved
his days by knitting garments for the statues of his
favourite patron saints. He celebrated his return by re-introducing
the Inquisition and the torture-chamber, both of which
had been abolished by the Revolution. He was a disgusting
person, despised as much by his subjects as by his four wives,
but the Holy Alliance maintained him upon his legitimate
throne and all efforts of the decent Spaniards to get rid of this
curse and make Spain a constitutional kingdom ended in
bloodshed and executions.
Portugal had been without a king since the year 1807 when
the royal family had fled to the colonies in Brazil. The country
had been used as a base of supply for the armies of
Wellington during the Peninsula war, which lasted from 1808
until 1814. After 1815 Portugal continued to be a sort of
British province until the house of Braganza returned to the
throne, leaving one of its members behind in Rio de Janeiro
as Emperor of Brazil, the only American Empire which lasted
for more than a few years, and which came to an end in 1889
when the country became a republic.
In the east, nothing was done to improve the terrible conditions
of both the Slavs and the Greeks who were still subjects
of the Sultan. In the year 1804 Black George, a Servian
swineherd, (the founder of the Karageorgevich dynasty) had
started a revolt against the Turks, but he had been defeated
by his enemies and had been murdered by one of his supposed
friends, the rival Servian leader, called Milosh Obrenovich,
(who became the founder of the Obrenovich dynasty) and the
Turks had continued to be the undisputed masters of the
Balkans.
The Greeks, who since the loss of their independence, two
thousand years before, had been subjects of the Macedonians,
the Romans, the Venetians and the Turks, had hoped that their
countryman, Capo d'Istria, a native of Corfu and together
with Czartoryski, the most intimate personal friends of
Alexander, would do something for them. But the Congress
of Vienna was not interested in Greeks, but was very much
interested in keeping all ``legitimate'' monarchs, Christian,
Moslem and otherwise, upon their respective thrones. Therefore
nothing was done.
The last, but perhaps the greatest blunder of the Congress
was the treatment of Germany. The Reformation and the
Thirty Years War had not only destroyed the prosperity of the
country, but had turned it into a hopeless political rubbish
heap, consisting of a couple of kingdoms, a few grand-duchies,
a large number of duchies and hundreds of margravates, principalities,