I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 858 Expanding the Backyard
The surroundings suddenly became quiet, and the only sound in the hunting ground was the barking of hunting dogs in the distance.

The top leaders of various countries stared at the French Crown Prince with wide eyes, their hearts filled with shock and panic, as well as a hint of expectation.

Revenge on the Vatican?
This is no joke!
Although the Vatican today is far less powerful than it was hundreds of years ago and no longer has the ability to command Europe, if it takes action against the Papal States, the major Catholic powers in Europe will likely use this as an excuse to send troops to the Apennine Peninsula!

Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but glance at Count Floridablanca.

After all, Spain is one of the three biggest supports of the Holy See today.

Joseph also turned to the Spanish chief minister at the right time and said solemnly: "Count Floridablanca, what do you say?"

The latter did not seem surprised.

The French Crown Prince had already reached an agreement with him on this matter, and Carlos IV had also approved the plan to dismantle the Papal States, with only one requirement: that Spain must not interfere in the matter.

Of course, this is also the unanimous opinion of the secularists in Spain. In the past few decades, the secularists' repeated attempts at reform have achieved little success due to obstruction by the church.

Moreover, if the power of the church can be weakened, secular ministers will also gain greater power.

At this time in Spain, Campos had already begun to arrange to contain the power of the church. As long as there was a problem with the Roman Catholic Church, he would dare to launch a "coup" against the church!
Count Floridablanca crossed himself and looked away: "The authenticity of Constantine's Donation is indeed in doubt. Appropriate 'adjustments' to the Papal States may be necessary."

The "Donation of Constantine" he mentioned refers to the time when Pippin the Short conquered large tracts of Italian land and gave them to the Vatican. In order to increase the legitimacy of these lands, the Vatican fabricated a document, falsely claiming that in the fourth century Roman Emperor Constantine had donated central Italy to the Vatican.

In the era when the Holy See was at its peak, the Italian countries knew that this thing was fake, but they could only hold their noses and endure it.

Now Spain has taken the lead in questioning the "Donation of Constantine", and its attitude has become very clear.

The eyes of senior Italian officials began to light up.

The Roman Curia has three pillars: France, Spain, and Austria. Now France is calling for action against the Papal States, Spain is at least acquiescing, and Austria is about to be driven out of the Apennine Peninsula.

This is a real opportunity to acquire a large amount of land!

The Prince of Parma gripped the reins tightly and said loudly: "Your Highness, you are right. The 'impious' behavior of the Papal States should be corrected!"

Modena's Foreign Minister knew that things were not that simple, so he looked at Joseph cautiously and said, "Your Highness, we have an obligation to punish Austria's accomplices, but if we send troops to the Papal States, Naples is likely to interfere..."

Naples is the "Two Sicilies", a large country in southern Italy, and is also the largest country on the Apennine Peninsula.

Historically, Naples fought many wars with Milan and other countries in northern Italy in order to unify Italy.

What separated them from northern Italy was the Papal States.

If the Papal States were attacked, Naples would certainly not sit idly by.

The Governor of Genoa then added: "And Tuscany's military strength is not weak either..."

Joseph had anticipated this situation.

Among these small countries, only Sardinia has some combat effectiveness. It would be a bit difficult for the six countries to challenge the Papal States and Tuscany.

And even if we could really take it down, we wouldn't be able to hold on to it.

He immediately waved his hand and said:

"This is the significance of the Mediterranean Security Organization. I suggest that the Security Organization activate the protection clause to prevent Modena and Parma from being threatened by Austrian accomplices!" At the same time, France promised that all the lands occupied by the Papal States would be returned to the Italian states.

Upon hearing this, the top leaders of various Italian countries looked at each other excitedly.

They knew that the military operations against the Papal States and Tuscany would be mainly carried out by France, so most of the benefits would definitely go to France, and they would be lucky to get a share of the profits.

But at this time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that France would not participate in the division of Italy's interests.

Then the entire Papal States and Tuscany will be divided up by these six Italian states! And France and Spain will stand up for them!

This was something they had never dared to dream of before.

You know, the area of ​​Tuscany and the Papal States together is almost as large as the total area of ​​these six countries.

Modena's Foreign Minister did not hesitate any longer and bowed to Joseph, saying, "Your Highness, Modena will dispatch 3 soldiers from the Royal Guard to implement the Security Organization's decision."

Several other countries also expressed their willingness to send troops together, and each one was more resolute than the other - with the support of the French army, sending troops along would be a complete bargain, and anyone who was not enthusiastic would be a fool.

At this moment, representatives of all countries sighed deeply in their hearts that joining the Mediterranean Security Organization was an extremely correct decision.

Of course, Joseph did not do this to be a good guy.

Central Italy is far away from France and there is no basis for rule at all, so it is better to divide it among the "little brothers" to enhance the cohesion of the security organization.

Moreover, after the Papal States and Tuscany were conquered, France would definitely have the final say on how the territory would be distributed.

At this time, it depends on which of the younger brothers is more obedient.

The closer a country follows France, the more and better land it can obtain.

This will greatly enhance France's control over its "backyard".

You can even leave some vague areas. If any "little brother" has other ideas in the future, you can use these unclear territories as a handle to severely punish the "traitor".

At the same time, under the attack of the coalition of security organizations, the Holy See can only bow to France, and then the plan of the Holy See to return to Avignon can be launched.

Controlling the Vatican will greatly enhance France's voice and ability to influence public opinion in Europe.

Moreover, this was also a powerful weapon for Joseph to initiate domestic religious reform.

Although the French Church and the Vatican have nothing to do with each other, when you really want to touch the interests of the church, they will immediately become connected.

The church still has a huge influence in France and possesses a huge amount of wealth. Rash reforms are likely to lead to social unrest.

But if he had the card of the Holy See, Joseph would immediately have more means at his disposal.

As for Tuscany, it was entirely for the purpose of weakening Austria while expanding its own "backyard".

In fact, according to Joseph's plan, Tuscany could be retained.

Of course, the area would be much smaller than it is now, and the king would definitely not be a Habsburg anymore.

(End of this chapter)