Chapter 276: Frederick
The birth of the eldest son brought relief to many, and the entire Viennese court was filled with rejoicing and laughter, expressing the joy of new life.
Naming in Europe is extremely arbitrary, so much so that its amazing. As far as Franz knows, there are even people who have used the same name for more than ten generations.
One really wonders how they manage daily interactions. Father and son sharing the same name is manageable since you can distinguish between the senior and junior, but if you encounter five generations with the same name, wouldnt that just drive you crazy?
Given these dire consequences, Franz decided it was best to err on the side of caution. Inauspicious names were eliminated first; names associated with historical figures who committed suicide or were killed were the first to be eliminated.
During a family meeting, Franz asked, Do you think the little one should be called Caesar, Peter, Frederick, or Leopold, or are there other names to consider?
Archduchess Sophie was the first to say, I think Rudolf would be better, to avoid too many nobles with the same name.
Finally, Franz understood the origin of the name Rudolf in history. It turned out that it was she who had decided it.
But the situation is different now. Faced with the precocious Franz, Archduchess Sophies influence has diminished greatly.
His own opinion carried more weight in the naming of the child. Bringing it up for discussion now meant that Franz himself was also confused about what to name his eldest son.
Archduke Karl suggested, I think its best to call him Karl. Im Old Karl, and hell be Little Karl. This name sounds quite endearing!
This silly thought was immediately ignored by Franz. He still wasnt used to having the same name as others, and even if he were to share a name, it wouldnt be with his own family.
Empress Helene proposed, How about naming him Franz? It would be convenient to call him that.
Franz rolled his eyes. Why did it feel like she was picking a fight? But looking at her serious expression, Franz was sure that she wasnt deliberately making trouble.
Of the four people with a say in the court, none could convince the others. Franz decided to ignore their opinions.
Then lets call him Peter!
Why?
Why?
Why?
Having just decided on his sons name, Franz was met with collective questioning from everyone. Seeing the three people seething with anger, Franz felt that if he couldnt come up with a reasonable explanation, there was a good chance he wouldnt get dinner that night.
Since your opinions are all different, lets just exclude them all for the sake of family harmony!
Archduchess Sophie added sternly, Very well, then lets eliminate Peter as well, for the sake of fairness!
This proposal was supported by Archduke Karl and Empress Helene, leaving Peter out in the cold by a vote of three to one.
Franz nonchalantly remarked, All right, lets vote on the remaining candidate names, and the one with the most support will be the name for the little one!
Franz considered himself to have some principles, so he refrained from giving his son a bizarre name. After all, he was the heir to the throne, and his dignity had to be preserved.
In Europe, its not uncommon for people to have long strings of names. Dont be surprised its often the result of parents arguing endlessly and then adding all the suggested names to the list.
Just having a name as long as a football team could be considered childs play. Some directly copied the roster of a football team.
As for what he will be called in the future? Well, when you have parents who make such decisions, does it really matter?
Lets vote then!
Everyone agreed to a democratic vote. Finally Frederick won with two votes. Franz guessed it was probably due to the popularity of the name Frederick among the Habsburgs.
The Minister of the Navy, Filkos, exclaimed excitedly, Your Majesty, our first ironclad battleship has been completed, were just waiting for you to name it.
Its worth noting that this ironclad battleship arrived just in time to coincide with the birth of the crown prince. Of course, Franz also knew that this had been arranged on purpose.
Coincidence, how can there be so many coincidences in the world?
If things went as expected, in the days to come the Austrian government would also receive a series of good news, which just happened to coincide with the crown princes birth.
There was nothing strange about it. If the East could create auspicious signs, how could the Western world be free of them? They were all bureaucrats, no one would be much different from another.
Franz said calmly, Lets call it the Frederick.
Since his subordinates were so considerate, he certainly wouldnt object. These actions werent too excessive either; at most, it meant that the ironclad battleship was finished and waiting in the shipyard for a few days for the crown prince.
The purpose, of course, was to make its presence felt. Otherwise, as soon as the heir was born, the entire media of the New Holy Roman Empire would focus on it. Who would remember the ironclad battleship then?
The New Holy Roman Empire was a land power, and public attention to the navy was limited. If they missed the opportunity to grab attention with the ironclad, who knows when there would be another sensational story to draw everyones attention.
The birth of the crown prince drew more attention from the domestic population, while internationally, everyones focus shifted to the ironclad battleship Frederick.
While everyone else was playing with sailing warships, Austria suddenly unveiled an ironclad battleship that caught many off guard. Could this hunk of iron even float?
On December 12, 1856, the day after the crown princes birth, the ironclad Frederick embarked from the Port of Venice on its maiden voyage.
There was no media present as this was a military secret. Franz would not reveal the ships internal information just for show.
Specifications of the ironclad Frederick:
Displacement: 8,708 tons;
Length: 118 meters (107.2 meters between perpendiculars);
Beam: 17.6 meters;
Draft: 7.9 meters;
Propulsion: Steam and sail hybrid propulsion, with 1 horizontal compound steam engine, 10 coal-fired boilers, producing 5,770 horsepower;
Maximum speed: 14.56 knots (single shaft, single propeller);
Coal capacity: 860 tons;
Armament: 10110-pound stern-mounted breech-loading guns, 2068-pound bow-mounted muzzle-loading guns, 440-pound stern-mounted breech-loading guns;
Armor: Armor belt thickness of 4.5 inches, backed by 18 inches of wooden planking;
Crew: 695 personnel;
Cost: 800,000 guilders.
Franz was just a novice in naval matters and couldnt make sense of all these jumbled parameters. One thing he knew for sure, however, was that the era of sail warships had come to an end.
With the birth of the Frederick, many world records were shattered. This was currently the worlds largest and most powerful warship in terms of tonnage and combat effectiveness.
Before the emergence of similar warships, bullying sailing warships would be effortless, and that was sufficient.
Originally designed to intimidate, its combat power was formidable, but a single ship couldnt close the gap between the Austrian Navy and the British and French Navies.
Many ants can kill an elephant, and Franz understood this simple principle. It was enough to use it as a scare tactic; there was no need for actual combat.
London
As a maritime power, the advent of the ironclad Frederick came as a direct shock to the British government.
Prime Minister Granville shouted, I need an explanation. Why are the Austrians ahead of us? What has the Royal Navy been doing with all that military funding every year?
If it were the army being overtaken, he could leisurely enjoy his coffee. After all, they were a maritime power. If European armies were ranked, they wouldnt even make the top five.
But the Navy was a different story. The worlds premier Royal Navy suddenly found itself behind in shipbuilding technology, with thousands of sail warships becoming obsolete overnight.
This kind of disparity was clearly unacceptable to the British. Even if they were temporarily overtaken, Austria shouldnt have had such a significant presence.
Navy Minister James explained: Prime Minister, the Royal Navy has also been researching ironclad warships. The fact that the Austrians developed an ironclad first doesnt mean that their shipbuilding technology is more advanced than ours; its just that they started earlier.
Since 1850, the Austrians have been investing heavily in ironclad research, and they began formal construction in early 1855, taking nearly two years to complete.
The Royal Navy only received funding for research and development this year, so temporary lagging behind is inevitable. Within five years at most, we can catch up and surpass the Austrians.
Prime Minister Grenville shook his head and said, I dont want to hear your explanations. If you want to explain, go and explain to the members of Parliament!
What you must do now is announce our plans for the ironclad. We must build an ironclad in the shortest possible time, even if its just a prototype. We must also have one!
This is typical of how politicians approach problems. Prime Minister Grenville isnt just worried about an ironclad warship, but also about the political chain reactions it might cause.
Proud Britons cannot tolerate a naval gap, and to be overtaken now will surely not be overlooked by the opposition parties.
Fortunately, the Grenville cabinet has just taken office, and the Navy has just started the ironclad project. So the responsibility can be shifted to the previous administration. It was their missed opportunity to develop ironclad ships that led to the temporary lag in shipbuilding technology.
Foreign Minister Thomas reminded, Mr. Prime Minister, according to the intelligence weve gathered, the ironclad built by the Austrians may have a displacement of 8500 to 9000 tons and is also equipped with stern mounted breech-loading guns.
Once this ironclad is in service, the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean will be disrupted. Our Mediterranean fleet will no longer be able to suppress the Austrian navy.
In this situation, the Austrian government might try petty maneuvers. Of course, they might not dare to provoke us directly, but they might not hesitate when it comes to the Ottoman Empire.
Grenville rubbed his forehead, realizing that being Prime Minister of the British Empire was no easy task. The Russians had just stirred up trouble in Central Asia, and now the Austrians were at it again.
In todays international order, it seemed that as a country grew stronger, it sought to gain more benefits. After gaining short-term regional advantages, it was only natural for the Austrian Navy to expand.
Can we suppress Austrias ambitions? Prime Minister Granville asked.
Thomas analyzed, Its difficult unless were willing to pay a high price by deploying more fleets into the Mediterranean or preemptively occupying their targets, denying them the opportunity.
Grenville denied: That is impossible. We dont have that many fleets to send to the Mediterranean, let alone attack the Ottoman Empire first.
Weve promised the Ottoman Empire to guarantee its territorial integrity, if only for international prestige. We cant stand idly by at this time.
Is it possible to divert the Austrians to other areas and make them give up their actions against the Ottoman Empire?
Thomas pondered and said, "Its worth a try. If we join forces with the French to exert pressure, the Austrian government will probably give up its expansion in the Mediterranean. After all, they wouldnt want to disrupt the newly established Vienna System.
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