Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Chapter 1593: Chapter 1499: Hungary’s Decision

The city of Pozsony in western Hungary.

"This is the decree of His Majesty the Emperor." Grasalkovics Antal, the Chief Justice of the Representative House, handed the document to his assistant to show it to the members of parliament.

Now the "Two-level Parliament" of Hungary has reconvened. It is divided into the "Noble House" and the "Representative House", the latter responsible for taxation and recruitment, with representatives from various Hungarian counties serving as members of parliament.

The "Chief Justice" is equivalent to the Speaker, nominated by the Emperor.

The Parliament Hall was instantly filled with the sound of table banging, a way for the members to express their dissatisfaction.

Antal frowned, striking the gavel hard dozens of times, but the noise drowned it out, forcing him to give up.

Janos stood up and shouted, "Even this decree is written in German, without an attachment in Magyar."

Magyar is the traditional language of Hungary.

The members immediately followed suit, causing a commotion, "The Emperor forbids the teaching of Magyar in villages; in a few years, my son won’t even understand what I’m saying."

"It’s not just schools; even prayers and hymns have to be in German. I have to say, that tone doesn’t sound very pious..."

"My nephews can only close their doors at home to learn Magyar, as if it were something shameful."

When the crowd finally quieted, Antal seized the opportunity to say, "Gentlemen, we are here to discuss sending troops to suppress the rebellion in Vienna. His Majesty the Emperor demands that we gather 40,000 troops..."

Janos loudly retorted again, "Yes, send troops, but the Emperor is having us cover the military expenses ourselves."

"Last year, we paid 13 million florins in taxes to Vienna; if I remember correctly, the Empire should cover war expenses!"

Member Parfi also stood up, "In the past, we advanced large sums to fight wars in Silesia, Italy, Poland, and the Southern Netherlands, but the Emperor never mentioned reimbursing us."

The supporting voices in the hall grew more intense, "Because of the Emperor’s wars, our county sees farmers going bankrupt every day."

"For decades, we haven’t even built a small road, yet we wage wars across Europe."

"I don’t see any issue with the citizens of Vienna; they can hardly survive, and we shouldn’t open fire on them..."

The hall suddenly fell silent, with everyone turning to look at that member.

These words were not taboo in Hungary, but expressing them openly in a parliamentary session was unprecedented.

Antal glared at the man, sternly saying, "Mr. Bedlan, you must immediately retract your words."

Janos, however, exclaimed even louder, "Mr. Bedlan is right!

"In opposing the Emperor’s mistakes, our goals align with those of Vienna’s citizens."

Antal was almost about to break the gavel: "Silence! Do you intend to defy His Majesty’s orders?"

"Of course not," the elderly Member Gajzo stood and said, "We must quickly gather the troops, and it should exceed 40,000."

The members looked at him in surprise, "Do you support sending troops to Vienna?"

"There are people there pursuing freedom and equality, just like us!"

Gajzo gestured for everyone to be quiet and continued, "As for how to use this army, I believe it should be decided by both houses."

Janos’s eyes lit up, "Exactly, our army should first defend the territory of Hungary and the freedom of Hungarians."

Parfi added, "And it should be commanded by Hungarians!"

Currently, all mid- and high-level officials and officers in Hungary are appointed by Vienna, with the vast majority being Austrians.

Janos strode to the podium, unabashedly blocking Antal behind him, raising his hand to propose, "I move that we hold a vote on the establishment of the Hungarian National Self-Defense Force!"

He glanced at Antal with a taunting look, "See, we’re faithfully carrying out His Majesty’s decree — to summon an army."

"Madness! You are all mad!" Antal’s hands trembled, "Vienna will soon declare you rebels and send troops to crush you!"

"What are you saying?" Janos shook his head and said, "If the Emperor agrees to stop forcibly promoting German, allows the two houses to convene long-term, lowers Hungarian taxes, and reimburses the previous war expenses, we will still obey him."

Parfi added, "And also acknowledge Hungary’s independence, with Hungarians governing Hungary!"

"What if the Emperor refuses?" A calm voice rose from among the members, "The Emperor has 200,000 troops, and we can muster at most 70,000 soldiers. If the Emperor attacks Buda, we will be defeated swiftly."

The excited cheers of the members seemed to be doused with cold water, and they fell silent instantly.

Janos smiled, "You probably forgot, right now, orders are being issued by the ’Austrian Republic’ in Vienna. The Emperor’s army must first contend with their National Guard.

"At that time, our army becomes an asset both sides will want to win over."

The questioning member nodded then asked, "What if the Noble House vetoes our proposal? They may not want to confront the Emperor."

Gajzo’s slow voice sounded again, "No, I believe the Noble House will support all our decisions. The lords in the Noble House are keener than anyone to shake off trade taxes and restore tariffs against Austria."

Yes, under Joseph’s instructions, secret trade between France and Hungary saw a yearly surge, making Hungarian nobles deeply displeased with Vienna’s trade restrictions.

After all, a basket of peppers sold to Vienna earns 60% less than selling to the French.

Moreover, the French won’t flood Hungary with commodities like grains and glass products, all of which are vital economic resources for Hungary.

And after Metternich’s reform, Hungary was required to drop tariffs and strictly implement Vienna’s foreign trade policies.

This was essentially cutting off financial avenues.

That’s why Gajzo judged that the previously Habsburg-supportive Noble House was very likely to defect.

Just five days later, all of Hungary erupted.

Both the Noble House and the Representative House passed the "Hungarian National Self-Defense Force Bill" and decided to draft the "August Decree" to maintain Hungarian independence, with core content including —

Stipulating Magyar as the only official language of Hungary; completely abolishing serfdom and greatly reducing land redemption fees; terminating the Germanization within Hungary; appointment of Hungarian officials and officers by the Noble House; new tax proposals, among others.

Because the Hungarian "Exiled Kuruts" organization tirelessly promoted Hungarian national independence — receiving nearly 30 francs of funding annually and owning several secret printing presses — the Hungarian populace was enthusiastic about the dual houses’ resolutions. In just under a week, over 60,000 people registered to join the National Self-Defense Force.