A strong wind swept across a thousand miles, bringing extraordinary news. The news of Venice's capital falling and the Papal States' declaration of war on Venice spread almost simultaneously, reaching the palaces and streets of various countries, once again shaking a world already filled with changing hearts.
Before various countries could react, the latest news from the battlefield poured in: Papal States Military Minister Lorenzo's rebellion, the complete annihilation of the Venetian main force, the Pope personally quelling the rebellion, the fall of various Venetian cities, Pisani's usurpation of power and surrender to the Ottoman Empire, the demise of the Venice Republic…
The entire process took less than half a month. The rapid progress of the war astonished various countries and filled them with deep fear.
The countries in the North Italian region, being closest to the battlefield, were the first to receive fragmented and chaotic news from fleeing nobles and exiled refugees. The Papal States and the Venice Republic were both powerful entities in the Italian region; if they could fight to a mutual destruction, it would naturally be a good thing for these small, uninvolved countries.
Moreover, in traditional perception, the Papal States and Venice were several tiers apart. Back then, the Warrior Pope Julius II formed the League of Cambrai, gathering several major powers to jointly strangle Venice, but it ultimately fell apart due to internal disagreements. This time, without the support of any major power, how could they gain an advantage by rashly attacking?
It must be said that young people are full of vigor and prone to impulsiveness; they are likely to suffer a great loss. Genoa even considered sending troops to help the Papal States maintain a balance so that the two sides could continue fighting indefinitely.
However, the subsequent developments quickly astonished them. Venice, a powerful entity with centuries of legacy and deep foundations, collapsed in such a short time. The Papal States' strength had unknowingly far exceeded their understanding. If the next target were themselves, how could they resist?
Austria had been closely monitoring the movements of the reinforcements the Papal States promised to send to help them. Upon learning that the Papal States had gone to fight Venice, they immediately felt tricked.
However, after seeing the Papal States' rapid offensive, amidst their surprise and apprehension, hope reignited: As the Pope, he probably wouldn't go back on his word. The war in Venice ending so quickly also meant that the Pope's army wouldn't be delayed in coming to their aid. With such a strong reinforcement, why worry about not being able to repel the Ottoman Empire and reclaim lost territories?
It was just unknown what price they would have to pay. Although Austria and Venice had always had a poor relationship, Austria had always viewed Venice's land as a piece of fat meat ready for the taking. This time, it all went into the Papal States' stomach, so it was impossible not to feel a little jealous. Especially Istria, which was still an enclave for the Papal States.
Through its control of Milan and Naples, Spain also had strong information gathering capabilities in the Italian region. Although it was currently just a territory under Spanish rule, Milan's own strength was no weaker than any country in the North Italian region outside of the Papal States and Venice.
As a regional power also bordering Venice, with tens of thousands of troops at hand, after receiving the news of Venice's fall, the Governor of Milan, if he acted first and reported later, would not have been too late to forcibly intervene in the war before the main Venetian force was annihilated.
However, that would involve taking enormous political risks, and clearly, the Governor of Milan did not think it was necessary. Moreover, Madrid was unlikely to support him, as Spain's focus at this time was still on suppressing the Netherlands rebellion. Thus, reports and replies went back and forth between Milan and Madrid, and he was left with nothing but to watch the show.
The religious reform movement on the European continent was surging, and various heresies were emerging. A Pope with impeccable personal virtue and extreme strength in all aspects was extremely beneficial to the entire Catholic world, especially for Spain, which had suffered greatly from the Netherlands' independence and its disputes with England.
However, for Spain, this Pope seemed overly powerful. In the Italian region, Spain had strong influence and hoped for further expansion, and therefore did not wish for the balance of power in the Italian region to be completely broken.
But at this time, direct conflict with the Pope would be too unwise. Spain was already the target of attacks from heretics and also had sharp conflicts of interest with France. Its ally Austria was preoccupied and even hoped for help from the Papal States, while the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a thousand miles away and more inclined towards the Pope.
Once at war with the powerfully rising Papal States, France would certainly not stand idly by. At that time, it was feared that even Milan and Naples would not be preserved, and England and the Netherlands would make a comeback.
Therefore, although Spain was strong, it lacked confidence in this matter. However, with such a major event occurring, Spain naturally could not turn a deaf ear. They would surely demand some benefits from the Papal States, and presumably, the Papal States would not refuse. After all, from a position of strength, Spain's recognition or non-recognition was crucial for the Papal States to gracefully swallow this large piece of territory.
Being farther away, with weaker influence in the Italian region primarily concentrated on the northwest border, and having focused on internal affairs in recent years, France was relatively slow to react to everything happening in Venice. By the time they knew the war had started, Karl had already reached Treviso.
Previously, to counter Spain, France had allied with the Papal States, Mantua, Venice, and Tuscany. Although the Treaty of Vervins established peace between France and Spain, everyone knew that peace was only temporary.
Venice remained France's natural ally for a simple reason: in the Italian region, Spain's power was far stronger than France's, and Milan stood in between, being a thorn in the side of both Venice and France.
More importantly, France and Venice had very close economic ties; to be precise, Venice was a major creditor of France.
Ten years of dynastic struggle, interspersed with bloody religious civil wars and successive peasant uprisings, brought the French economy to the brink of collapse. Henry IV had no choice but to borrow a large amount of loans, a significant portion of which came from Venice. Before his ascension to the throne, France's financial deficit reached millions of livres.
Although France had been recuperating for several years, employing Sully to restore and revitalize the domestic economy, achieving a basic balance of revenue and expenditure from 1601 onwards, and having enough surplus to support a brief war with the Duchy of Savoy in the same year, seizing territories such as Bresse, Bugey, Valromey, and Gex, the loans owed to Venice had not yet been fully repaid.
Now that the Venice Republic was destroyed, did it mean that France would not have to repay a large sum of loans? If so, if anyone proposed restoring Venice, France would be the first to disagree.
However, would allowing the Papal States to completely absorb Venice make the Papal States too powerful? Although France currently had no plans to return to Italy, and Spain should be the one with the biggest headache, when France's national strength recovered, the Italian region would also be a place to contend for.
At that time, would facing a Papal States that simultaneously possessed the moral high ground, powerful military, and vast territory be too troublesome? But that was a matter for later. For the Papal States to advance further, they first had to pass Spain's hurdle. Weakening the Papal States was not yet France's top priority.
Seeking survival, seeking aid, seeking land, seeking money, seeking influence…
Each country had its own considerations, each country had its own stance. The envoys of various countries, carrying their respective demands, arrived in Rome one after another, as if by prior arrangement.