The Crescent of the Sultan

What drives European countries is not only their hatred of France, which has become increasingly aggressive and greedy since the era of Louis XIV, but also the potential interests. Facing a chaotic France, the traditional ambitions of various countries have made it difficult from the beginning. The conflict between France and Europe was complicated.

When the countries of the Anti-French Alliance entered the war, they not only wanted to stifle the French Revolution: the continental powers also wanted to dismember France, and Britain wanted to seize French colonies and destroy its commerce and navy in order to favorably end the Anglo-French competition since Louis XIV. and to restore its maritime supremacy compromised by the American Revolution.

However, not all the issues that brought the great powers into conflict with each other during the eighteenth century were resolved: the Prussian-Austrian alliance finally collapsed due to the Polish question; Russia's ambitions in the East and the Mediterranean made Pitt uneasy; Spain had always been afraid of Britain.

The Allies never effectively coordinated each other's war efforts; the disparity in their respective benefits only served to deepen their divisions.

The continental countries were defeated; France was able to make peace with Prussia, win Spain over to ally with herself, and reach and cross its "natural frontiers."

In the original time and space, in 1799, the Second Anti-French Alliance recaptured parts of Italy and Switzerland, but like the First Anti-French Alliance, it itself was in the process of disintegration.

Britain, by contrast, was victorious at sea, but it lacked an army and could not defeat France on its own, and its economic situation was not without its weaknesses. The question was whether France, which had benefited from the division of Europe, could prevail and secure a peace that would preserve its "natural borders."

And now, it is the first stage for France to accumulate strength for itself. The most powerful country on the European continent has taken this step earlier than in history, and it has also affected little Pete's already tense nerves. Greater excitement.

Fortunately for Little Peter, Emperor Leopold of the Holy Roman Empire did not intend to sit back and watch Napoleon or this French general continue to plunder the wealth of the poor Italian people in Italy. This is the Habsburg family. spheres of influence rather than those of the French.

Unfortunately, Napoleon had no intention of paying attention to the emperor. He rushed towards Rome with his army. This time, it was the Gauls who entered Rome.

Since the signing of the "Contract of Westphalia" in 1648, which announced the end of the "Thirty Years' War", the political influence of the Holy See has been greatly reduced.

Starting from Innocent X to the contemporary Pope Pius VI, every Roman pope has tried to restore the influence of the Holy See, but this has been a futile effort.

After the popes failed again and again, they realized that they were neither a natural politician like Urban II nor a conspirator like the poisonous Pope Alexander VI, so they retreated to Rome with peace of mind and began to for public welfare.

This was the case with Pius VI, who built an orphanage and workshops on Mount Janiculum, as well as a school for poor children in the Plaza de la Laurel of San Salvatore.

He enlarged the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, designed the Pinecone Garden in the Vatican Palace, enlarged the Vatican Museums and added to their collections, decorated the Hall of the Muses in the Pius-Clement Museum, and decorated the Pius-Clement Museum. A beautiful staircase and mask hall were built.

He erected obelisks near the Church of the Holy Trinity on the Hill, in the Piazza della Sera Italiana, and next to the giant statue of the Horse Tamer in the Piazza Quirinale. He launched a large-scale public construction project in the Pontina Swamp, reclaimed more than 600 hectares of land, and also repaired and paved the Kota Kinabalu Road.

Although Pius VI was enthusiastic about public welfare and had a keen eye as a benefactor, he really could not be a politician.

When the French Revolution broke out, he was completely unable to deal with the difficulties encountered by the Roman Catholic Church.

At that time, the French Parliament issued a document called the "Civil Charter of the Clergy," which required both bishops and priests to undergo universal suffrage and that all clergy should no longer have any connection with the Roman Catholic Church.

The French Church appealed to Pius VI to approve their acceptance of the Charter in order to avoid a possible schism in the French Church.

But Pius VI was very hesitant and did not respond.

Therefore, the French Parliament required all clergy in France to swear allegiance to this charter. Some priests did so, and some priests did not.

As a result, the French Church was divided into two groups: those who were willing to obey the Charter of Allegiance of Parliament and those who refused to obey. Eventually, Pius VI denounced the Charter, which sparked riots in Paris.

Now, Napoleon wanted to use this to express condolences to his dear Pope. Of course, out of respect, he sent an envoy first. After all, the new France had not yet been recognized by the Pope. After learning that he had captured Milan, Roland and Roland Bospierre tacitly put aside his prejudices and sent an envoy to him.

The Paris government believes that it has not yet settled the accounts with the Pope. Because of this matter, the Pope will definitely treat the French mission with care. Unfortunately, the Romans are not a good thing compared to the Parisians.

The Romans at first thought that the French Revolution was none of their business and scorned the revolution. But a few months later, when the Roman immigrants in Paris were stranded and unable to return immediately, the Romans became increasingly resentful of the revolutionaries.

The property of the Holy See in France was nationalized, and its territory in France was confiscated. France's donations to Rome were getting less and less, and there were very few French tourists and pilgrims coming to Rome. All of this made the Romans have a distrust of the French Revolution. Deeply disgusted.

The French envoys swaggered through the streets wearing hats with blue, white and red cockades.

They oversaw the removal of portraits of popes and cardinals from the walls of the Collège de France and replaced them with portraits of supporters of the French Republic.

That afternoon, after removing the fleur-de-lis that symbolized the French royal family from the exterior of the French embassy and replacing it with the emblem of the National Convention, the French envoys arrived at the Corso Avenue in a carriage.

They still wore hats with tricolor badges and tricolor flags on their carriages.

At first, the people in the street only insulted them, but then the mob began to stone the carriage, which frightened the coachman and galloped, first into Piazza Colonna, and then along Via Struziolo toward Palomba. Speeding in the direction of Palazzo Palombara, the residence of the French banker.

The carriage rushed through the mansion gate, but before the gate could be closed, the mob caught up with them. One envoy escaped by chance, but the other was fatally struck in the abdomen with a razor. When the envoy was dragged away, the mob still did not let him go. They smashed the body with stones.

Most of the mob also went and smashed the windows of the homes of pro-French elements, including those of other houses owned by the French banker Tologna, the owner of Palombara Palace. They looted the Palombara Palace and the French Post Office, attacked the Collège de France, and set the gates on fire.

Throughout the night, slogans of "Long live the Pope!" and "Long live Catholicism!" resounded in the streets. People also stopped carriages on the street and asked those sitting in the carriages to shout with them.

“The flames of revolution were not kindled in Rome,” the Venetian ambassador to Rome recorded, “and supporters of the revolution could not be found in every corner of Rome.”

A week later, on the outskirts of Milan.

"Soldiers, you may already know about the tragedy that happened in Paris. It seems that we have to make this pope understand, "Give to God what is God's, and to Caesar what is Caesar's!" "

Napoleon said to the soldiers, and the army made a roaring cry. They headed towards Rome. Just as Caesar led the army to the Senate, the Pope had to give an explanation that satisfied France.