D1.8.66: [Untitled]

D1.8.66: [Untitled]

Newspaper Clippings

Bleek reports that Austria evacuated Bohemia and surrendered her Italian Province after the Battle of Sadowa (or Königgrätz). Perplexed, he writes of Emperor Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III), a 'parvenu', receiving high public praise for Austria's ceding of Venentia to France in exchange for non-intervention and how the public previously ridiculed his incompetence. Prussia and Italy seek a joint peace agreement from Austria that satisfies both powers, and Napoleon III's armistice terms are accepted. After Italy re-engages the Quadrilateral, Cialdini's movements are summarised by Bleek after commencing his march left of the Po. Bavarian reinforcements are sent via Tyrol to assist Austria. Austria's declining control over Venetia amid a partial Italian occupation altered France's agreement with Austria. Prussia's battle success flows from intellectually capable mixed-class militias and patriotism among their troops and constituent polities. Austria's forces are primarily non-Germanic, obstinate Slavic polities mainly organised into peasant militias. Prussia's arms superiority and superior arms efficacy enables them to end the war decisively. Prussia must realise German unity and Austria's downfall is necessary for Germany's rise. A unified German parliament must convoke while tolerance for Bismarck's dictatorship wears thin.

Printed newsprint glued on paper

14 August 1866

Two cut-out columns of printed newsprint mounted on foolscap folio (warped).

War (Austrian-Italian-Prussian war), Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III), German unity

Pressed clippings of Victorian current affairs opinion pieces by Wilhelm Bleek. Napoleon III would secretly trade Venetia for Savoy and Nice, agreed to in the earlier Treaty of Turin (1860), to secure his consent for a Kingdom of Italy ruled by the house of Savoy-Carignano.

Van de Sandt de Villiers & Co.