Franz sent invitations to the monarchs of all Europe. Second, the Spanish rebellion had caused a great enough uproar this time that it had at least struck a nerve with the vast majority of Europe's monarchs.
The royal family had been slaughtered, the king had been changed twice within a single year, and on top of that came the just-passed year of 1848. Europe's monarchs all wanted to do something.
It was not that no one was willing to take the lead. It was just that the small countries lacked the strength, while the great powers were all bound hand and foot for various reasons.
So Franz intended to step forward and be the bellwether.
In fact, Nicholas I was the staunchest supporter of sending troops to Spain. The moment he learned that the Spanish Republicans had executed the king, he had already ordered the entire country to enter a state of combat readiness.
Only, Russia at this time was like a giant with feet of clay; the rebellions beneath its feet kept it from moving even an inch.
Otherwise, Nicholas I would have dearly wished to pack up the Cossack Cavalry right now and ship them to the Iberian Peninsula, to give Ferrante Duway a ruthless blow.
When it came to opposing republicanism, Russia was definitely a trustworthy ally. Though Russia had a dominant ethnic group, the actual situation was not much better than that of the Austrian Empire.
Because of his personal experiences, Nicholas I hated "democracy and republicanism" to the extreme. The Decembrists and Napoleon were the pain of his entire life.
Although Russia could not provide any substantive help, having Russia as a powerful ally could still, to a certain extent, influence the direction of public opinion and the attitude of small countries.
Russia had the