The reason Austrian Empire officials and soldiers displayed the reactions described above was entirely because the Song of Germany, also known as the Emperor Quartet, had been composed by the great musician Haydn as a birthday gift for Francis II, the first emperor of the Austrian Empire, on February 12, 1797. At this time, it was the Austrian Empire's national anthem.
Duchy of Alsace-Lorraine, Strasbourg.
Hearing the singing outside, Louis Philippe was not the least bit flustered. He closed his eyes and moved both arms with the rhythm like a conductor.
The ministers around him were utterly baffled. Only Guizot quietly applauded at his side.
"Excellent. The House of Orléans' long-cherished wish is about to be fulfilled in Your Majesty's hands."
Guizot's words only left the others even more confused. They had not returned the capital to Paris, so how could their long-cherished wish possibly be fulfilled?
"Your Majesty, the people are extremely agitated right now. If we do not find a solution soon, I fear things will spiral out of control."
One minister stated an obvious fact that everyone already knew, yet the others were still relieved. At least someone had voiced the truth.
Many of the Duchy of Alsace-Lorraine's ministers came from France. The shadows of the French Revolution, the June Revolution, and the February Revolution still stood vivid before their eyes. How could they possibly feel no sense of crisis?
Moreover, ninety percent of Strasbourg's population was now German, and across the river lay the German Confederation.
If this matter was not resolved, it could very well become the fuse that set public sentiment ablaze. Even the kind French people had been capable of such hair-raising acts; let alone the Germans, whom they regarded as barbarians.
On the Jutland Peninsula, the Danish government was equally embarrassed.
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