Trouble

Pius IX's calculations were sound, but Franz certainly wasn't going to be his pawn.

Lady Sophie didn't quite understand Franz's explanation, but that didn't stop her from supporting her eldest son wholeheartedly.

She knew that once Franz had made up his mind, he wouldn't be swayed, so she could either stay out of it or support him with all her might.

Lady Sophie wasn't foolish; it was simply difficult to escape the limitations of her time.

Although Franz hated the new Pope, he wasn't ready to launch an armed pilgrimage just yet. As for Pius IX's invitation, he could simply make up an excuse to turn it down.

In theory, the Pope would never hold Franz hostage, but what if Pius IX suddenly had an episode?

A gentleman didn't linger beneath a wall about to collapse. Franz didn't want to gamble on whether a Pope with a documented history of mental illness might have an episode.

Archbishop Rauscher agreed with Franz, or rather, he agreed with everything Franz thought. He was especially supportive of opposing the Pope, though, because Pius IX had gone too far.

First, he wanted to collect tithes, and now he wanted to revive the Jesuits. He was driving the archbishops in every region and the local interest groups to the brink.

On top of that, Pius IX had investigated, tried, and removed cardinals. The new Pope had pushed almost the entire religious establishment of Europe—and even the world—into opposition to him.

A quick note: Archbishop Rauscher should technically be called an archbishop, though he was usually referred to as a cardinal.

The Pope could dismiss cardinals, but he could do little about Archbishop Rauscher. The Austrian emperor had appointed him; in practice, he was a pawn the royal family used to control religion within the country.