Austria's declaration of war had come far too suddenly. Under normal circumstances, such an important decision could not have been made in just a few days.
First, the royal family had approved this insane resolution. Archduke Louis and Archduke Franz Karl were both men without much of their own will, and under Sophie's forceful pressure, they had readily accepted the proposal to declare war on the Papal States.
Meanwhile, the Austrian government had been put through the wringer. Count Raikkonen and Baron Kiel had always been minor figures, and they knew nothing of the inner workings at the highest levels.
One had previously served as minister of transport, the other as minister of education. Both were typical technocrats, long accustomed to conversations that went, "Yes, yes, yes," and "Of course, of course."
They were also more concerned with domestic affairs than foreign ones, so they did not fully understand the consequences of declaring war on the Papal States.
In fact, declaring war on the Papal States carried enormous risks, because the countries that had previously claimed they would support Pius IX might well intervene in the conflict.
If the six countries that had issued the joint statement—France, Britain, Prussia, Spain, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire—went to war with Austria, there would be no doubt: the conflict would engulf all of Europe.
If things really developed along those lines, the Austrian Empire could even be carved up.
But in reality, France had only just collapsed, Spain was mired in civil war, the Prussian government was being beaten black and blue by nationalists, and the Kingdom of Sardinia had begun to fear the Papal States' power.
As for the British, they were too far away to do much, while the Ottoman Empire had long been in decline.
Franz thought