They had started the Prusso-Danish War, drawn Belgium into Germany, and even planned to export their advanced ideals to North America and South Africa.
Yet this still could not satisfy the wildly inflated ambitions of the German nationalists.
In fact, they had even drafted a constitution and, while they were at it, wanted to establish an empire—an empire of the German Nation.
But they soon discovered a problem: this empire had no emperor. How could that be? How could such a perfect country have no emperor?
So they began searching among the German States, and it didn't take them long to find Franz, a ready-made enlightened ruler.
Whether it was his religious aura as a born saint, his progressive love of science and patronage of the arts, or his liberal credentials as the biggest capitalist in Germany.
As an aside, some people at the time liked to link capitalism with freedom, to distinguish themselves from the old era—much like how, in the Republican era, independent, progressive women all had to become mistresses.
But back to the point. After learning that Franz had become King of Rome, the Frankfurt Parliament held an overnight meeting and decided to bestow on Franz Joseph the title of German Emperor.
That's right—the country hadn't even been established yet, but it already had a flag, a constitution, and an emperor.
However, the title of German Emperor was even less useful than that of King of Rome. The latter was merely an honorary title, but its influence was mostly positive.
The crown of German Emperor, on the other hand, was more like a tightening headband, because the emperor's power was completely shackled.
Historically, even Frederick William IV of Prussia, a king with strong liberal leanings, couldn't accept this "crown from the gutter."
At the time, the Austrian