Strictly speaking, Luxembourg could no longer be considered a small country. After the Luxembourg Crisis, it had gained the Dutch region of Limburg and reclaimed West Luxembourg, which Belgium had occupied.
Its territory had tripled in size, while its population had grown by half.
After Switzerland joined the German Confederation in a piecemeal fashion, Luxembourg had also gained control of the Canton of Bern.
The Canton of Bern already had a large German-speaking population. Combined with Luxembourg's formidable economic strength, taking control of the enclave had been easy.
Because of Franz's arrival, the Swiss economy lagged far behind where it had been at the same point in history. Austria had joined the Zollverein and set up the Apennine Customs Union, while the French also had no intention of letting anyone else take a share of their market.
As a result, Switzerland, the middleman, was out of a job.
Compared with the external circumstances, the real problem was its own backward industry and weak agriculture. Even its watchmaking and tourism industries had lost market share to Franz.
One of the main reasons Switzerland had descended into civil war was that everyone was going hungry, and someone had to be sacrificed.
But no one was willing to be that sacrifice.
Luxembourg was completely different. In this industrial age, it was a natural industrial hub.
It had abundant coal and iron, both easy to mine, and stood behind the vast market of the Zollverein.
With a relatively honest, efficient government and a large pool of highly skilled people, it was hard to imagine Luxembourg not taking off.
Over the years, Luxembourg's territory had grown 4.8 times larger, and its population was already approaching 800,000 (compared with 210,000 at the same point in history).
For the Luxembourg of old, that would have been an