Vienna Palace
Upon learning that Franz had offered the throne of the Kingdom of Lombardy in exchange with the Wittelsbach Family, Empress Dowager Sophie let out a sigh of relief. This outcome was something she could account for to most members of the family.
The relationships among Europe's nobility were tangled beyond measure; tug one hair, and the whole body moved. If the Austrian Government had been bent on forcing a Serbian crown onto the Wittelsbach Family, Empress Dowager Sophie would have had no face to return home and face her kin.
When the war broke out, Franz had made promises to the Bavarian royal family, and Empress Dowager Sophie had been brought in to stand guarantor as well.
Munich could be taken through negotiations. On one hand, they truly could not win in a fight; on the other, everyone's interests were guaranteed. Naturally, no one was willing to lock horns with Austria to the bitter end.
Had the royal family not chosen to give up, with the Wittelsbach Family's centuries of deep roots, they would not have been unable even to put up a defense of Munich.
The Duke of the Palatinate was merely an extra thrown into the bargain. This had originally been territory ruled by the Bavarian royal family; even without Austria's support, the title would most likely have ended up in their hands anyway.
The great nobles' foundations had been preserved. Politically, Lombardy certainly could not compare with Bavaria, but economically, the Bavarian royal family had not suffered any loss.
Even if the central government took away their most important powers, it could not truly turn a king into a rubber stamp—at least, such a thing was not permitted under Austria's system.
Being sidelined was only temporary. So long as a king possessed some ability, he