Croatia
After Kossuth issued Hungary's declaration of independence, many Croatian nobles hesitated over whether to join the Hungarian Republic or remain in the Austrian Empire.
But reality soon forced them to make a decision. The Hungarian Provisional Government excluded Croatians from the sphere of power, provoking the resentment of the local nobility.
The vast majority of land in Croatia was controlled by Hungary's great nobles. Hungarian nobles looked down on the Croatian bumpkins, leaving the local lesser and middle-ranking nobles estranged from the Hungarian aristocracy.
This gave the Vienna government an opportunity. Franz promptly extended goodwill to the local lesser and middle-ranking nobles, promising that they would have a place in the future Austrian government.
Specifically, an Austrian National Union would be established to exercise the powers of parliament, with Croatian representatives holding two to five seats.
The exact number would depend on their performance. In any case, this transitional institution before ethnic integration would be one of the Austrian Empire's highest organs of power for some time to come.
To gain a voice in politics, they had to participate. In theory, one representative seat was allotted for every one percent of the total population.
Croatians made up less than three percent of Austria's total population. If they could obtain five representative seats, their political influence would increase enormously.
Having won over Croatia's upper class, Franz did not neglect the common people at the bottom. After all, it was ordinary people from the lower strata who would truly risk their lives for him.
After Hungary declared independence, the Vienna government authorized Governor Josip Jelačić to confiscate Hungarian noble land and emancipate the serfs.
The number of people supporting the Vienna government instantly became the dominant force. By May, Governor Josip Jelačić already had eighty thousand Croatian volunteers under his command.