The Battle of the Alamo

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

“Archduke Franz, believe me, I sympathize deeply with those poor souls held in bondage. But we are Austrians, and they are Mexicans, or Americans, or whoever else—they simply do not fall within the jurisdiction of the Austrian Empire...” Lauscher explained.

“Does that mean we can turn a blind eye?” Franz retorted.

“But it is beyond our reach.”

“If today I stand by coldly, and tomorrow misfortune befalls me, there will be no one to rally to my cause,” Franz quoted a certain master’s maxim offhandedly.

Archbishop Lauscher sighed in resignation; he knew he could not dissuade this Archduke. Thus, he chose to trust in this “born saint.”

“The Church’s power is limited, but I will find a way to aid those wretched people. I believe my old friend, Pope Gregory XVI, might have a solution.”

The Pope! Lauscher reminded Franz of this crucial figure.

Given the formidable Catholic influence in both Austria and Mexico, Franz had momentarily forgotten who should speak most decisively at this juncture.

“His Holiness need only issue a papal decree condemning the slave traders within Mexico.”

Lauscher was no fool; he understood that such a decree would bring only benefits to the Church, strengthening ties with the Mexican Catholic hierarchy.

As for Pope Gregory XVI—the hypocritical and avaricious man—once the stakes were made clear and a suitable sum offered, even defrocking those Texans would pose no difficulty.

Though these Protestant sectarians might not acknowledge Gregory XVI as their pontiff, that did not matter; what mattered was that the Mexicans believed their cause just.

Franz was no shallow thinker; he sought to fully expose the Texas conflict, to sway public opinion entirely in Mexico’s favor, preventing any unforeseen complications.

After all, history recorded that Tassan Anna’s main force had been routed by Houston’s militia within eighteen minutes.

Though Franz had already pressured Count Turlar through Lauscher, dispatched two seasoned generals to Mexico, sold arms at a discount, and even drafted battle plans, who could guarantee that Tassan Anna would follow them?

Indeed, if Tassan Anna so wished, he could easily discover that Archduke Franz Karl was not as astute as he appeared...

Rome, the Vatican.

Pope Gregory XVI issued a papal decree condemning slave traders, declaring that they treated slaves “as unclean beasts” and forbidding Catholics from participating in such commerce. Those engaged in this trade would be excommunicated.

The decree instantly caused an uproar, as by then most European and American nations had already outlawed the slave trade.

England in 1806, the United States in 1807, France in 1794, Sweden in 1813, the Netherlands in 1814, Portugal in 1815, Austria in 1820, Mexico in 1824...

American settlers purchasing large numbers of enslaved Africans to establish plantations on Mexican soil violated both Mexican and American laws.

It must be remembered that the United States had enacted a ban on the slave trade in 1807, forbidding all forms of such commerce. Yet, due to immense commercial interests, enforcement was lax, and the trade prospered.

This Texas conflict once again thrust America into the eye of the storm, causing all of Europe to question whether the United States could truly be called a civilized nation.