The Vienna settlement had given Austria unquestioned hegemony over Italy. Not only did she now rule the whole of Lombardy-Venetia and Illyria directly: she controlled or dominated all the minor states to the south; she had a convention in place with Naples which prevented anything from changing in that kingdom without Austrian approval; and she had created a barrier against French influence by building up Sardinia, which should reciprocate by maintaining a friendly attitude to Austria. But the settlement had a fundamental weakness. While it gave Austria a huge stake in Italy, it did not give
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