gest Italian states which were not ruled by members of the imperial
house. The Papal States were now the only Italian principality of any
size which was not dominated by Austria.

So far Austria had been sufficiently powerful in the congresses of the
powers to be able to prevent interference with other states where it was
not to her interest, and to incline the balance in favour of it where
intervention would strengthen her. The reopening of the Eastern question
made her ascendency more difficult to maintain. The congress of Laibach
had been closed, but the sovereigns had not yet departed, when the news
arrived that a revolt, engineered by Greeks with the pretence of Russian
support, had broken out against the Turks in Moldavia and Wallachia.
Russia at once agreed with Austria that the principle laid down at
Troppau applied to this revolt; the insurrectionary leaders were
disowned by Russia, and by the end of June Turkish authority was
restored in the Danubian principalities. So far the action of Russia had
met with the approval not only of Austria but of Great Britain, and
Castlereagh had written to Alexander urging him not to join the Greek
cause, which appeared to him to be part of an universal revolutionary
movement.

Early in April, however, a more serious insurrection broke out in the
Morea, and was followed a few weeks later by one in Central Greece. The
war was disgraced from the first by inhuman massacres on both sides. The
Greek patriarch at Constantinople together with three archbishops was
executed by the Turks on Easter Sunday, April 22. A great ferment in
Russia was the result, where the people were anxious to assist their
co-religionists and to avenge the death of the patriarch, whom they
regarded as a martyr. The grievances of the Orthodox religion were
seconded by the proper grievances of Russia. Greek ships, sailing under
the Russian flag, had been seized in the Dardanelles; the principalities
of Moldavia and Wallachia had not been evacuated by the Turkish troops
as was required by treaty, while an ancient treaty rendered it possible
to regard the wrongs of the Greek Church as the political wrongs of
Russia. A Russian ultimatum was despatched on June 28; and, while
awaiting a reply, Russia consulted the other powers as to the course
they would pursue in the event of war breaking out between Russia and
Turkey, and the system with which they would propose to replace the
Turkish domination if it came to