Concert of Europe: Gameplay Thread

[Lumine]

A Proclaim from the King:

Two years ago, the Kingdom of Prussia faced a difficult situation.

As a victim of international intrigue and seemingly imminent aggression against our lands, we stood with our esteemed ally King George II of Great Britain and took on the immense challenge of taking on a massive alliance of European powers, including France, Russia, Austria, Sweden and Poland. The odds seemed difficult to beat, and there were many who dismissed our Kingdom on account of those odds and the might of the enemy powers.

But we fought. We stood our ground and fought, not only for our nation and our own future, but for Germany against foreign intervention and aggression, and for the liberty of countless German states against the Holy Roman Empire. It was a costly war, a bloody war, a conflict that threatened to become one of the dreaded Wars of Religion of the past which hurt Europe and its peoples to such a terrible level. Many brave men fell on the struggle, with my own brother Henry meeting death on the battlefield.

And yet, we prevailed.

In Stettin, Gdansk, Torgau, Münich, Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, Ansbach and such other battlefields we won victories of great historical significance and renown, showing the skill and bravery of our soldiers and those of our allies against the odds of superior numbers. Other battles we lost, but these triumphs, which we shall never forget, cemented our victory on this war and the steady departure of enemies from them, up to the point in which we sign this historic Treaty of Prague to end this conflict before it spirals out of control as thousands more die from the plague and different acts of violence.

Brave Prussians! Brave Germans! Brave Allies! I salute you. For more than two years we have fought together and won victories of renown, and one could hardly think of better men to stand beside at a time of controversy and conflict. While not the complete victory some might have wished for, the end of the war is a success on by itself, and not only has the Kingdom of Prussia proved itself to be one of the great powers of Europe, we have expanded to a significant degree, strengthened the nation, liberated ourselves from the yoke of the Holy Roman Empire, and taken decisive steps for the German estates and princes to work together as one to defend themselves against aggression.

So have our esteemed allies benefited, with Great Britain expanding its colonial holdings in America, Denmark doing the same in India, and the Ottoman Empire winning over key concessions from Austria. Now it is the time to celebrate our triumph, and then to start the hard work towards peace as we help those areas most hit by the war and the coming plague, challenges which we are prepared to face head on. All which has been sacrificed has been for the good of our allies and ourselves, and no sacrifice which we have made has been in vain.

We hope this is the start of a lasting peace in Germany, and we shall endeavor to ensure that such is the case.

Long Live Prussia! Long Live Germany! Long Live our Allies!

[Lumine]

ON THE GERMAN LEAGUE:

Celebrating the end of hostilities, His Majesty King Frederick II believes the time has come for the German League to reorganize itself and cement its future. We hereby invite all of the member states to send representatives to the first Council of the German League to be held on the second half of 1759, and we invite the members to choose the location of this council themselves. His Majesty is of the opinion there is much to be discussed, and looks forward to the opportunity of working together with his allies and friends.

Regarding the Treaty of Prague, we wish to note that the Kingdom of Prussia and Corsica considers itself as having left the Holy Roman Empire. We invite all of the members of the German League to leave the Empire as well in order to better strenghten the League itself and to the evident benefit of those members, no longer subject to the Imperial yoke and now part of a League on which they voice counts more than ever.

We stand by our previous measure to significantly lower tariffs to all member states, but we wish to offer an immediate incentive to foster economic recovery following the end of the war. We will hereby lower tariffs by 50% to those member states who confirm their departure from the Holy Roman Empire. We hope this measure will promote a large increase in trade across the German League, and provide additional revenue to member states to rebuild any economic losses from the war as well as develop their own local economies. We believe there is much work to be done on tariffs and toll barriers, but this is a radical, yet crucial first step we are confident on taking.

Addtionally, members states of the German League who confirm departure from the Holy Roman Empire will also be guaranteed further Prussian investment on their own industries, Prussia inviting as well investment on its own enterprises and industries from the League.

[Lumine]

ON IVAN VI:

His Majesty the King is not ashamed to admit he wept at the news of the murder of young, brave Ivan VI.

Ever since the dramatic nature of his plight became known, His Majesty felt concerned about the fate of a rightful monarch imprisoned and tortured by the tyranny of the usurper Elizabeth Petrovna. And once Ivan was rescued from such a terrible existence, His Majesty was sincere on his belief that Ivan ought to be restored to his rightful throne, and treated with all the kindness that was necessary to repair the wounds on the soul of this young man.

Many dismissed him, believing the harm done by years of captivity and torture had done too much damage to the young man. But slowly and sure he learned, he worked, he wrote, he read, he grew, and he became more and more aware of his duty, of his fate, of the need for a true and just sovereign for Russia at a time on which its peoples suffer from a group of usurpers, Catherine being only the most recent. Overcoming the toll of his captivity, young Ivan surprised us all with his nobility and his undeniable skill.

And now he is murdered. Murdered! Dead at the hands of a foreign agent, despite all the effort we placed on keeping this young man safe. There is only one culprit in our minds, and that can only be the usurper Catherine, so desperate to hold onto her bloody, stolen throne that she would murder young innocent men for the sake of her cause. He was noble, courageous, determined. And now he is gone. If there is any justice on this world, we believe the day will come when Catherine is punished by God himself due to her many unspeakable crimes.

His Majesty weeps at the news that young Ivan had come to consider him a father, moved to his very soul, shaken to his own nature, by his will stating that his rightful claim to Russia ought to him.

His Majesty will be clear. He does not intend, nor now nor ever, to claim any sort of right over Russia and its peoples. But he is duty bound to see that they are protected, free from a tyrant such as Catherine. To us, there is only one man who be the Tsar that Russia requires right now. A true, just, honest ruler, compassionate enough to aid his peoples and bring them to prosperity. That man is Peter III, who we know recognize formally and without question as the one, rightful Tsar of All Russians, crowned and anointed in Moscow not long ago.

We celebrate the bravery and skill of Peter, his accomplishments and victories, and we look forward to his reign. We believe a closer relationship between Prussia and Russia is a goal we should aspire too, and we continue to see Peter as nothing less than a close friend to Prussia and to the King personally.

But we will not forget about Ivan, and his legacy.

And with God and Europe as our witnesses, we will make sure the cause he stood for, the necessary improvement of the lives of countless Russians, is achieved at the end. We will commission many different forms of honoring his memory, from a public memorial in Berlin near the one devoted to the victory at Salzburg, to plays, songs, poems and such other works.

[Lumine]

A Proclamation:

Over the past four years the Kingdom of Prussia (and now of Corsica) has experienced progress and expansion that even His Majesty the King did not consider possible at the time. We’ve fought and bled on the expensive and costly War of the Great Coalitions, but we have secured once and for all Prussia’s role as one of the European Great Powers, winning over Swedish Pomerania, Royal Prussia, considerable parts of Saxony, German Bohemia and Moravia, a protective role over Corsica and now the Electorate of Hanover on behalf of the kind offer made by our friend and ally King George II, an offer that quite simply could not be refused.

Many will, of course, question where Prussia goes from here. Many question whether we harbor further designs of expansion, whether we desire war or would be willing to risk it on behalf of our ambitions. Allow us to put these doubts to rest: The Kingdom of Prussia and Corsica is more than content and satisfied with its current borders in Europe, and as we write this we do not forsee nor intend to expand further in the continent, offering reassurance to our friends in the German League that expansion is not only finished, but ultimately helpful for them as today we stand stronger and more able to defend them from aggression.

Some will question the issue of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Simply put, we consider His Majesty King Alexander II the rightful monarch of this realm, and we do not recognize the National Assembly, rejecting its acts of violence and unlawful behavior, as well as covert aggression towards our ally the Ottoman Empire. We hope for a collective and more broad solution to this problem, but come what may it should be noted our border with Poland was settled by the Treaty of Gdansk. The Kingdom of Prussia and Corsica will not attempt to rewrite this treaty, so we rule out here and now further expansion into Poland even if we are drawn into conflict.

Others will question another grave issue of serious concern of us, that of our allies in Wurttemberg and Hohenzollern. We believe the treatment of this members of the German League by resigned Emperor Francis of Lorraine to be wrong, unwarranted and unacceptable to us. Our position is clear, the royal family of Wurttemberg must be returned immediately and the embargo over our allies lifted, and we request immediate action by Joseph II of Austria on this issue, expecting he will only do what is right and lawful. As we expressed on the Treaty of Prague we desire disputes to be settled in harmony and without the desire to return to war, but as defenders of the League we cannot accept its members to be treated like this.

[Lumine]

The Kingdom of Prussia and Corsica could not agree more with the words of Sardinia-Piedmont and Great Britain, we find the events taking place in the Netherlands deeply concerning. We second their proclaims and their lead in recognizing William V of Orange as rightful sovereign and Marie Louise as regent.

The events taking place in the Netherlands and Poland should concern us all, and we all on the Monarchs of Europe to discuss and take urgent action.

[Lumine]

Proclamations on Poland / Netherlands:

1.- The Kingdom of Prussia is beyond outraged at the actions of the National Assembly in Warsaw, declaring war and invading Prussian territory while placing a bounty on the head not only of our ally King Alexander II, but our His Majesty Frederick II himself. We respond to the challenge by announcing that the National Assembly, a body hijacked by violent, bloody radicals is our sole enemy, and that the Kingdom of Prussia and Corsica does not consider itself at war with the Polish people itself.

2.- It should be remembered the Kingdom of Prussia did not recognize the rebel forces who unlawfully took control of the United Provinces of the Netherlands by murdering their own countrymen and forcing the rightful sovereign William V to leave the country. An intervention was in order to depose the rebels and restore William V to his throne. The Kingdom of Prussia is therefore not at war with the United Provinces and its peoples but with the rebels who unlawfully seized the government and installed their own regime through force, violence and murder. All the more, Prussian troops have been given clear, direct orders to treat the Dutch people with the outmost kindness on this struggle against the before mentioned rebels.

3.- The march of the Prussian Army into the Netherlands was made possible through a fair and cordial negotiation with the Chancellor of Ostfriesland, the Kingdom of Prussia recognizing the need not to cross foreign territory without an agreement being in place first. Our offer to confirm Ostfriesland as an independent territory with no Prussian claims on it (as the death of the last ruler of Ostfriesland in 1744 had left the territory under nominal Prussian control) was readily accepted, allowing our troops to cross lawfully through a sovereign land under the most strict discipline.

Therefore, we see no unlawful action undertaken by our realm as Ostfriesland was respected in every moment. Nonetheless, we recommend frank and open discussion with the Emperor and the Imperial Diet to avoid any further conflict, and request Ostfriesland not to be punished by acting within their then powers and before the new reforms (of which Prussia had no knowledge of) were passed.

[Lumine]

Proclamations on the Empire and Germany:

1.- His Majesty King Frederick deeply regrets the escalation of hetoric by Emperor Joseph II and his latest proclaims, which ignore any autonomy or sovereignity by Ostfriesland and impose it to the yoke of Imperial occupation. We express our concern at the fact that a fellow German state which excercised its right to make a lawful arrangement with another German state is being so unfairly punished, even under threat of losing their lands to direct Hapsburg control.

We realize we have had conflicts with the Imperial League and that distrust abounds on both sides across Germany. But we ask them to carefully consider the matter and whether Ostfriesland truly deserves this sort of inexplicable and sudden punishment from the Emperor. And furthermore, to consider what due respect for their decisions exists if they own judgement is pre-empted and assumed by the Emperor as he acts unilaterally.

We have said this in the past, we say so again: we desire no war with Austria, we desire no war in Germany. We took great pains so our intervention in the Netherlands would only be possible after thoughtful negotiation with another sovereign German state, and we sincerely request His Imperial Majesty to tone down the rhetoric and seek a different road than punishing his own subjects, mobilizing his forces, and signing a proclaim which could very easily draw us into a war no one in Germany desires.

Proclamations on Peace and France:

1.- It is with grave concern that we see the present situation in Europe. On one side, because of the possibility of the Great Powers going to war again in a very tense context. On the other, because of the imminent threat posed by the revolutionary rebels in the Netherlands, Moldavia and Poland which continue to promote acts of terror and aggression against their neighbor and pose a direct threat to all monarchs and their peoples.

We believe it is not too late to avoid a return to the recently concluded War of the Grand Coalitions.

There was a time in which His Majesty King Louis XV was considered an arbiter for Europe. And despite our past disagreements, we believe he desires a general peace. We issue an open call for reconciliation between Prussia and France to prevent war, as well as for the Great Powers of Europe to find the time and place to hold a Congress to discuss the situation in the continent and come to an agreement that binds us all, with severe consecuences if the future peace is broken. We are all rightful Monarchs, and as thus we must stand together against the threat of revolutionaries.

We ask other Monarchs, and particularly the King of France, to seek reconciliation.

[Lumine]

His Majesty King Frederick is pleased that the Emperor has listened to his concerns and taken moves to reduce the current tension, and praises the choice of Venice and the League of Armed Neutrality as an impartial mediator to prevent war from breaking out on Germany.

We will continue to call for Ostfriesland to avoid what we would consider a highly unfair punishment upon a fellow German state should they be mistreated, but in the meantime we hope this opens the door for future stability. We also thank Venice for retaining a strictly neutral position on the matter by not endorsing either state's diplomatic position, which we consider a sufficient guarantee for the time being.

[Lumine]

It is with great concern that His Majesty King Frederick sees the situation of Hohenzollern and Wurttemburg, allies of Prussia and esteemed members of the German League, currently subject to economic strangulation on behalf of the Emperor. This unfair punishment towards these two states which made a sovereign decision to leave the Empire has led to much suffering for the people living in those areas, now subject not only to large economic disadvantages, but now standing on the verge of famine and the plague.

We believe this is unacceptable, and that the treatment of these allies of us verges on cruelty.

At the same time, as we have noted in the past, we have no wish to see German blood spilled between brothers again. We invoke the signing of the Treaty of Prague, where Austria noted that the League of Armed Neutrality was the ideal body to mediate disputes.

We humbly request immediate mediation by Venice on this matter to persude the Emperor not to punish and inflict suffering on Hohenzollern and Wurttemburg any longer, and allow them to trade freely with their German brothers. Furthermore, we request that Venice takes the lead in a humanitarian intervention to keep a steady supply of goods, food and medical supplies to these areas to avoid famine and the plague. The Kingdom of Prussia is willing to cover all expenses, all we request is that Venice ensures Wurttemburg and Hohenzollern are properly supplied and all conflict prevented through their peacekeeping corps.

We make a personal and open request to the Imperial Diet, a body which we believe shares our concern at the treatment of German princes and states. There is no need for your fellow brothers to be punished such for the sovereign decisions they have made. His Majesty is more than willing to seek an amicable solution and come to terms with the Diet on matters of importance to us all, but even if we stand on separate sides we are all Germans, and on these matters we believe solidarity should prevail, as the Imperial Diet has already shown by defending Ostfriesland from an Imperial Ban.

[Lumine]

We commend the Emperor on his creativity, more proper of an imaginative boy than of a responsible, seasoned monarch and head of state. The fact is that the Kingdom of Prussia dealt with the government of Ostfriesland in good faith and in a frank and honest manner, and it seems the Emperor cannot get into his head the idea that the Princes and Estates that form part of the Empire are not slaves to his every command, but sovereign states with a right to make decisions for themselves.

If Ostfriesland faces any danger it is from the Emperor, who rashly came within an inch of declaring an Imperial Ban that would have condemned the Duke, Chancellor and Government of Ostfriesland to death, would have taken all of their properties and annexed Ostfriesland as a direct territory to be inherited by the Emperor, who we suspect may be a bit too keen to annex German land for his own to satisfy his wounded pride and prestige. And this from the same man who pursues economic strangulation on fellow Germans who were his subjects until a few months ago, leading them to starvation and the plague for the sake of his infantile vengeance and his desire that they surrender to him.

And worse! He blocks and rejects a Venetian mediation to resolve the matter of Hohenzollern and Wurttemberg peacefully and without blood. He blocks and rejects a humanitarian mission that would alleviate the misery he has brought to the people of these lands.

The Kingdom of Prussia believes the matter to be rather simple. His Majesty the Emperor, finding himself rejected by his own subjects in the Diet has decided to cave to the demands of the German Princes and to save face he's decide to conjure up false images of intimidation to justify himself.

We see plainly through his infantile deceit.

We call on the Emperor to be a man on this time of such importance and come to the table under Venetian mediation to spare Wurttemburg and Hohenzollern a grim fate. We call upon him to cease his hostility towards these innocent states and their innocent peoples, and allow humanitary aid to reach the region.

[Lumine]

The Kingdom of Prussia requests clarification on whether Austria will accept Venetian mediation on the Wurttemberg matter, as well as a humanitarian mission to supply the region. 

[Lumine]

Let the record show to all the Princes and Estates of Germany, and to all the courts of Europe that it is Emperor Joseph II who refuses to allow not only third-party mediation, but a humanitarian mission by a trusted neutral country that would alleviate the suffering of thousands of Germans the Emperor himself is causing.

This is nothing but an act of intimidation, an evident threat to the Duke of Wurttemburg to abdicate if the Emperor's desire for former members of the Empire to submit to his ambitions are not met. Let the record also show the Emperor continues to take it upon himself to speak on behalf of the Diet, and that he offers no proof of the supposed "contempt" that so offends this young, inexperienced Monarch that to wash away this percieved insult he brings a region to the brink of starvation and the plague.

The Kingdom of Prussia protests in the strongest terms at the Emperor's behavior, and commits to seeing that Wurttemberg is properly supplied and fed. Prussia is doing its outmost to prevent a conflict with Austria, but the mistreatment of our ally and friend and the threat of forcing his abdication is something we cannot tolerate.

We humbly request the Imperial Diet to restrain the Emperor's whims as they so sucessfully did in the case of Ostfriesland.

[Lumine]

Proclamations from Potsdam:

1.- Netherlands: His Majesty the King is most satisfied at the outcome of the Treaty of the Hague. As stated to other European monarchs His Majesty stood by his promise to restore William V to his rightful throne and Prussia, while gaining a most valuable acquisition in the Cape Colony, stood by its solemn pledge not to expand in any way in Europe. We see hope in this compromise between Orangists and Republicans, and we hope this will start a new era of lasting peace between Prussia and the Netherlads.

2.- New Prussia: Following the annexation of the Cape Colony we hereby rename it as New Prussia, a new administration that will combine the old Cape Colony and our new colonies in Ascension Island and Namibia. New Prussia will be led by a Governor-General appointed by His Majesty to handle all matters except certain areas of trade, which will fall under the purview of the Prussian African Company, under supervision by His Majesty and with investments open to individuals or companies from Prussia, Corsica or the German League.

3.- Trade System: There has been a significant degree of uncertainty regarding matters of trade between East and West, but His Majesty King Frederick wishes to reassure merchants and nations alike that Prussia will be most interested in seeing trade through New Prussia thrive.

The new system of tariffs in New Prussia is set at follows:

-Minimum Tariffs: Open to all members of the German League.
-Low Tariffs: Open to all formal Allies of Prussia: Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden and the Ottoman Empire.
-Medium to High Tariffs: Open to the rest of trading nations and subject to negotiation.

We also decree a temporary raise to very high tariffs into Emperor Joseph II and all Austrian goods or goods meant for Austria in response to his continued hostility towards our ally Wurttemberg, his blatant breach of the Treaty of Prague and his contacts and deals with the National Assembly in Poland, which we believe are a threat of the security of Europe. Austrian or Hapsburg vessels must also submit to mandatory inspections in all New Prussian ports to ascertain their cargo. This measure does not include the other members of the Empire as a gesture of understanding and goodwill.

We encourage private merchants to resume their trading efforts as soon as possible, and we look forward to productive deals between them and the Prussian African Company. Prussia will also entertain offers from any country or company interested in seeing their tariffs for goods reduced or reformed.

4.- Saltykov Affair: His Majesty rules out here and now any involvement of the Kingdom of Prussia and Corsica on the death of Count Sergei Saltykov. We note that there is no evidence that would link Prussia to his event, and that the supposed "confessions" are known to be the result of torture, therefore being of a completely unreliable nature.

5.- German League: We sincerely thank the members of the German League who returned to form a part of it, thus renewing their friendship to Prussia. We warmly encourage those who are left to rejoin or wish to enter as new members to do so, as there is many opportunities to exploit and a common prosperity to share in the future. Membership in the German League not only will guarantee safety and protection granted by Prussia and the League members, it will offer enormous trade advantages in New Prussia.

6.- Treaty of Prague: The Kingdom of Prussia condemns in the strongest possible terms the violation of the Treaty of Prague by Austria, and would note to the Court of the Europe and the Princes of the Empire that while not a single Prussian soldier fights in Russia over 50,000 Austrians do, showing how reckless Emperor Joseph II is and how little he cares about the potential of another war by breaking a Treaty meant to spare Germany from further bloodshed.

And we condemn even more his dealings with the Polish National Assembly, considering the Emperor must have made quite the offer to the National Assembly so his troops would be granted passage into Russia. Clearly there is very little the Emperor will respect these days, and so we will recall the Prussian ambassador in Vienna back home for consultations, and establish the tariffs on goods crossing between Asia-Europe as noted before.

We warn the Emperor that further military interference in Russia can only lead to further strife in Europe, and that Prussia will not tolerate any further act of aggression against its allies.

We humbly request the Imperial Diet to debate the Austrian intervention in Russia and particularly the dealings of the Emperor with Poland, an action which many would describe indeed as "damaging to other Princes". We believe the Princes of the Empire desire peace just as Prussia and the German League desire it, and so it would be in the common interest of all Germans to face further strife over this issue.

[Lumine]

And I would like the King of Prussia to clarify which tariffs he will impose on the Kingdom Of France's trade through India, as "medium to high tariff" is quite vague.

The Kingdom of Prussia will be in discussions with all powers interested in clarifying or debating the new system of tariffs on New Prussia.

[Lumine]

Proclamations from Potsdam:

1.- Few acts of madness and cruelty have been as evident as those of Catherine, the demon-usurper that pretends to hold the Russian throne over a sea of blood and crimes. She has murdered everyone opposed to her, sacked the coffers of her church and faith, enslaved her own peoples to live lives of misery for the sake of her passions, and brought Europe to the brink of full-scale war and disaster on account of her decision to side with Poland and invade Prussia without a declaration of war against an anointed, rightful Monarch. There appears to be little Catherine will not do to secure her throne of blood.

Alas, we shall meet the challenge. We regret and weep for the death of Peter III, reliable ally and friend to Prussia and murdered by sheer, despicable treachery. But we ask here and today to all who oppose Catherine's rule not to fear, for there are still four lawful claimants to the Russian throne whose rights Prussia will defend until the bitter end. The sons and daughters of Anna Leopoldovna and brothers to the beloved Ivan VI: Peter, Alexei, Catherine and Elizabeth, all four rightful heirs to the throne, Orthodox and Russian from birth, and currently safe and sound under Prussian protection.

The usurper Catherine and her bastard child have no rights to any throne. Young Peter is the rightful Tsar of All Russians and his brother and sisters with lawful heirs, and Prussia pledges not to cease fighting until Peter is restored to his rightful throne. We will never, never recognize the murderous, treacherous, deranged Catherine as ruler of Russia, and we call on other nations to recognize young Peter as the rightful heir to the Russian Throne, as well as to recognize the sheer danger Catherine now poses to the security and stability by plunging us into war.

Prussia is not at war with the Polish and Russian peoples. We are at war with the National Assembly and the usurper Catherine, and we will work with other countries to see that the issues of Poland and Russia are suitably and fairly resolved, the rightful monarchs restored to their thrones for the sake of peace and for the well-being of the Polish and Russian peoples.

2.- The Kingdom of Prussia condemns in the strongest possible terms the unprovoked aggression of the Kingdom of Sweden and the usurper Catherine against Denmark. We recall our Ambassador to Stockholm back home and hereby cut off diplomatic ties to Sweden until a solution to the Denmark issue is found. We will be working closely with other powers and allies to ensure Denmark is free from enemy soldiers as soon as possible and peace restored within a reasonable framework. We will fight for the rights of young Prince Christian of Denmark, and make it clear Prussia will not stand for such treachery.

3.- We express our public concern at the irregular arrest of innocent Prussian citizens by the Austrian Emperor. Having accepted mediation from France, we have made a reasonable, peaceful offer to Austria to lower tensions and secure the release of our citizens. We hope Austria will accept and show that just like Prussia both nations are indeed committed to peace in Germany and the Empire, and that Vienna and Berlin have no desire nor motives to go to war once again after all the damage caused by the past conflict.

[Lumine]

1. The Kingdom of Prussia and Corsica has seen the declaration of war from the Austrian Emperor with dismay, and decided that we cannot sit idly by as an ally of us is attacked and our coalition provoked into war. Again and again we have sought to keep the peace in Germany and with Austria by asking by foreign mediation and reason, and again and again the Emperor has seen fit to provoke Prussia or tyrannize Wurttemberg. As allies of the Ottoman Empire we take our committments seriously, and we hereby declare war against the Austrian Emperor. We do not consider this war to extend to the Empire, and indeed we would hope most of Germany can avoid suffering the scourge of war once again.

2.- Despite attempts at negotiating peace, it seems clear that at the present time no workable agreement can be found between Denmark and Sweden. Having exhausted all options, and bound by treaty to protect Denmark against aggression, the Kingdom of Prussia declares war on the King of Sweden. We fight not to conquer, but to liberate Denmark from opression and unprovoked aggression.

3.- We strongly condemn the Spanish occupation of Danish territory, and we request immediate, urgent French mediation with the Catholic League so Spain withdraws from occupied territory lest the entire continent finds itself embroiled in war. We also wish to make it clear Prussia will not stand for any further attacks on Danish territory, which would have to be met with a declaration of war.

[Lumine]

We find it unnecessary to dignify the statement from Stockholm Palace with a detailed response, other than to point out His Majesty the King of Sweden has no moral standing after betraying and murdering thousands of Danish and Petrine soldiers who had fought beside his men as allies for months, and particularly given his repeated shifts in alliances.

[Lumine]

Proclamations:

1.- His Majesty the King offers his warmest congratulations to his brother Augustus Ferdinand I, King of the Finns. It was the Finns themselves who asked for a member of the House of Hohenzollern to be made their King, and the Finns will find no better ruler that my dear brother to lead them to victory, independence and proper governance as a stable, respected state in Europe. The Kingdom of Prussia has no intention in meddling into Finn affairs beyond supporting our dear brother and the Finn people in their struggle for freedom, and so we hope other European Courts can recognize this reality.

Adolf Frederick, liar, traitor and oath breaker would make the continent believe the only choice is between what he calls "Hohenzollern despotism, or Scandinavian representation". Far from it, the choice is much more simple: freedom under a monarch chosen by the Finns to lead them, or the tyranny of an unstable monarch drawing Sweden into disaster and disrepute by soiling his reputation and that of his nation through constant shifts of alliances. The same choice applies to those currently suffering from the instability of Adolf Frederick. They too can choose between freedom and dignity, or disaster under their current Monarch.

2.- Rather than angrily declaring war or insulting foreign rulers as the Emperor of Austria has chosen to do, the Kingdom of Prussia chose the diplomatic route as others revealed the extent of Swedish involvement on our conflict with Spain. We have signed a lasting treaty with Spain which we hope will put behind any disagreements between our nations, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms the outmost lack of dignity shown by Adolf Frederick of Sweden, our own brother-in-law. Let those who condemn us take note, Prussia desires peace and is willing to seek and negotiate peace. The intransigence of reckless monarchs like Joseph II, Adolf Frederick and the usurper Catherine is what keeps Europe on this bloody, terrible war.

3.- His Majesty the King expresses his pride on the behavior of his armies and subjects, victorious on the battlefield once again. When attacked Prussia will defend itself strongly and with pride, and we will not allow those seeking to split and destroy our realm through cynical means to triumph. His Majesty particularly salutes the brave men and women of Corsica, determined to fight to the bitter end for the sake of their freedom. Let all of Europe hear their cry! Corsicans are free and under the respect and protection of the Kingdom of Prussia and Corsica.