Concert of Europe: Gameplay Thread

[Dereich]

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X Joseph II Hapsburg

[Dereich]

The decision of Prussia to march through Imperial territory without permission or warning is an outrageous and unacceptable breach of Imperial sovereignty. That he would be so callous as to immediately march a large army through a nation still trying to recover from the wounds he inflicted on it and with whom he now shares no political bonds is beyond belief. It would seem clear from this action that Prussia no more respects the sovereignty of the Empire now than he did when he attempted to dissolve it.

The Duke of Ostfriesland is IMMEDIATELY summoned to explain to the Diet what he knew about the intentions of this FOREIGN POWER and their plans to march through Imperial Territory and to explain why they were able to do so without hindrance or he will face an Imperial Ban for treason.

Prussia must justify its actions immediately or face the full fury of Imperial arms. Austria will immediately mobilize and prepare for war, pending a Prussian response, so that we are not caught flatfooted by an undeclared attack like Saxony, Poland, and the Dutch were.

[Dereich]

In light of the need for expediency and the high likelihood of passage by the Diet, Imperial action will be taken pending the Diet's imminent veto and possible further action owing to the Duke of Ostfriesland's actions. The Duke is hereby on notice that any attempt to flee the Empire without facing the Diet's judgment will be interpreted as a forfeiture of any claims on land within the Empire.

Ostfriesland is placed under Imperial occupation until their conduct has been justified by the Diet. The borders of Ostfriesland and the rest of the Holy Roman Empire are hereby closed to the Kingdom of Prussia. The Imperial States should be on high alert and either begin mobilization or prepare to do so at a moment's notice. 

Any soldier bearing Prussian colors who attempts to enter the Holy Roman Empire will be shot on sight, any goods crossing through the Holy Roman Empire meant for Prussian soldiers will be seized, and any organized attempt to circumvent these commands will be taken as a declaration of war against Austria and the Holy Roman Empire.

[Dereich]

On reflection, We have come to the decision that there may be some truth in the words of Frederick of Prussia. While zealous advocacy for the Empire and protection of its sovereignty is never wrong, the stationing of a large Imperial army near several large Prussian armies would be needlessly provocative and that mistakes could easily lead to a renewal of violence in Germany that no one wants.

Therefore we turn to that well-lauded defender of peace, the League of Armed Neutrality led by its chair the Serene Republic of Venice, for assistance in preventing the spread of war. We would petition Venice to send a peacekeeping detachment to maintain the border between Imperial territory and the Prussian controlled land in the Republic of the Netherlands, to prevent the provocations and risks that come with two large, well-armed, and distrustful armies facing off for long periods of time.

Should the Venetians support such a proposal they would have the thanks of the whole Empire for preventing war and would be well-compensated for their aid.

[Dereich]

We thank Venice for its commitment to maintaining peace in Europe.

[Dereich]

On a careful review of the evidence, We find that We agree with the Imperial Diet on the matter of Ostfriesland. While in normal circumstances and for base gain the Chancellor's actions might be treason deserving full sanction, the circumstances do not fit such an accusation.

The record reflects that Prussia made an offer to the Chancellor of Frisia. That Frederick, with an army presumably close behind, requested free reign for his army in the Duke's territory, and in "exchange" reminded the good Chancellor that they, until formally separated by the War of the Grand Coalitions, technically had been a Prussian vassal.

It is fully understandable that the Chancellor, faced with a large army and the most warmongering man since Attila the Hun, might have interpreted this "offer" as more of a threat. That the Chancellor could have easily believed that should he REFUSE this "offer" that the King of Prussia would REIMPOSE the vassalage that they had only so recently freed themselves from on his way to whatever other conquest he planned to make. How could one not view the situation this way? When has Frederick ever chosen to ABANDON a conquest when he could instead take more?

While We believe that he was in error in that he should have requested Imperial aid instead of capitulating, it is impossible to not view his plight with pity. Frederick of Prussia has attacked other, more powerful princes, for less. He was at that very moment on his way to an unprovoked attack. As We now view the situation with clearer eyes, We can see that the Diet understood the true situation before We did. We ask Ostfriesland only that it, knowing the Empire stands behind it, not again act it has anything to fear from a foreign power.

[Dereich]

The League of Armed Neutrality and the rest of Europe have more pressing concerns than far off squabbles with backwards savages. Why should anyone care about India when thousands of Christian Europeans are dying so close to home? Absurd! And furthermore, if we WERE to start caring about backwards conflicts with tribesmen, I would think that the slaughter of American natives would warrant first consideration.

[Dereich]

For the record, Austria will not consider its military obligations by treaty to be triggered by minor colonial squabbles in some godforsaken land far from Europe. Should any colonial struggle seriously appear to augur conflict on this continent, We will reassess our position at that time. As should be obvious, an attack on an ally on European soil will be constituted as a declaration of war on Austria unless otherwise stated.

[Dereich]

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. 

Denied. We will recommend that the Diet reopen trades with Wurttemburg at a special tariff rate. As a large majority of the Diet favors the continuation of the embargo and the Duke continues to treat the Empire with nothing but contempt, there are no guarantees that that new rate will be anywhere close to the former one.

We see no reason for this situation to change as long as the current Duke continues to reign. Should he abdicate or pass on and his successor be more willing to act civilly, perhaps tariff normalization could be considered by the Diet at that point. If Prussia wishes to trade with Wurttemburg, they are naturally free to do so. Of course, any such trade will pass through multiple Imperial customs checkpoints and will pay full rates at each. The same is, naturally, true for Venice.

If this is too late and needs a response you can just go ahead and count it as part of next turn.
I'm not trying to push this out so late that there isn't time to respond.

[Dereich]

And I'm glad the Kingdom of France hasn't fallen into chaos like almost every other realm in Europe. As King of France, preserving the well being of my subjects is a top priority.

I would remind the King of France that he felt himself forced to call his Estates General for the first time in 150 years, was poisoned, and dealt with an outbreak of the plague over the last year and a half. He will forgive the rest of Europe for hoping to avoid such "stability."

[Dereich]

(Realizing I never did this, though long signed)

I am pleased to announce to the world the betrothal of my sister, Archduchess Maria Antonia, to his majesty Paul, Tsar and Autocrat of all the Russias.

[Dereich]

Austro-Venetian Barbary Defence Treaty

The Austrian Empire and Venetian Republic hereby agree to mutually aid each other in military conflict with the Barbary States. Austria shall provide forces to assist in defeating the Pirates, and in exchange, shall be granted concessions in the form of tariff reductions and freedom of trade and movement, as well as the rights to one third of the territory captured from the Barbary States.

x Doge Francesco Loredan

x Joseph II Hapsburg

[Dereich]

Ottoman Statements on the Rogue Pirate States:

It is the height of hypocrisy for the Ottoman Sultan to, with one hand, condemn our lawful and just effort to once and for all put an end to the marauding Beys and their attacks on unarmed merchants and civilians, while on the other refusing to take any effort to reign in his former subjects. The Sultan must live with the consequences of his own actions in unchaining these wild dogs to prey on the world. We will not allow the Sultan to reap the benefits of renewed control over his former subjects at the cost of Austrian and Venetian blood!

Ottoman Declaration of War:

A promise of true aid and friendship cannot be a half-measure, ignored or taken up when convenient. As We recently showed the King of Sweden, Austria takes its treaty of alliance and mutual defense with Emperor Paul, now betrothed to an Austrian Archduchess, very seriously and consider following through with that treaty a matter of Austrian honor, as the Sultan well knows. Accordingly, We must believe that in declaring war against Russia it is the Sultan's intention that a state of war now exist between the Austrian and Ottoman Empires and Austria will behave as such unless and until further circumstances disavow Us of that notion.

[Dereich]

The Kingdom of France would like the situation in Europe to degenerate even more. The King of France is inviting representatives from the Kingdom of Prussia, the Archduchy of Austria, the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Sweden,  the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Spain to convene in Versailles to discuss about these following issues:
- The Barbary States attacking many realms.
- Avoid war to spread in Europe.

-King Louis XV

If your intention is to avoid the spread of war in Europe, it is a striking omission to exclude one of the primary states around which war is being waged, the Republic of Poland-Lithuania.

[Dereich]

In the interest of protecting the integrity of Imperial borders and with the fact that the Duke of Wurttemburg is unwilling to suppress the faction that is flagrantly violating Imperial Law, the Reformed Imperial Army will be deployed on a punitive expedition within Wurttemburgan territory to restore order in the borderlands and to drag the outlaw smugglers to Imperial justice.

This measure is being taken after consultation with the Imperial Diet and with the consent of that body.

[Dereich]

According to the terms of the Treaty Between the Kingdom of France and the Russian Empire, and the Austrian Empire, and Their Holdings and the France-Russia-Sweden-Austria Defensive Pact, We call on the King of France to honor his military obligations to the Austrian and Russian Empires and to immediately join the war against the Kingdom of Prussia and the Ottoman Empire.

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xKingLouisXV

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xKingLouisXV

[Dereich]

The King of France is a liar and an oath-breaker and We denounce him. He swore to defend his allies, the Russian and Austrian Empires, in case of war. When war came, declared not by French allies but by its enemies, he dithered and stalled knowing that following his obligations and supporting his friends would be inconvenient for him. Then, finally, after MONTHS of stalling when the first excuse he found arose, he used it. No thinking man in Europe seriously believes the French King's excuse to ignore his treaties. Austria and Russia face Prussian and Ottoman invasion and the King of France uses commotion in Poland, a non-aligned party of all places, to leave his supposed allies to their fates.

What good is an alliance where one party will ignore will ignore the alliance at the slightest excuse? None. The King of France has shown he is no ally to Austria. All Frenchmen acting to coordinate military or economic affairs in accordance with that alliance are hereby expelled. All excessive diplomatic staff are also expelled. We would caution every court in Europe to avoid long-term cooperation with such an honor-less self-serving cretin, unless you are prepared to see the French king turn on you the moment he thinks he can gain some minor advantage by doing so.

[Dereich]

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x George the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, and so forth

xAdolf Fredrick, King of Sweden

X Joseph II Hapsburg