Age of Steam and Steel: Gameplay Thread

[YPestis25]

Prague Conference

In the interests of maintaining peace in Germany and across the continent, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Kingdom of Scandinavia, hereafter referred to as the signatories, have agreed to the following terms:

I . The entrance of any new German state into either the Holy Roman Empire or the German League must be approved unanimously by the signatories.
II . Both the Kingdom of Prussia and Habsburg Monarchy agree to cease individual negotiations with member states of the Holy Roman Empire and the German League respectively, and to only negotiate through their suprastate bodies.
III . The signatories agree to a mutual defensive alliance in order to protect the status quo in Germany. Any attack on one signatory will oblige the other signatories to commence hostilities with the offending state.
IV . The Electorate of Saxony’s borders will be restored to their pre-1780 status, with the lands lost being transferred to the Kingdom of Prussia.
V . The Duchy of Wurttemberg will resume its place within the Holy Roman Empire.

X Francis, Holy Roman Emperor

xFrederick IV and Catherine I, King and Queen of Scandinavia

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Prague Conference

In the interests of maintaining peace in Germany and across the continent, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Kingdom of Scandinavia, hereafter referred to as the signatories, have agreed to the following terms:

I . The entrance of any new German state into either the Holy Roman Empire or the German League must be approved unanimously by the signatories.
II . Both the Kingdom of Prussia and Habsburg Monarchy agree to cease individual negotiations with member states of the Holy Roman Empire and the German League respectively, and to only negotiate through their suprastate bodies.
III . The signatories agree to a mutual defensive alliance in order to protect the status quo in Germany. Any attack on one signatory will oblige the other signatories to commence hostilities with the offending state.
IV . The Electorate of Saxony’s borders will be restored to their pre-1780 status, with the lands lost being transferred to the Kingdom of Prussia.
V . The Duchy of Wurttemberg will resume its place within the Holy Roman Empire.

X Francis, Holy Roman Emperor

xFrederick IV and Catherine I, King and Queen of Scandinavia

X Frederick III Hohenzollern, King of Prussia

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The Convention of St. Petersburg

In consideration of the fraternal affection and longstanding ties shared by the the Russian and Holy Roman Emperors and in the interests of the maintenance of peace in Christendom, the signatories hereby renew their commitment to mutual defense should they find themselves attacked in their European or Asiatic holdings.

X Francis, Holy Roman Emperor

An out-of-character comment from the peanut gallery.  I was not aware that the Voltairian Empire had any Asiatic holdings to defend.

[Lumine]

The Treaty of Rio (1835),
A Treaty between the Republic of Brazil and the Kingdom of Quebec,

1.) The signatories hereby recognize the common interests that both our nations share, as well as a mutual desire for strong and effective collaboration to pursue said interests. Therefore, both signatories hereby commit to the following:

2.) A close economic relationship, in which both signatories commit to lower current tariffs by 33%, and to consider each other as a “Favoured Nation” in terms of trade.

3.) A defensive military alliance, committing each signatory to intervene in case of a war of aggression initiated by another party.

4.) The recognition of their present borders and areas of influence and/or interest.

5.) A commitment to support – through different and varied means - the present struggles of fellow American nations suffering from the yoke of Spanish tyranny.

6.) A positive military relationship, enabling military advisors from both signatories to aid in the development of the Brazilian and Quebecois navies and armies.

x Louis-Henry, King of Quebec

[Wikipedia delenda est]

Statement from the Winter Palace

For the past 50 years, Persia has been subject to shameful treatment by the great powers. Her neighbors, as well as certain European nations, partook in her dismemberment and the murder of her royal family. Now, the Khanate of Khiva and the Durrani Empire have occupied parts of the country, capitalizing on her disorder for their own benefit. We cannot allow this. The strong nations must protect the weak, especially in cases of such unbridled aggression as we have seen in Persia. Therefore, we formally declare war upon the Khanate of Khiva, and upon the Durrani Empire. Until they withdraw completely their forces now occupying Persia, there can be no peace, and there can be no compromise.

[Donerail]

Treaty of Tsushima

The countries of Joseon and Nihon reaffirm our commitment to amity and friendship.

Japanese merchants, traders, and others engaged in commerce will be permitted direct access to the port of Yeongjing-do in Incheon harbor, as well as the port of Donghae.

Joseon merchants, traders, and others engaged in commerce will be permitted direct access to the port near Nagoya-juku, as well as the port of Noshiro.

To this end, we agree that the waters between our two realms that are beyond the sight of either of our shores shall be open to fishermen of both our realms in equal measure.

In the event of storms or other dangers, our fishermen shall be able to seek shelter and succor in the harbors of either of our realms.

Our navies shall cooperate in the suppression of pirates and foreign interlopers in our shared sea.

xShogun Tokugawa Ienari

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Treaty of Tsushima

The countries of Joseon and Nihon reaffirm our commitment to amity and friendship.

Japanese merchants, traders, and others engaged in commerce will be permitted direct access to the port of Yeongjing-do in Incheon harbor, as well as the port of Donghae.

Joseon merchants, traders, and others engaged in commerce will be permitted direct access to the port near Nagoya-juku, as well as the port of Noshiro.

To this end, we agree that the waters between our two realms that are beyond the sight of either of our shores shall be open to fishermen of both our realms in equal measure.

In the event of storms or other dangers, our fishermen shall be able to seek shelter and succor in the harbors of either of our realms.

Our navies shall cooperate in the suppression of pirates and foreign interlopers in our shared sea.

xShogun Tokugawa Ienari

xQueen Regent Sunwon in the name of her grandson King Joseon Heonjong

[thumb21]

Call to arms

The Emperor calls on all Han people and other loyal and patriotic subjects who live under the rule of the illegitimate Manchu regime to resist that regime in whatever way is within your means. This regime has ruled our Empire but has not served the interests of the Empire. It has been very soft on the interference of foreign powers within our realm and have been unable to ensure order within our realm.

Edict on the Spread of Foreign Religions within the realm

The Emperor views the spread of the foreign religion of Christianity within our realm to be a severe threat to the security and wellbeing of the Empire. As such, all foreign Christian missionaries shall be denied entrance to the Empire. Those currently within the Empire must leave before the 1st of January 1837 and those found after that point shall recieve a fine of 25 taels or a prison sentence of 20 years.

Edict on Infrastructure

The Emperor views the expansion of infrastructure to be a key priority of the Empire with regards to expanding the economy and winning the war. The budget of the Ministry of Public Works shall be expanded by 5% and shall be instructed to prioritise and expand the construction and maintainence of roads.

Edict on War Production

The Emperor sees the protection of the realm to be an absolute priority. As such, the budget of the Ministry of War shall be increased by 5% and this money shall be dedicated to improving and expanding production methods.

Edict on Taxation

The Emperor believes it is important for the Empire to increase revenue in order to ensure investment in infrastructure and armaments towards the vital goal of order and growth within the realm. The land tax shall be increased to 5% and the commercial tax shall be increased to 10% effective 1836.

Edict on the Holy Roman Empire

The Emperor hereby grants the Holy Roman Emperor access to the city of Ningbo for the purpose of hosting a diplomatic legation, the residence of military instructors and the use of the port for the importation of armaments. The Holy Roman Empire does not have permission to host missionaries at property it holds in the city, the Emperor is vigilant that such access is not taken advantage of to undermine the Empire or its people.

Edict on Ryukyu

As per the treaty with the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Emperor considers the Kingdom of Ryukyu to be a tributary of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Edict on Guang Faction

The Empire has agreed, after negotiations with representatives of the Guang Faction, to the ceasefire that was offered.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

조선 법원 선포
Proclamations of the Court of Joseon

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Queen Regent Sunwon in accordance with the advice of the advisors of her grandson King Heonjong, announces on this Surital of the second year of his reign (4 June1835) the following edicts:

Edict Concerning the Ministries and Provinces

1. The government of the realm shall be entrusted to various ministers (장관 - janggwan) and governors (지사 - jisa). Miinsters shall head ministries responsible for certain functions of government and governors shall be responsible for governing a province according to the edicts of the sovereign. Subministers (부장관 - bujanggwan) shalll oversee ministry performance within a particular province and shall be subordinate to both their minister and their governor. They shall attempt to resolve conflicting instructions from their superiors and if unable to secure harmony from their superiors shall bring the matter to the attention of our court for resolution.

2. The governors, ministers, and subministers shall all be appointed by the king and serve at his pleasure.

3. There are to be nine provinces. In addition to the eight traditional provinces established by King Taejong (태종), there is established a ninth province, Jeju (제주) consisting of the island of the same name and all other lands of Joseon beyond the sight of the Joseon peninsula, except for those in Ulleung County, which shall remain attached to Gyeongsang Province.

4. The following are to be the principal ministries:

• Ministry of State(국무 사역)
• Ministry of Justice (법무 사역)
• Ministry of War (전쟁 사역)
• Ministry of Ritual(의정서 사역)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs(야만인 사역)
• Ministry of the Navy (해군 사역)
• Ministry of Finance (재무 사역)
• Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries(농림 수산 사역)
• Ministry of Commerce (상무부 사역)
• Ministry of Transportation(교통 사역)
• Ministry of Eomnum(언문 사역)
• Ministry of Mines and Prisons(광산감옥 사역)
• Ministry of Inspection(검사 사역)

5. Clarification of certain ministerial responsibilities and requirements.
Emissaries from the courts of China, Japan, and Viet Nam shall be received by the 국무 사역. In light of this, the Minister of State and his subordinates shall be required to be proficient the use of hanja (한자). All other emissaries from beyond are realm shall be received by the 야만인 사역, save those that the Minister of Foreign Affairs deems to be from lands that are sufficiently civilized that the Ministry of State would be best suited to handle relations with.
Edict on Import Duties
Except as specified in this edict, the Minister of Commerce is directed to levy excises upon all articles of foreign origin the same as would be levied by the Minister of Finance upon articles of domestic origin.

The exception shall be that for items whose origin is from countries that levy excises upon articles from the Joseon realm that would not be levied upon articles produced in that realm, the Minister of Commerce shall devise a schedule of excises of proportionate effect, taking into account the differences between what our realm imports from that realm and what our realm would export to that realm in the absence of such excises upon our products.

[Elcaspar]

The Republic of Brazil

-President Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcelos, as the leader of one of the few surviving republics in the world, you have a unique responsibility among the leaders of the world. Brazil is strong, but it is not without threats. Your nation has intervened in the rebellions against Spain, seeking to expand to the south and supporting the Colombians in the north. Yet, the further south the armies of the Republic have advanced, the more alienated your erstwhile allies, the La Platan rebels, have become. Many citizens, fueled by nationalism, are calling for you to continue to expand, fighting the rebels if it comes to that, as they believe the land in that region ought to belong to Brazil. Others urge you to either reach an understanding with the La Platans or use Spain’s various conflicts to propose a peace deal. How will you approach the immediate issue of the Latin American Wars of Independence?

The Republic of Brazil will seek to continue it's intervention against Spain as well as it's policy of supporting the La Platan rebels and Columbia. In accordance with this the Republic of Brazil will seek to reject the nationalistic tendencies of some parts of the populace, and will instead seek to come to an understanding with the La Platans, with an offer of a referendum in all occupied territories as soon as the war with Spain is won.

As for the current war plan against Spain, Brazilian forces will seek to make a coordinated attack on Spanish Uruguay alongside the La Platan rebels to rid the area of Spanish control. The Brazilian forces in the west will hold their positions and prepare for a potential Spanish advance.

-Your nation has two conflicting traditions in regards to republicanism. While both express shared antipathy towards monarchism and crowned heads, they diverge in their aims. The liberal, democratic tradition was the initial ethos of the Brazilian state, fostered by your predecessor the late José da Silva Lisboa (1756-1834). This is a secular, bourgeois republicanism aimed at tolerance, moderation, and free expression. While it was unquestioned while da Silva Lisboa, in the year since his death Catholic Republicanism has become evident in the lower classes, who no longer feel bound by their respect for Lisboa. This is a more authoritarian republicanism, seeking to combine the teaching of the Catholic Church with a strong state, militant anti-Monarchism, and social reform. As the first President not to be overshadowed by the founder of the republic, you can set the course Brazil should follow over the next few years. Will you challenge the established liberal republicanism and replace it with Catholic republicanism? Or should the old order in Brazil, one of tolerance and liberty, be preserved, even if it means angering vocal radicals?

President Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcelos will seek to continue in the footstep of the late President and founding father da Silva Lisboa. In accordance with that he will ignore the calls of a more authoritarian and Catholic republicanism, saying that following trough with such a system would defeat the entire point of why the Republic was founded in the first place, namely it being a beacon of hope and liberty in the world. President Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcelos will seek to bring up the memory of da Silva Lisboa, and saying that the best way to honour said memory is to preserve the system that he created.

-As the 1800’s has progressed, the Brazilian permission of slavery is becoming increasingly odious. Both at home and abroad many have castigated the Republic (founded to defend slavery following Queen Maria’s attempts to outlaw it) for its continued permission of the practice. Yet, it has its supporters, namely the landed elites, for whom the economic situation has worked well in the past few decades. They argue the republic would be unable to staff its extensive sugar and coffee plantations. How will you address this sensitive topic?

As President Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcelos can hardly do anything about slavery itself since it is in the Constitution, he will instead take a more indirect approach. He will seek to establish a program of grants and subsidies that will make it more appealing and profitable to make use of steam power and industry. This way he hopes to slowly extinguish slavery by simply making it less profitable than using steam power, with the potential added bonus of getting Brazil more industrialized.

[Elcaspar]

The Treaty of Rio (1835),
A Treaty between the Republic of Brazil and the Kingdom of Quebec,

1.) The signatories hereby recognize the common interests that both our nations share, as well as a mutual desire for strong and effective collaboration to pursue said interests. Therefore, both signatories hereby commit to the following:

2.) A close economic relationship, in which both signatories commit to lower current tariffs by 33%, and to consider each other as a “Favoured Nation” in terms of trade.

3.) A defensive military alliance, committing each signatory to intervene in case of a war of aggression initiated by another party.

4.) The recognition of their present borders and areas of influence and/or interest.

5.) A commitment to support – through different and varied means - the present struggles of fellow American nations suffering from the yoke of Spanish tyranny.

6.) A positive military relationship, enabling military advisors from both signatories to aid in the development of the Brazilian and Quebecois navies and armies.

x Louis-Henry, King of Quebec

X Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcelos, President of the Republic of Brazil

[Spamage]

1835 News of the World

ORIENTAL CRISIS EXPANDS

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Seven Power Intervention in the Suez

  The developments in the Near East clearly raised a sense of alarm in Europe, especially over unchallenged access to the Suez Canal. A flurry of negotiations led to the formation of a massive coalition, solely united with the goal of taking control of the vital waterway and limiting Ottoman chances at resistance. Two expeditions by the Europeans saw the Ottomans expelled from their prized possession, though at great cost in manpower and morale for the invaders. A sizable Russian, Prussian, and Scandinavian fleet assembled in the Baltic, sailing along the west coast of Europe and being gradually joined by the British, French, and Habsburg vessels. Aboard each contingent was 10,000 soldiers, sent to secure the Suez Canal from the north. When this fleet arrived in mid-August, the Ottomans were somewhat caught off-guard. Their main forces were either battling the Egyptians for control of the Nile Delta or securing the Sinai Peninsula. Although this meant they were in the area, the forts at the northern entrance of the Suez were shelled, stunned into rapidly surrendering.
   Simultaneously a separate French, Scandinavian, and Dutch expedition was organized in the Red Sea, breaking into the Suez Gulf and caught in the middle of the Egyptian retreat across the water from that Peninsula after their defeat at the Battle of Abu Zenima just days prior. This hectic scene delayed the progress of the Europeans and blew their cover, giving the Ottomans time to reinforce the southern entrance after news spread of the fall of the north.
   The allied fleet was bogged down in a miserable battle. A small Ottoman contingent of ships proved damaging, but more men would be lost landing and seizing the forts guarding the southern entrance of the Suez. Although the Ottoman garrisons would surrender after a week of shelling, the losses for the European Seven Power Alliance were substantial here. Members of the French, Dutch, and Scandinavian governments have argued that the men they have lost ought to give them a greater share of control over the future of the waterway.
   Thus, the Suez was seized, the Seven Power Alliance using numerous incentives to entice their mercantile fleets back through. This has yielded some success, more due to the new trade opportunities caused by Dutch, Prussian, Scandinavian, French, and Habsburg efforts at expanding their colonial holdings in the Far East. The future of the canal is a tense topic and some speculate it could rupture the tenuous alliance that has so recently been established here.
   In the Ottoman Empire the seizure of the Suez has been met with utter fury. A nationalist wave has rippled through the Turkish regions, the popularity of the Sultan skyrocketing as his subjects rally around the flag and against the foreign interference in their national affairs. This feeling has only been exacerbated by news that the Scandinavians supplied the Egyptians with arms in their uprising. Most in Istanbul see the seizure of the Suez as an act of naked imperialism and it has led to several riots specifically targeting western diplomats in the city, though no one has been reported harmed.

War in Egypt Proper

  Alongside the sudden European intervention, the war in Egypt continued apace in 1835. The Ottoman fleet smashed a frantic Egyptian attempt to raid their shipping and placed Alexandria and the Nile under blockade, securing naval supremacy and all but eliminating the Egyptian fleet.
On land, however, the situation was much more mixed for the Turks. 50,000 men of the Egyptian army repulsed an offensive moving east from the 45,000-man Army of Cyrenaica, making gains in the region and entering Ottoman-held territory. The Egyptian defense was aided by a conscious effort to construct defensive positions and the presence of foreign weaponry, though the source of said weapons has not yet been made clear.
   The second half of the Ottoman offensive, which was aimed at Cairo, involved the movement of the Army of the Levant from Palestine into Egypt. There they intercepted an Egyptian force likewise going on the offensive, just outside the Suez Canal. At the Battle of Tanis the Ottomans beat back the Egyptian force, blunting any thoughts of an offensive towards the Sinai, but the ensuing aftermath has been brutal. The Egyptians have engaged in a bitter defense of the Nile Delta, fighting bogging down in the waterlogged region. Crossing each of the numerous branches of their vital waterway has become a deadly activity, Egyptian gunmen shooting down the Ottomans. The August flooding of the Nile made transportation a nightmare and news of the events at the Suez caused confusion in the Turkish supply lines, though Ottoman naval superiority has ensured supply has not yet become an issue. In the meantime, Egyptian commanders have constructed a network of fortifications around Cairo, ensuring that even if the Ottomans gain supremacy over the Delta, there will be some avenue for defense.
   The sole bright spot for the Ottomans has been the total and utter seizure of the Sinai. Not only was an Egyptian offense there prevented by the Battle of Tanis, but the army sent from the Balkans and Iraq smashed the local Egyptian garrison, ending their pretensions in that region. That area is solely under the sway of Istanbul.
   Egypt faces a daunting prospect though. With the violence raging in the Nile Delta, some of the finest farmland has been utterly spoiled by the back and forth fighting of the past few months. With no substantial harvest in this region, there is great concern in the Eyalet about the prospect of famine unless an outside benefactor provides material aid. It is very well possible the rebellion could be ended not by defeat on the battlefield, but empty cupboards at home. The Ottomans retain a substantial numerical advantage and, although the seizure of the Suez gave a brief hope that the European Seven Power Alliance would aid the Egyptian struggle, these hopes seem to have been dashed for the time being, the focus of the other states being on reopening trade and filling their coffers. Still, whoever the mysterious power that sent them aid is (expected to be either the Habsburgs, Russians, or Scandinavians based on their actions in Persia), undoubtedly could be an influential ally if Egypt was able to coerce them into outright recognition.
   Rival pleas for the loyalty of the Copts, Jews, and other minorities seem to have cancelled themselves out for the time being, both powers promising rewards to those that join them. It appears most groups have ultimately adopted a wait-and-see approach to the fighting before committing, though this could come too late for the beleaguered Egyptian cause if there are not further successes in 1836…

Russians Strike South
Khanate of Khiva Destroyed as Scandinavia is Expelled from Persia by Qajars

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Russian Expeditions

  Czar Peter IV proved decisive in taking action in foreign policy, his gaze turning towards the chaos in Persia and the vulnerability of other powers taking advantage of it. Joined by Prussia in his declaration of war (though they would not take any action) the army of Kazakhstan smashed into the distracted Khanate of Khiva who, though long wary of Russian aggression, was too focused on campaigning in Persia. Khan Allah Quli Bahadur rushed north with most of his forces, meeting the Russians in an epic clash that would be known worldwide as the Battle of Khiva.
The two-day battle, rare for the current era, was a bloody but decisive affair. The outdated cavalry and methods of the Khivans, heirs of the Timurids and Mongols, faced the modern forces of the Russian Army, the soldiers from a people subjugated for centuries by these very nomadic groups. Yet, despite the Russian advantage, the Khivans held back the advance the first day. It was the death of Khan Allah Quli Bahadur by cannon fire the second day that caused his men to break. The Khivan lines shattered, men surrendering or fleeing as the Russians began to advance. Although supply has proved a headache, and there has been some disease and attrition in the ranks, the Khanate has been utterly annihilated, yet another example of Russia’s growing strength in Asia. Resistance was largely mopped up by December, a clear land supply line to the Russian-backed Qajars being established alongside shipments through the Caspian Sea.
The other Russian expedition would be less successful, facing off against the Durrani Empire, who had likewise seized the moment of Persian civil conflict to make territorial gains. Although the Czar’s orders were fulfilled, and Mashad was liberated, it has come at a heavy cost. Unlike the nomadic Khivans, the Durrani have been far more effective at slowly bleeding the Russians, damaging supplies, blocking roadways, and sabotaging water supplies, the ultimate victims being the Persian people themselves.

Foreign Intervention in Persia

  Russia would not only seek to indirectly aid the Qajars by attacking Khiva and the Durrani, but supplies and weapons would be sent as well. They would not be alone in this process. The Scandinavians, operating out of Hormuz, would wholeheartedly back the Zinatian faction, giving Zinat Afsharid access to modern weaponry. The Ottomans, on the other hand, used outside state actors to provide support for the Husaynians along their border, hoping to create a friendly Persian puppet in the region.
   The Qajars defeated the Zinatians at the Battle of Birjland, securing their control over the sparsely populated eastern regions of Persia and uniting their until-then separate territories. No such decisive battle would occur in the west, though Zinat tended to consolidate his forces while the Husaynians have expanded their holdings. Low-level skirmishes about throughout the region as towns change hands with the coming and goings of small contingents of soldiers.
   Needless to say, the access to foreign weaponry and supply has greatly exacerbated the size of the Persian Civil War. The fate of the empire is seen as having even greater consequence now that outside powers can firmly be identified with the various sides in the war. This, of course, has also led to backlash against the intervening powers themselves, as would clearly be demonstrated by the events at Hormuz in the Scandinavian concession.

Expulsion of the Scandinavians

  The Qajars had long been seen as the most xenophobic of the rival factions in the civil war, their acceptance of aid from Russia notwithstanding. They had an excuse to demonstrate these credentials, however, when news spread that the Scandinavians were supplying the Zinatians in exchange for trade access over a broad swathe of Persia. Armed with Russian weaponry and, perhaps led on my zealous Russian military advisors, Mohammad Shah Qajar personally commanded the Qajar forces in an attack south. Setting up armaments around the Scandinavian Concession at Hormuz, brutal bombardment followed, catching the garrison off-guard as the city was placed under siege. After a week of shelling an actual assault followed. The inhabitants of Hormuz, largely Persian themselves, surrendered, forcing the Scandinavians to flee. Although several dozen Scandinavian soldiers were captured, and swiftly executed, most of the civilians and political leadership there managed to escape. They rushed towards the Habsburg concession at Qeshm, some swimming across the narrow waterway separating that area from their former possession. Their homes and possessions have been devastated, Mohammad Shah Qajar making it well-known he will never welcome such ‘perfidious infidels’ from Scandinavia into his realm is he wins.
   The Scandinavian civilians, merchants, and officials have demanded sanctuary from the Austrian colonial administration at Qeshm, while the Qajars in turn demand their extradition. Although the Qajars have promised no aggression towards the Habsburg presence in the region, there are many who fear that a refusal to hand the Scandinavians over could risk the stability of Queshm. A greater issue that has arisen, however, is the prospect that this Persian faction may have been led to assault Scandinavian possessions by the Russians themselves, potentially threatening the cooperation that saw the Suez so successfully seized by the Seven Power Alliance. The crisis in Persia, alongside events in Egypt, threatens to explode into a broader conflict.
 

CATHOLIC REPUBLICANISM RETURNS!
Ten Day Monarchy Toppled in Bogota, Tension Grips Region

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

   The Kingdom of Quebec proved to be the only power interested in placing their dynasty on the newly-established throne of Colombia. The Executive Regency Council, surprised by the general lack of interest, quickly accepted and invited their new sovereign to help in their struggle. Prince Frederick of Quebec, the younger son of King Louis Henry, was dispatched undercover alongside some military officers and supplies to meet his new subjects. The journey south proved to be somewhat perilous, a surprise Prussian assault on the island forcing the Quebec vessels to land in the east in order to avoid detection and potential complications.
   Ultimately, the small group of ships docked at Cartagena in October, Frederick being quickly whisked towards Bogota for a coronation. Yet, it was immediately apparent the situation on the ground was quite different from how it had been represented to the Court of Quebec. Popular enthusiasm was quite limited in the several towns encountered between Cartagena and Bogota and, while the new King was feted by the military leaders and civilian administrators, the clergy and commons were notably absent. Yet, even with all of this latent tension, ceremonies went on as planned and Frederick was crowned King of Colombia on November 15th, 1835. Promising to respect any constitution and vowing to defend the people of Colombia against rampaging foreigners, the new King’s message was undermined by the fact it had to be delivered by a translator. Even so, it did seem the new monarchy was semi-stable, albeit not necessarily beloved. Early attempts were made by the sovereign to placate any opposition, meetings being held with the Archbishop of Bogota and numerous representatives of the growing Colombian middle class.
   This fragile arrangement would come toppling down just days later however, through no fault of Frederick’s. At the Battle of Santa Rosalia in the Llanos, just five days after the coronation, the Colombian army was crushed by the Spanish, Quebecois supplies or advisors not yet having reached the region. The ensuing retreat ensured the consolidation of Spanish control over the region.
   In Bogota, this caused a panic. The political situation in Colombia had been toxic for a while. The continual backstabbing between monarchists and republicans, various generals and civilian leaders, middle classes and planters, had created a vacuum of authority in the nascent realm. Although Sucre had been able to command broad popular support and limit this tendency towards infighting, his death just served to demonstrate to many that the system was unsustainable. The subsequent establishment of a monarchy, seen by some as to have occurred suspiciously fast, was likewise despised.
   In an environment without clear central authority, two opposing forces struggling for domination and the people caught in the middle, there was but one place to turn: The Catholic Church. The Archbishop of Bogota’s eulogy of Sucre was just one in a myriad of factors that drove the common people into backing the clergy. With the revolutionary sentiment in the air, a weak unpopular monarchy not fully established, and egged on my militant Jesuits in their midst, it was only a matter of time before this backing evolved into a reborn sentiment of Catholic Republicanism.
   On the morning of November 25th, a mob descended upon Bogota. The morning meeting of the Executive Regency Council was interrupted when the gunshots began. Soldiers stationed as guards quickly melted into the mob, unwilling to face such strong opposition. Archbishop of Bogota Manuel José Mosquera y Arboleda, flanked by other rebel soldiers, declared an end to the monarchy, placed the members of the Executive Regency Council under arrest, and charged them with the murder of Sucre.
   At the palace, the former residence of the Viceroy of New Granada, King Frederick was likewise surprised by a revolutionary mob. Called the “Prince of Quebec” by the mob, he too was arrested, but treated gently. Frederick was moved through the city and placed under house arrest. His rule had been brief, only lasting ten days.
   Here the true revolution began. José Mosquera y Arboleda unilaterally declared the Holy Republic of Colombia, calling on the faithful to organize. Members of the military who had been scheming with Arboleda, such as José Antonio Páez, quickly took the helm of government. Basing their interim government on that of the late Sardinia-Piedmont during the 1780’s, radical changes were declared in the coming weeks. Members of the Executive Regency Council were executed by firing squad for treason. Slavery was abolished. Generals and other leading political figures besides the clergy and General Páez were placed under arrest, effectively ending the interpersonal struggles in one fell swoop. King Frederick has been treated with respect, but is viewed as a hostage by most, forced to make vague statements supporting republicanism by his captors.
   Thus, fifty years on from the terrible events in Rome and the complete decimation of Italy, Catholic Republicanism has returned, now centered in the New World. Though the new Holy Republic has pledged friendship with all those seeking to throw off colonial domination, the reputation of their predecessors could undermine this.
   Unlike the tepid reception for the monarchy, the declaration of the Holy Republic was met with mass applause. Foreign observers have attempted to frame this as the last gasps of a desperate revolution, but the enthusiasm seems genuine enough. Parishes have become the organizing locations for guerilla campaigns, a new effort arising to retake the Llanos after Spanish domination there. As the year ends, the fate of Colombia seems ever more muddled. While the Spanish have made great advances over the year, in part with Prussian military advice, the new wave of energy emerging in Colombia could prolong or even reverse the conflict. Still to be seen is the reaction of other powers, namely Quebec and Brazil, to the events in Bogota. In Rome, Pope Victor IV has condemned the actions of the Archbishop, but papal authority over the Church is but a shadow of what it once was due to limits established at the end of the Great Italian War.

[Spamage]

The Grand Duchess Is Dead,
Long Live the Grand Duke?

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

   People had been waiting for the death of Grand Duchess Marie Josephine for almost a decade, but when the event came to pass in mid-1835, it was overshadowed to some extent by the sheer level of crises in other parts of the world. Indeed, when word spread on July 7th, 1835 that the 82-year-old sovereign was at long last dead, taken by a stroke in her sleep, the people almost seemed indifferent. Tensions over the Suez, news of events in Colombia, and concern about the recent Prague Conference between Prussia, the Habsburg Monarchy, and Scandinavia would overshadow the development in the eyes of many.
   In Turin the cabinet of the late Grand Duchess formally declared Prince Xavier of France as the Grand Duke of Piedmont, though several noted nationalists resigned in protest. Much to the fright of the inhabitants of the region, there was an initial failed assassination attempt against the new sovereign, who was already in the city. The perpetrator was deemed to be mad, raving that he was Pietro Verri’s son and had come to avenge the late Holy People’s Republic. Although urged by his French entourage to flee to Provence until it was ensured that his new realm was stable, Xavier showed resolve and stayed put, stating, “I can no more abandon my own people than cut of my own arm.” This won him great admiration from his new subjects.
   Reaction in the south was far more visceral, the people of Naples protesting against further encroachment of Italian liberty, though they took no actions against their own government. Likewise in the still damaged Rome, where reconstruction is still a work in progress, Pope Victor IV said nothing, but those close to him expressed fears that France would now turn its gaze south, as Francis and Charles VIII had done centuries ago.
   Piedmont has peacefully, but firmly, become yet another Bourbon-led principality in Italy, alongside Genoa, Parma and Modena. Due to this, most foreign observers believe that French influence in northwest Italy will continue largely undisturbed, if not expanded by Piedmont falling securely into the hands of one of their client rulers. That being said, the nationalists remain obstinate all throughout the peninsula, dreaming of the day when the people from the Alps to Etna will be united under one flag…

Spain Beset by Foes!
Mexico, Brazil, Quebec, and Louisiana Consolidate Opposition

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Coronation in San Luis Potosí

   Unlike the Hohenzollerns in Colombia, the House of Bourbon was to have an easier time establishing itself as the leader of the Mexican Revolution. Perhaps because popular desire in this region was already far more pro-Crown that the Colombian Republic, there was little to no backlash when it was announced that Prince Louis of Louisiana, one of the younger sons of King Louis-Phillippe of Louisiana was to be named King of Mexico. This agreement was coupled with a treaty establishing new borders between Mexico and Louisiana, the new Louisianan claim now stretching to the Pacific and encompassing northern California.
   The coronation of King Louis of Mexico was a modest affair, the new sovereign sending the surplus funds to the military in a show of patriotism. Conducted in San Luis Potosi, it was followed by a joint military campaign throughout the region, the Spanish facing a series of defeats throughout the north as the battle lines have become clearer. The recently-established supply line between California and the Gulf of Mexico along the Rio Grande swiftly fell to Louisiana, the momentum propelling them all the way to Monterrey. Similarly, the meager Spanish garrison in Tuscon was easily compelled to surrender. An attempt to push south, specifically to take Guadalajara, was met with defeat, the Spanish consolidating their forces in the region. The fighting saw extensive damage to the town and some speculate the actions of the Louisianan soldiers may have driven some locals into the arms of the loyalists.
   Indeed, the Spanish focus seems to have been aiming to secure the Valley of Mexico and the surrounding region. With Prussian advisors in tow, the Spaniards have conducted brutal reprisal campaigns in Oaxaca, Guatemala, and Chiapas. No action was taken against the Republic of the Yucatan for the time being, Madrid seemingly content to maintain the current balance with that faction.
Still, although the Spaniards have been successful in the south, they seem to have been shut out of the north, save for what remains of California. There is renewed hope in the region that the decline of their influence in that area will correspond to a decreased appetite to continue the struggle.
 

Shelling of New Orleans and Battle of Pensacola

   King Philip VI of Spain saw Louis-Phillippe’s entrance into the Mexican War of Independence and the subsequent coronation of Prince Louis as King of Mexico as a serious betrayal. Both belong to the House of Bourbon, which is now riven with dynastic infighting, internal squabbling, and family rivalry. Certainly, the Bourbon on Bourbon fighting has made the whole scenario quite awkward for the King of France.
With this betrayal in mind, the Spanish sought to punish Louisiana. With the Louisianan fleet assembling for its own sea battle in the Gulf of Mexico, the Spanish launched a daring move. A small contingent smashed into Lake Pontchartrain despite heavy bombardment from forts along either entrance. Before the people of New Orleans knew what was happening, the Spanish vessels began to launch punishing broadsides into the city. The bombardment lasted a whole night, it being said that the Spanish were able to keep firing because of the light supplied by the burning New Orleans. St. Louis Cathedral, nearly completed, was burned to the ground.
   The assault was halted by two things: the placement of Louisianan cannon along the shoreline, which began a counter-bombardment, and a lack of supplies by the Spanish. Although some vessels managed to escape back into the Gulf, several were sunk by the now well-aware forts along Lake Pontchartrain.
The true fight for naval supremacy would occur days later, off the coast of British-held Pensacola. The Louisianans and Quebecois coordinated their naval efforts, combining their ships in the hopes of defeating the more sizeable Spanish fleet. The enemies encountered each other by chance, the Spanish patrolling the seas in the search of only the Louisianan fleet. What ensued was a substantial naval battle which lasted a whole day.
   The results have been stunning. Spain, the naval power of Europe for centuries, has been humiliated. The Spanish fleet was forced to retreat, its nose bloodied, as the Franco-American allies each captured substantial numbers ships, those that could not be salvaged being sunk as a warning to Spain. There has been a shuffling of officials in the Admiralty of Madrid, while the remaining, weakened fleet of the Spanish Americas shelters in Havana, seeking to repair itself and protect its immediate area. Resupply of their forces in the Atlantic seems unlikely for the time being…

Quebecois Invasion of California

   Another humiliation for the Spanish in this hectic year came in the surprising aggression from the north. Quebec has proven themselves an implacable foe of Spanish colonialism, perhaps stemming in some small way from their own struggle to gain independence from Madrid less than a century ago. Besides a declaration of war, King Louis Henry giving a rousing speech to the Parliament of Quebec, and naval action, direct military movements were undertaken by the Crown in the west.
   Given their treaty with the Russians, war with the Spanish, and the limited presence of other claimants in the region 1835 proved to be the year that the Pacific Northwest seems to have firmly drifted into the possession of Montreal, though both Louisiana and Britain retain settlements and claims on the land. A 30,000-man force was dispatched from the east, easily seizing the under-garrisoned Spanish forts in the region, before it moved south, hoping to take out Spanish California.
   Although Quebec possessed numerous forts in the area, transportation proved to be somewhat difficult, given a lack of clear avenues, the rain delaying movement down the Willamette Valley, and several embarrassing wrong turns. Thus, when the Quebecois soldiers marched south into California’s Central Valley, Spanish scouts had already forewarned the local garrison and army what was approaching. A feeble attempt was made to defend Sacramento, but was unsuccessful. Most of the Spanish soldiers have withdrawn to the south, the necessity for reinforcement being sent to Peru. Local landholders have joined the Spanish army, determined to resist what they see as external involvement in internal Spanish affairs.

Happenings in La Plata

   The region with the least activity, and perhaps the most conclusive outcome, has been the southern theatre of the Latin American Wars of Independence. Spain resolved early on in 1835 to withdraw from Uruguay in the face of joint La Platan and Brazilian hostility. The Army of Uruguay departed unceremoniously from Montevideo, taking many loyalists in tow and leaving a limited but well-stocked garrison in the city. It appears the Spanish army took the perilous route around Cape Horn and used the fleet to launch an assault on the nascent Chilean rebellion, capturing Santiago and much of the surrounding region. With the bisection of Chile, it seems this region, long thought to be left to its own devices, how faces the threat of Spanish reoccupation.
   In Uruguay, meanwhile, the joint La Platan and Brazilian forces have laid siege to Montevideo, though the city shows no signs of surrendering. In the meantime, with the immediate Spanish threat no longer apparent, internal fissures in the Union of La Plata between rival cities, ideologies, and even racial groups are becoming more evident. Some foreign observers have expressed concern that this is similar to the divisions in Colombia during the previous year, though its hoped by most that this will have a more favorable outcome and the Union will endure.

Transatlantic Tensions

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Abolitionist Strikes in Britain, Tension with New England

   The Suez Crisis would have larger ramifications for Great Britain than other powers because, in the absence of reliable shipments of cotton, sugar, tobacco, and other valuable resources from Asia, the government instead urged British firms to purchase these same goods from their colonies the Americas, where most would be harvested by slaves. This seems to have been the breaking point for some. Despite a simultaneous commission led by Robert Peel to explore the issue of slavery in the British Empire, abolitionists took action.
   A nexus of two movements, the abolitionists and the pro-labor socialists, emerged in the middle of the year. Thousands of British factory and industrial workers have gone on a series of strikes in the North, demanding an immediate vote on abolitionism in Parliament, where it is expected to pass easily, despite the votes of the American MPs. Strike breakers and repression have been employed and, though there was a small reduction in the size of the group striking caused by new labor standards introduced by the government, they have continued through the end of the year, damaging Britain’s economic output. This comes at the same time many in the growing British middle class have expressed their desire to boycott goods known to be from the Americas until the issue is resolved.
   Yet, there has been movement in the pro-slavery camp as well. The association of socialism and abolitionism has driven many wealthy Britons into backing the status quo, potentially changing the dynamics in Parliament, given this class has most of the voting power. In British North America reports would emerge that foreign individuals had been caught distributing pro-slavery propaganda in a deliberate attempt to gin up tensions. Most suspect either New England or Quebec to be responsible, Louisiana seen as unlikely given that realms own continued reliance on the labor of the enslaved. 
   The revelation of foreign espionage in British North America would be shortly followed by other allegations from New England that British agents had been deliberately sowing the seeds of discontent against the government, proposed constitutional convention, and continued immigration.

Abolitionism Worldwide

   Britain would not be the only region to deal with the consequences of slavery in 1835, the year seeming to be a major turning point in the history of the practice.
King Frederick III of Prussia decreed a gradual phasing out of the slave trade in Prussia, planning on the final steps to be enacted by 1838. Surprisingly, given Prussia’s long reliance on the practice, this decision was met with little opposition, even among the businesses that relied on it. Some suspect it is so uncontroversial because of the King’s simultaneous success in regaining portions of Saxony.
   The government of Brazil would likewise take steps, albeit small ones, by creating economic incentives for the liberation of those long enslaved and encouraging industrialization. Although there was some skepticism that this would be successful in the long-run of causing a total end of the practice, President Vasconcelos has been praised by some abolitionists.
   Colombia and Haiti proved to be two new governments committed to abolishing slavery. Haiti itself never had to formally decree and end to the practice, the government itself consisting primarily of ex-slaves who had managed to throw off their shackles and expel the Spanish. In Colombia, as had been seen, the issue of slavery was quickly decided by the ascendancy of the Catholic Republicans.
   The one power to move in the opposite direction and encourage slavery has been Louisiana, a move that has been highly controversial given the broader trends elsewhere. King Louis Phillippe would formally become shareholder in a slave-trading company, a move that sparked outrage among many of the immigrants that had been invited to settle in the region. Some in New Orleans have argued this undermines his claims of seeking a liberation of the Americas from Spanish tyranny, while supporters of the King believe his rule depends on the support of the planter aristocracy along the Mississippi.

[Spamage]

Colonialism Turns East

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Austrian, Dutch, Prussian, French, and British Activity

   The previous century saw limited European expansion in East Asia. With the exception of the establishment of the French Raj, the Ottoman acquisition of Singapore, and gradual Dutch and British settlement in Oceania, most powers did not actively operate in this theater. As the events of this past year have shown, this is no longer the case. The Europeans have arrived and it will be up to the realms in this region to determine how they will respond to this growing threat.
   The reasons for this change are many, but most believe that the collapse of the Qing Dynasty into civil war is primarily responsible, there no longer being a monolithic power that can effectively block any foreign influence.
   The Habsburgs would acquire two key areas in this year, gaining an active treaty port from the Xing Dynasty at Ningbo and establishing an outpost at the Nicobar Islands in order to ensure effective supply lines from Qeshm, Delagoa Bay, and the metropole. Although native resistance in the Nicobar Islands is expected in the coming year, thus far the settlement has been stable.
   The Netherlands, after a century of rudderless politics in Asia, would come at the region with a new sense of energy. Both the Seychelles and Maldives were established as Dutch protectorates early in the year, with attempts being made to trade with numerous realms all throughout Southeast Asia. The biggest windfall, by far, was the Qing decision to allow the Dutch to trade and administer the islands of Hainan and Taiwan in the midway point of the year. Now the Netherlands has access to that lucrative market, assuming the right power emerges victorious in the struggle…
   Prussia was a newcomer to the theater, but acted with the boldness of a power long-established, perhaps in part due to their similar arrival in South Africa almost eighty years ago. A small Prussian fleet seized the lightly garrisoned, but lucrative and sought-after port city of Singapore, a major economic victory in the region as its fall was almost uncontested. Afterwards a series of Prussian vessels would ignite a challenge to the Dutch three-century presence in the East Indies, a series of Prussian forts and trading outposts being established along the east coast of Borneo. This could undermine the Dutch attempts to succor the Sultan of Brunei and other local leaders that have long resisted their presence.
   France, meanwhile, was success against the Shan state, though some embers of rebellion continue. Promises by the government to tolerate those who did not rebel prevented any surge of new support for the insurrection, while brutal military campaign conducted by the local army sent by Paris. Although some cities still resist, it is expected that by the end of the next year the region will finally be back in French hands after a third of a century spent fighting.
   Britain meanwhile saw tremendous settlement in Australia and New Zealand, immigrants seeming to avoid British North America until the issues regarding slavery and internal tension are resolved. As the colonial population in this region increases, it is expected the role Britain plays in Asian affairs will correspondingly rise as well.

Christians in Asia

   Even with the new presence of the Europeans, or perhaps directly as a result of it, harsh actions were taken in most major states against the local Christian populations. The Xing Dynasty ordered the outright expulsion of foreign missionaries and barred them from being present in the Austrian concession at Ningbo. Although this has had great popularity with the population as a whole, the converted Christian communities have expressed repulsion and some in the Xing government fear they may become a small, pro-Qing fifth column in the rebel movement.
   Greater controversy would erupt in Korea when Queen Regent Sunwon, on behalf of her grandson, declared that foreign missionaries under the sway of Christianity would either need to swear loyalty to the government and renounce allegiance to any foreign potentate or be expelled from the realm. These new regulations were easily enough for many Protestants or Protestant missionaries, who had no trouble complying and saw the action as an actual move in the right direction, as they could live in peace so long as they remained loyal to the government in contrast to decades of outright persecution. It was less popular among the Catholics, particularly the demands to renounce allegiance to the Pope in Rome. Several Jesuits, including native-born Korean converts deliberately flouted the Queen Regent’s regulations, receiving their punishment. After their initial fine and lashing they continued to preach, outright challenging the authority of the government which, in line with the national orders, arrested them and had them beheaded. While Jesuits and Korean Catholics have branded them martyrs, and there is outrage among the public of most European Catholic powers, the move has been popular with the Korean people, tired of foreign instigators disrupting the realm.
   Japan would not see any outright persecution of Christians in 1835, though this was largely because the Shogunate had long ago eliminated their threat and purged them from the realm. Instead the regime would continue with the practice of prohibiting the spread of Christian works, only allowing French translations of other bodies of literature and knowledge into the realm that were preapproved by authorities. Still, with the permission of students to travel abroad, there are questions about whether or not they could be corrupted by foreign influences.

Anti-Imperialist Alliance?

   With this unceasing wave of missionary activity, highly unpopular among most of the people in East Asia, and the growing territorial expansion of European powers in the region, the prospect of an anti-European alliance has begun to be circulated among the various powers in the region. Areas as far afield as Mysore, Dai Viet, Korea, Japan, and the Guang Dynasty have all seen some new calls for cooperation in the face of further encroachment on their homelands. Yet, skeptics believe the prospect for such a movement remain unlikely, the sheer level of distance, lack of communication, inadequate technology, and traditional rivalries likely overshadowing any united front against the trends of the past decade.

Chinese Civil War Continues
Qing Flee North, Xing Capture Central China, Hunan Under Siege!

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Qing Response to Unrest

The Yansheng Emperor would take decisive action in 1835 to preserve his patrimony, one of his first moves being to relocate the Qing capital from Beijing to Shenyang, a more friendly and stable region of his realm. This move, while stabilizing the situation in the far north, led to panic across the south as it was feared that the Emperor was fleeing just as the Yuan Dynasty had done during the rise of the Ming. This would contribute to the events along the Yangtze later in the year. A second action undertaken by the government was the approval of the Koreans garrisoning the region between the Ussuri River and the ocean, ostensibly to protect against Japanese attacks. The Qing Emperor also ceded the islands of Formosa and Hainan to the Dutch for them to administer. Although this move was somewhat controversial, it did have several benefits and was met with approval by the generals. Supplying and defending both islands was seen as impractical given their distance from the rest of Qing holdings, while Dutch occupation ensured neither rival dynasty gained a serious foothold.
These moves, coupled with a refusal to antagonize the separatists, ensured that the Yansheng Emperor survived the year intact, though they have come at great cost. As the north has stabilized, Qing presence in the south has rapidly deteriorated, to the extent some fear a total loss of all lands south of the Yellow River.

Clashes in Central China, Guang Success in the South

The battles of 1835 in China would prove to be orders of magnitude greater than anything seen in European theaters for decades. The Youfu Emperor, his men now equipped with old Habsburg equipment, made a truce with the Guang Dynasty in the south and ordered a massive push northward, seeking to prove that he truly possessed the Mandate of Heaven. Demoralization of Qing forces caused by the Yansheng Emperor’s relocation, the better equipment of the Xing, and changing local opinions led to a substantial Xing victory in the east, and moderate gains in the west.
The Xing forces delivered a crushing defeat to the Qing at the Battle of Hefei. The collapse of that city and a retreat to the banks of the Yellow river by the Qing has meant that the Xing have secured control of Jiangsu and Anhui. Even so, most peasants have been turned off by the brutality of the Xing occupiers, who have requisitioned food, damaged infrastructure, and put known Qing collaborators to death, alleging they had betrayed all Han people by aligning with the Manchus.
The Battle of Xi’an saw the ancient seat of Chinese government fall into Xing hands, though not without substantial damage to the historic site, a result some have interpreted as an omen of ill-fortune. Unlike in the east, however, the Qing force was not smashed at the recent battle and there are growing worries in the Xing camp that they may have overextended. This is coupled with growing whispers from the east that the Ma people may soon choose a side in the conflict, their position being crucial for any power seeking to secure Western China.
The most shocking occurrence of the year for the Qing, though, would be the decision of the Tokugawa Shogunate to back the Xing rebels in return for the cessation of islands including Ryukyu. A sizable skirmish in the Yellow Sea would see the Qing navy humiliated by the Japanese, with the fall of Weihaiwei ensuing just days later. The remains of the Qing fleet fled north, basing at Tianjin, now seemingly cut off from access to the open ocean by the Japanese threat. The Shandong Peninsula now lays vulnerable to a potential Xing-Japanese advance. Despite internal concerns about engagement with the outside world, the Japanese intervention proved to be popular for two reasons. First, it strengthened national pride and demonstrated the naval prowess of Japan in an act of revenge for the two Yuan attempts to conquer their realm. Second, animosity towards foreigners was primarily directed at the Europeans, not necessarily the Chinese. Given similar reservation among the subjects of the Xing Emperor, the alliance, however, tenuous, seems to make sense.
The Guang would succeed in besieging the Qing Army in Hunan, able to devote their full forces to the region due to their truce with the Xing to the north. Fighting here has been bitter, the proposed surrender of the Army of Hunan refused by the vindictive Guang who seek to completely starve their enemies into submission and any chance of Qing power resurging in the far south of China. Even so, the Yi people in Sichuan have grown demonstrably concerned about occurrences in the south of the realm and show signs of mobilizing their forces for war against the Guang.
Moving forward the situation in China seems to have become far clearer than it once looked. The Qing have become identified with the north, especially given the full-throated embrace of his Manchu identity by the Yansheng Emperor through his flight northwards. The Han people, in general, seem more predisposed to favor the return of an ethnic Han dynasty, though whether the Xing will be able to turn this into a reality given the growing prospect of Dutch or other foreign intervention is an open question. Still, Japanese aid seems to have secured the seas for the Xing and means that foreign material aid will likely continue. The reaction of Joseon Korea, who has attempted to cultivate powers on both sides of this growing diplomatic gulf, is as of yet unseen.

The Vivisection of Saxony, Integration of Württemberg
A New Age in German Relations?

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

   The Convention of Prague has been deemed to be a groundbreaking diplomatic achievement on the part of the Prussians and the Austrians, celebrations in Vienna and Berlin held in anticipation of a new era in intra-German relations. The ensuing treaty, which was also endorsed by the Scandinavians, while popular among the population of Scandinavia, Prussia, and Austria, has proven less so in certain regions of Germany.
   The King of Saxony would initially pledge to fight any attempt to cut down on his territory, giving a defiant speech in Dresden damning the Prussians as bastards and the Habsburgs as traitors. For several weeks it did appear that a brief war would ensue, but all to no avail. His armies were too small and his realm far too isolated for any foreign aid to be possible. When the time to surrender the regions back to Prussia came, he was forced to back down, his wife beseeching him to think of their children’s inheritance. Saxony has thus found itself greatly reduced, this coming after a century of constantly playing the powers to its north and south against each other for their own advantage.
   Similarly, in Württemberg, the reaction was one of opposition. Yet, when word reached the Duke that if he did not comply with the Habsburg demands, they were prepared to place his erratic brother Paul in control of his territory, he too meekly acquiesced. This region fell into the Holy Roman Empire just as much of Saxony has been removed. Although it makes geographic sense, the predominantly Protestant locals have pledged to do their best to preserve German liberty in the face of a growing Habsburg reach, as was evidenced by the adoption of universal naval standards.
   In most of the minor principalities in Germany, particularly in the Rhineland and Westphalia, a new fear has emerged. These princes have grown used to playing Prussia and Austria off on one another for almost a century now. With their mutual agreement to largely respect the Holy Roman Empire and German League respectively, the prospect for further centralization under Austrian and Prussian terms now seems more likely than ever. Perhaps in defiance of growing Habsburg authority, the announcement of the Convention of Prague saw a wave of princely seizure of lands held by the Catholic Church in the Empire, a move clearly meant to challenge Vienna’s newfound authority.
   This new paradigm, a world where Prussia and Austria cooperate not compete, has caused concern outside of Germany as well. France has traditionally agitated for a divided and weak Germany focused inwards. With little notice, the prospect of a bipolar German dynamic has suddenly caused alarm. The British public too has shown worry over the prospect of Austro-Prussian cooperation. Some in Russia, seeing their shared border with all three signatories now slightly as a threat, have also expressed concern about the diplomatic ramifications of the agreement.
   Still, as must be noted, there have been false starts before and some have become unwilling to accept that the Prague Convention represents any sort of permanent realignment in Europe. In a world where the Prussians still idolize Frederick the Great and the Austrians remain devoted to the memory of Maria Theresa, certainly the prospect is possible. These naysayers believe that traditional rivalries will reassert themselves and lead to a dissolution of the pact in all due time. 

[PSOL]

Statement by the Governor of Egypt

We are greatly pleased at our defense of Cairo and our western flank by the Ottomans. We quashed two major offenses and have greatly weakened Ottoman rule in Egypt proper. We did encounter major setbacks with the loss of our fleet and failure to dislodge them by the Sinai. The blame can be squarely put on the lack of coordination by the Alliance in their offensive.

On the situation in the Sinai peninsula and the Nile Delta, Ottoman forces should leave Egyptian territory immediately. The Sinai Peninsula is Sovereign territory of the Egyptian Governorate or else the penalties will be severe. European forces can stay, but only with clear understanding that the Suez belongs to Egypt. We also demand that the Otomans stop their ceaseless campaign against us or risk losing Egypt and the Sublime Porte’s North African territory forever. Give us the sovereignty of being a Viceroyalty or else.

The Governor of Egypt recognizes the plight of the common Egyptian during this time. To stabilize our society from further rifts, I am cutting Jizya taxes on people of the book by 75% permanently. We also are offering huge subsidies to farmers who are having trouble repairing their farms due to the war, as well as extensive irrigation projects to the South of Cairo. To raise the amount of soldiers needed, we are also offering freedom to any slaves and debt servants of the royal court if they join the military to help push back at the invaders.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Small side question.

What happened to the metric system in this timeline? I presume that at minimum, the grave was never renamed to the kilogram, but were Bishop Talleyrand and the French Academy of Sciences even able to get the project off the ground?

[Spamage]

Age of Steam And Steel

Turn 2: 1836

(Source: Self-Made)

Nations, Leaders, and Players

Kingdom of France: King Louis XVIII Bourbon (Windjammer)
United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Americas: King Charles III of Hanover (Blair)
Ottoman Empire: Sultan Mustafa IV Osmanoğlu (Kingpoleon)
Kingdom of Scandinavia: King Frederick VI Oldenburg & Queen Catherine of Holstein-Gottorp (Ypestis)
Russian Empire: Czar Peter IV Pavlovich Romanov (HenryWallace)
Kingdom of Prussia: King Frederick III Hohenzollern (jdb)
Habsburg Monarchy: Emperor Francis III Habsburg-Lorraine (Dereich)
Kingdom of Quebec: King Louis Henry Hohenzollern (Lumine)
Republic of Brazil: President Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcelos (Elcaspar)
Kingdom of Louisiana: King Louis-Philippe II Bourbon (DKrol)
Kingdom of Naples: King Francis I Bourbon (GoTfan)
Kingdom of the Netherlands: King William II of Orange-Nassau (JacksonHitchcock)
Tokugawa Shogunate: Shogun Tokugawa Ienari (Donerail)
Qing Dynasty: Yansheng Emperor (S019)
Xing Dynasty: Youfú Emperor (thumb21)
Confederation of New England: Chairman John Quincy Adams (NyIndy)
Eyalet of Egypt: Governor Reşid Mehmed Pasha (PSOL)
Joseon Korea: Queen Regent Sunwon (True Federalist)

Economic Standing:

Kingdom of France: Strong
Kingdom of Quebec: Strong
Habsburg Monarchy: Strong
Republic of Brazil: Strong
Ottoman Empire: Moderate
Kingdom of Scandinavia: Moderate
United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Americas: Strong
Russian Empire: Moderate
Confederation of New England: Moderate
Kingdom of the Netherlands: Moderate
Joseon Korea: Moderate
Kingdom of Naples: Moderate
Kingdom of Louisiana: Moderate
Qing Dynasty: Weak
Xing Dynasty: Weak
Eyalet of Egypt: Weak

Popularity:

Governor Reşid Mehmed Pasha: High
King Frederick VI & Queen Catherine of Scandinavia: High
Emperor Francis III Habsburg: High
King Frederick III of Prussia: High
Sultan Mustafa IV Osmanoğlu: High
Chairman John Quincy Adams: High
King Louis Henry of Quebec: Moderate
King Louis-Philippe II Bourbon: Moderate
King Charles III of Britain: Moderate
President Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcelos: Moderate
Czar Peter IV Romanov: Moderate
King Louis XVIII: Moderate
Youfú Emperor: Moderate
Queen Regent Sunwon: Moderate
King William II of Orange: Moderate
King Francis I Bourbon: Moderate
Yansheng Emperor: Low

Current Global Conflicts:

Chinese Civil War: Qing Dynasty vs. Xing Dynasty, Tokugawa Shogunate, Guang Dynasty vs. Secessionists (1825-)
Persian Civil War: Zinatian Persia vs. Qajar Persia, Russian Empire vs. Husaynian Persia vs. Secessionists vs. Durrani Empire (1833-)
Egyptian Rising: Ottoman Empire, Emirate of Tunis vs. Eyalet of Egypt (1831-)
Mexican War of Independence: Kingdom of Mexico, Kingdom of Louisiana vs. Kingdom of Spain (1828-)
Quebecois Intervention in American Wars of Independence: Kingdom of Quebec vs. Kingdom of Spain (1835-)
Yucatan War of Independence: Yucatan State vs. Kingdom of Spain (1826-)
Colombian War of Independence: Holy Republic of Colombia vs. Kingdom of Spain (1823-)
La Platan War of Independence: Union of La Plata, Republic of Chile, Republic of Brazil vs. Kingdom of Spain (1827-)
Haitian Revolution: Republic of Haiti vs. Kingdom of Spain, Kingdom of Prussia (1831-)
Shan Insurrection: Shan State vs. Kingdom of France (1803-)

(Source: Self-Made)

Kingdom of France:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Diplomatic events in Central Europe have alarmed Versailles, growing concern about the potential prospect of the Prussians and Habsburgs making permanent peace with one another raising red flags. Since the time of Richelieu, it has been the aim of the French government to keep Germany weak and divided, the Prague Conference seeming to undermine that goal of two centuries in one fell swoop. Although the succession of Xavier to the Grand Duchy of Piedmont seems to have gone off without a hitch, there are still those who believe the Germans may be up to something. While France undoubtedly has the strongest land military in Europe, it is unclear if multiple powers could be fended off at once. These advisors would have you reach out to someone else, perhaps the British, Ottomans, or even the Russians to ensure you are not faced with enemies too powerful to be beaten in Italy or the Rhineland. Or, perhaps the agreement could prove to be unenforceable and the two powers will fall back into bickering. What will you do diplomatically in 1836?

-France faces the prospect of an election this year, one small sacrifice that has been necessary to ensure your royal power has been maintained over the past few decades. After more than a decade in power, it is feared the Conservative Party could be weighed down by exhaustion in the electorate. The Liberals have demonstrated new energy, while the Socialists too tried to capitalize on the events in the Suez. Some at Court would have you end the royal backing of the Conservatives and make an alliance with the Liberals, in order to ensure you still have a seat at the table, should they win the election. This would indicate a return to the more reformist period of your early reign. Others believe that, in the event the Chamber of Deputies flips, you can just appoint Conservatives until they have a majority once more, undermining democracy but reasserting your royal authority in a perfectly legal manner. Of course, the greatest fear of all is the prospect neither the Conservatives or Liberals have enough for a majority, in which case the Socialists would be, to excuse the pun, kingmakers. How will you approach the French Election of 1836?

-The issue of landholdings within France has become more prominent during the past year. In particular, the use of the Church’s money to help finance the construction of railways throughout the Kingdom seems to have reminded some of your subjects just how much land remains in the hands of the archdiocese, abbeys, and convents of the French Catholic Church. The socialists and liberals have begun to push for full-blown land reform, arguing it is ridiculous for people to impoverished in the cities of your Kingdom while the clergy enjoy the profits of a sizable part of your patrimony. With the elections for the Chamber of Deputies approaching at the end of the year, it is feared by some that this will be used to sweep the chamber of the Third Estate. The Church’s house in your government, although weakened during the Silent Revolution, has vowed to block any proposed modifications. The nobility, as in the Holy Roman Empire, seem to be of two minds, seeing the Church-held lands as cheap and ripe for the taking, but at the same time fearing their holdings could be next on the docket. How will you handle this growing issue, one that is proving to be yet another battleground between monarchists and the reformers?  

United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Americas:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Britain is in the midst of a storm, your majesty. The widespread abolitionist strikes, growing class tensions, and economic malaise demand action. Clearly, the slavery debate is not going anywhere. Some of your advisors believe you ought to hastily complete Robert Peel’s commission on the matter and place the question of British slavery before Parliament once and for all. Others believe this could lead to backlash in the colonies and even dissolution of the transatlantic union. They would have you use Irish and Scottish workers as strike breakers in English factories, proving the futility of strikes and the strength of the government. There is also a group of wealthy MPs who believe that only force, including violence against the mob, will be able to stop them from holding your government hostage. Clearly there are a wide variety of paths open to you, how will you handle the abolitionist crisis and economic dislocation?

-Something seems to be afoot in the Americas, a foreign power spreading pro-slavery propaganda in your territories. This move is an abuse of the civil liberties such as free speech on the part of an enemy. The two obvious suspects are Quebec and New England. Given Quebec’s hasty actions in the Pacific Northwest, ignoring your own rights to that land, most people in the American Colonies are quick to believe that government is responsible. Yet, New England has been hurling insults at your government as well, claiming that you interfered in their politics, clearly an outrageous assertion. Perhaps they are trying to cover themselves? What is to be done about foreign interference in the Americas? Is a military response required or should further examination be undertaken?

-The Suez has been seized, with Britain taking little casualties due to effective planning and general cooperation among the Seven Power Alliance. Now, with soldiers on the ground in the region, new questions have arisen. Should Britain start to aid the Egyptians in their struggle, perhaps by seizing control of the Mediterranean? Or maybe the region would be more stable if returned to Ottoman governance? What about the future of the canal? How will you ensure that you are not left out in the cold by the powers that have cooperated with you?

Kingdom of Scandinavia:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Outrage has spread throughout your holdings. The potential Russian-backed assault on Hormuz has inflamed the populace of Stockholm as hawks have demanded military reprisal. The Persian situation has both been embarrassing, due to the fact this rabble was able to drive you out of your concession, and diplomatically awkward, as the Habsburgs have been placed in the middle as a neutral power. How will you solve this crisis and bring your subjects in the Austrian concessions home? Furthermore, what is to be done about the Qajars, who raided your city, or the Russians, who seem to have been fully onboard? Will you continue to back the Zinatians?

-Despite the concerns over foreign policy, you call for a Constitutional Convention have been successful and the delegates have convened in Gothenburg. The majority of those chosen can be seen as royalists, looking to see what propositions you have for the future of Scandinavia. Some delegates have demonstrated a high degree of nationalist loyalty to their constituent realms, seeking a more decentralized system along the lines of the Habsburg Monarchy, while others (primarily from Sweden and Denmark) are seeking a centralized state.  There is also the matter of the ethnic groups in the Baltic States to consider, they having not been given the same degree of representation of your other subjects. Regardless, what are your aims for this historic moment in Scandinavian history.

-The embarrassment in Persia has some expressing concerns about the pace of Scandinavian expansion in Gabon and Liberia, not to mention the start of Scandinavian trade expeditions in various parts of Africa. It is clear that, when not prepared, nativism could leave your settlements vulnerable to backlash. Yet, the rewards of these colonies have been lucrative, turning a net profit despite the cost of infrastructure improvement you undertook in the past year. Will you continue to expand the Scandinavian colonial holdings, or is it best to put your plans on hold until you can ensure resistance will be easily crushed?

Russian Empire:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Czar Peter, you have now involved Russia in the Persian Civil War. The Khivans are destroyed, the Durrani willing to offer a white peace, and the Qajars have seized much of Persia. Clearly this first move has been successful. Some would now have you go further. As a member of the Seven Power Alliance and a realm with an ancient rivalry with the Turks, not to mention numerous shared frontiers, they would have you declare war outright, take Crimea, and topple your foes. There have been rumors circulating from an unknown source that the Sultan was aiming to see you assassinated, though no evidence has materialized of such plots. It seems the Persians would be willing to cooperate too, so long as they were guaranteed Azerbaijan, but it is unknown how the Europeans would respond to such aggression. At the same time, the Eastern foreign policy faction has continued to argue that, although Persian intervention has been successful, the Chinese are even more vulnerable with the flight of the Yansheng Emperor to the north. How will you seek to follow up on the gains of 1835?

-Government encouragement of Slavic Nationalism has shown some hopeful signs of success. Issues with the Poles have not materialized into any sort of major threat, while the heartland of Russia has been stabilized. Even so, it appears you cannot curry favor with one group without causing resentment elsewhere. Georgians, Kazakhs, indigenous Siberians, and other non-Slavic peoples in the Russian Empire have demanded guarantees of their ethnic security, fearing Russification will come their way in due time. In truth, they represent but a fraction of your overall population, but are concentrated in risky areas, particularly on your frontiers with Persia and the Ottoman Empire. Will you concede protections to these groups, perhaps leaving the Empire less cohesive in the future, or is an eventual program of Russification going to be required in order to ensure long-term stability?

-Although you have signed a treaty of friendship with the Prussians, some in St. Petersburg fear that the Prague Conference signals an intention of the central European powers to begin to act against yourself, France, and other peripheral powers. Given preposterous Scandinavian accusations that you were responsible for their expulsion from Hormuz, there is fear this could escalate into outright conflict. Perhaps aligning with France or Britain could ward off any threats. Others believe that such paranoia is unjustified and no sane realm would attack Russia, a lesson Charles XII taught the westerners a century ago. They would have you act independently in foreign affairs and not commit to any network of agreements beyond the Seven Power Alliance or bilateral agreements such as your recent treaty with Prussia. Will you change your diplomatic arrangements in light of diplomatic developments in Central Europe?

Habsburg Monarchy:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-With the signing of the Prague Conference, the minor princes of the Holy Roman Empire have immediately decided to test your newfound assertions of authority. The issue of the clerical lands in the Empire has been under debate since the Reformation, where the bishoprics in northern Germany were stripped of their territories and secularized. This has not necessarily happened throughout the south and west of the Empire. Although kept in check by concerns about the German League, French invasion, or Imperial censure for the last century or so, new energy has risen in the movement. The Church has been weakened by the events of the Great Italian War, its prestige remaining low even after five decades. The secular princes have begun to encroach on the lands of the historic bishoprics, perhaps a town or settlement at a time, testing to see how you will respond. The Bishops, meanwhile, have sent protest to the Diet and threatened that they will not cooperate with further reform of the Empire should their claims be ignored. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to please both factions and this is not even considering the opinion of the numerous small-holding Imperial Knights, who have reasons to support either the bishops or the secular princes. How will you address this concerning development?

-Your colonial empire has grown over the past year, the acquisition of the concession at Ningbo being particularly popular. Expansion abroad has meant that you must also deal with the issues of these new theaters, though. As your envoys have become more familiar with East Asia, there is growing concern over the continued persecution of Christians in the region. The stories out of Joseon during the past year, of anti-Catholic executions by the state, have caused a furor among the clergy and devout in your government. Coupled with the Xing expulsion of Catholic missionaries and the Japanese ban on Christian books, clear nativist backlash from these realms is in evidence. This pro-Catholic faction argues that you, as the sole Holy Roman and Catholic Emperor, are responsible for the protection of all members of the true religion and want you to ensure Catholicism receives a fair hearing, lest the French instead take up the mantle of Catholicization. Given the Tokugawa, Xing, and Joseon actions against the Church, others believe it would be more prudent to act in a secular manner, continuing diplomatically to pursue your goals and avoiding this issue entirely. What will your position be on these new Asian issues?

-The situation in Persia is… awkward. Your concessions have been forced to welcome the fleeing Scandinavian refugees from Hormuz, but now the Qajars are demanding you hand them over, promising that if the people should be sent away it will be seen as a Habsburg betrayal. Naturally it is expected Stockholm will demand you repatriate their subjects. Yet, this risks the profitability of Persian trade, as well as tension with Russia, who seems to have been backing the Qajars in their recent actions. Some would have your renounce the Qajars and take up the cause of Zinat, while others believe the Persian Civil War is already near its end, given the Russians have connected with the Qajars. They would see the new dynasty appeased, even if it meant insulting another European power. How will you navigate this delicate diplomatic situation?

[Spamage]

Kingdom of Prussia:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-While the restoration of the old Prussian borders with Saxony has been highly praised by your direct subjects, the abandonment of Württemberg, a fellow Protestant government and loyal longtime ally, has enraged the members of the German League, who now fear they too could be unilaterally ceded back to the Holy Roman Empire on the whim of the King of Prussia. The Palatinate, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Oldenburg, Brunswick, and Hesse-Kassel have all made protests about the Convention of Prague. Although your size is so overwhelming that Prussians alone can push through reforms to the German League, the opinion of these princes represents a potential thorn in your side and some in Berlin would have you concede that the remainder of them are under your protection, however hollow that may seem. Others believe that these minor Dukes and Margraves need to finally and once and for all learn their place in the new order, subordinate to the Prussian Monarchy, and any concessions are a sign of weakness. How will you respond to their actions in the German League, now that diplomatically you are in control of the situation?

-Dynamism in Egypt has helped your realm seize the Suez as part of the Seven Power Alliance. While this has restored some confidence in the flow of trade from the east, the question now is what is to be done in the region moving forward. The Egyptians have prevented the situation from totally collapsing through their resistance, but without foreign aid they seem doomed to fail. Many argue that, in the aftermath of your seizure of Singapore, further action against the Ottomans will be necessary to maintain your gains. Yet, fighting in Egypt could be expensive both in gold and manpower. The Ottoman reaction to your seizure of their Asian colony is not yet known. Some in Prussia believe that Timor Leste should be another avenue of Prussian expansion, as it seems just as vulnerable as Singapore was. Will you seek to escalate tensions with the Ottomans, or perhaps step in as a mediator? Now that the Suez is secure, what is your view as to how it should operate moving forward?

-Prussian activism in the Americas has not gone unnoticed. The invasion of Haiti has succeeded in taking the southern part of the island, but it is clear far more men will be necessary if you are to have any hope of holding back the counterstrike let alone seizing the whole republic. The people there are furious about the unprovoked assault. Likewise, surveyors have been sent alongside Spaniards to map out a plan for this proposed “Panama Canal,” but they too believe that more resources will be needed to ensure the newly declared Holy Republic of Colombia stays focused to the south. Some in Berlin fear that demands for more men, advisors, and materials will not stop once they are appeased once, becoming quicksand that will swallow your realm. Others hope that Prussian aid will secure concrete gains, pointing to the success of the Spanish army in the Llanos with Prussian advisors on hand. Now that you have entered the American theater, how do you propose moving forward?

Ottoman Empire:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Sultan Mustafa, the infidels have done the unthinkable. Motivated by their greed and desire to spoil your territory, the Suez Canal has been seized and your supply lines disturbed. Although the Ottomans have been forced away from the canal, many in Istanbul point of that there are numerous reprisals that are possible for their actions. Although the canal is lost, you could blockade the canal by shelling mercantile fleets seeking to enter the Red Sea at Aden, bringing a standstill to trade yet again and wrecking the European economy. Others urge a more targeted response, particularly against the Prussians, who invaded your jewel of the East in Singapore, and the Scandinavians, who have supplied the Zinatians against your own friendly faction in the Persian civil war. The nationalists however, enflamed by the outrages committed by the west, could have you declare total war and expel the lot of them, believing that it would be entirely impossible for your Empire to truly be defeated, though they are in the minority for the time being. How will you respond to foreign seizure of the Suez?

-Although your men may have been distracted by the events to their west, the Egyptian rebellion still remains precarious. There is hope that, despite being bogged down in brutal and slow-going warfare in the Nile Delta, your armies could make substantial gains in Egypt proper during 1836. Of greater concern is the Egyptian advance into Cyrenaica, which puts Tripoli or even Tunis under threat. How will you prosecute the war in Egypt, or should some sort of hasty peace be made so you can focus on the interventionalist imperialists?

-The events in Egypt, particularly the Arab nationalism, seems to have drawn the attention of other groups in the Ottoman Empire. In the absence of any firm crackdown, evidence in Greece and Serbia in particular demonstrates a growing desire for liberation from Ottoman control. Some in Istanbul would have you preempt any potential revolts, setting up two satellites principalities under Christian governance along the lines of those in Moldavia and Wallachia, while others argue that repression is the only solution to stabilize the region, at least until the Oriental Crisis is resolved. Given the spike in Turkish nationalism caused by the foreign intervention in Egypt, concessions to minorities could prove unpopular in the heartland of the Empire. What will you do about these growing signs of discontent?

Kingdom of the Netherlands:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-King William, your efforts at home seem to have paid some dividends. The appointment of loyal burghers into the Estates General has been seen as evidence of a plan for “Sensible Moderation” in Dutch governance, some newspapers publicly waxing of a new era in Dutch politics, where the swings between the radical poles of republicanism and absolutism has been solved once and for all. Others are more clear-eyed. Although your approval remains high, there was economic damage caused by the decline in trade from the Suez that could become a larger issue if not nipped in the bud. With the domestic government in lock step, how will you reverse this growing economic harm? Will you create incentives to prop up firms on the verge of bankruptcy as a result of price increases or should market forces be allowed to run their course, the benefits in the long run outweighing any short-term damage? Some at Court call for greater military and industrial investment until the situation stabilizes, others arguing that the state ought not take on more debt before the situation globally becomes clearer.

-Diplomatically, the Netherlands remains quite isolated, no alliances publicly established with other powers. Although a member of the Seven Power Alliance, there is little evidence that coalition will last beyond the immediate Egyptian Crisis. Some at Court have been gravely concerned by the Prague Convention, which seems to mean the Prussians, Habsburgs, and Scandinavians have some sort of diplomatic understanding. With the subsequent Prussian treaty with Russia, it seems that there is but one direction that state could be looking: west. France too looms ominously to the south. Perhaps reaching out to one of these powers, or the historic Dutch ally in Britain, would be wise? There’s also the prospect of gaining the friendship with the Holy Roman Emperor. Will you undertake diplomatic initiatives? Or would this be counter-productive, potentially entangling your realm into affairs that could lead to war?

-Your shrewd diplomacy has greatly increased the influence of the Netherlands in East Asia, much to the satisfaction of your subjects at home. Now the Maldives, Seychelles, Formosa, and Hainan are all under nominal Dutch influence. Small outposts have been established off the coast of Africa and in the Nicobar Islands. Similarly praised was your intervention in the Oriental Crisis, helping restore trade routes at a crucial moment. Yet, so too have new obstacles arisen. The Dutch formerly held Formosa in the 1600s, being expelled by the Chinese after a brief stint. Little seems to have changed in the interim and the locals have demonstrated some early hostility to your return. Likewise, the expansion of Prussia in Borneo and Singapore also demonstrates other powers could swoop in and seek pieces of your empire. It has also become increasingly evident that your activity in the colonial sphere has led to some backlash from native kingdoms, these realms wary of foreign influence creeping in. Diplomatic offensives with Atjeh, Dai Viet, and Brunei have all stalled partially as a result of this. What is the next step in colonial policy?

Kingdom of Quebec:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-King Louis Henry, your younger son now sits in the custody of foaming-at-the-mouth radicals and plans for the creation of a Kingdom of Colombia appear dashed. Catholic Republicans have a dark history in Europe, where they were directly responsible for the extinction of the House of Savoy, and have demonstrated they still maintain their brutal tactics, evidenced by the execution of the Executive Regency Council. Although Frederick has not been harmed, there is fear his captivity could be used as a means of extorting your government. What will your policy towards Colombia be?

-The war has continued apace, though great advances have been made. All foes in the Pacific Northwest other than the British seem to have been expelled or bought off and California lies open for your men to take. The Spanish fleet has been severely damaged, with the joint Quebecois-Louisianan fleet maintaining control of the Gulf of Mexico. Yet, new challenges have emerged from the Spanish and their allies. Your fellow Hohenzollern, and distant cousin, the King of Prussia has launched an invasion of your erstwhile allies in Haiti. There is evidence that plans are in the works for a Prussian-Spanish canal in Panama, while the Spanish have effectively ended the rebellion in Cuba and consolidated their power in the south of Mexico. What is next for your realm? Some suggest a strike at Cuba, while others believe that aid to Haiti or the Mexicans would be wiser. There is also those who call for peace with Spain, seeing your goals in North America as having been effectively achieved.

-The one diplomatic area where tensions have grown, despite initial attempts to foster peace, is in your relationship with Great Britain. There are alarming reports that the British have been arming indigenous allies in the Sioux Tribe, a counterpoint to your own cultivation of closer ties with the natives. Britain has also been reportedly sending more men to the Americas, launching the construction of a series of forts along the Mississippi. Now, news has emerged out of New England, where the government alleges British involvement to stoke domestic tensions. Needless to say, the situation in the region is looking a lot worse than it was twelve months ago. There are war hawks calling for a crusade against colonialism, your struggle against Spain to be tied to liberation of the British Americas. Doves argue peace must be achieved before it is too late, hoping that now that real tension is in evidence both sides will have incentives to make concessions. Your people look to you for answers, King Louis Henry. How will this tension be resolved?

Kingdom of Louisiana:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-King Louis-Philippe, the last year was met with numerous successes and only limited setbacks. The north of Mexico has been secured and your son now has been crowned as King. The Spanish navy was embarrassed, fleeing to Cuba while the size of your fleet has grown from captured vessels. Quebec, your ally, has pushed effectively into California, showing initiative in another theater of the war. Yet, Spain has consolidated control over the south of Mexico. Further afield, Colombia is aflame, Chile on the verge of defeat, and Prussians attempting to conquer Haiti. What will be done in the war during this coming year?

-Your efforts to expand the navigability of the Mississippi River have revealed some alarming intelligence: the British have been constructing a series of forts along their banks of the waterway. Given their dominance over the Ohio River, some advisors are worried about the prospect of that river being used as an avenue to launch a surprise attack against your realm. There have been calls for you to demand that the British destroy said forts, though its also possible you could construct your own outposts to ensure that you are not left defenseless in the possibility of a foreign attack. Will you issue a protest to Britain? Or perhaps it would be wise to make a deal and ensure that you are left in peace while dealing with the Spanish. Perhaps cooperation with New England, another power alleging hostility from the British, could be wise…

-As your people have moved west, it is clear that the indigenous population will fight any expansion of influence. In 1835 alone, there were several instances of skirmishes between settlers and the Comanche, Kiowa, and Osage. While military force could be one response, many generals see your army as ill-equipped and unprepared to fight on the unfamiliar terrain of the High Plains. They believe the settlers should adopt a fortification strategy Perhaps you could play the natives against each other and exploit traditional rivalries? Or maybe expansion into these regions for the time being is unwise? It is unclear whether or not the immigrants populating the frontier would listen to a royal order though, the prospect of the available land having enticed most to Louisiana in the first place. What will you do, King Louis-Philippe?

Kingdom of Naples:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-There had been some in Naples hoping and praying that the death of Marie Josephine in Piedmont would lead to a nationalist rising there and you being named Grand Duke instead of the French Prince Xavier. This has clearly not happened and, in hindsight, perhaps such dreams were a fantasy. Still, the people of Naples have made their outrage known in a series of violent protests last year, frustration growing by the glacial pace of progress in the peninsula. Although neither France nor the Habsburgs have shown any hostile intentions over the past year, they also haven’t made contact with you either. Some believe it is time to emerge from diplomatic isolation and find a foreign friend, be it the Prussians, one of the two oppressors in Italy, or perhaps your close relations in Spain. This would ensure that your voice is heard moving forward. Will you undertake any major diplomatic initiatives in the coming year?

-Your plans for economic reform and expansion, namely in the establishment of railways in the Kingdom of Naples, have been implemented. This has led to disputes over how far this program should go in the long-run. Some, mostly the growing middle class, argue that you should outright incentivize the construction of factories and other more modern methods of production in your region, pointing to the highly agricultural status quo as undesirable. Others, namely in the nobility and the Catholic Church, believe that modernization should not come at too fast of a pace, pointing to the threats faced by their counterparts in France during the past two decades. As railways connecting your towns have begun construction, it is an open question what the next step will be. 

-Naples, despite being one of the foremost naval powers in the region, was openly snubbed by the other supposed “great powers” when they united to seize the Suez from the Ottomans. True, your realm does not have colonial holdings along the lines of most of these other powers, but the exclusion has led to some outrage in your cabinet. There is growing demand that your representatives be included in any further negotiations over the future of the Suez, given your aforementioned naval strength. On the other hand, doing so could enflame tensions with the Turks, creating an enemy unnecessarily. Will you be cautious? Or ought Naples be included in the decision-making for this vital trade route?

Republic of Brazil:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Your choice to continue in the tradition of da Silva Lisboa was highly praised, but as is typical in republics, political camps are emerging, debating the future of the country. The upper-class planters were put out by your reforms meant to gradually phase out slavery, aligning with the rural lower classes as a Conservative Party. While they have praised your lowering of tariffs with some powers, as they rely on shipping of their goods to the rest of the world, this group has pledged to limit further immigration. The Liberal Party of Brazil, on the other hand, wants enlightened, activist reforms to spur the realm into new action. Ranging from infrastructure projects, the establishment of tariff barriers in order to promote domestic industrialism, and sped up abolitionism, they have an ambitious program. Thus far you have been able to remain above the fray, but more and more people are questioning which party you sympathize with.

-There are concerning reports to the north, with the rapid collapse of the Executive Regency Council in Bogota and the declaration of the Holy Republic of Colombia. Needless to say, given your own government’s commitment to enlightened, liberal republicanism, events there have caused great alarm in Brazil. The destabilization of politics and purging of the military in Colombia has meant Brazilian influence has all but been expelled for the time being. Some would have you involve your republic in this theater, even if the Spanish themselves maintain a substantial military presence, in order to guarantee that you do not gain a hostile, militaristic neighbor to the north. Yet, the fact remains that, although perhaps close in proximity, events in Colombia are occurring at a great effective distance, given the shielding role provided by the Amazon rainforest. On the other hand, perhaps the Holy Republic could be given diplomatic recognition as a means of placating them? How will you approach the developments in the north?

-Some in Brazil would have you expend the war against Spain to encompass all colonial powers operating in the New World. With Prussia’s assault on Haiti and alliance with the Spanish, many see their holding in Guyana as a prime target for conquest. Beyond the Prussians though, the British, Dutch, French, and Scandinavians all have paltry outposts in the Caribbean that could become rich plantation islands for an activist Brazil. Still, too much expansion could risk raising the ire of Europe. Although outright invasion seems unlikely for the time being, it must be remembered that the combined strength of the European economies could wreak havoc on Brazil. Will you take action against the other colonial powers in the Americas and embrace the role as the leader of liberation in the Americas?

[Spamage]

Confederation of New England:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Chairman Adams, alarming reports have emerged over the past few months that British agents have been seeking to undermine your rule and destabilize the Confederation of New England. The subject matter ranges from opposition to the Constitutional Convention to anti-immigrant rhetoric. Needless to say, the prospect of foreign interference in your internal affairs is certainly alarming, whether or not the British were in fact responsible. Will you take diplomatic action as some has demanded, perhaps in the form of tariffs or an alliance against the British? Or is further investigation necessary? Certainly, it must be noted there has been little conclusive proof that London is the sole actor in your recent domestic unease…

-Your call for a constitutional convention has been successful and delegates have convened in Boston, waiting to see what you propose. Given your authority over the current political situation it is expected that whatever direction you choose, the people will follow. What will the new constitution of New England look like? Will you establish firm centralized governance or maintain a confederation? How will the system function and when will elections be held? This is a rare opportunity to take your state in a new direction, use it wisely.

-New England has never been much of a player outside of its immediate region since independence was achieved in the 1780s. Some have called for that to change. As one of the few abolitionist powers in America alongside Quebec, there is a growing faction that would have you actively involve your men in the struggles for Latin American independence against the slaveholding Spanish or the Prussians, who have sought to take out the recently declared republic of Haiti. Traditionalists, on the other hand, see foreign expeditions as too dangerous, given the continued threat from Britain in the region. Still, effective intervention could yield long-term dividends. Will you take a more active stance in the affairs of the Americas, or is it better to focus on your own personal security before doing anything so rash?

Tokugawa Shogunate:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Japan is opening itself to the world, regardless of whatever opponents to the events of the past half-century have to say about it. The importation of foreign books, presence of foreign physicians, and new military activity abroad have demonstrated much of this change will likely be permanent. While the government censors seem to have been successful at blocking the spread of Christian literature, it is notable how well some of the tomes on philosophy from Descartes, Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau (not officially banned by your decree) have sold. Coupled with the spread of other pieces of western literature, including books on the history of the Great Italian War, Polish Revolution, and newer volumes detailing events in Latin America, it is clear there is a faction in the realm that is wholeheartedly devouring new political ideas and engaging with the outside world. It is feared too much political texts too quickly could create a completely alien class of Japanese subject, unwilling to work in the established order. Some of your censors urge you to expand the ban on certain subjects to encompass political topics before these new ideas take too deep of a hold. Yet, these works are in no way critical of the Shogunate, covering topics in completely different circumstances, whatever parallels idealists try to draw. Will you expand your control over incoming literature or is it time to learn what the rest of the world has experienced for decades?

-Your intervention in the Chinese Civil War seems to have been successful thus far, some now calling for full-on military support of the Xing on land as well as sea. Given the ease with which concessions were obtained last year, perhaps even more could be extracted? Although there remain traditionalists opposed to the war in principle, the example of glory and protection against the encroaching Europeans seems to have resonated to some extent, meaning the broader public is in support of your views. Will Japan continue to involve itself in this major conflict on its doorstep? Or has the point been made and the potential strength of your regime been demonstrated to a potentially aggressive foreign audience?

-As your age has advanced the issue of the succession is becoming more acute. You have been blessed with several sons and grandsons who could take your place as Shogun when the eventual handing over of power is necessary (some have delicately suggested you retire). Given so many possible candidates who will you choose? Although it has traditionally assumed your son Tokugawa Ieyoshi will be your eventual successor, there is the possibility for someone else to be named instead. This son is seen as much of a traditionalist and more hostile to the ways of reform adopted by your regime. Will you alter the succession, choosing a brother or other son to take the title of Shogun (OOC: feel free to browse Wikipedia, he had TONS of children), or is the succession settled business and something that ought not be meddled with, regardless of reforms to other aspects of your government?

Eyalet of Egypt:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-The Ottomans have been held off in the Nile Delta, your soldiers putting up valiant resistance and slowing their progress. In Cyrenaica, small territorial gains have even become possible, the Ottoman forces there fleeing to the west. Yet, the threat to your capitol in Cairo remains very real. The Sinai has been lost. You are outnumbered. Now, more than ever, the time for strategic thinking is necessary. How will the war be prosecuted in 1836?

-The seizure of the Suez by the Seven Power Alliance gave brief hopes that they would join your struggles against the Ottomans. This has not been the case. Though you have received supplies and a few military advisors from some European powers, no one has issued diplomatic recognition, offered formal military aid, or promised to cripple the Turkish fleet in the Mediterranean (thus cutting the Ottoman army in the Delta off from its supplies). How will you get some of these powers to enter the war? Certainly, it is feasible, given the Prussian seizure of Ottoman-held Singapore and Scandinavian/Russian willingness to meddle in that other Near Eastern conflict in Persia. It is up to you to ensure this year does not become a disaster for your faction.

-As has been mentioned, the crisis in the Delta has severely impacted the annual harvest of Egyptian food. Although your people have been able to hold out thus far, exhausting the limited supplies from the granaries, there is concern that the situation could become quite dire. Given the destruction of your fleet by the Ottomans and the lack of direct foreign aid, it is paramount that you find some way to ensure food will be available to your people. In its absence, some suspect the Copts and other minorities will defect to Istanbul, a horrible proposition. What is to be done?

Joseon:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Indeed, your worst fears seem to have materialized. It appears the family of your daughter-in-law, the Pungyang Jo clan has been exploiting state offices for personal benefit. Their network is vast however, sizable enough to rival your own family’s influence in domestic politics, embroiling the Queen Mother’s brothers, uncles, and cousins. Now it is up to you to determine whether or not action should be taken. Although your daughter-in-law, Sinjeong has not been found guilty in any way, there are also concerning reports that she is privately supportive of a more pro-Western attitude and expressed concern over the execution of the Jesuits. Given her family’s evident corruption and her private opinions, some would have her removed from your grandson, so not to corrupt him with her ways. How will you handle these two connected issues?

-Korean soldiers now garrison the region to the northwest, ostensibly against Japanese attack. Given the developments in the south, including the flight of the Qing Emperor to the safety of Manchuria, some see the seizure of this land as of paramount importance, an opportunity to ensure that no other hostile power such as Russia or the Tokugawa Shogunate will establish an outpost to your north. Yet, this would be an act of betrayal towards an ostensible ally, one who has fallen on hard times. Now that Japan has entered the conflict, and the Xing have made advances in the middle of the country, what will your involvement in the Chinese Civil War consist of?

-The Dutch expansion into Hainan and Formosa has just confirmed an alarming trend many have seen for years. European encroachment has grown ever-closer towards Korea. First their traders came, then their missionaries, now it seems their military is set to follow. Prussia, Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, and Spain all are now active in East Asia. With the disorder in China, it is feared this may grow further. Needless to say, fellow sovereigns from as far afield as Dai Viet and the Rattanakosin Kingdom have expressed alarm. How will you ensure Korea is not next? Should covert activities be undertaken to destabilize these colonies? Or would cooperation as an equal be a better way to pursue diplomacy? Perhaps some sort of defensive arrangement could be possible with Japan, a common enemy having arisen to end your historic rivalry? Given the furor over the execution of several Catholics in the past year, some in Seoul argue that perhaps you could establish some sort of protective arrangement with a Protestant power such as Britain (the Dutch being feared because of their actions in the South China Sea).

Qing Dynasty:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Some serious blows have been dealt to the Qing Dynasty, certainly, but the cause is not lost. Although your flight from Beijing caused alarm in the South, it has secured the north for the most part. Now that the situation is clearer there are two major military issues that need to be addressed in 1836: how will the Xing advance be halted and is there a way to free the Qing Army in the South from its siege by the Guang Dynasty. How is this war to be won?

-The Xing hostility towards Christians could provide an opening to contact with the Europeans and further military aid. Most of the missionaries that were operating along the Yangtze have fled to your regions following their forced exile. They offer you valuable intelligence on the Christian communities in the south who, though small in number, could have an outside effect in getting the attention of outside actors. These missionaries would have you contrast yourself with the Xing by promoting religious toleration in your borders. Yet, there have been voices in opposition. Some are concerned that giving further concessions to the westerners without any, thus far, tangible benefits will only increase the nationalist Han case against your dynasty. What will you do regarding this alien religion?

-News of the atrocities against the Manchu committed by the Han in the south has raised the alarm of other minorities that once sat in your borders. The Mongols have offered to aid your cause against the Xing, but only if you renounce any authority over them and agree to respect their current borders. Primarily promising a defensive role, they seek to garrison Beijing and Northern China. While some at Court believe that this is a valuable way to free up more manpower to fight the Xing, others are concerned about the motives of these barbarians, let alone the prestige damage caused by renouncing your claim to their homeland. Will you accept the Mongol offer?

Xing Dynasty:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Your armies have advanced the expelled the Manchus from much of central China. The Qing appear to be panicked, fleeing from Beijing and ceding territories to Dutch and Korean administration in their hopes to make allies. Japan has pummeled their fleet, docking on the Shandong Peninsula.  Yet, despite the damage to their forces, the cursed Yansheng Emperor can still call on thousands of men. The war is not over and decisive action will be necessary to ensure that it continues to go your way. How will you prosecute the Chinese Civil War in 1836, Youfu Emperor?

-The government of the Hui people in the center of the former Qing Empire (tan on the map, west of the Qing) have expressed concern over further Xing involvement in the region adjoining their territory. They have offered to aid you in expelling the Qing garrisons from the region, but only if you in turn renounce them as a potential subject state and end your claims to the western regions. Otherwise, they warn they will be watching closely to ensure their interests are protected. Opinion at your Court in Nanjing is mixed. Some believe that some short-term concessions to the Hui in return for their aid could hasten the end of Manchus in China, while their opponents stress the bad, inauspicious precedent this sets for your nascent dynasty, given the numerous other separatists present throughout the former Chinese Emperor. Will you accept their demands or refuse and risk their involvement in this brutal civil conflict?

-The Christian missionaries have generally left your realm, fleeing to the north and providing the Qing with valuable information as to where potential loyalists could lie. Because of this, some are calling for the brutal repression of the Chinese Christians that have remained. There are calls to disperse them among the larger Han population, breaking up potential clusters of dissent. Others want to follow the practices of the Joseon Dynasty and perhaps execute those who refuse to swear loyalty to your upcoming dynasty. Given the nativist roots of your rebellion, the staunch anti-Christians are in a clear majority among your army officers and civil officials. Still, such a harsh response could offend the Habsburgs, who have been crucial in providing your soldiers with equipment and exposure to new ways of strategic thinking thus far. You have rid yourself of the missionaries, but now what will be done with their flock?


Armies and Locations
Russian Empire
100,000 Army of St. Petersburg
55,000 Army of Poland
115,000 Army of Ukraine
17,800 Army of Khiva
61,400 Army of the East
9,500 Army of the Suez
5,000 Army of Alaska
50,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 429,000 more)

Kingdom of France
110,000 Army of Northern France
80,000 Army of Southern France
80,000 Army of Bengal
40,000 Army of Gujarat
24,200 Army of the Sacred Heart (Burma)
8,700 Army of the Suez
40,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 373,000 more)

Habsburg Monarchy
90,000 Army of Austria and Bavaria
90,000 Army of Italy
50,000 Army of Bohemia
50,000 Army of Poland
40,000 Army of Transylvania
9,800 Army of the Suez
36,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 353,000 more)

Kingdom of Prussia
105,000 Army of Brandenburg
80,000 Army of East Prussia
90,000 Army of Poland
35,000 Army of Hanover
9,000 Army of the Cape
9,800 Army of the Suez
1,500 Army of Guyana
6,000 Army of Angola
750 Army of the Congo
2,600 Army of Haiti
1,400 Army of Borneo
600 Army of Singapore
30,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 179,000 more)

United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Americas
90,000 Army of Britain
60,000 Army of Pennsylvania
35,000 Army of Georgia
25,000 Army of the Mississippi
10,000 Army of Australia
10,000 Army of Southwest England
9,800 Army of the Suez
30,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 230,000 more)

Qing Dynasty
87,200 Army of Yellow River
75,200 Army of Shanxi
70,000 Army of Manchuria
70,000 Army of Hunan
30,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 100,000 more)

Ottoman Empire
70,600 Army of the Delta
50,000 Army of the Balkans
40,000 Army of Iraq
39,400 Army of Cyrenaica
32,000 Army of the Sinai
30,000 Army of Istanbul
25,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 96,000 more)

Xing Dynasty
109,600 Army of Jiangsu
107,800 Army of Hubei
80,000 Army of Wuhan
20,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 45,000 more)

Kingdom of Spain
80,000 Army of Spain
53,700 Army of Mexico
50,000 Army of Peru
30,000 Army of the Llanos
26,000 Army of Ecuador
20,000 Army of Uruguay
20,000 Army of Cuba
17,800 Army of California
20,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 45,000 more)

Kingdom of Scandinavia
85,000 Army of Stockholm
75,000 Army of Finland
5,000 Army of Liberia
5,000 Army of Eritrea
8,000 Army of Kilwa
2,000 Army of Gabon
8,200 Army of the Suez
1,000 Army of Socotra
20,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 149,000 more)

Tokugawa Shogunate
70,000 Army of Edo
50,000 Army of the North
20,000 Army of Kyoto
10,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 150,000 more)

Kingdom of the Netherlands
75,000 Army of Amsterdam
20,000 Army of the East Indies
10,000 Army of New Holland
5,000 Army of Ceylon
9,500 Army of the Suez
15,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 125,000 more)

Republic of Brazil
44,500 Army of the South
40,000 Army of the North
10,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 121,000 more)

Kingdom of Quebec
80,000 Army of Quebec
27,000 Army of California
10,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 104,000 more)

Kingdom of Naples
70,000 Army of Naples
10,000 Army of Sicily
20,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 100,000 more)

Joseon Korea
40,000 Army of the North
50,000 Army of the South
10,000 Corps of the Ussuri
10,000 Marine Corp
10,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 45,000 more)

Kingdom of Louisiana
17,000 Army of Monterrey
30,000 Army of New Orleans
37,000 Army of Northern Mexico
10,000 Army of the North
10,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 42,000 more)

Eyalet of Egypt
44,800 Army of Egypt
49,700 Army of Cyrenaica
(Can raise 2,000 more)

Confederation of New England
45,000 Army of New England
5,000 men garrisoned
(Can raise 45,000 more)

Navies of the World
United Kingdom of Britain, Ireland, and the Americas (First-Rate, Dominant)
Kingdom of France (First-Rate, Dominant)
Kingdom of Scandinavia (Innovative, Sizable)
Confederation of New England (Innovative, Small)
Kingdom of Prussia (Advanced, Sizable)
Kingdom of the Netherlands (Advanced, Sizable)
Kingdom of Naples (Advanced, Standard)
Kingdom of Spain (Modernized, Sizable)
Kingdom of Quebec (Modernized, Standard)
Republic of Brazil (Modernized, Limited)
Habsburg Monarchy (Modernized, Limited)
Kingdom of Louisiana (Modernized, Limited)
Russian Empire (Reformed, Standard)
Ottoman Empire (Reformed, Standard)
Tokugawa Japan (Modified, Standard)
Qing Dynasty (Traditional, Sizable)
Xing Dynasty (Traditional, Standard)
Joseon Korea (Traditional, Standard)
Eyalet of Egypt (Traditional, No Fleet)

[Donerail]

Edicts of the Tokugawa Shogunate

wikimedia commons

Tenpō 7

Edict on the Freedom of Religion
1. Although no Kirishitan has been executed since 1805, in a show of good will from the Shogunate,  the faith and practice of the Kirishitan religion (excluding the proselytization of the same) shall officially no longer be a capital crime. The practice of e-fumi shall be accordingly abolished. Foreigners remain totally prohibited from interfering with Japanese religion, with all accompanying penalties remaining in effect.
2. Foreigners will be permitted to practice their religions and establish houses of worship in such ports as are assigned by treaty.
3. We remember the Shimabara rebellion of 1638. Should these freedoms lead to unrest, or be exploited by Western powers to undermine the shogunate, we retain the authority to revoke this edict.

Edict on the Succession
Some have expressed concern regarding reform to our government. We have engaged in foreign wars, strange new texts flood our shores; have I turned my back on our tradition? In truth, I seek only to change what we must to survive — the only way to preserve that which we value is to embrace the changes necessary for our independence. The eastward advance of Western power has continued unabated: we have seen the conquest of Bantam, the foreign corruption of the Qing, and — most recently, and most alarmingly — the annexation of Formosa and Hainan by the Dutch. Without our knowledge of certain Western traditions, their advancements in military science, their ships and troops would surely overrun our nation and seize our wealth. But our embrace of what we need to survive does not mean I have any reason to abandon our customs. Therefore:
1. Tokugawa Ieyoshi, my eldest surviving son, shall succeed me as Shogun when the time comes, some time following the current war.

Edict on Ryukyu
1. The Tokugawa Shogunate is the suzerain of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
2. The Shogunate is the protector of the people of Ryukyu.
3. Relations between the two realms shall be conducted through the Home Ministry rather than the Foreign Ministry.

[Spamage]

Royal Families of Europe, the Americas

(Source: Wikimedia)

House of Bourbon: France
Head: King Louis XVIII of France (1773-)
Consort: Marie Fernandina of Berry (1775-)
Parents: King Louis XVII of France (1751-1799), Queen Maria Beatrice d’Este

Children:
1. Princess Josephine of France (1797-) m. Prince Jorge of Spain (1792-)
2. Dauphin Louis of France (1802-) m. Princess Louise of Louisiana (1800-)
   a. Petit Dauphin Louis of France (1826-)
   b. Princess Catherine of France (1829-)
3. Princess Marie of France (1803-)
4. Grand Duke Xavier of Piedmont (1806-)
5. Princess Genevieve of France (1808-)
6. Princess Adelaide of France (1809-)

House of Bourbon: Naples
Head: King Francis I of Naples (1777-)
Consort: Maria Isabella of Spain (1789-)
Parents: King Ferdinand IV of Naples (1751-1822), Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria (1753-1830)

Children:
1.   Crown Prince Francis of Naples (1817-)
2.   Prince Charles of Naples (1819-)
3.   Princess Isabel of Naples (1822-)
4.   Prince Alfonso of Naples (1826-)

House of Bourbon: Spain
Head:  King Philip VI of Spain (1782-)
Consort: Infanta Maria Isabel of Portugal (1797-)
Parents: King Charles IV of Spain (1748-1819), Princess Marie Clotilde of France (1759-)

Children:
1. Prince Ferdinand of Spain (1822-)
2. Infanta Joanna of Spain (1826-)
3. Infanta Leonora of Spain (1829-)

House of Bourbon: Louisiana
Head: King Louis-Phillippe II of Louisiana (1773-)
Consort: Princess Maria Cristina of Naples (1779-)
Parents: King Louis-Philippe I of Louisiana (1747-1819), Louise Marie Bourbon (1753-1821)

Children:
1. Crown Prince Phillippe of Louisiana (1797-) m.
2. Princess Louise of Louisiana (1800-) m. Dauphin Louis of France (1802-)
3. King Louis of Mexico (1806-)

House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Head: Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (1792-)
Consort: Amalie of Baden (1795-)
Parents: Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1763-1827), Princess Marie Josephine of France (1775-)

Children:
1. Archduke Charles of Austria, King of the Romans (1817-)
2. Archduke Francis of Austria (1819-)
3. Archduchess Maria Sophia of Austria (1822-)
4. Archduchess Maria Beatrice of Austria (1828-)
5. Archduke Maximilian of Austria (1830-)

House of Hohenzollern: Prussia
Head: King Frederick III of Prussia (1806-)
Consort: Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1803-)
Parents: King Frederick William III of Prussia (1771-1811), Augusta of the Palatinate (1787-)

Children:
1. Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia (1827-)
2. Princess Elena of Prussia (1829-)
3. Prince William Henry of Prussia (1833-)

House of Hohenzollern: Quebec
Head: King Louis Henry of Quebec (1790-)
Consort: Infanta Maria Teresa of Portugal (1793-)
Parents: King Henry of Quebec (1726-1803), Louise-Charlotte de Vaudreuil (1770-1833)

Children:
1.   Crown Prince Henry of Quebec (1811-)
2.   Prince Frederick of Quebec (1815-), “King of Colombia”
3.   Princess Marie of Quebec (1816-)
4.   Prince Louis of Quebec (1819-)
5.   Princess Charlotte of Quebec (1821-)

House of Romanov
Head: Czar Peter IV of Russia (1772-)
Consort: Maria Augusta of Saxony (1782-)
Parents: Czar Paul I of Russia (1754-1802), Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria (1755-1834)

Children:
1.   Crown Prince Peter Petrovich of Russia (1809-) m. Princess Charlotte of Prussia (1811-)
            a. Prince Ivan of Russia (1832-)
2. Princess Augusta of Russia (1811-)
3. Prince Alexander of Russia (1817-)

House of Orange
Head: King William II of the Netherlands (1769-)
Consort: Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (1771-)
Parents: King William I of the Netherlands (1748-1819), Louisa of Britain (1749-1806)

Children:
1. Crown Prince William of the Netherlands (1795-) m. Princess Carolina of Scandinavia (1802-)
2. Princess Louisa-Amalia of the Netherlands (1802-)
3. Prince Leopold of the Netherlands (1809-)


House of Hanover
Head: King Charles III of Great Britain (1760-)
Consort: Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1769-1827)
Parents: King George III of Great Britain (1738-1821), Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain (1745-1802)

Children:
1. Princess Charlotte of Great Britain (1791-) m.
2. Henry, Prince of Wales (1792-) m. Princess Eleanora of Scandinavia (1799-)
        a. Prince Henry of Britain (1820-)
        b. Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain (1821-)
        c. Princess Alexandra of Great Britain (1824-)
3. Prince George of Great Britain (1795-)
4. Princess Anne of Great Britain (1797-) m. Crown Prince Gustav of Scandinavia (1798-)

House of Oldenburg
Head: King Frederick VI of Scandinavia
Co-Head: Queen Catherine of Scandinavia (1777-)
Parents: Christian VII of Denmark (1749-1808), Princess Caroline of Britain (1751-1775)
Gustav III of Sweden (1746-1800), Anna Petrovna of Russia (1757-1807)

Children:
1.   Crown Prince Gustav of Scandinavia (1798-) m. Princess Anne of Great Britain (1797-)
           a. Prince Karl of Scandinavia (1819-)
           b. Princess Alexandra of Scandinavia (1822-)
2.   Princess Eleanora of Scandinavia (1799-) m. Henry, Prince of Wales (1792-)
3.   Prince Christian of Denmark (1801-)
4.   Princess Carolina of Scandinavia (1802-) m. Crown Prince William of the Netherlands

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

A Proclamation concerning the Nazarenes

We wish to make clear that we intend to chastise those who venerate the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth only if they are part of a church that owes allegiance to a foreign potentate.

Furthermore, beheading was intended to be a last resort for those who refused to either renounce such allegiances or depart from our realm.

However, it has also become clear that such people prefer to have an organized church and that simply banning those churches which have such traitorous allegiances is insufficient. A national Church of Joseon that those who are Nazarenes can be a part of without also having such allegiances is therefore seen as desirable to bring the current situation to a harmonious resolution.

To that end it is ordered that those who desire to participate in the organization of a national Church of Joseon, should assemble on the day called  오순절 (Onsonjul aka Pentecost) by the Nazarenes (May 22) in the city of Pyeongyang for a synod to organize a national church in the manner of those European churches that call themselves Lutheran. Foreign scholars shall be allowed to be present for these deliberations, provided that they do nothing to encourage disloyalty to the realm while visiting and travel directly between Incheon and Pyeongyang. We have also invited the Bishop of Uppsala to attend, so that the Synod of Pyeongyang can see to the creation of one of our temporal subjects as the first Bishop of Pyeongyang to be the spiritual head of the Church of Joseon.

By order of Queen Regent Sunwon on behalf of her grandson King Heonjong of Joseon

(Source:Wikimedia Commons)

[Orwell]

A proclamation concerning the Eyalet of Egypt

The Eyalet of Egypt is a free and independent state under the guidance of Reşid Mehmed Pasha, the official status of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is one of support to these people who fight against the Turk. This announcement is an official recognition of the Eyalet of Egypt as the ruler of the Nile delta and all claimed territories. The Kingdom of the Netherlands encourages that the Ottoman Turk ceases all hostilities with the Eyalet of Egypt. The Kingdom of the Netherlands will begin to officially trade with the Eyalet of Egypt, and if any Dutch ships were to be attacked by the fleet of the Turk that action shall be taken as an act of war, and shall be responded to with such force.

- King William II of the Netherlands Prince of Orange

Treaty of Amsterdam

Section I:

1. The trade restrictions and tariffs on goods traveling to and from the Eyalet of Egypt and Kingdom of the Netherlands are lifted

2. The Kingdom of the Netherlands shall provide the Eyalet of Egypt with 100,000 gilders to be repaid in 20 years' time.

x King William II of the Netherlands

[PSOL]

A proclamation concerning the Eyalet of Egypt

The Eyalet of Egypt is a free and independent state under the guidance of Reşid Mehmed Pasha, the official status of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is one of support to these people who fight against the Turk. This announcement is an official recognition of the Eyalet of Egypt as the ruler of the Nile delta and all claimed territories. The Kingdom of the Netherlands encourages that the Ottoman Turk ceases all hostilities with the Eyalet of Egypt. The Kingdom of the Netherlands will begin to officially trade with the Eyalet of Egypt, and if any Dutch ships were to be attacked by the fleet of the Turk that action shall be taken as an act of war, and shall be responded to with such force.

- King William II of the Netherlands Prince of Orange

Treaty of Amsterdam

Section I:

1. The trade restrictions and tariffs on goods traveling to and from the Eyalet of Egypt and Kingdom of the Netherlands are lifted

2. The Kingdom of the Netherlands shall provide the Eyalet of Egypt with 100,000 gilders to be repaid in 20 years' time.

x King William II of the Netherlands

x Resid Mehmed Pasha of Egypt

[windjammer]

Treaty of Versailles

I. The Suez Canal shall be administrated by an eight member Suez Canal Commission. One member each shall be appointed by: the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Scandinavia, France, the British Empire, the Netherlands, Austria, and Prussia.
II. The Commission recognizes the territory and jurisdiction of the Ottoman Empire over the Canal.
III. The Ottoman Empire recognizes the administrative authority of the Suez Canal Commission over said Canal.

X LOUIS XVIII