The Zenith of Power: Gameplay Thread

[Hijodeagua]

The North American Treaty (1871), as Amended by the Montreal Accord (1875)
A Treaty between the United Kingdom of Louisiana, the Kingdom of Mexico, the Kingdom of Quebec, and the Confederation of New England

1.) The signatories, which share a common heritage, history, and aspirations towards the future, reiterate their belief in mutual cooperation as the best means to secure stability and prosperity across the North American continent. Therefore, they commit to the following:

2.) Full recognition of their borders and sovereign territory.

3.) A defensive alliance pact, binding the four powers to war against any foreign aggressor, or to intervene against any powers seeking to undermine the stability of any of the signatories, upon the written request from the power under threat.

4.) A long-term commitment to building a large-scale railway across the North American continent, linking the signatories together.

4 (a): The North American Rail Commission is hereby established to oversee this project and the subsequent network. Each signatory shall appoint one member of the Commission to represent their Nation and their interests. The Commission shall develop and implement a plan to connect the four capital capital cities, and each major center of population or industry, by 1880. Each signatory shall contribute 1/4 the cost of the project, raised through whatever means each signatory shall determine proper.

5.) The establishment of a single, tariff-free, North American marketplace for goods, raw and processed, traded, sold, and exchanged at an agreed upon rate in the native currency of each signatory.

6.) The establishment of the North American College of Science to promote a greater shared understanding of scientific advances between the signatories. To this effect, each signatory shall designate a Chief Scientific Envoy to each other signatory to serve as their liaison for all scientific or technological matters.

7.) A long-term commitment to the electrification of the North American Continent. To this effect, each signatory shall develop a plan for an inter-connected network of electric generation stations and power relays across the continent.

Signed with my hand and seal this day,
x Henry-Philippe de Bourbon-Orleans, King of the United Kingdom of Louisiana

x Henry II, King of Quebec

x Luis de Bourbon-Orleans, King of Mexico

[FT-02 Senator A.F.E. 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Offical Firman from the Imperial Court in Kabul

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

I, Abdul Samad Khan, Emir of the Durrani Empire, would like to first and foremost welcome the advent of the new Hijri year of 1292. May Allah bless the entire realm with His unending mercy. With this in mind, I would like to address the issues currently facing us at this time.

The Ongoing Campaign of the Liberation of Hindustan

Alhamdulillah! Our magnificent armies have crossed the Indus and rapidly advanced across the plains of Punjab and the desert of Rajputana. After a prolonged siege, the stubbornly foolish city of Jodhpur has finally fallen into our hands with assistance from the Sublime Porte. Rest assured, the Maharaja of Bikaner who had been captured after our glorious victory at Sardarpur is in safe hands and is being treated well. While we may have gone into this fight under the Holy banner of Islam, the non-Muslims of the territories we have liberated have no reason to fear us. They shall be able to proceed with their daily lives without fear of harassment or persecution. Indeed, those who dare to do such will be properly punished with a swift beheading. While the Ottoman intervention into Gujarat was most certainly unexpected, we welcome additional help in our struggle with the French. Inshallah, our combined forces will be able to crush the French forces encamped in Delhi. Finally, I am announcing that Kabul will be recognizing the newfound independence of the Sultanate of Mysore and will be establishing diplomatic, military, and economic ties with them.

Opportunity on the High Seas

With the destruction of the Suez Canal yet again, the number of European ships in the Indian Ocean has dramatically declined as well. Seeing this vacancy, we would like to seize this opportunity to drastically expand our naval capacities. Albeit, only after the current war shall this program be undertaken but once it's completed, the Durrani Navy shall rule the waves. Inshallah, with help from our Iranian allies this effort will be completed without haste.

Other External Affairs

With the ongoing conflicts globally, we would like to address two things. Firstly is the deployment of new weapons in Andalusia and New York. The Imperial Court denounces the development and usage of such barbaric weapons and calls upon the entire international community to take immediate action to combat their spread. Secondly, is the ongoing war in Rumelia. We stand in solidarity with the Sublime Porte in their valiant efforts to defend our brothers in Bosnia, Albania, and Bulgaria from persecution from the bloodthirsty good-for-nothing so-called "princes." Indeed, the current rhetoric from Moscow regarding this deeply alarms us. But we still consider both Moscow and Istanbul to be close friends of Kabul.

- Abdul Samad Khan, Emir of the Durrani Empire

[YPestis25]

Propaganda:
To Be Posted in Major Town Squares, Thoroughfares, and Newspapers

Away with Every Tendency to Dictatorship

Source: Reddit/Me

For a Better Day...Buy Baltic Bonds!

Source: Heritage Auctions/Me

Will You Fight or Wait For This to Happen?

Source: Australian War Memorial/Me

[BGBC]

The Treaty of Manchester (1875)
A Treaty between the Republic of Russia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Americas

I. The signatories hereby confirm their desire for a peaceful and economically productive relationship, and hereby commit to the following:

II. Respective diplomatic embassies will be opened in London and Moscow.

III. The British tariffs on Russian grain shall be lowered by 33%.

IV. The Russian tariffs on British silk and flax shall be lowered by 25%.

V. The tariffs for trade of all other commodities between the two nations shall be lowered by 15%. Both signatories agree to treat each other as most favored nations as trading partners.

x King Henry X

[KaiserDave]

The Treaty of Manchester (1875)
A Treaty between the Republic of Russia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, and the Americas

I. The signatories hereby confirm their desire for a peaceful and economically productive relationship, and hereby commit to the following:

II. Respective diplomatic embassies will be opened in London and Moscow.

III. The British tariffs on Russian grain shall be lowered by 33%.

IV. The Russian tariffs on British silk and flax shall be lowered by 25%.

V. The tariffs for trade of all other commodities between the two nations shall be lowered by 15%. Both signatories agree to treat each other as most favored nations as trading partners.

x King Henry X

x Alexsey Suvorin, President of the Russian Republic

[BGBC]

'A SINGLE BRITON'
King HENRY X Delivers Special Address to the British Public

Excerpt

Nearly half a decade ago, our kindred was viciously attacked by a coalition of rogue, savage colonial nations hell-bent on imposing their own ideals on our free people who, though live hundreds of miles apart from us, share our customs, traditions and values. Despite our diplomacy, despite our noble attempts to prevent the great conflict that has emerged, and indeed despite our commitment to the standards of conventional warfare, we have been betrayed.

The time of the Crown has been wasted by silly propositions delivered to us asking us to make absurd concessions. They have conjured a flimsy tale to their people that we have rejected it out of spite for the French people and not for their flagrant trespasses upon the norms of armed conflict. They have told fables of a Britain unrivaled in it's bloodthirst and aggression with no such evidence to suffice such a preposterous claim. Need we remind them that they were the ones who initiated the war they are currently embroiled in? So desperate they are to convince their civilians that they have not initiated an aggressive conflict against a peaceful neighbor they have fabricated obvious lies that can only be cemented as truths through state censorship.

The prolonged war that the Francophone kingdoms have embarked on has left thousands across the continent dead. It has wrought devastation for both the Anglo man and the French man. It has defied the conventions of warfare in ways unbeknownst to the world and showed in plain view for all the leaders of each and every nation the savage ambitions of the colonial kingdoms. All in the name of some vain 'freedom' our free people already enjoy. In all my time serving here and abroad, I have never been met by such a perplexing and contradicting set of circumstances; a freedom that is achieved only by the mass murder of free people.

Indeed, it need not be stated that we were shocked by their endeavor, shocked by their blatant brutality and disdain for honest diplomacy. And so our nation has been slow to mobilize against such an unexpectedly hostile threat, so hostile that they are willing to declare utterly unnecessary wars and unleash horrors of mass destruction on free people to get their way. Their motives for such sheer aggression were once unclear, but no longer.

'A single Briton on the continent is a threat.' These famed words were delivered directly by the Francophone King of Louisiana himself. Each and every one of us: a single Briton. It is so savage it is hard to imagine such a foe, and yet we have been presented one. The horrors that we have witnessed in this war will surely pale to those after if those who see every single Briton as a threat to their survival and continued expansion have their way. We cannot allow that to pass. Indeed, a peace that cedes even a single Briton to the territory of a King that declares him a threat is no peace at all.

Britons! I call you to arms. I call you to brotherhood, to serve your kin across the Atlantic. The might of Britain shall be unleashed on our foe, or surely she shall fall. We cannot hold back now, for this war has now struck at the heart and soul of our nation. We must remember that a king who is not hesitant to declare a single Briton on the North American continent a threat is neither hesitant declare every Briton everywhere a threat for his own bloodthirsty ambitions.

Though the past years of conflict in the Americas has showed to us the brutality of the colonial nations, these words have revealed to us why it is imperative that we fight them and why we defeat them. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. But I tell you victory is possible: victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be. Today, let this be the collective endeavor of every single Briton.

[Spamage]

1875 News of the World

The Great War: Death Stalks Europe

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Death of a Titan
   Prince Xavier was a marked man. It would become evident throughout the first months of the new year that someone, or several individuals, wanted him dead. An Italian nationalist fired upon the prince in Turin on January 5th, his gun jamming. He was arrested and swiftly executed, not naming his benefactor. A woman carrying explosive devices within the prince’s staff was arrested on January 20th, professing Catholic Republican sympathies under torture. A banker from New Holland met with the Xavier regarding a loan on February 15th, pulling a pistol out of his hollowed-out ledger before being subdued by the prince’s guards. An eastern European migrant threw an explosive device when the prince was touring Genoa on March 3rd. All of these attempts took a toll on the prince, his health declining as he became despondent over his fate. Increasingly, Xavier refused to be seen in public, for fear of being shot at. Even as his men made gains in France, paranoia over what would be coming next preoccupied the prince.
   It would all be resolved on April 5th, a massive explosion destroying the residence of Xavier in the middle of the night, instantly killing the prince, twenty guards, and his servants. No human remains were uncovered in the carnage, save for Xavier’s right arm, his rings still on his fingers. The lodging was completely levelled by a gunpowder explosion, persons unknown having used the tunnel system dating back to the French siege of 1706 to transport the weapon clandestinely throughout the city.
   Xavier’s death represents the end of an era. The last surviving child of King Louis XVIII and the beloved Queen Marie Fernandina, he earned his fame early with his refusal to evacuate his holdings in Italy during the Year of Revolutions in 1837. For the next 40 years he was a titan in French politics, governing the Kingdom on behalf of his nephew from the death of his mother in 1852. The years of his reign were ones of growth and recovery, King Louis XIX demonstrating his favor towards his uncle by creating the cadet branch of Bourbon-Savoie. Still, with scandal bringing down his allies in government, Xavier could only step aside as Charlotte seized the reins of power beginning in 1859. Even as the unofficial leader of the opposition though, he attracted respect and commanded authority as the senior male of the Royal Family. Named godfather to Louis XX, his devotion to duty and the dynasty ultimately led him to ignite the War of the Regency in 1873, fed up with Charlotte’s antics at long last. With his death, a vacuum was evident in the Liberal-Conservative cause.
   Within hours of Xavier’s death, his 38-year-old son Prince Amadeus of Bourbon-Savoie declared himself as his father’s heir and claimed the regency for himself. While the rump Liberal-Conservative National Assembly declared their loyalty to Amadeus, as did the Blue Army, both institutions showed less deference to their new leader than they had his father. Among the common men, the situation was even worse. Confusion erupted in the ranks, the reason for fighting suddenly seeming more muddled. While Charlotte was absolutely detested by most, Amadeus lacked the personal appeal and charisma of his father. Could a first cousin-once removed really have more of a claim to the regency than the mother of the King? Desertions ticked up, some finding the situation increasingly hopeless. Still, though, Amadeus vowed to fight on, even as Padania itself, the supposed heartland of the Blue cause, was riven by infighting. Confidence in Amadeus’ regime would only be further shaken when it was revealed that the prince had evacuated his wife Antonia of Spain and his three children to his sister’s protection in Vienna (wife of the Habsburg Crown Prince). 

The Fight for France
   France, the onetime hegemon of Europe, would remain immersed in violence in 1875. Fighting would be particularly brutal in the north of the country, but with the employment of chemical weapons by the Whites, nasty scuffles have occurred on every front. As the year ends the Blues seem off-balance and potentially weak, while the Habsburg invasion has been forced back, events in the Rhineland forcing the Austrians to reconsider their next moves. All the same, the damage to the infrastructure, economy, and national bonds of France over the past few years have been incalculable. Famine stalks the land, particularly in the south and east of the country, which have become battlefields in the larger war.
   Seeing the west as fatally exposed to an Austrian offensive, Charlotte ordered a near abandonment of the south in a bid to protect Paris and her powerbase. 75 White divisions were relocated from the south, rushing to intercept an Austrian attempt to seize the capital in a bold spring offensive. The Habsburg forces made it as far west as Troyes on June 15th before White forces had gathered sufficient strength to bring the advance to a standstill. White defense was hampered by an attempt from the remains of Xavier’s forces in Brittany to make one more bid for Paris from the west, some of the 74 divisions being required to repel that assault.
   Once the Austrian offensive had stalled though, the Whites began a brutal counteroffensive. A noxious mix of chlorine and mustard gas was blown into the Habsburg positions, presaging an assault by the much larger white forces commencing in early July. Indeed, gas and numbers would be Charlotte’s two trump cards throughout the summer. By late July they were at Chaumont. In August, with the reignition of Rhenish chaos to the northeast, Charlotte’s men bearing down from the west, and severely outnumbered, the Austrian commanders elected on a defensive positioning, using natural barriers and entrenchment on the western front to prevent any flanking. The Moselle Line has been established, from the Swiss border arcing northeast to Colbenz and Siegen. With ample experience facing gas attacks, their effectiveness against the Habsburg Army has diminished, countermeasures being invented to alleviate the worst of results.
   Charlotte’s withdrawal of so many men from the southern front would be a boon for the ailing Blue cause. Desperate for a victory given the collapsing situation in Padania, failure to capture Paris from Brittany, and mass desertions, Amadeus and his men regained some ground in the region. Yet, the win was somewhat hollow. Most Blue soldiers seemed preoccupied by their families and situations at home, desertions continuing apace as the year reached its close. The optics of a Habsburg march on Paris, given the lack of other foreign troops in France proper, have not helped matters. Pamphlets circulated blood-libeling Austrian soldiers as drinking the blood of French children and branding the Habsburg Emperor as “The Sodomite of Salzburg”: a godless heathen who has been known to have young boys abducted so he can sodomize them and then have them discreetly murdered afterward.
 While the gain of territory is a hopeful sign that there remains some fighting spirit among the Blues, Southern France is far from Paris and Charlotte has greatly consolidated her position in the north. With supply lines to Vienna under threat, Charlotte’s ships controlling the seas, and Xavier now dead, there are concerns about the longevity of the Blue movement without aid from Austria or some other power.

War in Silesia
   Vienna’s decision to relocate the Army of Austria to the frontline was wise, the Prussian advance stalling in the late summer and even being pushed back in some places. Though the two forces were at numerical parity, and the Prussians would seek to counter the Habsburgs with chemical assaults, Oppeln was restored to Austrian control. Fighting has grown stationary, stretching from the Saxon to the Polish border in a line just south of Breslau. While the Prussians seem determined to protect Brandenburg and the homeland at all costs, the Habsburgs demand revenge and the elimination of the Prussian menace once and for all.

Padanian Civil War
   With the death of Xavier, a man beloved in Padania for his long devotion to that realm, northern Italy found itself divided. Whatever his pedigree, Amadeus of Bourbon-Savoie did not inspire the same kind of devotion as his father. The other Bourbon branches in Genoa and Modena likewise lacked a leader with charisma and popular support. These families, despite ruling over Genoa, Piedmont, and Modena for almost a whole century still remained culturally French and largely indifferent to their subjects. Xavier had been the one exception.
   The Italian pan-nationalists, who had largely been quiet since the start of the War of the Regency, finally saw their chance to strike. Thus far in the war they had nominally backed Xavier, recognizing the prince’s personal popularity as too big an obstacle to be overcome. Now, the situation was markedly different. Well supplied by the Neapolitans, all they needed was the proper moment.
   A series of riots in Genoa in May, ostensibly to protest supply shortages and poor living conditions due to the civil war, escalated until the Duke of Genoa and his family were forced to flee the city on May 22nd. The standard of Luigi II was torn down, the Padanian flag itself being desecrated. In Turin, Italian nationalists vacated the Padanian Assembly on May 30th, arguing that the body ought to dissolve itself. While the majority loyal to Amadeus refused to do so, the nationalists renounced their oath to Luigi II and declared Charles of Naples as the sovereign of Padania. Legions and garrisons all throughout the kingdom, largely resistant to orders by Amadeus to relocate to the frontlines in France proper, joined the rising. The City Council of Genoa, which established itself within hours, called on the people of Padania to throw off French shackles and unite with their Italian brethren. Thus, a new wave of violence erupted, a civil war within a civil war. Padania, loyal to Xavier, collapsed in on itself over what to do after his passing. Amadeus and his men secured Turin, brutally slaughtering a mob stirred up by nationalist sentiments, even deploying gas. The pro-Neapolitan forces won Genoa, Alba, Asti, and Marengo. To the north, exiled Italian nationalists crossed from Switzerland via the Alps and began risings in those remote regions.
   A clear class divide emerged, the poor in both urban and rural areas backing Italian nationalism, while the nobles and bourgeoise (each class with extensive ties to France for different reasons) backed the established state. The middle classes are divided, their French education clashing with lingering Italian heritage and nationalism. Still, not wanting to risk the collapse of his cause due to betrayal, Amadeus has relocated his Court to Avignon, alongside his national assembly.
   This chaos in Savoy left the Austrian frontlines a bit exposed and the Habsburg General’s staff, unwilling to allow their foes to attack from the rear, cautiously withdrew along the front in good order, allowing Neapolitan soldiers to punch north on the western half of the front, linking up with the rebel-held territories. Habsburg officers have argued it would have been imprudent to maintain the frontline with enemy rebel units active in the rear. Further to the east, fighting once more surrounded Bologna and Ravenna, Naples making slight gains along this front as well. Although the crisis in Padania has been frustrating for the Austrians, it has not instilled a sense of panic, most generals confident that, should the worst come to pass, the Po will serve as a key means of defense against any Neapolitan counter-offensive.

Dutch Revolution
   Queen Charlotte was not a woman to take kindly to betrayal. Infuriated by Dutch involvement in the Great War, and sensing a narrow window to seize naval control over the North Sea, the French fleet was deployed against the Dutch. Relying on existing naval doctrine, in addition to information gleaned from the British bombardments of North America, Charlotte’s ships brushed aside the newly completed Dutch vessels off the coast of Zeeland in May 1875. They would be joined by Prussian ships operating out of Oldenburg and Wilhelmshaven. Within days the Dutch fleet had either been put to flight (taking refuge in Norway) or sunk. The coast of the Netherlands was left vulnerable to indiscriminate bombardment moving forward. With White landing parties seizing Texel as a home base, even the Markemeer would become a French lake.
   French shelling has been extremely targeted, blasting the dikes and historic coastal defenses the Dutch have employed for centuries to keep back the tides. Newly constructed spillways and canals, constructed due to the growing field of hydrology, were not spared. Floodwaters have poured into Holland, Zeeland, and Friesland, the North Sea relentlessly reclaiming the land taken over previous centuries. Tens of thousands of acres of agricultural land have been devastated, thousands dislocated or drowned, and economic devastation taken hold. Thousands starved throughout the second half of 1875, the roads into Gelderland and North Brabant swelling with refugees fleeing to higher ground. Holland in particular has been greatly submerged, centuries-old dikes falling prey to modern weaponry. Though not an invasion by land, as the Dutch have already experienced thrice within the past century and a half, the French bombardment may have been something even more devastating.
    Nor would the cities be spared. The Hague, Leiden, Haarlem, and Amsterdam itself proving tempting targets for French guns. Thousands of Dutch refugees, fleeing the damage in the countryside, had crowded the streets of the urban areas, the roads westward either flooding or filled with other civilians. Thus, the French and Prussian shells fell upon crowded urban areas, inflicting tremendous damage. The Dutch fighting spirit began to rapidly evaporate, the misery compounding as Amsterdam itself saw its dikes and water defenses damaged, floodwaters slowly creeping into the city. Evacuation from these wretched cities looked borderline impossible. Civilian vessels attempting to flee were shelled. Misery was the order of the day.
   King William IV himself was killed on July 8th, 1875 when one of the shells struck the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. William IV had refused to evacuate, his death throwing the Dutch government into chaos. Ostensibly his heir would be his 12-year-old son William-Frederick, but the question of the regency remained open. The new king’s mother, Princess Elena of Prussia, was a nonstarter given her brother’s role in the suffering of the Dutch people. Thus, Carolina of Scandinavia, the child’s paternal grandmother, was named regent. One of her first acts was to ferry the young king out of Amsterdam under the cover of darkness, King William IV having not yet even been buried.
   The food supply had already been precarious. With the loss of so much farmland and mass dislocations, famine began to spread throughout the Low Countries. While supplies from occupied Flanders would be redirected northwards, it was insufficient. Access to seafood or resupply over the water, were obviously limited, given the presence of the enemy. Thus, matters began to rapidly evolve, hungry people no longer willing to abide by the status quo. With the government possessing little in the way of legitimacy, and the people hungry, it only took weeks for things to spiral out of control.
   Rumors of hoarding in Arnhem caused consternation among the starving masses in September 1875 as it became clear the harvest had been utterly insufficient and a hard winter was in store. There was a secondary dimension to this, many of the Calvinist refugees resenting the Catholics of Arnhem and the other inland provinces that had been spared the worst. As for the hoarding, stories spread that food was being sent to the Dutch Army rather than the starving people in the Netherlands,. It was not a wholly untrue suspicion, though the degree was overstated. A mob of refugee mothers flooded the Arnhem city center and demanded an increase in rations, which had been cut to 500 calories a day. Dispersed by the police, the next day saw an even greater mob, demands growing even more strident.
   Calls were made to end the war, further limit the powers of the monarchy, and for the government to immediately seize the harvest from private farmers. On September 16th similar risings erupted among the refugees in Zwolle, followed even then by disturbances throughout the south in the recently conquered Breda and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. People’s anger was not helped by news that Dutch allies had employed chemical weapons against civilians. The growing Dutch socialist movement, sensing an opportunity, joined the cause. Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis, a former pastor turned Marxist atheist, led calls for the people to rise up and seize their destiny. Only through direct action could the establishment be pressured into granting concessions. Nieuwenhuis lambasted the monarchy as sympathetic to Prussia, even in face of the recent assault, attacking Queen Mother Elena with great vehemence. Socialist-backed strikes erupted in the factories, workers demanding pay raises to meet the rising costs of food.
   As regent, Queen Dowager Carolina of Scandinavia refused to yield. 73-years-old and a member of the Dutch royal family for more than 40 years, she believed that the Dutch people would never resort to such radical moves. Besides, on the military front, the Dutch had not done half bad in 1875. With Charlotte throwing the kitchen sink at the Habsburgs and Xavier’s northern forces, the Dutch Army had been able to advance as far south as Brussels, liberating most of the Flemish areas so long coveted by the Netherlands. Indeed, in her view, it seemed that a bunch of radical ideologues were seeking to undermine Dutch goals on the cusp of victory. Still, the fact that the new King was a nephew to the Prussian king did no favors for royal popularity.
   She was blind to the true suffering of the people however, ensconced as she was with the rest of the royal family in the safety of Nijmegen. Several divisions sent to restore order to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Gelderland and North Brabant did seek to crack down on the protests. Dutch soldiers opened fire on what the government termed “seditionists and traitors” in Zutphen. Yet, the dead from this instance were hailed as martyrs and the soldiers, often seeing people of their same social class dislocated and starving, didn’t have the heart to keep up the pressure. Matters came to a head on October 2nd, 1875 when several divisions in Arnhem turned on the high command, to the applause of the crowd. From there, what had been a trickle of defection became a flood. Nieuwenhuis and the socialists declared a new Dutch Republic, one based on socialist principles, to thunderous applause on October 7th. In his announcement, he called for a just peace, redistribution of food to the needy, and the end of the old order. Proclaiming the Dutch Revolution, he has argued that elections must be suspended until the nation can be made ready for the return of proper democracy. In the battered provinces of Holland, Friesland, and Zeeland, the rebel flag was waved instantly, the people desperate for any sort of relief from bombardment. When Queen Carolina was advised by her generals that they could no longer guarantee the personal safety of the King, given the clearly mixed loyalty of the troops, she saw the writing on the wall. With the Rhineland aflame, France still hostile, the Dutch people up in arms, the only place to flee would be to Scandinavia via occupied Prussia. Although young King William-Frederick would not formally abdicate, the Dutch royal family fled the nation on October 16th, 1875, followed by many ministers, generals, and elites.
   The army would have a mixed reaction the events back home. While most soldiers sided with the Dutch Revolution, having received mortifying letters of dislocation and famine from their relatives, the generals were more suspicious. Still, as the soldiers began to refuse to engage in offensive operations, began organizing soldier’s unions, and actively defied orders, most officers meekly submitted. For the people, the Dutch Revolution has not alleviated the rough winter. Tens of thousands have starved, even as the socialist government promised relief. While food stores have been raided and reallocated, much to the consternation of the farmers and merchants, it has proven insufficient.
   The declaration of the Dutch Republic is a watershed moment in Europe. Socialism, so recently first included in the government of Queen Charlotte, has utterly taken control over its first European state. Given the dire situation in much of the continent, there are fears it could spread. Already left-wing newspapers in Naples, Vienna, Stockholm, and Paris have been seen hailing the “bravery” of Niewenhuis and his new government. Karl Marx, a political philosopher in London and inspiration for the Dutch Republic, was been effusive in his praise, calling it the first sign of the Proletariat Rising. 

[Spamage]

Scandinavian Invasion of Prussia
   Scandinavian commanders would keep up the pressure on the Prussians in the latter half of the year. With the Prussian Army of Oldenburg retreating into the Holy Roman Empire, the Army of Bremen was able to make great gains across the west. Indeed, the Prussians largely left Hanover and Brunswick to their fate, the government focusing on defending Brandenburg proper. Thus, the continued push down the Elbe of the Armies of Jutland and Schleswig went largely unchallenged, those forces turning west to occupy more of the region.
   The siege of Hamburg would be a black mark on Scandinavia. The Prussians were determined to die for their king, refusing to yield even after the degree of Scandinavian success in North Germany became evident. Frustrated with continued resistance, and seeing a potential means of breaking German stubbornness, General Max Müller ordered the use of poison gas on the besieged city. This occurred on September 10th, 1875, the first indiscriminate use of poison gas in Europe on civilians. Thousands of innocents were killed in the bombardments over the next few days, soldiers alongside numerous innocents in the wrong place at the wrong time. The awful weapon did the trick though, the resistance beginning to stutter, the last pockets being beaten by September 24th. Scandinavia’s actions would be widely condemned among neutral powers (Saxony, Switzerland, and Poland in particular), while even the Austrians would privately express distaste for the move. In Prussia, meanwhile, Frederick IV and his cadre of followers used it as evidence that Queen Catherine II and her bloodthirsty Vikings would stop at nothing in their pillaging of Germany.
   Indeed, the atrocity at Hamburg would embolden the growing resistance to Scandinavian occupation. Northern Germany’s geography was less than ideal for any sort of active insurgency. Instead, loyalists to Berlin would engage in subterfuge. General Muller, for his role in the use of gas in Hamburg, was murdered on November 20th in Lubeck. Prussians behind enemy lines have destroyed bridges and overturned railway tracks in a bid to hamper the occupation. In cities, soldiers have been murdered by prostitutes, food has been poisoned, and snipers using the anonymity of the crowd to often escape capture. This, naturally, has infuriated the Scandinavians, who have been less than generous with the locals as a response, using brutality, terror, and threats of chemical weapons to enforce compliance. In short, the war in Prussia is a wretched affair for defender and attacker alike.

The Baltic Offensive
   Whatever the losses it had incurred in the west, the Prussians were determined to bring the fight to the Scandinavians as well. Despite all of the clashes going on in Hanover and the west, the Baltic states remained vulnerable and lightly defended. A region already prone to separatism, as evidenced by the election of nationalists to the Riksdag, Frederick IV saw opportunity there, ordering 5 divisions from the former Army of Pomerania into Lithuania. The Prussians faced little resistance from the locals, who were upset with Stockholm over recruitment drives. Meanwhile the established Baltic German nobility were positively enraptured, rising up in favor of their Prussian brethren. Riga fell on July 20th, traitors within the walls betraying the city. Prussian operations would conclude for the year with the fall of Dorpat on September 20th, the Scandinavians having been evicted from all of the Baltic states save for Estonia. 
   In October 1875 King Frederick IV declared the establishment of the autonomous duchies of Lithuania, Courland, and Livonia. Though the titles have been left deliberately vacant until the war is concluded, this blatant bid to curry favor with the Balts has seen some success, volunteers from the various national groups joining the occupiers to fight against Stockholm. Though many have naturally remained wary of the institution of Prussian authoritarianism, especially given years under the democratic Scandinavian system, thus far the occupiers have demonstrated a light touch.

War on the Rhine
   The Holy Roman Empire may have been at peace for a quarter century, but the people had not forgotten. The Rhineland, where King William of Wurttemberg and his men had struggled to forge a third path for the German people, nursed nostalgia its brief moment in the sun. Though the revolutionary Kingdom of the Rhine had collapsed to a Habsburg offensive in 1849, the memories remained. In the aftermath of that war, during the Great Remediatization of the Empire in 1849, Emperor Francis II had completely neutered any opposition to Habsburg control among the political class, establishing a loyal cadre of minor knights, nobles and free cities by dividing much of the Empire into microstates. The bond between the Emperor and the Imperial smallholders was reaffirmed as recently as 1873, when Vienna bailed out the bankrupt princes and stabilized the economic situation of the elites.
   The common people did not necessarily the same, however. While the past 40 years had brought great advances to the once ruined Rhineland, the region beginning to teem once more with industry and economic growth, politically, it was left as a minor backwater. The Rhineland held none of the Six Major Principalities (Palatinate, Hesse, Ansbach, Bayreuth, Wurzburg, and Baden). Instead, any representation in the still autocratic Holy Roman Empire occurred on the local level, through minor princes and knights who were largely absent in the day-to-day governance of their holdings, the allure of Vienna and Imperial glory leading many to treat their territories like distant rental properties. Even so, under normal circumstances most people were content with the status-quo, not seeing active opposition as worth it in the long run. 1875 was not normal circumstances. France was aflame, the economy in shambles, and the old order under threat. Thus, with the Prussian advance into the region, there was ample tinder for unrest.
   28 divisions from the Prussian Army of Oldenburg, seeing they were soon to be cut off, embarked on a bold strike south into the Holy Roman Empire in the second half of 1875. While this allowed for the Scandinavians to overrun much of what remained of Hanover, it kept the Prussian forces from being surrounded and eliminated. Charlotte, meanwhile, ordered Charles of Wurttemberg to be smuggled into the region. Charles, the son and heir of the late exiled King William of the Rhine who had so valiantly fought against the Austrians, was to be a legitimizing source. He proclaimed the rebirth of his father’s revolution and vowed that the Rhenish people would stand tall once more.
   Since the Remediatization of 1849, the Holy Roman Empire had been largely left demilitarized, only the Six Major Principalities possessing any sort of small defense force. Needless to say, the smallholdings could do little in the face of 300,000 Prussian soldiers pouring into the region. Of the few knights and minor princes present in their own holdings, most fled to the relative safety of Munich or Vienna. Recklinghausen and Dusseldorf fell in September, Cologne falling to the Prussian troops in early October, where Charles was crowned King Charles of the Rhine on October 7th, 1875 in the cathedral. As the Prussians occupied the region, frustrated locals lashed out against the nobles and imperial bureaucracy. Manors and country estates, often abandoned in haste, were looted. Young men, eager to win glory for themselves and their homeland, joined the ranks of the skeletal Army of the Rhineland.
   Although the new Rhenish rebellion caused alarm in Vienna and along the French front, no wave of popular unrest like in 1836 has been observed further east or south as of yet. Wurttemberg, the ancestral home of King Charles of the Rhine, remains stable. Furthermore, though the Rhenish rising will likely be a headache for the Austrians, the success of the Scandinavians in Hanover has at least ensured that the French and Prussians have largely been cut off from each other. The Six Major Principalities and Imperial officials have all condemned the invasion of the Rhineland and treason by those joining the Prussians, but have proven largely powerless to do anything about it themselves, especially with the situation in the Netherlands now making many of these rulers suspicious of their own soldiers.

Great Turkish War: An Empire on the Brink

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

   Seeing weakness, the various foes of the Ottoman Empire pounced. From Tangiers to Tiflis, the Ottoman Empire would be placed on the defense, attempting to salvage a desperate situation as enemy soldiers poured across the border. By the end of the year, despite successes in Africa, the Ottomans have been utterly routed in the Balkans and Anatolia, pent-up political chaos erupting to topple the established government. Sultan Murad is dead. Istanbul, Mecca, and Jerusalem are lost. Traitors have risen within the borders.

Balkan War
   Though the Balkan Princes had all launched operations with their newly-created military forces, it was obvious to most observers that the theater would only truly be decided by the number of men and weapons Istanbul and Moscow were willing to devote to the front. Tremendous resources were expended by both sides. With the Battle of Novi Pazar in the west, the Ottomans would find themselves confined to Albania while the sheer weight of allied numbers, coupled with flagging Turkish morale, would see Istanbul itself under threat in the late summer.
   The Turks opened the campaign with three aggressive assaults, aiming to knock out Bulgaria and Serbia before Russia could provide suitable aid. The Bulgarians in particular fell victim to a punishing assault, their meager forces collapsing and the Ottomans making substantial gains in the western half of that realm, where there was a substantial Turkish population. King William Henry of Bulgaria fell into Ottoman captivity following the brief Battle of Haskovo, paralyzing his infant government as his ministers fled towards the Danube. Due to his capture, Bulgaria’s contribution to the latter phase of the 1875 campaign would be quite limited.
   Yet, the closer the Ottomans got to the Danube, the more difficult the advance got. More than 70 Russian divisions were mobilized, transiting across Romania with the permission of that government and entering the frontlines on the side of the Bulgarians. By June the situation began to turn. The combined Russo-Bulgarian Army retook Shumen in late June. Burgas fell by July, the Ottoman situation becoming increasingly perilous. Determined to defend Istanbul at all costs, the Ottomans organized a defensive line stretching from Feret to Vasiliko, attempting to keep Istanbul out of the hands of the Russians. It was clearly Suvorin’s target, demonstrated when an attempted naval assault by the Russians against the city was halted by the Ottoman Black Sea fleet. Yet, the need to relocate men to protect the Turkish heartland increasingly weakened the frontlines.
   Further to the west, a secondary Ottoman operation was launched against Greece and Serbia, but it was evident from the outset that the Turks had underestimated the size of the enemy forces, which would soon be bolstered further by 30 Russian divisions. The Greeks held back an initial Ottoman assault, but found themselves too weak to launch any sort of counteroffensive. Instead, the government of King Constantine I was forced to make due with the capture of numerous Aegean islands, the Greek locals either rising up or being liberated in large part due to the deterring presence of the Scandinavian fleet.
   The Serbs were almost caught unawares as well, having devoted ample resources to Bosnia instead of their south. They were saved solely by the arrival of the Russians. At the brutal Battle of Novi Pazar, the Ottoman invasion of Serbian territory was reversed and then some. King Maximilian was aided by tacit support from most Austrians, who desired to see the Habsburg secure his realm. Though unsanctioned by the Austrian government, several dozen retired Habsburg generals and soldiers have made their way to Belgrade to advise the new king. With the Ottomans on the retreat after Novi Pazar, Montenegro and Kosovo fell into Serbian hands.
   In Bosnia, the Illyrians focused their efforts of freeing the predominantly Catholic regions, while the Serbs likewise sought to free their Orthodox brethren. The Muslim Bosnians, well-aware that the collapse of Ottoman influence could pose a grave threat, have not stood idly by, arming themselves and repelling several attempts at Sarajevo. Though they carry the banner of the Sultan, these Bosnian soldiers have demanded a far greater role in the Ottoman state moving forward, should the Christian upstarts be chastened.

Iranian Invasion and the Caucuses
   When Sultan Murad ordered the assault on Neapolitan and Prussian positions in North Africa, he had been unaware that Iran and Prussia had signed a defensive pact the year prior, obliging either side to come to the aid of the other if attacked. Bound by his agreement, and determined to finish the Ottoman Sultanate once and for all, Naser al-Din Shah declared war. The Turks were caught totally unprepared as a massive threat emerged from their east, that front utterly exposed. Disaster after disaster would strike the Ottomans as the Qajars poured into Anatolia and the Levant. While Ottoman reinforcements from the Balkans would slow their advance, it would not be enough to offset Iranian gains.
   The Iranian invasion coincided with an aggressive Russian push into Georgia. 40 divisions of Suvorin’s men crossed the border into Caucasia, facing 20 entrenched Ottomans. The locals were hesitant to aid Russia, given the perceived betrayal, but hostility towards the Turks was more than evident. Defeated by the Russians at the Battle of Abasha, the Ottomans intended to wage a fierce resistance in the mountains. Indeed, they initially inflicted heavy casualties upon the far more numerous Russians before local opposition became too strong to endure. Fearing the collapse of Anatolia and being cut off from the capital, the Ottoman commanders in Georgia had not choice but to withdraw by early summer. They would attempt unsuccessfully to slow the Iranian gains in Anatolia over the remainder of the year.
   The coup de gras for Sultan Murad’s regime came when 30 Iranian divisions struck towards Ankara. The Turkish heartland of the empire, such an essential pillar of stability for the Ottoman state for the past four centuries, was helpless in the face of the enemy advance. Sivas fell after a brief siege in June, Adana and Kayseri falling in July. Ankara itself held out until the end of August. Despite a valiant effort by what was left of the Army of Georgia and scraped together emergency recruits, the Iranians could simply not be stopped. While the city was not a major one, its fall was symbolic of the utter collapse of the Ottoman position in Anatolia. How could the war be won when the heartland of the empire was in enemy hands? Even more disastrous was the fact that many Turkish forces now found themselves cut off from their allies.

Arabia and the Levant
   The second and third directions of the Iranian invasion would be into the Levant and Arabia. When news arrived that the Qajars had declared war on the Ottomans once more, both the Alawites in Syria and the Arabs of Jabbal Shammar declared their independence from Sultan Murad V and aided an aggressive Iranian incursion. 30 divisions pushed from eastern Syria at Deir al-zour into the largely undermanned Levant. The Syrian Arabs, already having been skeptical of Ottoman control, did nothing to slow the enemy advance. Aleppo and Homs fell in the early spring. Damascus, the historic center of the Umayyad Caliphate was taken by the Iranians on May 30th. From there they pressed unopposed into Palestine. At this point, with news of Arab revolts in the peninsula and the perilous position of Mecca and Medina, Arab risings occurred here as well. Promised independence and autonomy by none other than the distant French Queen Charlotte, thousands rose in the Holy Land, ejecting the Ottoman garrisons in advance of the Iranian invasion. Jerusalem raised the flag of rebellion by July 5th, its capture by enemies of the Sultan igniting doubts of Murad’s authority as Caliph. Although there are now numerous different Arab factions at arms, it is unclear whether a unified Arab state will be assembled in the region or if factionalism will cause them to keep one another at arm’s length.
   In Arabia itself, the Iranians aimed for Riyadh, aided by their Rashidi allies from the north. Local garrisons proved unable to defend the desert city, it falling to the Iranians on June 10th. The success of the Shi’ites, especially with the aid of the Rashidi dynasty, was too much for the Saudis in the south to bear. Emir Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud of Nejd saw an opening. Declaring the independence of his people from Ottoman rule, the power of the Empire seeming remote, he called the Sunni Wahhabis to arms in order to expel the heretics. The Arab tribes answered his call, some even defecting from the Rashidi’s in the north, and a concerted campaign against Iranian rule throughout the central Arabian desert has erupted. Even so, it would not be enough to prevent fateful events in Hejaz.
   Mecca and Medina, two of the holiest cities in Islam, were in Iranian sights. While two armies plunged into the Arab peninsula from El-Hasa, a third crossed the desert with great haste, aiming from those two sacred cities. Given careful orders not to cause damage, the Iranians found the sites defended only by local Hashemite troops. While the Sharif of Mecca put up an admirable fight, taking hundreds of Iranians down in his defense of the holy city, it was clear he was outmatched. The Hashemites have been forced from Mecca, fleeing to the north where they too have raised the banner of rebellion, calling on the Arabs to oppose both the Iranians and the Ottomans and seize their own destiny. Indeed, the fall of Mecca on October 12th, coming just days after the Russians had seized Istanbul, was seen as the death knell for Ottoman claims to the caliphate.

Egypt and North Africa
   Despite the disasters befalling the north, Africa would be a bright spot for the Ottoman Empire in 1875. With 20 Ottoman divisions remaining in Morrocco, the Prussians were forced to surrender, Governor Von Bismarck himself falling into Ottoman custody on June 11th. With the northern part of the region secured, the Ottomans turned south. At the Battle of Marrakesh on August 3rd the Moroccan Sultan and the best of his men fell to a Turkish assault, that city and the nationalist cause collapsing shortly thereafter. Even as worrisome stories reached the Moroccan Army from other fronts, General Abdülkerim Nadir Pasha could look with satisfaction on his gains and the elimination of both the Prussian and Moroccan nationalist threats. A loyalist to Murad V, when word reached Abdülkerim Nadir of the September Revolution, he would declare himself and his men for the old regime and the captured Sultan Mehmed V.
   In Egypt, the rebellion was on its last legs in 1875. With a concerted push, promises of pardons, and a lack of rebel supplies, King Ahmed I was forced to flee across the border into Scandinavian Sudan on August 2nd, 1875 as the last organized forces of the Egyptian rebels collapsed following defeat at the Battle of Esna. Even as the rest of the Ottoman lands fell to external threats, Egypt had been at long last subdued. Yet, given the instability of the Empire as a whole, and the fact that King Ahmed remains at large, the prospect of continued upheaval in the country does remain a very real possibility.

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September Revolution and Collapse
   When word reached Istanbul of the fall of Ankara, which symbolized the loss of much of the Turkish heartland, the generals at long last stepped in. With Anatolia looking lost, the Russians in total control of Georgia, the Indian Army in mutiny, and the Balkan situation seemingly dire, the situation demanded action. Sultan Murad V was found strangled by some sort of wire in his chambers on the morning of September 14th, a struggle having evidently taken place. No culprit was found. Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin, the Murad V’s 14-year-old son, was declared as Sultan Mehmed V by the palace officials within the day.   
   Yet, a cabal of generals led by Süleyman Hüsnü Pasha, challenged the succession, declaring themselves the Executive Regency Council. In addition to the support of the military, this reformist coup was backed by much of the remaining Ottoman civil society. Murad V’s moves had just alienated too many people. Young Sultan Mehmed V was placed under house arrest in Istanbul on September 18th. The new government declared a desire for peace, promised a constitution within the year, and released those imprisoned for sedition against the previous sultan. Any remaining vigor in the Ottoman war effort deflated, most people resigning themselves to defeat. Meanwhile, Algiers declared the new government illegitimate and renounced its status as nominal vassal to the Sultan, seeing it as a convenient way to exit the war.
 Sultan Murad V had been a man with vision and ambition, as had been evidenced the prior year by his involvement in North Africa and India. Yet, this boldness had left the realm vulnerable, allowing the Iranians and Russians to pounce on his overextended state. The Ottoman Empire had been placed in an unenviable position during his rule, all because of matters outside of his control. Machinations of the Russians, Scandinavian betrayal, and western indifference had combined to leave the Empire vulnerable and isolated. The concessions forced upon Murad V at the Treaty of Warsaw only had served to embolden the Ottoman Empire’s foes, who had wasted no time in following up their aggression once the guarantors (Austria and France) were distracted by developments elsewhere. With his death the Ottoman Empire sits on life support, prostrated before its enemies.
   The Russians achieved their long-desired breakthrough on the Balkan front on October 5th in the immediate aftermath of Murad’s death, Turkish will to fight flagging severely with the losses in Anatolia and disorder in Istanbul. A concerted push under the orders of Russian Field Marshal Dmitry Alekseyevich Milyutin at last seized the hollowed-out shell of Kirklareli. The months-old stationary front became mobile again in a matter of hours. Within hours it was clear Istanbul would fall. A chaotic mood took hold of the city, Süleyman Hüsnü Pasha ordering the government to reconvene in Smyrna. In fits of rage, Turkish mobs roamed the streets, slaughtering the Greek minority in droves as traitors, the Patriarch himself falling victim to the violence. The Russians reached the outskirts of Istanbul on October 8th, fighting commencing in the streets as nationalists sought to slow the advance by any means. Young Sultan Mehmed V was lost in the chaos, falling into Russian hands alongside the city as he made a bid to escape his captivity. King Willliam Henry of Bulgaria, meanwhile, was relocated to Smyrna. After two days of a cautious advance, Istanbul fell to Russian men it totality on October 10th.
   422 years after Sultan Mehmed II had won the city from the Byzantines, inaugurating an Ottoman golden age, the Fall of Constantinople had been avenged. In a deliberate move, one humiliating the largely Islamic Turkish onlookers, the first act of the occupiers was to hold a service of Thanksgiving in the Hagia Sophia. Russian propagandists have had a field day with the fall of Constantinople, some proclaiming Alexei Suvorin is the prophesized return of Emperor Constantine XI. Any concerns about the Third Great Eastern War in Russia proper have evaporated, the sheer glory of retaking Istanbul leading to a wave of nationalist and Orthodox fervor. Milyutin too has been praised, some openly wondering if he could potentially be a major Russian political figure moving forward.
    Beyond the symbolic importance, the fall of Istanbul to the Russians presents a major geopolitical development, Russia having largely taken control of the Straights of Dardanelles and guaranteed itself access to the Mediterranean. What would have undoubtedly caused great consternation in Europe before, and perhaps could again at some time in the future, passed with barely a notice, the upheaval throughout the world overshadowing this major occurrence.
   

A New Spain

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

   On June 10th, 1875 Ramon Nouvilas declared the establishment of the Spanish Union. Here the Catholic Republican leader was able to wed his Catalan nationalism to the larger ideology for which he had fought. The historic Kingdom of Spain has been divided into a series of autonomous realms within a larger union. A central government, headed by Nouvilas a President of Spain, leads the nation from Barcelona, until a permanent capitol can be decided. Many have questioned whether it is worth rebuilding Madrid, that bastion of liberal sentiment and ill-located former royal capital.
   Nouvilas establish a bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Deputies and the Cortes. Neither body would have elections. The House of Deputies consists of men appointed by the President, while the Cortes consists of 21 priests and bishops chosen by the respective regional governments (3 apiece). The presidency, Nouvilas’ role, has been given extensive powers. In addition to a lifetime appointment, the role has unlimited veto power, the ability to name judges, sole control over the military and diplomacy, as well as the right to fill clerical vacancies. Looking forward, Nouvilas has declared that the Cortes will elect his successor should he die or retire.
   Regional governments (dubbed republics) have been established, each headed by an archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church, or bishop where no suitable archbishopric exists. The republics and their respective bishop are as follows: Catalonia (Barcelona), Aragon (Zaragoza), Navarre (Pamplona), Galicia (Santiago de Compostela), Andalusia (Cordoba), Castile-Leon (Burgos), and New Castile (Toledo).
   The first actions of the new government have been radical. Land reform has been declared, the largely liberal and royalist bourgeoise and magnates having their holdings confiscated and handed to the poor or regional powerbrokers. Nouvilas has declared mandatory conscription, bolstering the potential number of men to be called to arms. Emigres have been stripped of their citizenship and forbidden from returning to Spain. Education reform has seen greater involvement of the Church in education, curriculum for a new national school system mandating republican values and anti-noble sentiment. Trade unions have been permitted, another jab at the economic elites.
   Diplomatically, in a bid to restore peace as fast as possible, the Treaty of Valencia was signed with Naples, recognizing the loss of Sardinia and Corsica in exchange for the return of the Balaeric Islands. The Austrians at Gibraltar have been placed under a nominal siege, though the government shows little appetite for continued engagement against Vienna. Still, with little in the way of naval resupply, the Austrian situation has grown increasingly desperate. Andorra, the tiny state in the Pyrenees, has been declared an integral part of the Catalan Republic and annexed into the Spanish Union.

The War in India

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

   The invaders would make continued progress in India during 1875, though the situation has changed markedly over the course of the year. Orders deemed suicidal from Istanbul have led to dissent in the Ottoman ranks, Mysore continues to grow largely unchallenged, and the Durrani have secured a significant propaganda victory with the fall of Delhi, even if it came at a major cost of manpower.

Turkish Mutiny
   India had proven to be a bright spot for the Ottoman government in 1874, this would not be the case in the following year. Matters came to a head early, Istanbul ordering 40 of the divisions that it had sent into India to march north, through the Durrani Empire and launch a strike at Russia from Central Asia. While the idea had merit in that it could potentially lead to a general Islamic rising among the Turkic groups, it was utterly impractical and local commanders rejected it out of hand. With the Suez shut, and the Scandinavians closing the Red Sea to Ottoman shipping, supply would be borderline impossible. Weapons would have to be shipped overland from Anatolia through the Levant to Yemen, where they would be embarked for Gujarat, unloaded, and then sent via the Hindu Kush into the Central Asian desert. Even supplying such a force via India proper would be difficult. This did not even take into consideration the fact that the Durrani Empire had not been consulted, lacked suitable infrastructure to transport so many men, and Central Asia was one of Russia’s most sparsely populated regions. In short, it was deemed madness by most observers.
   Major-General Osman Nuri Pasha, the head of the Ottoman Army of India, had been somewhat skeptical of the decision to invade India in the first place. The new orders to assault Central Asia, especially with communication and supply lines with Turkey utterly shattered, were impossible to follow. With news of the increasing chaos befalling the homeland, Osman declared that he would be disobeying the sultan’s ordered in India and would continue to fight alongside the Durrani until such time as a clear way home became evident. In a passionate speech, one where he professed loyalty to the Ottoman Empire proper at the same time stating he would ignore the sultan’s orders, he won the backing of his men. Few had appetite to die on the fields of Central Asia, whatever the ancestral connection that region held for most Turks, especially when plunder and riches remained ripe for the taking in India. There would be no Central Asian campaign.
   The Turkish Mutineers, dubbing themselves the Legions of Ap Arslan, would aid the Durrani in their struggle over the coming months, proving crucial in the Battle of Bundi. Still, with the authority of Sultan Murad no longer holding sway, the mutineers would begin to live off the land, increasing the misery of the Indian people who now found themselves at the mercy of the rogue Turkish force. Promises on Indian liberation, still shouted by the Turkish commanders, would begin to ring increasingly hollow. Likewise, discipline among the Turks seems to be on the wane as well, even the fairly lax Durrani growing alarmed by the declining order in the Legions of Ap Arslan in the latter half of the year.

War in the South
   Mysore would continue its struggle in southern India throughout 1875. With the French colonial forces focusing on the Durrani threat in the north, the 40 divisions under Ghulam Sultan had free reign in the south. His men conquered Pondicherry and Madurai, erasing the French presence in the south. Indeed, by the end of 1875 most of the land once held by the old Sultanate of Mysore would be back in Ghulam Sultan’s hands. Boasting of his recognition by the Durrani and the Portuguese, Ghulam Sultan has proclaimed a new era in Southern India, vowing to never let colonial oppression be restored against his subjects.
   Still, colonial forces under the command of Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot in the Army of Orissa engaged 20 Mysorean divisions sent northwest at the Battle of Machilipatnam. Here the inexperienced Mysorean soldiers were no match for the better trained and prepared French soldiers. The 24 division French force showed that colonial soldiers remain a force to be reckoned with, pushing Mysore’s forces back across the Krishna River with heavy casualties. Though many concede without further aid the situation in the south looks hopeless, Ducrot and his men have proven that, whatever the strains of war, the French colonial divisions stand ready and disciplined.

Battle of Bundi and Fall of Delhi
   The primary site of military operations in India for 1875 would be the north. Under the advice of Paris, the French would shift most of their resources against the Durrani, launching a major counteroffensive early in the year with most of the divisions in Northern India. Objectives would be twofold: relief of the siege of Jodhpur and the defense of Delhi. Initial results were promising, the northern Durrani forces being repelled from Delhi at the Battle of Hansi, demonstrating that they were not the invincible foes some had feared.
   Yet, disaster would strike in the south, the Turkish Mutineers rushing northwards after the French had marched on Jodhpur. Finding themselves caught between foes that outnumbered them and their supply lines disrupted, the French retreated eastwards, losing organization in the process. When they met the enemy at the Battle of Bundi, the Ottoman-Durrani forces utterly routed them, forcing the army to split in a chaotic retreat, some men fleeing south towards the central provinces, others heading northeast towards Agra. It was evidently a combination of Ottoman weaponry and Durrani fierceness that broke the French-Indian brigades, many throwing down their weapons and fleeing. When word reached besieged Jodhpur that no aid would be coming, the local garrison at last surrendered to the Durrani, yet more territory falling to the Afghans.
   With the loss of Bundi, most of Rajastan was under the control of the invaders. The French colonial government in Delhi recognized the direness of the situation, that city now vulnerable to being surrounded and cut off from the rest of the country. Louis Henri de Gueydon, the Governor of India, ordered his administration to relocate to Calcutta, in the largely pacified west. Indeed, a chaotic retreat from Delhi occurred in August 1875, the city being left to fend for itself. The French colonial government instead has focused on establishing a defensive line from Indore to Guna, Gwalior, and Agra aimed at preventing the Durrani from entering the heart of India.
   The Durrani occupation of Delhi was a solemn affair. The last time the Afghans had entered the city in the 1750s, they had looted it. Indeed, many of the civilians, especially the Hindus and Jains, waited with dread for the approaching host. Yet, the occupation would prove anticlimactic. Determined not to rile up opposition, Abdul Samad Khan himself entered the city, promising it would be spared. Delhi, the old capitol of the Mughal Empire and a tremendous symbol, has been occupied by the Durrani, the French being evicted for the first time since they occupied the city more than a century ago.
   Besides relocating from Delhi, Governor Louis Henri de Gueydon would make a second important decision in 1875. Upon hearing of the death of Xavier and continued developments in the Great War, he formally recognized Charlotte as the regent of France. To his men Gueydon stated that, whatever the radical nature of her government, Charlotte represented France’s best hope of retaining its Indian colony. Thus, the colonial forces of France have thrown in their lot with the Whites. Although distance and a lack of clear communication means that Gueydon and not Charlotte will continue to oversee the situation in India and the East for the time being, Charlotte’s hand has undoubtedly been strengthened by the winning over of colonial officials. Between this and the Prussian presence in the Cape Colony, the Habsburg and Scandinavian colonies in the Far East have never looked so vulnerable.

North American Carnage

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

   War in North America has continued. While the Allies have closed much of the west to British control, the Anglo-American forces have achieved substantial breakthroughs in the north and south, elongating their position along the Atlantic coast, while using the Appalachian Mountains as a defensive line. War has at last erupted on the water, Quebec and New England able to liberate their fleets from the blockade, even as Louisianan and Mexican efforts have been frustrated. Still, Quebec would not be immune from tragedy, Henry II falling victim to the bullet of a disgruntled American. With Liberia revolting, the first crack in any of the combatants, there are growing concerns the unrest may spread to other powers.

Northern Front
   The entrenched war on the Ohio River would become mobile once more in 1875, a Quebecois maneuver to redeploy men around Lake Erie to attack British positions from Upstate New York breaking the stalemate. Indeed, western Pennsylvania became increasingly vulnerable, matters not helped when Louisianan soldiers pushed across the Ohio River (albeit taking heavy casualties) and into Virginia. The aim of the Allies was to see the British forces trapped on the western side of the Appalachians and eliminate them, but the move was obvious to British high command. With reinforcements from Britain proper (half of those sent across the Atlantic) being directed to this front, the British had the numbers to ensure an orderly withdrawal. Though fighting would be fierce, Quebec deploying its first capsules of mustard gas and being met with British toxic gas attacks in reply. By the end of the year the Quebecois forces achieved their aim of uniting their two fronts, the British being pushed east and out of Pittsburg. Still, it was not the front-breaking victory that had been sought.
   Indeed, the British themselves would engage in a counteroffensive in mid-1875. Though the initial intent was to relieve the siege of New York City, after the Battle of New York the goal instead shifted to the recapture of occupied territory. Indeed, the Allied Quebecois-New Englander forces found themselves on the receiving end of a brutal onslaught, the British out for revenge. Two could play at the use of toxic gas, Quebecois soldiers finding themselves on the receiving end of their own technology. The push north would be swift and brutal, most of New Jersey and northern Pennsylvania changing hands. With the rapid gains of the British counteroffensive, New York City looks like it could easily fall back into British hands in 1876, potentially even leading the way to operations inside New England. Still, that city’s value has undoubtedly diminished, the devastating battle seeing to that.

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Southern War
   Louisiana opened the campaign early, sending 10 divisions alongside the 7 of the Mexican Expeditionary Force in a campaign to dislodge the British from Knoxville. The entrenched British positions proved stubborn, beating back several attempts to take the city throughout the early spring. Still, Henry-Philippe had insisted that the city be taken. Thus, the previously unthinkable was agreed upon: chemical weapons would be used against the British positions, even though numerous civilians were in the proximity. The results were as terrible as feared, the clouds of death unleashing horror and chaos among the common people as the British held out for several weeks longer. Still, with news of the Louisianan offensive across the Ohio into Virginia, it was deemed prudent to withdraw and use the Appalachians as a shield.
   A second Louisianan offensive aimed at retaking North Carolina was launched roughly simultaneously, but New Orleans had underestimated the level of reinforcements London had sent to this front. In addition to the existing 14 divisions defending North Carolina, 15 new British divisions fresh across the Atlantic had been sent to aid the struggle. As the Louisianans pushed north, this new British force place itself to the west, pushing south toward Georgia and leaving the left wing of the Louisianan Army exposed. This became even more evident as the British in North Carolina followed up their colleagues’ movements with deliberate offensives to tie down the Louisianan forces. Seeing themselves as outmaneuvered, Louisianan General Alfred Cumming was forced to flee south before he could be encircled. The next few months would be disastrous for the Louisianans in South Carolina, that region falling into the hands of the British in its entirety. Indeed, the British Army of North Carolina swept like a door south into South Carolina and then turning west while the 15 division reinforcements from Britain remained stationary in western North Carolina. Atlanta Georgia fell on November 23rd, a blow to Louisianan morale in what had been a fairly disappointing year. Though Kentucky and Tennessee fell, and the advance into Virginia had helped break the stalemate along the Ohio, the British had seized South Carolina, Liberia was in rebellion, and attempts to break out of the blockade in the south had been unsuccessful, inflicting heavy damage on the Louisianan fleet.

Battle of New York and New English Election
   The British position in New York was untenable. Although naval resupply meant that starvation was not a fear, it was largely seen by many as a matter of time before the allies tried to storm the city. These fears were confirmed in May 1875 when the Quebecois-New Englander positions inaugurated a brutal shelling from positions in New Jersey. This was followed by a concerted push from the north. The local garrison was unable to effectively resist, being forced down into Manhattan where fighting erupted on the streets of the city. Civilians erected barricades in an effort to slow the fall of New York, while the Quebecois did not hesitate to use chlorine gas, hundreds of innocents being caught in the crossfire. Yet, the fighting in New York City was untenable. British troops withdrew to Brooklyn and Long Island within hours while the brave civilian resistance continued to struggle on. Someone light fires, black smoke filling the skies as the city erupted into flames, slowing the Quebecois offensive.
   Outnumbered and desperate, the remains of the British garrison fled across Long Island. Hopes of a rescue by the Royal Navy proved misguided, the admiralty too cautious of sailing into the Long Island Sound. Thus, the remnants of the British garrison of New York City surrendered to the Allies on May 23rd, 1875. Although this was a major political and cultural victory, it was also quite hollow. New York had been gutted in the fighting; thousands of former residents now left destitute.
   The Fall of New York was the miracle that led to Henry Wilson’s reelection in July 1875. New Englander pride swelled with the capture of that important city, erasing some of the government’s unpopularity. Chairman Wilson defeated James English of Connecticut with 53.2% of the vote to English’ 45.4%. Indeed, Wilson’s arguments for retaining stable leadership during such tense wartime were likely critical in the victory of his Centralist Party overall. The Federalists, while upset, have recognized his victory and continued in the role of opposition.

War on the Seas
   The Allies were determined to break the British blockade in 1875, each trying in earnest to release its ships onto the high seas where havoc could be wrought against the Royal Navy. Despite attempts to deploy a decoy fleet ahead of the Quebecois Navy’s escape, the British were able to dispatch the weaker vessels before engaging the Quebecois fleet in the Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. For the first time modern warfare, ironclad barbette ships have engaged one another, the results being devastating. A horrific storm was brewing on March 10th as the two sides inaugurated a new era in naval warfare. Torpedoes, a novel invention by Quebec, were deployed against the British ships, piercing the ironclad hulls in several instances. Shells rang out for hours but after heavy fighting and significant damage to each side, the Quebecois forced the British ships to retreat. At long last a chink had been created in the heretofore impenetrable British blockade on North America.
   Quebec would waste no time, implementing superficial repairs over the next week before sending the fleet south towards New England, where the Quebecois ships joined their New English allies in engaging the British blockade fleet off the coast of Cape Cod. “Remember Boston!” was the cry heard from the New English vessels, the British being caught between the two fleets. Here, again, significant damage was done to the Royal Navy, who had not yet shown itself capable of resisting the more numerous Allied surprise assault.
   London would enjoy more success in the Gulf of Mexico. As the Mexican fleet left harbor in Veracruz, seeking to join the allied effort to break the blockade, it was intercepted by a sizable British squadron patrolling the Gulf of Mexico. At the Battle of Campeche, the Mexican fleet was utterly mauled, completely hampering any future operations by that realm in this part of the ocean for the near future. Indeed, eager to redeem itself, the British Navy had ordered its commanders to be particularly ruthless against enemy vessels. Many of the Mexican ships that did survive, limping back into Veracruz just days after their triumphant departure, were ultimately either scrapped or scuttled as the navy was forced to ask why it had failed.
      In Florida a Louisianan fleet attempted to break out in a move against the Bahamas, one of the key ports for the British blockade. Despite the use of torpedoes against the British vessels, this Louisianan fleet found itself outmatched, being bloodied and forced back into port. While trickery off the coast of New Orleans, including the use of exploding vessels, would damage several British ships, the absence of the Mexican Navy meant this could not be followed up on.
   Several reasons for New Englander and Quebecois success in breaking part of the blockade have been given, though most in London have argued that the Admiralty has spread itself too thin, seeking to blockade all of North America. Still, despite the end of the immediate blockade, London has been reassured by the fact that Allied access to the global market is quite limited. Though Quebecois ships can transit the North Atlantic for now, British positions in Ireland and the Azores are suitable to prevent any sort of consistent trade with Continental Europe. It remains unclear if London will seek to engage the newly freed fleets from Quebec and New England, or if doing so is seen as unnecessary, given most observers would still argue Britannia rules the waves.

Ireland
   London responded quickly and resolutely to the growing instability in Ireland, redeploying 6 divisions to the island in order to root out resistance and restore order. While met with boos and jeering upon their disembarkation in Dublin by restive locals, the show of force reminded the Irish of their longshot odds in achieving independence. A brutal crackdown on nationalist radicals was ordered, those still in the country connected to the prior year’s assassinations being arrested. The Publications Act was enforced, soldiers raiding publishing houses and destroying materials deemed to be seditious. In short, though this would further radicalize the extremists, most Irish were made to believe that unrest at the current moment would simply not succeed.
   That did not mean Irish nationalists were idle, though. A terrorist assault on Paddington Tube Station in London deployed chlorine gas during peak travel time, killing dozens as anti-war and pro-Irish pamphlets were dropped amid the chaos. This would not have the result intended though. Alongside Henry X’s inspiring speeches, Irish terrorist attacks only served to unite the English people under a siege mentality. The world may be standing against them, but they knew in their hearts that their cause was just.
 
The American Resistance
   King Henry X’s ‘Not One Single Briton’ speech roused the English and American people into a wave of pro-war fervor. The degree to which the Transatlantic Monarchy was fighting for survival had become evident, allied victory likely meaning the gradual erasure of the English language and culture from the region. Attempts by the Labour Party to instigate resistance in Britain proper were smacked down by the pro-war majority. Louisianan and Quebec promises, both public and private, to mandate French education in the schools was pointed to as evidence the conflict was a fight for survival. Indeed, how could the realm function if half of the King’s subjects were abandoned to foreign tyranny? No, the prospect was unthinkable. A renewed wave of resistance to Quebecois occupation has swept through the American Midwest. Small-scale militias have started to operate out of the forests of the province of Green Bay (Wisconsin), skirmishing with Quebecois occupation forces. While both greatly outmatched and far from the action, nevertheless, the very presence of rebel militias indicates that many will not take occupation sitting down.
   The clearest evidence of the American resistance would emerge on June 7th, 1875 in Montreal. News of the use of poison gas and extensive civilian casualties in the Battle of New York was the last straw for Isaac Schuyler. Both in Ohio, his home had been utterly devastated by the Quebecois offensive in 1873. His parents, already poor, had been reduced to penury. His countrymen were being slaughtered by aggressive invaders, intent on erasing his whole way of life. This could not stand. Schuyler held Henry II, who was increasingly known by Americans as the “Prussian Butcher” as personally responsible for the carnage and misery in his life. As the King departed his palace for a meeting with the government he was shot thrice in the chest, Schuyler then turning the gun on himself.
   Henry II did not die instantly, the wounds actually seeming to heal somewhat. His major organs had been missed. Still, his physicians were concerned about the bullets in his body, conducting surgery to have them removed. It would be the surgery, and not Schuyler’s attempt on the King, that would lead to his death. Sepsis set in as the wounds were healing, Henry II writhing in pain and agony, taking several weeks to die. Henry II of Louisiana passed away on July 1st, 1875. His son has been named King Philip of Quebec, vowing to avenge his father and holding the British personally responsible for his killing. In the Francophone world Henry II has been greatly mourned as one of the key leaders of the allied cause. Even his daughter Queen Charlotte of France ordered Versailles to enter mourning for her late father. 

Liberian Rebellion
   The American War had never been particularly popular among Louisiana’s large Black community. Many saw the conflict as a white man’s war, indifferent if not outright opposed to the fighting. Indeed, Britain has been seen far more enlightened on racial issues than Louisiana, where memories of the massacres of New Marseilles in 1871 still lingered. Though Blacks were drafted into the armed forces, many of those staunchly opposed to fighting for King Henry-Philippe clandestinely poured west towards Liberia. That territory remained largely free from anti-Black discrimination, only having nominal oversight on the part of royal officials. A haven for the oppressed, Liberia had seen tremendous population growth over the past decade. As the economic and political situation in the east became increasingly desperate, the Afro-Louisianans saw their chance at long last to force concessions. There certainly were warning signs. Demands for higher wages from predominantly Black sharecroppers in the American South were crushed by local racist police forces throughout early 1875. Efforts to use the war to expand Black suffrage was met with brutal crackdowns by private white citizens in Louisiana proper.
   Liberian Governor Frederick Douglass had long been a staunch advocate for conciliation and dialogue with the Louisianan government. It had been his personal negotiations with the King that had won the region special representation in the national assembly. Yet, although many of the early Liberian settlers shared his views, most of the recent immigrants did not. With the brutal gassing of Knoxville, as well as the much higher rate of Black casualties in the Louisianan Army, Douglass found himself outflanked by radicals, who fed on the growing anger over the prolonged. Seeing Henry-Philippe’s government as the most vulnerable, and still seething over the refusal to name Liberia a coequal kingdom, a mob stormed Douglass’ residence at Freetown on the Salt Lake and forced the leader to agree to step down as Governor of Liberia. Weeping as he was forced to sign his resignation, Douglass warned the crowd against violence and the potential suffering it could cause the Black community. His pleas went unheeded.
   Shields Green, formerly enslaved and radically opposed to Louisiana, was chosen as the new governor by the mob, his first move to declare the independence of the People’s Republic of Liberia. Although he professed no hatred to the white man, he demanded that the Black people of the Americas have a homeland free from their rule. He intended to give it to them. Rebel divisions have been organized, while advance parties destroyed the transcontinental railroad stops both to the east and west of Liberia, effectively severing California from the rest of Louisiana. Raids have been made into the desert, the American west suddenly becoming an active theater in the broader conflict. The Liberians would not be alone however, many of the Native Americans using the unrest to likewise push back against continued Louisianan and Liberian encroachment. The Comanche, Lakota, and Navajo all have fought both Black and white settlers in the region.
   With the declaration of Liberia in the west, backlash naturally erupted against the remaining Black population in the east. Indeed, somewhat ironically, the Liberian Revolution has caused the Anglophone and Francophone whites to band together, terrified about the prospect of a race war in their midst. Mobs have wrought misery in many cities, destroying black businesses and neighborhoods, forcing the residents to either flee westwards or into labor conditions that are eerily reminiscent of the slavery they had been liberated from almost two decades ago. Many look to the Crown to handle the growing spiral of racial violence.

The Pacific War

Russo-Korean Front
   With Russia refusing Korea's peace offering, and the Korean position in China proper clearly quite vulnerable, Emperor Yi Ho would order a radical about-face in his policy in 1875. Instead of defending its inland gains, Korea would pivot to keeping a presence in major coastal cities, freeing up more men to respond to Russian incursions. With Russia bearing down on Beijing proper, as well as secondary operations pressuring the Koreans along the northern front in Manchuria, Korean high command was forced to get creative. Taking advantage of its naval superiority, and Russia's two front vulnerability, a host of Koreans were landed behind Russian lines at Panjin when word of a Russian push towards Jehol was announced. In a stunning development, the Army of Pyongyang coordinating with the newly-landed Army of Yingkuo, the Russians in southern Manchuria were encircled, trapped in Port Arthur and placed under siege by the Koreans. Of the 20 divisions that had set our in the southern campaign, 15 were caught in the city while 5 had managed to escape prior to encirclement.
   Port Arthur, having been seized twice in the past few years, was poorly supplied to withstand a siege and Russia could only watch in horror as its emaciated men surrendered to the Koreans on December 15th. Although treated with respect by the Koreans, these divisions are now captive and have been shipped into the peninsula. Further to the north operations in the Transamur likewise did not yield the success hoped for by Russia.
   In northern China the Russians embarked on a siege of Beijing, specifically hoping to pair the capture of the Chinese capitol with the fall of Istanbul in the west. This was not to be. With Korea's new strategy of defensive entrenchment along the coast, they were determined to keep the symbolic capitol of China at all costs. Several Russian assaults on the city did inflict heavy damage, including extensive wreckage of the famed Forbidden City, but the Koreans managed to hold the line. Yet, with the Chinese making gains in the south and the Russians continuing their siege into 1876, it remains to be seen how durable Korean control of Beijing will be. Still, with the defeat of the Russians at Port Arthur, some observers have noted that it would not be infeasible for the Koreans to attempt to relieve the city from the north.

China
   With the Koreans rapidly drawing down their forces in Northern China, the Republicans would continue to make great gains in the region. Indeed, it seemed as though Li Hongzhang, now calling himself president, had been granted his wishes. Henan and much of north-central China has been won by the Republicans. Indeed, the victories have been like a snowball, the more land regained, the greater the enthusiasm for pushing out the Koreans (and perhaps the other foreigners who have made themselves too comfortable on the Chinese coast). With the reclamation of so much Chinese territory, Li would be tasked with finding men to govern his new provinces, preparing through the extensive hiring of bureaucrats and civil servants. Yet, in a move endearing him to many locals, small councils have been staged throughout the realm, town leaders and local citizens getting a chance to have their voices heard by their government, a major development in the Republic.
   Tibet, a nominal French vassal, would find itself in an uncomfortable position in the latter half of the year. With Indian officials preoccupied with the Durrani-Turkish Invasion and France in a civil war, Lhasa was uncertain of how to respond to Chinese demands that Tibet submit itself as a nominal vassal. Greatly outnumbered, and still reeling from the Tibetan Civil War, the government felt it had little choice but to accept, though it has reassured French officials that the young Dalai Lama retains his affection and loyalty to Paris. Indeed, Tibet has promised to satisfy both the Chinese Republicans and the French, so long as their interests do not collide and force Lhasa into a difficult decision.

Island Hopping
   With the Philippines secured and Japan remaining hostile, the Singapore Pact shifted to island-hopping in 1875, seeking to tear away the Japanese colonial empire one possession at a time. Iwo Jima, Formosa, Sumatra, Okinawa, and even some of the sparsely populated Kiril Islands have fallen to coordinated attacks by the Singapore Pact. Japan may be placed under blockade, but at home many in the Shogunate have expressed confidence that their fleet will be able to outmaneuver the vessels of the Singapore Pact.
   Brazil, Portugal, and Colombia cooperated in a coordinated assault on the Japanese-backed Republic of Formosa once more in 1875, this time their landings succeeding in establishing a beachhead and destabilizing the island’s government. The Taiwanese officials were forced to flee to Japan, finding their situation too unstable.
   New Holland entered the fray in 1875 as well, joining the Colombian invasion of Papua New Guinea. Korea, embattled elsewhere, was pressured by Colombia to accept the nominal sale of West Timor and Sulawesi to Willemstad. While limited progress was made by the newly-minted allies in Papua New Guinea, the Japanese on the island’s interior continue to resist efforts to bring them to heel.  Still, recent contact between Colombia and many of the island’s natives have helped turn them against the Japanese. Indeed, with native Papuans targeting the Japanese soldiers, they have begun to be killed in surprise raids and night attacks. Morale among the soldiers on the island is evidently flagging.

[Spamage]

The Zenith of Power: Concert of Europe Part IV
Turn 6: 1876

The World in 1875
(Made by Me)

Nations, Leaders, and Players

Kingdom of France: Queen Mother Charlotte von Hohenzollern (X)
Habsburg Monarchy: Emperor Charles VIII von Habsburg-Lothringen (Dereich)
Kingdom of Scandinavia: Queen Catherine II von Oldenburg (YPestis)
Russian Republic: President Aleksey Suvorin (KaiserDave)
British Union: King Henry X of Hanover (joshva)
Divine Republic of Brazil: Archbishop-President Manuel Joaquim da Silveira (Ishan)
Kingdom of Naples: King Charles VIII Bourbon (GoTfan)
Qajar Iran: Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (PSOL)
Kingdom of Quebec: King Philip von Hohenzollern (Lumine)
Kingdom of Mexico: King Luis de Bourbon-Orleans (Hijodeagua)
Kingdom of Romania: King Ludovic de Bourbon-Aquitaine (Windjammer)
Chinese Republic: Protector of the Nation Li Hongzhang (HCP & Devout Centrist)
United Provinces of New Holland: Stadtholder Pieter Mijer (Orwell)
Ottoman Morocco: General Abdülkerim Nadir Pasha (Kingpoleon)
Holy Republic of Colombia: Archbishop-President Vicente Arbeláez Gómez (Kuumo)
Confederation of New England: Chairman Henry Wilson (OBD)
Durrani Empire: Emir Abdul Samad Khan (AverageFoodEnthusiast)

Economic Standings

Divine Republic of Brazil: Moderate-Strong
United Province of New Holland: Moderate-Strong
Qajar Iran: Moderate
Holy Republic of Colombia: Moderate
Kingdom of Romania: Moderate
Tokugawa Shogunate: Moderate
Kingdom of Naples: Moderate-Weak
Kingdom of Prussia: Moderate-Weak
Russian Republic: Moderate-Weak
Habsburg Monarchy: Moderate-Weak
Durrani Empire: Moderate-Weak
Kingdom of Mexico: Moderate-Weak
British Union: Weak
Chinese Republic: Weak
Ottoman Morocco: Weak
Confederation of New England: Weak
Kingdom of Scandinavia: Weak
Ottoman Empire: Weak
Kingdom of Quebec: Weak
Kingdom of France: Weak
United Kingdom of Louisiana: Weak

Popularity

President Aleksey Suvorin: Very High
Archbishop-President Manuel Joaquim da Silveira: High
Archbishop-President Vicente Arbeláez Gómez: High
King Ludovic de Bourbon-Aquitaine: High
Protector of the Nation Li Hongzhang: High
King Luis de Bourbon: High
Emperor Charles VIII von Habsburg-Lothringen: Moderate
King Philip von Hohenzollern: Moderate
Stadtholder Peter Mijer: Moderate
Queen Catherine II von Oldenburg: Moderate
General Abdülkerim Nadir Pasha: Moderate
Chairman Henry Wilson: Moderate
King Henry X of Hanover: Moderate
Queen Mother Charlotte von Hohenzollern: Moderate
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar: Moderate
King Charles VIII Bourbon: Moderate
Emir Abdul Samad Khan: Moderate
King Henry-Philippe Bourbon: Low

Current Global Conflicts:
Great War: White France, Kingdom of Naples, Kingdom of Prussia vs. Blue France, Habsburg Monarchy, Kingdom of Scandinavia(1873-)
Chinese Civil War: Chinese Republicans vs. Joseon Korea (1867-)
American War: British Union vs. United Kingdom of Louisiana, Kingdom of Quebec, Kingdom of Mexico, Confederation of New England (1872-)
Pacific War: Tokugawa Shogunate, Russian Republic vs. Joseon Korea, Holy Republic of Colombia, Dai Viet, Kingdom of Portugal, Philippine Rebels, New Holland (1874-)

Kingdom of France (Whites)

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Xavier is dead. Versailles erupted into celebration at the news, spontaneous glee also being demonstrated on the streets of Paris. Indeed, despite debacles in the south and the loss of Flanders, 1875 was overall a favorable year for the White faction. While Prince Amadeus has taken up the rebel cause, many note his support is falling, especially due to internal upheaval in Padania proper. Yet, the civil war is not over. Enemies of your regime remain under arms in France, while the Austrians too hold a fair bit of French soil at the start of the year. Will you continue the struggle or is it time to consider some sort of peaceful compromise? What will you do about your allies and their respective struggles in Naples and Prussia?

-Whatever the domestic situation, the recent gain of recognition as regent by the officials throughout the French colonial empire has been a significant boon. Indeed, the colonial dream never ceases. With the Ottomans in disarray, will you get France involved in the divvying up of that vast realm? Many believe that you have rights to Tunisia, the Suez, and the Holy Land for various historical and pseudohistorical reasons. Further afield, what will you suggest to embattled French commanders in India and Southeast Asia, who are currently far too remote to be aided directly in their struggle? How will France respond to the Chinese vassalization of Tibet during the recent power vacuum?

-Reaction to the Dutch Revolution has underscored the very real divisions that exist in your reactionary-socialist government. The socialists see the Dutch Revolution as a source of inspiration and the potential turning of that realm towards pro-France policy. Opponents of colonialism, they argue that Flanders has been nothing but trouble since it was annexed to France and you ought to cede the region and make peace with the Dutch. They would even probably be willing to see Padania erased as well. The reactionaries, on the other hand, see the Dutch Revolution as a source of terror and dismay. While not opposed to greater aid for the poor working classes, the prospect of rebellions outside of the social order are intolerable to them and they are loathe to see a fraction of the old French holdings handed out. How you respond to events in the Netherlands could be pivotal in how the White faction looks moving forward…

Habsburg Monarchy

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-The Great War tears Europe asunder. To your north, south, and west, your men have been engaged in fighting against relentless foes. Naples pushes north as Padania collapses into civil war, Prussia has held its ground in Silesia all the while slamming into the Baltic states, the Rhineland is on fire, and Charlotte has gained the upper hand in France proper. Your realms look to you for leadership, Emperor Charles, as the continent burns. What will you do about the war in 1876? Should the fighting continue, or is it perhaps time to seek some sort of understanding with the various other combatants?

-Local leaders on the ground in Lombardy have expressed fears about growing Italian pan-nationalism. Indeed, it is feared that the civil war in Padania could very easily spill into your own holdings if the situation is not handled with great care. Several nationalist pieces of literature have been obtained by local bureaucrats. More disturbing, though, has been the arrest of several Italian Catholic Republican nationalist clerics within your borders. Intelligence does not currently know which foreign power has been providing funding for them, but most suspect either one of the Catholic Republican powers in South America, Spain, or even the radical Catholic faction within Naples. Whatever the case, these monks have been caught spreading their venomous lies in Venice, Verona, and Mantua before they were apprehended. How will you deal with them, now that they sit safely in custody in far-off Linz? Beyond that, what measures will you take to ensure that Lombardy remains a stable and loyal part of the Habsburg Monarchy?

-The Ottoman state, your neighbor to the south, has collapsed into anarchy. The Balkan states seem poised to expand their borders significantly, while Russian influence in the region could very well overshadow your own. Indeed, the prospect of the Habsburg Monarchy being surrounded both to the east and south by Russian lickspittles in an unattractive one. As Holy Roman Emperor and a nearby ruler, there are many who would have you step in to ensure a just and decent agreement in the Balkans. Habsburg interests in the Suez, which your men have begun to dredge and clear, also require protection. What is your view of the current situation to the south and how will you achieve a settlement that does not leave you on the outside looking in?

Kingdom of Scandinavia

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-The fight continues. While Prussia has been damaged, and much of the old Kingdom of Hanover has fallen into your hands, the Baltic States have collapsed into anarchy and resistance from your enemy remains strong. For the time being Austria seems unable to provide further aid while the Netherlands has gone full-blown revolutionary. How will you handle the military situation during the coming year?

-Outside of Europe, a wide variety of colonial issues require resolution. The former King of Egypt has fled into Scandinavian Sudan, precipitating a diplomatic crisis with the new Ottoman government, who was already infuriated by efforts to block them from the Red Sea. Yet, with the Ottomans in a state of utter chaos, perhaps you could take a piece of the pie. Your war in Europe has ramifications in the colonial theater as well. Prussia has not attacked from South Africa for the time being, despite fears of the worst. In East Asia your colonial holdings in China have been surrounded by ongoing chaos, the various factions in the Pacific War operating too close to you for comfort. This all occurs as locals in the interior of Africa have used your pause on expansion as a chance to pushback against your newly-established and somewhat fragile authority. How will you handle these numerous colonial matters?

-Domestically, there was a good deal of backlash to what has been perceived as a war of aggression by the civilian population, especially in such times of economic malaise. While much of the public has been swayed by the cause, rallying around the Crown and the Flag, there remains numerous malcontents on the political left. Workers in Gothenburg, Copenhagen, and Malmo have begun to form worker’s cooperatives and neighborhood associations in 1875, using these collective bodies to organize strikes and resist conscription demands. They claim firms are forcing them into too long of shifts in too poor of conditions due to the ramping up of production with the war. Inspired by the Netherlands, they demand wage increases, better conditions, and protection from conscription. The conservative government seems to want to crack some skulls to teach these upstarts a lesson, but others have urged for a more moderate response. Some in the government have also proposed a degree of wartime censorship in order to curb the spread of unpatriotic thought, though there are many who counter that this would be a blatant infringement on civil liberties.

British Union

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-King Henry, your speech to the British people about the aggression of the Francophone powers has been deemed one of the great moments in British history. On both sides of the Atlantic a wave of patriotism for the struggle has emerged, the true stakes of the American War becoming clear to the masses. The war has remained frustrating. The loss of New York City was a significant blow, to be sure, but your men have made up for it on other fronts, most notably in the Carolinas and Pennsylvania. Will the war be continued for another year, perhaps leading to the collapse of your foes from within, or is it time for a just peace? If you do seek peace, especially on unfavorable terms, how will you sell it to the newly agitated British populace?

-New Holland, despite having a truce with your realm, has engaged in the purchase of various Pacific islands once held by Britain from their Quebecois occupiers. Indeed, many in London have been insulted by Willemstad’s insolence on the matter, seeing it as a flagrant violation of your supposed agreement. Indeed, it is time to resolve the situation in Oceania one way or another. A formal peace deal could cement new borders and put an end to the ambiguous situation, while a renewal of hostilities, especially with New Holland joining wars to the north, could allow for a reversal of your fortunes here. What will you do about the awkward situation with your neighbors in Australia?

-The Dutch Revolution across the Channel has caused great fear among the upper classes of Britain. Indeed, with the growing power of the Labour Party in England over the past few years, and that organization's anti-war stance, the prospect of British Socialists seeking to emulate their Dutch counterparts no longer seems laughable. Indeed, some left-wing leaders have openly praised Niewenhuis and his new government. Many conservatives want the Crown and Parliament to engage in a brutal crackdown on the Labour movement, socialism in general, and anti-war defeatism within the home island. Of course, such drastic action could just radicalize the largely thus-far docile movement. What will your official response be to the Dutch Revolution and how will you guarantee the contagion does not spread within your own borders?

Russian Republic

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-President Suvorin, you have achieved what the Orthodox faithful have dreamed of for centuries: the reconquest of Istanbul. The Czars may be gone, but never before has Russia looked more fitting as the Third Rome. Nevertheless, with the Turks in retreat and their regime shattered, it is perhaps now time to consider what the world will look like after the war. What are you aims for the peace? How will the Balkans, Anatolia, and Levant be reshaped in the aftermath of an Ottoman defeat?

-Further to the east the situation has been less exciting, the Koreans proving adept at countering your campaign over the previous year. Thousands of men were lost to enemy imprisonment after the debacle on the Dalian Peninsula. Korea likewise has clung to its major possessions in China proper, frustrating attempts to pair the conquest of Beijing with the seizure of Istanbul. Will you continue the war or have Korean propositions begun to look more attractive? What will you do about Colombian and other Singapore Pact nations providing aid to their Korean allies?

-Domestically, the Russian economy tires from years of war and increased domestic spending. Your debt has begun to grow over the past year, the costs of mobilization and supplying two fronts in a war outweighing any foreign credit received from New Holland or Colombia. Internal financial advisors warn that some sort of taxation reform may be required in order to guarantee adequate revenue in the years to come. Income taxes are among the solutions proposed, though many in your government are wary (past attempts at increased taxation having caused headaches regimes in France and Spain over the past few years). While demobilization could ease up the problem, doing so risks seeing your gains unravel in either theater. Bonds, tariffs, reparations, and confiscations in Ottoman lands have been proposed as alternative remedies, though each carry risks of their own. Perhaps your domestic program could be pared back for the time being, though this could enflame your political base. Liberals in government would have you hold off on any drastic intervention in the economy. What will you do about the gloomier economic outlook emerging from the financial system?

Divine Republic of Brazil

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Archbishop-President Manuel Joaquim da Silveira, Brazil remains one of the foremost global powers. Despite what may seem to be a less than massive population, recent gains in Africa and Peru seem to bode well for the long-term demographic health of the realm. Ever since the Spanish Royalists collapsed in South America and you acquired Upper Peru, your soldiers have maintained an uneasy peace in the region. The populace here is seen as at best marginally loyal to your new government, though most seem to privately yearn for the restoration of Henry V. The hardline Catholic Republicans in your government would prefer to see brutal crackdowns on royalists, redistribution of property, and forced vows of loyalty to your government. While moderates concur that the new subjects do need to be educated in the ways of Catholic Republicanism and are a risk for revolt, they believe that too much antagonism could make unrest a self-fulfilling prophecy. The matter remains for you to decide. There is also the question of how much autonomy, if any at all, the region should be granted by your government. How will you deal with Upper Peru and your gains from the former Spanish colonial empire?

-Colonially, the last few years have seen significant expansion in the Congo and the Kalahari. Still, pushback from local African leaders has become increasingly evident. The Marota Empire, led by the Pedi people of Transvaal, have utterly ignored demands to submit, murdered Brazilian missionaries, and steadily refused to recognize your authority as stipulated in the Stockholm Conference of 1871. The Ndebele Kingdom to their north have largely concurred and declared their intent to defend Marota should you attack. Your colonial officials call for a relocation of troops and the commencement of military operations in southwest Africa, but some fear sending too many men far from Brazil proper during such dire global times. How will you deal with stubborn native resistance and colonial policy more generally?

-Diplomatically you find yourself in an interesting position. Brazil has long cooperated with Colombia, as a show of solidarity to fellow Catholic Republicans. Yet, with the liberalization of Colombia and that realm’s constant military intervention in theaters deemed unimportant to Brazil, there are some calling for you to reconsider your relationship with Bogota. The new Spanish government and Patagonia lean towards you in the Catholic Republican faction while the Philippines, Haiti, and Portugal are seen as more pro-Colombian, so any discord between you two could shatter that broader Catholic faction. What will you do about your diplomatic situation in 1876?

[Spamage]

Kingdom of Naples

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Padania falls into disarray, your fellow compatriots rising against more than a century of French oppression. Indeed, Amadeus has stooped to using chemical weapons against civilians in a desperate bid to cling to power in the region. Overall, the Habsburgs have been forced back thanks to the use of your shock troops, while the Blue faction in France looks weaker than ever before. War in Italy seems likely to continue in 1876. What will your operations look like? How will you guarantee that the Italians in Padania are welcomed into the Neapolitan fold?

-As the Ottoman Empire has imploded, many believe your role on the water should not go unrewarded. In addition to the return of Tunis, many in Naples see merit to be gained from a Neapolitan Illyria. After all, doesn’t the region already possess a significant number of Italians? Indeed, many have floated offering the Croatian government yourself as a potential prince of that realm, though that could risk further expanding the war with Vienna, who undoubtedly has designs of its own on the Balkans. Tripoli and Cyrenaica could also be suitable recompense for the Ottoman assault on your holdings two years ago, having the added benefit of protecting against any future surprise attacks. Will you engage in the settlement with the Ottoman Empire and, if so, what will your demands look like? How will you ensure that the other powers do not sideline your goals?

-Naples has long been plagued by a degree of local corruption, officials throughout the kingdom engaging in bribery, kickbacks, and siphoning from tax revenue for decades now. With the outbreak of war, and the extreme situation, some (in particular the liberals) in your government have proposed an extrajudicial crackdown on the bureaucracy to purge it of any wrongdoing and create a more efficient state apparatus. Indeed, the prospect is attractive, but at the same time could lead to a shortage of capable mayors, administrators, and other day-to-day functionaries. Will you purge the corrupt parts of your government, or should any potential internal strife be avoided at such a crucial time for the Neapolitan cause?

Kingdom of Romania

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-The birth of a son, during the same year as your marriage, caused widespread celebration in Romania in 1875. Named in honor of yourself, little Prince Ludovic seems a healthy child and to many his birth symbolizes the birth of the Romanian state. Your reforms of the past year were ambitious, freeing the serfs all the while simplifying the complex legal system you inherited. Yet, there remain further issues to address. With the serfs freed, many remain landless and destitute, unscrupulous landlords forcing them to sign covenant agreements tying them into periods of extended servitude in exchange for land usage rights. Liberal reformists want to see you crack down on this abuse of the system and perhaps even break up the larger estates. How will you balance the demands of the still-powerful nobility, who have now even started to desire a voice in government, with the interests of the lower classes?

-Romania may not have been an active participant in the Ottoman War, but your realm's permitting of Russian troops to pass through was crucial in leading to the collapse of Murad V's regime. With the Ottomans in disorder, many in Bucharest believe you ought to be compensated for the risk you took last year. As a peace conference seems in the offing, what will you aims be? How will you guarantee your new state is treated as an equal partner by the various other powers?

United Kingdom of Louisiana

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-The past year has been frustrating for Louisiana, to be sure. The fleet was brushed aside by the Royal Navy, South Carolina and much of Georgia were lost, and operations in Pennsylvania-Kentucky failed to completely destroy the British defense, even if they resulted in territorial gains. Your allies still stand, no one having sought a separate peace, but there are serious questions about the commitment of your subjects to the struggle, especially given the domestic instability in the west. What will you do about the American War in 1876?

-The Liberians have risen, challenging your right as rule and making a clear bid for independence. With moderate Black leaders silenced, Shields Green and his followers have embarked on several successful campaigns in the west. Given the isolated nature of this theater, many in Baton Rouge express concern about the prospect of Liberian victory, especially with the war in the east as well. The destruction of the Transcontinental Railroad and the prospect of being cut off from California are both nonstarters. What will you do about the Liberian Revolution? Should a final attempt at compromise be made or should these rebels receive their just punishments?

-Since Liberia declared independence, there has been mob attacks against Black residents of the eastern states. Whole neighborhoods have been looted, businesses and communities destroyed by white mobs out for revenge. Blacks have been forced into coerced labor by some local officials which many have compared to slavery. What will you do in regards to the substantial Black population in the American South? Should these harsh practices be continued, in order to prevent the spread of organized resistance, or should the Crown step in and try to restore some semblance of racial peace. Beyond that, what will you do in order to maintain stability in other predominantly Black holdings, such as occupied Jamaica, where many locals have looked at Liberia as a source of inspiration, not dread?

Qajar Iran

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Success! The Ottomans are imploding in on themselves as Iranian soldiers have conquered Mecca, Medina, Damascus, Ankara and countless other historic cities. Yet, with the erosion of Turkish power, various other opportunists have risen. Arabs are in revolt, some at Court fearing the turmoil could spread into your own Arabian provinces. The Turks still possess forces operating in Anatolia and the self-righteous Europeans seem poised to sideline you as soon as it is convenient for them. How will you guarantee the post-Ottoman region is dominated by your realm, one that has given so much to defeat the Turk?

-The collapse of Ottoman rule in Arabia and your capture of the holy cities has brought new religious questions to the fore. Can the Turkish Sultans truly claim to be the Caliph without the possession of the most important sites in Islam? Indeed, the Ummah is quite divided. Beyond Sunni and Shia factionalism, there are numerous subgroups and schools of Islamic thought, all potentially having different conclusions about developments in regards to the Caliphate over the past few years. Most at Court believe that you should take the title of Caliph for yourself, but the Muslim cause is riven with division and this could just cause backlash in other corners. Indeed, the Wahhabi are already at arms and other Sunni groups could rise in opposition within your own borders. Still, current circumstances mean there may never again be a situation so favorable. What will you do?

Kingdom of Quebec

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-The American War has seen your father fall victim to an assassin’s bullet, King Philip. You come to the throne at a dire time. While New York has fallen and the immediate blockade has been broken on your own shores, your allies find themselves on the brink. Racial revolution brews in Louisiana, New England has only narrowly avoided an electoral exit from the war, and the Gulf and southern Atlantic coast remain under British blockade. Will the war be continued or is it time to seek a just and fair peace? If so, how will you guarantee that Quebec is adequately compensated for its sacrifices over the past several years? If not, what will you do to break the infernal British hold on the American colonies once and for all?

-The unrest in Liberia and Louisiana’s west has not been ignored by the Native Americans within your own borders. Small-scale skirmishes have erupted between the native tribes and Quebecois settlers in Vaudreuil and Montcalm. Chief Crowfoot and Mountain Chief of the Blackfoot Confederacy, while both maintaining neutrality and claiming cooperation with your government, have both been lax towards aggressive young warriors breaching the peace. The Cree, traditional rivals of the Blackfoot, likewise have used the war in the east as a chance to reverse Quebecois encroachment on their lands. There are fears that the insolence could erupt into rebellion without immediate aid. Yet, sending men to the west, given the precarious situation in the east, could undermine operations in the British colonies. The tribes seek redress, the return of lands they claim have been illegally seized in the last few decades, and clearly delineated status in Quebec. What will you do about the native resistance in the west?

-With your naval success against the British, and the breathing-room it has provided your coastline, there are questions about what is to be done next. With British outposts in the Canaries, Azores, and Ireland, many merchants are still hesitant to engage in Transatlantic commerce. Scandinavian Iceland could be a potential way around this extended blockade, though Stockholm is quite close with London. Some would have you reach out to your sister, Charlotte of France, in order to coordinate joint naval operations against the British, given her sizable fleet that demonstrated its power on the poor Dutch people. Of course, you could also send your ships down the coast and seek to break the rest of the American blockade, though this may leave your own coastal regions defenseless. The immediate stranglehold has lessened, but the situation on the water still remains less than ideal…

United Provinces of New Holland

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-New Holland has joined the Singapore Pact, nabbing yet more territories from the Koreans for a relative bargain. Still, you now find yourself engaged in outright hostilities with Japan and nominal tensions with the Russians. This on top of the fragile truce with Britain, Prussia’s growing annoyance with your threats to close trade, and a potentially resurging France as the Civil War may have turned. There is also the chaos in the Netherlands proper to address, some in Willemstad calling for you to welcome the young Dutch King to the realm as a symbolic sovereign. Needless to say, the diplomatic situation for New Holland is rather complex. What will be your main actions in regards to foreign affairs for 1876?

-The annexation of Sulawesi, West Timor, and various small islands in the East Indies was celebrated in Willemstad, part of the former Dutch colonial holdings being return to their supposed rightful owners. Yet, the islands are not the same as those ceded to the Koreans more than 30 years ago. Korean governance over the islands was extremely lax, allowing the local elites a great deal of autonomy. Indeed, the traditional leaders of the various indigenous groups regained a good deal of authority that had been suppressed under previous Dutch administration. The Sultan of Gowa, on the island of Sulawesi, has in particular proven himself a substantial regional player. He, and many other local leaders, have expressed dismay over the return of Dutch rule, fearing they will face a second-class status similar to many Javans. How will you assuage their concerns? Furthermore, what degree of autonomy, if any, should be granted to the newly-annexed islands? How, if at all, will the New Dutch desire for outright control and investment in the region be balanced with local demands for noninterference?

Kingdom of Mexico

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Mexican involvement in the American War has continued to grow. Indeed, you realm's young men have fought and died on both the northern and southern fronts of the British colonies, tales of their bravery making their way back home. Yet, the conflict remains frustrating. Your fleet was humiliated in an attempted breakout from Veracruz and there are growing concerns of some Mexicans that your nation will not be adequately compensated in any potential peace treaty. What is your take on the conflict heading into 1876?

-The offer of the sale of public lands at a discount in return for surveying has created an absolute frenzy domestically, dozens of local firms being established seemingly overnight to take advantage of the deal. Indeed, some in your government have questioned the quality of the work being done, as many firms seem to be in such a hurry that the results are quite shoddy. On top of this, the move has had the potential to exacerbate the extensive wealth inequality in Mexico. Many noble families have funneled a good deal of their wealth into establishing their own surveying companies, using their own capital to then purchase the remainder of the land, before turning around and selling it to the public for a significant markup, pricing many peasants and lower class Mexicans out of the newly available lands. Some call for the government to step in and put an end to this rapidly growing bubble, though intervention could spur opposition from those gaining from the system. How will you balance the intent of the program with its abuse?

Ottoman Morocco

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-General Abdülkerim Nadir Pasha, you find yourself in a unique situation. The Ottoman heartland has fallen to revolution and invasion, the old Sultan being murdered and his heir falling into Russian custody. You and your men, largely monarchist in persuasion, have found yourselves sidelined as the homeland falls into chaos. How will you respond to developments in Anatolia? Will you continue to recognize the young sultan and seek to return home or remain in Morocco where the situation has been far more stable? What will you do about Algeria’s recent declaration of independence from Ottoman suzerainty?

-Having beaten both the Prussian colonizers and the Moroccan armies, you must now decide what is to be done with the various captive leaders and soldiers. Governor von Bismarck and his soldiers have remained in holding camps near Tangiers, while the alleged King Hassan I sits imprisoned in Rabat, his officers being scattered in various prisons throughout the realm. What will you do to the leaders of these various factions? Beyond that, how will you establish government in the region? Will you declare yourself leader of Morocco or establish the province as an outpost of the increasingly sidelined Ottoman Empire?

Holy Republic of Colombia

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-The Singapore Pact continued the struggle in 1875, island hopping yielding gains against the Japanese, despite intense resistance from those loyal to the Tokugawa government. Edo remains stubbornly insistent on continuing the fight, vowing the recovery of its colonial holdings. Indeed, despite your vast array of allies and gains in the region, the Japanese Navy undoubtedly remains a force to be reckoned with.

-Your military intervention has been expensive, despite substantial successes across the Pacific. While domestic financing has sufficed thus far, there are concerns about the Colombian treasury’s ability to withstand a more prolonged conflict. A wide variety of possible solutions have been proposed. The Socialist Workers’ Party, in coalition with your government, looks upon the vast holdings of the Church in Colombia and sees a potential solution, proposing either a partial nationalization or taxation of the powerful clerical estates. Naturally, the hardline Catholic Republicans in opposition have been vociferous in their opposition to this proposal, deeming it sacrilegious and insulting. Some moderates seem to feel similarly. Some of the more conservative-minded ministers have proposed cuts to your infrastructure or social welfare programs recently implemented. Taxes or tariffs could always be raised, though each bring their own controversies. Conclusion of the hostilities is another option, though that could offend national pride.

Chinese Republic

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Korea’s withdrawal to the coast meant that there were great gains to be had in 1875. Yet, in the coming year the situation seems less easy. Entrenchment and fortification of their defensible holdings has turned the remnants of Korean China into a stronghold, one some of your military advisors are wary of assaulting, especially with many of your men less than adequately trained. Still, aggressive militarists believe that a decisive strike and the weight of numbers could nonetheless overcome any defensive positions. Among some of the war-weary populace, there are whispers that you should use the Russian invasion of Korea as a chance to get generous concessions from Seoul in a peace agreement. What will your aims be for the coming year?

-As the leader of a nominal republic, and with most of China restored from Korean occupation, the question of what shape your government will take looms large. Since the start of your rebellion against the Xing almost a decade ago, a small clique of advisors and yourself have governed occupied territories with in theory absolute control (even if local conditions on the ground have meant this was seldom actually the case). Many now wonder if the Chinese Republic will allow for elections, given your recent outreach and consensus-building on the level of local communities. Beyond that, there are also questions about what system of government you will adopt, if you will enact a constitution, and how exactly your government will be structured. While some have urged that such matters be set aside until the complete annihilation of the Korean threat, others note that a clear and organized system of government could attract more Han people to your cause and provide for a seamless transition should hostilities be concluded. What kind of government do you envision for the Chinese Republic? Should a Russian model be approved or is something a bit more autocratic desirable? How will you respond to those who deem the many Chinese peasants as unprepared for democracy or republicanism?

[Spamage]

Confederation of New England

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Alone of your allies, there seems to have been little that went poorly for New England over the past year. New York was captured, albeit in a damaged state, and your vessels were able to break the immediate British blockade off your coast. These wins allowed you to secure reelection. While the military campaign of 1875 did close with a British counteroffensive into Pennsylvania and trade with Europe still seems rather precarious of a proposition, there are reasons to believe that any domestic threat to your government has been blunted. With the war still ongoing in 1876, what will your aims for the coming year be? Furthermore, with the new government inaugurated, what domestic actions will you pursue in the coming year?

Durrani Empire

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

-Delhi, the crown jewel of India, is in your hands, undamaged no less. Indeed, the Durrani Empire has stunned the world with its gains over the past two years, but there are signs of growing French pushback. With the French Civil War beginning to turn, and colonial officials recognizing Charlotte and the Whites, it seems Paris would be the one to negotiate any potential settlement with, should you be so inclined. If the fighting is to continue, you have a wide variety of options, but must make decisions about how closely to cooperate with the Turks and Mysore. Will you make further efforts to win over the heretofore indifferent Hindu populace?

-French agents have been apprehended within your borders, seeking to stir up tribal unrest among the Pashtun and Baloch leaders. Under torture, they have confessed to having been sent from Queen Charlotte herself in Paris, an alarming proposition. In exchange for revolt, they evidently offered a supply of weapons and tacit guarantees of independence. Local leaders were not swayed, in large part due to your engagement over previous years and success on the field. Still, Charlotte’s meddling has caused great consternation in Kabul. What is to be done with these foreign agents? Beyond that, how will you ensure that domestic discord remains a remote possibility? There are also whispers that Tibet, still coveting Kashmir, may act against you with the backing of both Paris and Nanjing. What is to be done so this threat does not materialize?

Army Strength:

Kingdom of France (Whites)
69 division Army of the Moselle
28 division Army of the Northwest
33 division Army of the South
10 division Army of Bordeaux
(142/152 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Kingdom of France (Blues)
50 division Army of Provence
28 division Army of Brittany
8 division Army of Turin
(86/86 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Kingdom of France (Neutral India and Colonies)
38 division Army of India
22 division Army of Orissa
5 division Army of Ceylon
(65/65 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Habsburg Monarchy (Excluding HRE)
52 division Army of Italy
40 division Army of the Rhine
42 division Army of Silesia
20 division Army of Transylvania
9 division Spanish Expeditionary Force
3 division Army of Madagascar
8 division Chinese Expeditionary Force
1 division Army of the Suez
(175/281 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Kingdom of Scandinavia
20 division Army of Jutland
19 division Army of Schleswig
20 division Army of Bremen
20 division Army of Holstein
20 division Army of Kiel
10 division Army of Sudan
5 division Army of Cyprus
(114/128 divisions possible raised, max 18% conscription)

British Union
28 division Army of Ohio
27 division Army of the South
33 division Army of New York
5 division Army of Ireland
5 division Home Guard
(98/118 divisions possible raised, max 6% conscription)

Russian Republic
5 division Army of St. Petersburg
5 division Army of Moscow
10 division Army of Crimea
37 division Army of Trebizond
64 division Army of Konstantingrad
30 division Army of the Balkans
29 division Army of Shanxi
28 division Army of Manchuria
5 division Army of Turkestan
(215/275 divisions possible raised, max 10% conscription)

Ottoman State
47 division Army of the Dardanelles
25 division Army of Anatolia
8 division Army of Egypt
16 division Army of Albania
(96/96 divisions possible raised, max 12% conscription)

Ottoman India
45 division Legions of Alp Arslan

Ottoman Morocco
22 division Army of Morocco

Divine Republic of Brazil
5 division Army of Spain
10 division Army of Brazil
5 division Army of Taipei
5 division Army of the Congo
2 division Army of Southern Africa
3 division Army of Bahia
(30/70 divisions possible raised, max 22% conscription)

Kingdom of Naples
58 division Army of the North
13 division Army of Sicily
17 division Army of the Balearics
5 division Padanian Rebels
(93/98 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Kingdom of Prussia
66 division Army of Brandenburg
40 division Army of Silesia
25 division Rhenish Army
5 division Army of the Baltic States
5 division Army of South Africa
(130/130 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Tokugawa Shogunate
60 division Army of Japan
30 division Army of Niigata
10 division Executive Guard
7 division Army of Kyoto
2 division Army of New Guinea
(109/169 divisions possible raised, max 10% conscription)

United Kingdom of Louisiana
12 division Army of the South
9 division Army of Knoxville
1 division Army of Bermuda
2 division Army of Jamaica
2 division Army of Cuba
(27/42 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Joseon Korea
38 division Army of Beijing
27 division Army of Manchuria
35 division Army of Pyeongyang
12 division Army of Incheon
5 division Army of Sumatra
4 division Army of Borneo
7 division Army of Shanghai
(128/128 divisions possible raised, max 10% conscription)

Kingdom of Poland
10 division Army of Warsaw
(10/56 divisions possible raised, max 16% conscription)

Qajar Iran
5 division Army of Homorzegan
4 division Army of Gwadar
4 division Army of Mashad
5 division Army of Qatar
18 division Army of Riyadh
29 division Army of Damascus
28 division Army of Ankara
9 division Army of Mecca
(102/124 divisions possible raised, max 20% conscription)

Kingdom of Quebec
18 division Army of the West
16 division Army of the East
5 division Foreign Legion
(39/40 divisions possible raised, max 16% conscription)

Kingdom of Mexico
6 division Army of the American South
27 division Army of Ohio
5 division Royal Guard
2 division Army of the Yucatan
5 division Army of Veracruz
5 division Army of Guatemala
(50/52 divisions possible raised, max 15% conscription)

Chinese Republic
45 division Army of Hunan
40 division Army of Nanchang
30 division Army of Hubei
20 division Army of Hefei
20 division Army of Guangxi
20 division Army of Fujian
10 division Army of Chengdu
20 division Army of Nanjing
(204/286 divisions possible raised, max 3% conscription)

United Provinces of New Holland
6 division Army of Western Australia
4 division Army of Northern Australia
3 division Army of Papua New Guinea
4 division Army of Southern Australia
(17/40 divisions possible raised, max 8% conscription)

Holy Republic of Colombia
11 division Army of Iwo Jima
1 division Army of Haiti
2 division Army of Maracaibo
2 division Army of Caracas
3 division Army of Luzon
11 division Army off Taipei
4 division Army of Lima
4 division Army of New Guinea
(38/39 divisions possible raised, max 18% conscription)

Confederation of New England
15 division Army of New York
1 division Army of Boston
(16/16 divisions possible raised, max 17% conscription)

Republic of Patagonia
3 division Army of Cordoba
3 division Army of Paraguay
(6/22 divisions possible raised, max 15% conscription)

Kingdom of Romania
5 division Army of Bucharest
(5/30 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Kingdom of Portugal
5 division Army of Lisbon
5 division Army of Formosa
(10/22 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Dutch Republic
18 division Red Guard
(18/18 divisions possible raised, max 14% conscription)

Spanish Catholic Republic
10 division Army of Castile
(10/30 divisions possible raised, max 8% conscription)

Durrani Empire
24 division Army of Delhi
2 division Army of Herat
(26/28 divisions possible raised, max 11% conscription)

Sultanate of Mysore
22 division Army of the North
20 division Army of Mysore
(42/42 divisions possible raised, max 11% conscription)

[KaiserDave]

PROCLAMATION OF VICTORY

To be immediately issued to the Russian and Foreign Press

Glory! Supreme Glory to our soldiers and sailors! The Turkish enemy is utterly and totally vanquished! The horses of the Cossacks are drinking from the Sea of Marmara! The Russian tricolor flies atop the hill of Çamlıca! Bulgars, Russians, and Greeks break bread together besides the Aegean Sea! Together our heroic armies of Christian and Slavic peoples kneeled before the cross together in the Hagia Sophia and thanked God for our victory.

In the early days of October the Turkish line broke before our forces, and the XI and XII Corps lead the vanguard of the army forward, piercing the frontlines of our enemies and seized Kirklareli. Within days the door to Constantinople was open. The Russian, Bulgar, and Greek armies charged forward, defeating the Turks repeatedly with overwhelming force at the outskirts of the city, and then charging inwards.

As the city began to fall, as our forces penetrated the outskirts of the city, desperate nationalists began to commit unbelievable acts of criminality. Greeks and Christians of the city were set upon and murdered by depraved mobs of fanatics and terrorists, even the Patriarch was murdered, his throat slit and tongue ripped out so he could never again lead prayers among the faithful. But this could not stop the unstoppable tide of heroic Russians, Bulgars, and Greeks from conquering the Holy City and avenging 1453. Russia promises justice for these acts of barbarism.

Russia has secured total victory. In the days that come, we will begin talks with the Regency Council of the Ottoman Empire, and we will bring an end to the conflict. Konstaningrad will join Russia as a core part of our Republic, with special status to reflect its unique position. The straits will become Russian. We will secure the freedom and nationhood of our Balkan comrades, and we will bring lasting peace.

I wish to thank the heroic Russian Army for all of their sacrifices since the start of the Second Great Eastern War, and the heroic Russian people for their mobilization to secure complete victory. We have achieved unparalleled glory for Holy Russia, for Christendom, and for our brother-people. Truly, we have not seen such glory since the Saint Alexander Yaroslavich! Such is the glory of our Republic that we have avenged even the fall of Rome!

Glory to Holy Russia! Glory to our army! God is with us! Long live VICTORY!

xAlexsey S. Suvorin, President of the Russian Republic

VICTORY: RUSSIA REJOICES

With the announcement of victory from Suvorin, and the other reports that had been announced across Russia that Constantinople, frenzied crowds amassed across Russia. It was a celebration that dwarfed even the reactions to the Treaty of Warsaw. Bells rang in a wild defeating frenzy, crowds rushed into the street waving flags and bearing portraits of Suvorin as if he was a Tsar (some are even now floating the idea of crowning Suvorin as sovereign, though he has swatted down such ideas immediately). Crowds sang the national anthem as they paraded gleefully through the streets. In Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, in Kazan, in Minsk, in Odesa and in all the cities of the Republic crowds rushed into the streets. In Moscow, crowds waited outside Suvorin's government apartment bloc for 13 hours waiting for him to greet them, which he eventually did to great applause. Field Marshal Milyutin, who remains in Constantinople, is also an object of praise, as is the Prime Minister and other members of government.

Upon announcement of the victory, gift baskets of eggs, pretzels, bread, salt, and butter were made available in gift baskets in Moscow for distribution. Frenzied crowds gathered to further celebrate the victory of our armies. A military review was conducted in Moscow of forces who had fought in the battles for Constantinople, to great applause. The nation is engulfed in a religious as well as nationalist fervor, with millions of the faithful thanking God for the divine gift of the city of Constantinople, and there is open glee amongst the Church at the capture of Hagia Sofia. It is also Icons of our Savior which are at the front of parades, with so many going down on their knees to thank God for the victory which could only have been given by our loving and supreme Lord in Heaven. In the Churches victory was proclaimed to gleeful congregations, and prayers of thanksgiving were made from the distant reaches of Siberia to Minsk.

Prime Minister Chicherin has made vague comments towards post-war affairs, and the administration of Constantinople, the government has in particular spoken much on the massacre of the Greeks in Constantinople as the city fell. Already, three dozen violent Turkish nationalists have been summarily tried and shot for these events, these being accused of directly leading mobs and killing Christians and Greeks themselves. Their property has been also been expropriated.

For now however, Russia celebrates, and its victorious government looks ahead to settling the post war world.

The Story of Dimitry Gregorovich Porechenkov

The capture of Constantinople is a great victory for our Republic and for the Russian nation. It is also a religiously significant moment filled with prophecy and mystic folk belief. The Greeks speak of Suvorin as if he is the return of the Marble Emperor, the last Emperor of All Rome, Constantine XI Palaiologos, come from stone to reconquer the Holy City for Christendom and for the Greek people. The Russians speak of him as if he is directly guided by God, the Bulgars speak with similar reverence. But there are also many other stories of supernatural moments in the capture of the city. Many speak of hearing the voices of Angels, or seeing Constantine XI upon his white steed in the battle. One such story is the story of Dimitry Gregorovich Porechenkov, Sergeant of the First Degree. He says that the night before the attack on Old Constantinople that he was visited by a vision of the Archangel Michael, who asked Sergeant Porechenkov to follow him into battle. Porechenkov says the Angel asked if he was faithful to the Lord, to which he replied in the affirmative. The Angel asked him if he would fight for God? He said yes. The next morning he saw the Archangel Michael again as he rushed into a bayonet charge through the city streets. The Angel led him into a small church that had already been savaged by mobs of nationalists, Porechenkov began to dig underneath the altar, where a shield was discovered with the Chi Rho symbol painted over it. It was revealed to the humble soldier that this was an original shield of the Army of Constantine the Great from the Milvian Bridge. The soldier returned to battle bearing his saber and his shield, leading a detachment of soldiers deep into the heart of the city.

The story is gaining traction amongst the common soldier as a sign of divine favor, and local Priests have deemed the shield authentic. They remain unconvinced on the veracity of the story, but amongst the common soldier and local Greeks, it has become quite popular.  

[Kuumo]

(Source: u/S-I-B-E-R-I-A-N on r/vexillology)

Official Proclamation from the State Department

The Holy Republic of Colombia recognizes the sovereignty of the Dutch Republic and will establish formal diplomatic relations with the Dutch capital after the cessation of hostilities in western Europe.

-José María Rojas Garrido, Secretary of State

(Source: u/S-I-B-E-R-I-A-N on r/vexillology)

Official Proclamation from the State Department

The Holy Republic of Colombia recognizes the independence of the Kingdom of Bulgaria, Kingdom of Greece, Kingdom of Illyria, and Kingdom of Serbia and recognizes Russian hegemony over Constantinople and the Bosporus Strait.

-José María Rojas Garrido, Secretary of State

[DKrol]

Speech by His Majesty the King to the People of Louisiana
Delivered in Baton Rouge, excerpts to be published in major newspapers across the realm

My fellow Louisianans,

As we are engaged in a war in our east with a foreign enemy, a more dangerous viper has emerged in our west: the domestic saboteur. These domestic saboteurs have taken what has been a great four years of national unity and cooperation and brutally shattered that peace. Where our United Kingdom had moved ever closer, in bonds of fraternity, past the old divisions of race, class, and creed, we have now been torn apart once more.

By rights and laws, Frederick Douglass is the one legitimate Governor of Liberia and I hereby direct the Prime Minister and his Government to only engage with Mr. Douglass on all matters relating to the province. Mr. Green is no more than a petty criminal, stealing what is rightfully Mr. Douglass’ position of authority and masquerading about like a mad man. It is utterly shameful what Mr. Green has done to our United Kingdom, and to Mr. Douglass. I give him one week to renounce his treason and present himself to the military garrison in Denver for arrest, trial, and punishment. Should he fail to do so, the rule of law will be re-established.

With immediate effect, the members of the National Assembly from Liberia are suspended from sitting in the Chamber. Only men who swear an oath of loyalty to Mr. Douglass’ governorship and the Crown will be permitted to represent Liberia in the National Assembly. Once that oath has been sworn and their loyalty assured, the elected members from Liberia will be returned to their seats. Any man who refuses the oath, or who Mr. Douglass doubts the loyalty of, will be stripped of their position and arrested, and tried with haste, as a saboteur.

We must show no mercy, no leniency towards these domestic saboteurs. They will meet the full force of the law and our justice and, in time, the judgment of God. But we must all remember that those who have attacked our United Kingdom are a specific brood of men - not all Afro-Louisianans are our enemies. Any man found to wrongfully attack, harm, or harass an Afro-Louisianan man will face trial in Baton Rouge for an unlawful act. Did we all so quickly forget the many thousands of Afro-Louisianans who marched arm in arm, and died man for man, with Louisianans of Anglo and Franco roots in the Eastern War? As we have all learned since the horrors of New Marseille, the Afro-Louisianan man is just as worthy, just as good, just as Louisianan as any of us. It is a shame that a select bunch of traitors have chosen to tarnish the name and good standing of an entire class of man.

Stand strong! Move united! Better days are ahead!

[PSOL]

Iranian-Portuguese Treaty of 1876

The Sublime State of Iran and Portuguese kingdom shall sign a defense treaty against a foreign attack if either party at war did not strike first

X NQS

[Spamage]

Iranian-Portuguese Treaty of 1876

The Sublime State of Iran and Portuguese kingdom shall sign a defense treaty against a foreign attack if either party at war did not strike first

X NQS

X- King John VII of Portugal

[KaiserDave]

Treaty of Harbin

• Hostilities will immediately cease and peace and normal relations will commence between the Russian Republic and Joseon
• Both parties will immediately return captured prisoners of war to their native homelands
• Joseon and Russia will agree to the following map as the new boundary:

xAlexsey Suvorin, President of the Russian Republic

[GoTfan]

The Padania Declaration

Delivered by Chares VIII from the balcony of the Palazzao Reale di Napoli, later printed and distributed in Italian territories controlled by Amadeus

Today, we have shown that the people of Italy truly are one, united and indivisible. A proud people, seeking merely to ensure that Italy is ruled by Italians, not puppets of foreign powers, or those who wuld drag us into pointless wars to seize a foreign crown.

Xavier is dead. He died cowering in his private residence. A King does not cower when faced with threats on his life; I myself have had my leg taken from me by an assassin, yet I do not cower. Every member of my family has endured the same rationing as the common man and woman, and I regularly make the effort to visit the front lines.

I today wish to extend the following to all Italians under arms in the army of the false Italian Amadeus:

With Xavier dead, your cause for fighting this war dies as well. If you lay down your arms and return home, you will be unharmed. You will keep your land and any titles you may possess. You will receive all the rights of a citizen as decreed by the Constitution of 1872. You will be free to run for election to political office and to vote.

I, Charles, King of Naples, do solemnly stand by these words I have said in the eyes of God.

Avanti Italia!

The Kingdom of Naples formally recognises the right of the Russian Republic to its newly conquered territories. At last, the capital of the Byzantines has been returned to those the treacherous Ottomans seized it from.

Charles himself looks forward to a visit to the famed Hagia Sophia.

x Charles VIII, King of Naples

x Francesco Crispi, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Naples

x Luigi Amadeo Melegari, Minister of Foreign and Colonial Affairs of the Kingdom of Naples.

[GoTfan]

Constantinople has been returned to the light!

The great city of the East, named for Constantine, became the capital of that great Emperor as he waged his wars in defence of that Empire. It was from Constantinople that Justinian would launch his war to reclaim Rome from the Ostrogoths, and where that great cathedral, the Hagia Sophia, was constructed.

Then on the 29th of May 1453, the great city, after over fifty days of valiant resistance, fell to the treacherous Ottomans. The streets were sullied with the blood of Christians, Catholic and Orthodox alike.

Since then, it has been the dream of Christian everywhere to see this righted.

In recognition of his great success in the East and thus, his service to the Christian faith, His Majesty Charles VIII hereby appoints His Excellency President Aleksey Suvorin as a Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George.

x Charles VIII, King of Naples and Grand Duke of Corsica.

[KaiserDave]

OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION OF STATE

Our Suvorin, the humble son of the simple and sacred Russian peasantry, came from very little. At a young age he mastered the fields of geography, history, writing, and artillery, he was destined for leadership. It was as if the revolution occurred for history to summon Our Suvorin forward. The noble Son of Russia came forward to lead our country from the dark depths of dishonor at Breslau to claim our rights. With the guidance of God, and the courage of the President, Russia is victorious.

In view of the heroic and visionary leadership of our President, which made the total and complete victory of the Russian Army, and the great glory achieved by our Republic possible, the State Duma has voted to bestow President Alexsey Suvorin these high honors, dignities, and titles.

President of All the Russias
This honorific is bestowed to President Suvorin in light of the unity we now enjoy of the Great Russian, White Russian, and Little Russian peoples, which was cruelly deprived by the Terms of Breslau. Deputy Mikhail Katkov of the Duma declared it was the "historical necessity" that this title be bestowed.
Defender of the Faith
It was our treaty obligations by Warsaw that obligated us to put the bloody regime of Murad V to an end. Russia remains as Protector of the Orthodox Christians of the Ottoman Empire, and Suvorin the Defender of the Orthodox Faith in every corner of the world.
Savior of Holy Russia
President Suvorin has elevated Russia to a position unthinkable only 7 years ago. He has brought Russia from the brink and elevated her to glory.
Avenger of Rome
Russia has justified the sacrifice of Constantine XI, Russia has dismissed all doubt that Holy Russia is the successor of the empire of Constantine I, of Justinian, of Alexios I Komnenos, and of Basil II. This was only possible with Suvorin.

Together with Suvorin we will march into the future!

xBoris N. Chicherin, Prime Minister of the Russian Republic

Policy for the Integration of Konstantingrad

Constantinople, Gallipoli, Dardanellia, and surrounding areas to be annexed by the Russian Republic. The governance of such area is hereby assigned to the PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF KONSTANTINGRAD (or Paak). Field Marshal Dmitry Alekseyevich Milyutin is hereby appointed as Governor of the Provisional Authority. The following policies are to be put into effect

• Continue to administer justice for the vile crimes committed by Turkish nationalist organizations in the midst of battle. Total criminalization of ultra-nationalist organizations, militias, and committees, confiscation of the property of all criminal suspects.
• Overseeing the immediate memorial and burial of Joachim II, and election of a new Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
• Total conversion of the Haga Sofia to a Church of the Eastern Orthodox rite.
• Immediate relocation of select Turkish families back to their homeland.
• Appeals to Greeks, Bulgars, and Russians to move to the Holy City, with offers of property and employment.
• Conversion of Fatih Mosque (built upon the Church of the Holy Apostles) to a church of the Eastern Orthodox rite and a shrine to select Eastern Roman Emperors, who will be entombed symbolically.
• Establishment of the official languages of the city as Russian, Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian, and French, with preference to Russian, Bulgarian, and Greek in employment and commerce.
• Establishment of a RUSSIAN QUARTER in and around the Topkapı Palace which will be a direct continuation of authority from Moscow and with direct lines of communication, which will be populated exclusively by Russian authorities, soldiers, and select Russian citizens and foreign staff, and which will include the docks. A wall will be constructed around the quarter, to be guarded by soldiers with strict requirements for entry.
• A policy of religious tolerance and non interference for the Turkish and Muslim peoples which will remain after relocation and immigration is implemented. A commitment to Konstantingrad as a pluralistic city, if not secular (this is a Christian city).
• The preservation of the Süleymaniye Mosque, New Valide Sultan Mosque, Blue Mosque as a place of worship for Muslims, with all other similarly sized mosques being converted to churches of the Eastern Orthodox rite.
• The convocation of a multi-faith council of faith leaders to help govern religious affairs, including a Greek Orthodox Priest, a Russian Orthodox Priest, a Sunni Muslim Imam, and a Rabbi, and chaired by a civilian Russian authority of such necessary intellectual and multi-faceted religious study.
• The construction of a walled international settlement within the city taking up the size of a neighborhood in the Pera area, as a home for foreign businessmen, ambassadors, and their staff. The settlement will be governed by a council of foreign diplomats, chaired by a Russian official, and the settlement will be guarded by Russian soldiers.
• The creation of a committee to form permanent police brigades once the Russian military presence is reduced. Such brigades would have All-Greek and All-Turkish groups to patrol different neighborhoods, including the international settlement.
• The establishment of the Dolmabahçe Palace as the Headquarters of the Russian Admiralty for the Mediterranean Sea, and the second most senior building for all Russian naval affairs nationwide, as well as a headquarters for broader regional military planning.
• The establishment of a Straits Commission to organize passage through the Bosphorus, Marmara, and Dardanelles for Russian vessels and Moscow-approved foreign vessels.
• Where special provisional laws do not apply Konstantingrad will follow Russian civil code
• Konstantingrad will possess a City Council to be elected by those who can prove proficiency in recognized languages and are not under criminal suspicion. The Council will serve as an organ of public accountability and responsiveness, but all their decisions must be approved by the Governor.

First Russian Delegation to Konstantingrad

An official delegation of the Russian state, led by Marshal, newly appointed Governor Dmitry Alekseyevich Milyutin, and the visiting Patriarch of Moscow, global circumnavigator and Admiral Vasily Zavoyko, and several government officials has made a tour of captured Constantinople. The delegation was overshadowed by a high security presence in light of the presence of Turkish ultra-nationalists in the city. Governor-Marshal Milyutin has ordered the executions of 106 convicted ultra-nationalists for involvement in the mass murder of Greeks during the battle and the sacking of the Greek quarter of the city. Executions continue unabated. However, the security presence did not stop the Patriarch from leading Christmas services on January 7th in the Hagia Sofia to a packed crowd of Russians, Greeks, and Bulgars. The delegation also went to the Fatih Mosque, which is being converted to a church as well with relics being shipped in each day, to go to the resting site of many Byzantine Emperors including Justinian. The literal graves have been several times robbed and destroyed and demolished since their initial construction hundreds of years ago, but symbolic graves are being built. The Russian delegation went to the gravesite to honor the ancient Emperors and tell them that they have recaptured their beloved city for Christendom. The delegation toured reconstruction projects in the city, as well as the processes of Deottomanization. New Greek street signs, reopening old churches and building new ones, construction of the new International Hotel of Konstantingrad, portraits of Suvorin in the streets, parades of Orthodox icons in the street, the Russian tricolor and the ubiquitous Russian soldier and checkpoint. And in the Bosphorus, the passage of Russian merchant vessels unhindered. Numerous vessels of the Black Sea fleet have also been seen docked in the city.

[FT-02 Senator A.F.E. 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

Source: Wikimedia Commons

OFFICIAL FIRMAN FROM THE IMPERIAL COURT IN KABUL

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Source: Quora

A New Dawn For Hindustan

An excerpt from the speech that, Abdul Samad Khan, Badshah of the Durrani Empire, had given at the Red Fort in Delhi to an encampment of soldiers, foreign diplomats, and a massive crowd of civilians.

"...Takbir! The city of Delhi, home of the old Mughal dynasty, is now, at last, finally free after a century of foreign occupation! Alhumdulillah, we have certainly come a long way since we crossed the Indus all those years ago. And we couldn't have done it without the fearless men and women willing to lay down their lives for their Badshah in the hope that their children and descendants will be able to live in freedom and prosperity forevermore! And of course, we couldn't have accomplished this feat without the help and support of our friends around the world. From Istanbul to Nanjing, Moscow to Srirangapatna, and Tehran to Lisbon, the various freedom-loving people globally have seen the righteousness in our struggle against the French.  And for that, I would like to sincerely thank all of them from the bottom of my heart. Takbir!..."

"...With the successes of the glorious Durrani army on the battlefield as showcased to the world at Sardarpur and Bundi, I am announcing that once the next year begins, we will commence peace negotiations with Paris. However, let this be known both far and near to all of the people of Hindustan, Just because I am attempting to end this war, it doesn't mean your plight, your struggles, and your suffering has gone unheeded. For the time being, I am calling upon all the freedom-loving people of Hindustan, regardless of their race, religion, or class to take up arms and fight the French. I am not saying this because I am your Padshah, I am saying this because I dream of a future Hindustan that is freed of all foreign oppression. I dream of a new dawn for Hindustan! And, Inshallah, we'll make this happen together as one united nation of brothers and sisters marching forwards to a glorious future! Takbir!"

[PSOL]

Treaty of London

I. Tariffs shall be lowered by 5% on goods from the British Union and Sublime State of Iran

II. The Dar Al-Funun and Oxford College shall enter into an exchange and cooperation program
a. British Professors from the fields of Science, Mathematics, Architecture, and construction shall be paid at least four times their salary in London along with expenses paid for them to teach in Tehran
b. Oxford shall sponsor an exchange program to teach pupils in the high schools of Iran and to train Iranian professors

[Kuumo]

The Treaty of Tehran (1876)
A Treaty between the Holy Republic of Colombia and the Sublime State of Iran

I. The signatories hereby confirm their desire for a peaceful and economically productive relationship, and hereby commit to the following:

II. Respective diplomatic embassies will be opened in Tehran and Bogotá.

III. The tariffs for trade between the two nations shall be lowered by 8%.

IV. The Holy Republic of Colombia recognizes Iranian claims in Anatolia and the Levant.

V. The Sublime State of Iran recognizes the independence of the Holy Union of the Philippines and Colombian claims in the Pacific.

VI. The Holy Republic of Colombia will loan 5 million Colombian pesos to the Sublime State of Iran with 5% annual percentage rate to be paid off in 7 years.

x Archbishop-President Vicente Arbeláez Gómez