Thanks Nameless!
I'll be sure to find someone deserving to pass this on to.
I hope to get an update or two up this weekend. On a related note this AAR has just completed an entire 'ghost page' in which there was no update.
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Thanks Nameless!
I'll be sure to find someone deserving to pass this on to.
I hope to get an update or two up this weekend. On a related note this AAR has just completed an entire 'ghost page' in which there was no update.
The Spanish Succession – 1855
Following the death of the great King Carlos V on March 10th 1855 the Carlist regime in Spain was left in utter turmoil. Just as Carlos had come to power amidst a majorly disputed succession he left Spain with the same problem.
All this troubled descended from the death of the heir apparent, Prince Carlos, on June 9th 1854. Prince Carlos was the eldest of the King’s two children (both of them sons) and was ideally suited to the role as his father’s successor. He was beloved by the church for his public political support and his private pious devotion, had the respect of both the people and the aristocracy and most important of all he was uniquely positioned amongst the rightwing of Spain as he was greatly respected by the notoriously liberal Spanish military.
Carlos had matured behind the backdrop of Civil War in Spain. At the age of 15 he saw his father’s supporters begin their attempt to overthrow the liberal government at 18 he travelled to Spain to fight alongside his father during the last two years of the Carlist Revolution. Following victory Prince Carlos joined the Spanish army and served with distinction as a General during the invasion of Morocco (1841-1843) and was in command of the new colonies’ occupation between 1843 and 1844. After this he moved more actively into politics but retained the support of the military. He was perfect for Spain but tragedy struck on May 3rd 1854 when he serious wounds after being trampled by a horse, he lingered on for another month before passing away.
As Carlos had another son this would, under normal circumstances, not be a problem however Juan (the younger of Carlos V’s two sons) was regarded unsuitable by the Communion Carlista.
Juan was a liberal; he supported desamortisation (the acquisition of church properties for the state), democracy, political freedom and had as much to do with France as he had with Spain. Unlike his broth Carlos who had quickly moved to Spain after coming of age Juan remained amongst his fellow Bourbons in France. There he became a close friend of the Legitimist claimant, Henri of Chambord, and became very active within the Legitimist Party, leading it towards a more liberal position. Although after his father’s victory he did frequently travel to Spain it was always clear that Juan saw his home as being Paris, indeed he spoke Spanish with a Parisian accent and never travelled without an entourage of his close friends, there were few Spaniards amongst them. The Carlist faction in Spain loathed him. So hated was Juan by the Carlists that in 1843 King Carlos V arranged for his elder son, Prince Carlos, to renounce his claims to the French throne. This in turn made Juan the next in line to the Legitimist claims to France, the move was a clear sign by the King that he wanted Juan to stay in Paris, far away from Spanish politics where his liberal views could not harm Spain.
Throughout the 1840s and early 50s Juan did as he was encouraged to do and stayed away from Spanish politics whilst remaining extremely active in France. He did frequently return to Spain in order to take part in public events and manage his extensive properties South of the Pyrenees but he rarely stayed for more than a few weeks at a time. However in 1854, following his brother’s tragic death, he was thrust back into the limelight in Spain as he became heir apparent. By this stage King Carlos’ health was visibly fading and the ruling Communion Carlista was more powerful than it had ever been. The Communion was eager to prevent Juan eventual ascension to the Spanish throne by any means necessary and instead presented Francis, Duke of Cadiz, as the rightful heir. Soon a vicious campaign was unleashed against Juan in which the Prince was accused of being everything from a bastard to a homosexual to a French spy meanwhile laws were drafted that would prevent Juan from coming to the throne.
Spain now had three claimants vying for the crown that would become available following Carlos V’s death. All claimed direct descent from King Carlos IV’s three sons.
Out of the three claimants Isabella was in the weakest position and had little realistic chance of securing the crown. She had been just three years old when she became Queen in 1833 and was just 8 when she was finally overthrown in 1838. After the defeat of her supporters by the Carlists she fled to London where she continued to claim the Spanish thrown whilst living the life of an émigré. Her supporters always had been the liberal Partido Progresista and this did not change whilst she was in exile. Relying wholly on support from an oppressed and shrinking group always left her support muted in Spain itself and as ever larger sections of the Partido moved towards the support of Juan as a more viable liberal champion Isabella drifted into total irrelevance. Legally she and all her line were ruled out of the succession shortly after the end of the Carlist Revolution. Isabella could do little to influence the outcome of Carlos’ succession.
The realistic opponent of Juan was Duke Francis of Cadiz. During the 1830s, whilst still a child, Francis had briefly been engaged to be married to his cousin Queen Isabella. However whilst Isabella and her closest supporters fled Spain following defeat in the Carlist Revolution Francis’ father Francisco had switched sides and joined in support of his brother Carlos V. Before during and after the Civil War Francisco had been one of the most prominent members of the Partido Moderado – a conservative group that did not want to upset the status quo as both the Carlists and Progresistas wished to. During Carlos’ reign Francisco had been an important ally in the centre of Spanish politics for the Carlists and his retirement from public life in 1851 had helped push the Carlists further to the right as they no longer tried to compromise as much with the moderates. Francis on the other hand went down a rather different political route than his father and became the darling of the Communion Carlista. More reactionary than King Carlos himself and as brilliant as any politician in Europe by 1854 he was one of the leading figures in the Communion Carlista. The death of his close friend and cousin Prince Carlos in 1854 shook Francis deeply and he seemed to hold suspicions that Juan and the liberals had in some way contributed towards Prince Carlos’ death. This is one of the reasons he helped whip up the Carlist faction against Juan and why he put himself forward for the crown.
Throughout 1854 and 1855 as the King slowly withered away there existed a standoff between Francis and the Carlist faction and the supporters of Juan. The vile smear campaign of the Carlists almost convinced Juan to surrender his claim to the Spanish crown in the Winter of 1854 but his friends in France convinced him to stick to his guns and begin operations of his own to outflank the Communion. Juan secured almost unilateral support from the Partido Progresista as well as the Partido Moderado (which felt shunned by the recent shift of the Communion to the right). Juan was a clear favourite amongst the oppressed bourgeoisie (a class Carlos V had long detested more than anything else) and the educated urban working classes. However his most important supporters were Generals of Spain’s armies who were hopeful of liberalisation in Spain.
When Carlos finally died on March 10th 1855 Francis moved quickly to try to secure the throne for himself. With the public backing of several senior clerical officials and the private backing of the Holy Father himself Francis hoped his rather tenuous claim to the throne, when compared to Juan, would be overlooked as he rode to victory. On March 14th Juan, still at this stage a Prince and nothing more, was declared an enemy of the state and an arrest warrant was issued. The government claimed to have discovered evidence that he was implicated in the death Prince Carlos and that he was acting as an agent of the French state. This was designed to legitimise Francis’ coronation which was scheduled for March 21st however the flimsiness of the government’s evidence coupled with the almost ridiculous nature of the charges only turned more people against the usurping Francis.
As the days wore on Madrid quickly turned violent as tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands rioted in the streets against Francis’ attempt to usurp the true King. At this stage the Communion Carlista, which had only recently been strongly united behind Francis, began to fracture. A small dire hard core remained firmly behind Francis whilst the majority simply slipped away from the action remaining more ambivalent in their support.
On March 17th General Blanco y Erenas led 15,000 Spanish soldiers into Madrid upon the orders of the collapsing Francist government. Francis had taken the risk of inviting the military (an element of the Spanish state with rather questionable loyalty to Francis) into Madrid in the hopes that they could restore order. In that the soldiers were very successful, some 9,000 people were killed over the course of three days as Blanco y Erenas brutally restored order. However Erenas did not stop there and with the entire city firmly under his control he led his men into the government, arrested Francis and his key supporters and summarily executed them as enemies of the state. This move stunned Spain and Europe alike. Whilst Francis was highly unpopular in industrialised Madrid he had still retained much more support amongst the people than Juan ever had, it was clear that there would be a backlash against Erenas’ actions in Madrid and he clearly needed to legitimise his position.
Juan was quickly rushed into Madrid and hurriedly crowned King Juan III of Spain at the start of April. At the same time thousands began to rise up across Spain and her colonies whilst dozens of military units started to consider whether to march for Madrid or towards it.
Erenas had clearly hoped to form a military government dominated by liberals using Juan as a puppet. However Juan outwitted and surprised Erenas as he vigorously secured his position within days of arriving in Madrid. First off Juan offered a complete amnesty to the Carlists and convinced them to return to Madrid to help him form his new government – this effectively neutralised the rebel threat by denying them a viable leadership. Then Juan organised for Erenas and his army to march Northwards against several major rebel formations that were threatening Madrid itself whilst at the same time removing units from elsewhere so he could create a hefty garrison for Madrid that was commanded by Generals totally loyal to him. Juan also removed any hopes Erenas or the other liberals had of portraying the new King as a reactionary like his father as he invited the Partido Progresista into Madrid to form his new government, although they did so alongside elements of the Carlista Communion and Partido Moderado. As Juan made himself all things to all men he swiftly moved to fill the most important positions of power with men loyal to him and him alone.
By the end of April Spain was clearly in another Civil War but its capital was totally under the thumb of its new King.
Following the death of the great King Carlos V on March 10th 1855 the Carlist regime in Spain was left in utter turmoil. Just as Carlos had come to power amidst a majorly disputed succession he left Spain with the same problem.
All this troubled descended from the death of the heir apparent, Prince Carlos, on June 9th 1854. Prince Carlos was the eldest of the King’s two children (both of them sons) and was ideally suited to the role as his father’s successor. He was beloved by the church for his public political support and his private pious devotion, had the respect of both the people and the aristocracy and most important of all he was uniquely positioned amongst the rightwing of Spain as he was greatly respected by the notoriously liberal Spanish military.
Carlos had matured behind the backdrop of Civil War in Spain. At the age of 15 he saw his father’s supporters begin their attempt to overthrow the liberal government at 18 he travelled to Spain to fight alongside his father during the last two years of the Carlist Revolution. Following victory Prince Carlos joined the Spanish army and served with distinction as a General during the invasion of Morocco (1841-1843) and was in command of the new colonies’ occupation between 1843 and 1844. After this he moved more actively into politics but retained the support of the military. He was perfect for Spain but tragedy struck on May 3rd 1854 when he serious wounds after being trampled by a horse, he lingered on for another month before passing away.
As Carlos had another son this would, under normal circumstances, not be a problem however Juan (the younger of Carlos V’s two sons) was regarded unsuitable by the Communion Carlista.
Juan was a liberal; he supported desamortisation (the acquisition of church properties for the state), democracy, political freedom and had as much to do with France as he had with Spain. Unlike his broth Carlos who had quickly moved to Spain after coming of age Juan remained amongst his fellow Bourbons in France. There he became a close friend of the Legitimist claimant, Henri of Chambord, and became very active within the Legitimist Party, leading it towards a more liberal position. Although after his father’s victory he did frequently travel to Spain it was always clear that Juan saw his home as being Paris, indeed he spoke Spanish with a Parisian accent and never travelled without an entourage of his close friends, there were few Spaniards amongst them. The Carlist faction in Spain loathed him. So hated was Juan by the Carlists that in 1843 King Carlos V arranged for his elder son, Prince Carlos, to renounce his claims to the French throne. This in turn made Juan the next in line to the Legitimist claims to France, the move was a clear sign by the King that he wanted Juan to stay in Paris, far away from Spanish politics where his liberal views could not harm Spain.
Throughout the 1840s and early 50s Juan did as he was encouraged to do and stayed away from Spanish politics whilst remaining extremely active in France. He did frequently return to Spain in order to take part in public events and manage his extensive properties South of the Pyrenees but he rarely stayed for more than a few weeks at a time. However in 1854, following his brother’s tragic death, he was thrust back into the limelight in Spain as he became heir apparent. By this stage King Carlos’ health was visibly fading and the ruling Communion Carlista was more powerful than it had ever been. The Communion was eager to prevent Juan eventual ascension to the Spanish throne by any means necessary and instead presented Francis, Duke of Cadiz, as the rightful heir. Soon a vicious campaign was unleashed against Juan in which the Prince was accused of being everything from a bastard to a homosexual to a French spy meanwhile laws were drafted that would prevent Juan from coming to the throne.
Spain now had three claimants vying for the crown that would become available following Carlos V’s death. All claimed direct descent from King Carlos IV’s three sons.
Out of the three claimants Isabella was in the weakest position and had little realistic chance of securing the crown. She had been just three years old when she became Queen in 1833 and was just 8 when she was finally overthrown in 1838. After the defeat of her supporters by the Carlists she fled to London where she continued to claim the Spanish thrown whilst living the life of an émigré. Her supporters always had been the liberal Partido Progresista and this did not change whilst she was in exile. Relying wholly on support from an oppressed and shrinking group always left her support muted in Spain itself and as ever larger sections of the Partido moved towards the support of Juan as a more viable liberal champion Isabella drifted into total irrelevance. Legally she and all her line were ruled out of the succession shortly after the end of the Carlist Revolution. Isabella could do little to influence the outcome of Carlos’ succession.
The realistic opponent of Juan was Duke Francis of Cadiz. During the 1830s, whilst still a child, Francis had briefly been engaged to be married to his cousin Queen Isabella. However whilst Isabella and her closest supporters fled Spain following defeat in the Carlist Revolution Francis’ father Francisco had switched sides and joined in support of his brother Carlos V. Before during and after the Civil War Francisco had been one of the most prominent members of the Partido Moderado – a conservative group that did not want to upset the status quo as both the Carlists and Progresistas wished to. During Carlos’ reign Francisco had been an important ally in the centre of Spanish politics for the Carlists and his retirement from public life in 1851 had helped push the Carlists further to the right as they no longer tried to compromise as much with the moderates. Francis on the other hand went down a rather different political route than his father and became the darling of the Communion Carlista. More reactionary than King Carlos himself and as brilliant as any politician in Europe by 1854 he was one of the leading figures in the Communion Carlista. The death of his close friend and cousin Prince Carlos in 1854 shook Francis deeply and he seemed to hold suspicions that Juan and the liberals had in some way contributed towards Prince Carlos’ death. This is one of the reasons he helped whip up the Carlist faction against Juan and why he put himself forward for the crown.
Throughout 1854 and 1855 as the King slowly withered away there existed a standoff between Francis and the Carlist faction and the supporters of Juan. The vile smear campaign of the Carlists almost convinced Juan to surrender his claim to the Spanish crown in the Winter of 1854 but his friends in France convinced him to stick to his guns and begin operations of his own to outflank the Communion. Juan secured almost unilateral support from the Partido Progresista as well as the Partido Moderado (which felt shunned by the recent shift of the Communion to the right). Juan was a clear favourite amongst the oppressed bourgeoisie (a class Carlos V had long detested more than anything else) and the educated urban working classes. However his most important supporters were Generals of Spain’s armies who were hopeful of liberalisation in Spain.
When Carlos finally died on March 10th 1855 Francis moved quickly to try to secure the throne for himself. With the public backing of several senior clerical officials and the private backing of the Holy Father himself Francis hoped his rather tenuous claim to the throne, when compared to Juan, would be overlooked as he rode to victory. On March 14th Juan, still at this stage a Prince and nothing more, was declared an enemy of the state and an arrest warrant was issued. The government claimed to have discovered evidence that he was implicated in the death Prince Carlos and that he was acting as an agent of the French state. This was designed to legitimise Francis’ coronation which was scheduled for March 21st however the flimsiness of the government’s evidence coupled with the almost ridiculous nature of the charges only turned more people against the usurping Francis.
As the days wore on Madrid quickly turned violent as tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands rioted in the streets against Francis’ attempt to usurp the true King. At this stage the Communion Carlista, which had only recently been strongly united behind Francis, began to fracture. A small dire hard core remained firmly behind Francis whilst the majority simply slipped away from the action remaining more ambivalent in their support.
On March 17th General Blanco y Erenas led 15,000 Spanish soldiers into Madrid upon the orders of the collapsing Francist government. Francis had taken the risk of inviting the military (an element of the Spanish state with rather questionable loyalty to Francis) into Madrid in the hopes that they could restore order. In that the soldiers were very successful, some 9,000 people were killed over the course of three days as Blanco y Erenas brutally restored order. However Erenas did not stop there and with the entire city firmly under his control he led his men into the government, arrested Francis and his key supporters and summarily executed them as enemies of the state. This move stunned Spain and Europe alike. Whilst Francis was highly unpopular in industrialised Madrid he had still retained much more support amongst the people than Juan ever had, it was clear that there would be a backlash against Erenas’ actions in Madrid and he clearly needed to legitimise his position.
Juan was quickly rushed into Madrid and hurriedly crowned King Juan III of Spain at the start of April. At the same time thousands began to rise up across Spain and her colonies whilst dozens of military units started to consider whether to march for Madrid or towards it.
Erenas had clearly hoped to form a military government dominated by liberals using Juan as a puppet. However Juan outwitted and surprised Erenas as he vigorously secured his position within days of arriving in Madrid. First off Juan offered a complete amnesty to the Carlists and convinced them to return to Madrid to help him form his new government – this effectively neutralised the rebel threat by denying them a viable leadership. Then Juan organised for Erenas and his army to march Northwards against several major rebel formations that were threatening Madrid itself whilst at the same time removing units from elsewhere so he could create a hefty garrison for Madrid that was commanded by Generals totally loyal to him. Juan also removed any hopes Erenas or the other liberals had of portraying the new King as a reactionary like his father as he invited the Partido Progresista into Madrid to form his new government, although they did so alongside elements of the Carlista Communion and Partido Moderado. As Juan made himself all things to all men he swiftly moved to fill the most important positions of power with men loyal to him and him alone.
By the end of April Spain was clearly in another Civil War but its capital was totally under the thumb of its new King.
So Spain is in the midst of another Civil War, so that's bad news.
Anyways, have you considered downloading the Isle of Man + UK/FRA Revolter Countries Mod from Evil Weasel?
Anyways, have you considered downloading the Isle of Man + UK/FRA Revolter Countries Mod from Evil Weasel?
Ah, another Civil War. It will be interesting to see who will ultimately come out victorious.
It will be interesting to see who will ultimately come out victorious.
Juan played his hand very well. Since the Carlists are back on board and the focal point of opposition to Juan (Francis) lies dead in the street, his hold on power is his to lose now.
Wow! I did not expect this! Good luck sorting out the civil war, and great writing style as well.
The game never gets too easy.
Instead of yearly inserections I will write in one or two big bad rebellions/civil wars. It was around this time when I had my first really bad rebellions.
Never heard of that mod. I've actually finished playing the game so you wont be seeing the Isle of Man.
Ah, another Civil War.
Yes, it will.
Juan played his hand very well. Since the Carlists are back on board and the focal point of opposition to Juan (Francis) lies dead in the street, his hold on power is his to lose now.
Yes Juan is in a very good position. However you must remember that at this time Spain still has a tiny beuorgoisie and a very small number of craftsmen (virtually none outside of the provinces I've NFed) these classes alongside the army are the focus of liberal support. Juan might have a hard time creating a liberal paradise without popular support.
Thank you.
I hope the theme of liberalism vs the old order will become an interesting one in this AAR. It did after all dominate the RL 19th century for Spain.
I always was more of a lurker when it comes to AARs, but this one is just too great and I will follow it.
That was an unexpected turn of events - even having the trusty 'heir and spare' can't always guarantee a swift succession...
Does the game keep track of the ruling monarch anywhere or is it totally abstracted in the government type?
Does the game keep track of the ruling monarch anywhere or is it totally abstracted in the government type?
Spain 1855-1862
By May 1855 Juan III was firmly established in Madrid and the industrial heartlands of Castile. However beyond this territory and the cities of Barcelona, Cadiz and Seville government authority had collapsed. Somewhere between 80,000 and 120,000 peasants had risen against Juan during the chaos of March and April. Although badly organised and lacking direction in some territories Francist Generals had managed to organise the rebels into actual fighting forces.
The most notable was the army headed by one Mateo Sagasta, Duke of Tetuan. This army, approximately 35,000 strong, had marched Southward from the Basque territories where it had been formed with the aim of capturing Madrid itself. It was the threat of Sagasta that had forced General Erenas to leave Madrid and give Juan the room he needed to secure his position.
The two armies met at the Battle of Calatalyud in Western Aragon. Erenas commanded a much smaller force with or just 12,000 men however he possessed a significant artillery core and vastly superior equipment as his army of professional soldiers marched out to face an army of disgruntled peasants. The result of the battle was wholly conclusive; Erenas had managed to coax the foolhardy Sagasta into attacking his army, following a bloody slaughter the entire rebel army had started to crumble, at this stage Erenas unleashed a cavalry charge that was supported by infantry as well forcing the entire rebel army into disarray. By nightfall Sagasta was dead, the rebels were beaten and the Civil War effectively over.
Whilst Calatayud had destroyed the most meaningful resistance to Juan’s rule various rebel groups fought on for several more months, laying waste to much of the Spanish countryside. Meanwhile more lofty events occurred in Madrid. After saving Madrid from possible Francist capture Erenas returned to the Spanish capital, without his army. Now Erenas had a chance to show off his political acumen after so successfully displaying his military prowess. Whilst Erenas had been winning victory on the field of battle Juan had been frantically politicking in order to weaken the power of the returning war hero. Before his great General even returned to Madrid Juan had created a coalition government consisting of the Progresistas, Carlistas and Moderatos, Erenas had not been granted a position. Now in the political wilderness Erenas, still a very prominent Proresista politician, managed to raise enough support to force Juan into pushing through a crucial reform.
The Spanish Senate was born. 500 of Spain’s best and brightest politicians of all major factions were brought together into the Senate. The Senate was closely modelled on that employed by the Roman Republic – membership lasted for life unless the Monarch personally intervened to remove an individual and replacements would be chosen by the Monarch with the ‘advice’ of the Senate itself. Any and all members of the cabinet would have to be chosen from and by the Senate itself. The Senate was also to act as an advisory body, the cabinet would also act in a likewise manner as the Monarch would continue to have the final say in every matter. The composition of the Senate in 1855 was as follows: 271 Partido Progresista Senators, 155 Partido Moderado Senators, 68 Carlista Communion Senators and 6 Radical Senators.
By the time the cabinet had been reformed Erenas was Prime Minister of Spain.
In recent years the collapse of central authority in the Kingdom of Yemen had transformed the region into a hotbed for piracy in the Arabian and Red Seas. At the same time Spanish interests in the region had considerably expanded, this made Span’s 1856 intervention in the country rather unsurprising.
The conflict that lasted between May and December 1856 saw the Yemeni Army totally destroyed, the Pirate Haven of Aden cleared of unscrupulous influences and the coastal territories generally cleared up. Although Spain would leave little lasting impact on Yemen they were successful in greatly weakening the strength of the Pirates sapping European trade through these vital waterways.
On January 1st 1858 the Erenas government issued its most famous bill – the Emancipation Proclamation. As of that date all slaves within the Spanish Empire were made into freemen. Aside from the emancipation being a clear part of the Progresista agenda for decades the move had a clear political impact in the colonies. Outside of the Caribbean slavery was not particularly widespread in the Spanish Empire. However on Cuba a very large portion of the population had been slaves, In 1858 Cuba had enjoyed just 6 years of peace since the Four Years War that had devastated the island. By emancipating the slaves the government hoped that the creoles could be further weakened and that the threat of another creole led war of independence could be avoided entirely.
Later that year the powerful Prime Minister Erenas died, much to the relief of the King who had been growing ever more nervous of his popularity.
Around this time Madrid entered what is often called the Parisian decade, a period during which art flourished in the Spanish capital. Impressionist, Romanticist and Expressionist artists flocked to Madrid from France and elsewhere to enjoy the new artistic capital of Europe. For a brief decade Madrid replaced Paris as the most important cultural centre in Europe.
In 1862 the Spanish Empire was expanded with the annexation of the long disputed island of Sakhalin. The Japanese, Russians and Chinese all claimed the island rightfully belonged to them but it was the Spanish who finally established some form of governance over the territory. From as early as 1860 Spain had kept a permanent garrison on the island in order to protect the small Spanish trading posts that had popped up all across it. As Spanish economic interest gradually increased so did the Empire’s control over the politics of the island. After taking part in a series of wars in 1861 and 1862 virtually the entire island was under Spanish control and after a treaty with the remaining native leaders the entire island was officially made a colony of the Spanish Crown.
The period of 1855-1862 saw Spain experience impressive economic growth almost entirely fuelled by the growth of industry. The economy as a whole grew by some 30% over the 7 year period whilst the industrial sector had grown by an incredible 350% over the same period. Spain had gone from having the 7th largest industrial sector in the world to having the 5th largest – behind only France, Russia, Britain and Austria (in that order).
Although the emphasis on the Americas had decreased during Juan’s reign Spain was still trying to expand its economic and political dominion over its former American territories. She took a major step towards that goal in September 1861 as the Republic of Argentina came tumbling down. In its place a Monarchy was established and the Argentines requested that a minor Bourbon become their King. This in itself greatly increased Spain’s influence in the country and by November Argentina had signed the Madrid Pact.
In 1862 the tiny nation of Paraguay signed the Madrid Pact out of fear of the growing belligerence in French supported Brazil. Even with the Spanish speaking Americas being united together the radically jingoistic Brazilian government still seemed to be forcing the unwilling continent towards a major conflict.
By May 1855 Juan III was firmly established in Madrid and the industrial heartlands of Castile. However beyond this territory and the cities of Barcelona, Cadiz and Seville government authority had collapsed. Somewhere between 80,000 and 120,000 peasants had risen against Juan during the chaos of March and April. Although badly organised and lacking direction in some territories Francist Generals had managed to organise the rebels into actual fighting forces.
The most notable was the army headed by one Mateo Sagasta, Duke of Tetuan. This army, approximately 35,000 strong, had marched Southward from the Basque territories where it had been formed with the aim of capturing Madrid itself. It was the threat of Sagasta that had forced General Erenas to leave Madrid and give Juan the room he needed to secure his position.
The two armies met at the Battle of Calatalyud in Western Aragon. Erenas commanded a much smaller force with or just 12,000 men however he possessed a significant artillery core and vastly superior equipment as his army of professional soldiers marched out to face an army of disgruntled peasants. The result of the battle was wholly conclusive; Erenas had managed to coax the foolhardy Sagasta into attacking his army, following a bloody slaughter the entire rebel army had started to crumble, at this stage Erenas unleashed a cavalry charge that was supported by infantry as well forcing the entire rebel army into disarray. By nightfall Sagasta was dead, the rebels were beaten and the Civil War effectively over.
Whilst Calatayud had destroyed the most meaningful resistance to Juan’s rule various rebel groups fought on for several more months, laying waste to much of the Spanish countryside. Meanwhile more lofty events occurred in Madrid. After saving Madrid from possible Francist capture Erenas returned to the Spanish capital, without his army. Now Erenas had a chance to show off his political acumen after so successfully displaying his military prowess. Whilst Erenas had been winning victory on the field of battle Juan had been frantically politicking in order to weaken the power of the returning war hero. Before his great General even returned to Madrid Juan had created a coalition government consisting of the Progresistas, Carlistas and Moderatos, Erenas had not been granted a position. Now in the political wilderness Erenas, still a very prominent Proresista politician, managed to raise enough support to force Juan into pushing through a crucial reform.
The Spanish Senate was born. 500 of Spain’s best and brightest politicians of all major factions were brought together into the Senate. The Senate was closely modelled on that employed by the Roman Republic – membership lasted for life unless the Monarch personally intervened to remove an individual and replacements would be chosen by the Monarch with the ‘advice’ of the Senate itself. Any and all members of the cabinet would have to be chosen from and by the Senate itself. The Senate was also to act as an advisory body, the cabinet would also act in a likewise manner as the Monarch would continue to have the final say in every matter. The composition of the Senate in 1855 was as follows: 271 Partido Progresista Senators, 155 Partido Moderado Senators, 68 Carlista Communion Senators and 6 Radical Senators.
By the time the cabinet had been reformed Erenas was Prime Minister of Spain.
In recent years the collapse of central authority in the Kingdom of Yemen had transformed the region into a hotbed for piracy in the Arabian and Red Seas. At the same time Spanish interests in the region had considerably expanded, this made Span’s 1856 intervention in the country rather unsurprising.
The conflict that lasted between May and December 1856 saw the Yemeni Army totally destroyed, the Pirate Haven of Aden cleared of unscrupulous influences and the coastal territories generally cleared up. Although Spain would leave little lasting impact on Yemen they were successful in greatly weakening the strength of the Pirates sapping European trade through these vital waterways.
On January 1st 1858 the Erenas government issued its most famous bill – the Emancipation Proclamation. As of that date all slaves within the Spanish Empire were made into freemen. Aside from the emancipation being a clear part of the Progresista agenda for decades the move had a clear political impact in the colonies. Outside of the Caribbean slavery was not particularly widespread in the Spanish Empire. However on Cuba a very large portion of the population had been slaves, In 1858 Cuba had enjoyed just 6 years of peace since the Four Years War that had devastated the island. By emancipating the slaves the government hoped that the creoles could be further weakened and that the threat of another creole led war of independence could be avoided entirely.
Later that year the powerful Prime Minister Erenas died, much to the relief of the King who had been growing ever more nervous of his popularity.
Around this time Madrid entered what is often called the Parisian decade, a period during which art flourished in the Spanish capital. Impressionist, Romanticist and Expressionist artists flocked to Madrid from France and elsewhere to enjoy the new artistic capital of Europe. For a brief decade Madrid replaced Paris as the most important cultural centre in Europe.
In 1862 the Spanish Empire was expanded with the annexation of the long disputed island of Sakhalin. The Japanese, Russians and Chinese all claimed the island rightfully belonged to them but it was the Spanish who finally established some form of governance over the territory. From as early as 1860 Spain had kept a permanent garrison on the island in order to protect the small Spanish trading posts that had popped up all across it. As Spanish economic interest gradually increased so did the Empire’s control over the politics of the island. After taking part in a series of wars in 1861 and 1862 virtually the entire island was under Spanish control and after a treaty with the remaining native leaders the entire island was officially made a colony of the Spanish Crown.
The period of 1855-1862 saw Spain experience impressive economic growth almost entirely fuelled by the growth of industry. The economy as a whole grew by some 30% over the 7 year period whilst the industrial sector had grown by an incredible 350% over the same period. Spain had gone from having the 7th largest industrial sector in the world to having the 5th largest – behind only France, Russia, Britain and Austria (in that order).
Although the emphasis on the Americas had decreased during Juan’s reign Spain was still trying to expand its economic and political dominion over its former American territories. She took a major step towards that goal in September 1861 as the Republic of Argentina came tumbling down. In its place a Monarchy was established and the Argentines requested that a minor Bourbon become their King. This in itself greatly increased Spain’s influence in the country and by November Argentina had signed the Madrid Pact.
In 1862 the tiny nation of Paraguay signed the Madrid Pact out of fear of the growing belligerence in French supported Brazil. Even with the Spanish speaking Americas being united together the radically jingoistic Brazilian government still seemed to be forcing the unwilling continent towards a major conflict.
Wow
Sakhalin?!? Good Lord, the priest at Our Lady of the Frozen North must be one lonely guy!
Sakhalin?!? Good Lord, the priest at Our Lady of the Frozen North must be one lonely guy!
And there I was expecting another round of long, drawn-out civil strife. Spain was lucky that A) the King managed to take power as quickly as he did, B) Erenas was able to crush the Civil War in one battle and C) Erenas and the King were able to find a nodus vivendi that did not boil over into violence. Spain is looking pretty good right now.
The Madrid Pact is a very interesting group, and will hopefully lead to some exciting wars if Brazil acts on it's jingoism.
No the game doesn't list the Monarch, only the government type (in this case Absolute Monarchy).
If you wish to know I can tell you I'm basing the Kings, roughly, off the RL Carlist line. Once Carlos V died he was succeeded by his elder, and deeply conservative, son Carlos VI. He died after a few years and was succeeded by Juan III. In this AAR I had Carlos the younger die early so we could have the liberal Juan III come to power as it fit in well with my story.
We never were in too much trouble. The only way to go now is up.
The forzen wilderness of Sakhalin is always a useful colony.
You mean Spain's 500 richest men?
No, merely their most inbred.
Now you've got the idea!
Yes everything that could have gone well did for Juan. Its not easy for a country to so dramatically shift from a reactionary moralist government with a hatred of liberals to a progressive and all inclusive government that is no friend of the church.
Am I saying to much if I say that the next Spain update features the capture of Rio?
Am I saying to much if I say that the next Spain update features the capture of Rio?
Nah, if anything, you're not saying nearly enough! Where's the update already?
Nah, if anything, you're not saying nearly enough! Where's the update already?
Agreed an Update would be nice
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