Onze Plaats in de Zon: The Rise of Frederik de Grote (van Holland)

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Contents:
Prologue: 1835
Chapter Ia: The Kingdom of The Netherlands under Frederik I 1836-1839
Chapter Ib: The Gentleman's Game: Imperialism in South-East Asia 1837
Chapter II: "Give The Belgians Enough Rope, And They'll Hang Themselves"
Chapter III: Two Lions and a Dragon: The Gentleman's Game Resumes (Part I)
Chapter IV: Two Lions and a Dragon: The Gentleman's Game Resumes (Part II)
Chapter V: The Second Interbellum: The Dutch Industrial and Cultural Revolutions and Counter-Revolutions 1846-1852
Chapter VI: "The West Wind Blows Again": Dekker's First Term in office 1852-1857
Chapter VII: Conference and Conquest: The Dekker/Rochussen Years 1857-62
Chapter VIII: The Calm Before The Storm
Chapter IX: The Second Spanish-Netherlands War: 1872-1874

Politics & Elections:
Politics in The United Kingdom of The Netherlands Post-1848 (The 1852 election)
The 1857 Election
The 1862 Election
The 1867 Election
"Onze Tijd Is Gekomen!" The 1871 Election: Background and Aftermath
The 1877 Election

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Hi everyone and welcome to my first AAR!
I've been meaning to write one for HoI II for about a year now, but i was never able to find the time to actually attempt one. With Vicky II still virgin territory (this is the first V2 Dutch AAR i believe) I figured if there ever was a time to attempt one, it would be now.

I chose The Netherlands because it's always been a Vicky favourite of mine; you have the potential to become A Great Power but not THE Great Power, and i've always been a fan of plausible ahistoric success. I will be writing in a "documentary" style, that is mainly Historybook with some 'reenactments" (read Character-writing) thrown in every now and then.

I'll try to have the prologue up later today, that will explain how Frederik got on the throne and his ambitions to give the Dutch their "Plaats in de Zon"

Enjoy and please comment; as a new AAR writer i'll only get better if people criticize my work

[Tommy4ever]

I look forward to seeing this AAR begin. I always like history book AARs and the Netherlands is an interesting choice.

[Enewald]

Plaats in de Ozon?

I shall follow.

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Prologue: 1835

The Interbellum Years: 1815-1835
The Netherlands had suffered much in the way of Prestige during the Napoleonic Wars. The Batavian Republic, and it's successor the Kingdom of Holland had been vassals of Napoleonic France, a stark contrast to the golden days of the 1600's when The Netherlands was the toast of Europe.


Willem I The man charged with rebuilding post-war Holland

During the Congress of Wien, The Netherlands was transformed from a Republic to a Monarchy, with Willem, son of the fifth Prince of Orange crowned it's first king. Many conservatives in Holland saw him as a good omen that the days of Prince Willem III were returning.

Willem set out to restore The Netherlands from the get go, initiating many economic reforms in the south. Industry and commerce flourished under his twenty year reign, giving him the nickname The Merchant King.


Willem built many canals in the south to aid Industrial growth

Willem also greatly improved the welfare of his subjects, investing heavily in education, religion, science and the arts. Under his reign the Metric System was introduced, and Dutch was established as the lingua franca of the empire, leading to a silver age of Dutch-language literature and poetry.

Despite the economical prosperity in the south, Willem's pro-Dutch, pro-Calvinist policies were treated with hostility by the largely catholic, french-speaking south, and in 1830 a large scale revolt began, leading to the establishment of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1831.


A romantic painting depicting the Belgian revolt

Although the rebellion had been successful, Willem refused to accept Belgian independence. His son and heir, Willem, Prince of Orange (VI) was sympathetic towards the Belgians and, with the backing of the Belgians, British and French led a campaign for The Netherlands to ratify the Treaty of London.


Willem, Prince of Orange (VI) rode the breadth of The Netherlands on horseback drumming up support for the Treaty of London

The Assassination of Willem, Prince of Orange (VI):

In late September 1835, The Prince of Orange embarked on an official visit to Brussels with his wife and young son. Although he had led the loyalist forces against the rebels only five years earlier, his support for Belgian independence and the treaty of London was well known, making him very popular in Belgium. Many hoped that as heir to the Dutch throne, his reign would bring about a lasting peace between Belgium and The Netherlands, and with an aging king on the Dutch throne many in Belgium believed this would happen sooner rather than later...

Willem looked out of the window of his carriage, he saw thousands of Belgians smiling and cheering, waving Belgian flags alongside the Prinsenvlag He was expecting a large crowd, but he didn't know he was this popular. He beamed, he had good news to tell them.

Willem's brother, Prince Frederik was also present. He was riding behind the carriage as part of the military attache guarding the Prince. He was very much his mother's child and spent most of his life in neighbouring Prussia. Unlike his brother, he agreed with his father on many issues including the "Belgian question" and it was only on the insistence of his father that he agreed to join his brother on his diplomatic mission. He did not want to be here, he found it insulting that he, a Dutch Prince, should have to meet with this "King" of Belgium when the only real king of Belgium was his father. His contempt was kept hidden by his stern facade as he trotted along behind the carriage

The carriage was approaching the palace, King Leopold was waiting eagerly outside. He wanted to be the first to shake the young prince's hand, he knew what was coming and why the prince was here. He couldn't wait for the proclamation.

The carriage approached the palace steps, Willem ordered it to halt, and he opened the door, his happiness showed all over his face, he smiled and waved to the large crowd of jubilant Belgians. Leopold was waiting on the top of the palace steps, he waved to Willem and Willem to he, as Willem gestured for his wife and young son to exit the carriage.

At that precise moment a young man, clad in black moved towards the front of the crowd, he was Flemish, a student of Dutch literature at the local university, and a passionate unionist. The young man opened his coat, inside his left breast pocket was a bomb, his right was a pistol, he yelled out at the top of his lungs in Flemish "Death to Belgium!" and threw the bomb at the Prince's carriage, it's fuse was short, there was no time for the prince to react, the bomb exploded with a loud bang. Frederik's horse reeled, Leopold shielded his eyes, the crowed shrieked with horror. The Prince of Orange was dead.

The assassin fled, but was attacked by the angry crowd, Leopold ran down the palace steps, he drew his ceremonial sabre. Frederik dismounted with all haste and drew his pistol, he fired at the assassin but the crowd was too dense, he hit a peasant instead. The assassin wrestled with the crowd, he drew his pistol and fired at Leopold, he missed. Leopold charged, he slashed at the assassin with his sabre, cutting off his right arm, he stabbed him in the heart, his eyes full of rage, he knew this nameless man had just ruined his country's chance for peace.

Frederik ran towards his dead brothers body, and embraced him. In his late brother's jacket he saw a letter, he took it and hid it in his own jacket before anyone else could see it. He turned to Leopold and the crowd, Leopold saw the look of despair in Frederik's eyes. He asked whether The Prince of Orange was dead, but he already knew the answer, it was written all over Frederik's face.

Frederik and the Dutch attache returned to the Dutch Embassy, clearly shaken by what had happened. When he was alone in his room, he opened the letter he found with Willem, it was from his father, who had agreed to ratify the Treaty of London. He tore it up with rage and threw the pieces into a nearby fireplace. HE was the Prince of Orange now, not his brother and there would be no peace with Belgium as far as he was concerned...


Willem I was distraught by the news when he received it the following day, as was the people of both The Netherlands and Belgium. His health quickly deteriorated and by October he grew increasingly unfit to govern. His ministers advised him to abdicate, as did his son, which he did on October the 29th. On November 1st his son Frederik was crowned King of the Netherlands in a lavish ceremony in Amsterdam.


Willem exiled himself to Gronigen, where he committed suicide only two weeks into Frederik's reign, he was given a state funeral as lavish as his son's coronation. Attending his late father's funeral was Frederik's first duty as monarch.

Frederik I of The Netherlands, the man who would expand and continue his father's legacy

[Tommy4ever]

Reclaim the rebellious South!

Very good start.

I'd advise you to seek the support of either Prussia or France in your coming war with the Belgians.

When/if Beligum is taken you shoudl be pretty secure in your place as a GP. Then I'd suggest you focus your efforts in trying to make Java a state. An industrialised Java could be an invaluable asset.

[Enewald]

No mercy, the provinces must stand together!

[Qorten]

Nicely written prologue. Reconquering belgium will certainly give you an enormous boost and a good spot among the Great Powers.

[Nikolai]

Good start! I don't like this new king though, not yet at least.

[Communitarian!]

Awesome to see you writing, Tanzhang! The Netherlands is always a good time, and I'm interested to see how Frederick is going to handle the Belgians. I don't think he'll move immediately; the memory of Leopold slicing up his brother's assassin and his own unclear thoughts will make him cautious, but with a burning revenge brewing. Clearly, when the time is right... Orange shall know glory again.
Thoughts, criticism, etcetera! Your characterization is good so far, looking forward to witnessing it progress. The amount of good-quality illustrations for the piece is a real plus and helps build immersion. Can't wait for more!

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Yay! Thanks for commenting everyone

Tommy: It's an honour to have you following! Your Spanish AAR was a big reason why I chose Vicky II over HoI II for my first AAR. I hope this AAR meets your expectations! Speaking of, where did you get those blank province maps?

Enewald: It wouldn't be a true AAR if you weren't following, great to have you on board! The title I have on bad authority, is how you say "Our Place in the Sun" in Dutch. I apologise in advance for offending any Dutch speakers out there, I learned German in High School, not Dutch.

Tommy (2): As you'll see, our foreign policy was decided the second i started the game, The Dutch have a one in four chance of getting an alliance offer from Prussia at the very start of the game. (i loaded a few games just to make sure it wasn't a fluke) That being said though, Frederik has NO intention of calling his allies to do battle with Belgium. That's how secondary powers fight wars, Great Powers don't need allies!

Qorten: It certainly will, good to have you following.

Nikolai: You haven't even met him yet... good to have you on board.

Communitarian: Right you are! Conflict with Belgium WILL happen, but not in the next update. Good to have you along

Okay guys, I've got enough material for another one or two updates after this one. Stay tuned

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

The Kingdom of the Netherlands under King Frederik I: 1836 - 1839
Overview
The Kingdom of The Netherlands had lost many of it's colonies to Britain at the Congress of Wien, Thanks primarily to Russia, The Dutch were able to retain their most important colony, The Dutch East Indies.

The Dutch East Indies: the jewel in the Dutch crown.

Dutch possessions in South America

Dutch West Africa

The Great Powers of Europe, circa 1836

Frederik started his reign with a zeal which would resonate throughout his reign. His first concerns were with the army, and the brightest military minds were commissioned to develop new rifles for the army.


Frederik was also determined to continue his father's legacy of improving education and extending the benefits of The Netherlands to all Nederlanders, he commissioned the expansion of schools in the Dutch East Indies, as well as the expansion of the colonial army and navy. The construction of a Naval Base in Batavia was the centrepiece of Frederik's colonial reforms.


Diplomacy
With the formalities of his coronation and his brother and father's funerals taken care of, King Frederik could begin running the country. His father-in-law, King Frederik Wilhelm III of Prussia was delighted that Frederik had taken the throne of Holland and offered an alliance. Frederik, a lifelong Germanophile who spoke German as a first language, was delighted and an alliance was signed on the First of January 1836.

Frederik Wilhelm III, King of Prussia and father of Queen Louise of The Netherlands. The main instigator of the brief Dutch-Prussian Alliance

Great Britain was also quick to secure an alliance with Frederik and The Netherlands. William IV saw an alliance with The Netherlands as securing peace in the Low Countries and hoped an alliance with the Dutch would give the British some moral leverage over the Afrikaners.

William IV of Great Britain, guardian of Belgian interests in Europe

Frederik was overjoyed with the alliance proposal, as he said later in his memoirs "An alliance with Great Britain was not something you say no to" The alliance did put The Netherlands and Prussia at odds however, and the alliance between The Netherlands and Prussia was annulled shortly before the Prussian invasion of Austria. The Anglo-Dutch Alliance was signed on the 27th of February 1836.

The Anglo-Dutch Alliance wasn't just well received in Britain and Holland, as Belgium was also a staunch ally of Britain, Leopold hoped that he could make amends with Frederik. Portugal, also a staunch ally of Britain wanted an alliance with Holland to secure it's colony in Timor.

Both alliances were rejected, leaving Belgium and Portugal worried about future Dutch Aggression. Portugal's worst fears were soon confirmed on May 8th, 1836...
Coming up next, our first colonial war

[Enewald]

You don't have to rule the world with force, you can rule it with gold.
All you need is a powerful a merchant navy and prosperous trade.

[Alexspeed]

Thank you for taking part in the contest and good luck!
Linked your thread in the contest list, i will follow your AAR of course

A great start you got with your AAR, and you choose an interresting Nation.

Looking forward to read how this history will unfold =)

[Tommy4ever]

Don't go for the Portuguese first, go for Belgium!

Despite this grave decision it was a very well made update.

Anyway here are the maps you asked for:

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/o...g?t=1281549406
- the blank map of the world

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/o...g?t=1281549406
- 1836 borders

Both maps were made by CanOmer

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Enewald: I'm a pacifist at heart, but colonial conquest is much more fun to write.
Alexspeed: Good to have you following.
Tommy: HA! Who said anything about invading Portugal. Thanks for the maps, and by extention thanks to CanOmer too.

[aldriq]

A start full of drama, an eager king and a country full of potential... great ingredients for an AAR

On one hand I'd rather you'd kept the alliance with Prussia and rejected the one with Britain, but on the practical side (your colonial empire) the UK alliance makes more sense.

Are you using a map mod for the zoomed-out pics, or editing them yourself?

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

The Gentleman's Game: Imperialism in SE Asia 1837
Frederik's commitment to expanding the Dutch East Indies was confirmed on May 8th 1836, when he ordered the invasion of the Sultanate of Aceh.

The new recruits of the Palembang and Batavian Colonial Army would be put to the test the day after they finished training. Colonial Military Officers wanted to wait until the troops could be massed on the border, but Frederik insisted the borders remain undefended.

Troop movements on the outbreak of the Dutch Invasion of Aceh
Frederik was weary of Aceh launching an ambush in their own territory, so he wisely left the borders undefended so Aceh would attack, with Aceh troops in Dutch territory there would be no chance of the natives pulling off an ambush.

The Battle of Siak: the much-better equipped and trained Dutch Army defeated a more numerous native force
The broken forces of the Sultan of Aceh retreated back to the province of Inderagiri, The Palembang Colonial Army pursued the Sultan's army and obliterated them at the Battle of Inderagiri while the Batavian Army laid siege to the capital of Banda Aceh.


The Sultanate offered only token opposition from then on, and the Dutch forces won victory after victory. By the 1st of July, all of Northern Aceh was occupied by the Dutch.


On the 2nd of July 1837, The Treaty of Palembang was signed, removing the Sultan of Aceh from power, and the transfer of sovereignty of his lands to the Dutch. Aceh was now one.

Signing of the Treaty of Palembang, painting by court painter Nicolaas Pieneman

The Dutch East Indies after the signing of the Treaty of Palembang
Coming up next: Victoria begins her long reign and makes a very important choice, Britain joins the Gentleman's Game and Frederik resolves the "Belgian Question"...

[Tanzhang (譚張)]

Let me just explain something everyone: I originally intended to do two updates before I resumed playing: One involving the overview, diplomacy and Aceh and the other involving Victoria's coronation and Belgium. But because i used so many images for the overview and diplomacy i decided to split that into two, hence the two updates.

Aldriq: Sorry, perhaps i should have waited before posting that quick update! Personally I would rather be allied to both but the truth is i never annuled the alliance with Prussia, one moment we were allies, the next we weren't. I assumed it had something to do with them invading Austria so I wrote that into the story. Also, i'm using MIP + dark parchment overlay.

I'm a big fan of your Ethiopian AAR so it's great to have you along!

[Enewald]

Take Brunei and all of Indochina. Just in case someone else would have plans of getting them