Portus Cale -- 1836-1920

nicma wufe · 07-07-2006, 02:01

Part One

1836-1846

Portugal's situation in 1836 was unfavorable to say the least. The country was recovering from an economy crippling civil war that had ended only 2 years before. Taxes were at all-time highs and as a result immigration was at an all time low.

The keynote of the late 1830s was the greatly improved relations with the British Empire. In February of 1837, the British Parliament passed a bill promising British intervention in the event of the invasion of Portugahigh rankinl by a foreign power. Later that year, Maria II and Victoria, the monarchs of Portugal and Great Britain respectively, met in Lisbon. A flood of British merchants provided a much needed economic boost to the urban areas of the capital and Porto. The preceding culminated in the spring of 1838 when Britain proposed an alliance between herself and Portugal. The proposal quickly made it's way through the Portugese Parliament and was made official on April 26, 1838.

The expansion of the standing army from 20,000 men to 40,000 was an issue fiercely debated in 1840. The southern provinces were strongly anti-military, especially in the most southern province of Faro where protests outside the pronvincial recruiting station turned into a daily occurance. The northern provinces, which were pro-military, defended the decision by asserting the need for a strong military to protect the country's independence from imperialistic powers. The south countered by pointing out the disgusting state of the economy; "We should focus on fighting poverty and improving infrastructure, not preparing for a war that very possibly will never happen!" The battle would continue throughout the decade and into the next.

In December of 1842 Nicolau Postiga, an unlikely Kant scholar, published a massive commentary of Immauel Kant's work Critique of Pure Reason. In other essays, Postiga interprets Kant's teachings with a modern application. Postiga became the founder of the Coimbra school of thought which was regarded as one of the most influential of Neo-Kantian schools throughout Europe.

The last of the major happening of the 1836-1846 period was the military corruption scandal. A group of Dutch and South African natives had been going between Transvaal and Portugal paying high ranking military officials for the army's explosives and firearms stores. After discovering the existence of the ring an investigation of suspected officials began immediately. The investigation, which lasted just over a year, ended with the arrest of 7 officers and one general by the name of Michael Caneira. After a much publicized trial, 6 of the accused, including Gen.Caneira were hanged. However, afterwards the court system was criticized for hurrying the trial through.

None of the above is historically accurate. They're just events in the game glorified
It was a slow decade...

HannibalBarca · 07-07-2006, 02:12

Off to a most...interesting start.

Jingles · 07-07-2006, 02:36

lol I am intrigued already

Taybaxter · 07-07-2006, 02:49

Artsy beginning...interesting statement...distinctly modern....

Caudillo · 07-07-2006, 02:55

Ah that happens to me all the time, pressed submit post instead of preview post. Good luck on your AAR...

Congo · 07-07-2006, 03:39

Go...and create a glorious Portugese Empire in Africa...

PostPaintBoy · 07-07-2006, 04:36

you know, you could have played it cool and pretended you were a tease or something. Go Portugal?

anonymous4401 · 07-07-2006, 06:13

Whoa, Portugal? We need one!

HannibalBarca · 07-07-2006, 12:22

I just read the actual first update, and it seems to be off to a nice start. Now, go beat the snot out of the pesky Spaniards.

*coz1* · 07-07-2006, 15:52

I don't recall reading too many Portugal AARs for Vickie so this should be interesting. Good luck and welcome to AARland!

Jingles · 07-07-2006, 17:51

Just read the first update, looks good so far. Do you have any plans or goals for Portugal at the moment or will we find out as we go along. Are you playing VIP or Vanilla? Regardless, I wish you luck.

lifeless · 07-07-2006, 20:28

ooo portugal...good luck!

Fiftypence · 08-07-2006, 03:14

Interesting, I don't think I've ever read a Vicky Portugal AAR before. Will follow.

nicma wufe · 08-07-2006, 07:07

Part Two

1848-1852

The economic hardships of the previous decade had lessened due in large part to British aid. Portuguese attention shifted to promoting the arts, philosophical thinking, and creating a colonial empire.

1846 saw a miniature liberal revolution in Portugal. Citizens, of mostly middle and upper class backrounds, began pondering such ideals as rationalism, individualism, constitutialism, secularization, and social thought. These ideas were largely ahead of the times, and for awhile, Portugal was considered one of the most open-minded nations of the post-Napoleanic period. However, one result was the emergence of socialist-minded groups.

Also in 1846, Queen Maria II granted a charter to a Lisbon-based trading company to colonize the Portugese East African inland. This would be the first charter for a colony anyplace except right on the coast. The first of the colonies would be established in 1848 with two more in 1849, and the last in 1850.

Another method of obtaining colonial glory is, of course, military operations. The Portuguese exercised this option in 1847 with the invasion of the gigantic, mountainous, island that is Madagascar. The invasion force consisted of 20,000 men (10,000 from Lisbon [Lisboa Regulars], 10,000 from Porto [Oporto Regulars]). 10,000 landed on the southwestern coast of Madasgascar and 10,000 on the south eastern. Both taskforces made their way up the coast facing limited resistance. However, once they neared the capital of Boina, guerilla warriors began to harass them constantly, attacking with out-dated weoponry and in some occurances, bows and arrows. Once at the capital they faced a force of 9,000 determined to defend the last piece of island under their control. Their leader was the country's youthful king, Rasolofo. Battle ensued; the out-gunned Madagascarians used their knowledge of the land to isolate pockets of Portuguese and destroy them. When the smoke cleared 6,500 Portuguese soldiers lay dead, and Rosolofo was nowhere to be found.

Rosolofo's return occured a month later with 4,000 more soldiers, many of them survivor's from the first encounter. This second army's will to fight was gone and fled only after a few exchanges. Again, Rosolofo fled with 3,600 to the western coastal province of Manabe. The Oporto Regulars gave pursuit. Rosolofo found himself backed up against the sea. He had no choice, but to surrender after a brief fight. Madagascar was now a part of the Portuguese Empire.

The post war period was punctuated by intense criticism of the competence of the two generals in Madagascar. In all, 13,000 Portuguese died (non-combat deaths included). A new general would be needed to command the remaining 7,000 (who were combined to create Lisboa-Oporto Regulars after the war). The man would be General de Mesquita. A drinker who would often lead from in the thick of it. However, he was motivational and an aggressive attacker.

His first test would be the colonial war with the Middle Eastern nation of Oman. Oman had possesions in eastern Africa, in the Indian Sea, and on the Indian mainland. de Mesquita aimed to take all of this. From Portuguese East Africa he went up the coast seizing all of Oman's African colonies with minimal casualties. Then he took 5,000 men and got on the transports with a course set for Socrata, the island in the Indian Ocean forementioned. After taking that a peace agreement was struck up with the Oman monarch. All of Oman's colonial possesions were ceded to Portugal in October of 1851. The job was done quick and with little casualties. Had the Portuguese finallyfound a capable general? A greater challenge would be needed.

I had a pic of all of the colonies Portugal has now.
It sort of screwed up though.
Maybe I'll do it tomarrow.

anonymous4401 · 08-07-2006, 07:12

Madagascar and Oman, the first to go when playing minor civilized countries.

DerKaiser · 08-07-2006, 10:01

Hi nicma wufe, sorry not to have commented before, a bit busy... This looks like a good one- the glorifying of tiny events by good writing is great for an AAR! I like the maps as well, especially the writing on the African one, very cool and with-the-times...

Consider me following this one with interest, keep it up.

*coz1* · 08-07-2006, 11:21

That was a tough fight in Madagascar, but it looks like you have indeed found the right man for the job with the new general. The Oman take down was swift. Very nice maps as well. Keep it up!

Congo · 08-07-2006, 16:21

More more more and more resoursces flow to the monster mounth...

nicma wufe · 09-07-2006, 04:09

Part Three

1852-1860

The late 1840s and early 1850s saw Porutguese colonial expansion by both peaceful and military means. Portugal's colonial possesions had doubled in size. However, would the alliance with Great Britain drag Portugal into a war in Europe?

In February of 1853, France offered an alliance to Portugal. Portugal accepted the offer, eager to have another powerful ally. 400 kilometers away the two republics of Sardinia-Piedmont and Two Sicilies were starting a war. France, who were allied with Sardinia-Piedmont, asked Portugal to honor their alliance; which they did. What wasn't expected, was that Spain would flock to Two Sicilies side. A month later Britain joined the mix on Two Sicilies side, turning all of Western Europe into a battlefield.

France-------------------------------------Great Britain
Sardinia-Piedmont---------------------------Two Sicilies
Portugal------------------------------------------Spain

The French were at war with Ottomans before war and continue so now

The French immediately launched an offensive through the Pyrenees putting Spain on the defensive. After receiving an order to return, General de Mesquita his army, which were marching towards Ottoman controlled colonies in Somalia, and headed back with a force of 5,000 men.

The 20,000 soldiers that comprised the Portuguese Royal Army manned the eastern border of Portugal. Spain's attention was on defending their northern border from the French, so a stalemate existed between the Portuguese defenders and the Spaniards sent to see if they could make something happen. May 1853 saw an attempt to break the deadlock by the Spanish. Facing a dug-in opponent they were repulsed with a catastrophic amount of casualties. That front would be quiet for the rest of the war.

While all this was going on, de Mesquita was taking territory in Spanish Morocco. The land he took, uncontested, would be given to Portugal in the peace agreement with Spain that took place in December of 1853. The war with Spain had ended with Spain ceding territory to both France and Portugal.

The war with Two Sicilies and her protector continued, however. An invasion force of 36,000 Sicilian troops landed at Lisbon in August of 1854. The returning de Mesquita was charged with retaking the Portuguese capital with his force of under 25,000. de Mesquita took a divide and conquer approach, spliting the Sicilians by attacking the land between occupied Lisbon and occupied Coimbra. The 12,000 enemy troops in Coimbra were easily destroyed. Then, a brillantly led assault in September of 1855 liberated the capital which had been occupied for just over a year.

The Portuguese would do no more fighting, but the war continued for another two years. Peace talks began in May of 1858 and by the end of the month an agreement had been made. Portuguese land casualties were low (3 out of 8 Man o' Wars destroyed in naval battles with the Spanish) and they had gained a good amount of territory. The only contact with the British was a naval skirmish of the coast of Porto in the beginning of the war which 2 British ships were sunk.

No rest for de Mesquita; he was sent back to Portuguese East Africa to help control revolting natives who had taken advantage of the war in Europe. The last couple years of the decade passed with no major happenings. However, socialism was taking root in the working class. Polling numbers from the election of 1859 showed that 16% of voters voted for the socialist ticket. The Portuguese socialist party made large gains in parliament as well. The last thing to note would be the colonization of Angola, doubling the size of Portuguese West Africa.

Portuguese colonial possesions in 1860
Not shown: Cape Verde Islands, Azores Islands, Sao Tome Islands, Bissao (in west Africa)

Was a great power at the end of this session. 8th in the world with some 220 prestige

Jingles · 09-07-2006, 04:35

Just read the previous two updates, excellent job! I must confess that I never thought Portugal and Britain would go to war. You seem to have profited quite well from such a large war. What were the terms of peace with Britain and Two-Sicilies, by the way? I always have trouble getting the British to accept peace

Keep up the good work. Portugal is moving up the ladder nicely.

07-07-2006, 02:01	#1
nicma wufe Recruit Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6	*Portus Cale 1836-1920** Part One 1836-1846 Portugal's situation in 1836 was unfavorable to say the least. The country was recovering from an economy crippling civil war that had ended only 2 years before. Taxes were at all-time highs and as a result immigration was at an all time low. The keynote of the late 1830s was the greatly improved relations with the British Empire. In February of 1837, the British Parliament passed a bill promising British intervention in the event of the invasion of Portugahigh rankinl by a foreign power. Later that year, Maria II and Victoria, the monarchs of Portugal and Great Britain respectively, met in Lisbon. A flood of British merchants provided a much needed economic boost to the urban areas of the capital and Porto. The preceding culminated in the spring of 1838 when Britain proposed an alliance between herself and Portugal. The proposal quickly made it's way through the Portugese Parliament and was made official on April 26, 1838. The expansion of the standing army from 20,000 men to 40,000 was an issue fiercely debated in 1840. The southern provinces were strongly anti-military, especially in the most southern province of Faro where protests outside the pronvincial recruiting station turned into a daily occurance. The northern provinces, which were pro-military, defended the decision by asserting the need for a strong military to protect the country's independence from imperialistic powers. The south countered by pointing out the disgusting state of the economy; "We should focus on fighting poverty and improving infrastructure, not preparing for a war that very possibly will never happen!" The battle would continue throughout the decade and into the next. In December of 1842 Nicolau Postiga, an unlikely Kant scholar, published a massive commentary of Immauel Kant's work Critique of Pure Reason. In other essays, Postiga interprets Kant's teachings with a modern application. Postiga became the founder of the Coimbra school of thought which was regarded as one of the most influential of Neo-Kantian schools throughout Europe. The last of the major happening of the 1836-1846 period was the military corruption scandal. A group of Dutch and South African natives had been going between Transvaal and Portugal paying high ranking military officials for the army's explosives and firearms stores. After discovering the existence of the ring an investigation of suspected officials began immediately. The investigation, which lasted just over a year, ended with the arrest of 7 officers and one general by the name of Michael Caneira. After a much publicized trial, 6 of the accused, including Gen.Caneira were hanged. However, afterwards the court system was criticized for hurrying the trial through. None of the above is historically accurate. They're just events in the game glorified It was a slow decade... Last edited by nicma wufe; 08-07-2006 at 02:44.

07-07-2006, 02:12	#2
HannibalBarca Citizen Against the Horde Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,492	Off to a most...interesting start. __________________ The Rise of Zombie Napoleon: An Undead AAR for Victoria! (DEAD. Only updating my overly cryptic AAR below.) -Winner, AARland Choice AwAARd for Victoria Comedy, Q2 2006 ●<---Owner of a Red Special Cookie Gulf Streams and Muffled Screams: An RIP Co-Op AAR (Don't even think about reading it. You won't even get it anyway.) {Also dead because no one cared. } BRING BACK THE GONZO!

07-07-2006, 02:36	#3
Jingles Forlorn Hope Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 816	lol I am intrigued already __________________ "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -Patrick Henry

07-07-2006, 02:49	#4
Taybaxter Mississippi Valley Creole Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Currently New Jersey, but a St. Louisan Posts: 483	Artsy beginning...interesting statement...distinctly modern.... __________________ WritAAR of the week, July 23, 2006. Province #553/584, Nationality: Yankee, Religion: ? , Occupation:Student, Ideology: American Liberal, Issues: Anti-Clerical/Interventionism, Cash Reserves: $150 Consciousness:9.25 (Books: +.20, Current Party: +.60, Internet: +.40, Location: +.50). Militancy: 1.0 (Ruling Party: -2.00, Religious Right: +2.00) “Come, come, my conservative friend, wipe the dew off your spectacles, and see that the world is moving” Elizabeth Cady Stanton

07-07-2006, 02:55	#5
Caudillo Captain Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Miami Posts: 308	Ah that happens to me all the time, pressed submit post instead of preview post. Good luck on your AAR... __________________ Currently learning the economics of Victoria Revolutions Continuing AARs for Victoria: Revolutions with VIP - La tragedia de centroamérica: A Central America AAR Finished AAR for Victoria Original with VIP - The Silver Age: A Spain AAR - Winner of the VictAARian Silver Cross of 2006 Planned AARs for Victoria: Revolutions with VIP - USCA, Peru, Armenia, Portugal, Spain

07-07-2006, 03:39	#6
Congo Major Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 673	Go...and create a glorious Portugese Empire in Africa... __________________ King of the Cod, Lord of the Krill, the Prince of the Whales

07-07-2006, 04:36	#7
PostPaintBoy Second Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 112	you know, you could have played it cool and pretended you were a tease or something. Go Portugal? __________________ "And i should like to be able to love my country and still love justice. I don't want just any greatness for it, particuly a greatness born of blood and falsehood. I want to keep it alive by keeping justice alive." -Albert Camus, First Letter to a German Friend, July 1943

07-07-2006, 06:13	#8
anonymous4401 AARlander Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 8,590	Whoa, Portugal? We need one! __________________ Good comments and worthless spam, the difference is just an eyelash Real Men Do It Alphabetically: An AARgau \| Conquering CK by the dictionary. Updates EVERY DAY FOREVER. Littoral Insanity, a Hinterland of Genius \| World Conquest by land and sea. Updates daily. anonymous4401's Signature Repositori u m The AARlander Issue #6: February 2008 The AARland Choice AwAARds Results Archive

07-07-2006, 12:22	#9
HannibalBarca Citizen Against the Horde Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,492	I just read the actual first update, and it seems to be off to a nice start. Now, go beat the snot out of the pesky Spaniards. __________________ The Rise of Zombie Napoleon: An Undead AAR for Victoria! (DEAD. Only updating my overly cryptic AAR below.) -Winner, AARland Choice AwAARd for Victoria Comedy, Q2 2006 ●<---Owner of a Red Special Cookie Gulf Streams and Muffled Screams: An RIP Co-Op AAR (Don't even think about reading it. You won't even get it anyway.) {Also dead because no one cared. } BRING BACK THE GONZO!

07-07-2006, 15:52	#10
coz1 GunslingAAR Moderator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Around... Posts: 10,551 Blog Entries: 10	I don't recall reading too many Portugal AARs for Vickie so this should be interesting. Good luck and welcome to AARland! __________________ The fAARq & Forum Rules For the Glory of Scotland Forever - A For the Glory AAR Find all my AARs listed in The Ink Well Visit my blog at Hear the Hurd and my Paradox blog Number One With A Bullet

07-07-2006, 17:51	#11
Jingles Forlorn Hope Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 816	Just read the first update, looks good so far. Do you have any plans or goals for Portugal at the moment or will we find out as we go along. Are you playing VIP or Vanilla? Regardless, I wish you luck. __________________ "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -Patrick Henry

07-07-2006, 20:28	#12
lifeless Missing my avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 7,253	ooo portugal...good luck! __________________ The Precise History of New England -AAR Writer of the Week 5/21/06-2/28-06 doot doot doot 4D6574 ●Owner of 1 Yoyo dollar, $4-anonymous4401 Fan of the Week 2/8/06-2/15/06 Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.

08-07-2006, 03:14	#13
Fiftypence Peacock dreams! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Clitheroe, Lancashire Posts: 2,816	Interesting, I don't think I've ever read a Vicky Portugal AAR before. Will follow. __________________ My Inkwell DR3, coming soon?? now in the third of three

08-07-2006, 07:07	#14
nicma wufe Recruit Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6	Part Two 1848-1852 The economic hardships of the previous decade had lessened due in large part to British aid. Portuguese attention shifted to promoting the arts, philosophical thinking, and creating a colonial empire. 1846 saw a miniature liberal revolution in Portugal. Citizens, of mostly middle and upper class backrounds, began pondering such ideals as rationalism, individualism, constitutialism, secularization, and social thought. These ideas were largely ahead of the times, and for awhile, Portugal was considered one of the most open-minded nations of the post-Napoleanic period. However, one result was the emergence of socialist-minded groups. Also in 1846, Queen Maria II granted a charter to a Lisbon-based trading company to colonize the Portugese East African inland. This would be the first charter for a colony anyplace except right on the coast. The first of the colonies would be established in 1848 with two more in 1849, and the last in 1850. Another method of obtaining colonial glory is, of course, military operations. The Portuguese exercised this option in 1847 with the invasion of the gigantic, mountainous, island that is Madagascar. The invasion force consisted of 20,000 men (10,000 from Lisbon [Lisboa Regulars], 10,000 from Porto [Oporto Regulars]). 10,000 landed on the southwestern coast of Madasgascar and 10,000 on the south eastern. Both taskforces made their way up the coast facing limited resistance. However, once they neared the capital of Boina, guerilla warriors began to harass them constantly, attacking with out-dated weoponry and in some occurances, bows and arrows. Once at the capital they faced a force of 9,000 determined to defend the last piece of island under their control. Their leader was the country's youthful king, Rasolofo. Battle ensued; the out-gunned Madagascarians used their knowledge of the land to isolate pockets of Portuguese and destroy them. When the smoke cleared 6,500 Portuguese soldiers lay dead, and Rosolofo was nowhere to be found. Rosolofo's return occured a month later with 4,000 more soldiers, many of them survivor's from the first encounter. This second army's will to fight was gone and fled only after a few exchanges. Again, Rosolofo fled with 3,600 to the western coastal province of Manabe. The Oporto Regulars gave pursuit. Rosolofo found himself backed up against the sea. He had no choice, but to surrender after a brief fight. Madagascar was now a part of the Portuguese Empire. The post war period was punctuated by intense criticism of the competence of the two generals in Madagascar. In all, 13,000 Portuguese died (non-combat deaths included). A new general would be needed to command the remaining 7,000 (who were combined to create Lisboa-Oporto Regulars after the war). The man would be General de Mesquita. A drinker who would often lead from in the thick of it. However, he was motivational and an aggressive attacker. His first test would be the colonial war with the Middle Eastern nation of Oman. Oman had possesions in eastern Africa, in the Indian Sea, and on the Indian mainland. de Mesquita aimed to take all of this. From Portuguese East Africa he went up the coast seizing all of Oman's African colonies with minimal casualties. Then he took 5,000 men and got on the transports with a course set for Socrata, the island in the Indian Ocean forementioned. After taking that a peace agreement was struck up with the Oman monarch. All of Oman's colonial possesions were ceded to Portugal in October of 1851. The job was done quick and with little casualties. Had the Portuguese finallyfound a capable general? A greater challenge would be needed. I had a pic of all of the colonies Portugal has now. It sort of screwed up though. Maybe I'll do it tomarrow. Last edited by nicma wufe; 09-07-2006 at 02:11.

08-07-2006, 07:12	#15
anonymous4401 AARlander Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 8,590	Madagascar and Oman, the first to go when playing minor civilized countries. __________________ Good comments and worthless spam, the difference is just an eyelash Real Men Do It Alphabetically: An AARgau \| Conquering CK by the dictionary. Updates EVERY DAY FOREVER. Littoral Insanity, a Hinterland of Genius \| World Conquest by land and sea. Updates daily. anonymous4401's Signature Repositori u m The AARlander Issue #6: February 2008 The AARland Choice AwAARds Results Archive

08-07-2006, 10:01	#16
DerKaiser Freelance Emperor Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 820	Hi nicma wufe, sorry not to have commented before, a bit busy... This looks like a good one- the glorifying of tiny events by good writing is great for an AAR! I like the maps as well, especially the writing on the African one, very cool and with-the-times... Consider me following this one with interest, keep it up.

08-07-2006, 11:21	#17
coz1 GunslingAAR Moderator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Around... Posts: 10,551 Blog Entries: 10	That was a tough fight in Madagascar, but it looks like you have indeed found the right man for the job with the new general. The Oman take down was swift. Very nice maps as well. Keep it up! __________________ The fAARq & Forum Rules For the Glory of Scotland Forever - A For the Glory AAR Find all my AARs listed in The Ink Well Visit my blog at Hear the Hurd and my Paradox blog Number One With A Bullet

08-07-2006, 16:21	#18
Congo Major Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 673	More more more and more resoursces flow to the monster mounth... __________________ King of the Cod, Lord of the Krill, the Prince of the Whales

09-07-2006, 04:09	#19
nicma wufe Recruit Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6	Part Three 1852-1860 The late 1840s and early 1850s saw Porutguese colonial expansion by both peaceful and military means. Portugal's colonial possesions had doubled in size. However, would the alliance with Great Britain drag Portugal into a war in Europe? In February of 1853, France offered an alliance to Portugal. Portugal accepted the offer, eager to have another powerful ally. 400 kilometers away the two republics of Sardinia-Piedmont and Two Sicilies were starting a war. France, who were allied with Sardinia-Piedmont, asked Portugal to honor their alliance; which they did. What wasn't expected, was that Spain would flock to Two Sicilies side. A month later Britain joined the mix on Two Sicilies side, turning all of Western Europe into a battlefield. France-------------------------------------Great Britain Sardinia-Piedmont---------------------------Two Sicilies Portugal------------------------------------------Spain The French were at war with Ottomans before war and continue so now The French immediately launched an offensive through the Pyrenees putting Spain on the defensive. After receiving an order to return, General de Mesquita his army, which were marching towards Ottoman controlled colonies in Somalia, and headed back with a force of 5,000 men. The 20,000 soldiers that comprised the Portuguese Royal Army manned the eastern border of Portugal. Spain's attention was on defending their northern border from the French, so a stalemate existed between the Portuguese defenders and the Spaniards sent to see if they could make something happen. May 1853 saw an attempt to break the deadlock by the Spanish. Facing a dug-in opponent they were repulsed with a catastrophic amount of casualties. That front would be quiet for the rest of the war. While all this was going on, de Mesquita was taking territory in Spanish Morocco. The land he took, uncontested, would be given to Portugal in the peace agreement with Spain that took place in December of 1853. The war with Spain had ended with Spain ceding territory to both France and Portugal. The war with Two Sicilies and her protector continued, however. An invasion force of 36,000 Sicilian troops landed at Lisbon in August of 1854. The returning de Mesquita was charged with retaking the Portuguese capital with his force of under 25,000. de Mesquita took a divide and conquer approach, spliting the Sicilians by attacking the land between occupied Lisbon and occupied Coimbra. The 12,000 enemy troops in Coimbra were easily destroyed. Then, a brillantly led assault in September of 1855 liberated the capital which had been occupied for just over a year. The Portuguese would do no more fighting, but the war continued for another two years. Peace talks began in May of 1858 and by the end of the month an agreement had been made. Portuguese land casualties were low (3 out of 8 Man o' Wars destroyed in naval battles with the Spanish) and they had gained a good amount of territory. The only contact with the British was a naval skirmish of the coast of Porto in the beginning of the war which 2 British ships were sunk. No rest for de Mesquita; he was sent back to Portuguese East Africa to help control revolting natives who had taken advantage of the war in Europe. The last couple years of the decade passed with no major happenings. However, socialism was taking root in the working class. Polling numbers from the election of 1859 showed that 16% of voters voted for the socialist ticket. The Portuguese socialist party made large gains in parliament as well. The last thing to note would be the colonization of Angola, doubling the size of Portuguese West Africa. Portuguese colonial possesions in 1860 Not shown: Cape Verde Islands, Azores Islands, Sao Tome Islands, Bissao (in west Africa) Was a great power at the end of this session. 8th in the world with some 220 prestige

09-07-2006, 04:35	#20
Jingles Forlorn Hope Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 816	Just read the previous two updates, excellent job! I must confess that I never thought Portugal and Britain would go to war. You seem to have profited quite well from such a large war. What were the terms of peace with Britain and Two-Sicilies, by the way? I always have trouble getting the British to accept peace Keep up the good work. Portugal is moving up the ladder nicely. __________________ "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -Patrick Henry