Chapter 4: Priests, Popes and Paupers
By the Dawn of 1836 The Celtic Empire had finally had enough with the remainder of the Holy League and formally left. King Arthur III would later sign a Defensive alliance with his Kinsman in the Byzantine Empire, as well as incorporating the Portuguese, Danish and Spanish into a Rival Alliance. One that would be announced upon the completion of the Arc de Triomphe later that year. The so called Seaborn league could not hope to match the combined armies of Westphalia, Russia and Holy Roman Empire on the field, but possessed a combined navy twice as large as the Holy Leagues, and was both better trained and better equipped.
The Art de Triomphe itself was also a great achievement, Originally commissioned to commemorate the fallen during the Napoleonic Wars. The Monument was changed to later only commemorate the fallen Bretons and Spanish who fought against Napoleon in the Western Theatre of the war. Centered in Albion Square in the Breton Capital of Rennes was constructed to be exactly 50 meters high and was heavily detailed in full romantic style befitting such a large project.
Spain however had its own issues, The Spanish Civil War and then Napoleonic wars had left the Spanish Treasury nearly empty. Queen Isabel IV had inherited a country in crisis and while the people themselves were quite, the Military would not be content to be paid with certificates for long. The Church quickly arose as one way to gain funds. The Russian and Celtic Empires had nationalized and then privates large amounts of church land over the last century as the influence of the Pope became more and more controlled by Austria. Spain, which had spent the century divided did not find the opportunities to do so in the past and now with the Kingdom in Crisis, Catholic Monasteries provided one means to acquire enough funds to lift the economy back.
Called Desamortisation this would reduce the Spanish debt and provide more opportunities for private spanish investors to invest in the homeland rather then Celtic or Austrian Industries. The Idea was quickly killed in the cradle as Kaiser Wilhelm was informed and demanded the Church be allowed to retain its land. The Celtics of course responded with support of the plan and Queen Isabel had found herself caught between two feuding powers with nowhere to go.
Isabel eventually proposed a compromise by allowing Austrian and Celtic capitalists to invest in the government, as well as selling several state controlled Plantations in America for collateral. While the Celtic Empire wasn't happy, nevertheless King Arthur III accepted and Spain had escaped Bankruptcy by the skin of its teeth. Though arguably this had made repairing the spanish economy all the more difficult.
While the Celtic Empire continued to dig its claws into Iberia, Kaiser Wilhelm continued to expand his own influence up north. The flemish which had recently been put down by the Celtic Empire were hungry for revenge and desperately seeking protection from a second Celtic Invasion, one many Flemens feared would mean an end to their nation. It would be a simple for the Vetrean Diplomatic Corp of Austria to win over the Flemish and incorporate them into the Holy League.
With Flanders in the Holy League the Kaiser extended his formal protection back over the Grand Duchy. The Flemish agreed to a formal defensive alliance against the Celts and others who would threaten Austria. For the first time in centuries the Lowlands were once again under Holy Roman Protection.
Mendel would later be awarded one of the first of a new set of Medal commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm, The Cross of Giselbert, named after the Famed Austrian Emperor who discovered and publicises that the Earth and all heavenly bodies revolved around the sun. Giselbert was also of course remembered for murdering his son and marrying his sister, but such details were left out of the ceremony.
In America the Constitutional Congress of 1838 had begun, following the New Anglian Seizure of South Dakota. With the discovery of gold in Mexico and California, prospectors from across the American continent had begun to strike into local hillsides searching for valuable metals. While most of America was lacking in gold, some was found in the Black hills of south Dakota, sponsoring New Anglia to quickly act on this discover and seize Dakota before the Congress. Louisiana who was politically Isolated could not stop the Anglians and quickly surrendered.
Next, Venezuela would spearhead several acts in regards to treatment of Immigrants across America. Previously Immigrants traveling to certain countries such as Haiti, The Knight's Transient and New Anglia would often be put to work as indentured servants in Plantations to supplement native slave populations, for little to no pay. The Immigrant Proclamation would end such practices, by banning Indentured servitude throughout the America's. Several more reforms were also passed in regards to how war would be conducted, the Treatment of Civilian Populations and the opening of the St Lawrence River now that the Quebecois rebellion had been formally dealt with.
The Gold Question, would also be resolved. Mexico would propose what would be named, the Resource Sovereignty Treaty, giving each member of the Congress exclusive rights to all resources within their agreed upon borders. Regardless of the nationality of ethnicity of a prospector in question. If such discoveries were nationalized or privatised would be left up to the respective members discretion. Louisiana of course would protest, as well as several other rare mineral poor countries such as Haiti, Columbia and Canada but would pass with the recognition of the Provisional Californian Dominion being allowed entry to the Congress as a voting member.
And with that, the Congress would end, the Issue of Slavery left for another time, Though a rise in the price of Artillery and Small arms, meant the coming years would be no more peaceful than the last.
