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The Duke of Escalona presents his budget before the King.

Taxes:
Nobility - 22%
Middle Class - 57%
Peasants - 67%


Stockpile:
Land: 50%
Naval: 30%
Construction: 100%

Spending:
Education – 85%
Administration – 50%
Social Spending - 0%
Military Spending - 65%

Tariffs - 5%


Contingencies:
I Naval Spending
a. If all navies are at full repair and there is no looming conflict requiring naval support, reduce naval maintenance to 30%

II Armed Conflict
a. If the nation is engaged in armed conflict in which the navy is required to participate, raise naval funding to 100%, to be reverted to normal upon peace.
b. If the nation is engaged in armed conflict in which the army is required to participate, raise military funding to 100%, to be reverted to normal upon peace.



III Deficit
If Spain is consistently in deficit by over -£100/day:
a. Reduce Military Spending by 5% (not to fall below 50% spending in time of war, 40% in time of peace)
b. Reduce Education Spending until there is a deficit of no more than -£100/day (not to fall below 55%) failing that:
c. Reduce Education Spending by 5% (not to fall below 25% spending)
d. Reduce Administrative Spending by 5% (not to fall below 25% spending)
e. Loop back to (b)
f. If there is no major armed conflict, or any threat of rebellion, reduce Naval Stockpile until balance is achieved (not to fall below 20% spending, and overridden by (II))
g. If there is no major armed conflict, or any threat of rebellion, reduce Land Stockpile until balance is achieved (not to fall below 30% spending, and overridden by (II))
h. Should there be a consistent deficit of -£200 or more after these actions have been taken, the government should compose a new budget.


IV Surplus
Should the treasury be greater than £1000 and receiving a daily surplus of greater than £30, then Rich Taxes shall be reduced by 2% and £500 of debt shall be repaid until there is only a £500 surplus remaining. If there is still a daily surplus greater than or equal to £30 then Administrative Spending shall be increased until there is a deficit of £10 per day or less. If the surplus is still greater than £30 per day then education spending shall be increased until there is a deficit of £10 per day. If still above £30 per day then taxes on the middle and lower strata shall be decreased until there is a deficit of £10 per day.



 
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Name: Joao Maria Carlos Manuel de Correia e de Medinaceli / Juan Maria Carlos Manuel de Correia y de Medinaceli
Date/Place of Birth: 18 June 1837, Bilbao, Kingdom of Spain
Occupation: Diplomat
Strate: Middle Class

Correia was born a second son in Bilbao to a family of Carlists on his mother’s side, and a family of Miguelists on his father’s. His family on both sides were commoners (his mother’s family claiming to be distant kin to the Medinacelis), though each owned small parcels of land. He spent his youth living in the countries of both his parents, though he certainly felt more drawn to Spain, particularly after Lisbon was compelled to liberalise somewhat. He attended the University of Salamanca, studying economics and law, and graduated in 1858; the following year, he travelled to the Court of the ailing Carlos V. Despite his low birth, he managed to attain some prominence (largely due to his father) and was appointed an assistant to the Ambassador to Portugal in 1860. He has been eagerly hoping for advancement since then.

Physically, he is a heavy-set man of above average height, with large, blue eyes; when his eyes aren’t darting about, taking in all the information they can see, he is known for a penetrating stare. His dark brown hair, tinged with red, is cut close to his head, unlike his moustache, which droops notably on either side of his mouth.
 
We in general approve of Escalona's budget, however we would like the input of the General Staff on the lowering of the Army Stockpile and it's impact on the army's responsiveness.

We would also make a few additions to our cabinet, which are as follows:

First Secretary of State: Duque de Alba (Mars)
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs: Duque de Alba (Mars)
Secretary of State for the Treasury and Economic Affairs: Duque de Escalona (Qwerty)
Secretary for the Office of War: Duque de la Victoria (RR)
Secretary of State for the Interior: Senor de Correia e de Medinaceli (Revan)
Secretary of State for Grace and Justice: Conde de Veranzo (Imperator)
President of the Indies & Africa Council: Príncipe de Belmonte (ML)
Secretary for the Office of the Navy: SAR El Infante Juan, Conde de Montizón (Pluto)
Secretary of Church and Papal Relations: Arzobispo de Toledo (Luft)​
 
To His Most Catholic and Esteemed Majesty, Carlos VI,

Your generosity abounds, Your Grace, and I am thoroughly overjoyed and thankful at the opportunity provided to serve as Your Secretary of the Interior. I shall do my utmost for the Fatherland.

Your Loyal Servant,
Juan Maria Carlos Manuel de Correia y de Medinaceli

-

With that letter finished, Correia left Lisbon for Madrid; upon his arrival, he oversaw a quick transition from the old Interior Minister – he was largely displeased that his predecessor’s push for expansion of the railways had been ignored, and he further noted that the Kingdom was in dire need of industrial workers.

((National Foci: Craftsmen in Nueva Castilla and Castilla-Leon))


Internal Missive from the Secretary of the Interior:


Noting that heretofore the industrial development of the Spanish Kingdoms have been, to say the least, lacklustre, and that the infrastructure now in place is not conducive towards its expansion and general improvement, it is resolved that a general initiative by the State to improve the Royal Railways must be endeavoured at once. Therefore, the Department of Railways is hereby tasked with overseeing not just the continued maintenance of its various lines, but the expansion of existing lines and the creation of new ones, with particular emphasis being placed upon those lines that are rooted in Madrid and surge out towards the major cities of the Kingdom. Funding from the Treasury Ministry shall be immediately sought.

~ Joao Maria Carlos Manuel de Correia y de Medinaceli, Secretary of the Interior
 
To his excellency the Duque de Vittoria ((Mikkel- Private))
My dearest friend.

My eldest daughter, Donna Maria Agueda Sancha Fitz-James Stuart y Belmonte di Soneta, is fair of face, of good nature and has received a fineand pious education as appropriate of a young lady of her standing. I fully support the idea of a matrimonial union between our two Houses.

Your truly,
General of Infantry Don Esteban Alonso Fitz James Stuart y Silva



To His Majesty the King ((Keinwyn - Private))

Your Catholic Majesty,

The recent disorders within the Spanish realm are in my opinion in need of hasty reaction. While Your loyal armies would always be ready to defend the Throne, certain peaceful measures may be of use as well. I applaud Your initiative to create an advisory council that would make the procedure of the legislation more professional and would give You a new organ that You could use for control and consultation. As long as it is fully in Your hands and not independent from You, it would serve You well. If such measure would not bring pacification, I believe that even a change of the legislation on the public meetings may be considered. After all, it is not the fact of the meetings that is dangerous - but their aims and nature. My Sovereign could choose the method of banning certain types of speech, agenda and actions during public meetings, while allowing controllable, nonpolitical and patriotic gatherings.

Regarding our foreign policies, I would advise to continue improving our relationships with the North German Federation. It is a force that is becoming stronger and stronger - while, of course, the outcome of its recent expedition against the treacherous Bonapartist state is most interesting - and it would be good if it is used for the good of Spain. Energetic measures to increase the international standing of Spain and guarantee that its economy is not dependable from realms like Belgium should also be taken

I am in support of a conquest of Sokoto as proposed by the President of the Royal and Supreme Council for Indies and Africa - as long as we can guarantee internal peace.

Your loyal servant
General of Infantry Don Esteban Alonso Fitz James Stuart y Silva,
Duke of Alba
First Secretary of the Cabinet
 
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As previously acknowledged we require an advisory legislative body to assist in the governance of our realms, thus we do decree the creation of a State Council:

I Purpose. The purpose of our State Council is to investigate issues of import and scrutinize legislation presented by our loyal secretaries that we make our decisions fully informed.
a. The Council is to examine legislation proposed by our ministers.
b. We may submit issues for deliberation by the Council.
c. The Council shall report to us directly, whereupon we shall use the information as we see fit.​

II Composition. The composition of the council shall be decided at our discretion, however we aim to seat:
a. All secretaries of our cabinet shall sit ex-officio sit upon this body.
b. A representative from each of the regions of the Spanish Realms defined in existing Royal statutes.
c. Exalted and informed members of our most loyal armed forces, both land and sea.
d. Other individuals having erudition and wisdom in their field such that it is determined by us to have value to this chamber’s deliberations.
e. The council shall elect from amongst their number a chairman to preside over their deliberations.​

((Appointed Upper House reform))


Further to our desire to see a flourishing of the arts within our realms, the Queen and I hereby do establish The Royal Order of the Carnation to award services to science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. It is our dearest hope that many good Spaniards may look inside themselves and find a wellspring of talent from which to bless us all with the mercy of art.

[Insert picture here]​

((Small Arts Endowment “reform”))
 
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Memo from the ministry of war:

A new Army shall be built and placed Madrid. It shall consist of the following divisions:

1 Division of Artillery and its crew
7 Divisions of Regulars
1 Division of Yoruba Hussars
1 Yoruba Engineering Corps

Another smaller army shall be placed near Sokoto. It shall consisit of the following divisions:

2 Yoruba Engineering Corps
4 Divisions of Edo Infantry

~ Capitán General Tomás de Zumalacárregui e Imaz, Duque de Victoria y Conde de Bilbao


 
245px-Enrique-de-Borbon-y-Borbon-1823-1870.jpg
Name: Infante Enrique María Fernando Carlos Francisco Luis de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Duke of Seville
Date of Birth: April 17th, 1823
Background: Infante Enrique was born to Francisco de Paula, the youngest child of Charles IV, and an Infante in his own right. Upon Enrique's birth, he was made the Duke of Seville, as his older brother Francesco de Asis was made the Duke of Cadiz. When the Carlist Wars broke out, Enrique was but a boy, and as such he was entirely uninvolved. Enrique's father, the Infante Francisco de Paula, wishing to get his children away from the Civil War in Spain sent Enrique and his brothers to Paris to be educated. While in Paris, Enrique met Antoine, the Duke of Montpelier, and thus began an intense rivalry that has shown no sign of ceasing. After his education in Paris, Enrique returned to Spain to serve as an officer in the military, eventually getting honorably discharged at the rank of captain. Enrique married the daughter of a count, and since his return to Spain, he has been attending and hosting many parties, living the life of a noble, distancing himself from politics (although he still conversed with his fellow liberals when he could). However, after Enrique saw many crushed revolts and rebellions that echo the will of the people, the progressive inside him awoke, and he began to petition for the right to assemble, a cause he has taken up in full stride.


Titles of Enrique de Borbón
  • Infante of Spain (1823-????)
  • Duke of Seville (1823-????)

 
We in general approve of Escalona's budget, however we would like the input of the General Staff on the lowering of the Army Stockpile and it's impact on the army's responsiveness.

We would also make a few additions to our cabinet, which are as follows:

First Secretary of State: Duque de Alba (Mars)
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs: Duque de Alba (Mars)
Secretary of State for the Treasury and Economic Affairs: Duque de Escalona (Qwerty)
Secretary for the Office of War: Duque de la Victoria (RR)
Secretary of State for the Interior: Senor de Correia e de Medinaceli (Revan)
Secretary of State for Grace and Justice: Conde de Veranzo (Imperator)
President of the Indies & Africa Council: Príncipe de Belmonte (ML)
Secretary for the Office of the Navy: SAR El Infante Juan, Conde de Montizón (Pluto)
Secretary of Church and Papal Relations: Arzobispo de Toledo (Luft)​

*When news finally reached the Duke of Menorca of the new cabinet postings, he raised his eyebrows in surprise*

"Who on Earth is Senyor Medinacelli, and what did he do to deserve being Secretary of State for the Interior?"
 
*When news finally reached the Duke of Menorca of the new cabinet postings, he raised his eyebrows in surprise*

"Who on Earth is Senyor Medinacelli, and what did he do to deserve being Secretary of State for the Interior?"
*The Duke of Escalona conveniently receives news of the Duke's remarks*

He's a young man with immense ambition. He was an assistant to the Portuguese Ambassador when he was merely 23 years old. What was the Duke of Menorca when he was only 23?
 
*The Duke of Escalona conveniently receives news of the Duke's remarks*

He's a young man with immense ambition. He was an assistant to the Portuguese Ambassador when he was merely 23 years old. What was the Duke of Menorca when he was only 23?

*The Duke of Menorca even more conveniently receives news of the other Duke's remarks*

"Ambition is a detriment, not a boon - ambition is what births pretenders, not staunch, loyal supporters of the Crown."
 
((Private))

"They got my name wrong! It's Alvear y Ponce de Leon!" Carlos shouted, jabbing at the newspaper. "Those pesky Brits! Perfidious Albion!"

"Sir, I think that's the least of your worries..." said the aide, "Your soldiers are waiting outside for their orders."

"Right. Anyways, to actual military operations! At least he did a good job of quoting me. Now when can we go and fight Napoleon?"
 
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Domestic Life II​

The King had long held a tendency to act as an ivory-tower romantic, which was most epitomised perhaps, whilst still Prince of Asturias, in his suit of Princess Alexandra. His mind swept past her psychological symptoms and dwelt instead on the pensive young girl dressed all in white with whom he had once been smitten. Perhaps a less naive individual may have recognised that much would be required of a future Queen and the extent to which royal duties would tax a delicate mind.

What may have been for him a decision born of romantic whim may, for the princess have been a blessing, temporarily at least. A life far removed from the turbulence of her father’s affairs, ensconced in a small household (the state press reported that the royal couple maintained a mere twenty servants) did a great deal to alleviate her distresses, already subsiding as she learnt to manage them. Though she still refused to wear any colour but white, for Carlos this reinforced her status in his romantic mind as a somewhat ethereal creature.

However at the height of this conviviality was paradoxically when Carlos became most aware - frightened even - of the delicacy of this wife. For Alexandra had become pregnant. What should reasonably have been reason for singular joy elicited fear in Carlos; fear born from the familiarity of losing his children before they had truly lived, from seeing his consorts snatched from this world.

The King paced up and down outside the birth chamber, tortured by every one of his wife’s screams as each of them evoked memories of her predecessors’ shared fate. When eventually a child’s cries announced a new prince, ice seeped into Carlos’ heart as the mother went silent. He stopped and stared at the wall, as though he could divine the outcome through it; waiting, dreading, hoping for the midwife to exit the chamber and relieve his doubts.

Carlos was left relieved that Alexandra survived without any complications and that the stress had not caused her to sink into her ‘peculiarities’, however that changed when his father died in 1861. The couple, thrust onto the throne and centre stage, found the securities of a quieter lifestyle banished. Further, it soon became apparent the new Queen was pregnant for the second time.

After the particularly difficult birth of Infanta María Teresa the Queen’s condition only deteriorated and as news of the rebellions throughout Spain came to the capital they only served to exacerbate the Queen’s insecurities further. The colour blue in particular began to cause her a degree of distress to the extent that she would have trouble having it within her field of vision for any extended period. She also refused to be too physically close to anyone, the King included, oft refusing to let her maids assist her in dressing, or demanding an empty seat on either side of her at the dining table.

GN6tN6X.png

Finding it disagreeable, Their Majesties request that the colour blue be worn as little as possible at court, or that if it should be, that it be limited to darker shades.
 
"It is War or Humiliation": 1865-1868

As Spain moved forward through the 1860s, the population of the country seemed to have gone more complacent with Carlos VI. After years of revolts, it seemed that the Jacobins have simply given up in fighting against the regime. Militancy among liberals had declined, and it seemed that the age of rebellion was over. Yes there were still pockets of Jacobins left in Spain, but they were small and not really dangerous, numbering less than 100,000. Carlos VI though would enter a rocky start as the drums of war beat in Germany. He would also implement ideas that would shock many reactionaries, but please many non-reactionary forces in Spain.

In Spain, Carlos VI, having seen the destruction caused by the rebellions against his regime, decided to implement new policies to appease the people. The biggest policy of the time was his decision to create a State-Council. The State Council was to be a legislative body, similar to a system Russia had. The members of the State-Council would be appointed by the King, and would serve as legislatures in deciding what is passed. Of course, the King would still have absolute power over them, and he would have to check each bill passed by the State-Council before it could become law in Spain, yet it was a step in the right direction. Originally, the King only had his ministry and his court to attend to, most of them reactionary Carlists. Now with the creation of the State-Council, reactionaries, conservatives, and even some liberals (though limited), would have a chance to meet on the stage and vote for things relating to Spain. It was a step in the right direction towards a more open society, but many liberals still felt that the country was still closed. Liberals could be seated on the State-Council, but they couldn't organize and meet outside and form organizations to collectivize votes. Regardless, many in the country cheered this on as the beginning of a new government, one where the people would get a chance to have a bigger voice in the government.

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(The First meeting of the State Council)

The State Council was not the only reform that Carlos VI made this year. Carlos VI also gave the authority for the churches to handle education. Originally, education was only available to the elite nobles of the realm. Now with the church controlling much of the public education, more citizens could gain access for education for their children. This caused literacy rates to increase over the course of the years, as more and more people were allowed into schools. The only people angry at this were secularists, those who believe Church and State should be separate. Another problem with this system was that those who were educated would be more inclined to pursue enlightenment ideas that acted against the interests of the monarch. The second major social reform that Carlos VI enacted was a small funding for the arts. Music and Art in Spain had been lacking since the start of Carlos V's reign, and Carlos VI felt that he needed to reinvigorate the Spanish culture. He handed out small stimulus to Spanish musicians, composers, and artists. Artists like Federico de Madrazo were funded to do paintings that relate to Spanish history and life. Musicians like Pablo de Sarasate were paid to make pieces of Spanish music to be shared over the world. Writers were paid to write grand stories about Spain. Carlos VI even paid to have foreign composers come to Spain to perform their pieces for the greater artistic world.

Sarasate.gif

(Pablo de Sarasate, a famous Spanish Violinist)

However, musical adventures would have to be halted for a time, as word from the front lines in Alsace-Lorraine reached Spain. The Prussians were in dire straights. They had overextended their lines, and the vastly numbered French forces were chipping away, pushing them back across the Rhine River. The situation was bad for the Germans. As if nothing else could have happened to make the situation worse, Austria, out of no-where, declared war on the Prussians. This declaration of war would be a result of the Austrians using the state of the Northern German Confederation to further its claims of hegemony in Germany. No more would it stand idle as the Prussians Germanized Germany better than the Austrians could ever do it. No more would the Prussians extend their boundaries into more German holdings. A conference would not do, for Austria always had to compromise with the Prussians. No more! In the early months of 1865, Austrian troops marched into Silesia, completely catching the Prussians off guard. Southern German forces would march into the Rhinelands and into Frankfurt. The Prussians were forced into a corner, betrayed, and on the brink of annihilation. So it called its Holy Alliance allies. They knew that regardless of who was attacking, the Holy Alliance would defend the Prussians in this war. Russia and Spain responded, and ordered another conference to solve this issue. Austria knew that a long war between Russia and Spain would not end well, and agreed to step aside from the German issue. However, Prussia was furious. They wanted Austria to burn for their treason. Russia joined them as well, for as founder of the Holy Alliance, it did not tolerate treason among its members, and wanted to capitalize on a war with Austria by expanding its influence into the Balkans. The Holy Alliance agreed that punishment had to be placed on Austria for this, and decided on two options. Austria would either have to hand over Lombardy to the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmonte, or remove its influence from the Southern German Federation. It was either lose land, let Prussia control Germany, or war. In the words of Franz Joseph II, "It is war, or humiliation". Austria chose war, refusing the demands of the Holy Alliance.

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(Austrian Troops ready for war)

Austria was immediately removed from the Holy Alliance by the Russians and Prussians, and Spain and Russia joined Prussia against Austria. However, Austria moved fast. With the Prussians getting hit in the flank by French and Austrian forces, its army collapsed. Austrian forces took half of Prussia by the time Russians forces appeared in Poland, and even than, the Austrians held their ground in the east. The Spanish were preparing to land in Venice to aide Sicily (an ally of Prussia) in attacking from the South. The fighting in Germany though was fierce. Southern German and Northern German forces fought each other in fields across Northern Germany. To the Germans, this was a civil war between two nations that were very similar. However, the South would win over the North. When Southern German forces marched into Frankfurt, they hosted the flag of the German Confederation onto the Congress building, and burned the Northern German Flag. Austrian troops in Hanover executed a prominent NGF congressmen who constantly lobbied against Austria. Two months following this invasion, Austria was sieging Berlin. A month later, the capital of the Prussians had fallen. Austria hoisted the German Confederation flag on the Reichstag in Berlin, as a symbol that Prussian Hegemony in Germany was dead. Following this, Prussia, unable to continue the war, and suffering so much at the hands of Austria, surrendered. The War of the Two-Brothers was over. Austria had beaten Prussia, but in the process it had isolated itself. No more was the main enemy of the Holy Alliance France, no, the Spanish, Germans, and Russians had a new great enemy in the traitorous Austrians in Vienna. To show their anger, the Holy Alliance offered the position Austria once held in the Alliance to Sicily, and promised to aide it in its quest to unify Italy. The Holy Alliance also agreed to back Prussia in its own quest to unify Germany. No more would Spain have to compromise in the German Question, Austria's betrayal saw to that.

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(Prussian and Austrian Troops engage)

With the Austrian debacle settled, Spain once again turned to Africa. The Caliphate of Sokoto, the largest power in the Niger Delta, was the next target of the Spanish colonial army. General Ponce de Leon was given the order to invade Sokoto and bring it under the control of Spain. Sokoto, being a hub of Islam, gave Spain the perfect reason to invade, to spread Christendom and convert the decadent Mohammedans. Ponce de Leon's forces moved through Sokoto, capturing region after region. What his forces did in Sokoto is left to the words of Ponce de Leon though. Eventually, the General and his band of native soldiers were at the gates of the Caliphate capital, which was promptly taken after weeks of siege. However, unlike the other African powers, Sokoto's size made sure that they would continue fighting in the bush long after their traditional armies failed. Right now, Sokoto guerrillas are harassing colonial forces on their march to include another African state in the new Spanish Empire. with the fall of Sokoto, Spain could finally achieve hegemony over the Niger Delta, and possibly gain valuable resources from the interior.

Tukolor01.jpg

(Men from Sokoto)

Reforms, wars, and change. That was the state of Spain near the end of the 1860s. New reforms have opened up Spain like never before, however war would lead to new enemies and new challenges for Spain to overcome. As the new State Council met in Madrid to discuss policies, the world was different. The Holy Alliance had lost one of its members, and has been given a new path to take in avenging treason. What would the world be like now that Austria was no longer part of the Holy Alliance?

--------------------------
Player Actions Needed: Four days to do stuff, will probably have another special event before the next update
 
((Private))

"Well, here we go again...and just when things in Europe are about to get interesting!"

((Public))

The natives served Carlos Maria well. They were fiercely loyal--loyal to him, the Crown, and Jesus (once they converted, of course). Many of the few Muslims within his ranks who refused to convert still shot down their religious brethren in Sokoto without hesitation. Maybe it was because of his "enhanced training methods" taught to him by the higher ups, or maybe they just really hated Sokoto. Carlos Maria and his troops pushed through the supposed "caliphate" with little difficulty. All organized resistance was easily crushed by his troops' advanced weapons and training. If these Africans weren't savages, which they most likely were, they weren't that much above them either, he resolved.
He lost a few good men, but their lives were not in vain. Within weeks he had taken the capital. The "caliph" tried to flee, but he had been captured and brought before Carlos Maria. Knowing that killing him then and there, no matter how satisfying to himself and to everybody back at home, would only make him a martyr and encourage more resistance against Spanish rule, he simply forced him, his family, and his highest-ranking generals and politicians to convert to Christianity, renounce their claims to the caliphate, hand over all of their territories to Spain (though they would be allowed to continue living in their estates under effective house arrest), and swear fealty to the King and only the King, not to the Ottomans or whoever they swore allegiance to.
As for the local population, Carlos Maria adopted a different strategy. He sent what few missionaries he had to as many villages as possible to peacefully convert them. Only in cases of extreme resistance did he enforce conversion by forced baptism. Any village that peacefully collaborated with him against Sokoto was untouched (though missionaries were sent as usual) and in fact rewarded with Spanish advisers and sometimes technology. Those villages that resisted...well, nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition, as always.
As an actual colonial administration over the region would take time to set up, until then Carlos Maria took over matters of governance, encouraging Spaniards to settle in lands not already claimed by natives while sending more missionaries to convert the population. He set up courthouses to integrate the Africans into a truly civilized legal system. Schools were established to teach villagers Spanish, the Gospel, and other civilized things. Carlos Maria made sure that if a native succeeded in his studies, he might be allowed to serve in the colonial administration (though nobody would want to accept them).
Despite his generous policies towards the natives, there was still resistance by those diehards who stubbornly wanted to restore the caliphate and expel the Spanish. Their guerilla tactics made them annoying to fight, but given enough time Carlos Maria expected to defeat them decisively and definitively. He began looking forward to the day he could fight a truly worthy and equal opponent, one who was on the same footing as he was. Preferably Napoleon, but that was up to the King to decide. Until then, he sat in his headquarters in Niger, overseeing the enlightenment of the savages.
 
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sturz.jpg

Pater del Valle at his Rector Desk
Name: Don Francisco Pater del Valle
Born: 21 November 1830, Seville, Spain
Occupation: Pastor of the San Umberto Parish, Rector of Escuela de San Francisco de Asís
Alma Mater: Pontifical Gregorian University
Religion: Roman Catholicism, part of the Ordo Fratrum Minorum
Bio:

Francisco del Valle was the eldest of five born to a family of poor artisans in Seville, one of the many Spanish cities crushed by poverty brought about by the industralization and the indifference of the aristocrats and the absolutist state, and lived the first part of his life in abject poverty, which was only worsened with the death of his father, Alberto del Valle, whose death forced Francisco on the streets of Seville, this period of his life, which he has described as his prueba de fe como Job (vz. a reference to the Book of Job, in which the pious Job was punished by God in a test of his faith). His faith prevailed as he was rescued by a group of Franciscan monks tied to a Fransiscan monestary close to Seville, for which he served much of his adolestant life.

It was through his ties with the Fransiscan monestary that Judas José Cardinal Romo y Gamboa, Archbishop of Seville, awared him with the honour of studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in preperation for service as Pater in the Roman Catholic Church. He described his time in Rome at the University as one of the better periods in his life, as the effects of industralization, liberalism and absolutism were discussed freely between the students and the professors; he therefore aptly described it has his nacimiento del pensamiento y la sabiduría (His birth of Thought and Wisdom).

When he returned to Spain, he had hoped to return to a nation in which the aristocrats did not ignore the plight of the peasants in the fields and the craftsmen in the cities, his positivism and happiness he had found in the academic enviroment of Rome vanished between the poverty and oppression of Spain. Although he became one of the most loved Pastors in the Sevilla area with his sermons regarding charity and the seven works of mercy, this period of his life was marked with depression and the belief that the rulers of Spain had forgotten the virtues that were not only the basis of a good Christian life but a strong Christian state as well.

This period of his life ended with the establishment of the Escuela de San Francisco de Asís with the funds of the Fransiscan monestary, the Spanish State, and the Archdiocese of Seville, where Pater del Valle could offer education and religious guidance to the children of the many poor families of Seville and the surrounding farmlands. He, however, still believes that the Spanish Kingdom has to be reformed before can truly call itself a Catholic Kingdom and will work tirelessly to secure a better and Christian future for Spain.

Styles:
Señor Francisco del Valle (1830-1852)
Señor Francisco Pater del Valle (1852-1862)
Don Francisco Pater del Valle (since 1862)

Bibliography:
El Fracaso de los Picadors (The Failure of Sinners - 1868)

Offices:
Pastor of the San Umberto Church (since 1852)
Rector of the Escuela de San Francisco de Asís (since 1862)
Rector of the Franciscan Society of Schools (since 1867)
Member of the State Council of the Kingdom of Spain (1869 - 1873)
Leader of the People's Party of Spain (since 1874)
Member of the Royal Assembly for Seville (since 1874)
 
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Don Rodrigo Fajardo de Mendoza, Baron of Polop, has died of old age in the goveners palace in Mallia.
 
El fracaso de los Pecadores
"The Failure of Sinners"


El Fracaso de los Pecadores (The Failure of Sinners) is an 1868 social novel written by Fransisco Pater de Valle. El Frasco de los Pecadores traces the plight of the working classes of Spain. Unlike many other social novels, including the Sybil written by a B. Disraeli, it does not only limit iself to the horrific conditions of the urban working class, as the Spanish working class, due to the slow industralization, was one of the smaller in Europe, but also that of the Spanish farmers whom were suffering under the harsh rule of propietarios. The story features three families, a family of farmers, a family of factory workers and a family of industrialists and shows us the great contradictions in these lives as the beautifully interconnected stories eventually see the destruction and estrangement of all families at the hands of the greediness, individualism and lust. Although the book was lauded in England and France as one of the newest in a long line of social novels concerning the situation of the working class, the book was controversial in Spain, as it broke the relative silence of Catholic officials against the horrific conditions under which the Spanish working class suffer and it saw the resumption of Church officials as the primary protector of pious flock of Spanish poeple.

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Don Fransisco Pater de Valle saw his book not only as a criticism of the condition of the secular world as also on the Roman Catholic Church, which had ignored its duty, in the eyes of De Valle, as principle protector of the working class. His sermons in the period following the publication of El Frasco de los Pecadores were centred on the betterment of Spain as a Christian Community by the betterment of the living conditions of the farmers and factory workers by social legislation and charity championed by the Roman Catholic Church.

((Focus on Middle and Lower Classes))
 
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The House of Zumalacárregui e Imaz brings sad news
Sent to his Majesty Carlos VI, his court and whoever it may concern
Capitán General Tomás de Zumalacárregui e Imaz, Duque de la Victoria y Conde de Bilbao passed away the night to the 20th of May 1868 aged 79. His condition had long been detoriating and he finally found rest in the arms of the Lord of whom he had long paid his respect to throughout his life. Ever since the beginning of the Carlist War, he served the pure and just branch of the House de Borbón and followed them whereever they thought he was needed. He was a devout man and put his faith into god even when times were troubling for the country or his own life or the lifes of the ones who stood him near. We, in the family miss him as the husband of our mother and our lovely father, whom we could always speak to, if times were tough. His last words were as follows: "Wh're is mine own golden fleece."

We hope you will join us at his funeral the 25th of May in Catedral de Santiago, Bilbao.

Signed

~ Antonio Carlos de Zumalacárregui e Imaz, Duque de la Victoria y Conde de Bilbao