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Autonomy of the Balearic Isles: Abstain
Repeal to ban on the right to assemble: Yay

HSH Alejandro de Soneta di Belmonte, Prince of Belmonte and President of the Indies and Africa Council
 
((Alright since Luft is not here to close the vote, I will

*Dawns Archbishop Attire*


Balearics Bill and Repeal of Assembly Ban both fail


Balearics: 3 Yes, 5 No, 1 Abstain

Repeal of Assembly Ban: 4 Yes, 5 No, 1 Abstain

))
 
((I'm new here and is it too late to make a character?))

((We always welcome new people. I started off playing forum games in an IAAR, so I am glad to see people doing the same :D. A new update shall be posted tomorrow up to the year 1871))
 
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((It is never too late :) and welcome))
((Thanks! So here's my character.))

((We always welcome new people. I started off playing forum games in an IAAR, so I am glad to see people doing the same :D. A new update shall be posted tomorrow up to the year 1871))
((Thanks again! Sure okay, thanks for the heads up.))

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Name: Archevêque Bernard Vassuer
Date of Birth: February 21st, 1794
Nationality: French with Polish ancestry
Occupation: Archbishop of the clergé français

Background: Priest
Personality: Deeply Religious (Roman Catholic)
Beliefs: Bernard finds that who should rightly rule the Spanish throne as inconsequential and pointless, being more interested in how powerful the local clergy is and whether the Pope has sufficient influence. Some would say Bernard cares more about the Spanish Church then Spain itself, and as a proud Frenchman this is not far from the truth. His loyalty is first to God, second to the Pope and third to King.

Biography: Nothing is known of the man behind the title, other then that he is extremely pious and a wiry schemer. Even his life as a man of the cloth has been kept secret, and any records are burned by the fanatical Archevêque himself. The clergy allows his quirks, as none can claim to be more devoted to the church and Pope. Bernard has stood rock solid on matters of faith in France, earning an audience with the Pope himself who gave the title of 'Inquisitor against Heretical Thought and Faith' starting Bernard's small crusade. He travels from court to court, ensuring that the clergy has enough power and that the nobles are religious enough. He currently works on creating the 'Charter of Punishment on Heretics' which aims to create several laws against heresy of all type. Due to his extremism he has been exiled more then once.

He moved to Spain after problems in England, and is currently happy with the situation. Spain seems to be devout, and the clergy has enough power to please even Archevêque Vasseur. If Spain becomes less pious and takes away power from the people he will do all he can to stop this, making him a staunch conservative and wary of liberal parties.
 
((Private))

Dr. Gregorio Vicente Osorio de Moscoso gently placed his hand on Prince Pelayo’s forehead. The boy was burning up again, yet another fever wracking his frail body. Ever since Gregorio had been hired by His Majesty a few years ago, he had found himself increasingly becoming the caretaker for the young prince. The rest of the royal family seemed perfectly healthy, experiencing no ailment that could not be fixed with a little rest or small doses of medicine. There were rumours of the queen’s health being somewhat in question, but Gregorio had never been allowed near the woman. No, his focus was all on Carlos VI’s children, and he was eternally grateful for that chance. What better way to serve his beloved country than to ensure the royal family remained healthy and strong?

A minor coughing fit from the prince lying in the bed below him brought Gregorio back to the task at hand. The doctor dipped a cloth in a bowl of cold water and gently placed it on the boy’s forehead. This fever was nothing unusual and all he needed to do was keep the prince’s temperature down to help him overcome it. With that done, he pulled out his pocket watch and placed two fingers on the prince’s neck, taking a measure of his pulse. A little high, but probably due to his body fighting off the fever. The boy showed no other signs that this was anything more than the fever Gregorio suspected it to be.

Prince Pelayo watched the doctor as he went about his business. After measuring his pulse, the boy weakly asked, “Will I be all right?”

Gregorio gave the boy a smile and said, “I see no reason you won’t be. I expect you’ll make it through this bout as you did the last one. Just put your faith in God that he will see you through this.”

Prince Pelayo gave a small nod at the statement, which dislodged the moist cloth. Gregorio placed it back upon the boy’s forehead after dabbing it back in the cold water. Adjusting under his covers, Pelayo asked, “How long will I have to remain in bed?”

“At least until the fever has broken,” Gregorio said. “Most likely only a few days, if that. This one is not as bad as the last.”

The prince smiled and positioned himself more comfortably under the blankets. “At least I have Grandpa Carlos to keep me company.”

Gregorio stiffened at that odd statement and eyed the prince carefully. The boy was staring off to the side, past Gregorio. The doctor followed the boy’s gaze, which seemed to be directed towards a portrait of Carlos V on the wall. He let out a relieved sigh at having that explained. Glancing back down at the prince, Gregorio said, “I’ll leave you to get some rest.”

As Prince Pelayo rolled over to get some sleep, Doctor Gregorio quietly left the room. As he went to close the door, he heard the prince start speaking. Thinking that the boy was calling him back, he stepped back in the room, only to stop in his steps as he noticed the prince staring up towards the portrait of Carlos V and engaging it in full conversation. Gregorio was unsure of what to make of it. Was the boy just talking to the portrait as a way to occupy his time and connect with his late grandfather or was something else going on here? The prince’s brother had gone off to Prussia, so perhaps he was just lonely. Watching this brought back memories of one young girl he had come across during his travels who swore she could see and talk to spirits, although he had suspected it was more an issue of the mind than some form of divine gift. Either way, Gregorio did not want to interrupt the boy and whatever he was doing. The doctor slowly backed out of the room, leaving the prince to his conversation with the dead king.


((Thanks to Revan for letting me use his future princely character and giving him possible mental issues. :p))
 
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Costs of Production: 1868-1871

The war in Sokoto was drawing to its conclusion. The Spanish army led by General Ponce de Leon received new horse artillery units and pressed on in taking over the African Caliphate. By the fall of 1868, Sokoto was completely occupied. With no allies in sight, the Caliphate surrendered and bent the knee to the King in Madrid. Another African nation had been successfully subjected by the Carlist Regime. This was a proud sign to the coming decade of the 1870s. As the Spanish nation entered the new decade though, new problems began to arise and old enemies would reemerge onto the stage.

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(Sokoto soldiers falling before Spanish guns)

Before I continue on with the events of the three years, I wish to digress from our story to talk about economics. You see, most of our story has revolved around political, military, and diplomatic affairs. I want to step back though and examine the inter workings of the Spanish industrial economy and to showcase advancements made in that sector at this time. New technology would boost productivity to greater heights and the spirit of capitalism would emerge in rich individuals across Spain. The age of the nobles owning the wealth may be coming to an end as the rise of the Capitalist slowly takes form. Some say the late 19th century was the start of Spain’s second industrial revolution as factories emerged and people moved to the cities to pursue better jobs and better lives. Political endeavors established by the state would help make sure that the craftsman was well respected in the workplace, and that the economy would start to increasingly develop into a modern state.

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(A Steel Mill in Extramurda)

In order to showcase the progress of industry, we must go back to the 1840s. When Carlos V reigned, he ordered a series of factories to be built across Spain. At that time, Spain’s craftsmen population was relatively small, with only about 100,000 at the end of the 1850s. With the adoption of the practical steam engine, the industrial revolution spread its roots into the heart of Spain. The capitalistic nature of Spain though was mostly handled by the government, with few private investments being made. This was mostly due to the low literacy rates of the country. A census conducted by the government found that, in 1870, only 20% of the population could fully read and write. This lack of literacy has made it hard for the country to fully expand due to the lack of education one needed to fully run a private investor. That all changed in the late 1860s. With the introduction of new schooling, a new breed of Capitalists began to merge. These individuals were uncommon from their nobles. Some of them were as rich as a Duke, yet held no official title of nobility. These “Men of Fortune” would begin to cast questions on the nobility’s wealth, for if these regular men could obtain wealth, who is to say that anyone could obtain wealth too?

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(Matias Lopez Lopez, one of the first major capitalists of Spain)

The rise of the industrial capitalist also was spurred on by better infrastructure. Miles of railroad were constructed by the government between 1840 and 1870 to better cope with the increased need for transportation of goods from interior factories to ports for export. Along with the increase in better transportation, the need for ports emerged to handle shipping, and for faster ships to ship them across the world to markets. The clipper was a design used by the Spanish for decades. It was not until the mid 1860s when steam ships became commonly used by merchants to ship goods across the world. Steamers and better ports meant more exports could be shipped out, increasing the need for industrial output, and increasing the need for more factories, which spurred on the rise of the capitalist in Spain.

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(Spanish Train)

Workers though had some interesting problems though. The wage was low for the average factory worker, and many workers died in accidents. One such violent incident was a coal mine in the Pyrenees exploding. A dozen coal workers laid dead in the mine when a fire destroyed it. The government sided with the workers, and blamed local management for carelessly letting this happen, something that the capitalists did not appreciate. What resulted was an increase in state-owned unions. Unionization, out of all the political aspects of the Carlist society, was allowed in the country, but only if the government authorized them and had some control over their activities. The result was an increase in strikes in the Carlist state. Strikers went against the environment of their work, protesting the low wages, low safety, and low compensation for work. Factories were shut down across the state at times. The Capitalists began lobbying to have the law revoked to prevent unions forming at all, but many fear the repercussions of such an act among the union workers would be devastating.

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(Spanish Unionists on Strike)

Now, with the economic times out of the way, let us return to our daily dose of politics and military stuff. Censorship was on everyone’s mind at the start of the era. A priest by the name of Don Francisco Pater del Valle wrote a book condemning the little response by the aristocracy for the poor condition of the poor people that work under them. The Carlist Regime immediately censored many parts of the novel, and added that the King made everything right. Following the publication of the priest’s book, his boss, the Primate of Spain, published his own book where a group of liberals murdered the leader of a village. In the end, the King set everything right. While the Primate’s book received applause from staunch Carlists, many critics say the book was “an ugly attempt at propaganda, for only propaganda for an absolutist regime would allow a novel of such contempt to survive inside a nation like Spain.” Of course, Francisco de Valle tried to write a critique of the novel via associates in the press, the state removed them from the papers. Writers and literary critics were appalled at this blatant misuse of censorship in the country, and the more liberal writers such as Francisco del Valle began publishing abroad, and harshly criticizing the Carlist regime for their censorship program and use of literature as a basis for propaganda. As one writer put it, “they are trying to make the King give everyone a happy ending, something that should not be done in literature. The best novels do not give us happy endings.” This spread the word to more free countries explaining the situation about writers in Spain, and many writers around the world began publishing novels holding absolutist nations like Spain in contempt.

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(The most radical of Carlist citizens participated in book burning of liberal works)

At the start of 1871, Spain was rocked again by a huge rebellion of liberal revolutionaries. Granada, a hotbed for violent liberal movements, was completely overran by the liberals. The Carlist army moved in to suppress the revolt. However, in the movements, rebels slipped through the Carlist lines and moved north. These evasive soldiers formed an army of 45,000 strong, and marched north. After taking the city of Toledo, they moved to siege Madrid. Madrid, being left unguarded, called for reinforcements. However, their message was received too late. Madrid was overrun by liberal forces, and put under their occupation. For the first time in years, the capital of Spain was taken by a rebel force. This hurt the prestige of Carlos VI. “His father would have never let Madrid fall, even for a short time!” was what many conservatives started to say about the King. The King, already mauled by reactionaries for “reforming” the society to be more free, moved all forces from Granada to move back and take Madrid. Of course, these orders were sent from outside Madrid, for the King and the State Council had fled the city when the Liberals took it over.

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(Revolutionaries executing Carlist officials in Madrid)

In the Balearic islands though, Jacobin revolts were starting to form. Protests on the island were beginning to call for violent overthrowal of the regime, and possible the creation of a Republic. Word would not reach Madrid, and even if it did, it would probably have been ignored due to the focus on taking back the capital. Duke Francesc Àlex Òscar Eloi Roma took matters into his own hands when Madrid refused to answer back. He ordered the militia of the Balearic islands to fight back against the Jacobins. The militia won. The Duke Roma for a long time had been fighting for greater autonomy on the Balearic islands. He proposed a bill to a colleague in the State Council (since he was not appointed to be seated on said council) that failed. Now that he was actively commanding a force against rebels on the islands, a rebel force wanting to overthrow the regime, perhaps now the government would consider allowing the Duke to have what he wants?

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(One of the forts used by the Balearic Militia in fighting Jacobins)

Back in Madrid, 60,000 Spanish soldiers marched into Madrid and repelled the rebels from the city. The city was in a bad shape following the short occupation. The Liberals had set to looting businesses and homes owned by Carlist officials. The King’s palace was even ransacked by the rebels, but the damage was not large. This was the extent of major internal affairs. Abroad, things were also dull for a bit. The biggest action to come out of Europe during the start of the 1870s was Austria backing an independent Lithuania. Of course, Austria with its betrayal of the Holy Alliance was immediately shut down by all major powers of Europe, and humiliated by Russian terms to the end of the crisis. Oh how the mighty Habsburg Empire has fallen! The other major event was when word reached Spain that the French Empire had secured southern Indochina from the Asian nation of Dai Niet, creating the colony of French Indochina. Now France would be competing for control of Asian trade routes with the Spanish Philippines.

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(Vietnamese Colonial Soldier)

With economic growth, and continuing political and domestic instability, Carlos VI’s reign is still not yet wholly secure. It will take some time before the chaos will die down and allow Spain to become stable fully once again.
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Player Actions Needed: Four more days to propose bills, two days of voting.
 
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((Is Matias Lopez Lopez a player character that is missed, and if not then can I play him?))
 
((Is Matias Lopez Lopez a player character that is missed, and if not then can I play him?))

((You may play him, make sure you provide a bio))

((May I propose a bill? Of course this would be a mere suggestion.))

((Yes you may. Bills may be proposed at any time))
 
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As per our royal father’s decree of 1851 we recognise the practice of slavery as undesirable in pursuit of the moral integrity of the crown and state. Having overseen a period of measured transition - fearing a rapid abandonment may not result in the just remuneration of former slaveholders nor secure wellbeing and economic stability of those regions that heretofore relied upon the practice - we declare the practice of slavery to be fully outlawed within the borders of our realms and dominions. Let no man be held in bondage by another without recourse to our justice.

This we have decreed and do decree.
 
LA GUÀRDIA PROVINCIAL DE LES ILLES BALEARS
The Provincial Guard of the Balearic Islands

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Established for the (publicly known) intent of maintaining order in the islands while the government in Madrid was busy with the mainland affairs of Spain. The Provincial Guard, or Provinciales, as they were known in the Baleares, were a police agency known for targeting dens of corruption and prostitution, as well as Jacobin centralists. The Provinciales were a partially volunteer force, although their full-time leaders were paid for out of the pockets of Balearic aristocrats, the most notable being the Duc de Menorca, who envisioned the Provincial Guard as a means to maintain the order that he and his militias had fought to maintain during the 1871 Revolt.

The Guard was organized into four Seccions, which were, in increasing order of size, Palma, Eivissa i Formentera, Menorca, and Mallorca. Section Palma was dedicated to combating illegal activities in the islands' largest city, and began by targeting brothels and opium dens. The latter three sections all fulfilled standard police work, although Section Menorca - under the nominal control of the Duke of Menorca - in particular developed something of a reputation for turning a blind eye to activities associated with the Balearicism movement, as well as generally ignoring illegal activities that supported the island or that were supported by the people of the island.

((Focus: Baleares))