1755-1760 – The German Question
With the Hispanian Civil War at an end, negotiations were opened up with Austria. Despite the court generally being against the Austrians due to their betrayal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs managed to convince the Austrians to return all the disputed provinces, while the Empress Dowager intervened to arrange a marriage between her daughter and the Crown Prince of Austria. It seemed that peace would be achieved at last. However, a breakdown occurred almost immediately. Despite agreeing that the Crown Prince would spend four months of the year in Hispania, the Archduke refused to allow his son to leave Austria. The marriage agreement was already in shatters. ((Austria broke the marriage after the event. Those bastards.
))
A colony was established in Nicaragua to ensure Scotland didn’t get that piece of Central America as well.
The Greek Civil War continued to rage on, with the rebels being knocked down one by one. Another army was crushed in Macedonia near the end of January. A month later, they managed to eradicate the army in Serbia. All that remained was Pausanias and his large force.
Perhaps the greatest change of all involved the Parliament. The membership of the Cortz was expanded to all landed nobles with a rank higher than baron. The Crown took more direct control over the provinces. Many nobles accepted the arrangement, attempting to use the Cortz as a means of earning prestige and to influence imperial politics. The creation of the Assembly was the most exciting to the average citizens of Hispania though. Men all throughout the Empire, or at least the ones in Europe, went to vote in the first election. The Assembly was soon filled with a mish-mash of random notables from the provinces. The Emperor proceeded to appoint most of the members of his court to the Assembly. The first election saw a major impact throughout the Empire. The Northern Italians and the Greeks, isolated from the capital, had felt that their interests were being ignored for so long. This was perhaps why the former had sided with the Phoenixes to begin with. Now they had a way to get involved directly in politics, and felt more accepted as part of Hispania as a result. Even some of the North Africans were enjoying the changes. While the vote had not been extended to Africa, the fact that the Crown was taking more direct interest in the area meant more attention. In general, people were enjoying the changes.
Wallachia received some notable attention in the first few months of 1755. A marriage between Emperor Alfons IX and Princess Mirela Kosovic was met with much celebration in her native Wallachia. The Voivode of Wallachia eagerly requested an alliance, seeing this as a chance to ensure protection against a potential aggressive Poland. His fear of Poland was so strong that he agreed to swear allegiance to Emperor Alfons in May, less than two months after the alliance was signed. Wallachia was now to serve as a buffer state between Byzantium and Poland.
It wasn’t until April that the arrangement with Austria was finally revived, perhaps in part thanks to the help of the newly hired Ferran de Cabrera, a distinguished diplomat. The Austrians agreed to the original arrangement, probably knowing that since the winter was past that the Crown Prince would not need to leave for Hispania until the end of the year. To show that they were earnest this time, Austria offered an alliance, which Emperor Alfons signed personally. ((Apparently we needed a new diplo advisor to boost our reputation to get them to keep the marriage and sign an alliance. What a hassle.))
While Emperor Alfons was pushing his hardest for reconciliation with Austria, it seemed he was the only one. Relations between France and Austria had not recovered, and possibly never would. The Archduke had already started expressing an interest in French land, and perhaps more damaging to Hispania, parts of the Balkans owned by Byzantium. The Quadruple Entente was no more, despite the Emperor’s hope for its restoration.
While Hispania was focusing its attention on Austria, change was coming to Germany. Ever since the Phoenixes had approached the German states with the hopes of creating a unified nation to use as an ally, the Germans had been tossing around the idea of a unified Germany. Only the Protestants seemed interested, but they had become almost fanatical about it. Unification was the answer to protecting themselves against their encroaching neighbours. The HRE had proven ineffective at protecting them, and Protestantism had been unable to spread beyond Germany. Both Munster and Saxony took up the mantle of German unification, rallying states to their side. Munster had the strongest military, but Saxony had many diplomatic connections and influence. The smaller states swore allegiance to one or the other. However, there could be only one Germany. Either Munster or Saxony had to fall for the other to rise. Most of the states sided with Saxony, hoping that its smaller side meant they could maintain some influence in a unified Germany. Only Frankfurt and Hesse joined Munster, but Munster had the advantage of still being larger and less spread out than Saxony. The regency also found some unusual aid in the form of some unknown noble with a German name and strange accent, who insisted on helping their cause.
The navy began the slow process of rebuilding, with the Asiatic Armada merged into the Armada Colonial. A further ten galleys and some heavy ships were added to it, while the Grande Armada was mothballed in Gibraltar.
Down in East Africa, the rebels that had been stirred up by the Imperials still remained and had to be dealt with. The Exercit Colonial attacked the first of them in Inhambane.
Kaffa’s victory over Alodia proved of some benefit to Hispania. Some of their land in Egypt was returned to Egypt, leaving it ripe for the taking.
The two German states were ready to clash, but Munster had one more thing hidden up its sleeve. Austria certainly didn’t want to see a unified Germany, but it wanted a unified Germany as emperor even less. While Saxony still clung to its imperial title, Munster had no interest in remaining in the HRE. It was a failed institution. An arrangement was soon reached between the two. Austria would back Munster against Saxony, and in exchange Austria would have the opportunity to seize the imperial crown. Munster would have help unifying the Protestant German states, and Austria would finally steal the imperial crown away from the Protestants. It seemed beneficial to both sides.
The German conflict became that more interesting with the death of the Frankfurt Pope. His successor, Innocentius XI, was not exactly the brightest man, and instead of staying out of the war raging around the Papal State, he instead sided with Saxony. Austria had abandoned him for the Roman Pope, and the HRE provided him with some protection even under a Protestant emperor. The decision seemed questionable, but it was made nonetheless.
Two armies under Generals Leon and Trastámara landed in Anatolia, ready to assist the Greeks in their civil war. While the Greek army did some evasive manoeuvres, Pausanias proved just as bold as ever. He launched an attack on Francesc de Trastámara’s army in Kutahya. A few days later, the rest of the Hispanian and Greek armies arrived, outnumbering Pausanias’s men 2:1. Not even the Greek pretender could match those odds. He retreated south, with the Hispanian forces in hot pursuit. Leon struck the final blow against the former Greek general. After such a lengthy civil war, Pausanias had fallen. Basileus Demetrios IV ordered him brought back to Constantinople, where he was blinded, castrated, and then placed in a cage outside the palace where he slowly died of starvation. This was the fate that traitors would face in Byzantium. There were still holdouts that remained in the provinces. Demetrios had his armies sent out to reclaim the occupied land, and ordered any of Pausanias’s sons, if found, to receive the same treatment as their father.
The Hispanian armies linger for a bit, helping to retake parts of Western Anatolia.
Perhaps due to the unrest in Byzantium, the fortifications in Mylasa received some extra attention.
In East Africa, the last of the rebels were crushed and order restored. With Africa quiet once more, colonization could continue. A colonist was sent to Calabar in West Africa to help seal off the coast.
In February of 1756, Persia went to war with Najd over religious issues, but of more interest was Scotland’s declaration of war on Great Britain. Scotland was intent on unifying the Isles under their rule, and Tyrone was willing to back them.
The finances of the Empire were quickly recovering. Minister of Finance Nicolás de Alvaro had proven himself most able over the years at keeping inflation down. This left money available for the Minister of the Interior, Cibrán Rodrigo Paulo Afonso Arceo, to fund the expansion of the forts in Northern Italy, something that should better prepare Hispania for any potential conflict with their northern neighbours again.
A few of the nobles, perhaps annoyed that they had less control over lands that they had ruled in the Emperor’s name, tried to prevent the adoption of some new methods of production. Such rumours were ignored.
Alfons’s desire for reform was strong, and nothing was left untouched. Changes in both the army and navy were encouraged, especially the latter since it had never received the attention that the army had. Its performance during the civil war had proven its worth.
Ming was just falling apart. Kara Del managed to take some land from them, despite being an insignificant backwater in Central Asia.
Preparations had been made for war with Egypt. While many had spoken up against it when war with Austria was still a reality, there seemed no reason not to pursue it now. Three armies were moved into place and war declared. Egypt’s ally Zazzau abandoned them, leaving them alone to fight off the invasion. They seemed doom for certain.
By the end of the month, Egypt’s miniscule army had been eradicated. The men laid down their weapons rather than get slaughtered by Hispania.
The Catholic Church was irreparably shaken by the events of June. Pope Innocentius’s decision to join the war against Munster had proven ill thought out. Munster had no love for the Frankfurt Pope. When its armies occupied Frankfurt, the Holy See was run out of the city. Frankfurt was to be part of Germany, not the home of the Catholic Church. Innocentius fled to the last independent theocracy in Europe: Mainz. There he found himself rebuffed, for the Archbishop of Mainz had no interest in relinquishing his position, even for the Pope, especially with the hostility it’d undoubtedly cause. Even more shocking, the Archbishop denounced the Frankfurt Pope, choosing to align with the Roman Pope. This was the start of a transition in the Catholic world. The fall of the Papal State had destroyed the legitimacy of the Frankfurt Pope. As for the Roman Pope, he was accepted by Catholics in some of the most powerful states in Europe, and was protected by Hispania. Catholic even in Poland and Lithuania started to see the Roman Pope in a new light. Within a few months, the entire Catholic world had accepted the Roman Pope as the sole pontiff. The schism was at an end.
Upon hearing the news, the Roman Pope was said to be so overjoyed that he promptly died of a heart attack. The College of Cardinals was immediately convened to appoint a successor. Despite the influx of cardinals from parts of Europe that had followed the Frankfurt Pope, Hispania’s influence was still strong. It seemed logical then that a Hispanian cardinal would be chosen, and why not one who had been most influential in Hispania. Thus Cardinal Sancho Velazquez found himself chosen as the next pope. ((
@hirahammad you get to be pope now. You may choose whatever name you want, and the benefit of not being part of the Papal State anymore is the game can’t kill you off.
))
The Egyptian war proceeded with ease. Cairo fell in less than a month, allowing Captain General Gilbert de Saint-Pierre to spread his forces out through Egypt. Two months later, the new Egyptian capital of Fezzan fell, with the last fort of Ouargla a month later. It seemed only a matter of time before Egypt would no longer be a problem.
In Greece, a Hispanian army assisted in retaking Morea, while the Greek armies were trying to retake Tarnovo.
The next focus for reforms were the colonies. Alfons IX called for greater freedom for the colonies in trade, removing restrictions on which ports they may trade with and with whom. Efforts were to be made to restructure the administration to ensure efficiency and boost the colonial economies. While in theory this would greatly aid the colonies, the way it was carried out proved very intrusive. Empress Dowager Sophia, as Minister of Colonial Affairs, took over control of the reforms and made sure they were carried out the way Hispania wanted. The colonies did see noticeable improvement for their economies, but certainly did not appreciate the intrusion of Hispanian officials meddling in their affairs.
As for Egypt, they had little resistance left. The remnants of the once belligerent Islamic power were annexed into the Hispanian Empire. North Africa would have no master but Hispania.
Scotland signed a peace with Great Britain, reducing their enemy to a mere nub state. Most of England and all of Wales now belonged to Scotland. Much to the annoyance of Tyrone, Scotland took England’s Irish lands. Perhaps a conflict between allies was now inevitable.
The colonization of West Africa continued, with Colonist Joaquin Villanova sent to Bonny.
With Egypt having fallen, the Exercit Jerusalem under Saint-Pierre aided the Greeks by reclaiming Trebizond. When Tarnovo finally was reclaimed in July of 1757, Byzantium was at last at peace. Basileus Demetrios IV personally travelled to Valencia to express his thanks to the Hispanian court. Most shocking of all, when he arrived he knelt before Emperor Alfons IX and pledged his allegiance. The status of Hispania and Byzantium’s relationship had always been murky. It had generally been accepted that Byzantium was the lesser partner, but no one openly spoke of them as a vassal. Now there could be no doubts. Byzantium took its orders from Hispania, and not the other way around.
The encouragement of reforms and the changes to the government had sparked a wave of innovative thought. People were encouraged to share their ideas to improve the Empire.
It seemed that Demetrios’s time on the Greek throne was limited. Despite surviving the Greek Civil War, his health had failed from the stress caused by it. By early 1758, he was bed-ridden, and in March he passed away. His son, now Romanos V Palaiologos, became the new Basileus, with his son Alexandros as heir.
Rumours started to circulate that Emperor Alfons’s great-grandmother was actually the daughter of a farmer from outside Valencia, through his mother’s line. When questioned about it, Alfons stated that there was no truth to it. His great-grandmother had actually been the daughter of a farmer outside Athens, not Valencia. Of course there was much dispute later on about what the Emperor considered a farmer, for it seemed he believed that managing the affairs of an agricultural estate counted one as a farmer. By the time it was further explained, the rumour had spread far and wide.
Ming next fell victim to Manchu, who started encroaching from the north.
Despite the death of Demetrios IV, Romanos proved just as compliant. The Voivode of Wallachia was also unlikely to be a problem. For the first time in awhile, Hispania’s subjects were behaving and remaining loyal to the Emperor.
Things were not entirely rosy in the capital. The Empress, the Wallachian Mirela Kosovic, had experienced a difficult pregnancy in 1756, resulting in a miscarriage. Her second pregnancy proved just as difficult. Complications arose during the birth, and neither the mother nor the child survived. Alfons was left without a wife or heir and went into grieving for the next few months.
The desire for tea was meeting with difficulty in supplying the demand, with more and more imports from other countries being needed. To fight this unfavourable trade deficit, the Crown encouraged the consumption of coffee, a more easily accessible trade good.
The German conflict finally came to an end with a clear winner. Munster reigned supreme and forcefully integrated Saxony. There would be only one Germany. The name was officially changed and what was once Munster withdrew from the HRE. Thus Germany was born. As for Austria, they got their wish. With the all the Protestant electors now part of Germany and no longer part of the HRE, Austria used its influence over the last elector of Alsace to secure their position. Thus Austria seized the imperial crown. They then proceeded to hand out the title of elector to the remaining members, including themselves, although Bavaria was noticeably ignored. With only five members, the HRE was a mere shadow of its former self.
It did not take long for this new Germany to make some big moves. An alliance was signed with France, taking advantage of the rift with Austria. As for Austria, that alliance of convenience came to an end. Austria felt it deserved Bohemia, Saxony proper, and Mainz for its participation in the war. Germany refused to part with a single province, even the isolated Bohemian province it could not reach. Germany announced that Austria was and would remain a rival of the German people, despite their assistance in German unification. In indignation, the Archduke of Austria broke the alliance. Germany had no more need for Austria.
Some merchants in Shiuhing requested aid against pirates. Not only were funds sent to them to build defences, but the Armada Colonial set sail for Canton to rid the region of pirates.
Kara Del’s victory against Ming proved short lived as Manchu annexed them.
As the troublesome 1750s came to an end, Hispania could look forward with hope. New innovations were being brought forth all the time. A new plow was created that was much lighter and easier to use. Joint stock companies started popping up as a way to accumulate capital with less risk to shareholders. A new design of cuirass for cavalry provided a better balance between protection and mobility, something key for cavalry. The army had returned to a state of glory, and it rode into battle with confidence.
In Germany, the young king came of age and was proclaimed King Johann IV von Sponheim of Germany. One of his first acts on the throne was to choose a Chancellor to serve him. He chose a man who had been helping him since the unification effort began, a key figure during the regency. He went by a German name, but he was all too familiar to Hispania. The Phoenix had risen from the ashes.
Presenting His Imperial Highness, Alfons IX de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, and Protector of the Greeks.
It is difficult to believe that only half a decade ago Hispania was engaged in a brutal civil war. Prosperity has returned and we have returned to our state of prominence on the world stage. Relations with the colonies and Byzantium are at an all-time high, and Wallachia has welcomed our protection. I pray that such times may continue and that we may reform this Empire into something even greater.
While I welcomed a reunion with Austria, they have made this most trying for us. They refuse to reconcile with France, and thus the Quadruple Entente lies dead in the water. An unfortunate occurrence. I wish nothing more than for relations to return to normal once more.
The creation of this new German state was certainly unexpected. It would seem that the Phoenixes’ attempts to meddle in the region has sparked some rapid changes. This Germany seems friendly enough, especially since they are on good terms with our ally France, but we should keep a close eye on them. Their alliance of convenience with Austria could be a symbol of how they will handle future affairs.
((You can thank
@alscon for the appearance of Germany, although I was thinking of going ahead with something similar before he suggested it. Either way, Germany will never be the same.
The reforms will have some impact on the voting process. The landed nobles are now off in their own house, so their votes must be counted separately. Also, landed nobles have to declare they have joined the Cortz and gave up their feudal rights to get that vote.
Now on to business. Minister have until
Monday at 12PM PST to post their plans. Players may also propose laws or reforms in that time period. Also, we’re reaching the time where we can finally remove some of the policies we enacted during the civil war, so we might want to consider revoking some to get our military points back up.
Pensioners:
@jacobweller))