1823-1824 - Escalation
At the start of 1823, the matter of Italy was brought to the forefront yet again. Parliament debated over the proper response to Northern Italy's call for greater autonomy. Prime Minister Joan de Trastámara's hold on government proved strong enough to push through his own personal agenda, one that saw greater centralization instead. While not exactly what the Italians wanted, the government dove right in and implemented new policies immediately. The number of Italians in the civil service increased, and to show his personal favour for the idea, the Prime Minister appointed one or two prominent Italians to Cabinet, although they were notably Imperialist. Having been denied their demands for so long, yet finally getting a response of any kind, the Italians accepted the changes with silence, waiting to see if the benefits would be worth going along with the government's plan.
For the matter of the Suez Canal, Parliament was committed to seeing it repaired as soon as possible. Trade was the lifeblood of the Empire, and the Suez Canal was the vital artery leading to Asia. Without it in operation, ships had to travel all the way around Africa, a costly delay. With conditions in Indonesia spiralling downward, the shorter route was needed. Money was poured into fixing the damage. The wreckage was dragged from the canal and the Exercit Jerusalem was recruited to held fix up the ruined embankments. The efforts would take some time to see fruition, but the Suez Canal would be repaired quicker due to the intense focus.
Even as repair efforts began on the Suez Canal, that did not mean that attempts to find those responsible were ignored. Men were sent out to scour the nearby area to find any signs of evidence or someone involved in the attacks. The going was slow, but it was hoped that eventually something would turn up incriminating someone.
While finding the culprits could wait if necessary, Indonesia could not be ignored. The growth in independence movements, constant food shortages, and occasional riot were creating a hostile environment. The government sent even more relief, knowing that keeping the people from starving was key to restoring order and stifling these movements before they could grow further. In the meantime, the government felt it wise to send in some troops to maintain order. The Exercit Colonial was sent out from its usual spot in India to patrol the islands of Indonesia. To prevent the image of martial law portrayed by the sudden increase in military presence, the soldiers were put to work helping with rebuilding efforts. There were a few skirmishes as independence movements made a move or two, but the soldiers managed to keep things from escalating or encouraging the populace. When more aid finally arrived, hostility dampened dramatically, the people grateful that Hispania was looking out for them. A potential rebellion had just barely been avoided, and now Indonesia could begin to recover.
As things calmed down at home, the French succession pulled the largest powers of Europe into a bitter struggle. Parliament favoured backing France, Hispania's traditional ally. While this would mean an end to the alliance with Scandinavia, and war with both them and Germany, at least it would prevent a union between France and either power. The biggest argument for siding with France was to prevent any other nation from claiming the might of France. Such a union would greatly upset the balance of power. The royal family agreed this was the best path, and even Jeanne seemed inclined to favour her relative on the French throne rather than herself. Despite the heir to the French throne being a bastard, he was the safest choice.
In France, things were to shift greatly. The sudden declaration by both the King of Germany and the King of Scandinavia drove home the threat against France. Those nobles who had been struggling to use the succession crisis to seize power now had to face the possibility that their schemes would have to be set aside. Further squabbling when faced with not one but two foreign invasions was not a wise decision. Unity was needed more than ever. The fact that Hispania had just announced its support for Charles galvanized this further. Trying to take the throne from Charles while Europe's most powerful nation was backing him, especially when that same nation would help protect France from its impending invaders, could only doom France in the end. The nobles thus put aside their differences for the time being and supported Charles's claim to the throne. With a French Pope in Rome, it was a relatively easy process of getting Charles legitimized, partially removing the bastard stigma. Now France was ready to fight off those who threatened its throne. The nobles would unite behind their legitimized bastard of a emperor, but they could always fight over who would be regent when things settled down.
The armies of the most powerful nations in Europe rolled into motion. France's forces were disorganized, the chaos of succession leaving them in a state of disorder. They rallied to the German border, where the Germans were already launching a lightning-fast campaign. The Hispanian armies in Iberia marched north through France to reinforce, determined to prevent the Germans from reaching Paris. The Germans, fortunately, could not dedicate their full might to the French front. Another part of their army was testing Bavaria's borders. Bavaria's army was quite formidable and holding off the attempted invasion for now, waiting for reinforcements from Hispania. A couple of the armies stationed in Italy made their way north. With the might of France, Hispania, and Bavaria banded together, the border could be held against Germany and eventually push back into enemy territory.
Scandinavia had another strategy in mind. Lacking a border with France, their ability to strike at the French heartland was limited. Instead they were content to let Germany do their dirty work while they whittled down their enemies from the fringe. Raids on French ships were conducted in the North Sea, and an army landed in France's territory in the British Isles. They were smart enough to avoid the chaos on the continent for now. Instead they used Germany's push into France to their own advantage, attacking the Germans from behind. Scandinavia seized Germany's northern coastline before the Germans could retaliate. The invasion though was not a quick one, and it seemed Scandinavia was not inclined to push much further. It benefited them more to see Germany throw its armies against France and Hispania first, leaving a much weaker enemy for them to take on later.
It seemed that Hispania was destined to experience more strife, for every time something went wrong and they tried to fix it, another problem popped up elsewhere. This time there was growing tension in the colonies. The Colonial Congress was in an uproar over what had started out as a simple border dispute. Both Nova Hispania and Nueva Granada had laid claim to a town on their border. No one could decide whose village it was, for both sides had records and maps showing it lay within their territory. Soon the matter escalated as both colonial nations started laying claim to multiple towns and villages on the border. Both insisted that all of Nicaragua belonged to them and the other had taken land from them. Their fellow colonial nations attempted to mediate the disagreement, but neither seem inclined to agree to a settlement, at least for the moment.
Before the Colonial Congress could fully debate the matter and attempt to reach a settlement, the first border skirmish occurred. A regiment of Nueva Granada men marched on a border town and seized it. Their government claimed that Nova Hispania had squeezed taxes out of the people in the town despite it clearly being in Nueva Granada's territory. Nova Hispania refuted this claim, stating that the town had always belonged to them and the people there had been paying taxes to them for decades. Both nations had documents stating the town was theirs, so neither side could be fully supported. Spurred on by this blatant aggression, Nova Hispania launched a raid on a coastal town in Nueva Granada. Unlike the previous clash, it was dubious that this town was in their territory, and the fact they merely looted the town and left substantiated that claim. Nueva Granada followed suit and raided a town in the Yucatan Peninsula, far from the disputed area, and raised its claims, stating that all of Honduras should also belong to them. Nova Hispania extended their claims to Panama in response. The two seemed ready to butt heads and the other colonial nations were doing their best to prevent a further outbreak of hostilities. The Colonial Congress sent a plea to Hispania. They needed their overlord to step in and help settle the dispute before it escalated into a full-on war. Of course, if Hispania believed one of their claims was correct, they could back one side entirely. However, with the French Succession War occupying Hispania's attention, it was fully possible that Hispania might choose to let its colonies solve the issue on their own.
Hispania's woes were not destined to end there. At the start of November in 1824, a massive earthquake occurred in the Atlantic, somewhere off the coast of Portugal and Morocco. The ground shook for hours, devastating cities in Portugal and Morocco. Lisboa was hit the hardest, due to its larger population and denser urban environment. Buildings collapsed into rubble and fires broke out across the city. The quakes themselves were so strong that they could be felt across all of Western Europe. The tremors stirred up tsunamis that struck the coast of Portugal and Morocco. Entire cities were swept away, and waves even struck parts of North Africa in the Mediterranean and islands in Nuevas Baleares. When the tremors finally stopped, the tsunamis flowed back to sea, and the fires burned out, western Iberia and Morocco had been utterly devastated. Thousands of civilians had died, and cities lay in rubble. The people called for the government to help them. Relief efforts were needed. The people would need to be cared for, for they could starve without help. The cities also needed to be rebuild, for Iberia was the cornerstone of the Hispanian economy and its revival was needed to prevent an economic collapse. Pursuing both would be a costly effort, but Hispania would recover much faster. Of course, there was a major war going on, and diverting resources could prove costly.
The Italians always had the worst timing. With the Hispanian armies off fighting for France and Iberia devastated by the earthquake, the sudden call in Parliament for independence was not very appreciated. The Northern Italians made it clear while they appreciated the government's response to their previous requests, it would never be as good as an independent Italian state not under Hispania's thumb. They petitioned the government to allow the Northern Italian states to form their own government independent of Hispania. It was suggested that Southern Italy join, but the Neapolitans shot that down immediately. They even broached the possibility of allowing Rome to remain with Hispania, although they would not say no if it was handed over to them. It was all something that needed to be considered by Parliament.
Some good news finally occurred as the investigation into the attack on the Suez Canal was finally completed. While it took over a year to conduct, the investigators had managed to track down those involved, although they proved to be out of Hispania's reach. It appeared that a hostile group of Muslim rebels had risen up in Arabia, spurred on by Hispania's capture of their two most holy cities, Mecca and Medina. Their goal was none other than to see Hispania driven from Arabia and the Muslims free from heathen rule. Attempts to raid their bases proved fruitless. They had too big a head-start and had managed to evade their pursuers. It was later discovered that they had managed to flee to Najd, where they were now hiding out. When confronted with the matter, the Sultan of Najd claimed he was not involved and wanted nothing more than to maintain friendly relations with Hispania. Despite his claims, he refused to allow the investigators to pursue the culprits into Najd. If they wanted to get at those responsible, Hispania would have to pressure Najd into allowing free passage for the investigators or go after them by force.
As the French Succession War dragged on, the rest of Europe watched with great interest. The outcome was sure to have long-lasting consequences for all of Europe. If anyone managed to force a personal union on France, that nation would have major advantage in international politics and a military unmatched by anyone. If someone was on good terms with the winner, they would have a powerful ally. However, was it worth allowing that nation to become a superpower in the process? Every nation in Europe considered that as 1824 wound to an end.
The first to take action was perhaps one of the smallest nations in Europe. Tyrone had long been a friend and ally of France. With their ally so brutally attacked, they felt no choice but to defend France from foreign invaders, despite the fact they were far too small to make much of a difference. Their neighbour was quick to pounce on that opportunity. Scotland had long despised France for claiming Southern England, preventing them from claiming the British Isles as their own. Their alliance with Tyrone had also blocked Scotland from further expansion. This massive war was an opportunity to rectify that. They shockingly announced their support for Germany, although this might not have been too much of a surprise considering that Scandinavia had been competing with Scotland for colonial gains. As for the isolated Norway, they felt it best to remain neutral, as was their way.
While Scotland saw an opportunity to use Germany to its own advantage, Poland was following a similar line of thought. Both Germany and Scandinavia had taken land from them, reducing them to a minor state in Europe. Germany's humiliating wars against Poland, merely to plunder their treasury, had embittered Poland greatly. Here was a chance for revenge. France and Hispania were formidable powers, and thus formidable allies. An independent France was also better than one under German or Scandinavian rule. Thus Poland announced its support for France and Charles's claim to the throne. To the south, Hungary viewed this as an opportunity as well. Encircled by much stronger powers, they found themselves pinned in and unable to expand. Poland had snatched land from them in the past, and here was Hungary's chance to strike back. Poland would be far too focused on Germany and Scandinavia, while Germany would keep Bavaria occupied. Transdacia was not believed to be a problem, and in fact the reclamation of Transylvania was greatly desired. There was only the matter of who to side with. While Germany was a formidable power and closer to Hungary, they were also completely surrounded and in great danger of being overwhelmed. Scandinavia, at least, could more easily hold its own, while also launching an invasion of Poland from the north. Hungary announced its support of Scandinavia, hoping that together they could bring down Poland.
Hungary's over-eagerness to attack Poland could well prove its undoing. Lithuania had watched the growing conflict with great concern. While one of the most formidable of the neutral power, they realized that a French personal union with Germany or Scandinavia could not be good in any way. Expansion into Poland by either power was also a potential problem. Then there was the fact that Scandinavia had taken so much Lithuanian land over the years. It was time to retake what was lost. Lithuania put its support behind France as a result. That left but two neutral powers left. Genoa was so isolated it cared not what happened in France. Byzantium was another matter. While relations with France had been frosty, their great respect for Hispania made them consider involvement in this war. A weakened Hispania, as well as the friendly states of Bavaria and Transdacia, was not in Byzantium's benefit. This was also a chance to mend relations with France. The sudden hostility between the two had not been of Byzantium's choosing. By backing France and Hispania, they could ingratiate themselves with the strongest powers in Europe. Of course this meant an end to the alliance with Scandinavia, but that was a sacrifice worth taking. They entered the war alongside France, and the French Succession War officially escalated to a scale never before seen on Earth.
((Had some interesting rolls for this update. Indonesia just barely avoided a revolt, one that would have been successful if it actually occurred. If we had chosen either the relief or troops instead of both, we would have lost Indonesia. Also had some surprisingly high rolls for nations joining the French Succession War. They all had a chance of remaining neutral, but every one I included rolled to join in. If you're wondering, each had a preset nation they'd side with if they didn't remain neutral, although Hungary had a chance of joining either Germany or Scandinavia. Interesting to see them all join though. That surely benefits France then.
Now for our next vote. Nothing to do for the French Succession War, which will still continue. First we have our colonial crisis between Nova Hispania and Nueva Granada. Here we can decide to mediate, side with either of the two, or let the colonies handle it themselves. We'll also need to choose a response to the earthquake. We can choose to either focus on helping the people, rebuilding, both, or ignore their plight entirely. It should be noted that if helping the people or rebuilding is chosen, assume the other also occurs but on a much smaller scale. Those two are more to decide what receives the focus, while choosing both means they are equally focused on. We must also consider the Northern Italians' demands. We can choose to either grant them independence or ignore their demands. As a second part for that vote, we must choose that if they are granted independence, whether they will be granted Rome or not. This is a good time to mention, since we're dealing with our European lands, that if any portion of the Empire where a player has their noble titles ends up not being part of Hispania, that player will lose control of that character, or at least their ability to impact any outcome of that province or nation if they stay there. As for our last vote, we need to decide what to do about the Suez Canal terrorists hiding in Najd. Either we can request Najd hand them over, go in by force, or let them get away.
Colonial Conflict:
Mediate/Side with Nova Hispania/Side with Nueva Granada/Let the colonies handle it
1.
2.
3.
4.
Earthquake Response:
Help the people/Rebuild/Both/Ignore their plight
1.
2.
3.
4.
Northern Italy:
Grant them independence/Ignore their demand
1.
2.
Rome:
Give to Northern Italy (if independent)/Keep
1.
2.
Suez Canal Terrorists:
Request Najd hand them over/Go in by force/Let them get away
1.
2.
3.
The vote will last until
Tuesday at 12PM PST. Make sure you include every option in your order of preference. You also have until the deadline to perform a stability or instability action, provided you have not done so already.))
