Revolutions in Europe 1806
On the 7th of February 1806, US President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison met with representatives of the Spanish crown to sign the Treaty of Washington D.C, a document which would throw a nation into turmoil and civil war. As the Spanish delegation added its signatures to the treaty, its leader, Count Jose Silvonio, famously uttered the words 'And thus, I have killed my King.' in a grim foreboding of the treaties effect back home. The next day, the Count was found dead beneath a tree in Stanton park, having shot himself in despair and grief.
1. Loyalist forces fighting with rioters in Madrid.
Tensions in Spain were already high. With rebellions in the colonies, the alienation of the nobles from the King, the disaster of Trafalgar and the removal of almost all garrison forces, many groups saw the opportunity to strike, but all were waiting for the right moment. It came on the 21st of February, when news of the treaties signing and its content reached Madrid. Enraged at the signing away of a huge amount of Spanish land, including some of the most profitable and stable parts of the Empire, huge mobs took to the streets of Madrid and other large cities, looting and engaging in scuffles with those soldiers and policemen who had stayed loyal to the crown.
With any semblance of order and stability that remained now shredded, various groups made efforts to rally the people to them and bring about change. The Catalonians and Basques, never fully integrated into Spanish culture, rose up and seized control of their homelands, declaring independence from Spain. Meanwhile in Madrid, leftist groups quickly bent a large part of the mob to their will and started to lay siege to the royal palace at El Escorial, with the Guard Regiments firing volleys and mounting charges to disperse the crowds, some of which had now armed. Not content to simply seize the capital, these groups also rallied the mobs in other cities, and established a strong position for themselves, particularly along the East coast. Desertion among the army and navy was rife, with the left gaining huge support from the average soldier and sailor.
2. Crown Prince Ferdinand, leader of the Fernandists.
The left was not the only threat however, and the threat from the right originated inside the royal palace itself. Backed by many prominent nobles and high ranking army officers who favoured a pro-British and anti-French policy, the Crown Prince Ferdinand led several guardsmen to capture his father and force his abdication. While most of the guard stayed loyal, too many were occupied holding off the mobs to defend their King, and the Crown Prince quickly seized him, although the King stubbornly refused to abdicate. The situation seemed bleak, until several thousand men, loyalist remnants of the Northern column bolstered by militias came to the relief of the Palace, breaking the mobs and rescuing the King from his son, who fled to the North, where he joined many powerful nobles too form the Ferndandists, who favoured a maintenance of the ancien regime, coupled with a change in foreign policy.
3. Map of the Spanish Civil War, 15th May 1806.
Loyalists - Dark Yellow
Fernandists - White
Constitucionalistas - Light Yellow
Republicanos - Light Orange
Catalans - Orange
Basques - Green
Galicians - Light Blue.
With El Escorial secured, the King rallied more militiamen to his cause, and set about restoring order to parts of central Spain, meeting some success in this endeavour. Further good news came from Cadiz, where loyalist sailors and officers had maintained control of the town and surrounding area for the King. Furthermore, the leftists, always fractured between radical and moderate wings, had fully split into 2 separate factions, the Constitucionalistas, who favoured a Constitutional Monarchy with significant power for the people and nobles, and the Republicanos, who favoured a complete overthrow of the monarchy, and the implementation of a Republic in the style of the French Revolution. Still, with a full blown civil war now underway, the situation was bleak for King Charles IV, and on the 5th of April, worse news was heard when the people of Galicia joined the Catalans and Basques in declaring their independence. [-110,000 Regulars from Spain, -2 Stability from Spain, +25,000 Conscripts to Spain, -4 Large Ships from Spain, -14 Small Ships from Spain, Spain engulfed in anarchy and civil war]
Spain was not the only European nation in trouble however. In Austria, the Hungarians were also stirring against their masters, emboldened as they were by a lack of troops and Austrian military defeat, the Revolutions in Spain, coupled with promises and funding from the French and Bavarians, proved to be the spark which set off the powder keg. Despite of the best efforts from the Austrian Government to stabilise the situation through propaganda, the Hungarians mood had improved little since the previous year, and although the deployment of 17,000 soldiers to Hungary strengthened the police, many of these soldiers were Hungarians themselves, and sympathised with or even supported the idea of an independent Hungary.
4. Drawing of revolutionaries in Budapest.
In the early hours of the 7th of April, the revolutionaries made their final preparations and prepared to make their move against the Austrians. Many local policemen, officials and soldiers had been bribed or convinced to aid the revolutionaries, and throughout the Winter and early Spring the Hungarians had spread their forces throughout the country, so that when the moment came to strike, they could quickly seize control from the Austrians. At 6:30 in the morning, a servant opened a side entrance to Buda Castle, allowing in a group of revolutionaries, who quickly worked their way through the castle, overpowering the guards before they could raise the alarm and capturing the Austrian officials. Similar attacks were carried out at the Post Office and the various barracks in the city, and other rebel groups seized key bridges and other buildings. In some places, Austrian troops held out, barricading themselves into buildings and beating back Hungarian attacks until they were finally overrun, in others, they simply fled.
5. Map of the Hungarian General Uprising. Darker Red is land controlled, Light Red is land claimed.
By late evening, Budapest was under the full control of the revolutionaries, and Béla Szily, a nobleman gave a speech to a large crowd of Hungarians, proclaiming the restoration of the Kingdom of St Stephen and calling for a general uprising by the Hungarian people. Met by massive applause, he declared that he would take the office of Prime Minister and, until a suitable Monarch could be found, also that of Regent. This declaration sparked huge amounts of dissent in the Austrian Army, with many Hungarian officers and soldiers abandoning their posts to return home and fight for their nation. Many normal citizens also took up the rebel cause, forming militia regiments and preparing to defend their homeland and new independence. The news was treated with shock in Vienna, and whilst the removal of the Hungarians did also remove a large chunk of the dissatisfied population, there were fears that this example, if not swiftly crushed, would lead to more revolts by the Poles, Italians or Slavs, and many were beginning to question the wisdom of the Austrian leadership. [-92,500 Regulars from Austria, -275 Base Income from Austria, -10 Trade Balance from Austria, -10 Trade Balance from Prussia, Kingdom of Hungary declared, Kingdom of Hungary looking for suitable Monarch, -1 Stability from Austria, Potential further revolts if General Uprising successful]