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It's the black sun of war and death periodically rising on the yellow sands of time, claiming the souls promised to it by men's desire and erasing the pale stars of hope, reining the skies as the sole object in sight for human eyes... Or just Shaanxi Clique's fascist flag. Fun fact: I hate yellow but it was the best flag I found... (I didn't know Athalcor when I chose it so I didn't mean to copy him).
Anyway, great chapter. Austria allying with Burgundy to form the Danubian Confederation/ Germany is something that can happen in the original Divergences ? Cool!
Great chapter by the way, there was much rejoicing. *insert Quest for the Holy Grail video for reference here*
Can't wait till he rides into Prague, Copenhagen, Antwerpen, and Paris with his Oliphants
Someday, somewhere, in some other universe...totally
.The question is: To stop them or not?
In the name of defeating Blobhemia, even the unholiest alliance may occur.
It is on the to-do list.
Well Hanover took part in the war. At least it must count for something
Chapter Five - Es lebe die Revolution
Springtime of Nations
During 1847, tensions in German states continue to escalate. While many of the countries, including Hanover, try their best to contain the collateral damage, some of them are not so lucky.
(featuring something-is-not-right wording)
In September, radical liberals in Thuringia, disgusted by the recent events during the German congress, finally decide to take the matters into their hands and are first to enter open revolt against the establishment.
Inspired by Thuringians, the people of the Principality of Braunschweig take up arms in 1848.
In the following months, the situation quickly gets out of hand. Bohemia, fearing to abandon her borders, does nothing to protect her subjects. Throughout 1848, Free Republics of Thuringia and Hesse-Kassel are declared, officially void of any outside influence, 'ruled' by provisional assemblies. Well, ruled. The period is a time of chaos and the revolutionary areas are essentially lawless. Rebels in Braunschweig, seeing the atrocities commited in the Free Republics, find common ground with the Prince of Braunschweig and the rebellion there is quelled in November, 1848.
Aside of these three principalities, the revolution, failing to achieve a major victory, slowly dies down during the beginning of 1849. But Thuringia and Hesse-Kassel (also Württemberg) have won their freedom. And that's where we step in.
Real World
To be honest, nobody should expect that he can shake away the shackles of the Old Order, sweep away reactionaries...and get away with it. Bohemia might be busy being paranoid about the direction from which it will be attacked next time but she is not the only player in the German field. You know, inside the story it is usually quite simple to tell who fights for Progress and who defends the Status Quo, who is the Rebels and who the Empire. But when the victorious revolutionaries are dancing in the street and the curtains slowly fall down...what happens next?
Officially claiming to be sending troops to pacify the rebellion there, Hanover begins to prepare diplomatic ground for an attack on Thuringia just about the time the situation at home starts to calm down. On one hand staunch progressivists instituting in the Duchy one reform after another, the National Committee of Hanover does not have many second thoughts about invading the Free Republics. Because in the Real World, there is Empire, there are the Rebels...together with many others.
Even though most of the world understand that the peace-keeping mission is more of a straightforward occupation than anything else, nobody actually cares for affairs of tiny German statelets. Except maybe for Bohemia...but what can she do when everything Hanover does is pursued in the name of the Emperor in Prague?
In September of 1849, the new Heer crosses the border from Braunschweig to Thuringia, immediately moving to assault the republican capital and the revolutionary assembly panics. Fearing the advance of the monarchists, they hastily mobilise a homeland defense army and recall the royalist general Freiherr von Zieten from forced retirement to lead it. Since Zieten's patriotism outweighs his abhorrence of republicanism, he agrees and prepares for defense of Weimar.
The skirmish is a total debacle. It only takes one cavalry charge and the majority of conscripts flee from the field. Von Zieten together with some of his veteran soldiers escapes to Gotha to regroup and raise reinforcements and Holstein-Gottorp moves into the city and seizes the revolutionary assembly. The days of the short-lived Weimar Republic are numbered.
The Prince of Braunschweig, willing to aid family members in crushing those who threatened his own rule enters the war in November. Sadly, Lippe was included in the sphere of Burgundy and so the last war between Bohemia and Burgundy destroyed the Triangle of Power. It might be the actual goal of the war, though. Nevertheless, the remaining Axis of Power Hanover-Braunschweig stands still.
Braunschweig's entry into the war crushes any remaining Zieten's hopes to reestablish a battle-worthy army.
Since things are going so well...why stop? Revolution does not know borders - and neither does Counterrevolution.
The rest of the 'peace-keeping mission' is a cakewalk. Leaders of the revolution are jailed and to stand trial in Prague before the Imperial Court of Law. Good luck!
(I have this kind of clock at home. Visitors are not impressed)
Oh, wait - what's the time?
(I got zero infamy for this CB. Not bad, not bad at all)
Time to peace-keep Hesse-Kassel, I would say. Braunschweig stands firm with us again.
Son of Graf Spee turned-revolutionary Adelbert von Spee leads the Free Army of Hesse-Kassel into the battle of Kassel against the Heer and Holstein-Gottorp. Despite being outnumbered 3:1, the revolutionaries here put up a good fight, long just enough for the rebel leaders to flee the city of Kassel. But the days of this republic are coming to a sorrowful end as well...
The diplomatic situation of Europe in 1851. Note that both Bavaria and Austria are considered Great Powers, probably due to the lack of better adepts. This obviously leads to a total collapse of Bohemian influence in- Wait. Could you zoom in? The upper left corner?
Oh well.
I guess beating up minor nations qualified us into the Big Boys Club.
Great Power status will significantly increase your power, but it also puts you at the risk of a conflict with Bohemia, so you will have to try to stay close to them, even though you are no longer in their sphere.
Now it's time to play the influence game to take Bremen. (aka rise your influence until you are banished by Bohemia)
Also that was a Revolution in Thuringia
Also that was a Revolution in Thuringia
Being a GP is actually not a requirement - I need to take control of Bremen and Braunschweig so being able to gain influence there helps.
Yeah, but I am going to try to appease Bohemia - and she does not have many friends so I doubt she will turn against me, fearing the opening of another front somewhere else.
Yeah, the Game of Spheres is like super-tedious and especially omnipresent in Germany. I did not take the screenshots but in the following years it is going to be build influence-get banned-repeat in another country all the time. The inability to actually do anything, squeezed among titans is extremely frustrating.
Also, don't forget Braunschweig, I need that, too.
Also that was a Revolution in Thuringia
It surely was
.
For having played with Bavaria once I understand what you face with little Hanover
There is a way to min-max your influence to get the biggest sphere in the shortest amount of time. I think it goes something like this:
1. Scope out goal
2. Influence goal
3. Notice goal's sphere master has noticed you and is pumping their own influence into their sphereling
4. Wait until they reach 25 influence
5. Get discredited. If they do not discredit you in 2-3 business days, stop influencing, wait two days, start influencing. This will discredit you.
6. Wait until discredit wears off. Start pumping points in goal again the day after it does.
7. Repeat until done.
1. Scope out goal
2. Influence goal
3. Notice goal's sphere master has noticed you and is pumping their own influence into their sphereling
4. Wait until they reach 25 influence
5. Get discredited. If they do not discredit you in 2-3 business days, stop influencing, wait two days, start influencing. This will discredit you.
6. Wait until discredit wears off. Start pumping points in goal again the day after it does.
7. Repeat until done.
If I remember that correctly, you can optimize that strategy further by extending this to two countries in the spheremaster's sphere - give your primary 3 bars of influence and the secondary 1 bar until you get discredited in the first, then swap until you're no longer discredited; rinse and repeat. What makes this work, at least sometimes, is that the AI sometimes tries to match your influence gain, at least when you set your influence efforts to low priority.
For having played with Bavaria once I understand what you face with little Hanover
Yeah, it is the same for every minor nation.
At least we are clear in terms of ideology.
That's the spirit
.Interesting, I might try that - thanks for the advice. I remember, though, that back in the day (I believe it is fixed in the current versions) there was a scumy way to gain influence: influence the said nation for a day or two, stop, repeat. This way the sphere owner would not react to your influencing at all.
This chapter is a bit short...I have done it mostly to remind myself of this AAR and to keep it alive. It turns out that after writing stuff the whole day, it is not really refreshing to do more writing .
.
Chapter Six - African Intermezzo
Our new status has immediate results. We will try to retain exceptional relations with Prague, though. Not that we were afraid. It is just the thing called 'good neighborhood relations'.
(Hanoverian foreign policy, 1851 edition)
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In October our devastating victory in Hesse-Kassel awards Hanover with a name placed on the map. The positioning might be a little bit fuzzy, but hey - it is a start!
(we are slowly converging towards actual democratic poll results)
The fact that Hanover won both her...peacekeeping missions, got a name on the map and actually rose in ranks, becoming an actual paper-tiger-tier great power in the process, helped to cement the National Liberal Committee's position in power.
(threat level: Hanover)
Also, our newly acquired territories and their German population allow us (thanks a lot, House Rules!) to do this:
And this:
Also this:
Eventually leading to this:
(I forgot to took a picture after seizing the province of Kumbana from Kuba)
Notice the cartographic skills present in the map. All of this may or may not be done just to break from the tiring routine of the Game of Spheres.
But to be honest, we are actually making advances - mostly due to Bohemia probably having too much on her plate once more.
"Mooom, Bohemia and Scandinavia are fighting!" "Oh, not again!"
(While the first and second war over Pommerania actually drew global interest, it is hard to fake concern for the third time in the row)
Well, let's see how will Prague fare without the power of the Duchy of Hanover on her side.
Welp...here you go:
List of Hanoverian Monarchs: (Includes Princes of Calenburg, Brackets indicate Dukes of Brunswick-Lunenburg)
Wilhelm I “the Victorious”: 1432-1473 (House of Welf) [Wilhelm III]
Wilhelm II “the Younger”: 1473-1491 (House of Welf) [Wilhelm IV]
Friedrich I “the Restless”: 1482-1484 (House of Welf) [Friedrich III]
Heinrich I “the Elder/the Evil”: 1491-1494 (House of Welf) [Heinrich IV]
Erich I “the Elder”: 1494-1540 (House of Calenburg)
Erich II: 1540-1584 (House of Calenburg)
Julius: 1584-1589 (House of Grubenhagen)
Heinrich II Julius: 1589-1613 (House of Grubenhagen)
Friedrich II Julius: 1613-1636 (House of Grubenhagen) (Duke of Hannover from 1621)
Georg I: 1636-1641 (House of Hannover)
Christian I Ludwig: 1641-1648 (House of Hannover)
Georg II Wilhelm: 1648-1705 (House of Hannover)
Johann I Friedrich: 1705-1719 (House of Hannover)
Ernst August: 1719-1738 (House of Hannover)
Friedrich III August: 1738-1767 (House of Hannover)
Christian II Heinrich: 1767-1799 (House of Hannover)
Johann II Georg: 1799- (House of Hannover)
List of Hanoverian Monarchs: (Includes Princes of Calenburg, Brackets indicate Dukes of Brunswick-Lunenburg)
Wilhelm I “the Victorious”: 1432-1473 (House of Welf) [Wilhelm III]
Wilhelm II “the Younger”: 1473-1491 (House of Welf) [Wilhelm IV]
Friedrich I “the Restless”: 1482-1484 (House of Welf) [Friedrich III]
Heinrich I “the Elder/the Evil”: 1491-1494 (House of Welf) [Heinrich IV]
Erich I “the Elder”: 1494-1540 (House of Calenburg)
Erich II: 1540-1584 (House of Calenburg)
Julius: 1584-1589 (House of Grubenhagen)
Heinrich II Julius: 1589-1613 (House of Grubenhagen)
Friedrich II Julius: 1613-1636 (House of Grubenhagen) (Duke of Hannover from 1621)
Georg I: 1636-1641 (House of Hannover)
Christian I Ludwig: 1641-1648 (House of Hannover)
Georg II Wilhelm: 1648-1705 (House of Hannover)
Johann I Friedrich: 1705-1719 (House of Hannover)
Ernst August: 1719-1738 (House of Hannover)
Friedrich III August: 1738-1767 (House of Hannover)
Christian II Heinrich: 1767-1799 (House of Hannover)
Johann II Georg: 1799- (House of Hannover)
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