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Opening post: Lore, Discord and more

Tom D.

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Oct 4, 2015
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When Napoleon stood defeated at Waterloo in 1815, a new age dawned for Prussia. In the Congress of Vienna, the Kingdom was awarded territories in the Rhineland to compensate its losses during the Napoleonic Wars. These new territories would provide the Kingdom with new riches, but it would also be the start of difficult times for King Frederick William III.

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In the aftermath of Napoleon’s defeat, King Frederick William III formed the Holy Alliance with the Emperor of Austria and the Tsar of Russia to ensure peace and stability on the European continent. This included countering any liberal movements that sought to undermine the authority of the absolute monarchy.

In Prussia itself, the reform movements came to a halt in 1819. When the Russian envoy, August von Kotzebue, was killed by a radical student, the governments of the German Confederation responded with the Carlsbad Decrees. The Decrees imposed reactionary restrictions, including banning nationalist fraternities ("Burschenschaften"), removing liberal university professors and expanding the censorship of the press. Following the Decrees, notable reformers such as von Humboldt and von Beyme were sacked as ministers and replaced by more conservative figures.

While the reactionary movement might have silenced the reformers in public, many liberals still held secret meetings to discuss their opinions on the matters of state. This tradition fostered a culture of debate and criticism, which was deeply rooted in Prussia and went back to philosophers such as Immanuel Kant. A plot soon began to form in Prussia’s highest ranks…

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Gatherings in salons would foster a culture of critical thinking among the middle classes in Prussia.​

At the same time, economic malaise was forcing more and more lower nobles to sell their estates to the middle class, who were not represented in government affairs. This created a situation where more and more people started demanding reform to have their voices heard.

When revolution broke out in France in 1830, it soon spread across Europe. In July, the Bourbon King of France, Charles X, was ousted and replace by Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans. In August, unrest spread to the neighbouring United Kingdom of the Netherlands, where Belgian nationalists rose up against the Dutch monarchy. In September, unrest spread across the border into Prussian Rhineland when peasants in Aachen rose up against their rulers. Other cities in the region soon followed when King Frederick William III sent an army to deal with the unrest.

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Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Gustaf Wappers (1834)​

While the Belgian nationalists dealt a devastating blow to the Dutch armies in Brussels, the Prussian King had his hands full with dealing with the Rhineland insurrection. Things only got worse, however, as a mutiny broke out by the end of September of 1830. Soldiers who were ordered to fire upon the unruly peasants in Aachen simply laid down their arms and joined their fellow Germans in their call for reform.

The situation only worsened in October when a rebellion broke out in Russian Poland, threatening to spill over into Prussia as well. The King was now torn between reinforcing the Rhineland or preventing the Polish from rising up in Eastern Prussia. And so the King did what most Kings would do in that situation, he tasked his Cabinet with finding a solution. However, political infighting soon ensued and the Cabinet was quickly torn between those who wanted to increase measures against the Polish and those who wanted to reinforce the Rhineland. Left with an indecisive Cabinet, the King took matters into his own hands and pulled back troops from the Rhineland to reinforce the border with Russian Poland.

By December, the situation in Belgium had escalated to such an extent that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland intervened. An international conference was called together in London to decide the fate of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Dutch King, hoping to gain support from Prussia and Russia for his cause, only met reluctance. Both the Russian Tsar and the Prussian King had their hands full with internal rebellions and could not send military support to the Dutch, the Holy Alliance had crumbled. As a result, Belgian independence was recognized and the Republic of Belgium was established.

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The Polish Revolution would occupy the Russians for several years.​

The success of the government in Brussels caused the revolutionaries in the Rhineland to increase their efforts and further escalated the situation. In the meantime, liberal forces in Berlin increased their pressure on King Frederick William III. As Berlin was increasingly losing control of the rich industrial Rhineland, many within the middle class started to wonder whether or not the government was capable of handling the situation. In January of 1831, this culminated in the Berlin Declaration.

The Berlin Declaration of 1831 was an anonymous document released as a pamphlet in the government quarters of Berlin. It sparked outrage among conservatives because it called for the creation of a Constitution. People did not forget the promise Frederick William made during the Napoleonic wars to step away from absolutism and turn Prussia into a constitutional monarchy. The Berlin Declaration directly led to the spread of the revolution to the heart of Prussia, as liberal agitators organized themselves and started gathering in one of Berlin’s theatres to form a parliament.

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The Berliner Parliament of 1831 was a short lived parliament formed by liberal agitators with the intent of establishing a Constitution for Prussia.​

By now, the situation had become increasingly unstable in Berlin and Crown Prince Frederick William was sent onto the streets to calm down the Berlin citizenry. A road accident in which the Crown Prince was killed occurred however, causing the King to suffer from a heart attack on the 20th of January. Although the King recovered, his weakened state allowed the liberal movement to complete their plot. On the 25th of January, a retired Wilhelm von Humboldt returned to politics and approached the King with a proposal. As a prominent reformist, he held considerable power within the liberal movement. Humboldt managed to convince the King that action had to be taken in regards to the Berlin Parliament. While the Parliamentarians were drafting a radical Constitution, the King would need to appoint his own committee to draft a less radical Constitution if he wanted to remain relevant.

And thus an ailing King agreed with von Humboldt’s proposal. A committee, comprising of both conservatives and liberals was formed to draft a Constitution for Prussia. After several weeks, their work was done and a Constitution was adopted. Known as the 1831 Prussian Constitution, the document transformed Prussia from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional parliamentary monarchy. The Berlin Parliament dissolved soon after as a result of internal divisions between moderates who adopted the 1831 Constitution and radicals who opposed it. In March of that year, the first elections were held following the system of census suffrage; only those who paid a certain amount of taxes were allowed to vote.

The adoption of the 1831 Constitution ended the rebellion in the Rhineland and in the capital, but much of the underlying unrest remained unresolved. Peasants felt betrayed by the middle class, who stole their revolution. The nobility saw their influence reduced as a unicameral Landtag was established. And the army staff was begging for reform.

The first elected Prussian government was headed by von Humboldt and several other moderate liberals. After enacting several economic reforms, such as the foundation of the Deutsches Zollverein in 1834, Prussia began to prosper again, alleviating some of the economic troubles of the past few years.

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Wilhelm von Humboldt, first Minister-President of Prussia (1831-1835).​

However, on the 8th of April 1835, von Humboldt passed away, once again sending Prussia into a state of turmoil.

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Alongside the publication of the official Prussian state newspaper, elections have been called and a new government will have to lead the country back on track. At the moment, there are four major factions in the Landtag:
  1. The Radicals: radical liberals who think the 1831 Constitution didn’t go far enough

  2. The Liberals: moderate liberals who accept the 1831 Constitution and only propose gradual reform going forward

  3. The Conservatives: moderate conservatives who accept the idea of a Constitution but who wish to revise the current one to give the nobility some of their old influence back

  4. The Reactionaries: reactionary conservatives who reject the idea of a Constitution and who wish to return to the days of the absolute monarchy
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Political scene of Europe in 1836​
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Welcome to the March of the Eagle: an interactive Victoria 2 Prussia AAR where the people of the forums get to participate in the running of 19th century Prussia as it sets out in its search for glory and a permanent place in Europe’s history. Your vote will decide the patch Prussia takes in this century of progress, prosperity, social changes and… revolutions.

If you want to make a character and join the IAAR you can by joining the Victoria 2 Prussia iAAR discord here. Please keep in character discussion solely to discord, in order to reduce clutter on the forums.

If you just want to spectate on the forum, you can comment on posts that will be made and you can vote in the elections for the Landtag.

Characters have 1 primary role and 1 secondary role. There are 2 primary roles and 3 secondary roles a person can pick from. These are:

Primary role:

Noble: Players who choose to play as nobles will have a higher standing with the King and will have the ability to ask him for favors using the favor system

Commoner: Players who choose to play as commoners will have benefits during elections and will give a 0.5% boost to the faction they are part of.

Secondary role:

Capitalist: Players who play as capitalists will be able to invest in factories and infrastructure, contributing to the wealth of Prussia.

Military Officer: Military Officers lead armies into battle and defend the homeland against foreign and domestic threats.

Bureaucrat/Clergyman: Players who play as bureaucrats or clergymen will be the only ones who can write bills about technologies in-game and will thus be highly needed to improve Prussia’s scientific knowledge. If no one proposes technologies, the Court Statistician (played by @SibCDC) will decide.

Character Applications are open! (and will never close!). For those of you who want to know the details of the rules in place. Click here for the Ruleset.

Finally, we will be playing the game in Victoria 2 (duh) with both DLC enabled and with the HPM mod. For more information, just ask here or take a look at the rules linked above. Everyone is welcome to join the Discord even if they do not participate. We hope to see you soon in the first election of 1836!

Interactivity approved by Qorten
 
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Unfortunately your rules document just doesn't open on my PC.
Can you please message me the discord link
 
Unfortunately your rules document just doesn't open on my PC.
Can you please message me the discord link
I redid the link to the ruleset, does it still not open for you? The discord link is in the OP as well but I'll add it here again in case you or others might miss it: link .
 
Good luck!
 
Better luck with this one.

I do wish I had the energy to join in with these. Oh well, will have to admire from afar.
 
Good luck!
Better luck with this one.

I do wish I had the energy to join in with these. Oh well, will have to admire from afar.
Thank you both! Yeah, iAARs can be quite burdensome but who knows, maybe you'll get the energy later on, we have a whole 100 years to cover after all. And not every role requires heavy roleplaying, if you want to be a random dude who just sits there but just does his own thing than that could work as well. I'm glad you're in for the ride anyway, whether it's on the sidelines or not :) .
 
subbed
 
Pre-election RP: Royal Ball and Army Reforms of 1835
Royal Ball and Army Reforms of 1835

On the 19th of April 1835, a royal ball was held at the Stadtschloss in Berlin and all notable members of the Prussian nobility were invited. The reason for the ball was that Crown Prince Wilhelm was looking for a suitable wife. Ladies were to appear in dresses with Jewellery. Gentlemen were to appear in Gala Uniform or Gala Dress, all members of the military without sash. The tapes of the Order Crosses were not to be worn above the clothes.


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Credit to @skagerakk

When the guests arrived at the Stadtschloss, they were directed by the Master of the Court to the 4th floor, where the “Weiße Saal” had been prepared to host the ball. As prominent guests arrived and filled the room, their names were being announced. Some of the notable attendees where King Leopold I of Greece, Erich von Rabiau, Józef von Tresckow-Taczanowski, Justus von Buckler, Franz von Stockbrünn, Christoffer zu Muskau and Ludwig Henckel Von Donnersmarck. Most of them were accompanied by a female relative, hoping to marry her off to the Crown Prince.

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When most of the guests had filled the big ball room, the King, 65 years old and looking rather sickly besides his son Wilhelm, motioned that he would hold a speech to formally start the ball:

"Welcome fellow Kings, dukes, Grafs and other nobles. After the recent time of instability within the realm I am happy that we have once again returned to a time of peace and that my son Wilhelm has finally found the time to go looking for a wife, suitable for his standing. I am happy to see all of you today and hope that you all enjoy yourself here tonight. Now without further ado, I will leave you to it. Herr Kapellmeister, music!"

At that the orchestra in one of the corners started playing classical music for formal dances and the Crown Prince began his rounds, talking to possible suitors. He was first introduced to Gretchen von Labiau, the niece of General der Infanterie Erich von Labiau. The two danced, after which the Crown Prince moved on to the next candidate. After Gretchen, Prinz Wilhelm was introduced to Feodora von Leiningen by King Leopold of Greece. Feodora was brought up at the British court after her father died and her mother remarried to the Duke of Kent and Strathearn, making her the half sister of Crown Princess Victoria of Great Britain. Feodora and Wilhelm bonded over German food and briefly danced a waltz, before the Crown Prince was forced to move on to the next candidate.

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Feodora von Leiningen (°1807)

In the meantime, the ball was not only a perfect opportunity for the Crown Prince to look for a wife, but also for the many nobles who looked for allies to invest in business opportunities. One of them, Franz von Stockbrünn had been keen on making deals with his fellow nobles. So when he was approached by Justus von Buckler, he did not let the opportunity slip and made a deal with the man. The two of them agreed on investing in a cement factory in Silesia. As von Stockbrünn would provide a majority of the capital, he would receive 70% of the profits that the factory would make, leaving 30% for von Buckler.

After dancing with Feodora von Leiningen, the Crown Prince briefly talked to Cristoffer zu Muskau about politics and the army. Following their brief talk, the Crown Prince found a girl, left alone by her attendant. This angered the Crown Prince, even more so when it turned out that the brother of the girl, Franz von Stockbrünn, had been drinking wine at one of the tables. Von Stockbrünn only made matters worse by responding he had been making important business deals. Somewhat annoyed by von Stockbrünn’s apparent greed, Prinz Wilhelm continued to the next candidate and was introduced to Ludwig Henckel von Donnersmarck’s sister, Agata. The two talked and danced, but Wilhelm was already becoming tired as a result of the many interactions. Luckily for the Crown Prince, the King was even more tired and decided to call it a day. After the King and the Crown Prince left, the orchestra played for another hour before formally ending the ball.

Several days after the ball, Crown Prince Wilhelm announced his marriage with Feodora von Leiningen, setting the foundation for a strong future relationship with the British Crown. Wilhelm’s brothers Carl and Albrecht also announced their marriages, respectively with Gretchen von Labiau and Agata Henckel von Donnersmarck. As the Prussian Royal family would celebrate, elections were on the doorstep and the different factions in the Landtag were organizing themselves.

On the 25th of April 1835 the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm III., ordered the reorganization of the army. The VI. Korps is to be disbanded and the regiments within reassigned: The artillery regiment to the I. Korps and the cavalry to the II. Korps. The II. Kavalleriebrigade (Dragoon) from the V. Korps is to be disbanded an the III. Kavalleriebrigade (Dragoon) will be reassigned to the III. Korps. The goal of the reorganization is, that every Korps has 6 infantry, 2 cavalry (1 Dragoon, 1 Cuirassier) and 4 artillery regiments. All Korps that do not currently follow this new doctrine are to begin recruitment at the nearest city. Generalmajor Erich von Labiau is to be promoted to Generalleutant and given command over the I. Korps, stationed in Berlin, as General Friedrich von Moltke is retiring. Oberstleutnant Christoffer zu Muskau is to be promoted to Generalmajor and given command over the II. Korps, stationed in Breslau and replace General von Roon. Oberst Hans Carstein shall be promoted to Konteradmiral and be given command of the Prussian Navy in Danzig. General Eduard Vogel von Falckenstein, formerly commanding the VI. Korps in Kobenz will be given command over the IV. Korps, stationed in Stralsund, to replace the deceased Prince Friedrich Wilhelm. The IV. Korps is to relocate to Koblenz and meet von Falckenstein there.


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Credit to @skagerakk
 
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As a quick headsup to those who would want to join the iAAR: we will be holding the first elections from tomorrow Wedsneday 18:00 CEST/6PM CEST and they will last until Friday evening 18:00 CEST/6PM CEST. If you want to make a char to participate in the next 5 years after the elections, be sure to join the Discord and make a char before elections start!
 
Certainly interested with this!
 
Elections of 1835 - Factions and speeches
With the death of Prussia's first Minister-President in 1835, Prussia went into a state of turmoil forcing the King to call for new elections. 4 loosely organised factions in the Landtag will compete for their seats in the Landtag and have elected leaders, who each gave a speech leading up to the elections which was published in the Allgemeine Preußische Staats-Zeitung, the official governmental newspaper.

Allgemeine_Preuische_Staats-Zeitung_2_1.png


Allgemeine_Preuische_Staats-Zeitung_2_2.png

Allgemeine_Preuische_Staats-Zeitung_2_3.png
(Ah Gothic, at least I think it is: marvelous invention of the arts, even if a little tricky to read)

4 factions, 4 choices: who do you want to give control over Prussia? Decide now and vote below. Voting stations across Prussia are open until Friday 18:00/6PM CEST (check the link for a quick conversion to your local timezone).
https://forms.gle/knsnuXsVyRxBoJw26
vote_now.png
 
It's not Gothic, Tom!
It is called Unifraktur Maguntia and was used for a long time in German Newspapers!
1284px-Allgemeine_Preussische_Staatszeitung_18190102.png
^This is a version ot the historic "Allgermeine Preußische Staats-Zeitung". It is using the exact same font!

I have researched quite a bit, to come up with an authentic style for the Newspaper posts to give it extra flair.
 
Well I have voted at least :)
 
Election results of 1835, Duels forbidden for Officers and the Crown Prince got married
The voting stations all across Prussia have been closed! Votes have been cast and votes have been counted. Without further ado, these are the results of the 1835 elections for the Prussian Landtag:

Allgemeine_Preuische_Staats-Zeitung_3.png

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We had 41 people voting in our very first elections, a very good result for a first time. We hope many more people will join us over time, both in the voting stations and in the Landtag itself. We will hold our first Landtag session tomorrow at 20:00 CEST/8PM CEST. After the Landtag session, we will start the first 5 years of gameplay. Until then!