Chapter 4
April 1, 1837 – August 8, 1837
April 1, 1837:
Otto was on his now daily tours of Athens when some wonderful, if unexpected, news arrived. The tours were the suggestion of one of his many Bavarian aides. “If you are to rule the people,” he claimed, “you must first know them. You have to understand them and their history. In Greece that could take forever; but let me give you two hours of tours per day. At the very least, it’ll allow the people to see their king. Maybe they’ll begin to warm to you.” Reluctantly, Otto had agreed. Today’s tour, though, was in an area where the people probably shouldn’t see him – the Pnyx. This was the very spot on which the ancient Athenian Assembly met to cast their votes. This was the very spot on which pure democracy worked. Well, pure democracy in the sense that all male citizens aged 28 and older participated. Greece was hardly an egalitarian society. “In any case,” Otto told him aide, “we shouldn’t stay here too long. I don’t want the Greeks to start getting any ideas.”
Otto was standing on the Bema, the platform for those who would speak to the Assembly, when news arrived. The Russians wanted an alliance. Though he was young, Otto was no fool. He was well aware, as was the rest of Europe, of Russia’s plans on the Ottomans. He was also aware, again, like the rest of Europe, that Russia, more than likely, simply desired an alliance with the Greeks as a distraction to the Ottomans. At best, in the minds of many, the Greeks would simply sustain their independence, occupying the Ottomans in the mountains of Greece for much of the war. At worst, Greece would lose some of its hard-fought territory. It wouldn’t be annexed, though. Europe would not stand for that.
However, Otto had plans of his own. Just like the Russians, he needed some warm bodies to distract the Ottomans. The open plains of the Ukraine would be a wonderful place for such a distraction to take place. Though he knew that the Russian hordes would eventually overwhelm almost any opponent, he was also equally optimistic that a few Russian losses would allow the Greeks the chance for an incursion far enough into the Ottoman Empire that the Sultan would be happy to cede a few provinces to regain peace.
“Wonderful!” Otto clapped his hands once as he descended the stairs. “Call the Russian ministers to my palace! We shall have a great feast to celebrate the birth of our great alliance. It will be on a level that would make
Alexander jealous! Unfortunately we can’t burn Persipolis tonight, though!” This comment, surprisingly, actually elicited a few chuckles from some Greek Army officers that had provided security for Othos, as Otto was known in Greek.
The Russians offer a military alliance:
A view of the Bema at the Pynx:
Puerto Viejo:
The history of Haiti, or Hayti as it’s known to some, was a sad one. Originally a Spanish colony, it was discovered by Columbus in 1492, France took control of the western third of the island in 1697 at the Treaty of Ryswick. Renamed Saint Domingue, the newly French colony quickly becomes the richest in the world. In fact, the wealth was so great that Saint Domingue’s capital, Cap Français, was widely known as the Paris of the New World. However, as the old adage goes, that which glitters is not always gold.
The government in Haiti was a cruel one. From 1697 to 1791 over half a million slaves taken by the French were flogged, starved and buried alive for very minor offenses. While the French colonial masters lived in luxury, the lower classes lived in Hell. With that in mind, it should have been a surprise to no one when the revolution began. Quickly spreading throughout the entire island, swift action was required by the French and Spanish authorities. However, where the French abolished slavery after the rebellion, the Spanish reimposed it on the populace, planting the seeds of future rebellion. Haiti, though, remained fairly tranquil until 1803 when, after a failed expedition by Bonaparte, slavery was reintroduced to Cap Français and Saint Domingue as well. This proved to be too much, sparking another series of rebellions and civil wars that eventually resulted in the complete independence of Haiti when General Boyer paid the French a sum of 150 million Francs to the French government.
Despite this turbulent and hate-filled past, Otto believed that he could impose order and tranquility on the island. Besides, he needed future soldiers if he was to expand Greece's borders. In order to gain control of the island, thousands of Greek troops would make a two-month journey from the Aegean to the Caribbean. Unfortunately for the Haitians, they had no idea what fate awaited them until the Greeks stepped ashore at Puerto Viejo. The Greco-Haitian War had begun.
Greeks prepare for the journey to Haiti:
The Greco-Haitian War begins:
Puerto Viejo marked the site of the Greek invasion:
Next:
Warm sun, cool sea pt II 
I really do like this AAR. Shame it will put you on a collision course with the OC....Er I mean the OE 
