It's more like EU.
The Papacy is doing okay, but I haven't looked at them in detail.
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The Papacy is doing okay, but I haven't looked at them in detail.
Russia handles foreign invaders much better than domestic strife. Yegerov, who cares about Norway? Russia just wants the Swedes working on Vicky3 and not invading. Thank you for the update.
The Russian Age of Chaos: The Fall of Siberia
However, as Russia was fighting with Sweden, they also fought with Siberia, which wanted to distract the Russian Coalition and its allies. They quickly made a couple of mistakes, some of which proved fatal. The Tsar of Siberia crossed the Urals and launched a massive invasion of the territory of the Russian Coalition… which ensured that the war with Sweden was partially delayed.
Of course, this move backfired spectacularly. Neither the Russian Coalition, the Papal States, nor Austria wanted this unneeded delay. To make matters even worse, Denmark managed to temporarily distract Sweden and buy time for their allies to deal with Siberia… permanently.
The Siberians were forced to retreat from the mighty armies of the Papal States and Austria, moving back across the Urals. Unfortunately for Siberia, all of Russia’s allies realized that a repeat might occur if this “Tsardom of Siberia” wasn’t dealt with, so they moved across the Urals and into territory that might have been considered subject to the Tsardom of Siberia.
Not all of the allied forces crossed the Urals, though - very few forces from the Papal States actually crossed and most forces from the Russian Coalition also moved to Sweden. Tsar Konstantin was the only leader who crossed the Urals to lead his army, although most of the army was actually made up of Austrian forces, who wanted a strong Russian state that could aid them against their enemies in Europe. This failed miserably, but we’ll get to the utter disaster that was the Second Great European War will be covered later.
The Siberian forces didn’t attempt to engage their foes in battle, as they likely knew that their chances of victory were low. Still, their hand was eventually forced when the de facto capital of Siberia, Omsk, was attacked. This was an act that their army couldn’t ignore - leaving Omsk would be tantamount to surrendering their arrogant Tsar… and most of the army was still loyal to him.
To his credit, the Tsar of Siberia (whose name remains lost to history, possibly because one of the future Russian Emperors erased all records of it) did lead his army in defense of his capital, but this wouldn’t save him. He fought valiantly for a couple of months, but the forces of Russia and Austria ultimately proved too powerful for him. The Tsar of Siberia was killed in this battle, which heavily harmed the cause of Siberian independence.
Still, a few claimants to the Siberian throne remained. Whether or not the Tsar of Siberia ever had any children is unknown, but some people did claim that they were either one of his children or one of his descendants. Two of the new claimants to the throne of Siberia claimed that they were his sons, and they did gain followers from the former Siberian army. However, many of those were either dedicated to the cause of an independent Siberia or the cause of not following the Russian Tsars. A lot of this was probably because they were Steppe Tribes who didn’t like being ruled by sedentary kings…
This argument is further helped by the fact that, of all the successors, only the aforementioned two tsars actually claimed the title of Tsar. The others claimed to be khans, and they controlled far more territory. Ultimately, however, none of this mattered - the Austrians agreed to remain in Siberia until it was fully pacified and were there until early 1859.
The combined Russo-Austrian forces divided their enemies by bringing their forces into contact with each other. This first succeeded in 1856, when one of the claimant Tsars of Siberia killed the other, pausing only to whisper, “I’m sorry, my brother-in-arms, but division won’t aid our cause”. These words would prove to be extremely ironic, but they also lead some scholars to suggest that the two successor Tsars of Siberia weren’t claiming literal descent from the original one but symbolic descent.
Throughout 1857 and 1858, the Russo-Austrian force engaged in small skirmishes and brought rival forces from the Siberians into contact with one another. This strategy culminated in the Battle of the Four Armies in the Urals, where the Russo-Austrian army fought against the remaining claimant Tsar of Siberia and the newly undisputed Khan of Siberia. Tsar Konstantin’s forces emerged victorious there, and both of his rival rulers were killed. After this, most of the Siberians surrendered to Konstantin, and the remainder joined the Rus League.
Of course, this move backfired spectacularly. Neither the Russian Coalition, the Papal States, nor Austria wanted this unneeded delay. To make matters even worse, Denmark managed to temporarily distract Sweden and buy time for their allies to deal with Siberia… permanently.
The Siberians were forced to retreat from the mighty armies of the Papal States and Austria, moving back across the Urals. Unfortunately for Siberia, all of Russia’s allies realized that a repeat might occur if this “Tsardom of Siberia” wasn’t dealt with, so they moved across the Urals and into territory that might have been considered subject to the Tsardom of Siberia.
Not all of the allied forces crossed the Urals, though - very few forces from the Papal States actually crossed and most forces from the Russian Coalition also moved to Sweden. Tsar Konstantin was the only leader who crossed the Urals to lead his army, although most of the army was actually made up of Austrian forces, who wanted a strong Russian state that could aid them against their enemies in Europe. This failed miserably, but we’ll get to the utter disaster that was the Second Great European War will be covered later.
The Siberian forces didn’t attempt to engage their foes in battle, as they likely knew that their chances of victory were low. Still, their hand was eventually forced when the de facto capital of Siberia, Omsk, was attacked. This was an act that their army couldn’t ignore - leaving Omsk would be tantamount to surrendering their arrogant Tsar… and most of the army was still loyal to him.
To his credit, the Tsar of Siberia (whose name remains lost to history, possibly because one of the future Russian Emperors erased all records of it) did lead his army in defense of his capital, but this wouldn’t save him. He fought valiantly for a couple of months, but the forces of Russia and Austria ultimately proved too powerful for him. The Tsar of Siberia was killed in this battle, which heavily harmed the cause of Siberian independence.
Still, a few claimants to the Siberian throne remained. Whether or not the Tsar of Siberia ever had any children is unknown, but some people did claim that they were either one of his children or one of his descendants. Two of the new claimants to the throne of Siberia claimed that they were his sons, and they did gain followers from the former Siberian army. However, many of those were either dedicated to the cause of an independent Siberia or the cause of not following the Russian Tsars. A lot of this was probably because they were Steppe Tribes who didn’t like being ruled by sedentary kings…
This argument is further helped by the fact that, of all the successors, only the aforementioned two tsars actually claimed the title of Tsar. The others claimed to be khans, and they controlled far more territory. Ultimately, however, none of this mattered - the Austrians agreed to remain in Siberia until it was fully pacified and were there until early 1859.
The combined Russo-Austrian forces divided their enemies by bringing their forces into contact with each other. This first succeeded in 1856, when one of the claimant Tsars of Siberia killed the other, pausing only to whisper, “I’m sorry, my brother-in-arms, but division won’t aid our cause”. These words would prove to be extremely ironic, but they also lead some scholars to suggest that the two successor Tsars of Siberia weren’t claiming literal descent from the original one but symbolic descent.
Throughout 1857 and 1858, the Russo-Austrian force engaged in small skirmishes and brought rival forces from the Siberians into contact with one another. This strategy culminated in the Battle of the Four Armies in the Urals, where the Russo-Austrian army fought against the remaining claimant Tsar of Siberia and the newly undisputed Khan of Siberia. Tsar Konstantin’s forces emerged victorious there, and both of his rival rulers were killed. After this, most of the Siberians surrendered to Konstantin, and the remainder joined the Rus League.
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Yes, they do. Let's hope that these Swedes learned their lesson...
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Thank you for the update. I wonder if the Austrians enjoyed their winters on the Siberian steppes. The Siberians Tsars and Khans alike, are now just dudes lost in the dusty tomes of history.
The Russian Age of Chaos: The End of the Age of Chaos
The Fall of Siberia marked the beginning of the end for Russia’s instability. After it, only two more battles were fought, and compromises were finally reached between rival combatants. It seemed like Yegorov’s plans had succeeded beyond even his expectations.
The Rus League was the first to fall, and that required no battles at all. It fell not with a bang, but with a whimper, as it was mostly held together by the leadership of Prince Oleg of Kiev. This man quickly realized that the end of the Russo-Swedish War and the Fall of Siberia meant the end of the Russian Coalition, so he attempted a desperate rallying of the entire Rus League. Unfortunately, it seemed that only he felt threatened by the twin Tsars, and he received no support for a counterattack.
Left adrift, he determined to launch one final doomed attack upon Moscow. “Our cause has no defenders and is lost,” he is alleged to have said. “I can at least let it die with some dignity - and some glory”.
His attack on Moscow was predictably a failure, and it can’t even be called a battle. He attacked Tsar Alexander II’s forces with barely more than 2000 men - hardly a force that could be called an army. Still, he had the element of surprise. He managed to inflict a few casualties before he launched his true last hurrah. He charged Tsar Alexander II, who honorably met him in a duel. They crossed bayonets, but the Tsar was far stronger than the rebel Prince of Kiev. Still, Prince Oleg fought with all his might and managed to hold back his foe for a full day, allowing his army to flee - or to surrender. By November 1858, though, Prince Oleg lay dead upon Moscow’s streets. His dream of Russia as a loose confederation died with him.
The Siberian portions of the Rus League defected to Tsar Konstantin, while most of the League west of the Urals swore allegiance to Tsar Alexander, who took Kiev in January 1849.
Further good news arrived in Moscow that month. An assassin had managed to put down the Mad Tsar - it was later discovered that Yegorov sent this assassin. Everything was down to the two Tsars, and their battles would be legendary. Many men like Yegorov stayed neutral - all they cared for was that Russia was united, not who it was united under.
The first clash occurred in April in Pyatigorsk in the northern Caucasus. It was an attack by Tsar Alexander II upon his brother, as he sought to force Konstantin into a battle on his terms. This plan succeeded perfectly. Pyatigorsk was famed for its mineral springs, and it was these that Konstantin fought to defend.
Tsar Konstantin and Tsar Alexander II never directly dueled again at Pyatigorsk, but their armies fought like legends. Men were reported to have fought underwater and from atop buildings. They desperately fought for their rightful rulers. In the end, Tsar Konstantin retreated from the city, but he promised his men that they would return to the spa city victorious to vacation like victors - and he would keep his promise.
The two armies would meet again in September - at Adygea. Here, Tsar Alexander II and Tsar Konstantin had their long-awaited rematch, and their armies fought like demons. Both armies climbed the Chugush Mountain and fought each other throughout in a struggle that took a month - and that proved to be nothing more than a prelude. Ultimately, they would extend their conflict throughout the entire oblast, fighting across many rivers.
It was at the height of Chugush that Tsar Konstantin finally began his rematch with his brother. He was still blind, but he had learned how to fight in spite of this - many martial arts were still useful to the blind, and there were many organizations that taught the blind to fight. Konstantin had learned from these as much as he could before the Russo-Swedish War began, and he didn’t let that war slow down his progress.
Even in spite of this, though, the duel began with Tsar Alexander II disarming his brother, and he then proceeded to threaten his life with both of his guns. However, this was just what Konstantin wanted - he used some of his newfound skills to disarm his brother of both of his weapons, but he was unable to catch them, so the duel devolved into a fistfight. Even the outbreak of night was unable to stop their duel, as the stars watched them clash. They would stay awake and fight for nine days until, finally, they had reached the ground and were too tired to go on.
From there, they both rested alongside their armies, and Konstantin grabbed a sword. Tsar Alexander II grabbed another gun. They then dueled, sword against gun, for a further three days, until they had lured each other to the banks of the Kuban River. There, Konstantin disarmed his brother once more, and he used his sword to force him to back up… which he did.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t looking behind him as he backed up, and Tsar Alexander II quickly fell into the Kuban River. Tsar Konstantin was horrified by this, and he even dived in after his brother, but it was for naught - Tsar Alexander II had already drowned.
After this, the Blind Tsar is said to have proclaimed, “Oh, God! Why did my brothers and I have to rebel against my righteous brother? Why did we hate each other so? Is this what ambition has wrought?”.
Regardless, the battle was over. Tsar Alexander II’s army surrendered and didn’t fight for his successor. Tsar Konstantin inherited his lands, and Russia was reunited at last… at a terrible cost. The Russian Age of Chaos killed thousands for such a petty reason. It served as a warning to Russians of the dangerous divisive potential of ambition…
The Rus League was the first to fall, and that required no battles at all. It fell not with a bang, but with a whimper, as it was mostly held together by the leadership of Prince Oleg of Kiev. This man quickly realized that the end of the Russo-Swedish War and the Fall of Siberia meant the end of the Russian Coalition, so he attempted a desperate rallying of the entire Rus League. Unfortunately, it seemed that only he felt threatened by the twin Tsars, and he received no support for a counterattack.
Left adrift, he determined to launch one final doomed attack upon Moscow. “Our cause has no defenders and is lost,” he is alleged to have said. “I can at least let it die with some dignity - and some glory”.
His attack on Moscow was predictably a failure, and it can’t even be called a battle. He attacked Tsar Alexander II’s forces with barely more than 2000 men - hardly a force that could be called an army. Still, he had the element of surprise. He managed to inflict a few casualties before he launched his true last hurrah. He charged Tsar Alexander II, who honorably met him in a duel. They crossed bayonets, but the Tsar was far stronger than the rebel Prince of Kiev. Still, Prince Oleg fought with all his might and managed to hold back his foe for a full day, allowing his army to flee - or to surrender. By November 1858, though, Prince Oleg lay dead upon Moscow’s streets. His dream of Russia as a loose confederation died with him.
The Siberian portions of the Rus League defected to Tsar Konstantin, while most of the League west of the Urals swore allegiance to Tsar Alexander, who took Kiev in January 1849.
Further good news arrived in Moscow that month. An assassin had managed to put down the Mad Tsar - it was later discovered that Yegorov sent this assassin. Everything was down to the two Tsars, and their battles would be legendary. Many men like Yegorov stayed neutral - all they cared for was that Russia was united, not who it was united under.
The first clash occurred in April in Pyatigorsk in the northern Caucasus. It was an attack by Tsar Alexander II upon his brother, as he sought to force Konstantin into a battle on his terms. This plan succeeded perfectly. Pyatigorsk was famed for its mineral springs, and it was these that Konstantin fought to defend.
Tsar Konstantin and Tsar Alexander II never directly dueled again at Pyatigorsk, but their armies fought like legends. Men were reported to have fought underwater and from atop buildings. They desperately fought for their rightful rulers. In the end, Tsar Konstantin retreated from the city, but he promised his men that they would return to the spa city victorious to vacation like victors - and he would keep his promise.
The two armies would meet again in September - at Adygea. Here, Tsar Alexander II and Tsar Konstantin had their long-awaited rematch, and their armies fought like demons. Both armies climbed the Chugush Mountain and fought each other throughout in a struggle that took a month - and that proved to be nothing more than a prelude. Ultimately, they would extend their conflict throughout the entire oblast, fighting across many rivers.
It was at the height of Chugush that Tsar Konstantin finally began his rematch with his brother. He was still blind, but he had learned how to fight in spite of this - many martial arts were still useful to the blind, and there were many organizations that taught the blind to fight. Konstantin had learned from these as much as he could before the Russo-Swedish War began, and he didn’t let that war slow down his progress.
Even in spite of this, though, the duel began with Tsar Alexander II disarming his brother, and he then proceeded to threaten his life with both of his guns. However, this was just what Konstantin wanted - he used some of his newfound skills to disarm his brother of both of his weapons, but he was unable to catch them, so the duel devolved into a fistfight. Even the outbreak of night was unable to stop their duel, as the stars watched them clash. They would stay awake and fight for nine days until, finally, they had reached the ground and were too tired to go on.
From there, they both rested alongside their armies, and Konstantin grabbed a sword. Tsar Alexander II grabbed another gun. They then dueled, sword against gun, for a further three days, until they had lured each other to the banks of the Kuban River. There, Konstantin disarmed his brother once more, and he used his sword to force him to back up… which he did.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t looking behind him as he backed up, and Tsar Alexander II quickly fell into the Kuban River. Tsar Konstantin was horrified by this, and he even dived in after his brother, but it was for naught - Tsar Alexander II had already drowned.
After this, the Blind Tsar is said to have proclaimed, “Oh, God! Why did my brothers and I have to rebel against my righteous brother? Why did we hate each other so? Is this what ambition has wrought?”.
Regardless, the battle was over. Tsar Alexander II’s army surrendered and didn’t fight for his successor. Tsar Konstantin inherited his lands, and Russia was reunited at last… at a terrible cost. The Russian Age of Chaos killed thousands for such a petty reason. It served as a warning to Russians of the dangerous divisive potential of ambition…
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Indeed.
I'll have one up sometime this week. The reunited Russia will be on it.
To all: Well, the Russian Age of Chaos is over. It's the end of an era - an era that was fun to write about, admittedly.
Inc are you haven't guessed, in the game, this was merely a bunch of rebellions, but this story is much more than "someone revolted again and was destroyed again". The battles, however, were where battles happened in the game.
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Tsar Konstantin brought a knife (ok, sword) to a gunfight and still triumphed. Peace! Will the Russians have any idea how to act? Thank you for the update.
Well...Russia has been in the wars. Probably needs a lot of recovery time now, but hopefully this has resolved a few political issues (albeit by killing everyone who doesn't think like the new government).
The outside world being able to ignore Russia for a while must have, hopefully, taken advantage and resolved their own difference or at least gotten stronger...
The outside world being able to ignore Russia for a while must have, hopefully, taken advantage and resolved their own difference or at least gotten stronger...
Alright, @TheButterflyComposer, here's the map.
Russia is in green, and their Georgian vassals are in light blue.
Russia is in green, and their Georgian vassals are in light blue.
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Let's see...
The US is in trouble with that civil war plus border gore with Canada. If the british decide to intervene now to correct, the US is in for a world of hurt.
The british meanwhile, save for that one province, seem to have done very well. Aside from the Dutch, no one else seems to have expanded their colonies from game start very far, and it appears most of the Pacific will fall under the british empire, unless Japan and amercia suddenly start expanding outwards.
Sweden is supringly still holding onto most of Scandinavia. If they get that Norwegian coastline back, they might be trouble for Russia.
Africa is pretty empty, so might see a very strange Scramble for it this time. Esepcially with eygpt so large.
Persia looks like a tempting target for expansion.
The US is in trouble with that civil war plus border gore with Canada. If the british decide to intervene now to correct, the US is in for a world of hurt.
The british meanwhile, save for that one province, seem to have done very well. Aside from the Dutch, no one else seems to have expanded their colonies from game start very far, and it appears most of the Pacific will fall under the british empire, unless Japan and amercia suddenly start expanding outwards.
Sweden is supringly still holding onto most of Scandinavia. If they get that Norwegian coastline back, they might be trouble for Russia.
Africa is pretty empty, so might see a very strange Scramble for it this time. Esepcially with eygpt so large.
Persia looks like a tempting target for expansion.
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The Central Asian Wars: The Khivan War
Tsar Konstantin decided to begin his reign by expanding the reach of Russia. He knew that many of his subjects were still unsure about how successful his reign could be - after all, he was blind. He knew that they were wrong, but he had no wish to suffer through another civil war. The Russian Age of Chaos had been bad enough already - the people of Russia needed to know that it was over.
To do that, he needed to expand Russia’s reach. He began by meeting with Anton Yegorov, who he knew still commanded a lot of influence across the Russian Empire. They discussed where Russia should expand to…
Tsar Konstantin wanted to expand in Europe, hoping to bring Bulgaria back under Russian influence and expand against the Ottoman Empire. Yegorov disagreed, saying that the eyes of the world were on Europe. The other great powers would attack Russia if they attempted to make a play in Europe…
Yegorov instead proposed an invasion of nations on Russia’s borders in Asia… especially Central Asia. He noted that Britain might give a small bit of support to the invaded nations, but they wouldn’t interfere with their own men. This convinced Tsar Konstantin, who agreed to invade Khiva…
The invasion of Khiva began in October 1861, and it was a quick war. As events turned out, Britain didn’t intervene, as they feared an extreme retaliation from Russia.
The Russian soldiers were led by Anton Yegorov, who decided that this war shouldn’t be long or protracted. He saw the possibility that a protracted war could turn into a war of attrition, which would harm the image of the invincibility of a united Russia. In addition, foreign powers (especially Britain) might change their minds about intervening in the war.
His first move was a strike at Khiva itself. He reached the city in January 1862, and it proved to be shockingly undefended. Only a small army of around 2000 men defended Khiva, and this wasn’t enough for Yegorov. He wanted a big and decisive battle that would decide the fate of the entire Khanate.
To achieve this goal, he waited to attack, instead sending out small bands to thin out the forces defending Khiva. Around half of the defenders had perished, and hundreds had left their posts by the time reinforcements finally arrived for Khiva in February. It was too late for them, though - they now faced a massive Russian army that had defeated the garrison in Khiva itself. The entire army of Khiva fought as much as they could, but it was still a crushing Russian victory - the entirety of that army was destroyed by February 17.
All that was left for Yegorov to do was to negotiate peace, and the Khan of Khiva surrendered his domain as February ended. Russia had proven that they remained a force to be reckoned with, but the Blind Tsar was unsatisfied with this short campaign. He wanted a larger war to prove his mettle - and he wanted to prove his mettle personally by fighting in it.
To do that, he needed to expand Russia’s reach. He began by meeting with Anton Yegorov, who he knew still commanded a lot of influence across the Russian Empire. They discussed where Russia should expand to…
Tsar Konstantin wanted to expand in Europe, hoping to bring Bulgaria back under Russian influence and expand against the Ottoman Empire. Yegorov disagreed, saying that the eyes of the world were on Europe. The other great powers would attack Russia if they attempted to make a play in Europe…
Yegorov instead proposed an invasion of nations on Russia’s borders in Asia… especially Central Asia. He noted that Britain might give a small bit of support to the invaded nations, but they wouldn’t interfere with their own men. This convinced Tsar Konstantin, who agreed to invade Khiva…
The invasion of Khiva began in October 1861, and it was a quick war. As events turned out, Britain didn’t intervene, as they feared an extreme retaliation from Russia.
The Russian soldiers were led by Anton Yegorov, who decided that this war shouldn’t be long or protracted. He saw the possibility that a protracted war could turn into a war of attrition, which would harm the image of the invincibility of a united Russia. In addition, foreign powers (especially Britain) might change their minds about intervening in the war.
His first move was a strike at Khiva itself. He reached the city in January 1862, and it proved to be shockingly undefended. Only a small army of around 2000 men defended Khiva, and this wasn’t enough for Yegorov. He wanted a big and decisive battle that would decide the fate of the entire Khanate.
To achieve this goal, he waited to attack, instead sending out small bands to thin out the forces defending Khiva. Around half of the defenders had perished, and hundreds had left their posts by the time reinforcements finally arrived for Khiva in February. It was too late for them, though - they now faced a massive Russian army that had defeated the garrison in Khiva itself. The entire army of Khiva fought as much as they could, but it was still a crushing Russian victory - the entirety of that army was destroyed by February 17.
All that was left for Yegorov to do was to negotiate peace, and the Khan of Khiva surrendered his domain as February ended. Russia had proven that they remained a force to be reckoned with, but the Blind Tsar was unsatisfied with this short campaign. He wanted a larger war to prove his mettle - and he wanted to prove his mettle personally by fighting in it.
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Indeed! And the peace wasn't long.
A lot of interesting events occurred in the outside world. A few interludes will be posted soon....
The US is in a world of hurt, yeah. Asia is definitely our current target...
I'm not sure how Africa will go. I might steal some land over there, but we'll see.
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I'd say Russia should concern itself with getting to the size it did OTL before worrying about colonies it cannot possibly defend. Even Alaska, though huge and valuable, is going to be abandoned in war immediately.
If Russia stretches from Eastern prussia to the Pacific ocean, and has conquered persia however, they have enough port options to have colonies elsewhere. Although at that point they don't need them, and vassal and puppet states would be more useful.
If Russia stretches from Eastern prussia to the Pacific ocean, and has conquered persia however, they have enough port options to have colonies elsewhere. Although at that point they don't need them, and vassal and puppet states would be more useful.
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Tsar Konstantin and his seeing-eye horse, Ray Charles, will ride into battle. He will brandish his sword like a daredevil. Onwards, O Great Mother Russia. Thank you for the update.
The Central Asian Wars: The Kokand War
That larger war was achieved when the Blind Tsar declared war on Kokand. Kokand itself was a small kingdom in Central Asia, but it had a powerful ally - Persia. Konstantin wanted to defeat them.
In addition, both Britain and France decided that Russia was expanding too much, but both nations knew that an all-out war would escalate quickly. They were also distracted by the Second Great European War at the time, and they really didn’t want to drag Russia into that, as they feared that Russia might be able to turn the tides in favor of Austria and its allies. Because of that, they kept their contribution minimal, and the resulting conflict has often been referred to as a proxy war.
The war began in August 1862, almost immediately after the end of the Khivan War. Russian forces, led by Tsar Konstantin in person, began to march towards Central Asia to meet with the troops that were already in the former Khanate of Khiva. The armies quickly united and attacked.
The Battle of Aktash wasn’t over quickly, though. Persian soldiers had also left for Kokand to reinforce their allies, and Tsar Konstantin hadn’t predicted that development. As a result, the battle lasted for two months - throughout October and November.
Still, it was a crushing Russian victory. Most of Kokand’s actual army was destroyed, and thousands of Persians died. Persia itself wouldn’t be able to intervene in the war for a year.
Tsar Konstantin then split his army into two separate forces, one that he led personally and another that he allowed Anton Yegorov to command. His army launched raids on Persian supply lines, hoping to knock them out of the war. He also raided supply lines to British India, hoping to cut off avenues of British aid to Kokand.
Meanwhile, Anton Yegorov chased down the survivors of the Battle of Aktash. These soldiers knew the terrain much better than Yegorov, but he was far more ruthless than they were. He pointed out the benefits of aiding his quest to many locals… and the consequences of impeding it. The fear that this generated allowed him to meet the retreating army of Kokand at Yasi in July 1863, and that wasn’t a close battle. It was very quick, and the remnants of Kokand’s army were quickly slaughtered.
That should have been the end of the war, but Britain and France still feared Russian expansion, and Persia was still allied to Kokand. Persia insisted on fighting on - they knew that their supply lines were cut, but they thought that they could make new ones and protect those with a massive army.
The Persians had begun to mobilize a massive army, and they intended to use that against Russia. To make things worse for Russia, both Britain and France gave them massive amounts of gold and silver to pay their soldiers and to pay for mercenaries. They also encouraged Persia to use the money to pay for better infrastructure. This wasn’t solely out of altruism, of course - both nations saw a new potential market regardless of how the war ended.
Still, all of this preparation meant that both Persia and Kokand dismissed Tsar Konstantin’s peace offer when it came in October - it would force Kokand to break their alliance with Persia and to pay tribute to Russia. Later events would imply that Kokand really should’ve accepted this offer.
In addition, both Britain and France decided that Russia was expanding too much, but both nations knew that an all-out war would escalate quickly. They were also distracted by the Second Great European War at the time, and they really didn’t want to drag Russia into that, as they feared that Russia might be able to turn the tides in favor of Austria and its allies. Because of that, they kept their contribution minimal, and the resulting conflict has often been referred to as a proxy war.
The war began in August 1862, almost immediately after the end of the Khivan War. Russian forces, led by Tsar Konstantin in person, began to march towards Central Asia to meet with the troops that were already in the former Khanate of Khiva. The armies quickly united and attacked.
The Battle of Aktash wasn’t over quickly, though. Persian soldiers had also left for Kokand to reinforce their allies, and Tsar Konstantin hadn’t predicted that development. As a result, the battle lasted for two months - throughout October and November.
Still, it was a crushing Russian victory. Most of Kokand’s actual army was destroyed, and thousands of Persians died. Persia itself wouldn’t be able to intervene in the war for a year.
Tsar Konstantin then split his army into two separate forces, one that he led personally and another that he allowed Anton Yegorov to command. His army launched raids on Persian supply lines, hoping to knock them out of the war. He also raided supply lines to British India, hoping to cut off avenues of British aid to Kokand.
Meanwhile, Anton Yegorov chased down the survivors of the Battle of Aktash. These soldiers knew the terrain much better than Yegorov, but he was far more ruthless than they were. He pointed out the benefits of aiding his quest to many locals… and the consequences of impeding it. The fear that this generated allowed him to meet the retreating army of Kokand at Yasi in July 1863, and that wasn’t a close battle. It was very quick, and the remnants of Kokand’s army were quickly slaughtered.
That should have been the end of the war, but Britain and France still feared Russian expansion, and Persia was still allied to Kokand. Persia insisted on fighting on - they knew that their supply lines were cut, but they thought that they could make new ones and protect those with a massive army.
The Persians had begun to mobilize a massive army, and they intended to use that against Russia. To make things worse for Russia, both Britain and France gave them massive amounts of gold and silver to pay their soldiers and to pay for mercenaries. They also encouraged Persia to use the money to pay for better infrastructure. This wasn’t solely out of altruism, of course - both nations saw a new potential market regardless of how the war ended.
Still, all of this preparation meant that both Persia and Kokand dismissed Tsar Konstantin’s peace offer when it came in October - it would force Kokand to break their alliance with Persia and to pay tribute to Russia. Later events would imply that Kokand really should’ve accepted this offer.
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Thanks! Yeah, Europe has too much competition, and the Americas require too many colonists.
Probably. If we did get involved in Africa, we'd work on a navy and other stuff that we'd need to defend it.
Onwards! Konstantin still feels like he has things to prove.
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Are the Turkic-Mongol Sunnis going to be semi-autonomous or under Russia's yoke and sources of resentment and rebellion? Persia, mind your own business or the tsars will come for you. Thank you for updating.