Nicholas is getting quite detached from reality, though not as badly as Britain for accepting such a treaty. Dark days for the world.
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Been catching up with this one. I'm not too optimistic about Europe's future considering the insanity of the latest peace treaty, though perhaps the promised comeuppance for the Tsar will even things about a bit before too long. One can only hope.
Good stuff, @HistoryDude. Morbidly curious to see what terrors our autocrat unleashes next.
I love the twist and turns in the logic here: the Invasion is 'obviously pre-planned' at the start of the paragraph, but by the end 'the objective assertion of this truth is unclear'. I can well imagine some pompous old Slavophile tying himself up in knots writing it.
Scapegoating largely innocent people in an extremely harsh fashion? I sense a pattern emerging…
The Russians getting one miracle may be called misfortune on the part of the Turks and the Brits, but for them to be allowed a second really is just careless.
Good lord. The man I truly deranged. I can't imagine who is in charge of the British government at the moment to have accepted anything remotely approaching this. Even minus the territorial concessions.
Good stuff, @HistoryDude. Morbidly curious to see what terrors our autocrat unleashes next.
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Not much, honestly. Britain is in very dire straits, and they definitely want revenge.
Nicholas is detached from reality, but much of the terms were the Duma's fault, actually. Nicholas was a moderating force. All of Russia's government is extremely ambitious. That's a very bad thing.
Europe has a long way to go before Russia's comeuppance. It will come, eventually. This book is definitely biased in Russia's favor. Nicholas has... problems.
Still, the start of Russia's troubles will be in tomorrow's update. Unfortunately, this is also responsible for much of the draconian terms the Duma tried to impose, so things are still... not great for Russia's enemies.
The reason why I didn't update on Wednesday was because I was on vacation. Sorry. Normal updates resume tomorrow.
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The Russian Age of Chaos: The Underlying Causes and the Road to Civil War
The Russian Age of Chaos (sometimes known as the Second Time of Troubles) is generally agreed to have started in late 1847. It didn’t begin with a great war or a glorious revolt - it began much more subtly. It began as a political move, and it was inspired by the expansionism of Russia.
This does not mean that Tsar Nicholas is in any way at fault for it, of course. He frequently ignored the chaos occurring in his lands - after all, he had a war to fight. The Great European War was far more important to the Tsar than the stability of his lands - after all, his reign wasn’t threatened by the revolt. Very few of the factions involved actually wanted independence from Russia. Some historians prefer to ignore this fact and call the Tsar “Nicholas the Cowardly” or “Nicholas the Distracted”, but they are ignoring the full facts of the situation. The Tsar’s authority wasn’t threatened when the Russian Age of Chaos began. Of course, that changed in the fullness of time, but Nicholas had no way of knowing that. He had no interest in what his underlings did. He was a conqueror, not an administrator. Still, there was supposed to be a solution for that - the Duma. It isn’t the Tsar’s fault that his nobles couldn’t agree once they were assembled. Because of this, the blame for the Russian Age of Chaos lies on the nobility alone. They are the ones who riled up the people and divided them into sides.
Still, in 1847, no one would’ve expected things to get so out of control. In that year, most of Russia stood united against the foreign invaders of their country, and internal disputes were put on the backburner in favor of defeating them. Still, these internal disputes existed, and some of the nobility maintained hope that Prussia would be defeated, while other nobles had no hope but planned for a victory anyway as a way to cover their bases. The problem was that no one agreed on what a Russian victory in the war would mean.
Some saw a vast Russian empire that put the other European empires to shame, while some saw the benefits of expansion but believed that outright annexing a lot of land would leave them open to being destroyed by revolts. Others worried about such things as “cultural purity” or “Slavic nationalism”. Another group believed that Russia had already expanded too much and needed to withdraw from some of their territory, and, of course, there were also those nobles who cared about nothing except for their own power.
The Twin Miracles changed everything. Now, a Russian victory in the war was looking increasingly likely, and the nobles saw an opportunity to put their plans into action. In January 1848, a meeting of the Duma was called in Moscow and scheduled for February. Officially, it was to discuss how the Great European War would be fought, but, unofficially, it was to discuss what terms a victorious Russia would offer to its foes.
As all of the nobles made their way to Moscow, many joined together. They discussed what they wanted out of a peace deal on the road to the Duma’s meeting place, and many different factions of nobles made alliances and tried to convince their companions that their point of view was correct. It was clear that the meeting would be very contentious.
OOC Note: It was absolutely the Tsar's fault. Our author is very, very, very biased here.
This does not mean that Tsar Nicholas is in any way at fault for it, of course. He frequently ignored the chaos occurring in his lands - after all, he had a war to fight. The Great European War was far more important to the Tsar than the stability of his lands - after all, his reign wasn’t threatened by the revolt. Very few of the factions involved actually wanted independence from Russia. Some historians prefer to ignore this fact and call the Tsar “Nicholas the Cowardly” or “Nicholas the Distracted”, but they are ignoring the full facts of the situation. The Tsar’s authority wasn’t threatened when the Russian Age of Chaos began. Of course, that changed in the fullness of time, but Nicholas had no way of knowing that. He had no interest in what his underlings did. He was a conqueror, not an administrator. Still, there was supposed to be a solution for that - the Duma. It isn’t the Tsar’s fault that his nobles couldn’t agree once they were assembled. Because of this, the blame for the Russian Age of Chaos lies on the nobility alone. They are the ones who riled up the people and divided them into sides.
Still, in 1847, no one would’ve expected things to get so out of control. In that year, most of Russia stood united against the foreign invaders of their country, and internal disputes were put on the backburner in favor of defeating them. Still, these internal disputes existed, and some of the nobility maintained hope that Prussia would be defeated, while other nobles had no hope but planned for a victory anyway as a way to cover their bases. The problem was that no one agreed on what a Russian victory in the war would mean.
Some saw a vast Russian empire that put the other European empires to shame, while some saw the benefits of expansion but believed that outright annexing a lot of land would leave them open to being destroyed by revolts. Others worried about such things as “cultural purity” or “Slavic nationalism”. Another group believed that Russia had already expanded too much and needed to withdraw from some of their territory, and, of course, there were also those nobles who cared about nothing except for their own power.
The Twin Miracles changed everything. Now, a Russian victory in the war was looking increasingly likely, and the nobles saw an opportunity to put their plans into action. In January 1848, a meeting of the Duma was called in Moscow and scheduled for February. Officially, it was to discuss how the Great European War would be fought, but, unofficially, it was to discuss what terms a victorious Russia would offer to its foes.
As all of the nobles made their way to Moscow, many joined together. They discussed what they wanted out of a peace deal on the road to the Duma’s meeting place, and many different factions of nobles made alliances and tried to convince their companions that their point of view was correct. It was clear that the meeting would be very contentious.
OOC Note: It was absolutely the Tsar's fault. Our author is very, very, very biased here.
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The OOC note ruined my comment for I was going to thank the historian for a fair and unbiased portrayal of Tsar Nicholas the Greatest.
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Yep, this historian is very biased. He likes and admires Tsar Nicholas a lot.
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I had to look this up. Urban Dictionary to the rescue!
Yep, there is definitely a lot of lying (or telling half-truths) to justify the fictional author's views.
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The Russian Age of Chaos, the Duma Meeting of 1848
At first, things seemed to be going well. Factions had formed, but all of them appeared to be willing to negotiate to reach a compromise. For the briefest of moments, there was a hope of a unified Russia, united by common interests.
This hope was an illusion. The seeming peace of the Duma meeting was no peace. Some factions had brought knives and guns to the meeting in an attempt to force others to agree with them. Others had hired - or even become - bandits, intent on launching a surprise attack on the Kremlin and then robbing supplies from those that opposed them. No one was negotiating in anything resembling good faith - except for the Conservative Militarists, of course. Oh, they had backup plans to deal with attempted treason from the other factions, but they didn’t initiate anything.
The Conservative Militarists were just one of many factions, however, even if they were the most honorable. They attempted to negotiate with other factions, and they actually found common ground with other relative moderates. These factions would often do their dirty work - and help them run Russia after their victory.
The first of these allies was the Alyeskan Colonialists, whose goal was simple. They wished to expand on the North American continent. They saw the once-mighty British and Spanish colonial empires collapsing, and they saw a power vacuum opening that Russia could fill. Russia could create an empire and appear equal to the western european powers.
The second of these allies was the Asian Expansionists. These representatives saw a future for Russia in Asia, not Europe. They saw Europe as too heavily trapped in a state of perpetual status quo - and some powers (like Britain) were working to prevent any changes to European borders. Asia, on the other hand, was a fountain of opportunities. The European powers wouldn’t unite against a Russia expanding in Asia - and a Russia expanding in Asia would be more powerful for when a new European War broke out.
The Militarist Coalition faced mighty foes, however. Chief among these was the Independence Faction, which was an alliance of many different representatives that were only united by a desire to free their people from Russia. It was this enemy who made the first aggressive move. Taking justification from the execution of a Yakut nationalist in February, they had many of their sympathizers - and even hired killers - attack the Kremlin. Many consider this the beginning of the Russian Age of Chaos, but, in truth, it was not a huge threat. It was, if anything, a distraction for the future plans of the Independence Faction. As such, it was easily defeated, and the Duma, true to form in those times, went right back to squabbling amongst themselves.
Three other factions quickly formed. These were the Decentralization Faction, the Scandinavian Faction, and the Tsarist Loyalist Faction. The Decentralization Faction wanted the Russian Empire to become more like the Kievan Rus - or the Holy Roman Empire in its later years. They wanted to have Tsarist support against foreign enemies but rule their domestic territories completely with little input from the Tsar. By contrast, the Scandinavian Faction was actually somewhat similar to the coalition the Conservative Militarists had put together, but they were far more specialized. They wanted to expand Russian control over Scandinavia for a myriad of reasons, but all of their representatives wanted to rule that peninsula, either completely or partially. Their motto was “Finland is not enough!”. The Tsarist Loyalists were simply the representatives who were fully loyal to the Tsar and supported his decisions, whatever they were.
After the Independence Faction made their move, their representatives withdrew from the Duma. Immediately, the Scandinavian Faction made their move. They attempted to persuade all of the representatives from Finland to join them. When some refused, they killed them and left the Duma meeting. That left only the Decentralization Faction, the Tsarist Loyalists, and the Conservative Coalition remaining among organized blocks. Numerous unorganized representatives also remained, of course, but nobody cared about them over the course of the negotiations, which would prove to be a grave mistake.
To their credit, these blocks attempted to find commonalities, but there were simply too few to justify an alliance. The Decentralization Faction walked out without gaining anything, but, to their credit, they didn’t desecrate the great Kremlin. The Conservative Coalition and the Tsarist Loyalists agreed to a non-aggression pact and nothing more.
Immediately after that, the folly of ignoring the unaligned representatives became clear. The governor of Kiev attacked the people negotiating the non-aggression pact, and five men died. After that show of force, he left, and the other unaligned representatives followed him. Many of them would become pseudo-independent warlords or kingmakers for the other factions.
Tsar Nicholas remained on campaign in the Ottoman Empire, and he did nothing as his empire began to rip itself apart. What could he have done? Hatred and ambition had overtaken Russia.
This hope was an illusion. The seeming peace of the Duma meeting was no peace. Some factions had brought knives and guns to the meeting in an attempt to force others to agree with them. Others had hired - or even become - bandits, intent on launching a surprise attack on the Kremlin and then robbing supplies from those that opposed them. No one was negotiating in anything resembling good faith - except for the Conservative Militarists, of course. Oh, they had backup plans to deal with attempted treason from the other factions, but they didn’t initiate anything.
The Conservative Militarists were just one of many factions, however, even if they were the most honorable. They attempted to negotiate with other factions, and they actually found common ground with other relative moderates. These factions would often do their dirty work - and help them run Russia after their victory.
The first of these allies was the Alyeskan Colonialists, whose goal was simple. They wished to expand on the North American continent. They saw the once-mighty British and Spanish colonial empires collapsing, and they saw a power vacuum opening that Russia could fill. Russia could create an empire and appear equal to the western european powers.
The second of these allies was the Asian Expansionists. These representatives saw a future for Russia in Asia, not Europe. They saw Europe as too heavily trapped in a state of perpetual status quo - and some powers (like Britain) were working to prevent any changes to European borders. Asia, on the other hand, was a fountain of opportunities. The European powers wouldn’t unite against a Russia expanding in Asia - and a Russia expanding in Asia would be more powerful for when a new European War broke out.
The Militarist Coalition faced mighty foes, however. Chief among these was the Independence Faction, which was an alliance of many different representatives that were only united by a desire to free their people from Russia. It was this enemy who made the first aggressive move. Taking justification from the execution of a Yakut nationalist in February, they had many of their sympathizers - and even hired killers - attack the Kremlin. Many consider this the beginning of the Russian Age of Chaos, but, in truth, it was not a huge threat. It was, if anything, a distraction for the future plans of the Independence Faction. As such, it was easily defeated, and the Duma, true to form in those times, went right back to squabbling amongst themselves.
Three other factions quickly formed. These were the Decentralization Faction, the Scandinavian Faction, and the Tsarist Loyalist Faction. The Decentralization Faction wanted the Russian Empire to become more like the Kievan Rus - or the Holy Roman Empire in its later years. They wanted to have Tsarist support against foreign enemies but rule their domestic territories completely with little input from the Tsar. By contrast, the Scandinavian Faction was actually somewhat similar to the coalition the Conservative Militarists had put together, but they were far more specialized. They wanted to expand Russian control over Scandinavia for a myriad of reasons, but all of their representatives wanted to rule that peninsula, either completely or partially. Their motto was “Finland is not enough!”. The Tsarist Loyalists were simply the representatives who were fully loyal to the Tsar and supported his decisions, whatever they were.
After the Independence Faction made their move, their representatives withdrew from the Duma. Immediately, the Scandinavian Faction made their move. They attempted to persuade all of the representatives from Finland to join them. When some refused, they killed them and left the Duma meeting. That left only the Decentralization Faction, the Tsarist Loyalists, and the Conservative Coalition remaining among organized blocks. Numerous unorganized representatives also remained, of course, but nobody cared about them over the course of the negotiations, which would prove to be a grave mistake.
To their credit, these blocks attempted to find commonalities, but there were simply too few to justify an alliance. The Decentralization Faction walked out without gaining anything, but, to their credit, they didn’t desecrate the great Kremlin. The Conservative Coalition and the Tsarist Loyalists agreed to a non-aggression pact and nothing more.
Immediately after that, the folly of ignoring the unaligned representatives became clear. The governor of Kiev attacked the people negotiating the non-aggression pact, and five men died. After that show of force, he left, and the other unaligned representatives followed him. Many of them would become pseudo-independent warlords or kingmakers for the other factions.
Tsar Nicholas remained on campaign in the Ottoman Empire, and he did nothing as his empire began to rip itself apart. What could he have done? Hatred and ambition had overtaken Russia.
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So...Russia is a sham state, the Tsar is rubbish, the regional governors are idiots and everyone quite rightly wants out of this sinking ship?
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Sounds like an accurate summary of things to me…
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The legislature sounds like a bunch of independent warlords. Thank you for braving the halls of deliberation.
Yep! Russia is... kind of unstable right now.
Indeed.
That was actually deliberate. It might be an exaggeration by the author.
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The Russian Age of Chaos: The First Civil War
The Conservative Coalition remained in Moscow, ruling the city by default. They then used this position of authority to inspire others to join them. Soon, they controlled a straight line of territory from Minsk to the Urals. They then launched a massive campaign against the Independence Faction, hoping to bring them to heel. Once those in favor of decentralization were defeated, the Conservatives figured that a peace might easily be negotiated with the Tsarist Loyalists.
Things didn’t turn out that cleanly. The Independence Faction was prepared for an attack, and they confronted the Conservatives at St. Petersburg. The Battle of St. Petersburg was fierce, and tens of thousands of Russians died - and it changed nothing. The Battle was a stalemate, and it ensured that the Conservatives’s campaign was stalled. They couldn’t advance into Finland, and the Finnish Nationalists couldn’t attack Russia.
Angered, the leading Conservatives ordered their soldiers to attack the Independence Faction’s forces in Siberia, but this was an expected move as well. Worse, the disloyal factions had attempted to safeguard their gains by allying with foreign powers in Asia - Kokand and Khiva agreed to support the Siberian rebels, and their support ensured that no gains the Conservatives made beyond the Urals would be kept.
This stalemate persisted until November 1848. That month saw the Tsarist Loyalists approach the Conservative Coalition with a proposal - they would speak with both the Conservative Coalition and the Decentralization Faction and attempt to form a compromise that all three factions could agree with. The Conservative Coalition’s leaders, enraged at how ineffective their military efforts were, agreed, hoping that some victory could be found by negotiation. This idea infuriated some of their less moderate members, but those representatives were ignored, to Russia’s later detriment.
The Minsk Conference did manage to create a unified faction of Russians. The Conservatives got promises of future expansion in Asia and against the Ottomans. The Tsarist Loyalists got reassurance that the Duma would never attempt to overturn the Tsar’s will. The Decentralization Faction managed to allow the Duma representatives and governors to have much more power - but not enough power to threaten the Duma’s central authority.
Most of all three of these factions were satisfied with this compromise, but there was still a large minority that weren’t. Most of these swallowed their grievances, but they didn’t forget them - they saw a future where Russia would be less stable, and their grievances would be heard. Still, not everyone was so agreeable - the Alyeskan Colonialists split off of the Conservative Coalition entirely and seized control of Sitka. A few other representatives left to act as warlords.
The new unified Russian faction moved to attack Åland, hoping to use the islands as a base from which to strike at Finland. They hoped to defeat the Scandinavian Faction quickly and then crush the rebellious Siberians. Their plan initially worked, but it led to many of the members of the Scandinavian Faction to flee to Sweden, where they would cause problems for Russia. Still, by February 1849, the Scandinavian Faction had effectively collapsed.
The Subjugation of Kiev followed. Kiev was ruled by a representative unaligned with anyone, and his attack had harmed many members of the new Russian Coalition. They wanted revenge, and this revenge would also serve to make a point to other representatives like him - join or die. By April, Kiev was subjugated. The other would-be warlords got the message. They had all joined the Coalition by May. Despite this, they remained ambitious, and the Decentralization Faction had provided the perfect method with which to gain more power. Their schemes were just beginning. Many would yet be kingmakers in the civil conflicts to come.
The Siberian rebels were attacked in June, and they fought back hard. It wasn’t enough to save their cause, though. Their allies, seeing the overwhelming force arrayed against them, abandoned them, which temporarily saved them from conquest but doomed them in the long term. The Siberians fought on all the same, but they had been completely defeated by November.
Still, the fight was tiring, and many simply wanted to be done with civil war. The Alyeskans were offered an autonomous realm to rule as they pleased, and they accepted.
It appeared as though the Russian Age of Chaos was over, but that was far from true. There was calm after that, yes, but it was only the calm before the storm. It was the eye of the hurricane.
AN: Things still aren't great, but it isn't an outright war anymore?
Oh, and please vote in the Q2 ACAs! All nominations are appreciated!
Things didn’t turn out that cleanly. The Independence Faction was prepared for an attack, and they confronted the Conservatives at St. Petersburg. The Battle of St. Petersburg was fierce, and tens of thousands of Russians died - and it changed nothing. The Battle was a stalemate, and it ensured that the Conservatives’s campaign was stalled. They couldn’t advance into Finland, and the Finnish Nationalists couldn’t attack Russia.
Angered, the leading Conservatives ordered their soldiers to attack the Independence Faction’s forces in Siberia, but this was an expected move as well. Worse, the disloyal factions had attempted to safeguard their gains by allying with foreign powers in Asia - Kokand and Khiva agreed to support the Siberian rebels, and their support ensured that no gains the Conservatives made beyond the Urals would be kept.
This stalemate persisted until November 1848. That month saw the Tsarist Loyalists approach the Conservative Coalition with a proposal - they would speak with both the Conservative Coalition and the Decentralization Faction and attempt to form a compromise that all three factions could agree with. The Conservative Coalition’s leaders, enraged at how ineffective their military efforts were, agreed, hoping that some victory could be found by negotiation. This idea infuriated some of their less moderate members, but those representatives were ignored, to Russia’s later detriment.
The Minsk Conference did manage to create a unified faction of Russians. The Conservatives got promises of future expansion in Asia and against the Ottomans. The Tsarist Loyalists got reassurance that the Duma would never attempt to overturn the Tsar’s will. The Decentralization Faction managed to allow the Duma representatives and governors to have much more power - but not enough power to threaten the Duma’s central authority.
Most of all three of these factions were satisfied with this compromise, but there was still a large minority that weren’t. Most of these swallowed their grievances, but they didn’t forget them - they saw a future where Russia would be less stable, and their grievances would be heard. Still, not everyone was so agreeable - the Alyeskan Colonialists split off of the Conservative Coalition entirely and seized control of Sitka. A few other representatives left to act as warlords.
The new unified Russian faction moved to attack Åland, hoping to use the islands as a base from which to strike at Finland. They hoped to defeat the Scandinavian Faction quickly and then crush the rebellious Siberians. Their plan initially worked, but it led to many of the members of the Scandinavian Faction to flee to Sweden, where they would cause problems for Russia. Still, by February 1849, the Scandinavian Faction had effectively collapsed.
The Subjugation of Kiev followed. Kiev was ruled by a representative unaligned with anyone, and his attack had harmed many members of the new Russian Coalition. They wanted revenge, and this revenge would also serve to make a point to other representatives like him - join or die. By April, Kiev was subjugated. The other would-be warlords got the message. They had all joined the Coalition by May. Despite this, they remained ambitious, and the Decentralization Faction had provided the perfect method with which to gain more power. Their schemes were just beginning. Many would yet be kingmakers in the civil conflicts to come.
The Siberian rebels were attacked in June, and they fought back hard. It wasn’t enough to save their cause, though. Their allies, seeing the overwhelming force arrayed against them, abandoned them, which temporarily saved them from conquest but doomed them in the long term. The Siberians fought on all the same, but they had been completely defeated by November.
Still, the fight was tiring, and many simply wanted to be done with civil war. The Alyeskans were offered an autonomous realm to rule as they pleased, and they accepted.
It appeared as though the Russian Age of Chaos was over, but that was far from true. There was calm after that, yes, but it was only the calm before the storm. It was the eye of the hurricane.
AN: Things still aren't great, but it isn't an outright war anymore?
Oh, and please vote in the Q2 ACAs! All nominations are appreciated!
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Oof. OK, so the Scandinavian border is somewhat stable but very insecure.
The siberian border doesn't really exist and is in flux, with various Asian factions taking the chance to gank Russia.
The European border is chaotic and probably going to be looked at again by European powers looking to intervene.
And the government is just about stable with a central coalition who agree that they should listen to the tsar rather than themsevles...for now.
The siberian border doesn't really exist and is in flux, with various Asian factions taking the chance to gank Russia.
The European border is chaotic and probably going to be looked at again by European powers looking to intervene.
And the government is just about stable with a central coalition who agree that they should listen to the tsar rather than themsevles...for now.
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Professional politicians, let us get a compromise that will work until my term is over and then let the next guy deal with the real problems. If this is life in the winner, how bad is it for the losers, Britain and Ottomans? Thank you for your reporting, please keep your protective gear close.
Yep. That will come up again later.
Indeed. Russia has a lot of enemies in Asia - although few of them are large empires. Still, they will take any opportunity they can to weaken Russia.
Most of the rest of Europe is exhausted from the Great European War right now. Russia's fine on that front - for now.
For now. A lot of them don't actually like the Tsar, either, but they think this is the best compromise. At the moment.
More or less. A war wasn't wanted at that moment... but many are just biding their time.
Britain is actually doing okay (probably because they're not as overextended as Russia is right now, and most of their territory is maintained via alliances). The Ottomans aren't doing well, but they still exist.
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The Russian Age of Chaos: Eye of the Hurricane
As the Great European War came to a close and the First Civil War ended, the Duma began debating what to do next. After their draconian peace terms were negotiated down by Tsar Nicholas, Russia was officially at peace for the first time in years. It appeared as if there was no threat of war. Many thought a golden age might be on the horizon.
Appearances are often deceptive. The seeming peace was only held together by the terms of the Minsk Conference, and the flaws in that agreement were quickly becoming apparent. The Treaty of Trabzon made it clear that the Tsar still had great power - too great power, in the opinion of many in the Duma. The Decentralization Faction feared Tsar Nicholas’s total control over foreign policy, which they now realized could be used as leverage against individual governors. They feared their land being negotiated away in a peace treaty. The Militant Conservatives, for their part, thought that the Treaty of Trabzon didn’t go far enough and that Tsar Nicholas was too much of a pacifist.
It would take them away a while to address their concerns, however. In the meantime, the Tsar began to prepare for another pan-European war. He formed alliances with Austria and Denmark and cemented many previous alliances. These would come in handy later, as Russia was on the verge of collapsing.
Meanwhile, the now effectively autonomous Dominion of Alyeska had its own problems. In December 1849, mere weeks after the Great European War ended, the problems with a self-governing Alyeska began to make themselves known. In Sitka, riots occurred. Some rioters wanted greater support from the Russian government, but others wanted a greater degree of autonomy - indeed, some wanted full independence. The official government of the Dominion managed to deal with the crisis in Sitka through decisive action, but that only inspired riots in other Alyeskan cities like Juneau and Anchorage. The Alyeskan Crisis would last throughout the Russian Age of Chaos.
As 1850 dawned, the dissatisfied elements of the Duma began to scheme. A secret Duma meeting was scheduled for the Ides of March and only the Conservative and Decentralization Factions were invited. Not even the Tsar himself was invited to - or even allowed to know about - this meeting. It was obvious to almost everyone that treason was going to be discussed during this meeting, but the vast majority of the Duma attended anyway.
The Secret March Duma did indeed discuss treason, but they ultimately decided not to attempt it. Instead, they agreed to attempt to limit the Tsar’s power through legislation. It was clear to all that this was merely a temporary solution, though. The ease with which treason was discussed indicated that it wouldn’t be a last resort of any kind. Indeed, many participants were outright planning treason even after the meeting, but they didn’t act because they believed that it wasn’t the ideal time yet.
Tsar Nicholas, for his part, seemed to sense the discontent amongst his assembly. Some even theorize that he had spies among the parties invited to the Secret March Duma. Regardless, he decided that he needed to do something to counteract the discontent, so he threw his support behind a bill increasing military spending in July, which didn’t exactly inspire confidence that peace would last.
Peace didn’t last. In August, the people of Georgia rose up against Russian rule, kicking off the Second Phase of the Russian Age of Chaos.
Appearances are often deceptive. The seeming peace was only held together by the terms of the Minsk Conference, and the flaws in that agreement were quickly becoming apparent. The Treaty of Trabzon made it clear that the Tsar still had great power - too great power, in the opinion of many in the Duma. The Decentralization Faction feared Tsar Nicholas’s total control over foreign policy, which they now realized could be used as leverage against individual governors. They feared their land being negotiated away in a peace treaty. The Militant Conservatives, for their part, thought that the Treaty of Trabzon didn’t go far enough and that Tsar Nicholas was too much of a pacifist.
It would take them away a while to address their concerns, however. In the meantime, the Tsar began to prepare for another pan-European war. He formed alliances with Austria and Denmark and cemented many previous alliances. These would come in handy later, as Russia was on the verge of collapsing.
Meanwhile, the now effectively autonomous Dominion of Alyeska had its own problems. In December 1849, mere weeks after the Great European War ended, the problems with a self-governing Alyeska began to make themselves known. In Sitka, riots occurred. Some rioters wanted greater support from the Russian government, but others wanted a greater degree of autonomy - indeed, some wanted full independence. The official government of the Dominion managed to deal with the crisis in Sitka through decisive action, but that only inspired riots in other Alyeskan cities like Juneau and Anchorage. The Alyeskan Crisis would last throughout the Russian Age of Chaos.
As 1850 dawned, the dissatisfied elements of the Duma began to scheme. A secret Duma meeting was scheduled for the Ides of March and only the Conservative and Decentralization Factions were invited. Not even the Tsar himself was invited to - or even allowed to know about - this meeting. It was obvious to almost everyone that treason was going to be discussed during this meeting, but the vast majority of the Duma attended anyway.
The Secret March Duma did indeed discuss treason, but they ultimately decided not to attempt it. Instead, they agreed to attempt to limit the Tsar’s power through legislation. It was clear to all that this was merely a temporary solution, though. The ease with which treason was discussed indicated that it wouldn’t be a last resort of any kind. Indeed, many participants were outright planning treason even after the meeting, but they didn’t act because they believed that it wasn’t the ideal time yet.
Tsar Nicholas, for his part, seemed to sense the discontent amongst his assembly. Some even theorize that he had spies among the parties invited to the Secret March Duma. Regardless, he decided that he needed to do something to counteract the discontent, so he threw his support behind a bill increasing military spending in July, which didn’t exactly inspire confidence that peace would last.
Peace didn’t last. In August, the people of Georgia rose up against Russian rule, kicking off the Second Phase of the Russian Age of Chaos.
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Russian Age of Chaos lasts until . . . mid 1950s? Thank you, keep Georgia loyal to union, if they go Alabama may be next.
First implies there will be a second, if not more.
I mean increasing the size of his army will certainly send a message to discontents. It just won't be the message Nicholas hopes.
I am, of course, rooting for Georgia in this.
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