The duel let me down! My worst scenario would be one dead and one kin-slayer trait (with this family that would garner positive opinion); best scenario double fatality. But Brother O'Toole's law (Murphy was an optimist) reared its ugly head and both brothers survived. Can a blinded (Byzantine rules) Konstantin inherit? If Byzantine rules apply, can the royal family be castrated for the good of humanity? Thank you for the update.
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The duel let me down! My worst scenario would be one dead and one kin-slayer trait (with this family that would garner positive opinion); best scenario double fatality. But Brother O'Toole's law (Murphy was an optimist) reared its ugly head and both brothers survived. Can a blinded (Byzantine rules) Konstantin inherit? If Byzantine rules apply, can the royal family be castrated for the good of humanity? Thank you for the update.
As blinded rulers have come back before, yes. Still, a very messy result.
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The Russian Age of Chaos: the Second Civil War - the Struggle for St. Petersburg, Part 4
Despite the fact that Konstantin was now blind, he could still claim the throne. Russia was unlike the Eastern Roman Empire in that the blind could rule… in theory.
In practice, of course, a blind claimant to the throne had extreme difficulty in actually keeping support. Blindness heavily harmed the ability of a ruler to actually rule… and, arguably more importantly, to command armies.
All of which meant that Tsar Konstantin was in a terrible position after his victory in the First Battle of St. Petersburg. He held the capital, but he was about to face his brother, Alexander II, who had also won a victory. Alexander II’s forces had a huge increase in morale from his capture of Moscow and its surroundings, and he wasn’t blind.
Konstantin considered challenging Alexander I to a duel… but his blindness pretty much made such a duel a foregone conclusion. He still intended to claim his rightful throne, though, so he resorted to fighting a traditional battle.
Konstantin couldn’t really lead his men against his brother, so he was forced to rely on his generals during this battle. This would ultimately prove fatal to his cause in the short term, although he was able to recover from it eventually. Unfortunately, many of his generals were either inexperienced or not completely loyal.
This was actually an enormous problem. Alexander II was able to convince many of the generals that a blind Tsar would prove horrible for Russia, which led to their betrayal and massive confusion within the ranks of Konstantin’s loyalists. The argument about blindness also managed to convince many local officials - including the Mayor of St. Petersburg - to support him as an alternative to Konstantin.
The end result of that was Konstantin’s Inglorious Retreat - where he was forced to leave St. Petersburg to his brother. Indeed, the Inglorious Retreat eventually ended in the Caucasus, which still supported Konstantin, and it temporarily knocked Tsar Konstantin out of being a serious contender to govern Russia during the Russian Age of Chaos.
There were many reasons for this, and a lot of them ultimately rested on the fact that Konstantin was now blind. His blindness meant that the Duma now viewed his chances of success as extraordinarily slim and left his faction, taking large portions of territory with them. They now entered into negotiations with the Rus League, the Triumvirate, and Tsar Alexander II. The outcome of those negotiations would lead to the beginning of a cold period in the Russian Age of Chaos where there was a small amount of direct conflict and a lot of negotiation. This cold period would last until May 1854, and many historians argue that the Second Russian Civil War ended in October 1854, although the counterargument to that is that the war would have almost no new factions, and the cold period didn’t even last a year.
The three main relevant factions were the Rus League, the Triumvirate, and Tsar Alexander II. To his credit, Tsar Konstantin still commanded the loyalty of a large portion of the Caucasus Mountains, and Georgia still supported him.
Konstantin lost most of his generals in the aftermath of the Duma’s defection, as most of them were loyal to the Duma above him. Many of the more inexperienced ones had been killed at St. Petersburg, and a few had defected to Tsar Alexander II over the blindness issue. Indeed, by the time things settled down, he only had around three loyal generals - all of whom would become famous.
In practice, of course, a blind claimant to the throne had extreme difficulty in actually keeping support. Blindness heavily harmed the ability of a ruler to actually rule… and, arguably more importantly, to command armies.
All of which meant that Tsar Konstantin was in a terrible position after his victory in the First Battle of St. Petersburg. He held the capital, but he was about to face his brother, Alexander II, who had also won a victory. Alexander II’s forces had a huge increase in morale from his capture of Moscow and its surroundings, and he wasn’t blind.
Konstantin considered challenging Alexander I to a duel… but his blindness pretty much made such a duel a foregone conclusion. He still intended to claim his rightful throne, though, so he resorted to fighting a traditional battle.
Konstantin couldn’t really lead his men against his brother, so he was forced to rely on his generals during this battle. This would ultimately prove fatal to his cause in the short term, although he was able to recover from it eventually. Unfortunately, many of his generals were either inexperienced or not completely loyal.
This was actually an enormous problem. Alexander II was able to convince many of the generals that a blind Tsar would prove horrible for Russia, which led to their betrayal and massive confusion within the ranks of Konstantin’s loyalists. The argument about blindness also managed to convince many local officials - including the Mayor of St. Petersburg - to support him as an alternative to Konstantin.
The end result of that was Konstantin’s Inglorious Retreat - where he was forced to leave St. Petersburg to his brother. Indeed, the Inglorious Retreat eventually ended in the Caucasus, which still supported Konstantin, and it temporarily knocked Tsar Konstantin out of being a serious contender to govern Russia during the Russian Age of Chaos.
There were many reasons for this, and a lot of them ultimately rested on the fact that Konstantin was now blind. His blindness meant that the Duma now viewed his chances of success as extraordinarily slim and left his faction, taking large portions of territory with them. They now entered into negotiations with the Rus League, the Triumvirate, and Tsar Alexander II. The outcome of those negotiations would lead to the beginning of a cold period in the Russian Age of Chaos where there was a small amount of direct conflict and a lot of negotiation. This cold period would last until May 1854, and many historians argue that the Second Russian Civil War ended in October 1854, although the counterargument to that is that the war would have almost no new factions, and the cold period didn’t even last a year.
The three main relevant factions were the Rus League, the Triumvirate, and Tsar Alexander II. To his credit, Tsar Konstantin still commanded the loyalty of a large portion of the Caucasus Mountains, and Georgia still supported him.
Konstantin lost most of his generals in the aftermath of the Duma’s defection, as most of them were loyal to the Duma above him. Many of the more inexperienced ones had been killed at St. Petersburg, and a few had defected to Tsar Alexander II over the blindness issue. Indeed, by the time things settled down, he only had around three loyal generals - all of whom would become famous.
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Byzantine rules don't apply. And, yes, it would arguably be better if the Romanovs didn't continue their line given the chaos that they're generating in Russia right now.
It was indeed rather messy. Still, I wouldn't count Konstantin out just yet.
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Konstantin needs a seeing-eye horse and a white-tipped sword. While the eyes may not see, the brain still functions and with good information, he should be able to make decisions as good as ever. Thank you for the update.
Due to real life, there won’t be an update today. The normal schedule will resume Sunday, though - we’re not on hiatus again.
Konstantin can still govern well - he just needs more reliable people to carry out that government. I wouldn’t count him out just yet.
Konstantin can still govern well - he just needs more reliable people to carry out that government. I wouldn’t count him out just yet.
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The Russian Age of Chaos: The Eye of the Hurricane
After the St. Petersburg debacle, all factions in the war settled down to lick their wounds. The Triumvirate was defeated, but they had lost nothing. Tsar Konstantin had lost St. Petersburg, his eyes, a favorable position in the civil war, and nearly his life, but he still retained some lands. The blind man had suffered a horrific setback, and it would take him years to recover from that, but only a fool would ignore his existence entirely.
The greatest victor was Tsar Alexander II, but his victory was extremely hollow. He ruled the two greatest cities in Russia, and that meant absolutely nothing at all. Alexander’s hope had been that a victory at St. Petersburg would encourage his saner brother to reach a compromise and encourage the Rus League to surrender, but neither event had happened. He had only gained his brother’s undying enmity and eternal refusal to surrender. Indeed, his own opinion on the event is summarized in his memoirs, which proclaim:
“I had wanted a critical blow that would permanently end the war, not mere legitimacy. I had legitimacy already. I wanted to reconcile with my sibling, who, despite our conflict, I had loved. I had wanted a negotiated peace that would make everything right, and all I achieved was horrible. My victory meant that Russia’s sentence was to fight itself for at least as long as I lived. My duel with my brother almost killed him, which I will always regret. At the time, I justified it as a price that I paid for victory… but, now, I realize that it was unforgivable. When I blinded my brother, my eyes were truly opened - my ambition had worsened an already horrific war, and my decision had doomed Russia to an eternity of warfare. Perhaps it may yet be spared in exchange for my life…”
Regardless of Alexander II’s personal dark thoughts, he seems to have believed that he had a small window of time to contribute to Russia’s glory. He opened an art collection in Moscow on August 11, 1853, which showed peaceful scenes. It seemed as if he wanted his subjects to believe that peace was possible, even if he thought that he could never witness any peace. To his credit, it seems to have temporarily worked. Alexander’s domain in Russia operated normally for a couple of years and even made and restored diplomatic alliances. It would create most of the infrastructure that the empire would use during the Grand Restoration, and some have argued that the Grand Restoration would’ve been impossible without Alexander II’s deeds.
Of course, Alexander II didn’t rule over a united Russia, no matter how much his subjects liked to pretend otherwise. Anton Yegorov continued to plot from Finland, and his greatest coup was yet to come. Tsar Nicholas I almost managed to secure diplomatic recognition of his independent Tsardom of Poland from France and Austria.
Most importantly, Tsar Konstantin continued to plot his restoration. He managed to secure a great coup by assassinating the Tsar of Siberia in early 1852 and seizing control over the warring remnants of his kingdom between that year and 1855.
The hurricane resumed its mighty winds in May 1854, but things got far worse in December.
The greatest victor was Tsar Alexander II, but his victory was extremely hollow. He ruled the two greatest cities in Russia, and that meant absolutely nothing at all. Alexander’s hope had been that a victory at St. Petersburg would encourage his saner brother to reach a compromise and encourage the Rus League to surrender, but neither event had happened. He had only gained his brother’s undying enmity and eternal refusal to surrender. Indeed, his own opinion on the event is summarized in his memoirs, which proclaim:
“I had wanted a critical blow that would permanently end the war, not mere legitimacy. I had legitimacy already. I wanted to reconcile with my sibling, who, despite our conflict, I had loved. I had wanted a negotiated peace that would make everything right, and all I achieved was horrible. My victory meant that Russia’s sentence was to fight itself for at least as long as I lived. My duel with my brother almost killed him, which I will always regret. At the time, I justified it as a price that I paid for victory… but, now, I realize that it was unforgivable. When I blinded my brother, my eyes were truly opened - my ambition had worsened an already horrific war, and my decision had doomed Russia to an eternity of warfare. Perhaps it may yet be spared in exchange for my life…”
Regardless of Alexander II’s personal dark thoughts, he seems to have believed that he had a small window of time to contribute to Russia’s glory. He opened an art collection in Moscow on August 11, 1853, which showed peaceful scenes. It seemed as if he wanted his subjects to believe that peace was possible, even if he thought that he could never witness any peace. To his credit, it seems to have temporarily worked. Alexander’s domain in Russia operated normally for a couple of years and even made and restored diplomatic alliances. It would create most of the infrastructure that the empire would use during the Grand Restoration, and some have argued that the Grand Restoration would’ve been impossible without Alexander II’s deeds.
Of course, Alexander II didn’t rule over a united Russia, no matter how much his subjects liked to pretend otherwise. Anton Yegorov continued to plot from Finland, and his greatest coup was yet to come. Tsar Nicholas I almost managed to secure diplomatic recognition of his independent Tsardom of Poland from France and Austria.
Most importantly, Tsar Konstantin continued to plot his restoration. He managed to secure a great coup by assassinating the Tsar of Siberia in early 1852 and seizing control over the warring remnants of his kingdom between that year and 1855.
The hurricane resumed its mighty winds in May 1854, but things got far worse in December.
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We must be in the eye of the storm as a calmness dominated with deep eddies below. Thank you
This is a very realistic protrayel of a civil war in Russia...it goes on forever and no one gets anywhere.
Mind you, it dies mean that once it is all resolved, and Russia has a few years of peace, it'll be stable and strong enough to destroy the rest of europe.
Mind you, it dies mean that once it is all resolved, and Russia has a few years of peace, it'll be stable and strong enough to destroy the rest of europe.
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The Russian Age of Chaos: Yegorov's Distraction (the Third Battle of St. Petersburg)
In March and April, there were mysterious crime sprees throughout St. Petersburg. At first, Tsar Alexander II thought nothing of this - his subjects must be tired of the war, so he tried to pass some laws that would alleviate the effects of the war. He repealed laws that mandated military service, and, to his credit, it did increase his approval ratings. It also increased the effectiveness of his army, as most of the soldiers who subsequently joined his army actually wanted to fight for him.
The crime sprees also stopped, and Tsar Alexander thought that they were just a symptom of unrest… but he was wrong. It turned out that something far more sinister was occurring - many of the criminals had been paid… and some of them even admitted this. Unfortunately, they refused to divulge who they were being funded by, although other sources tell us that their backer was Anton Yegorov.
The point of this was to serve as a minor distraction while Yegorov worked on his big scheme that he believed would effectively end the Second (or maybe the Third?) Russian Civil War. However, he had not expected Tsar Alexander’s response to it, which he didn’t even think was an option. Instead, he had expected the Claimant Tsar to crack down on crime in St. Petersburg, which he hoped would keep Alexander distracted.
Despite this setback, Yegorov was very good at planning on the fly and adjusting his plans to account for unknown variables. He quickly realized that he could sponsor a revolt in St. Petersburg anyway, and this revolt began in May. Yegorov’s methods to force a revolt were simple - he offered money to a few people and appealed to the more militaristic portion of the Russian population by having some of his agents in St. Petersburg decry Tsar Alexander as weak. These papers further implied that Tsar Alexander would be easy to manipulate for domestic factions and for foreign powers.
Of course, this propaganda move had its downsides. It granted Tsar Alexander greater support amongst some of the former supporters of the Duma and even a few supporters of the Rus League. The fact that Tsar Alexander actually was willing to compromise with some of his old foes allowed these alliances to last and arguably allowed the Russian Golden Age to happen.
In the short term, though, the propaganda did manage to cause the Claimant Tsar to lose St. Petersburg. Many of the militarists moved there and attempted to take it for themselves because of its strategic value. The propaganda allowed them to briefly succeed in June, as the Mayor of St. Petersburg was beginning to have doubts about Alexander’s ability to bring peace. This forced Tsar Alexander to march his army of willing volunteers to the city and to besiege it, which ultimately took four months - Alexander only recaptured St. Petersburg in late October 1854.
From a strategic perspective, Yegorov’s schemes succeeded completely - he managed to prevent Tsar Alexander II from doing anything that could change the nature of the war before he could pull off his diplomatic coup d’état.
The crime sprees also stopped, and Tsar Alexander thought that they were just a symptom of unrest… but he was wrong. It turned out that something far more sinister was occurring - many of the criminals had been paid… and some of them even admitted this. Unfortunately, they refused to divulge who they were being funded by, although other sources tell us that their backer was Anton Yegorov.
The point of this was to serve as a minor distraction while Yegorov worked on his big scheme that he believed would effectively end the Second (or maybe the Third?) Russian Civil War. However, he had not expected Tsar Alexander’s response to it, which he didn’t even think was an option. Instead, he had expected the Claimant Tsar to crack down on crime in St. Petersburg, which he hoped would keep Alexander distracted.
Despite this setback, Yegorov was very good at planning on the fly and adjusting his plans to account for unknown variables. He quickly realized that he could sponsor a revolt in St. Petersburg anyway, and this revolt began in May. Yegorov’s methods to force a revolt were simple - he offered money to a few people and appealed to the more militaristic portion of the Russian population by having some of his agents in St. Petersburg decry Tsar Alexander as weak. These papers further implied that Tsar Alexander would be easy to manipulate for domestic factions and for foreign powers.
Of course, this propaganda move had its downsides. It granted Tsar Alexander greater support amongst some of the former supporters of the Duma and even a few supporters of the Rus League. The fact that Tsar Alexander actually was willing to compromise with some of his old foes allowed these alliances to last and arguably allowed the Russian Golden Age to happen.
In the short term, though, the propaganda did manage to cause the Claimant Tsar to lose St. Petersburg. Many of the militarists moved there and attempted to take it for themselves because of its strategic value. The propaganda allowed them to briefly succeed in June, as the Mayor of St. Petersburg was beginning to have doubts about Alexander’s ability to bring peace. This forced Tsar Alexander to march his army of willing volunteers to the city and to besiege it, which ultimately took four months - Alexander only recaptured St. Petersburg in late October 1854.
From a strategic perspective, Yegorov’s schemes succeeded completely - he managed to prevent Tsar Alexander II from doing anything that could change the nature of the war before he could pull off his diplomatic coup d’état.
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And the eye didn't last very long at all.
It does seem to be going on forever.
Of course, we'll see how it looks at the end of the Age of Chaos. Of course, multiple factions want an expansionist Russia, so we'll see how that plays out.
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Russia's onion domes and Matryoshka dolls are symbols of the government's layers. As you peel away one problem or motive, another appears. Thank you for the update.
The Russian Age of Chaos: The Common Enemy
In December, Yegorov’s diplomacy finally paid off when the Swedes declared war on Russia, as they wanted to reclaim Finland. This act achieved a lot of what Yegorov wanted it to - it caused a temporary lull in the fighting between the claimants for the Russian throne. Yegorov had remembered that the Great European War had encouraged a compromise between the different factions of Russia a few years ago, and that taught him that a common enemy was one of the few things that could unite Russia.
He was almost completely right. Neither the Blind Tsar Konstantin nor the Claimant Tsar Alexander II had any intention of losing territory to an outside power, and, interestingly, neither did the Rus League. The Prince of Kiev and his supporters thought that Russia needed to be more decentralized, but they never dreamed of giving up land to a foreign power, which they thought would lead to oppression of the ethnic Russians. The three factions gnashed their teeth about having to work together, but they did cooperate - the alternative was unacceptable.
There were two exceptions to Russia’s newfound unity, though. One was the conservative Tsar of Siberia, who had begun to like having his own small kingdom and worried that the newfound unity of Russia’s forces would move on him next. This fear caused him to ally with the invading Swedes. The other was Nicholas I, who joined with the Swedish invaders for unclear reasons.
A thousand theories about the motives of the Mad Tsar have been proposed, but the most popular are also the ones that make the most sense. The first theory is that Nicholas I had grown attached to his new domain in Poland and wished to make it a truly sovereign state, even if it meant giving up his claim on Russia as a whole… which is supported by the fact that he signed diplomatic negotiations with Sweden, Britain, and other European powers as “King Nicholas I of Poland”... even after the Finnish War had concluded - he actually did that until his ultimate death at the end of the Russian Age of Chaos. The other popular theory fits with his worldview that only an eternal war would keep Russia intact - it proposes that the Mad Tsar thought that the Russian Age of Chaos was coming to an end, and he was trying to extend it.
Whatever the reason why Nicholas I sided with Sweden, he did. Yegorov, for his part, initially offered to guide the Swedish army through Finland, and he technically kept that promise. In truth, he was leading them into a trap in exchange for pardons from both claimants to the title of Tsar for his previous crimes. The Swedes had no knowledge of this until it happened.
However, a few of Nicholas I’s spies did discover Yegorov’s plans and reported them to their master… who responded by sending a letter to both the Swedish army and the Tsar of Siberia about it. The letter to the Swedes was intercepted by spies loyal to Yegorov and destroyed, but the letter to the Tsar of Siberia reached its destination. This caused the two members of the Triumvirate to agree to a secret meeting in the Urals in the middle of January 1855 - where each agreed to support the other’s bid for independence. They also agreed to end their alliance with Yegorov. The Triumvirate, for all intents and purposes, had been dissolved.
He was almost completely right. Neither the Blind Tsar Konstantin nor the Claimant Tsar Alexander II had any intention of losing territory to an outside power, and, interestingly, neither did the Rus League. The Prince of Kiev and his supporters thought that Russia needed to be more decentralized, but they never dreamed of giving up land to a foreign power, which they thought would lead to oppression of the ethnic Russians. The three factions gnashed their teeth about having to work together, but they did cooperate - the alternative was unacceptable.
There were two exceptions to Russia’s newfound unity, though. One was the conservative Tsar of Siberia, who had begun to like having his own small kingdom and worried that the newfound unity of Russia’s forces would move on him next. This fear caused him to ally with the invading Swedes. The other was Nicholas I, who joined with the Swedish invaders for unclear reasons.
A thousand theories about the motives of the Mad Tsar have been proposed, but the most popular are also the ones that make the most sense. The first theory is that Nicholas I had grown attached to his new domain in Poland and wished to make it a truly sovereign state, even if it meant giving up his claim on Russia as a whole… which is supported by the fact that he signed diplomatic negotiations with Sweden, Britain, and other European powers as “King Nicholas I of Poland”... even after the Finnish War had concluded - he actually did that until his ultimate death at the end of the Russian Age of Chaos. The other popular theory fits with his worldview that only an eternal war would keep Russia intact - it proposes that the Mad Tsar thought that the Russian Age of Chaos was coming to an end, and he was trying to extend it.
Whatever the reason why Nicholas I sided with Sweden, he did. Yegorov, for his part, initially offered to guide the Swedish army through Finland, and he technically kept that promise. In truth, he was leading them into a trap in exchange for pardons from both claimants to the title of Tsar for his previous crimes. The Swedes had no knowledge of this until it happened.
However, a few of Nicholas I’s spies did discover Yegorov’s plans and reported them to their master… who responded by sending a letter to both the Swedish army and the Tsar of Siberia about it. The letter to the Swedes was intercepted by spies loyal to Yegorov and destroyed, but the letter to the Tsar of Siberia reached its destination. This caused the two members of the Triumvirate to agree to a secret meeting in the Urals in the middle of January 1855 - where each agreed to support the other’s bid for independence. They also agreed to end their alliance with Yegorov. The Triumvirate, for all intents and purposes, had been dissolved.
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Tsar Nicholas wants to be a Polish dog wagging a Russian tail. He must be Mad! The Tsar of Siberia, would have a different outlook, if the disputed lands was in his neighborhood. Signs of unity in Russia, the world is going mad. Thank you for the update.
The Russian Age of Chaos: Foreign Response to the Invasion of Finland
The unity created by Sweden’s attack was a good thing for Russia, but there were many caveats. Russia had plenty of allies, and they had their own interests - interests that encouraged them to support Russia. To make matters worse, Sweden was also allied with both Britain and the Ottoman Empire. There was a real risk of a Second Great European War breaking out as a result of Sweden’s declaration of war.
Of course Yegorov knew that when he created the plan - he hoped to humiliate the Ottomans in order to prove Russian superiority - and, like most Russians, he saw Russia as the rightful heir to the Roman Empire and, especially, Constantinople. Part of his plan was to trigger a Second Great European War, and he wasn’t the only person in Russia who had that plan.
Tsar Nicholas I wrote letters to both the Ottomans and Britain asking for aid in his struggle for independence. More importantly, he saw another Great European War as a recipe for stability and nationalism - which would, conveniently, aid both Russia and his claimed kingdom of Poland. Which of these nationalities he wanted to aid more is unclear - and it’s possible that Nicholas I had forgotten his original motivations and ideals entirely and merely wished to embroil Russia in eternal war for the sake of war itself.
Tsar Konstantin and Tsar Alexander II, for their part, didn’t want a new Great European War at all - they considered the possibility and concluded that it would lead to the death of thousands in exchange for nothing. After all, their goals - Russian reunification and increased nationalism - could be achieved by a simple war against Sweden.
Most of the other great powers in Europe agreed that another general war on the continent would be a needless loss of life. Many of them were already considering another hotspot of discontent - Hungary, and they didn’t want to embroil themselves in Russian affairs and give their opponents an edge there. Still, Russia’s allies, especially Austria and the Papal States, refused to sacrifice their alliance and agreed to support Russia against Sweden. A Second Great European War seemed inevitable…
Neither Russian Tsar wanted this, and both agreed to a temporary truce and even alliance in order to deal with the invasion. As part of this, they traveled to London to discuss what Britain wanted - and that meeting saw the discussion of many topics. Konstantin did most of the talking, and that would prove extremely significant in later Russian history. He refused to give Britain territory to keep them from intervening (they wanted Alyeska), but he did reach a compromise. Russia and its allies weren’t allowed to annex any land from Sweden, and they shouldn’t noticeably disturb the balance of power in Europe. While this limited the potential gains from the war, it wasn’t that harsh, so the Russian Tsars agreed to its terms.
In exchange, Britain refused to support Sweden’s aggression, and they told the Ottomans that they wouldn’t aid them against Russian wrath if they declared war. The Turks, unsure that the Russian unity wouldn’t last long enough to crush them, decided that declaring war would be an unwise move.
The remnants of the Triumvirate did manage to score an official alliance and recognition of their independence from the Swedish monarch, but this was simply an extension of the civil war. For all intents and purposes, the wider European crisis was averted… for the moment.
Of course Yegorov knew that when he created the plan - he hoped to humiliate the Ottomans in order to prove Russian superiority - and, like most Russians, he saw Russia as the rightful heir to the Roman Empire and, especially, Constantinople. Part of his plan was to trigger a Second Great European War, and he wasn’t the only person in Russia who had that plan.
Tsar Nicholas I wrote letters to both the Ottomans and Britain asking for aid in his struggle for independence. More importantly, he saw another Great European War as a recipe for stability and nationalism - which would, conveniently, aid both Russia and his claimed kingdom of Poland. Which of these nationalities he wanted to aid more is unclear - and it’s possible that Nicholas I had forgotten his original motivations and ideals entirely and merely wished to embroil Russia in eternal war for the sake of war itself.
Tsar Konstantin and Tsar Alexander II, for their part, didn’t want a new Great European War at all - they considered the possibility and concluded that it would lead to the death of thousands in exchange for nothing. After all, their goals - Russian reunification and increased nationalism - could be achieved by a simple war against Sweden.
Most of the other great powers in Europe agreed that another general war on the continent would be a needless loss of life. Many of them were already considering another hotspot of discontent - Hungary, and they didn’t want to embroil themselves in Russian affairs and give their opponents an edge there. Still, Russia’s allies, especially Austria and the Papal States, refused to sacrifice their alliance and agreed to support Russia against Sweden. A Second Great European War seemed inevitable…
Neither Russian Tsar wanted this, and both agreed to a temporary truce and even alliance in order to deal with the invasion. As part of this, they traveled to London to discuss what Britain wanted - and that meeting saw the discussion of many topics. Konstantin did most of the talking, and that would prove extremely significant in later Russian history. He refused to give Britain territory to keep them from intervening (they wanted Alyeska), but he did reach a compromise. Russia and its allies weren’t allowed to annex any land from Sweden, and they shouldn’t noticeably disturb the balance of power in Europe. While this limited the potential gains from the war, it wasn’t that harsh, so the Russian Tsars agreed to its terms.
In exchange, Britain refused to support Sweden’s aggression, and they told the Ottomans that they wouldn’t aid them against Russian wrath if they declared war. The Turks, unsure that the Russian unity wouldn’t last long enough to crush them, decided that declaring war would be an unwise move.
The remnants of the Triumvirate did manage to score an official alliance and recognition of their independence from the Swedish monarch, but this was simply an extension of the civil war. For all intents and purposes, the wider European crisis was averted… for the moment.
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Times are indeed getting stranger...
Nicholas is complicated. His motivations are meant to be a little unclear - does he believe his "eternal war" shtick? Is he an opportunist? Does he still want to rule Russia? All of that's meant to be a little unclear.
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Two episodes with Russian unity (mostly), the world has turned upside down. How strong is the Papacy? The Pope is supporting Orthodox Russia vs. Protestant Sweden. Is Vicky peace deals like EU where everything is on the table or CK's limited options? Thank you for the update.
The Russian Age of Chaos: The Russo-Swedish War
The forces of Russia’s allies quickly entered the territories of Tsar Alexander II, and he accepted their aid and offered his thanks. Still, it would take a while for the war to begin in earnest.
Indeed, before any conflict occurred, it was discovered that Belgium was unintentionally aiding the Swedes, but they had a very different endgame. Belgium wished for an independent Finland, which they saw as a good ally. Tsar Alexander II discovered that scheme and executed the Belgian spies, but the damage was almost done. Tsar Alexander realized that any other country or even faction could be interfering in Russia’s affairs - he needed to worry about espionage from not only other factions in the Russian Age of Chaos but also foreign powers… which would increase his paranoia and ultimately destroy his regime.
Still, that was a long way off. Alexander managed to placate the agitated Fins by pointing out what would happen if they succeeded in their scheme. They would never be able to keep their independence - even if a Russian faction didn’t bring them to heel, they still needed to worry about Sweden.
In June 1855, a small Russian force fought Sweden at Tornio, but they were defeated. It was at this moment that Russia’s alliances began to prove themselves useful, as Austria defeated the Swedes and drove them out of rightfully Russian territory.
This gave Tsar Alexander the room to maneuver their soldiers, which he quickly did, uniting them with the armies of the Catholic Church. This coalition then met the Swedes in a great battle at Hammerfest, where they won a decisive victory. This opened up most of Sweden to occupation by the Russian Coalition and their allies.
Indeed, most of Sweden was occupied by 1858, but, in January, Denmark signed a peace with Sweden that kept territory status quo ante bellum. This allowed Sweden to reclaim territory, which led to more conflict with the Russian Coalition and their allies.
In March, the forces of both Tsars attacked a Swedish force at Hamar. This city was near a lot of water, but it wasn’t near the sea. Instead, it stood on the shores of Lake Mjøsa, which Tsar Konstantin realized could aid the Russians. The Russian forces won the battle by destroying many of the fortifications that were keeping water out of the city. After they had done that, they left the city.
This left the Swedes with a difficult choice. They could chase the Russians, which would mean abandoning their citizens but might lead to a victory, or they could help the civilians create new fortifications to keep the lake back, but that would mean conceding most of the rest of Sweden to the Russian forces.
Ultimately, the Swedish army decided that the needs of a single city shouldn’t outweigh the needs of the entire country and chased the Russians, which would prove futile. In April, they were defeated anyway at the Battle of Gävle, which occurred near Stockholm. This would lead to panic in Stockholm and a request for a peace meeting.
This peace meeting would prove surprisingly productive, and a peace treaty was agreed upon in August. Sweden would grant independence to Norway, but there wouldn’t be any other territorial changes.
Yegorov told both Tsars that this treaty was a bad idea since it didn’t guarantee that the independent Norway could defeat Sweden, but neither the Tsars nor their foreign allies were willing to commit to a war in the frigid Scandinavian peninsula. Their point was made - aggression against rightful Russian land wouldn’t be tolerated.
Indeed, before any conflict occurred, it was discovered that Belgium was unintentionally aiding the Swedes, but they had a very different endgame. Belgium wished for an independent Finland, which they saw as a good ally. Tsar Alexander II discovered that scheme and executed the Belgian spies, but the damage was almost done. Tsar Alexander realized that any other country or even faction could be interfering in Russia’s affairs - he needed to worry about espionage from not only other factions in the Russian Age of Chaos but also foreign powers… which would increase his paranoia and ultimately destroy his regime.
Still, that was a long way off. Alexander managed to placate the agitated Fins by pointing out what would happen if they succeeded in their scheme. They would never be able to keep their independence - even if a Russian faction didn’t bring them to heel, they still needed to worry about Sweden.
In June 1855, a small Russian force fought Sweden at Tornio, but they were defeated. It was at this moment that Russia’s alliances began to prove themselves useful, as Austria defeated the Swedes and drove them out of rightfully Russian territory.
This gave Tsar Alexander the room to maneuver their soldiers, which he quickly did, uniting them with the armies of the Catholic Church. This coalition then met the Swedes in a great battle at Hammerfest, where they won a decisive victory. This opened up most of Sweden to occupation by the Russian Coalition and their allies.
Indeed, most of Sweden was occupied by 1858, but, in January, Denmark signed a peace with Sweden that kept territory status quo ante bellum. This allowed Sweden to reclaim territory, which led to more conflict with the Russian Coalition and their allies.
In March, the forces of both Tsars attacked a Swedish force at Hamar. This city was near a lot of water, but it wasn’t near the sea. Instead, it stood on the shores of Lake Mjøsa, which Tsar Konstantin realized could aid the Russians. The Russian forces won the battle by destroying many of the fortifications that were keeping water out of the city. After they had done that, they left the city.
This left the Swedes with a difficult choice. They could chase the Russians, which would mean abandoning their citizens but might lead to a victory, or they could help the civilians create new fortifications to keep the lake back, but that would mean conceding most of the rest of Sweden to the Russian forces.
Ultimately, the Swedish army decided that the needs of a single city shouldn’t outweigh the needs of the entire country and chased the Russians, which would prove futile. In April, they were defeated anyway at the Battle of Gävle, which occurred near Stockholm. This would lead to panic in Stockholm and a request for a peace meeting.
This peace meeting would prove surprisingly productive, and a peace treaty was agreed upon in August. Sweden would grant independence to Norway, but there wouldn’t be any other territorial changes.
Yegorov told both Tsars that this treaty was a bad idea since it didn’t guarantee that the independent Norway could defeat Sweden, but neither the Tsars nor their foreign allies were willing to commit to a war in the frigid Scandinavian peninsula. Their point was made - aggression against rightful Russian land wouldn’t be tolerated.
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