1905 - what happened

[Borys]

1905

This was a year of unrest, upheaval and undoing. As if the death throes of the Dark Ones in El Dorado had sent waves of Evil onto the world, poisoning the hearts of man.

In Russia first the current Tsar, Michail II, went mad, with a religious bent. He joined the Skoptsy heretical sect. And was immediately locked up in monastery by the Grand Dukes Vladimir and Kiril, his father's brothers. Who then in turn tore the country apart. Feeling his position versus Vladimir weakening, Kiril drew upon the ungrateful rebellious Polish and Jewish rabble of the Western provinces, and the Black Sea Fleet of which he had once been commander. Vladimir's attempts to bring together an army strong enough to subdue this rebellion were sabotaged by factions adhering to the ,,let the scum go" idea. In their eyes a Russia freed of Poles, Jews and Little Russians would become the Holy Russia worthy of the mantle of the Third Rome.

In the USA the Pacific coast areas, cut off by the almost impassable Andes and the awful seas of the Southern Passages turned its back on the Argentinean part of the country. And immediately disintegrated. The middle of the inhabited part, populated by the freshly conquered Mapuche, called upon the Riddermark to extend protection to them, to the Realm of Araucania. The Spanish speaking north of the country – better dead than Peruvian! – called upon the DKB for protection. The island of Chiloe (south of the populated part) petitioned the newly emerging Iberian Empire for protection.

The Iberian Peninsula continued to be in turmoil. Disenchanted by economic incompetence of ,,communism" rioting – growing into rebellion – tore across the PESN. Quite naturally they looked over the border – to Aragon-Navarra - for help. In Portugal, on the other hand, republican leanings had been drowned in blood of the 1903 rebellion, quelled by foreign intervention. However, the incompetence and weakness of the current king, which cost the country its Ultramar, its cherished Overseas Empire, made those unhappy with the situation turn to a different monarchical solution – to Carlos VIIth of Aragon. To the maternal Grandson of John IVth of Portugal. The local Ultramontanes in a palace coup deposed of the current dynasty, the Braganzas, and called in the Bourbons from Aragon-Navarra.

However, the Portugues demanded to be immediately given a Vice-Rey without any "Castillian taint", Sisto de Borbon-Parma - the most likely successor to the childless Carlista branch of the Bourbons. An added benefit was that Sisto was a maternal grandson of another Portugues king, Miguel I. To make him become heir apparent of the House of Borbon-Parma, as to accommodate the Portuguese demand, all Sisto's older step-brothers were declared imbeciles – even though in most cases this was the truth, this Assault upon Family was yet another sign of the End Times.

The Brazilian rebels – generally left alone by the Austrian Crusaders if they did not molest Habsburg troops, and freed from the Anahuac by these very same Crusaders, organised themselves and asked Carlos of Aragon, now Carlos of Iberia, to rule over them.
A large part of French troops stationed in Africa which had been selected to bring Brazil to heel had been laid low by the Zulu Killer Flu, preventing their move across the Atlantic. Thus Glorious France thus decided to hang on to Africa, letting Brazil go. ,,Better Bourbon than Habsburg, French, not some Krauts", some high ranking French officials were heard to say before being posted to unfashionable locations.

In the Norman Kingdom of Great Britain the social conflicts, inherent to a capitalist society reaching the pinnacle of its evolution, the stage of imperialism, exploded in a revolution of the working masses. Emulating the murderous degenerates of the French Revolution of over a hundred years before, the Fabian cut-throats murdered the Royal Family and all members of Higher Orders they could lay their gore streaked paws on, be it man, woman or innocent child. In Ireland and parts of Wales and Scotland this orgy of hatred and bloodshed was further fuelled by nationalist resentment. The slaughter of the Royal Family made the distant cousin to Roger VIIth, Michael II of the American Normans (exiled for six generations), the Heir Apparent. Mobilising all of his meagre land forces, the forces of the American based claimant crossed the Atlantic and landed in the land of his Forefathers on the Glorious 1st of June. All those yearning for the return of Law and Order flocked to the forces flying the flag of Saint George, against the unholy hordes of socialism. Amidst much bloodshed the troublemakers were suppressed. Sensing their doom, the subversives spent the last days of their lives wrecking as much destruction on industry as possible – drowning prisoners in coal mines being a favourite. Truly influenced by the Evil Ones!
By the end of the year the new King, Michael I of the United Norman Kingdom had pacified the island of Britain. Ireland was claimed by a group of rebels who – out of spite to the Rightful Monarch – were given speedy international recognition by several powers, prominently France. The Baltic League and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, verbally expressing satisfaction at the return of Legitimate Government to Britain, at the same time in secret made certain demands to which Michael, as not to endanger the sea lanes to his regained fatherland, had to agree.

In the DKB the Kronprinz, accustomed to rule during his Father's forced stay in Europe, and now with too little to do, lead an aborted palace coup. After holding his Father-Emperor - Wilheln II - prisoner for 24 hours, he surrendered to the Marine-Infanterie Abteilung sent by Grossadmiral Letters and led by Korvettenkapitan Borholt.
The turmoil associated with this aborted putsch was used by the Zionists in Ugandaland, also known as Ober Kenya,  to declare independence – a move which quickly gained international acclaim from coreligionists and socialists. Incredibly, the tradition mocking Zionists found truck with the traditionalist Abbissynians.
The German translation of the ,,Protocols of Elders of Zion" made four reprints in the autumn of this year, and large quantities of smuggled copies in the Swiss dialect sold briskly on the black market.

When Russia was rent by the Vladimir-Kiril feud, the popular commander of the Far Eastern Fleet - Admiral Ivan Timofieyivic Susasin did not ally itself to either faction. This was in stark contrast to the Black Sea (Vladimir) and Baltic (Kiril) Fleets. His caution was in large part due that the Navy officers supporting Kiril  - the pretender who was more likely to gain control of the Far East, were strongly inomical to him, and he suspected a firing squad no matter which pretender he backed.

Across the sea to the East, in the Japanese Islands, Corruption by the Evil Ones was well in evidence, with the fighting between Brownshirt faction escalating to use of rifles, with any central authority dissapearing by mid year.

Over the summer of 1905, the situation of the Far Eastern Fleet deteriorated - with no money coming from Sankt Peterburg, the previously disciplined crews started to show unrest. Across the MK border, slanted eyes watched both Port Artur and the Japanese Islands carefully, like a bird of prey reading to strike ...

Some 80 years ago, when the New Swiss were enslaving the indigenous population of the Japanese Islands, several families of tribal chieftain fled across the sea to Korea. Eventually they made their way to Peking, where they were treated as a quaint exotic oddity. When the newness wore off, they were shoved off to the North, given a task of bringing back wayward tribes in Manchuria back to tribute paying ways. Unexpectedly, they succeeded. Since then they had been the Emperor's Enforcers and Tax Collectors in the North. They exhorted money from the Macnhurian tribes like a wise shepherd fleeces his flock – leaving it just enough for the beasts to be contented. They were left to rule as they pleased as long as Peking got the tribute it demanded. The Exiles lead frugal lives, bound by rituals and blood curdling vows. All they took from the tribes above the tribute was exchanged for silver teal bars, and stored away for the Day. The Day when they will be able to lay claim to what Ametarasu had gifted them, the Nipponese – the Land of the Rising Sun. And what they saw in Liaotung, what they saw happening in Nippon in the summer of 1905 told them that the Day had come.
A man understood to be a high level MK official approached Admiral Ivan Susasin, offering a veritable mountain of silver.
The terms?
The Far Eastern Fleet, taking the Corps garrisoning Port Arthur with it, sails to the Japanese Islands, under the Hinomaru - the Red Rising Sun banner. Where they will become the fleet of the new Japanese Empire. Their families will be safe in Liaotung, which will be joined to the Exile's Manchu holdings. Port Artur itself, however, will be handed over to the MK – the price for its benevolent neutrality. Those not wishing to join the Far East Prosperity Sphere would be delivered to the nearest Russian holding.

The now well paid fleet – happy and disciplined again – efficiently transported the ex-Vth Siberian Rifle Corps to the Japanese main islands. They established bridgeheads to which a Corps of exiles was also brought over from Manchuria. Over the course of several weeks the islands were made secure for the Exile's rule.

However, a backlash of the White population could be expected. For this contingency the new rulers had an answer – they had cultivated contacts with General Praeger since the time he had proven hsmelf as overlord of Korea. This Swiss had made a mark for himself as "gook-friendly", a term of derision used by some other Whites. His rule in Korea had been fair and able. So Praeger was offered the post of Prinzregent. His leading role should pacify the Whites, whilst the Exiles, with major say in the government, could bid their time – they were BACK! That made half a generation's worth of waiting for total power irrelevant.

The guns of the new Nipponese fleet plus more of Exiles' silver brought over Russian Far Eastern outposts – likewise cut from supplies and money from the Motherland, these were quite eager to join the newly emergening state. Only in Khabarovsk did the commander turn his guns – the few and old they were – on the fleet delivering the "join us" notice. Not risking the precious ships, the fleet sailed away. Honouring the agreement of non-coercion, in the autumn several ships brought all Russians not wishing to change allegiance to within cannon shot distance of that last Russian possession.

In Tyrol the deposed Emperor Maximilian, his mind poisoned by emanations from across the globe, succumbed to pride and abandoned the monastery where he had been placed after the putsch by the new kaiser. Appealing to the ever-loyal Tyrolean's, he raised the banner of rebellion against the Usurper Stefan. For Faith and Tradition! was the rallying cry. Jumping upon the opportunity, the Hungarian aristocracy (some Orange inspiration cannot be ruled out),
called up an Insurrection against the Habsburgs. Their agenda was to preserve
their traditional privileges, threatened by Stefanian reforms, just like their forbearers had revolted against Josephinian reform in the XVIIIth century.

Stefan had no stomach to spill the blood of those who – in some madness – had misdirected their Habsburg loyalties. He just cordoned off Tyrol. He had all the intentions in the world to drown the Hungarian Insurrection in blood, but he simply had no strength for it - some of the best troops were in Brazil, the Tyroleans were in revolt, there was unrest in the Northern provinces - Prag, Krakau, Lemberg. He bowed to the one solution short of Realm-shattering Civil War – he sat down to a deal – an Ausgleich – with the smug Hungarians, with Kiraly at the fore of the delegation. Was Orange behind all this? Ottomans? France – if yes, than it had exploded in their faces, he thought grimly.

It really pained him to sign away almost half of the crown lands into Budapest's grasp. But he used the crisis as pretext to break up Galicia into west and east. As the pretender Kiril had appealed to the Poles for help, promising them wide fredoms, the Habsburgs also had to make some sort of gesture towards their Polish subjects. For the time being renaming West Galizien to Kleinerpolen - Little Poland apparently being the local name for those lands - had to to. After all, the name Poland had been repressed for the last 75 years. His hands tied, he could not even send troops in support of his father-in-law's (Kaisering Yelena was Vladimir's daughter) struggle for the throne of All-Russia. All he could do was offer transport to all Russian subjects or units crossing the border into his lands to area under Grand Duke's Vladimir's control.

Maximilian, too strong to be removed from the mountings, yet too weak to retake Vienna himself, blinded by Pride and out of spite towards Stefan, decided to throw in his lot with the Bavarian Wittelsbachs, the family of his beloved Empress Sissi. But before he could return to his cell-like office in Innsbruck, he had some scores to settle in the south ...

Meanwhile the Tyrolean events boiled over into French Switzerland. The locals, subject to two mobilisations in two subsequent years, combined with the burden of several corps brought in for Alpine eye-balling games, rose in revolt. And after being given two refreshing courses over two years, the local reservists were very well trained indeed. ,,Welsche raus!" rang from the Alps to the Main, from the Rhine to the Vosges. Everywhere the hated French rule was overthrown. Never above pouncing upon an opportunity to extend their holdings, the Bavarians threw any caution to the wind and did not let any vacuum form, nor gave the French time to react to this wave of Schwabian discontent with Gallic rule.

The French reeled under this unexpected blow, and retired beyond the Vogesen and Jura. The crème de la crème of their army was still around El Dorado in Brazil. Bringing them back took several weeks. Colonial units in Africa had been cut low by the Zulu Killer Flu, and some units had been posted from the Metropole in an emergency move to prop up French rule. And n top of this, across the La Manche, the British Revolution was in full swing. The pendulum was shifting to the Counter-Revolution, in fact. It was all very nice for Order to be restored, but did the restoration have to involve half a dozen American-Norman battleship 50 miles of Cherbourg? And 100,000 troops sitting in transports just beyond the horizon at Le Havre? The Dutch put their forces on alert – will they move to steal the Lower Rhine holdings? Or Lorraine? And why was the Baltic League making a demonstration of force in the North Sea? Had Glorious France over-extended its reach, and it was time to pull back to her Natural Frontiers? Sacre bleu, even these had been breached, with Alsace under revolt! And the Italians were running amok as well – will they demand Nice and Savoy back?


In Italy the Dictator-Emperor Guilio Cesare was beset by revolts of the Reds in various cities of the north, intertwined with Sabaudian loyalists. Happily, the two were more often than not fighting one another, not him. But in the south the "country bumpkins", the Paisani rose against him and the ,,freemasons in Rome", led by their landlords and priests. They were demanding their own, Neapolitan, Bourbon, king back. Giulio could bet simply anything that had not Stefan been beset by two revolts and a foreign adventure, the Habsburgers would be streaming into Lombardy already. With the various factions in the north, in Lombardy, cancelling each other out, he directed loyal forces led by his eldest son to the south.
It came as a shock to him, several days later, when news of an invasion from the north reached him at his palace in Rome. Under black banners of revenge, with ,,Revenge Kaiserin Elisabet" and ,,Kill the murderers" as their battle cry, the Tyrolean's descended upon North Italy. Led by the Old Monk-Emperor, Maximilian, they came for those who had killed his beloved wife Sissi. Sweeping across Venetia and Lombardy, holding Mass twice a day, the Tirolers grimly hanged anybody suspected of socialist or anarchist tendencies. This was ony just, as Elisabeth of the Wittelsbachs, the beloved wife of Maximilan and known by her nickname - Sissi - had been assasinated by an Italian anarchist. Massi Vechio (Old Max), the shuffling old fool in myriad Italian jokes, was no more – he was now Vecchio Vendatorre, the Old Avenger, his name whispered in dread.

[Earl822]

NO, That doesn't follow.

Also I don't think I can play with that history.

[Borys]

Ahoj!
1 - what do you dislike?
2 - what suggestions do you have to combine the retention of as much as possible of the old setting and storyline, and  the new territorial arrangement?

Changes in places not described nor touched upon in previus stories are easy. My idea for the UKA hopping across the Atlantic was this - a kadet branch exiled 150 years ago comes back to reclaim the throne, vacated by a revolution.
What do you suggest?

Borys

[Earl822]

No mad commie revolution and return to sanity, a far simpler combining of the Kingdoms with Michael II as the new King, all caused by the death of the King of the Norman English with no heirs

[Borys]

Ahoj!
OK, very well.
And combining two countries - one of which should be international Top 5 member - yet keeping the economy of one - a Top 20 member?
Borys

[Earl822]

correct, not much eh, but it gives me the British Mainland

[khymerion]

Well now... it seems I am a bit more... out there than I had thought!  Demonstrations indeed.  All to keep eyes away from the ground.

[Borys]

Ahoj!
The storyline had been played out until end of 1904. I am trying to plug the gap and explain the changes between end of 1904 and the 1/1/1906 restart.
Borys

[Ithekro]

Well that's just it...some of the old history is not possible in context with what we have on the map, or what the players have in mind for their nations.

China, Japan, and the New Swiss aren't going to be fixed, or really constructive in their existance with this history I don't think.  Not enough time in 1905 to get the situation changed that far and yet allow for other problems.

Essentially there are places that can't be fixed within the span of one earth year.  Those places will require something along the lines of a retcon to justify their existance, much less the changes to the timeline.  Other places don't require much of a leap in logic to say, "okay, so that was really there that whole time and I didn't notice...or care."  Southern South America, and the physical changes in North America can be played off as always there easy enough.  The USA wasn't dealt with enough to define much their really...some minor changes or political problems get the ports used into disputed hands or Peru's clutches.  And in Rohan, I've been using Middle Earth names that whole time anway, so that's not much of a problem.

Russian's implosion might take work, or we just reduce Russia down to a smaller country that claimed larger amounts of real estate without actually "owning" it.

But Asia and the Pacific will be hard to work in with the great changes involved, especially in concern with the Japanese and Swiss, as we've moved the Swiss "Home Islands" out to near the middle of the Ocean, while placing the Japanese back in the picture again.  In theory, these cannot be the same place at the same time...so therefore something changed to the point were revisiting the history for those players may be needed and desired.

That particular area should (and may) have been worked out between Desertfox, Pheonix, and Walter, with input from Swamphen and others if needed to settle on a single new history that works relatively smoothly with the existing history up to 1904.  Nations may be different, but the results will be more or less the same.  When Foxy comes back he'll probably say it won't work, and I'd agree with him.  I won't agree to give him back anything he lost in the war, just that he'll need to justify the loss somewhere else so the results are the same...so the leasons his nation would learn from those mistakes will remain intact.  With this is the extent of the Japanese Empire and there relations with both Swiss and Chinese.  The Ming/Qing Dynasty is also seemingly in flux, and I for one want to see what Pheonix has come up with.

Spain....eh.   I don't know about it for sure.  It might work, but they'd not be able to get back on their feet within a year due to the destruction of the war, the hatreds, and lose of some many men and farmlands.

Brazil...I'm still not convinced they'd go to Portugal again after all the problems their.  I guess it seems to easy, maybe contrived to give Iberia colonies.  (plus I know the Mark won't want the Spanish back again...those were a people the Rohirrim could have done without every have met).

Its not that I'm being critical of your work Borys, I'd just rather the players settle their histories themselves within context of what has already passed...bring it up to the rest of the board to see if it works, or have yourself or someone else come up with something (which you have already, saving a step) and see if that works for them all, and then work it out until you come up with something that works for at least the majority if not the whole of those involved....much like the map project.

[Desertfox]

It wont work. There I said it! :-P

Give me a couple of days and I can explain the Far East mess. Ill gain a few ships but Ill lose the equivalent elsewhere.

As for UKA, Id say just go historical no need for last minute antics. The 13 colonies are set up, no French-Indian War hence no American Revolution, but slaves lead to the independance of the CSA, neat and requires no major rewrite.

[Phoenix]

I see not why much of China's recent history should be re-written... I must add why Manchuria is not Chinese anymore and how the Ming Dynasty continued to rule and that is not too difficult. I will however not want to change too much of the Middle Kingdom-New Swiss history as it happened in the old sim. Why re-fight old battles ?

[Desertfox]

Because they could not have happened here. However I will keep losses and battles only changing some participants.

[Desertfox]

History of the Far East


Rough outline that can be changed, no dates yet, battles in parentheses are the ones we know.



Dispute over Macau leads to NS-MK War

Battles of Hong Kong, Xiamen and Fuzhou, end in Swiss Victory

Battle of 1st Taiwan, draw

Battle of 2nd Taiwan Swiss victory, Battle of Xiamen Chinese victory

NSS Justice blows up in Manila Bay

Preassure from Japan (MK) and Spain/Austria (NS) leads to peace, NS returns Xiamen and Fuzhou keeps Hong Kong

NS declares war on Spain, Battle of Taipei, war with Austria

MK at war with Japan

(NS) Battle of Manila Bay (Yantai), Swiss fleet defeated, fort guarding Manila captured

(MK) Battle of Port Aurthur (Yantai), Japanese fleet defeated, but Port Aurtur captured 

Battle of 3rd Taiwan, Swiss victory

Infighting in Phillipines between Swiss backed Filipinos and Austro/Spanish Colonial forces,

Taal eruption, devastation and Political Infighting in NS lead to Cease Fire between combatants


Filipino Rebels control Southern Half of Phillipines, Colonial Force control Luzon and Catadunes.

[Ithekro]

I am not sure if that entirely makes sense since the Middle Kingdom seemed more than willing to blow Hong Kong off the map rather than let the (evil) Swiss have it.  Remember all those rail guns at the beginning of the war?  Also the is one more major event...the abduction of the young Emporer.  But in general it seems neater than trying to stage a mass of rebellions in three counties that alter the face of Asia inone years time, and then have those powers keep on going like everything is normal.

Personally I'd see the Swiss removed from the continent as Hong Kong was pretty much crippled by the war.  My suggestion would be to add an increase in problems with you western Australia friends.  This would probably require the Swiss' full attention rather than one treaty port.  I'd aslo perfer no returns on losses, but that might be negatiated through other losses that you didn't get in the war.  I don't mean your ACM ships as compensation, but either land or other pre-existing Swiss ships, land forces.

[Desertfox]

Well Hong Kong is a sticky point. I havent seen a way to get around it. And why would NS give up HK when China is being attacked by Japan? Also HK was a sign of defiance and was not lost (Chinese troops gained not an inch in 2 years of fighting) while I was still around. However it was beaten pretty bad by Taal. But I have lost Hainan so I feels its a good trade.

As for the Emperor, I was planning on having his trained captured during a coastal raid by Swiss commandoes, but Phoenix tells me he doesnt travel, and frankly there's no way for Swiss commandoes to get into Beijing from Hong Kong.

As for the ships, the only ship Im ressurecting is Alliance, but in exchange Im scraping the 3 new Colonial Battleships/Armored Cruisers I had built.