1821: Raise the Tricolour (IC/Open)

by **Alsheb** » Mon Apr 13, 2015 12:47 pm

Palace des Tuileries
Seat of the National Convention
Paris

"Order! We shall have order in the Convention!"

Chairman Lamarque struck his desk with the hammer that was assigned to his position. The meeting of the National Convention was a chaotic and loud one today. The matter at hand was a very controversial one indeed, and extremely new to everyone if it would come to pass: the extension of universal suffrage to the female population of France.

"Scandalous! Outrageous!", was to be heard from the Conservative fraction. The Feuillants, easily the Convention's most reactionary political movement, were obviously not in favour. François-Marie de Barthélemy, former Marquis and widely seen as the Feuillants' leader, stood up and spoke.

"The natural order of the world is as it is, my colleagues! We cannot upset the balance of the world simply because of some ultra-revolutionary delusion of extreme equality! Men and women have their places in society, determined by nature and by God. Upsetting this balance is a direct breach against human nature!"

Lamarque could barely resist giving Barthélemy a look of pure disgust and disrespect. As a radical Jacobin, Lamarque loathed the Feuillants and the conservatives in general, thinking them little more than crypto-royalists who ultimately would desire the return of the Ancien Régime, complete with feudal laws and outdated aristocratic rule. But he was the Chairman of the Convention, and that post necessitated a semblance of neutrality, at least within Convention meetings.

Anyway, it didn't seem like Barthélemy's speech had much success anyhow. While his own club members nodded and applauded, the latter part of his speech was rendered almost incomprehensible by the booing of the Radical majority of the Convention.

"For shame!" Buonarroti screamed. The leader of the Panthéon club, radical Jacobins and Socialists who were in almost every way the polar opposite of the Feuillants, shouted in anger and disgust.

"For shame! Citoyen de Barthélemy spits on the graves and names of the martyrs of the Revolution! His words are those of the royalists who have maintained for centuries that the absolute power of kings was "God's will" or human nature! Those very words he utters to deny the right of vote to our female citoyennes, were the words spoken by the cretin Louis XVI when he starved France to death for the gain of himself and his aristocratic cronies! It is a disgrace!

Good men and women have given their lives for the Revolution, for the democracy and the Republic we have today! They have bled and died in the streets of Paris, Lyon, Marseille! They have marched and died in Wagram, Leipzig, Austerlitz and Waterloo! And for what? So that an aristocrat, a man who wishes he was still a Marquis, could curse their name and heritage, and return us to the accursed ways of old?

I shall gladly die before I see a day dawn wherein Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood are no longer the sacred laws that France lives by!"

No sooner had Buonarroti, who was not only head of the Panthéonists but also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or a huge standing ovation was his on behalf of the entire Radical fraction. Jacobins, Anticlericals and Cordeliers (radical democrats) alike rose up to support the Panthéon position. Even several members of the Federalist fraction rose up in applause.

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, the Head of State of France and President of the Committee of Public Safety who had stood by quietly and watched the debate, couldn't repress a smile that appeared on his face. The Federalist support came in very handy, as it could dispel any claims that this matter would be a Radical demand alone. Jourdan knew full well that many Federalists had sympathies for the Girondins, a political group that had been purged during the first Republic due to their treachery towards the revolutionary cause. Despite all the shortcomings the Girondins had had, and the fact that they had ultimately betrayed the Revolution, they had been one of the first who originally called for female suffrage.
Although nothing had come of it back then, and during Napoleon's Empire there hadn't been any elections at all, many former Girondins and new sympathizers still kept to that ideal. Which came in very handy now that the Jacobins had put the matter back on the agenda.

Jourdan looked around the Convention. The Radicals would probably almost all vote in favour: the Jacobins and Panthéonists out of progressive reasoning, the Cordeliers because it meant further democratisation, and the Anticlericals simply because they knew it would piss off the Church. The Federalists were as always an uncertain group. Jourdan estimated about half would vote aye, the others nay. But well, so be it. The Conservatives... unlikely. They didn't even support universal male suffrage without property requirements, let alone giving the vote to women.

The Bonapartists had been quiet during the discussion, and Jourdan had originally expected most of them to either abstain or vote against. Logical, since most of them didn't even like the fact that there was a powerful parliament in France at all, preferring firm autocracy. But fortunately, Jourdan just happened to chance upon their leaders a few days before, and had promised an ambitious plan for naval expansion for France. Seemingly unrelated to the matter at hand today of course, but the Bonapartists were easily swayed with prospects of a militarily strong France that would be the envy of the world. Especially if it meant competing with the British, which an expansion of the French Navy would undoubtedly be. Of course, Jourdan agreed with that, and would have issued the naval expansion decree anyway. But the Bonapartists needn't know that. Let them think that it all depends on their voting here today...

And then there were the Pragmatists. Not really a fraction, just fourteen politicians who valued their "independence" more than having any real influence on politics. How would they vote? Always hard to tell with them. But then again, fourteen people in a Convention of 745... So be it.

"And now, the President of the Committee of Public Safety and Head of State of France, shall speak.
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, come forth!"

Jourdan stepped up on his little stage in front of the Convention, and started his address to the Convention, speaking his opinion and that of the French executive branch..

"I shall be short. Citoyen Buonarroti has made abundantly clear the reasons why we, as faithful defenders of the Republic and the Revolution, must vote in favour of this bill. My colleagues, friends! Citoyens of France! Proud members of the National Convention of the French Second Republic! We cannot call ourselves a true Republic, we cannot call ourselves a real democracy, we cannot call ourselves descendants of the French Revolution if we do not support the principle of universal suffrage for each and every adult citizen of France! How dare we defile a most sacred name such as Republic and Revolution, if we do not even grant the vote to all our people? For shame that would be indeed.

Heroic and staunch defenders of the French Second Republic! Proud bearers of the Tricolour of France and the Revolution! I plead to you all, to vote aye!"

A thunderous applause from the progressive members of the Convention followed the Head of State's speech, overshadowing the boo shouts of the Conservative minority and the relative silence of the Bonapartists. When Chairman Lamarque got the Convention to order once again, the vote started.

With 478 ayes, 237 nays and 30 abstentions, the Bill on the Extension of Universal Suffrage to Women was accepted.

The French Second Republic was officially the first ever country to have female suffrage.

by **Greater Liverpool** » Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:34 pm

Skopje, Northern Macedonia

Siege of Skopje, 24th May 1821

"Cannon battery Freedom ready to fire"

"Cannon battery Revolution ready to fire"

"Cannon battery Napoleon ready to fire"

"Sir, all Cannon batteries are ready to fire when you give the signal" Said Julinac Lazović as he stud on his horse looking out upon the city of Skopje. Aleksander gave the signal to open fire "Make sure they aim to the districts I tell them to. If they don't this siege is going to last very long and have a lot of fatalities. They will stop firing at 3 am" Ordered Aleksander. Who then turned back on himself and headed to his command tent where some of the infantry commanders where held up waiting for their orders. As he entered his tent, he saw many men gearing up checking they had enough ammunition, their muskets where clean and their bayonets sharp and some sending letters to their loved ones. Aleksander basked in this small monument knowing that he had turned what was a bunch of Militia men into a hard fighting force just like Napoleon he then realized that his bicorne was about to fall off and fixed it before heading into his tent. The respected infantry commanders stud to attention as Aleksander entered the tent. "Gentlemen well today is a great day to be a Serb. Today is the first day we take a walled city by force. This is going to be a major victory in this war and we bring us one step closer to peace. Our plan is simple we are going to blow a hole in the center wall here. We are going to blow a hole in this wall facing us but only putting 3 division there but not actually into the breech. Meanwhile we put our main attacking force of 6 divisions including our Grenadier guard will move behind this ridge line so the ottomans don't see them and attack the walls from behind. There by they have two options stretch their defenses to the point we win, or they hold their positions and try to hold breech and reaming part of their walls. Either way we win. Aleksander finished.

"who are the 6 divisions that are taking the back walls" questioned Magarašević Golubić

"5th Serbian fusiliers, 2nd Grenadier guards, 12th Grenadiers of the line, 1st Serbian Fusiliers, Bosnian Rifles and the 25th Light infantry of Belgrade" replied Aleksander "the 3 divisions attacking the breech is 1st Grenadier Guard, Serbian rifles and 1st Republican rifles backed up by the Serbian Hussars. We begin the attack 3:05 am exactly no later no earlier. Understud"

"Sir"

"Dismissed"

The Commanders left the room, leaving Aleksander alone to his thoughts. He thought about what could wrong, what could happen to him, his men. He took a deep breath and with it composed himself to a state of stability. He had to take the city over 10,000 Ottomans troops where inside the walls of the Skopje. Taking this city would mean all of Serbia would breath of a sigh of small relief as the Ottomans lose their closest base to the Serbian Revolution. Taking this city will secure Serbia until winter unless the Ottoman army is closer then what Aleksander thinks and is based on the opinion that the Janissary would not leave Istanbul. Aleksander hinged on that gamble. Outside he could hear the cheer of Serbian troops in the leaving sun as the day would soon be over but the night would come and this night would see the fate of this war. Aleksander stands from his chair and slowly walks out of his tent. The bright dusk sun blinds Aleksander as he leaves his tent but his sight comes back to him. He looks out on to the fields of Skopje at the not yet harvested farmland surrounding the city, with it's bright golden shinny is reminded him of his home back with his parents when they worked the land. In the distance he could hear the sound of Ottoman troops running to the walls in defense not knowing the true plans of Aleksander and his army. "Time to get some rest the next couple of hours will be the most important of my life" said to himself

2:45 AM 25th May 1821

"Sir. Sir" Ivan jeered "Sir, the attack it about to start"

"Get me my Musket and Sword" ordered Aleksander "and a drink" as Aleksander wiped the sleep of his face and grabbed his red jacket from the chair and put it on before buttoning it up. Ivan returns back into the tent with Aleksander's sword and musket and also a bottle of Vodka and a small shot glass. "Thank you Ivan" as Aleksander garbs the bottle of vodka and the glass, he starts to pour the vodka into the glass and once full grabs the glass and drinks the vodka whole. "I am going with the 6 divisions round the back to lead, so you will have to take the center flank with the reserves a the 3 divisions attacking front" Aleksander Stated to Ivan

"I will make sure we keep to plan" Ivan replied

"You have to hold your ground I will send word if you can charge the city... Now come on there is a city to take and a war to win." Both men stud up gave each other a nod and a good luck handshake as Aleksander picked up his musket and his sword and made his way onto the battlefield. As soon as he left his tent he looked up to the moon above, a full moon and remembered the night sky on this night knowing full well he would not forget this night his first ever siege against the Ottomans. He put on his bicorne, tightened his sword buckle and walked past the defenses of his army. The men of his army realized who he was and stud to attention saluting Aleksander as he went past. "Sir are we taking the city or are we just waiting for the Ottoman empire to collapse" shouted a soldier

"No time to wait we are making it collapse now" laughed Aleksander. He spotted the Army he was leading 6 divisions to war and battle.

"General Aleksander Melchitic, the men of the free Serbian Army are ready for your command, sir" Said a Major as he saluted Aleksander with up most respect.

"Ok Major, Lets get these men out and moving to our position"

3:15 AM 25th May 1821

"ON MY MARK GET THE LADDERS UP THERE AND CLIMB THE WALLS ... CHARGE MEN FOR SERBIA" bleached Aleksander as he ran towards the wall sword in hand leading his men from the front making sure that no lagged behind. Looking atop the walls he saw a few surprised Ottomans started to shoot down upon the men but that did not stop nor hinder the men as they ran like tigers after prey to the walls. "Up the ladders come on, come on" as soldiers in their red coats rushed up the ladders shouting at their enemies. As soon as the first couple of men reached the top of the wall Aleksander jumped on the ladder and quickly rushed up the ladder. He looked upon the city of Skopje, the wall which he wanted destroyed had been and the Ottoman troops lined the area of the broken wall and had not realized that they were being flanked by the Serbs from the back. "Men follow me" ordered Aleksander to his men. He unslung his musket, kneenled, aimed a shot towards an Ottoman officer and fired and killed the officer. "Keep going men we need to charge the Ottomans before we can get the rest of the men into the city" The men let out a hurrah as they charged the Ottomans soldiers and in shock they were surprised by the Serbian soldiers coming up behind them. Aleksander rushed to the side of the wall, signaling Ivan to charge with his reserves and 3 divisions of his men into the breech. Men started to stab with the bayonets into the chests of Ottoman soldiers, the odd musket shot could be heard and seen as the fighting went on. Red blood was everywhere, it was only their muskets, the walls and their uniforms which went from a bright red into a dark red from the blood. Aleksander even getting involved as he hurled his sword into the chest of a ottoman soldier who had been split with the rest of friends. Aleksander continued to order his men telling them to "stick together" and "not to go to far so they do not become isolated" On the walls it looked like the Serbian soldiers had the upper hand as they started to take the left hand side of the wall but as the more Serbian soldiers where winning the left side, the Ottomans on the right fired on Serbian soldiers fighting. "Keep going, the city is nearly our" as those words where uttered by Aleksander the first of the men from the front entered the city, heading immediately to the right side to try and wiped out the Ottoman troops firing on their Serbians comrades. Ivan's charged up the stairs giving no quarter to the Ottoman soldiers. They also using their bayonets to kill their enemy, in the distance you could see Ivan slicing with his sword at any Ottoman he saw even killing a soldier that tried to shoot him in the back with a pistol. There was a lot of screaming and shouting as both sides tried to order their men what to do. But as the screams and cries of war go on I hear a sound "we surrender...we surrender!"

"Men stand down... Stand down!" Aleksander ordered his troops to do and for a few seconds more the cries of war went on before they stopped and there was silence in the city. The Ottomans put their weapons on the ground and Aleksander pushed and shoved his way to the front. "Men, stand down we have taken the city! We have taken Skopje!" the men let out a huge cry of hurrahs as they basked in their victory. The city was theirs. Skopje was the theirs

by **Alsheb** » Tue Apr 14, 2015 8:38 am

Le Havre
Military Harbour
France

Under loud cheering the VRF République was launched. A formidable sight to behold she was indeed, numbering no less than 90 guns, spread out over three gun decks. The massive ship had room for nine hundred sailors, Republican Marines and soldiers, and was a clear indication that France was getting serious about its naval power.

The vessel, already ordered by Napoleon back in 1818 and laid down in the construction docks a year later, was finished as planned and would be the new flagship of the French Navy. The Emperor, knowing full well the fact that the French naval forces had been massively behind on that of the British Royal Navy, making this France's main military weakness.
The death of Napoleon and the proclamation of the Second Republic had made no difference in the French naval expansion plans, and except for the name of this vessel, the original plans had been kept as they were. Vesseau Républicaine Française, or VRF for short, would be the new designation given to all French vessels.

The République was only the start of the French maritime plans. Over a dozen new frigates and six ships of the lines had already been laid down and were in construction. France would hopefully see a new dawn of naval prowess and might to one day mayhaps rival the British.

Beijing
Empire of the Great Qing

François Millard ensured that his uniform was impeccable. As the recently-appointed head of the French diplomatic and tributary mission to China, he was soon to make an appearance before the Imperial court. The Great Emperor of the Qing would hopefully grant him an audience, so he could speak on behalf of the French Second Republic. Of course, the proper rituals had to be respected. Millard had brought an extensive collection of gifts as tribute to the Emperor, and mentally prepared to kowtow to the Chinese leader. A humiliating prospect perhaps, but years as a trader and then a representative of France in China had taught Millard to accept Chinese customs. Good relations with the massive Qing Empire and the trade that would flow out of it was more than worth all this unpleasantness.

by **Tracian Empire** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 4:40 am

The Principality of Wallachia
Principatul Valahiei
"Liberty, Justice, Brotherhood!"

Bucharest, Wallachia

The recent defeat of the Ottoman forces in Skopje was in everyone's minds. The victory of the Serbians marked a new beginning in the wars against the Turks, and it gave hope to all the populations in the Balkans still oppressed by them.

The main problem for Wallachia was Moldova, its sister state. Even if it was still de jure under Ottoman rule, it was cut off from the rest of the empire. It was now impossible for the Ottomans to send reinforcements or supplies there without passing through Wallachian territory. The recent death of the Moldavian Prince was also a problem, because in order to be officially recognized, a new Prince of Moldova had to go to Constantinople and meet with the Sultan. This thing was now impossible do to the refuse of Wallachia to let the Prince pass. Multiple protests and even a tentative of rebellion have begun in Moldova. A letter was sent to Constantinople.

The National Assembly of Wallachia decided with 45 votes for, 3 against and two abstains to accept the alliance offer with Greece. A letter was sent to Greeece.

Milcov river, Border between Moldova and Wallachia

In the shadows of the night, a few hundreds former panduri and other Wallachian revolutionaries have crossed the now almost undefended border to make contact with the Moldavian revolutionaries and help them.

by **Altito Asmoro** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 6:27 am

Jaslandia wrote:Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

Sultan's Palace, Rabat, Morocco

In the late afternoon, Prince Heinrich of Reuss-Plauen arrived at the Moroccan royal court with an entourage of advisers. "Greetings, great sultan," Prince Heinrich said as he bowed before the Moroccan monarch. "I am Prince Heinrich of Reuss-Plauen, fifteenth of my name. I have been sent by Archduke Charles, State Chancellor of Austria, to assist Morocco in modernization. I have brought with me several military and civil advisers that can be distributed across Morocco to assist wherever necessary. I shall stay at the royal court, advising you on modernization and representing the interests of the Austrian Empire. It is an honor to meet you at last, and I look forward to working with you."

Sultan's Palace
Rabat, Morocco

"Yes, I'm very grateful for the arrival of the Austrian officers. Unfortunately, the Sultan is in his entourage to surveys the construction of military base in Doukkala-Abda, one of our divisions. I assure you, Prince Heinrich, that the Sultan is very happy to see that the fruits of Austro-Moroccan alliance starts to make the result." said Sultan's trusted adviser, Rahman bin Omar al-Ahmad. He's a Western-educated adviser and thus supervise most of Morocco's economic programs.

The Austrian officers and Moroccan people started to worked together, planning the move to modernize the army first by equipping the army with Austrian weapons, and its tactics to adjust to the Western ones. As well as economy developments and the process of modernization and the use of resources.

by **Arvenia** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 8:22 am

Sardinia
The northern part of Sardinia has been taken over by Sardinian rebels, while the southern part is under Italian control. The conflict has recently caused 42,000 deaths.

Rome, Italy
A crisis meeting occured in Rome. It centered around the Sardinian rebellion and a ship with a dead crew in Palermo. The National Assembly of the UC will determine the solutions for the crisis. It remains private from the public.

by **Jaslandia** » Wed Apr 15, 2015 4:35 pm

Palais Niederösterreich, Vienna, Austria

Speaker of the Imperial Diet Klemens von Metternich walked into the Diet main chamber, prepared for a hectic and migraine-inducing session. "Let's get this over with," the Austrian statesman muttered as he approached the Speaker's podium. After sitting down, Metternich loudly banged his gavel to indicate that the official meeting of the Diet had begun. "Alright, let's get down to business. First on the agenda is an item proposed by Archduke Charles. He wishes us to debate and discuss a motion to being mobilization of the military in preparation for a military intervention and Serbia and a declaration of war against the Ottoman Empire.” A clamor came across the Diet, which became engulfed in unintelligible shouting before the banging of the Speaker's gavel silenced the room. "Order! Order! As I was saying, Archduke Charles's argument is that aiding Serbia would allow us to exert increased influence in the Balkans, and would be a major blow to the Ottomans." Yells expressing various degrees of approval and disapproval filled the room, before again being shut down by Metternich. "Silence! Herr Hans Metzger of Linz has the floor."

Opposition Leader Metzger walked to a podium in front of the Speaker's podium. "Thank you, Herr Speaker," Metzger began. "My fellow parliamentarians, let me preface my remarks with the declaration that I am a proud supporter of the Serb revolution, and that I dearly hope that the Serbs can achieve independence against the terrible Turks. That said, I ask you: is it really wise to assist the Serbs at this time? Have they truly proved themselves worthy of our assistance? We cannot expend resources on mobilizing the military for a lost cause.” Yet again, a chorus of shouts erupted.

“Are you a Turk sympathizer?” one representative asked.

“Did the Sultan pay you to say that?” another questioned of Metzger.

“Let me finish!” Metzger cried as Metternich banged a gavel. “I am not in league with the Turks. I am simply being realistic. Why support a state that cannot support itself?”

“On the contrary!” exclaimed Absolutist representative Giacomo Scaliger of Verona, “an unstable Serbia would work to our advantage. If Serbia is unable to sustain itself, then we can simply march in and prop up the Serbian government. The Serbs would be forever in our debt, and eventually, Serbia would be little more than an Austrian protectorate.”

The response in the Diet was a mix of applause and jeers.

“It’s brilliant!” A Conservative representative from Buda remarked.

“It’s a dirty and morally repressible plot,” a Republican Radical from Prague chimed in.

“End the imperialism now!” cried the Anti-Imperialist representative Franz Huber of Vienna. “It is tricks like the one proposed by Herr Scaliger that destroy liberty and a nations’ right to sovereignty! Not only do I oppose Herr Scaliger’s suggestion, I vehemently oppose it, and I believe we must dissolve the Austrian Empire at once!” The Diet reacted to Huber’s speech with universal condemnation; the main chamber became filled with hateful and mean-spirited shouting, with one representative even throwing a law book at Huber. The banging gavel of Speaker Metternich brought about a semblance of calm.

“Order!” Metternich screamed. “Order in the Diet! Now then, I –- " Before Metternich could finish, a courier ran up to the Speaker’s podium, and handed Metternich a envelope. The courier then ran off as Metternich opened the envelope and began to read the message.

“I believe this information will be pertinent,” Metternich said. “I've just received word that the Serbs have achieved a great victory at the Siege of Skopje. The city has fallen.” A round of applause and cheers broke out throughout the room, with the excitement not being calmed by the Speaker until another minute later.

“This is good news indeed!” Metzger boomed. “Now that the Serbs have secured such a strong victory, the time is right for us to intervene!

The Speaker of the Imperial Diet nodded. “We shall now vote,” Metternich announced. After tallying the votes, the final result came to 260 in favor of mobilization, 135 opposed, and 35 abstentions. Archduke Charles and War Minister Archduke Ferdinand were now authorized to begin mobilization.

“Next on the agenda,” Metternich announced, “is the issue of female suffrage. Herr Kovács, I believe you wanted to speak first?”

A stocky, Hungarian man of about 45 rose to stand. A Republican Radical representative from Győr, András Kovács was an obstinate man who had become known for his zealous determination to bring about social reform. “Herr Speaker,” Kovács began, “with the French Republic having recently approved women’s suffrage, I feel now is the perfect opportunity to discuss the possibility of women’s suffrage.” Several representatives began booing the Hungarian man, but the clamor was small enough for it to be calmed by a simple gesture of Kovács’s hand. “Hear me out, gentlemen. Women are an invaluable part of the Austrian Empire, of Europe, and of the entire human race. If I may be a bit ribald for a moment, it takes both a man and a woman to produce a child.” A mixture of shock and laughter briefly overtook the room before Kovács continued. “Just last year, Austrian women were right beside the men in protesting for change. Countless Austrian women engaged in demonstrations with their male peers, and countless more assisted the Liberal Revolution by cooking food for protesters, knitting sweaters to help support the protests, and other such domestic work that often goes unnoticed. Gentlemen, the female has proven that she is capable of being part of the informed and active citizenry. In light of all this, the fact that women do not have the right to vote is simply absurd!” The Imperial Diet was thrown into an uproar, with both sides disguising their insults and impassioned shouts as ‘debating’.

“Since the dawn of time, women’s place has been in the home,” Conservative representative Jan Kocourek of Olmutz said. “To even suggest that women can participate in the political system on an equal level with men is not only ridiculous, but heresy.”

“The activism of a small minority of women does not negate the fact that most women are uninformed creatures who imitate the political beliefs of her husband,” Liberal Radical Vjekoslav Tomčićof of Zagreb stated. “Giving women the vote simply would not change the nature of the female species.”

“There is a reason God created man before he created woman,” Smithian representative Aloysius Schröder of Klagenfurt remarked.

When the banging of a gavel signaled that it was time to vote, Kovács’s proposal just barely failed: 152 yeas, 207 nays, and 41 abstentions. The fight for women’s suffrage in Austria had suffered a setback, but András Kovács was determined to keep up the struggle, no matter what.

Athens, Greece

Eichfled nodded. "Yes, I will see to it that deal is honored." The Austrian diplomat signed the declaration of protection, stating that Austria would guarantee the continued independence in Greece. "I must return to Vienna to present this to the Austrian government. If all goes well, the declaration will be upheld, and advisers will be sent to the Hellenic Republic as soon as possible." Eichfeld grabbed a copy of the declaration and prepared to exit the room. "I shall leave for Austria first thing tomorrow morning. Good day, Herr Skouloudis."

Sultan’s Palace, Rabat, Morocco

Prince Heinrich nodded. “Excellent. I look forward to working with yourself and the Sultan. I shall remain in Rabat in order to give advice on modernization, and to serve as Austria’s ambassador to the Moroccan royal court. I am sure that as long as our two nations cooperate, Austria and Morocco both have a bright future ahead of us.”

by **Alsheb** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 12:09 pm

"The Serbs have conquered Skopje and thus taken much of Macedonia, it seems."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Philippe Buonarroti was obviously pleased with the news he was giving today.

"Most interesting" Jean-Baptiste Jourdan replied. "The Ottoman Empire seems to be crumbling under its own weight. Were they any smart, they would withdraw from all the European territories they currently occupy. It takes no genius to see that they are not wanted by the Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks, Romanians and Albanians. They should wisen up and transform to a proper nation state."

"I agree, Baptiste. However, what do you expect from imperialists? Rationality, much less modesty, have never been great traits of big monarchs. One who calls himself Emperor of Rome cannot be expected to be very modest."

Jourdan smiled. "A fair point indeed. If there is one criticism to be made of Napoleon himself, it's probably that. That campaign into Russia was probably one of the most foolish military actions in recorded history. It nearly costed us France itself..."

The Head of State shook his head to get rid of the dark thoughts, and continued reading his daily messenges.

"The Austrian Diet has rejected a proposal to implement female suffrage in the Empire. Hmph. Just goes to show that having a Liberal revolution is no guarantee for true democracy, I suppose."

"Cut them some slack. The Austrians are years, if not decades, behind on us when it comes to democracy. One can hardly expect a country that only recently crawled out the age of absolutism to suddenly go all the way to actual democracy."

"Is that one of your political philosophy tenets, Philippe? Mutualism, was it? Transform monarchy into liberalism before continuing to the stage of radicalism?", Jourdan asked with a cheeky smile.

"Ah, you've been reading my books? That's a first!"

"Nah, you just never shut up about it!"

The two man shared a fit of laughter.

"On a more serious note, Philippe. I think we should increase our military support to the Serbian Revolution. Another Republic is far from a, unnecessary luxury at thise day and age, and we all know the Austrians will be all to happy to exert their influence there. We may have shaken hands with the Austrians recently, but that doesn't mean I'm going to offer them the Balkans on a silver platter."

"Good point. May I suggest sending some experts in the field of artillery, as well as a few veteran Voltigeurs? Light infantry tactics may prove vital to stop the Ottoman juggernaut."

Jourdan wrote his decisions down, before turning to Chairman of the National Convention Lamarque, who was sitting by in a corner.

"Lamarque, I think I have something for the Convention to vote on." The Chairman looked up from his work.

"I want to reintroduce the revolutionary calendar, if the Convention would agree."

"The Republican Calendar? You mean in its totality, with decimal time?"

"No, no, no. No ten-day weeks, of course. No strange matters of ten hours in a day or hundred-minute hours and such. I don't even understand how we ever got that done in the first place. But no, I'm referring to the names of the months, the beautiful French names we used before. The reimplementation of the rural calendar to replace the Catholic patron saints per day. And of course, putting an end to this frankly idiotic idea that Year 1 should be the alleged time that some medieval scholars estimate Jesus Christ may or may not have been born. I prefer something solid, something with concrete and material influence on the lives of the French. And what better than the establishment of the First Republic to set as the start of a Republican calendar?"

Lamarque nodded in agreement. "The Conservatives won't like it much, and the Bonapartists will be completely against it. But I don't see a problem amongst our Radical fraction, and we have an absolute majority after all. Very well ten!
I suppose we can call this Year XXIX!"

After Lamarque left to prepare a bill about the Republican Calendar, Jourdan got back to his work. There were still letters to be sent to the important powers of Europe. The Concert of Nations idea had already convinced the Austrians. Now the other old powers should be addressed as well.

by **Mesrane** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 2:42 pm

The Confederacy of Scotland

Edinburgh Waterfront

"Atten-shun!"

A dozen men of the 9th Scots Guards stood at attention, forming up on either side of the gangplank that was lowered from the French frigate Bordeaux slapped the dockside with a loud crack. Moments later, two officers of the French army descended, one being Jean Bertrand, a Major in the famed French Artillery, whilst the other was Major Allard Dupont, from a French Hussar regiment. Bertrand came with six guns and the corresponding crews, while Dupont brought thirty of his hussars and their mounts, to demonstrate French formations to the fledgling Scottish cavalry corps.

To receive the officers were two Scots; General James MacLeod, who commanded the two cavalry regiments in the army, and Colonel Duncan Gilchrist, who was head of Scotland's small and ill-equipped artillery units and at the same time the main armaments man for the entire Army, one who's duties including procuring new knowledge of new tactics, new weapons and the means to use and produce them.

Both men saluted the French officers as they stepped off the gangplank, a gesture which was promptly returned.

"Majors," MacLeod said. "Welcome to Edinburgh. I'm sure I speak for the whole Scottish nation when I say Scotland is immensely grateful for the assistance France is providing us."

"Many thanks, Monsieurs." Bertrand's English was fairly clear, if heavily accented. "France simply does what is necessary to protect Republicanism across the world. With our assistance, English imperialist ambitions will be curbed, whether because they recognize the difficulties of defeating a well-trained Scottish army or because you whip them on the battlefield remains to be seen."

All four men chuckled at that. "We've done it before, I'm sure with a little magic we can do it again," Gilchrist intoned.

MacLeod nodded. "Well sirs, if you follow me I've made arrangements for you and your men at a hotel on Barton Street. It's nearly dinner-time, and you must both be a bit sea-weary."

Both Frenchmen blinked, obviously experiencing difficulty trying to pull meaning out of MacLeod's almost insanely thick Hebrides accent. Gilchrist watched, his face a stone wall but melting with laughter inside.

Apparently, Dupont had at least extracted the necessary words. He and Bertrand conversed briefly in French. Much to Gilchrist's relief, the tone of the conversation seemed to concern something other than MacLeod's accent, even if the Colonel hadn't understood a word of what was said.

"Actually, Monsieurs, If it's not too much trouble Major Bertrand and I would like to acquire a carriage or something to take us straight to Falkirk, while our men stay in Edinburgh for the night. We are not so tired that we don't want to observe the units we will be training as soon as is possible," said Dupont.

MacLeod and Gilchrist exchanged a glance, the former shrugging and nodding assent.

"I think that can be arranged," said Gilchrist. "General MacLeod will find you both a carriage, while I will remain here and show your men to the hotel."

Dupont and Bertrand nodded and smiled, clearly pleased. MacLeod led them off the waterfront, ending a seemingly insignificant conversation that had in fact been the beginning of the new Auld Alliance.

Falkirk Arsenal & Proving Grounds

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

Mackay watched as volley after volley of musket fire raked targets just over eighty yards away from the drilling trainees that would shortly constitute the newly raised 17th Regiment of Foot.

Beside him on the viewing platform that had been erected atop a hill overlooking the proving grounds stood Robert Armstrong, Scotland's Chancellor, and General Brian Boyd, who commanded several infantry regiments.

"When will they be ready, General?" Mackay glanced at Boyd.

The old general sighed, white whiskers slapped around by the light breeze. "If their final drilling goes well, then t'new regiment will be combat-ready by the end of this month. Of course they've been trained mostly by our many veterans of the wars in Europe, so while they will be green they'll be no worse trained than any of the regiments that won at Kirkconnel."

Mackay was apparently satisfied with that answer. "Mhm. Even if we could churn out more regiments at a faster rate by shirking some training, I'm extremely averse to doing so. We'll never have much manpower to work with so we ought to squeeze the very best out of what we have."

Boyd nodded. "I must profess I am relieved t'hear that, sir. You'll find most of the Army's officers in agreement with you there. It's only some of t'politicians that think Scotland could possibly hope to eliminate an English force via swamping them with bodies. That kind o' idiocy is fer them Chinese bastards." His mind spoken, Boyd returned his attention to the drilling recruits.

Mackay turned to Armstrong. "MacLeod sent a letter ahead this morning. The two Frenchmen will arrive a day early, which is tomorrow. The hussars and guns they brought to demonstrate will be here the day after that."

The Chancellor grunted his approval. "Six months under French instruction and our cavalry and artillery units will be on par with t'infantry. Ours will be a right proper European army," he paused, collecting his thoughts. "Also, the alliance with the French has got me thinking, Alan."

Mackay arched an eyebrow. "Clearly, you have a proposal. Spit it out, Robert."

"Well, it's just that our . . . policies against Catholics might not sit well in Paris, considering how overwhelmingly Catholic the French are."

Armstrong, to his credit, continued doggedly on through the storm of curses and blaspheming that fell from Mackay like rain from the clouds.

"Robert, every Scot knows that what few Catholics inhabit our country for the most part still possess loyalist sympathies and might look to England in a time of war. If we don't keep them under our boot, who knows what they will concoct!" Mackay was absolutely livid. He was known throughout the country as a temperate man, but the issue of Catholic rights was just about the only thing that could get his blood boiling with little to no provocation.

Armstrong sighed. Why did I bother? "Alan, if our administration is to continue to portray itself as the head of a Scotland for all Scots, then we ought to actually create a Scotland that exists for all Scots. Even if we haven't ordered the killing of perfectly respectable Catholics like George Gibson, our supporters certainly carried out the murders. These are dozens of people, Alan. We have two Frenchmen, most likely Catholics, in Scotland right now. The fact that those people were killed pretty much only for being Catholic has nearly come out on several occasions. Who's to say that it can't finally happen in the near feature? It would be especially disastrous when we have more and more Frenchmen traveling to Scotland because of this new alliance. What do you honestly think France will make of this? I assure you, they won't turn the other cheek. "

That seemed to calm the Lord Protector down considerably. "Look, France is currently run by a bunch of drunk radicals. They just granted bloody female suffrage! T'Conservatives are but an opposition party. For once, having radicals in charge of France would actually be beneficial to us. France is quite probably the most secular nation in Europe. Religion is of little concern to the majority Radicals. Not to mention, they've already allied with us knowing full well we dinnae like Catholics. They just daen't know our supporters have been killing them. Regardless, they'll be happy enough t'have an ally hostile to England in England's back yard. We've already been more than they could have hoped for simply through existing. I dinnae think our policies that curb Catholic rights will have too much bearing on that. But, I concede yer proposal has some merits. I say we put it to a vote at the Council, eh?"

Armstrong nodded, satisfied and pleasantly surprised that Mackay had done anything other than than dismiss his idea entirely.

Mackay smiled, clearly pleased that the discussion on Catholics was over. Robert Armstrong had been a good friend of his for several years, and Mackay never enjoyed the few occasions where Armstrong's more liberal leanings clashed with Mackay's staunch conservative views to create a heated argument.

"Now Robert, I have a proposal."

"Oh?"

"We need to secure the rest of the continent's neutrality should war come to pass. France will no doubt support us, but the English possess an unfortunate naval advantage that I fear will inhibit them from ever landing more than a handful of regiments in Scotland. We need to review what the other great powers might do. Russia I know is far too preoccupied with the Ottomans and a new potential rival in the Swedes to care much what happens in Britain. Austria has signed a non-aggression pact with the French and their war reparations have been scaled back. If they care about maintaining any of that, they won't do anything to assist England. That leaves just one power that assisted the English during the Napoleonic Wars . . ."

Armstrong pursued his lips, deep in thought. "The Germans."
"Exactly. We need to ensure that they won't lift a finger should war between England and Scotland break out. In my mind, the best way to accomplish this is simply to flaunt our alliance with the French and make it clear that should they assist the English in any way or God forbid, enter a potential war on England's side, it will mean a tussle with France. The recent non-aggression pact between Berlin and Paris would indicate a war with the French is that last thing they want. Additionally, the mention of Waterloo is enough to cool any hothead, so we'd best mention the battle several dozen times!"

Both men chuckled at that.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 12:45 am

Athens. Greece

President Otto sat, again on his balcony, with something weighing greatly on his mind. He knew it was what the Greeks wanted, but he didn't, and the Liberals certainly wouldn't. They would be outraged, and never forgive him for it. That he knew, and that he was willing to risk to help the Hellenic Republic. He had just an hour ago sat in his office and given his signature to what was essentially a death warrant. Already people were dying…
Across Greece, soldiers broke into the camps full of the Turks and killed them, slaughtering men, women and children as equals. They stood them up against walls, shoved them in ditches of tied them on stakes. The ground, it is said, was red with blood. Thousands and thousands died, and no one who saw what happened cared. For the soldiers, they were fulfilling an order. For the crowds of Greeks, it was a victory against their oppressors. And the Liberals walked out of Parliament, in protest of the events to come. What would come next is even worst. The orders were given for the police in Athens to open fire on the Liberals if they didn’t return to the Assembly Building. The Liberals refused, and many of their number lay dead by the end of the day. Gun shots were heard across Greece, some with tears but many with cheers. The Assembly was convened, minus the Liberals who still lived, as they had been arrested, and the President had hurried from his home.
“Men, what we have seen today is a victory for Greece. We have finally removed the Turkish scourge from our lands. We are finally free to dictate our own destiny, to lead our own lives. We can finally without them cutting our throats in the night. Greece, I say, is Free!”
There were great cheers from the Assembly, as the events of that day ended and the sun went down with the red of the blood spilt. New elections would have to be held in the Liberal seats, and they would come soon.

Off the coast of Africa, on board the SHR Nymphos
How many days had they been at sea for? Pompolou Alexanderos wasn't too sure anymore. All he knew is they were on the way to China, with an Austrian boat nearby. He remembered his mission, and knew he would have to go on. The sea was all that could be seen up to the horizon. He had been mentally drained, and physically drained, but he was forced to keep on going, for the good of the Hellenic Republic. He hadn't shaved in weeks, his clothes were in a state and so was he. He would have to probably face, for he wasn't too sure how far they had travelled, months more of travel...

by **Arvenia** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 1:40 am

Rome, Italy
A political protest breaks out in Rome. It was about the revolt in Sardinia. It is staged by Sardinians living in Rome. As they clashes with the Italian troops, the protest leads to 40 deaths.

Sardinia
The Sardinian revolt is getting more worse as it has claimed 280,000 lives. The conflict has reached it's breaking point. It looks like the Sardinians would win their independence soon.

by **Alsheb** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 1:53 pm

Palace des Tuileries
Office of the Head of State
Paris

"They did what?"

"I'm telling you as the reports say it, Jourdan. They killed them. Well, "massacred" is a more fitting term. Men, women and children. The Greeks killed almost every Turk in the country."

"Are they completely mad? Genocide is their idea of a solution? Did the Greek government know of this?"

Foreign Minister Buonarroti scoffed. "Know of it? They ordered it! My sources report that the Greek president actively commanded the mass execution of all ethnic Turks on Hellenic soil. He signed the bloody order!"

Jourdan shook his head in disbelief. Unbelievable. Then finally there is another country coming to the flock of new republics, and then they blow it all by utter madness and bloodlust. What were they thinking?"

"It seems their racism simply runs that deep. They kicked out a former Pasha the other day, even despite the fact that the man defected from the Ottomans and actually offered his services to Greece. Instead of using his knowledge, they shot him and kicked him over the border without so much as listening to his story. Simply because he was a Turk.

But citoyen, this is not the end of it. The Greek leaders not only massacred the Turks, but also ordered the army to shoot the Liberal members of parliament who had left the session out of protest against the bloodbaths. They killed dozens of them on the very steps of the Parliament in Athens."

Jourdan banged his fist on the table in rage, so hard that a glass on the edge fell down and shattered on the ground.

"That does it! We can't have anything to do with such a barbaric country. They may call themselves Republic all they want, but this "President Otto" is clearly no less tyrannical than the Bourbon kings of old. I'm ordering an embargo against Greece".

Rochefort-en-Terre
Brittany
North-West of France

The small town of Rocherfort-en-Terre seemed peaceful in the morning fogs. The Breton village was a sleepy litte place in the provincial countryside, and had very little to recommend it. A handful of peasants preparing their work were the only movement in town at this time of day.

Yet this peaceful little hamlet had a bloody history. About twenty-five years ago, a series of bloody conflicts started taking place here and the areas directly adjacent to the place. For over a decade, from 1793 well until 1804, a coalition of aristocrats, Catholic fanatics, Breton peasants and Royalist sympathisers had waged a fierce war against the Republic, known as the Chouannerie. Thousands of people had died in the fields, plains and forests of Brittany, fighting a poorly-armed and mostly untrained but fanatical band of insurgents here.

Even as late as 1815, fights had flared up here again, when once again royalists rose up to form a fifth column of sorts to attack Napoleon's rear while the Grande Armée was marching towards Waterloo. Only through brute force and strategical competence had General Lamarque, currently Chairman of the National Convention and one of the most influential men of the Second Republic, been able to crush this second uprising.

Lieutenant General Jean Joseph Humbert remembered those days. He had fought tooth and nail in the 1790s to keep the Royalists at bay. He had lost many good men against their irregular infantry tactics, and developed a fierce hatred of the royalists as a result. Even though he had later on fought in Holland, in the Army of the Rhine and even in New Orleans as a liaison to the Americans in the War of 1812, he had never forgotten, and especially not forgiven.
And now it seemed that trouble once again came to plague Brittany. When reports had come in about new royalist activity in the region now that Napoleon had died, Humbert had done everything he good to get command over the brigade that had been sent to scout the area and if necessary pacify it. An assignment below his rank as Lieutenant General, but that was a sacrifice he had made with pleasure.

"All looks peaceful, Général."

Humbert squinted his eyes and nodded. He laid his hand on his officer's sabre, the only giveaway of his rank. The fancy uniform matching his position he had left at home, instead donning a standard infantry outfit that in no way showed his high position in the officer corps.
"Exactly as I feared, Captain. This silence and semblance of innocence is precisely what worries me."

Not sooner had he spoken, or a the crack of a musket shot was heard. Immediately, Humbert drew his sabre and shouted the necessary orders.

"Man your posts! In position! They're here!"

From all sides, sporadic shots were heard. The forests surrounding Rochefort-en-Terre seemed to be home to armed men who had opened fire on the soldiers. Left and right the first casualties fell down amongst the Republican lines, as the fusiliers lined up in line formation.
Volleys of fire were hurled to both sides of the road where the French soldiers had marched just minutes before, but the effect of it was very unclear as the enemy was nowhere to be seen.

The highly precise gunshots from the forest resumed once more, hitting with deadly accuracy. While the first signs of panic seemed to be creeping up to the fusiliers, Lieutenant General Humbert remained very calm.

"Exactly the way I remember the bastards."

The veteran General grabbed his army bugle and blew on it with full force: three short bursts of brass sound. The signal was repated by the buglers in the army lines, while the fusiliers hurled one final volley before standing down and lowering their muskets.

For a few short seconds, all was quiet. Even the enemies in the forests seemed to stop for a while, confused as to what the meaning of this all had been. Silence fell over the battlefield, be it only for a short while. Then suddenly it was interrupted once again by the sound of battle, shots of muskets and the screams of the wounded. But not from the fusiliers of Humbert this time. The sound came from within the forest itself, where the royalist insurgents were holed up.

The Captain of the fusiliers looked towards his General in approval. "Good call, sir."

Jean Joseph Humbert smiled.
"You know, Lambert. Years of service as a militia sergeant in the National Guard of Lyon has taught me a thing or two about irregular warfare. Especially if you're fighting Chouans."

Lifting his sabre in the air, he rallied his man to charge forward, bayonets fixed on their muskets. The fusiliers stormed into the woods, where they soon stumbled upon a battle raging on there already. The royalist insurgents that had been holed up in the forest, had been surprised at their own turn by an attack in the rear by the light infantry voltigeurs that Humbert had sent straight through the forest for exactly this type of scenario.

The battle raged on for about half an hour. Steel against steel, bayonets being stabbed into enemy bodies, bullets flying and dead piling up.
While the forest was a scene for a fierce fight, the town of Rochefort-en-Terre had its own fair share of action. French dragoons, ranged cavalry armed with carbines and pistols raided the town, quickly riding up to every building before dismounting and forcing their way into the houses and farms. Loud shouts calling for peaceful surrender were periodically disrupted by gunfire wherever anyone was foolhardy enough to try violent resistance against a trained and fully armed dragoon.

By the time the fusiliers and voltigeurs appeared out of the forest and made their way to the village, the townfolk had been rounded up and pacified. The forests around the town were littered with several hundreds of bodies, most of them royalists.
The lieutenant commanding the dragoons walked up to Humbert and saluted.

"Lieutenant-Général, I am proud to present to you to the inhabitants of Rochefort-en-Terre. We report no casualties on our side, and about half a dozen townspeople dead while attempting to resist arrest."

Humbert nodded in approval. Very well, Lieutenant. Found anyone suspicious?"

"Yes, sir. We have encountered two dozen suspicious individuals holed up in basements or unusual hideouts. We suspect them to be royalist elements who have found refuge with the owners of the building. We have separated this group from the rest of the townsfolk, together with those who gave them sanctuary."

"Excellent. Have them cuffed and brought to the nearest Revolutionary Tribunal to stand trial for their crimes. I'll have the rest of the inhabitants screened and those deemed to be harmless let go about their business."

Jean Joseph Humbert walked towards the group of suspected royalist agents. A good catch indeed, he thought. The Republic shall prevail.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 2:28 pm

Crowds gathered outside of the Assembly Building, waiting for their leader to leave. When he left, many cheered but he told them to stop. He prepared and began to speak

"What has happened is horrible. Yes, I signed it of, but I never imagined what could happen. I have seen the destruction with my own eyes. I am but a murderer, I am but death. What I have committed, believing it would bring good, is horrid and awful, and it is inexcusable. I have resigned as President, and as soon as I finish, I will be arrested and brought before the law. I will never suffer enough for what I have done, and none of it will bring those who died back. I have also agreed to disband the Free Greece party permenantly, and new elections will be called soon. What happened was a crime against humanity, and what I recieve in punishment will be nowhere near what I deserve. The international community is obviously disgusted, and so am I. Goodbye"
Two officers carried him away, and the crowds dispersed, unsure of what to make of what had happened in the past days.

by **Greater Liverpool** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 5:13 pm

Skopje, Northern Macedonia

1st June 1821

Outside the city of Skopje, there was lines upon lines of Serbian troops are standing with musket and in uniform as they waited for their commanding officer to order them to their next attack. They looked on some with small spots of blood where where they had not washed their uniform enough to remove the stain. The victory they have earned broke a stalemate that had been going on for the past 2 years, for the past 2 years Serbia and the Ottoman empire did not launch a massive offence against each other but that changed 5 days ago. Now Aleksander want to continue this victory, to fight the Ottomans on their lands and with the support of the Austrians and the French they now believed that not only they could be free but they could take revenge against the Ottomans for all the years of oppression they endured. Aleksander left the city gates and rode closer towards the large parade of men. They did not move a muscle as the whole of the city of Skopje looked upon them with a sign of pride even though they where not Serbian but Macedonian they knew that the Serbs were their best chance of freedom from the Ottomans. As Aleksander closed in of the parade the Colonel of the 1st Grenadier guard gave the order to Stand at attention which was followed by a single stomp. Aleksander stopped in front of the Colonel as he saluted with Aleksander saluting back. "Colonel stand your men at ease" Ordered Aleksander

"PARADE. STAND AT, EASE"

"I hope you have all enjoyed your time in Skopje even though it was short lived. But that is because we have a advantage on the Ottomans. We have caught them off guard, our troops are ready to strike their cities and to take their land. While their armies have only left Constantinople. However we will meet their armies on the field of battle, but it will not be anywhere close to Serbia or her people. Also on the field of battle with us could possibly be the Austrians and the French. I have full confidence in you, my men. This war now is no long about giving freedom to our people. NO. This war is about destroying the Ottoman empire, bringing it to it's knees. Taking Constantinople and putting a holy cross above the Hagia Sophia. Now I know most you will not like this. Most of you will think I just want to be a freeman. That maybe. But do you want to be a freeman. Or a freeman who is immortalized in the history books. Immorality is in front of you will you take? Then follow me!" A large cheer came from the men as Aleksander inspired his troops "Proud men of Serbia. Will you be told in the future that you where equal to that of the Glory of Byzantium to that of the Roman empire or will you just be a simple Serb?" another large cheer came from the men "Then follow me to the home of Alexander the great that of Thessaloniki"

Belegrade, Northern Serbia

"Austrian mobilize, France gives more support. The Ottoman empire is not having a good time is it now" Said Miloš Obrenović as he read through a letter from France

"It seems that either the superpowers of Europe want the Ottoman empire six feet into the ground or something from Serbia" replied Anto Stanislav a fellow man in the assembly

"Or maybe be both, all I now is that Aleksander is going to have a field day now with the amount of support he has now got."

"I think we need to put a leash on him."

"Sorry Anto?"

"He is growing too powerful a child with that much power and a life that something doesn't add up. I think he is up to something that may threat the Republic or even Serbia."

"I can trust Aleksander is true to Serbia."

"But the republic" The room fell quite "He is not a republican is he?"

"I do not know"

"Next assembly I am asking for he to be relived of command and for he to be brought back he to Serbia for a quite rest."

by **Arvenia** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 11:38 pm

Sardinia
The Sardinian rebels has taken the remaining Italian territories in Sardinia, soon ending the revolt with a victorious independence from Italy.

Rome, Italy
The Sardinian revolt soon comes to a humiliating end, so the Italian government saw the potential to send messages to other countries, seeking help to end the revolt without leaving Sardinia independent, but still an Italian island under Italian control.

To: France and Greece
From: Italy
Dear leaders of France and Greece, we are all republics. Sardinia, an island my nation took from Spain sometime after the creation of the United Cities of Italy, is revolting against my nation and threatens to become a nation that will continue with discriminating Italians. These rebels must be crushed at any cost. Italy needs your help.

Sinceramente, Cancelliere Benito Medici of the United Cities

by **Jaslandia** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 11:55 pm

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

Near noon, Vice-Chancellor Archduke John walked into the imperial residence of the Habsburg family. As John entered, he quickly noticed that the palace was a flurry of activity, with numerous servants rearranging furniture, dusting desks, and mopping the tiles. Anton von Zach, the State Chancellor's Chief of State, oversaw this process.

"What's all this about?" Archduke John asked of von Zach.

"Charles just got a letter from Marie-Louise," Anton von Zach replied. "She's returning for Vienna for a little while to serve as the imperial hostess, and to assist in preparation for Franz Karl's courtship and marriage. Charles wants everything to look nice for Marie-Louise's return. "

"Ah. Also, I saw some protesting going on outside the Diet building on my way here."

"Just some protests about the failed women's suffrage vote. The protest has been peaceful so far, so Archduke Charles has ordered that the protests be allowed to continue under police supervision. Wouldn't want things to get out of hand, you know?" Barely after the last word slipped out of von Zach's mouth, the sound of horse hooves and wheels on a cobblestone road could be heard just outside the palace. Archduke Charles was just entering the palace front hall as he heard the carriage approach Schönbrunn.

"That must be Marie-Louise," the State-Chancellor said as he walked outside into the courtyard, with Archduke John and Anton von Zach following. The carriage pulled up the front gate, and with the aid of a servant, the Dowager Empress of the French stepped out.

Archduke Charles approached Napoleon's widow and embraced her. "It is good to see you again, my niece. You remember Archduke John, don't you?"

"Of course," Marie-Louise responded as she hugged Archduke John. "I am glad to see both of you. I received your message with Lucien's regards. I remember Lucien fondly. He gave Nappy a headache, but he was a good man. I should see about organizing a Bonaparte family reunion."

"Speaking of family," Archduke Charles said, "I am worried about finding a wife for Franz Karl. The Portuguese still haven't responded to my message."

Marie-Louise waved her hand at Charles. "Do not worry about it," she said dismissively. "We have other options. We can turn to other royal families in Europe."

"Not really," Charles explained. "The English do not have an eligible princess, nor do the Swedes, nor do the Russians. The fact that so many of the nations of Europe have turned to republicanism also complicates matters."

"Then marry within Austria. I am sure there is some Hungarian or Czech noble family with a beautiful daughter who can marry Franz Karl."

"I'm not sure if a Hungarian or Czech would be suitable for the Emperor. There must be some other group we can turn to."

"I have a suggestion," Archduke John interrupted. "The Modrone branch of the House of Visconti are quite influential in Milan. While I dislike the idea of a Hungarian or Czech bride for the Emperor, I believe an Italian bride would be more palatable to us all."

"Excellent point," Archduke Charles responded. "I know the family patriarch, Alessandro Visconti di Modrone. I have conversed with him when he attended a few parties at Schönbrunn. I believe he has a daughter, Francisca Visconti di Modrone. 17-years old, gorgeous from what I've heard."

"That will work out nicely," Marie-Louise remarked. "I told you there was no reason to worry."

"Archduke Rainer Joseph is the Viceroy in Milan. When necessary, I'll have him send for Alessandro. Marie-Louise, if I decide to meet with Alessandro Visconti, will you assist me? I am sure a woman's help would be most useful in such an instance."

"I would be delighted, Uncle Charles."

"Then it's settled. The Portuguese better reply soon, or else the world will be introduced to Empress Francisca of Austria."

Palais Niederösterreich, Vienna, Austria

The news of Greece's atrocities against the Turks, and France's subsequent denouncement of said atrocities, soon became an important topic of discussion in Austria. In the Imperial Diet, Liberal Radical representative Amadeo Sciarra of Venice proposed a resolution to indefinitely halt the declaration of protection of Greece that had been negotiated by Otto Eichfeld.

"The Greeks' massacre is inhuman and inexcusable," Republican Radical representative Lázár Orbán of Debrecen cried in a speech before the Diet. "They have changed government in repentance, that is true, but the Greeks simply cannot go unpunished for their crimes!"

"The Greeks did no wrong!" Absolutist representative Eberhard Königsmann of Sankt Pölten exclaimed. "Those Turks are horrendous beasts who cannot be trusted. If anything, Austria should look to the example of Greece should we find ourselves in a similar situation." Königsmann's words caused hisses and jeers to quickly fill the chamber, before they were silenced by Speaker Metternich's gavel.

"Order!" Metternich screamed. "Order in the Diet! We shall now vote on the resolution." After the votes were counted, the final tally was 290 yeas, 77 nays, and 33 abstentions.

Near the Serbian border with Austria

With mobilization now completed, Austrian troops crossed the border into Serbia. An army of 1,000 men under the command of Prince Franz Seraph of Orsini-Rosenberg began marching toward Belgrade, temporarily taking up defensive positions alongside the Serb garrison near the capital. At the same time, an official declaration of war was sent to the Ottoman authorities. However, Archduke Charles, having little desire for a long and intense war against the Ottoman Empire, sent orders for Prince Franz Seraph and his subordinates to avoid offensive action when possible, and to concentrate on fighting a defensive war. For now, Austria hoped to let Serbia do most of the fighting, with Austria playing a strong supporting role.

by **Normandy and Picardy** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 12:56 am

Athens, Greece
"Why the hell did Otto have to do this?" asked Pampolou Constantines. "Now the entire world hates us! I wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese sent us back or someone decided to invade at this point"
"Because he was barbaric man!" replied his diplomatic advisor, Stephanos Zaimos.
"What did he expect would happen? That everyone would give us a pat on the back and leave us on our way?"
He knew he had to say something, but knew somehow that hope would never truly be restored, and all because of the actions of one man. He sat for a moment, and thought.
Prepare for me to give a speech. And the international community is to know of this as well. I want them to see what happens, so they know how we feel, and see how we are dealing with this disaster"
Mr Zaimos left to begin the preparations for Mr Constantines...

A few hours later, the crowds gathered once again in the square outside the assembly building. Pampolou looked at the crowd, and began to speak.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, and the world. What happened to those who were massacred was wrong, and I believe everyone knows that. I am saddened that such an action could take place on Greek soil. I can assure you that the man who allowed this to happen, and the man who called himself 'President' has received his sentence, and he will be executed. I, personally, see that as not enough punishment. He signed the death warrant for thousands, and he gets away like the coward he is. We regret deeply what happened, and hope this sort of thing will never be allowed to happen again, whether in the Hellenic Republic or outside of her borders. We will work to leave this chapter behind us, and to try and carry on and build this country anew. We will never be able to bring back those who died, but we will work with the Ottomans and other groups to provide some sort of agreement of reparations, if that is what they wish to happen. Money doesn't bring back a father, a mother or a child, and it never will be enough, but it is the only thing we can do. I vow, on my life, to never allow this horrific manifestation of racism to ever, ever happen again, for it was barbaric and senseless, and has alienated us from the world. We must start again, start anew, and we must remember what happened with sadness, but also remember it so that something similar can never again be committed. Thank you"

by **Arvenia** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 4:57 am

Sardinia
Over 400,000 people are killed in the Sardinian revolt. The Sardinians has taken the capital of Sardinia.

Rome, Italy
The Sardinians has soon their own country, but their secession is against the Italian anti-secession law, which prohibits secession that can cripple the United Cities' territorial power. The Italians orders every Sardinian to be either imprisoned, sent away from Italy, executed or conscripted in the Italian military.

by **Old Tyrannia** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 10:19 am

Xi'an, Shaanxi Province
Empire of the Great Qing

Josan Rong, an officer in the Eight Banners and the commander of the Xi'an garrison, was a traditionalist. Born into a powerful Manchu family, with a long history of serving the Great Qing dynasty, Rong prided himself on not giving in to the sinicisation of his people, but staying true to his Manchu roots. He was a fine hunter, and he knew the Manchu script and language as well as he did Mandarin. He distrusted the Han Chinese around him, saw them as a potential threat to the dynasty he served, ever subversive, ever ungrateful and spiteful towards their illustrious Manchu rulers. Still, he was not entirely beyond succumbing to the indulgences China had to offer; Chinese wine, silk and women, for example, were a welcome luxury. The concubine that lay draped on his couch was such a woman, a Hakka, from the south. The Hakka were a subgroup of the Han Chinese. Rong didn't know the woman's real name, but he called her Ganzhu, "Sweet Sow." She was one of her favourite concubines. Her parents had not bound her feet. Manchu women did not have their feet bound; it was unnatural and degrading, the sort of thing only the twisted Chinese could come up with. Rong hated seeing bound women, their feet looking unnaturally small and broken. If there was one good thing to come of the current Emperor's reign, it was the banning of foot binding, soon to come into force.

Rong looked out the window as he dressed. It was a bright, clear morning; the skies were calm, belying the turmoil that simmered beneath the Qing's façade of elegance and order. The dynasty was in danger, from the schemes of modernisers who were in the thrall of the foreign barbarians. Worse still, the Emperor, may he live for ten thousand years, was also in the thrall of these evil people; His Imperial Majesty was surrounded by scheming Han mandarins who secretly desired to bring the dynasty to an end through plots concocted with the European foreign devils. The Emperor, under the evil influence of Tang Wenzhong, had formed a new army under the control of barbarians brought from the West, and it was intended that this new army would ultimately replace the Banners as the lynchpin of the Empire, and foundation of the Qing's rule. Already the barbarian influence was spreading, with the Emperor opening up new ports for trade. These foul vaccinations that the Emperor's new European physicians were inflicting upon the imperial court, and which they were told would soon become far more widespread, were no doubt part of some further scheme by the foreigners, even if the mandarins claimed that this was merely an improvement on the methods of inoculation that had been known to the Chinese since the Song dynasty. Indeed, the mandarins in their essays and memoranda insisted that all European technology had ultimately originated in China, the fount of civilisation, and had only later been taken up by the foreign devils who had, through history, retained and sometimes developed techniques that had been lost or stagnated in the Middle Kingdom itself.

Today, something was happening in Beijing, splendid capital of the Celestial Empire, that would spark a new era in the long history of the Empire. The military reforms would halt, the power of the Manchu elite would be preserved, and the foreign devils would at last be expelled. Tomorrow would be his time to act. Everything had been carefully planned, carefully coordinated. Commanders of the Green Standard Army had been offered wealth and titles for their cooperation. Senior Manchu princes had pledged their support. The coup would be swift and effective, but if it failed, it would be up to the military commanders to take matters into their own hands; Commander Rong among them. His duty, he knew, was to the Qing dynasty, and the dynasty needed to be protected from threats both within and without. It was not, he reasoned as he walked out of his bedchamber, about the wealth he had been slowly siphoning off from the military's budget- after all, that was just a small bonus, a reasonable entitlement in return for all his work. Everyone took their share. It was practically standard practice; you couldn't live in comfort off the measly official salary provided to military officers, after all. No, that was unimportant. What was important was the fate of the Empire, of the dynasty, of the Manchu nation. Today, those fates would be determined. Tomorrow, when word came from Beijing and the success or failure of his allies in the capital was confirmed, then it would be his time to act.

The Forbidden City
Beijing, China
Capital of the Great Qing

While Rong of the Manchu Josan clan, commander of the Eight Banners, military intendant of Xi'an, contemplated events in the one time capital of the Chinese Empire, the current capital of the Empire, heart of the Yuan, Ming and now Qing dynasties, was a bustle of activity. The French ambassador had arrived the day before, only to be swiftly taken to a guest house outside the city, assured that his request for an audience with the Son of Heaven was being processed by the relevant officials. Twenty five guards from the First Division of the new model army had been assigned to protect his person. His arrival was kept a closely guarded secret within Shi Hanshou's section of the Ministry of Rites, shared only with the Emperor and Grand Councillor the Prince Dun. Official Susai, recently appointed Senior Imperial Cartographer and Senior Official of the Imperial Court, had been asked to delay his planned departure to the island of Kuye. It was clear to all that moves were being made; certain individuals in the court and the imperial bureaucracy now realised that their own careful planning, after months of preparation, had now been noticed by their enemies. It was, however, too late to delay or abandon the plot; if the conservatives were sufficiently numerous, and the reformists knew less about their plans than they feared, it was yet possible that the plan would succeed.

And in the Forbidden City, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the Great Qing Dynasty, Son of Heaven and Lord of Ten Thousand Years, Khan of Khans of Tartary, waited with perfect patience as factions and cliques manoeuvred around him, like planets orbiting the brightest and most brilliant star in the cosmos. The ruler of all under Heaven kept himself locked away at the heart of his enormous palace, the greatest palace complex in the world, practising poetry and calligraphy and enjoying the imperial gardens. That evening, when the cards were finally revealed, His Imperial Majesty was sitting in quiet contemplation in his study, the Imperial Guards Brigade protecting his august personage from all harm. That evening the Emperor's younger brother, the Prince Dun, was supposed to have died at his mansion outside the Forbidden City, murdered by the foreign devils brought by his brother to China to help strengthen the Imperial Army; instead, a servant was killed, dressed in his master's clothing, and the true culprits- six assassins who later revealed under torture that a certain Manchu prince had employed them to participate in a plot against the Dragon Throne- were caught in the act by officers of the Imperial Guards who had been waiting for them.

Meanwhile, Court Official Tang Wenzhong of the Imperial Censorate was supposed to be arrested at the Censorate's offices in Beijing, where he always worked late, scribbling away by lamplight into the small hours of the morning, reading hundreds of thousands of reports from throughout the Empire and preparing memoranda after memoranda for the Throne. Instead the Imperial Guards sent to arrest him were met by eight other guards, plus four officers of the First Division. The would-be arresters told their comrades that they had been ordered to arrest Tang by the Emperor himself, for the murder of the Prince Dun, brother to the Emperor. Surely they were mistaken, said one of the other imperial guards with a sly smile. The Prince had not been murdered, and the Emperor had surely given no such orders as he was currently entertaining Official Tang, Prince Dun and Commander Zheng of the First Division at the Imperial Palace. There had clearly been some sort of mistake, the young guardsman said as his former colleagues found themselves being placed under arrest. It would all be sorted out soon enough.

Finally, a group of guards at the Palace entered the Emperor's private quarters in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. They were armed. They would ask that His Imperial Majesty, in the best interests of the Great Qing Empire, abdicate the Dragon Throne to his thirteen year old son, Prince Yiwei. They would also ask that the Emperor signed a warrant for the arrest of Official Tang Wenzhong, as well as a number of officials- including Vice Minister of Rites Shi Hanshou and Minister of War Zhu Xianling- who were known to have links with them. The Emperor was not in his private quarters, however. He had silently left just before the current guards had began their shifts, and was currently surrounded by a small number of his most trusted Imperial Guards and officers of the First Division in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, former residence of the illustrious Qianlong Emperor, along with the Empress, Prince Yiwei, the Prince Dun, Commander Zheng, Official Tang, Vice Minister Shi, the Emperor's French advisor Jean Jacques Dubois and Official Susai of the Manchu Sing clan, who had been granted the unprecedented privilege of a private audience with the Emperor to discuss plans for the colonisation of Kuye.

By midnight, the guards who had entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation were all dead. Their swords were no match for the guns carried by the soldiers ordered to apprehend them, but they had made a valiant effort to resist arrest. The Prince Dun's would-be assassin gave a number of names that confirmed the Censorate's suspicions. The next day, fifty-three members of the Imperial Court were placed under arrest. They were swiftly sentenced; most, to execution by slow slicing. The most senior officials and Manchu princes among them were permitted to commit suicide, thus salvaging some honour. They would all be dead within the next five days. Word of the executions spread quickly to every corner of the Empire. Before word even reached Xi'an, in Shaanxi Province, Commander Rong of the Bordered Blue Banner declared open rebellion against the Imperial Throne; the same day, rebel forces under Manchu commander Hujin of the Plain Red Banner seized control of Songjiang in Jiangsu Prince. Their next target would be Shanghai. Luoyang, too, was occupied by rebel forces, under the commander Shufan of the Plain Yellow Banner. A quarter of the Green Standard Army defected to the rebels. The rest of the Green Standard Army, both the First and Second Divisions of the new Imperial Army, and the remainder of the Eight Banners (including parts of the three banners that rebelled against the Throne) remained loyal to the Emperor.

The day after the coup, a mandarin was dispatched to the guest house outside Beijing to inform the French envoy his request for an audience had been granted.

3 Days Later
Port of Tanggu, 170 km southeast of Beijing
Empire of the Great Qing

Sing Susai watched from the stern of the Enlightening Discovery as the old junk, leader of a squadron of five, departed from the port. He was on his way to the island of Kuye, referred to on Western maps by the Russian name Sakhalin. The young Manchu clansman was full of anxiety; he had never taken a lengthy journey by sea before, and the pressures of his new responsibilities weighed heavily on him. His humble recommendations that the island to the northeast be properly mapped and explored had not only been taken up by the Emperor himself, may he live and reign for ten of ten thousand years, but the Emperor had placed Susai himself in command of the cartographic survey! That in itself was remarkable, a great honour for Susai and his family; but to add further to his honour, the Emperor had granted him a private audience three nights ago. There, while Susai sat among the most powerful men in the Chinese Empire, the Great Qing Emperor had told Susai of His Imperial Majesty's desire to establish a permanent military and trading outpost on Kuye, with the long-term goal of colonising it. Susai was to be the senior official on the island, with authority over establishing the military outpost, mapping Kuye and handling relations with the barbarians inhabiting the island. The pressures of such responsibility could crush a man.

Susai was surrounded by soldiers of the Green Standard Army. It had been explained to him that the reason his expedition had been delayed was that the Censorate had found evidence that the soldiers assigned to him may possess links to rebellious elements opposed to the Emperor's enlightened policies of expanding the knowledge of the Empire and reforming imperial institutions. Such disloyal elements may have sought to sabotage Susai's mission. The attempted coup three days ago had revealed the truth of these allegations; the officers concerned were variously executed or exiled. The rank and file soldiery suspected of disloyalty to the Dragon Throne were assigned to forced labour building the Emperor's new canal from Tianjin to Beijing, which would improve the flow of goods from the Port of Tanggu to the capital. Susai had been assigned the remaining, loyal troops and others brought from the south and west, together with a number of loyal Manchu bannermen who would serve as his officers. He was also to be accompanied by twenty four other imperial mandarins, fourteen Manchus, the remaining ten Han Chinese. It had been requested that en route to the island, Susai stop to stock supplies in Korea, and send back a report to the Emperor later on the progress of the Joseon's modernisation efforts and the rumoured plans to invade Japan.

Susai tried not to feel too overwhelmed by the task before him as the land became more distant, the busy port of Tanggu gradually becoming smaller. Ultimately he knew it would disappear over the horizon, and all that would remain would be the blue expanse of the Eastern Sea, lapping gently at the side of his huge command ship. Turning to scan the deck, he allowed himself a moment of pride at the trust placed in him by the Son of Heaven, then went below to rest.

Hall of Supreme Harmony
Forbbiden City
Beijing, China
Capital of the Great Qing

Three days after the failed palace coup d'état, Minning, Emperor of the Great Qing, sat upon the Dragon Throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Word had reached Beijing of the rebellions in Luoyang and Songjiang. They were still awaiting word from some of the Empire's other cities, including Xi'an, but it appeared that the rebellion had proved much smaller in scale than they had feared. The Imperial Court suspected some of the military commanders who had been involved in the planned uprising had not declared their support for the Prince Yiwei and the conservative faction the day after Beijing was to be taken over in a coup, as was planned, but instead had waited to hear news of the coup's success or failure. As it was, the coup had failed. Prince Yiwei, Minning's son and heir, was not currently sat upon the throne as a puppet of the reactionaries. Instead he had been whisked away to a safe location outside the capital. The rebels would be crushed in good time. For now, the important thing was to give no indication of weakness, no sign that the Empire was facing internal unrest. And so it was that the tall, thin Emperor, dressed in his most sumptuous golden robes embroidered with flowers and fantastic beasts, sat upon the Dragon Throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony where the Emperors of the Celestial Empire had held court since the days of the Ming dynasty, receiving the emissary of the French Republic who would, if the Emperor's servants had done their jobs right, know nothing of any coup attempt.

"Your Imperial Majesty, may we present to Your Most August Personage the emissary of the French barbarians, the honourable François Millard," one mandarin announced in clear, ringing tones. The Frenchman was brought forward, and dropped to the floor to kowtow before the Son of Heaven. From the edges of the hall, he was watched by dozens of staring eyes; the Vice Minister of Rites Shi Hanshou, who had organised this meeting; Jean Dubois, the Frenchman who had helped to design the Emperor's new warships and advised the Ministry of Rites in their dealings with his homeland; Jorgut Youben, current commander of the Imperial Bodyguard, recently appointed after personally arresting his treasonous predecessor, and still wearing the same sly, smug grin as he had that night; and others, including the Spanish Jesuit missionary Matias García de Arriortúa, who worked as an astronomer for the Imperial Court Observatory, dressed in the manner of his new flock as a Chinese mandarin.

"It pleases His Imperial Majesty to grant Master Millard permission to stand," announced Vice Minister Shi. "Master Millard, His Imperial Majesty thanks you for undertaking such a long journey, and for the gifts you bring as symbols of your people's submission to the Emperor of all under Heaven. By the Emperor's dispensation, you may now address the imperial court."

by **Igoria** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 11:04 am

Stockholm, Sweden
King Charles XIV John sat in the council chambers, surrounded by his privy council of ministers, going through the various state of affairs in the the country. Refreshments had been served, so the ministers were happily helping themselves to wine and champagne. Charles John, however, needed to keep a clear head, and sipped only water. With the ministers preoccupied, Charles John ruffled through the pile of official documents and foreign messages, finally procuring one bearing the seal of the Second French Republic. The King read it, and, upon finishing it, slammed his fist onto the table to demand the ministers' attention.
"Quiet. Refreshment break is over. I have here a communiqué from the French Republic."
"What does it say, Your Majesty?" the Minister for War, Erik Lindström, asked.
"They propose a formal Non-Aggression Pact."
"Well, I suppose that is indeed in our best interests. The French Army not only outnumbers ours, but is also of generally higher quality."
"With my background, Minister, it would be improbable for me not to acknowledge that fact."
Lindström bowed his head apologetically.
"I believe we should accept it." The King said.
This brought murmurs of agreement and hisses of disapproval from the ministers and dignitaries.
"Quiet. French neutrality is, you see essential to our Scandinavian ambitions, gentlemen. If we are to subjugate Denmark, as we plan to do in the near future, then we must have assurances that the French won't intervene. Furthermore, if we are to attempt to regain Finland from the Russians, we also require support from the French. The only way to gain that potential support is through an initial Non-Aggression Pact."
"Well put, sir." Count Mikelsen chimed in, "all in agreement?"
Nearly all the hands were raised.
"Good. I will put through a reply right away."
"Wait," Charles John said. "We must address two other issues. Firstly," he said, raising another paper, this one adorned with the seal of the Austrian Empire, "the Austrians. They have, well, refused our offer for an alliance, and instead proposed another Non-Aggression Pact. However, they do state that they will cooperate with us further, so the best thing to do is accept. Austria is another powerful nation whose support we require for any further operations."
"Now, secondly," Charles John continued, "is the matter of Denmark. We must defeat them, wether it be to conquer them or to force them into a Kalmar Union of sorts with the tables turned. They are the only Scandinavian nation left outside our control."
"Indeed, Your Majesty. And I can assure you that the Danish Army is no match for our own. Victory will be easy." Lindström said.
"Exactly. However, we should always seek the diplomatic approach first. I propose we send the Danes a list of our demands. I believe Count Mikelsen has prepared a draft."
"I have, sir. The demands are as follows: The secession of Skåneland and the surrounding provinces in S.Sweden currently under their control to us, the secession of Iceland, which will enter the Union of Sweden-Norway as another junior partner, and for us to base a garrison in Copenhagen to ensure their full compliance with our demands."

To: Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
From: King Charles XIV John of Sweden and III of Norway.

We are delighted at having received your most recent communiqué, and we express a sincere gratitude for your gracious offer. We graciously accept your offer for a Non-Aggression Pact. May peace between Sweden-Norway and the French Republic be eternal. May you rest assured that Sweden-Norway looks forward to any further cooperation and coordination in various fields.

To: Archduke Charles, State Chancellor of Austria
From: King Charles XIV John of Sweden and III of Norway.

You have my gratitude for your proposal, which we accept. We hope that this will only be the first step in positive Austro-Swedish relations. God Save the Kaiser!

To: King Frederik VI of Denmark
From King Charles XIV John of Sweden and III of Norway.

Greetings.

I cannot fail to notice your continuos and unlawful occupation of Skåneland and the surrounding inherently Swedish provinces. I cannot allow a continued occupation and oppression of Swedes and neither can we allow a continued oppression of other Scandinavian peoples. Therefore, we present you with an ultimatum, and unless all terms are unconditionally met, I will be forced to declare a state of war between Denmark and Sweden-Norway.

Our demands are as follows:

-Skåneland and the other S.Swedish territories currently occupied by Denmark will be returned to Sweden.
-Iceland is to become an independent nation, under the protection of Sweden-Norway.
-A garrison of loyal Swedish-Norwegian troops will be stationed in Copenhagen to ensure the full cooperation of the Danish Government.

We hope you make the right choice.

by **Arvenia** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 11:47 am

Sardinia
The Sardinian rebels has finally won the revolt and conquered the entire Sardinia, turning it into a new nation. They call it formally as the "Republic of Sardinia". It will be under President Sergio Mussolini and the Sardinian Congress. The Italians were quickly expelled from Sardinia by the Sardinian forces. Sergio sends messages to all nations including France.

To: Nations of the world
From: Republic of Sardinia
Dear leaders of the world, we are the Republic of Sardinia, a new state that seceded from the United Cities of Italy (UCI). We are hoping for a peace treaty and a quiet resistance against the coming consequences from the furious Italian government.

Sincerly, President Sergio Mussolini of Sardinia

Rome, Italy
After the humiliated defeat by the Sardinian revolt, the Italian government now focuses on isolating Sardinia by sending all Sardinians back to Sardinia and surround it with fleets to keep it detained.

by **Alsheb** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 6:23 am

Palace des Tuileries
Office of the Head of State
Paris

The office chamber of the French leader was filled with people. Lucien Bonaparte, Minister of the Interior stood in front of Jourdan's desk, as did Bertrand Barère, Minister of Police and Director of the Secret Service. Foreign Minister Philippe Buonarroti was also in attendance, as was the Chief of Staff of the French Army, Marshal Guillaume Brune. And as usual Jourdan's trusted second-in-command Jean Maximilien Lamarque was there as well. They had all convened today to discuss the matter of the events unfolding in Brittany.

Lucien Bonaparte stepped forward after having been given the word. The late Emperor's younger brother proudly unfolded a field report and proclaimed its contents.

"The National Guard of Brittany reports further successes in apprehending and arresting Royalist agents and sympathizers. We have about thirty of them in custody now. And about a dozen others have been tried and sentenced to the guillotine by the revolutionary tribunals already"

"Excellent news, Lucien. We must act decisively and ruthlessly if we want to prevent a second Chouannerie from flaring up in Brittany. Any news about the new recruitment campaign for the National Guard?"

Marshal Guillaume Brune stood up now. "The recruitment is going well, Mr. le Président. Several hundreds of new fédérés in Brittany and the Vendée have joined the National Guard militias already. The news about Royalist insurgents over there has really given a boost to patriotic and republican zeal among the young men. They will be assigned to low-risk guard duties in the areas of suspected Royalist activity for the time being."

Jourdan nodded in approval, before turning his attention to Barère. "Director, what news from your sources?"

Bertrand Barère, freemason, journalist, radical Jacobin, progressive nationalist, former secret agent under Napoleon and now head of the French police and intelligence agencies, now reported.

"My boys have arrested a few dozen reactionaries all over the country. We have started the interrogation, but the Law on Unusual and Unnecessarily Cruel Punishments limits our options of finding out information. However, I have issued a Ministerial Decree that allows the Service to release suspects immediately if their cooperation is deemed acceptable enough. The prospect of a chance to escape extradition to the revolutionary tribunal and thus certain death under the guillotine has made some elements more... prone to cooperation"

Barère now paused for a little while, before continuing in a slightly hushed tone.

"And with success, my friends. We have received alarming news from several Royalist dissidents. It appears that the most recent flare of reactionary violence has been organised by no other than Louis Auguste Victor, former Count of Ghaisnes de Bourmont."

The atmosphere in the room immediately turned grim. Louis de Bourmont. Royalist agent and schemer in Napoleon's court. Among the first to betray the Emperor in 1814 after the Sixth Coalition marched towards Paris. Traitor to France and turncoat when the Bourbons attempted to return. Much to the surprise and chagrin of almost everyone, Napoleon allowed him back into his service after returning from Elba. A gross miscalculation on behalf of the Emperor, as Bourmont turned tail again as soon as he had the chance. Just three days before the decisive Battle of Waterloo, he defected once again, riding straight to the Prussian camp and offering his services to Blücher. Even for the Prussian commander though, this man had been too much, as his offer was rejected categorically, with Blücher calling him out as a traitor in his face and exclaiming "a dirty dog is always a dirty dog".

Since the victory at Waterloo, Bourmont's whereabouts had been relatively unknown even to the Secret Service, but it was generally assumed he had taken up refuge either in Germany or England. Until now.

"Damn that man!" Jourdan screamed. "The guillotine is way too light a punishment for a creature such as him. And now you're telling me he is back in France?"

"It seems so, Mr. Président."

"Put all your still available resources into finding him, Barère! I want the arrestation of Louis de Bourmont to be your number one priority! Bring him in alive, or bring me his head!

Lucien, Guillaume. Order your units in Brittany to keep up their work at the current pace. I want this Royalist intriguing to be nipped in the bud before it gets out of hand again. I trust in your both capacities and military leadership to put an end to this madness post haste."

After the meeting had been dismissed, Jourdan looked through his communications and international reports.

A letter from the United Cities of Italy calling on us not to recognize the Sardinian's independence, and even to intervene to crush the separatists. And a letter from Sardinia asking us to do the exact opposite.

Jourdan sighed. What was this business with Sardinia even about? Whatever it was, it's not France's business. Neutrality would be the best choice for now.

A report from the Balkans. The Austrians have entered Serbia with an army, in order to support their independence against the Turks.
Fair enough. As long as they don't make any illusions about annexing it into Austria. France won't stand for that.

The Greek government has been toppled by a Liberal coup d'état, it seems. Excellent news. Those conservatives would only cause more problems if they had staid in power any longer. Very well, the embargo shall be lifted again, to ensure a smooth transition to a liberal-dominated Hellenic Republic.

Hall of Supreme Harmony
Forbbiden City
Beijing, China
Capital of the Great Qing

François Millard, having kowtowed precisely according to ancient Chinese tradition, now got up but kept kneeling, as he addressed the Emperor and the court.

"Most Revered Son of Heaven, Emperor of All under the Heavens, Lord of Ten Thousand Years, Khan of Khans of Tartary.

I, your humble servant, address Thee today on behalf of the French Second Republic. A nation most impressed and humbled by Your Imperial Majesty's greatness and the might and splendour of the Empire of the Great Qing, now most humbly plead Thee to consider, if Thou willst, a more favourable and blessed form of submission to the Dragon Throne.

France is a nation renowned for its military capacities that, while obviously inferior to the might and prowess of the Imperial armies of the Great Qing, far supersede that of any other European barbarian realm in the West. Therefore, we as Your Majesty's humble servants, offer Thee increased service in the fields of military modernisation, especially in regards to artillery. Also for Your Majesty's most honourable infantry, we have services to give Thee regarding drill techniques, battlefield discipline and use of modern weaponry. As the Son of Heaven is no doubt aware, France has already served the Dragon Throne well in several fields of modernisation in previous years, such as Master Jean Dubois has shown in his services to the Imperial Navy. The French spirit of industry, discipline and service to the Dragon Throne displayed by Master Dubois is one that is shared by many in my homeland. And this spirit we want to dedicate to Your Imperial Majesty.

Alas, we must admit that, being simple barbarians so far removed from the Empire of the Middle itself, we lack the civilisation and refinement enjoyed by Your Imperial Majesties Manchu and Chinese subjects. Chinese splendour such as silk, porcelain, tea and other treasures given unto the Centre of the World that is your Mandate, can only reach my compatriots through trade. If, in Thy unending mercy and wisdom, the Lord of the Dragon Throne should see fit to further aid in the civilisation mission of the French barbarian realm, we humbly request towards the possibility of increased trade between the Empire of the Middle and the French, through the opening of new ports, the relaxation of trade barriers or any other wise decision that the Son of Heaven shall devise in His divine wisdom.

I once more salute the Son of Heaven for seeing fit to receive my humble person in His divine presence, and thank You a thousand times for this great honour.

May He live and reign for ten thousand years."

After having spoken, Millard kowtowed again and awaited the response of the Emperor or his direct subordinates.

by **Arvenia** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 6:36 am

Rome, Italy
After days of humiliations following Sardinia's successful secession, Italy decides to lift the sanctions against the Sardinians after all. A peace treaty would be held in Cagliari.

Cagliari, Sardinia
Sardinia made the same thing as Italy, also planning the treaty in Cagliari. This would end the tensions following the revolt.

by **Alsheb** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 2:10 pm

News Around the World

Southern Africa

The Zulu Empire under Emperor Shaka have reportedly made major territorial gains in South-East Africa after several military victories against the Mtetwa Paramountcy. Refugees, mostly of Xhosa origin, have fled to the South, with some of them going as far as the Voortrekker colonies of white settlers, near the British Cape Colony.

Sumatra, East Indies

War has broken out in the Minangkabau in West Sumatra between the government of the local Sultan and a militant Wahhabi sect known as the Padris. Reports indicate that several Dutch colonists have already provided support to the Sultan's side, in exchange for further trade advantages.

Haiti

A group of former functionaries in the Spanish colonial government of Santo Domingo, landowners and pro-independence intellectuals have founded a secret society called the La Trinitaria. This political club has declared to strive towards the secession of the Spanish-speaking areas from Haiti. Opponents however call the group reactionary and accuse them of wanting to hand the country back to the Spanish.

by **Cabana** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 2:35 pm

Mesrane wrote:
(Image)

The Confederacy of Scotland

Edinburgh Waterfront

"Atten-shun!"

A dozen men of the 9th Scots Guards stood at attention, forming up on either side of the gangplank that was lowered from the French frigate Bordeaux slapped the dockside with a loud crack. Moments later, two officers of the French army descended, one being Jean Bertrand, a Major in the famed French Artillery, whilst the other was Major Allard Dupont, from a French Hussar regiment. Bertrand came with six guns and the corresponding crews, while Dupont brought thirty of his hussars and their mounts, to demonstrate French formations to the fledgling Scottish cavalry corps.

To receive the officers were two Scots; General James MacLeod, who commanded the two cavalry regiments in the army, and Colonel Duncan Gilchrist, who was head of Scotland's small and ill-equipped artillery units and at the same time the main armaments man for the entire Army, one who's duties including procuring new knowledge of new tactics, new weapons and the means to use and produce them.

Both men saluted the French officers as they stepped off the gangplank, a gesture which was promptly returned.

"Majors," MacLeod said. "Welcome to Edinburgh. I'm sure I speak for the whole Scottish nation when I say Scotland is immensely grateful for the assistance France is providing us."

"Many thanks, Monsieurs." Bertrand's English was fairly clear, if heavily accented. "France simply does what is necessary to protect Republicanism across the world. With our assistance, English imperialist ambitions will be curbed, whether because they recognize the difficulties of defeating a well-trained Scottish army or because you whip them on the battlefield remains to be seen."

All four men chuckled at that. "We've done it before, I'm sure with a little magic we can do it again," Gilchrist intoned.

MacLeod nodded. "Well sirs, if you follow me I've made arrangements for you and your men at a hotel on Barton Street. It's nearly dinner-time, and you must both be a bit sea-weary."

Both Frenchmen blinked, obviously experiencing difficulty trying to pull meaning out of MacLeod's almost insanely thick Hebrides accent. Gilchrist watched, his face a stone wall but melting with laughter inside.

Apparently, Dupont had at least extracted the necessary words. He and Bertrand conversed briefly in French. Much to Gilchrist's relief, the tone of the conversation seemed to concern something other than MacLeod's accent, even if the Colonel hadn't understood a word of what was said.

"Actually, Monsieurs, If it's not too much trouble Major Bertrand and I would like to acquire a carriage or something to take us straight to Falkirk, while our men stay in Edinburgh for the night. We are not so tired that we don't want to observe the units we will be training as soon as is possible," said Dupont.

MacLeod and Gilchrist exchanged a glance, the former shrugging and nodding assent.

"I think that can be arranged," said Gilchrist. "General MacLeod will find you both a carriage, while I will remain here and show your men to the hotel."

Dupont and Bertrand nodded and smiled, clearly pleased. MacLeod led them off the waterfront, ending a seemingly insignificant conversation that had in fact been the beginning of the new Auld Alliance.

Falkirk Arsenal & Proving Grounds

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

Mackay watched as volley after volley of musket fire raked targets just over eighty yards away from the drilling trainees that would shortly constitute the newly raised 17th Regiment of Foot.

Beside him on the viewing platform that had been erected atop a hill overlooking the proving grounds stood Robert Armstrong, Scotland's Chancellor, and General Brian Boyd, who commanded several infantry regiments.

"When will they be ready, General?" Mackay glanced at Boyd.

The old general sighed, white whiskers slapped around by the light breeze. "If their final drilling goes well, then t'new regiment will be combat-ready by the end of this month. Of course they've been trained mostly by our many veterans of the wars in Europe, so while they will be green they'll be no worse trained than any of the regiments that won at Kirkconnel."

Mackay was apparently satisfied with that answer. "Mhm. Even if we could churn out more regiments at a faster rate by shirking some training, I'm extremely averse to doing so. We'll never have much manpower to work with so we ought to squeeze the very best out of what we have."

Boyd nodded. "I must profess I am relieved t'hear that, sir. You'll find most of the Army's officers in agreement with you there. It's only some of t'politicians that think Scotland could possibly hope to eliminate an English force via swamping them with bodies. That kind o' idiocy is fer them Chinese bastards." His mind spoken, Boyd returned his attention to the drilling recruits.

Mackay turned to Armstrong. "MacLeod sent a letter ahead this morning. The two Frenchmen will arrive a day early, which is tomorrow. The hussars and guns they brought to demonstrate will be here the day after that."

The Chancellor grunted his approval. "Six months under French instruction and our cavalry and artillery units will be on par with t'infantry. Ours will be a right proper European army," he paused, collecting his thoughts. "Also, the alliance with the French has got me thinking, Alan."

Mackay arched an eyebrow. "Clearly, you have a proposal. Spit it out, Robert."

"Well, it's just that our . . . policies against Catholics might not sit well in Paris, considering how overwhelmingly Catholic the French are."

Armstrong, to his credit, continued doggedly on through the storm of curses and blaspheming that fell from Mackay like rain from the clouds.

"Robert, every Scot knows that what few Catholics inhabit our country for the most part still possess loyalist sympathies and might look to England in a time of war. If we don't keep them under our boot, who knows what they will concoct!" Mackay was absolutely livid. He was known throughout the country as a temperate man, but the issue of Catholic rights was just about the only thing that could get his blood boiling with little to no provocation.

Armstrong sighed. Why did I bother? "Alan, if our administration is to continue to portray itself as the head of a Scotland for all Scots, then we ought to actually create a Scotland that exists for all Scots. Even if we haven't ordered the killing of perfectly respectable Catholics like George Gibson, our supporters certainly carried out the murders. These are dozens of people, Alan. We have two Frenchmen, most likely Catholics, in Scotland right now. The fact that those people were killed pretty much only for being Catholic has nearly come out on several occasions. Who's to say that it can't finally happen in the near feature? It would be especially disastrous when we have more and more Frenchmen traveling to Scotland because of this new alliance. What do you honestly think France will make of this? I assure you, they won't turn the other cheek. "

That seemed to calm the Lord Protector down considerably. "Look, France is currently run by a bunch of drunk radicals. They just granted bloody female suffrage! T'Conservatives are but an opposition party. For once, having radicals in charge of France would actually be beneficial to us. France is quite probably the most secular nation in Europe. Religion is of little concern to the majority Radicals. Not to mention, they've already allied with us knowing full well we dinnae like Catholics. They just daen't know our supporters have been killing them. Regardless, they'll be happy enough t'have an ally hostile to England in England's back yard. We've already been more than they could have hoped for simply through existing. I dinnae think our policies that curb Catholic rights will have too much bearing on that. But, I concede yer proposal has some merits. I say we put it to a vote at the Council, eh?"

Armstrong nodded, satisfied and pleasantly surprised that Mackay had done anything other than than dismiss his idea entirely.

Mackay smiled, clearly pleased that the discussion on Catholics was over. Robert Armstrong had been a good friend of his for several years, and Mackay never enjoyed the few occasions where Armstrong's more liberal leanings clashed with Mackay's staunch conservative views to create a heated argument.

"Now Robert, I have a proposal."

"Oh?"

"We need to secure the rest of the continent's neutrality should war come to pass. France will no doubt support us, but the English possess an unfortunate naval advantage that I fear will inhibit them from ever landing more than a handful of regiments in Scotland. We need to review what the other great powers might do. Russia I know is far too preoccupied with the Ottomans and a new potential rival in the Swedes to care much what happens in Britain. Austria has signed a non-aggression pact with the French and their war reparations have been scaled back. If they care about maintaining any of that, they won't do anything to assist England. That leaves just one power that assisted the English during the Napoleonic Wars . . ."

Armstrong pursued his lips, deep in thought. "The Germans."
"Exactly. We need to ensure that they won't lift a finger should war between England and Scotland break out. In my mind, the best way to accomplish this is simply to flaunt our alliance with the French and make it clear that should they assist the English in any way or God forbid, enter a potential war on England's side, it will mean a tussle with France. The recent non-aggression pact between Berlin and Paris would indicate a war with the French is that last thing they want. Additionally, the mention of Waterloo is enough to cool any hothead, so we'd best mention the battle several dozen times!"

Both men chuckled at that.

Alexander Schlezig, German Head of State,

It has recently come to Scotland's attention that animosity against Scotland is growing. Though we bear the United Kingdom no ill will, our very existence and our success in winning our independence from them seems to participate what I fear will be yet another war of English aggression against Scotland. We have done little to antagonize them in the three years since our independence, and wish only to continue the status quo and live in peace with our southern neighbors. However, if the English hate us because of our very existence, Scotland has no choice but to defend itself. Hence, we have been compelled to renew the Auld Alliance with France. The Franco-Scottish alliance will bear down on the English should they take the most unwise course of war. I understand that Berlin and Paris have recently signed a non-aggression pact. This is promising news, and shows that Germany is unwilling to go to war against France. Scotland has no quarrel with the German nation but it seems like you would be inclined to aid the English were they to invade Scotland.

Now, I come to my main point. I shall not be too concerned if Germany enters into a trade pact or some other lesser deal with England. I will profess to not much care if Germany allies with England. But I must warn you, that assisting the English, whether by supplying them foodstuffs or munitions, or by intervening directly on their side against Scotland, will likely result in a war against France, one that I am sure you are not eager to fight. Therefore, in order to keep Germany out of a costly and unwinnable war, I simply propose that Germany remain out of the affairs of the British Isles and not aide the English should their jingoistic ambitions compel them into yet another war against Scotland. To this end, I propose a non-aggression pact between Germany and Scotland. I hope this missive finds you well, and God bless Germany.

Sincerely,

Alan Mackay
Lord Protector of Scotland

To: Alan Mackay
From: Karl August von Hardenberg
We ACCEPT your offer of a non-aggression pact, we are engaging in a policy of neutrality until our nation is fully repaired from the smashing we recieved at the hands of the French.

Yours truly,

Minister-President Karl August von Hardenberg

1821: Raise the Tricolour (IC/Open)

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