1906: Alternative Divergence [AH][OOC-DEAD]

[Union Princes]

boy, that changes a lot of things

[Remnants of Exilvania]

so, what's the history and timeline so far?

You can pretty much do whatever you like, if you can explain it, within the limits of realism, and you should indeed take into account the histories of the players neighboring you.

• Changes that come from my own Roman Empire is that Constantinople never fell, so the whole Moscow=Third Rome idea might not work as well. Crimea has also been constantly Roman for centuries.
• The Catholic Church and the Orthodox are still distinct in terms of rite and dogma, but are still theoretically united in a Greater Chalcedonian Church. Over on the Orthodox side, there are still independent/autocephalous Patriarchs.
• The existence of a Poland-Lithuania of sorts will affect your history, though you'd have to discuss it with the player there
• Over in Asia the big powers are generally just as technologically advanced as the Europeans

• The HRE was never H nor R but atleast E
• It actually stuck together and centralised for a while
• Prussia never came to exist

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Full Nation Name : Kaiserreich Zentraleuropa/Císařství střední Evropa/Central European Empire
Respectable Short Names: Zentraleuropa/Central Europe, the Empire/das Reich, Deutschland/Germany
Disrespectable Short Name: Scherbenreich/Empire of Shards
Majority/Official Culture : German. Only recognised minority/state majority population being Czechs.
Territorial Core : Germany without Schleswig, Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Bohemia, Silesia, East of Oder Pommerania and Brandenburg
Territorial Claim :
Likely: The Benelux, Alsace-Lorraine, Schleswig, South Tyrol.
Unlikely: West Prussia, East Prussia, Old Livonia
Capital City : Frankfurt am Main
Population : 73.487.423

Government Type : Loose Confederation of Monarchies.
Government Ideology/Policies: Usually marked by their autocratic or authoritarian nature. Sometimes also literal welfare. Just trying to walk the difficult path between powerful separatists trying to get one over the other without getting whacked by a coalition of their peers, between the masses making their forays into the corrupt and dirty world of politics and aristocrats pissed off by their loss of privileges.
Government Focus : Furthering the power of the current regent within the Empire and filling their coffers.
Head of State : Kaiser des Kaiserreiches Zentraleuropa (vacant)
Head of Government : Technically the Emperor as well. Factually though...Reichsverweser und König Ottokar III von Böhmen of House Kolowrat
Government Description : Alright then, let's see what I can scrounge up. Let's start from the bottom and go to the top.

The filthy Peasantry: This comprises practically everyone not of noble blood. Yes, workers, farmers and low to mid end bourgeousie all thrown into the same basket. Anyway, as someone from this lower class your opportunities to influence the politics of the Empire are...well...limited but better now than they were ever before. Following the bloody riots of 1877, the Reichsverweser has reformed the political system of the Empire to allow for greater participation of the lower class. The Reichstag, formerly the body through which the nobility ruled, was now a body made up of representatives of the people. In generally free and secret votes every citizen is allowed to vote in the elections for the Reichstag, giving off one vote for one representative of their choice. Citizens of the Empire may also sign up to be representatives, however, they'll have to finance their advertisement campaign themselves.

The glamorous Nobility: Nobles. Plain and simple. So long as you can prove that you're a noble you're well off. Only nobles are allowed to become Ministers in the Imperial or State Governments. Don't worry, for a small fee of only 500.000 Gulden you too can become a noble.

The Länder: There are exactly 14 states in the Empire. Those are the Duchy of Swabia, the Archduchy of Austria, the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Archdiocese of Trier, the Archdiocese of Münster, the Duchy of Hesse, the Duchy of Pommerania, the Duchy of Brandenburg, the Duchy of Saxony, the Duchy of Hannover, the Duchy of Thuringia, the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Holstein and the Duchy of Luxembourg. Each of these states possesses an own government capable of legislative initiative, control over its own territory, control over its own police, control over its own military, control over its own economy and control over how its government is constituted and not officially but factually also control over its own foreign policy. Generally the states are led by their respective leaders (Chosen by Rome or any Counterpope the Empire currently adheres to and confirmed by the Emperor/Reichsverweser for the Archdioceses, first son/daughter or chosen child for the monarchies. No set rules.) which hold direct control over their military and appoint their ministers as they please.

The Reichstag: The Reichstag should be the primary legislative body in the Empire. It currently consists of roughly 736 members exclusively from the Peasantry, so for each 100.000 citizens of the Empire there is one representative. The elections for this governmental body are held every 8 years. We are currently 2 years into the 5th legislative period. Before every election a population census has to be taken so the constituencies can be adjusted. Anyway, the Reichstag should be the primary legislative body as I said. They convene, debate and decide over laws brought in by the Imperial Government and also have legislative initiative aka representatives are able to bring forward. Laws passed by the Reichstag and also getting past the Reichskammergericht, the Reichshofrat and the Kaiser must be implemented in all lands of the Empire upon publication by the Reichstag's very own newspaper. Of course the Reichstag is not completely unlimited in what it can do. The constitution does contain regulations concerning which fields should concern the Reichsrat and which fall purely under the authority of the local state governments. Also, being an elected representative of the Reichstag is a completely "voluntary" work and thus unsalaried. Yes lobbyism is extremely rampant and successfull.

The Reichskanzlei: The Reichskanzlei consists out of Imperial Government employees and is headed by the Reichskanzler. Their primary concern is to supervise the Reichstag, to ensure that order is kept, to document the proceedings and decisions of the Reichstag and to publicizise them by the Reichstag's newspaper run by the Reichskanzlei called "Reichsverordnungsblatt". The Reichskanzler is a (hopefully) neutral member of the Reichstag elected by said Reichstag to act as chancellor.

The Reichskammergericht: The Reichskamergericht is theoretically concerned with keeping all parts of the government in line with the constitution of 1877. It consists of 14 judges, one from each state of the Empire. They are suggested by the respective state leaders to the Emperor who then chooses and appoints the judges. The Emperor may relieve judges from their position any time he sees fit but unless that happens judges are in it for life or untill they're deemed unfit to continue serving the state in their position by medical and psychological experts in the employ of the Empire. The Reichsverweser does not hold the authority of the Emperor in this and is forced to accept the judges brought forward by the states The Reichskammergericht has far reaching authority concerning investigations. No lock shall remain closed, no document hidden if the Reichskammergericht demands to see it. Should the Reichskammergericht come to the conclusion that it will need to act, then it is equipped with authority to conscript the press for its purposes.

The Reichshofrat: The Reichshofrat consists of the 13 state leaders that do not hold the title of Emperor or Reichsverweser. These used to constitue the Reichstag before the reforms of 1877 but officially lost a lot of their power following the reforms of 1877. The members of the Reichshofrat do no longer possess legislative initiative on imperial scale but all laws passed by the Reichstag have to go past the Reichshofrat which may decide to send these to the Reichskammergericht to check wether the creation of such laws would fall under state jurisdiction or under imperial jurisdiction. With the Reichskammergericht staffed by the Dukes', Kings' and Archbishops' most trusted juristic lackeys, the decision tends to go in their favour, completely blocking the imperial legislative apparatus. The Reichshofrat also elects a new Imperial Dynasty when there is none (famously having failed to do so for nearly 7 centuries), confirms Imperial heirs and elects a Reichsverweser from their ranks should the seat of Emperor be left vacant, mentally deficient or female.

The Reichshofkanzlei: The Reichsofkanzlei consists out of Imperial Government employees and is headed by the Erzkanzler, traditionally the Bishop of Mainz. Their primary concern is to supervise the Reichshofrat, to ensure that order is kept, to document the proceedings and decisions of the Reichshofrat and to publicizise them too in the Reichstag's newspaper run by the Reichskanzlei, not the Reichshofkanzlei, called "Reichsverordnungsblatt".

The Reichsverweser: The Reichsverweser is a distinguished member of the high nobility elected by the members of the Reichshofrat to assist the Emperor in running the Empire. The Reichsverweser's authority has greatly diminished since the 30 Years War, being now limited only to representing the Empire and its interests abroad, commanding and paying the Imperial Army as well as maintaining the few Imperial holdings that haven't been cannibalized by the Dukes and Archbishops yet. In a perfect Empire, the Reichsverweser's position would usually be vacant and only be filled when the Emperor would be underage, female or incapable of leading the Empire due to severe mental or physical deficiencies. Once the Emperor would reach adulthood, die, abdicate, be replaced, the Reichsverweser would have to relinquish his post once again. In practice there has been no Emperor on the throne since Friedrich II was dethroned and the Empire has been "ruled" by a long line of Reichsverweser.

The Kaiser: The Emperor's position is hereditary and only the first-born male may assume the position. Should there be a lack of males, a Reichsverweser is elected to oversee and practically deal with the Empire's businesses in stead of an Empress. According to the constitution of 1877, the Emperor has the right to appoint and fire the judges of the Reichskammergericht, he has legislative initiative, aka he may bring a law before the Reichstag, he has absolute veto powers for any proposed law that made it through Reichstag, Reichskammergericht and Reichshofrat, he may dissolve the Reichstag and call for new elections, he appoints the Erzkanzler of the Reichshofkanzlei, he controls the ruling dynasties of the states, he can bring the Reichsbann upon any person or entity he desires, he chooses and appoints the Imperial Ministers, he has direct control of the Imperial Army, he may grant noble titles, he may confiscate any property he wishes, he may overrule any court in the Empire, he gives out the directives for the Imperial Government and its work. The Emperor rules untill he dies, abdicates or is replaced. Of course all these powers are moot since the position of Emperor has been vacant for years.

Majority/State Religion : Toss-up between Catholicism and Lutheranism
Religious Description : It should be noted that while Roman Catholicism is widely practiced, Rome does not hold quite the sway over the Germans as it did in real life. Beginning with Friedrich I of Hohenstaufen, the animosity between the Western Roman Empire and the Central European Empire reached its climax and the appointment of a local Counterpope to adhere to became a common practice north of the Alps. Now, while there were times without a Counterpope, especcially more recently as the practice was deemed rather silly and the state leaders could no longer agree on who to name Pope, the prestige and influence of Rome north of the Alps has been greatly diminished.

Economic Ideologies : Insecure Capitalism
Major Production : If there's one thing that's produced en masse in Germany then it is coal. And where the coal comes from, the heavy industry isn't far. Germany is a fairly big producer of steel and heavy machinery in certain regions. Apart from that there's a very widespread production and demand for agricultural products, both of the animalistic and vegetational kind. Some of the largest chemical concerns are growing in Bavaria in Swabia. Textiles are also not an uncommon product from Germany. And the arms, oh yes, the Germans have a multitude of large arms corporations, needed to satisfy the needs of a dozen states' armies.
Economic Description : A key problem with the German Economy is insecurity. Insecurity leads to low investments. Which on the other hand leads to a stagnating economy. Well, how can one not be insecure with corrupt officials and a state that's willing and able to confiscate your entire property on a whim? It really doesn't help and the men whose corporations have risen out of this stagnating swamp are absolutely hardcore industrialists and negotiators. The other problem are the inter-german tariffs and lack of collaboration between german states. Few railway lines cross state borders and the tariffs make the exchange of goods between states few and sparse. Often enough the tariffs are weaponized by economically stronger states against economically weaker states as political leverage for support.

Development: Semi-modern.
Development Description : While states such as Münster, Trier, Hannover and Bohemia are fairly well developed due to great deposits of useful natural ressources , leading to growing heavy industry and wealth as well as an ever increasing railway network, other states such as Brandenburg, Pommerania, Mecklenburg-Holstein, Hesse, Saxony, Thuringia, Austria, Swabia and Bavaria are still largely agrarian in their nature and lack a good and well built out infrastructure or industry for that matter.

Army Description : The First thing needed to know is that the Empire doesn't really have a unified military anymore. A far reaching concession of the 1848 reforms to the States. The Imperial Army or Reichsarmee still exists but it barely fills 5 Divisions. In the Empire one needs to distinguish between the Imperial Army and the State Armies. The Imperial Army used to be the cream of the crop of the German armies but following endless cannibalizing of the Imperial Budget by the States and Hereditary Membership within it, the army has become a disorganised and poorly trained and equipped mess. Members of the Imperial Army used to, at the time of the last reform, have a privileged standing as a sort of first class peasant with customs and tax benefits but only few have truly made use of these, often living in poverty now as they are barely being paid for their service and try to eke out a living as artisans. Hence why they very lend their might to whatever cause promises them financial gain and a better life situation, taking on an almost Praetorian role in Imperial politics.

And then there are the State Armies. Each state keeps an own Army and in the case of the Northern States also an own Navy. However, few states are really overly capable of affording a good one. It is also necessary to note that the individual training, army organisation, ranking system and armaments tend to completely differ from state army to state army. However, one can atleast group them all into general strength categories.
Among the fairly strong state armies that are atleast fairly well equipped are those of the fairly well developed states so Trier, Münster, Hannover and Bohemia.
Among the mediocre state armies are Bavaria, Austria, Swabia and Hesse who are atleast semi-developed due to their size and the presence of neighbouring, more developed states.
Among the absolutely awfully equipped armies are Thuringia, Saxony, Brandenburg, Pommerania and Mecklenburg-Holstein

Now to the individual State Army sizes an the size of the Imperial Army. Every state is compelled to have 1% of its people under arms at all times as a standing military force. So States can't really cut costs and create more elite armies while sacrificing some numbers and are instead forced to cut corners with the equipment, support networks or wages. Of these armies 10%, or 0,1% of the population, must then be ceeded to the standing Imperial Army. But let's begin with the specific sizes:

For those who don't want to suffer through this, 35 Divisions and 9 Regiments with 658.097 soldiers are forming the active, standing ground militaries of the Empire.

The Imperial Army sits at a strength of 73.639 men organised in 5 Divisions.
The Ducal Swabian Army sits at a strength of 72.085 men organised in 4 Divisions.
The Royal Bohemian Army sits at a strength of 132.794 men organised in 8 Divisions.
The Episcopal Army of Trier sits at a strength of 66.150 men organised in 4 Divisions.
The Episcopal Army of Münster sits at a strength of 23.183 men organised in 1 Division.
The Ducal Army of Hannover sits at a strength of 19.237 men organised in 1 Division.
The Archducal Austrian Army sits at a strength of 57.515 men organised in 3 Divisions and 2 Regiments.
The Royal Bavarian Army sits at a strength of 59.423 men organised in 3 Divisions.
The Ducal Hessian Army sits at a stregnth of 42.581 men organised in 2 Divisions and 2 Regiments.
The Ducal Thuringian Army sits at a strength of 20.260 men organised in 1 Division.
The Ducal Saxon Army sits at a strength of 47.669 men organised in 2 Divisions and 3 Regiments.
The Ducal Brandenburgian Army sits at a strength of 33.333 men organised in 2 Divisions.
The Ducal Pommeranian Army sits at a strength of 4.960 men organised in 1 Regiment.
The Ducal Mecklenburg-Holsteinian Army sits at a strength of 5.268 men oganised in 1 Regiment.

Army Weakness: Honestly, I think I described the weaknesses up above. But let's repeat again. Incompetent high command, completely disunified military, not even using the same ammo types, poor states forced to cut corners on the military where they can etc.
Naval Description : Once again the Navy is completely fragmented. However, atleast this time they all aren't even more fragmented to prop up some Imperial Navy. Why? Because an Imperial Navy doesn't exist, so simple. Naval Affairs have never been too much of a bother for the Emperor. The Victual Brothers raiding in the Baltic? Let the locals deal with it! No need to alert the Emperor. Denmark blocking the strait? March the Army up on their border! No need for a unified Navy. Alas, so it came that the Empire now possesses 4 navies of very small size due to budget issues of the states running them. And so we have the Episcopal Navy of Münster as well as the Ducal Navies of Hannover, Mecklenburg-Holstein and Pommerania. They are, due to their small size and budget limitations not fit for anything other coastal protection of the Imperial Coast.

Following the Navies of the States as well as the supplementing number of naval personnel:

Summary first. Overall 3 Coastal Defense Ships, 6 Light Cruisers and 44 Torpedo Boats as well as 67.000 men worth of naval personnel.
2 Coastal Defense Ships, 4 Light Cruisers and 28 Torpedo Boats in the North Sea.
1 Coastal Defense Ship, 2 Light Cruisers and 16 Torpedo Boats in the Baltic Sea.


-Episcopal Navy of Münster

• Wallenstein Class Light Cruiser "Gottes Stolz"
• 10x S90 Class Torpedo Boats
• 10.000 Naval Personnel

-Ducal Navy of Hannover

• Luther Class Coastal Defense Ship "Cuxhaven"
• Luther Class Coastal Defense Ship "Nordenham"
• Wallenstein Class Light Cruiser "Stade"
• [Wallenstein Class Light Cruiser "Varel"
• [Wallenstein Class Light Cruiser "Oldenburg"
• 18x S90 Class Torpedo Boats
• 32.000 Naval Personnel

-Ducal Navy of Mecklenburg-Holstein

• Luther Class Coastal Defense Ship "Flensburg"
• Störtebecker Class Light Cruiser "Rostock"
• 8x S90 Class Torpedo Boats
• 15.000 Naval Personnel

-Ducal Navy of Pommerania

• Störtebecker Class Light Cruiser "Kolberg"
• 8x S90 Class Torpedo Boats
• 10.000 Naval Personnel

Naval Weakness: As visible, the navy is small, has a fairly low reach, the ships aren't quite up to modern standards. There's also the problem that the Navies of Mecklenburg-Holstein and Pommerania can't rush to the aid of their western brethren nor does it work the other way around if Denmark were to decide to close the straits.
Further Military Description : [[OPTIONAL]]

National Goals : Breaking the Union of the Two Romes, Liberating the Papacy, Surviving the French Onslaught, Regaining the lost Lowlands.
National Issues : Separatism and and political intrigue
National Figures of Interest : Friedrich I "Barbaburrus" von Hohenstaufen
National Ambition/Aspirations : Survival as the strongest rather than death as the weakest.

History :

• 800 AD: Coronation of Karl the Great as Emperor of the Frankish Empire and equal of the Roman Emperors of Rome and Constantinople
• 811 AD: Following the end of the war with the Saxons and their territorial integration into the Empire, the threatened Danes sought to parlay with the Franks to secure their southern border. In the Treaty of Heiligen, the river Eider was named and accepted by both parties as the border.
• 841 AD: Lothar I was slain at the Battle of Fontenoy, leaving only two contenders, Karl the Bald and and Ludwig the German, for the Imperial throne.
• 843 AD: In the Treaty of Verdun Karl and Ludwig partition the Frankish Empire between them into an Eastern and a Western part, entirely disconnected from each other. Karl the Bald would continue to fashion himself as Emperor of the Frankish Empire.
• 880 AD: Following the disastrous Battle of Andernach, the Treaty of Ribbemont handed the western half of Lotharingien, the intended territory of Lothar I, to Ludwig III of Germany. It spelled the end of the attempts of Karl the Bald to expand his influence eastwards and revise the Treaty of Verdun.
• 895 AD: The Duchy of Bohemia sweore fealty to Arnulf of Carinthia, King of the Frankish Realm.
• 911 AD: Death of Ludwig the Child, end of the Karolingian line in the east.
• 956 AD: Coronation of Otto I as Emperor of the Central European Empire by his peers in the realm, impressed by his great victory at the Lechfeld.
• 961 AD: With his position stable for the moment and his eyes set upon the shining example of Rome to the south and its beneficial influence in the West, Otto I sought the recognition of Rome as an Emperor, an equal. Alas, it was not to be and Otto I's avances were later ridiculed among the lords of his realm.
• 977 AD: Otto II makes Karl the lord of Lower Lotharingia, infuriating the Westen Frankish Rule and cementing the break between the eastern and western Empire for sure.
• 1014 AD: Coronation of Heinrich II as Emperor. Increased use of catholic bishops and priests as worldly rulers of relative loyalty to the pious Heinrich II, also known as the Monk-King. Declaration of the Holy Central European Empire under his reign. Strong binding to the roman Papacy.
• 1025 AD: After multiple aggressions against and by the Danes, the Treaty of Heiligen and the Eider border is reaffirmed.
• 1027 AD: Coronation of Konrad II as Emperor. Continuation of pro-roman policies of his predecessor. Slightly cutting the privileges of the church by trying to install roman law instead of religious law.
• 1084 AD: Coronation of Heinrich IV as Emperor. A generally weak rule that sees the rapid decline of imperial authority in the Empire and beyond.
• 1095 AD: The call for the first crusade is answered in Germany and many knights and nobles travel to the south to aid the Byzantine Empire.
• 1108 AD: Beginning of strong, forced colonisation and integration of the wild lands to the Empire's east.
• 1111 AD: Heinrich V takes the throne by political force, deposing his father and ruling in a close alliance with the priesthood. However, the alliance rapidly disintegrates as he attempts to secure his rights on who to name Bishops and to take the worldy territories away from the dioceses. In the end the nobles of the realm rule in favour of the Papacy and force Heinrich V to back down, also ensuring that they are now the primary deciding force in who becomes the Emperor.
• 1155 AD: Coronation of Friedrich I as Emperor of the Holy Central European Empire. The term holy was relinquished by him and an inner-catholic schism created as he, through trickery, bribery, deceit and force swayed the majority of the german catholic bishops to elect and support a new Pope provided by him, supposed to act as a counter to the corrupt and controlled Pope in Rome. Boycott of all Crusades aimed at benefitting either Rome.
• 1158 AD: Following fallout from the schism he created as well as eyeing the riches of the northern roman cities, Friedrich I leads a host towards Italy and lays siege to the Verian Wall for 3 long years before breaching it and sacking the city of Milan and retreating again beyond the Wall and north of the Alps. It would be his first Roman Expedition and it would net him the nickname Barbaburrus among the romans due to his fiery red beard.
• 1163 AD: Having resupplied and restocked, the Imperial Forces seek to enter into Italy again, penetrating the Verian Wall where it was penetrated before but being defeated on the field beyond the Alps by a prepared Roman foe. Barbaburrus and his troops are forced to return north. Thus ended the second Roman Expedition.
• 1166 AD: Having forsaken the goal of treasure and instead burning with an almost fanatical zeal to crush the Roman Empire, Barbaburrus leads his third Roman Expedition eastwards, circumventing the Alps and instead invading the Romans' Illyrian holdings, crushing opposing forces there and looting and pillaging the countryside before being met and checked by a Byzantine Force. Brewing difficulties in the Empire, force the Emperor to abandon his personal crusade and the german host retreats before the Byzantine forces before the battle can be joined.
• 1174 AD: Following unrest in the Empire, Barbaburrus begins his fourth Roman Expedition, once again invading Illyria but turning the army northward again and seeking to penetrate the Verian Wall at Triest, a siege he would have almost succeeded in had not a Byzantine Force managed to march up on him from behind and catch the Imperial host in the back, leading to the disastrous battle of Triest in 1176, where the Imperial troops were butchered nearly to the last man and the Emperor himself went missing. Alas, under strange circumstances he managed to make his way back north, being found not too long after in Carinthia and assuming control over his Empire yet again.
• 1184 AD: The final Roman Expedition. The goal this time was to strike at the Byzantine Empire itself to repay them for the great defeat they had wrought upon the Germans a mere 8 years ago. Barbaburrus led a mighty host, the likes of which had not been seen north of the Alps since the waning of the Roman Empire, south into Illyria and from there steadily marched further south, defeating multiple Roman forces on the way. The march of the Imperial troops seemed unstoppable and Constantinople within the grasp of their dirty barbaric hands
• 1190 AD: Emperor Barbaburrus dies in the swollen streams of the river Nestos in Greece. Following his sudden death and the lack of his charisma, the Imperial Army folds in on itself and retreats or pillages its way deeper into roman holdings where those who remained were eventually picked off by Byzantine forces.
• 1196 AD: The end of the all attempts at making the position of Emperor hereditary again.
• 1220 AD: Following a turbulent time during which sometimes even more than one Emperor was elected, Friedrich II is made Emperor. He attempts to mend the relations with Constantinople and Rome, travelling and visiting both Empires very often, learning a great deal and enough to be considered a well articulated, learned and intelligent man there. He even ends the practice of installing one Counterpope after the other in Aachen, the crowning location of the Emperors. Alas, his lack of presense in his Empire as well as his romaniphilic tendencies, especcially with many lords still on the side of the very charismatic and highly anti-roman Barbaburrus, didn't net him many friends in his Empire and so he gradually lost influence and power there.
• 1225 AD: The Eastcolonisation reaches new heights as German Crusaders with the blessing of the absent Emperor Friedrich II begin the conquest of the lands around the Baltic Sea.
• 1237 AD: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword unite with the Teutonic Order and re-emerge as the Livonian Order but still remain a semi-separate entity from the Teutonic Order.
• 1250 AD: Beginning of the early Interregnum, a turbulent time with the title of Emperor changing hands quickly or even being divided between multiple lords.
• 1273 AD: End of the early Interregnum and beginning of the rule of the Reichsverweser. Rudolf of Habsburg being the first.
• 1410 AD: Terrible defeat of the Teutonic Order, reintegration of the New March into Brandenburg. Decline of the Order states in the East. Frequent Wars between the Orders and their German allies and Poland-Lithuania in the east, making the decline slower and much more costly to the rising power to the east.
• 1517 AD: Martin Luther kickstarts the reformation. Especcially in northern Germany many of the Lords use this to their advantage, stripping the catholic church of its property and increasing their own wealth and territory in return. Continued Anti-Roman sentiment fuels this. To counteract such, the current Reichsverweser, Wilhelm IV of Bavaria, attempted to counteract atleast that by installing Counterpopes yet again to try and avoid looking as though the catholics were dependent on Rome. Still, it barely slowed the spread of the Lutherans.
• 1524 AD: The Peasant War starts. Due to the religious and societal upheaval, peasants take to arms and attempt to oppose the catholic feudal lords which had untill then been preparing to lead military expeditions into the north to crush the Reformation before it could take root. Now the Catholics were forced to fight for their mere survival in the south, a feat they managed to pull off but left them too weakened to attempt an invasion of the northern Empire.
• 1618 AD: Reichsverweser Wenzeslaus IV of Bohemia, a staunch catholic in a country filled with protestants, is thrown out of a window in Prague. Protestant forces under the pretender Bohuslav Jiří of House Kolowrat took up arms in his favour while Wenzeslaus IV marshalled the Imperial troops to reclaim his throne for him. Protestant forces from Brandenburg and Saxony quickly joined the war on the Bohemian pretenders side, hoping to establish Bohemia as a protestant buffer kingdom between them and the catholic south as well as hopefully acquire parts of Bohemian Lusatia in return. The entry of these two states on the other hand prompted Austria and Bavaria to join the war on the side of Wenceslaus the IV. Gradually the conflict expanded untill the entire Empire was in flames, fighting a war of faith and power.
• 1648 AD: Treaty of Westphalia. The House Luxembourg relinquishes its hold on the Lowlands and grants their independence, letting them leave the Empire. Vilém Albrecht of House Kolowrat becomes Vilém I of Bohemia. Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia is executed and the Premyslid dynasty ends. The greatly diminished Imperial Army is limited to recruiting only from direct descendants of its troops at the time of the treaty signing. The Swiss Cantons becoming an independent member of the Empire.
• 1740 AD: The Duke of Brandenburg, Friedrich II, invades Saxony in order to unite Saxon Lusatia with Brandenburgian Lusatia. Being a battlefield genius and able to count on a well trained and modern army as well as a tiny enemy force, he quickly occupies all of Saxony and formally integrates Lusatia fully into Brandenburg.
• 1742 AD: With the blessing of the current Reichsverweser and most of the Reichshofrat safe for Brandenburg, Adalbert III of Luxembourg, Bohemia invades Brandenburg and conquers Lusatia, returning it to its Kingdom after having lost them in 1625 as payment to the Brandenburgians and Saxons. Friedrich the II, who had styled himself as Friedrich the Great after having crushed Saxony, now became ridiculed as Friedrich the Lesser for his reign had ravaged Brandenburg and left the fields unattended, only widows being there to try and bring in the harvest. Following a famine, Friedrich II was deposed. The very August Wilhelm of Brandenburg took the throne in his stead.
• 1760 AD: Following French provocation and undermining efforts in the Rhineland, a coalition of the majority of the catholic states as well as the Imperial Army invaded France. However, poor leadership and equipment doomed the entire campaign to fail. Despite that, the German troops proved to be a great danger to France as due to their splintered nature, they could not be challenged and defeated in one go and much rather had to be sought out one after another, leaving the others free to loot and pillage their way through eastern France.
• 1798 AD: Being opportunistic as they are and trying to get their revenge for the humiliating defets in the 1760s, the Germans launch a large scale offensive westwards, hoping to exploit the political chaos in France to their advantage and eliminate the revolutionary cancer in their side as well as bring the Lowlands back under their thumb in their entirety by eliminating a rival and possible protector of them. Alas, instead of making up for their previous humiliating defeats, the German Forces only added to them.
• 1801 AD: Following the demoralizing defeats at the start of the war, the German Lords had preciously little to use against Henri Guerin as he unleashed his army upon them, falling like wheat before a scythe and allowing Guerin to reorder their territories, a little, eliminating the catholic church's influence, deposing local Lords and empowering the protestants, especcially those of Switzerland.
• 1805 AD: Following Guerin's death and the retreat of the French, the German Lords came back to their formerly occupied territories with vengeance. Bloody retribution was had on the streets as secret police and military forces butchered anyone accused of having collaborated with the French. Switzerland was divided between the Kingdom of Württemberg and the Grand Duchy of Baden. But the territory the bishops of the catholic church had lost was not returned. For that the Lords were too greedy.
• 1876 AD: Still reeling from the war with Guerinist France, Zentraleuropa was shocked that the French would start an offensive war again so soon. What was worse, the German forces quickly found themselves forced into the defensive, much quicker than they had imagined. The war was lost within a month. But the Empire clung on for another 17 month, both out of pride and due to a completely uncaring attitude to the men who died en masse in the fields, untill it finally sued for peace which it gained in return for Alsace-Lorraine and their agreement to France taking Wallonia.
• 1877 AD: Bloody riots erupt during the war, due to outdated societal limitations, due to the inhumane politics of the Lords, due to the immense casualties of the war, due to poverty and starvation. The riots shake the Empire to the core, especcially when large amounts of the state armies as well as the entire Imperial Army revolt as well. The Lords of the states, fearing for their positions and the ascendance of any new Frances in their midst, combine their efforts to narrowly beat the uprising and cut yet another bloody swath through the country.
• 1882 AD: Baden, a revolutionary hotbed with its army in tatters and occupied by the Imperial Army, now back on the side of the Lords, is suddenly and unceremonously annexed by the Kingdom of Württemberg which paid off the Imperial Army to do its bidding and with its superior army steamrolled what little resistance there was to this move.
• 1906 AD: An uneasy peace rests over Zentraleuropa. Both at the bottom, where the oppressed masses complain and plot, and at the top where the nobles scheme and conspire against each other. Both within the Empire and outside of it.

RP Sample: [[Either a link to a past post, or an example written right here.]]

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Alright...this is somewhat finished.

[Union Princes]

Full Nation Name : Russian Empire/Rossiyskaya Imperiya
Majority/Official Culture : Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian
Territorial Core : Finland, the Caucuses (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan), Eastern Belorussia, Eastern Ukraine, Outer Manchuria, Central Asia
Territorial Claim : The Baltic States, Western Belorussia, Western Ukraine, Crimea, Tanna Tuvva, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Western most China
Capital City : Moscow
Population : 237.9 million

Government Type : Enlightened Absolutist Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Imperialist, Militarist, Industrious, Monarchist
Government Focus : Expanding Russia's borders west, increasing population literacy, maintaining the monarchy
Head of State : Tsar Nicholas II
Head of Government : Tsar Nicholas II
Government Description :

Majority/State Religion : Orthodox Christianity
Religious Description : [[OPTIONAL]]

Economic Ideologies : Capitalist with socialist and interventionist polices.
Major Production : heavy industry, mining, agriculture
Economic Description : The Russian empire was not the same as it was two and a half centuries ago; what was largely seen as a backwater primitive state of an European power is now a fully fledged powerhouse on the verge of surpassing Germany and America. Ever since the Emancipation of serfs in 1761 by Catherine the Great, peasants were free from bondage and were allowed to take up new professions. The rest of the 18th century saw small islands of workshops and manufactures popping up through villages as Russia expanded east. The Industrial Revolution arrived much slower in Russia, mainly to due to Poland, and it wasn't until 1878 when Tsar Alexander II finally manage to implement crucial land reforms much to the discontentment of the Russian aristocracy that allowed for the state to fund the construction of railroads. The completion of the Petrograd-Vladivostok railway, AKA the Trans-Siberian Railway signaled the true start of the Russian Industrial Revolution when the nation began to rapidly build factories all throughout the cities and towns.

Development: Modern
Development Description : The abolishment of serfs, widespread adoption of the railroad, and a successful land reform always Russia to fully capitalize on its raw materials and increase domestic food production.

Army Description : the largest army of any European power, second largest army in the world only to China of being able to mobilize 12 million men
Army Weakness : Due to being so large, modernizing takes time and officers are more content using doctrines that maximizes the effectiveness of the sheer quantity of Russian troops.
Naval Description : Small compared to other great powers and more suited towards a defensive stance rather that operate in open seas combat.
Naval Weakness : the lack of warm water ports means that the Russian Navy has to be small in order to be supplies properly. They are also inexperienced in heavy naval combat too.
Further Military Description : [[OPTIONAL]]

National Goals : Establish more warm water ports, Expand West, Russofication
National Issues : Need more warm water ports to get access to more international trade
National Figures of Interest : N/A
National Ambition/Aspirations : An hegemony of Eurasia

History : [[Can be in paragraph or bulletpoint timeline.]]
RP Sample: https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=452145

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Jade Confederacy]

Full Nation Name : Imperial Americana/American Empire/Kingdom of America
Majority/Official Culture : Blanco, Mulatto, and Yankees
Territorial Core : Eastern United States and the Caribbean
Territorial Claim : Texas and Central America
Capital City : Archangel (Jacksonville)
Population : 68 million

Government Type : Constitutional Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Imperialist
Government Focus : Acquisition of strategic resources via imperialism to form self-sufficient resource bloc
Head of State :King Alfonzo XI
Head of Government : Chancellor William Diaz
Government Description :Parliamentary democracy with the King becoming increasingly a figurehead and dependent on the parliament blocs for support

Majority/State Religion : Catholic and Protestant Christianity
Religious Description : Majority of the South and the Caribbean are predominately Catholic while the North is a patchwork of different protestant faiths (Evangelical, Baptist, and Anabaptists)

Economic Ideologies : The south supports free trade while the northern industrialist favor protectionism and state support for key industries
Major Production : Steel, coal, manufactured goods, industrial equipment, ships, cotton, sugar, tobacco, and fruits
Economic Description : The north Anglican baronies are heavily industrialized, especially along the Ohio river valley while the south is the agricultural heartland, producing a wide verity of agricultural goods and foodstuffs. The Caribbean territories are on average, poorer than their counterparts on the mainland and are not self sufficient in terms of food production, with most land being set aside for sugar, tobacco and fruit production.

Development: Industrialized
Development Description : The north is rich with industrial resources and crisscrossed with river networks and channels, allowing for rapid localized industrialization and movement of goods. Coupled with their high autonomy and low tax rates, the region accounts for over 70% of the nation’s entire economic output while only being 30% of its territorial landmass.

Army Description : Moderate peace time force of 100,000 troops with another half million reservists. Most are stationed along the Mississippi Divider and garrison the numerous river fortresses that serve as the linchpin of the American defense doctrine. The idea is to hold the line in case of war in the west, buying the army much needed time to mobilize and leverage the Empire's industrial advantages to bare.
Army Weakness : The officer corps of the army in staffed almost entirely of southern blanco graduates of West Point Military Collage. The Empire is weary of allowing too many northern anglos into army apparatus. Most mulattoes as well as all negros are likewise excluded from the upper echelons of the military command. The effectively creates a stagnant military caste made up of the southern, landowning aristocratic elite that is slow to adjust to the rapidly changing landscape of modern warfare.
Naval Description : the Imperial American Navy is the largest in the western hemisphere both in terms of tonnage and number of capital ships. A strong force of standard dreadnought battleships serve as the backbone of the navy with an average of two battleships built every year, incorporating the latest military technology. Unlike their army counterpart, the navy is much less rigid and racially biased with men of all races serving as well as being in positions of leadership. It is the favored branch of the imperial armed forces and always gets the largest share of the budget as well as choice pick of personnel to the resentment of the army. The navy also has a strong marine component that is used extensively by the Empire to further its interests. The navy is split into the Northern Fleet, based in Boston, The Home/Central Fleet in Archangel and Southern/Caribbean Fleet in Guantánamo Bay. It also has sizable river going and Great Lakes bases flotillas.
Naval Weakness : The navy lacks the ability to project power beyond the northern Atlantic as it lacks the coaling stations and friendly ports of the other truly global empires. The focus on standard battleships, while increasing the overall combat efficiency, also makes the IAN extremely predicable in terms of what it can field.
Further Military Description : There is inter-branch competition for resources between the army and navy with the navy coming out more often on top than the other way round. This is due the army's stinting defeats in the 1800s that greatly tarnished its prestige and thus lost favor among the populace and nobility alike. In the past the dimorphism in terms of funding way so great that the naval marines outnumbered the army's standing force. The favoritism for the navy has waned as of late but is still very much present.

National Goals : establish hegemony in the western hemisphere
National Issues : northern English separatism and autonomy vs entrenched southern aristocratic class
National Figures of Interest :
- William Diaz, Chancellor of the All-American Parliament and head of the southern Democratic Coalition.
- Lt. General Theodore Roosevelt, head of the opposition, northern based Republic Party
- General John J. Pershing, head of the Imperial American Army
- High Admiral Carlos Peron, head of the Imperial American Navy
National Ambition/Aspirations : take control the entirety of the Gulf of Mexico as well central america, deny regional competitors and European empires a foothold in its sphere of influence

History : The Vice Royalty of America was established by the Spanish Empire following the conclusion of Spanish War of Secession where England was forced to cede all of its north american holdings to the victorious Franco-Spanish Alliance. The English north american colonial charters were dissolved and incorporated into the newly established Viceroyalty of America along with the territory of Florida. Over the next century, millions of Peninsulares (Spanish colonists) flooded into North America due to its abundance of arable land and the opportunities it offered. Spanish aristocratic houses established vast plantations in the deep south, producing large amounts of sugar, cotton and tobacco (the big three). Slavery was heavily restricted and then abolished by the Spanish Crown in 1796, with the millions of poor, mixed raced mulatto serving as the underclass in their stead. The Peninsulares was eventually replaced by the blancos as the majority of whites became native born rather than Spanish immigrants. In the north, the those of English decent were split into the Catholic Latinized Anglos and those who refused to integrate and instead kept to their original English cultures and religions, the Yankees.

By 1801, the Viceroyalty of America became by far the most populous and richest of Spain's colonial possessions. That is why when Napoleon invaded Spain and capture Madrid, the Bourbon Spanish court chose to flee to America and establish a government in exile in Atlanta. They brought with them thousands of officials, the entire Spanish treasury and what remained of the Spain navy. Spain-in-America fought on the side of the English coalition against France and sized many of France's colonial possessions, including Haiti and what remains of France's north american holdings. When the war ended, the royal court decided to stay in America rather than returning to the war ravaged Spanish homeland. This created much resentment from the European Spanish who eventually revolted upon the King's death, choosing the King's brother as the true sovereign of the entire Spanish Empire rather than King's chosen heir, the Queen in America. The resulting Carlist War tore the already weakened Spanish Empire apart as it pitted the court in Atlanta against that in Madrid. Many of the Spanish colonial governors choose this opportunity to break free rather than supporting either side. The conclusion of the war saw to the Empire's permanent division into the European Spanish Empire and the newly elevated Imperial Americana which made up of the Viceroyalies of America, Dominica and Cuba. The viceroyality system was dissolved in favor of aristocratic estates; the South and Caribbean islands were carved into counties while the north into smaller baronies.

With the onset of the industrial revolution, the northern Anglican baronies rapidly industrialized due to an abundance of local industrial resources, easily traversable water ways and skilled labor. This created an imbalance in the Empire internal power dynamic which has been traditionally dominated by the powerful southern counts and their vast agricultural plantations. As the years went on, the balance of power shifted more and more in favor of the north and tensions eventually flared into the First American Civil War/First Anglican Uprising. The northern rebellion was put down with great bloodshed and cost to both sides, with the capital city of Atlanta being burnt to the ground by separatist sympathizers. The capital was subsequently moved to the purposely built city of Archangel (Jacksonville). The peace settlement, dubbed the Great Compromise, transformed the absolutist aristocratic monarchy into a democratic constitutional one with a number of seats guaranteed to all major stakeholder including the Crown, the northerners and the Caribbean territories. Although this did not prevent a subsequent smaller second civil war and second northern uprising, it did weaken support for armed rebellion enough that the majority of the northern population no longer favored violent separation from the Empire.

The Imperial Americana of the early 1900s is a nation split along racial, cultural, economic and religious lines. The northern protestant Yankee subjects favor further democratization of the Empire as well as protectionist trade polices that safeguard American industries from foreign competition. The southern Catholic aristocratic elites however, depend heavily on the exports of their agricultural products and thus prefer free trade. Both sides are in agreement that the Empire should expand and take its 'fair share' of the globe's resources as one of the Great Powers but the two differ in opinion as to where. The southerners wish for more agricultural estates to farm in the tropics while the northerners covet the newly discovered oil fields in Texas.

RP Sample: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=461342

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Going for Spanish influenced America

[The Palmetto]

You fine with the IRL Portuguese Empire of the 1900s, minus the Asian possessions? Would probably make the government something...interesting.

[Oscalantine]

You fine with the IRL Portuguese Empire of the 1900s, minus the Asian possessions? Would probably make the government something...interesting.

Well, for now you can have your claim, or whichever ones that were not already taken.

But just as a reminder: our rule states clearly that your nation has to have a divergence from history and thus be different from IRL counterparts. Just as long as you can make your nation sufficiently different... assuming quality of your app is good... you will be fine.

[Oscalantine]

Going for Spanish influenced America

Coolz. It would have been better if you sent me reserve slot first, but Ill reserve your spot regardless!

[Of Leben]

Full Nation Name: Królestwo Polski-Litwa, a.k.a the Kingdom of Poland-Lithuania. Also known simply as Greater Poland, or just Poland.
Majority/Official Culture: Polish, Ruthenian, Lithuanian
Territorial Core: Poland, Western Belarus, the Baltic States, Western Ukraine, Gotland
Territorial Claim : Eastern Belarus
Capital City: Warszawa (Warsaw)
Population: 83 million

Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies: Proactive defense, nationalist, Laissez Faire
Government Focus: Extensive polonization of Western Ukraine ongoing, continuous and extensive economic development in the east. Defense of national territory from hostile foreign powers.
Head of State: Władysław X Jagiełło
Head of Government: Andrei Wieczorek
Government Description: Constitutional Monarchy. The monarch retains special privileges in the formation of a government, and can appoint or dismiss governments at will. In practice however, the king remains mostly as a figurehead and as the head of the national military. The head of government, headed by a Kanclerz (Chancellor) directs domestic and foreign policy- and is chiefly responsible for representing the king in the national legislative body (Sejm). Although the king has many powers (including being able to dismiss judges, ministers, and other government appointees without the consent of the Sejm or his Chancellor) the Sejm holds most of the power in government.

The Sejm is responsible for passing national statues and laws, appropriating national funds, and approving/vetting the governments initiatives and ministers. As a bicameral body, it is divided into the upper and lower bodies. The upper body is primarily responsible for representing the aristocracy, however its power has largely diminished over time. Most of the legislative action comes from the lower body which is elected by the general population. The government abides strictly by the roles and regulations set out by the nations written constitution. It can be changed via a national referendum or a 2/3rds majority vote in both the upper and lower bodies of the Sejm.
Majority/State Religion : Roman Catholicism makes up the overwhelming majority of the population, however the country retains freedom of religion.
Religious Description : Roman Catholic Church

Economic Ideologies : Capitalist, laissez faire
Major Production: Heavy industry, primarily machine parts, steel, and finished luxury and domestic goods.
Economic Description: Urbanization and economic expansion has benefited the countries industrial sector the most. Cities now make up almost 50% of the nations total population and intensive agricultural mechanization has increased the value of the nations agricultural products. Significant development of the transportation network has facilitated a burgeoning service and manufacturing industry as well as a new sense of liberty. Despite the rapid progress large sections of the population remain landless and most farmers are smallholders. Additionally populations from the east migrate west to the heart of Poland to take part in the ongoing industrialization taking place.

Development: Modern
Development Description: The nation sits in the heart of Eastern Europe, and serves as a major crossroads between the east and the west. As an industrialized nation, the country remains at the forefront of technological development.

[b]Army Description : WIP
Army Weakness :WIP
Naval Description : WIP
Naval Weakness :WIP
Further Military Description :WIP

National Goals: National unity, defense against eastern (and western) aggressors, war against imperialism
National Issues: Increasing divides in economic and ethnic groups, labor and capital conflict, precarious international situtation
National Figures of Interest : no
National Ambition/Aspirations: Reclamation of Belarus

History : [[Can be in paragraph or bulletpoint timeline.]]WIP
RP Sample: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=374684&p=29867214#p29867214

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[Of Leben]

I think i got a good solid section of it done. I'll work on my history and military soon, just gotta unwind after being at work for eight hours.

[Intermountain States]

Full Nation Name : Grand Republic of Busang (Daebusang Minguk; 대부상민국, 大扶桑民國)
Majority/Official Culture : Although the founders of Busang were of Korean heritage and much of the culture were influenced by the cultures and tradition of Korea (such as hangul, which was used to write the founding documents of Busang's independence), there were already hundreds and thousands, if not millions, of those with non-Korean or mixed ethnicities, such as the Han Chinese or the various Native American groups etc. The Busangese cultural identity can perhaps be seen as a form of cultural nationalism in its view that there is no true Busangese race but a nation where men of different stock can be unified by a shared pride of the culture of Busang. This is not to say that Busang is a multicultural nation. While there are ethnic communities all over the country (but largely situated in the West Coast and in the Mississippi), immigrants are encouraged to take up Korean names, be versed in hangul, and observe Korean culture and holidays, including traditions original to Busang.
Territorial Core : Provinces of the Grand Republic
Territorial Claim : None so far
Capital City : Sinhan (Boise)
Population : 61 Million

Government Type : Federal Semi-Presidential Constitutional Republic
Government Ideology/Policies : Market liberalism, Social conservatism, National liberalism
Government Focus : Economic and territorial growth, improvement of relations among neighboring tribe and nations for expansion or for trade
Head of State : Chancellor Wang Jun-min
Head of Government : Vice-Chancellor Go Hui-song
Government Description : The government of the Grand Republic functions as a federal parliamentary republic. The bicameral General Assembly is lead by the Chancellor who is voted in by the lower house Chamber of Delegates. Delegates are directed elected by the public based on the districts. The National Court is the upper house consisting of representatives appointed by their provinces. The Chancellor’s Cabinet appointed by the Chancellor and confirmed by the National Court.

Majority/State Religion : No official religion
Religious Description : The people of the Republic practices a mixture of religions with the national government abstaining from having any state religion. The major religious organizations are Buddhism, Cheondoism, Christianity, and Taoism.

Economic Ideologies : Free market capitalism
Major Production : The vast lands of Busang is known for its agriculture, coal, gold, silver, lumber, and petroleum.
Economic Description : Busang is very resource rich with gold found in North Mansan and Daegok, coal in West Deolseong, and oil, silver, and fertile soil found in abundance all over the country. The General Assembly has taken a largely laissez faire approach to much of the economy, standing abide to the wu wei ideals for the sake of innovation and competition. That is not to say that the government has no involvement in the economy; regulations are put in place in addition to existing provincial regulations to ensure fair business practices
Development: Modern
Development Description : The Republic is blessed with the same technological base enjoyed by other Oriental empires along with an abundance of natural resources providing wealth to the nation.

Army Description : The Grand Republic Army is one of the most advanced military in North America, owing from competition with the Americans. Thanks to industrialization, the Grand Republic mass produces equipments for their military and the expansion of railroads allows them to transport troops quickly through the use of trains The creation of automatic weapons and mass production of weapons and ammunition created an army on demand. The Grand Republic Army is one of the largest in the continent with a standing army of 400,000 soldiers and field contemporary artillery, rifles, and squad support weapons.
Army Weakness : The reserved Provincial Forces, despite numbering in almost a million, is not as disciplined compared to the active force and with only putting down Native times American uprisings, have little experience in combat and may even rout. Reserve officers are not much better, most being graduates with family connections to the Grand Assembly or in state and local governments who use the easy opportunity of being an officer to climb social ladders, their ability to lead is doubted by many. In addition, many of the Provincial Guards have little access to the most recent of military equipments such as machine guns and bolt action rifles, still relying on repeating rifles and multibarreled guns of the 60s-70s.
Naval Description : While the Grand Republic Navy is by no means the greatest, the importance of the Navy is realized to the Grand Republic, who relies on the GRN to safeguard trade in the Pacific and in the Geong (Mississippi) River. The GRN is well funded with the use of contemporary vessels.
Naval Weakness : The navy is considered to be just adequate and ordinary compared to the navies of their neighboring states; there is really nothing to write home about for the Grand Republic Navy. Although officers in the Navy are selected by a competitive military examination and in theory, captains and admirals would advanced through merit and capabilities, most of those currently in the Navy have only seen combat experience against unruly bands of pirates rather than organized war fleets from other empires. In addition, it is not unheard of for some to receive officer position based on connection.
Further Military Description : While not part of any official military force, be it in the Army of the Grand Republic or the reserve Provincial Force, there is a tradition among the civilian populace which lies on the mass ownership of firearms, a tradition established by ambitious settlers to defend against the natives or to hunt animals and a tradition that won Busang’s independence from the Chuk-Jae-Do. While the military is well funded, there are plenty of everyday civilians willing to pick up their firearms to protect the Republic from invasions, must like the Righteous Army formed by their Joseon cousins.

National Goals : Consolidate the recently acquired Geunggang Provinces, strengthen trade access to Africa and Europe, and spread Korean cultural institutions throughout the New World, all under the values of the Cheonha Decree
National Issues : The eastern provinces are still filled with conflicts between the Busangin settlers and independent minded native tribals and European settlers.
National Figures of Interest : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Are there any Mother Teresas or Moses that we need to know about?]]
National Ambition/Aspirations : [[OPTIONAL]] [[Not really a set objective, but rather the big picture that your nation is drawing towards]]

History :
The 17th century was the time of colonization and it was never more true for Korea. Although the Koreans have already developed prosperous colonies in southeast Asia under the Chuk-Jae-Do system, interests were made eastward with the discovery of the North American coast by celebrated admiral Yi Sun-sin in 1610. Due to the Chuk-Jae-do being focused in Southeast Asia, a sub branch of the Chuk-Jae-Do called the Sae-Dael-Yuk was formed for establishing outposts and colonization of the new world, called Busang (after the mythological land of Fusang in Chinese legends). In 1631, the first Korean settlement in the New World was established at Gobuk, Cheonhae, and Punggaang. Daegok, Mansan, East and West Dolseong, and Inji were formed later in the early 1700s after Korean expansion eastward, initially treating the native tribes as tributaries before absorbing them (whether peacefully or violently) into the commanderies. The Commandery of Hongjeon (or Tejas by the Spaniards) was added as the result of the Chuk-Jae-Do's victory aganist Spanish forces in the mid 1700s.

The plentiful resources of the new continent were valuable to the Joseon government and efforts were made to develop the colonies with people from Joseon moving to the Commanderies of Busang for a chance of living a new life (or to pay off their debts). Industrialization took hold in the Commanderies of Busang, wealth reached the peninsula, and people from Asia flocked over to this New World. However, the Korean court has taken a “hands off” approach to governing the colonies and much of the colonies acted with near independence to the Joseon court and the Chuk-Jae-Do, regularly selecting their own officials from the populace to manage government functions for the colonies. The colonies that were given more liberty become more independent over time with a small but growing number of colonists seeing themselves identifying more with their colonies than with the Korean crown or the Chuk-Jae-Do as a whole. However, this was a minority view as much of the colonists still see themselves as dutiful subjects of Joseon.

In the early 19th century, the Chuk-Jae-Do was looking to expand its dominion over the colonies and set up new taxation systems and regulations. Most of the taxations were opposed by the colonists, who felt that the taxes they're burdened with only benefits the colonial authorities instead towards their colonial governments. During this period, the ideals of independence became widespread amongst a growing number of intellectuals, merchants, and officers living in the American colonies, forming an organization called the Independence Association that had members in the Ten Commanderies of the New World.

Later tensions between the Chuk-Jae-Do authority and the colonial governments had grown to which the commanderies sent delegates in Sinhan and formed the Provisional Assembly of the Five Commanderies to act as the greater representatives of the colonies. After months of debate and back-and-forth between Provisional Assembly and the Chuk-Jae-Do, the Provisional Assembly officially declared the commanderies’ independence from the Chuk-Jae-Do under the formation of the Grand Republic of Busang in 1832. The Provisional Assembly prepared for war, assigning Cheonhae delegate and experienced military officer Dae Song-su as the Supreme Commander of the Provisional Army.

War between the Chuk-Jae-Do and the Grand Republic lasted for five years, with much of the fighting taking place in the more populated areas of Cheonhae, Punggaang, North and South Mansan, and West Dolseong. Thanks to the political mastermind of Provisional Foreign Secretary Yang Hyun-jun (and the desire of the Korean Imperial Throne to curb Chuk-Jae-Do’s authority), the Grand Republic received backing from the Imperial Crown and eventually won its independence in 1839. The Provisional Assembly soon established political reforms, establishing a bicameral system of the reorganized General Assembly, institutionalizing the office of the Chancellor as an elected executive position, and with the support of the more influential liberals, a set of rights guaranteed to all men, including universal male suffrage. The General Assembly later appointed General Dae Song-su as the first Chancellor of the Grand Republic.

The Chancellorship of Dae Song-su from 1839 to 1854 were focused on territorial growth and major population increase. The Dae Song-su government promoted immigration, advertising its vast lands across Busang as ways for folks to come and settled eastward. Although this had brought large amounts of immigrants from East Asia, major increase in migration occurred during the North Mansan Gold Rush from 1848 to 1855 where hundreds and thousands of people scrambled to the trade focused North Mansan in hopes to gain wealth from the valuable mineral. This had quickly made North Mansan, already moderately populated, to the largest province in the Republic. New developments in Daegok brought forth a silver rush in the province, bringing more attention to the landlocked province, even while the North Mansan Gold Rush was still in full effect. Dae Song-su, after leading the country for 15 years, stepped down from his position, believing that he had accomplished his goal as the Republic's caretaker. He was succeeded by Vice-Chancellor Choe Kwang-jo, setting an unofficial guideline for future Chancellors in the country.

Choe Kwang-jo's chancellorship was from 1854 to 1866. Choe Kwang-jo's administration continued the policies of then-Chancellor Dae Song-su with using its wealth of resources and vast lands to encourage immigration. His administration, however, was known for his expansionist policies, diverting troop resources eastward to gain access to the Mississippi River. Coupled with the mobility of the Grand Army along with the implementation of newer weapons such as the gatling guns and the repeating rifle, the Republic was able to consolidate lands right near the Mississippi, although sporadic fighting were still common, taking years for the strip to die down. The lands near the Mississippi River ended up forming the provinces of North Geunggaang and South Geunggaang. Choe Kwang-jo's chancellorship ended in 1866 after the ruling Federalist Party lost to the opposition People's Party lead by In Seong-hyun, ending the 27 year domination of the Federalist Party and the rise of the People's Party as one of the major party besides the Federalists. In Seong-hyun's chancellorship lasted for nine years from 1866 to 1875. His administration was seen as being unnoteworthy, despite some legislative achievements such as implementation of civil rights for Native Americans and high tariffs. This has been the defining factors for successive Chancellors as many did not have such impact compared to the first two Chancellors.

As Busang enters the new century, a sense of optimism rises among the general populace. There were plenty of good reasons for the optimism: the Hongjeon province (Texas/Tejas) experienced a massive oil boom and trade running smoothly in the Pacific Ocean and along the Mississsippi and the Gulf Coast. Through its strong economy and previous military success, Busang has affirmed itself as one of the major powers in North America. With the election of Federalist leader Wang Jun-min as Chancellor in 1906, only the future could tell for this world whether or not the Grand Republic's fortune would continue.

RP Sample:
- It's like Alternate Divergence but made by the Cobalt Network and has set nations (Tales of Two Horizons II)
- War, what is it good for? (Back to 1935)
- Rednecks and post-apocalyptic America (Fallout: Damn Dirty South)
- Red Dawn but Asian (Crane Ascendent)
- Generic late 19th century Alt-history RP (Voice of a New Age)
- War, war never changes (Fallout: Republic of Dusts)
- Alternate history taken all the way (1900: Alternate Divergeance)
- Anime Vietnam Flashbacks (Operation Gatelord)


#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

[The Frozen Forest]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Free Republic of Mexica
Territory: Mexico, those bits of land between Mexico and the western half of America, Central America up till the Colombian border, and Isla Isabela/neighboring islands.
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Free Republic of Mexica
Territory: Mexico, those bits of land between Mexico and the western half of America, Central America up till the Colombian border, and Isla Isabela/neighboring islands.
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

Reservation accepted

[The Imperial Warglorian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden and Northern France (official)/Anglo-Swedish Empire
Territory: British Isles, Northern France, rest of Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, Ontario Region, Quebec Region, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, South Africa
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden and Northern France (official)/Anglo-Swedish Empire
Territory: British Isles, Northern France, rest of Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, Ontario Region, Quebec Region, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, territory of the British East India Company in 1765
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

You'll have to wait for the main OP to come back online, but I highly doubt that you'd be able to receive all of those claims in Europe.

India as a whole is however clearly reserved for the time being so it's out of question.

[The Imperial Warglorian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden and Northern France (official)/Anglo-Swedish Empire
Territory: British Isles, Northern France, rest of Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, Ontario Region, Quebec Region, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, territory of the British East India Company in 1765
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

You'll have to wait for the main OP to come back online, but I highly doubt that you'd be able to receive all of those claims in Europe.

India as a whole is however clearly reserved for the time being so it's out of question.

Ah, didn’t notice

In your opinion what do you think sounds better, Anglo-Franco or Anglo-Swedish?

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Kingdom of the Avars
Territory: The Hungaro-Romanian lands still unclaimed in Europe
#AltDiv

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Kingdom of the Avars
Territory: The Hungaro-Romanian lands still unclaimed in Europe
#AltDiv

Reservation accepted!

[The Palmetto]

Reservation

Nation Name: Lusitanian Social Federal Republic (LSFR)
Territory: IRL Portugal, Galicia, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

I'm aware of the alt history rule, of course. Gonna try and "feel around" with the app and see what kind of government and (alternate) history I want to toy with. I can assure ya, the government, culture, etc. will be much different compared to IRL 1906 Portugal.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: Lusitanian Social Federal Republic (LSFR)
Territory: IRL Portugal, Galicia, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique
#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)
*Note: Reservations will last for 72 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting reservations.

I'm aware of the alt history rule, of course. Gonna try and "feel around" with the app and see what kind of government and (alternate) history I want to toy with. I can assure ya, the government, culture, etc. will be much different compared to IRL 1906 Portugal.

Well, we'll have to wait and see what you'll try to pull off in terms of government, but from a territorial perspective, your reservation is accepted

[The Palmetto]

I was thinking Islamist anarcho-fascist feudalism with Chinese characteristics, in which we build massive castled communities built upon a fascist society which follows Islamic Chinese traditions, while the outside world is pure anarchy. /s

I’m not thinking anything crazy for the government, maybe something like a more left wing based “fascism” or something. (I’ll try not to be an edge lord) I’ll make sure the history and what not differs enough from irl, don’t worry.

[Tracian Empire]

(Image)

Full Nation Name : Russian Empire
Majority/Official Culture : Russian
Territorial Core : Western Russia, Eastern Ukraine, Finland, the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia, Aland islands, Outer Manchuria, Belorussia
Territorial Claim : Western Ukraine, the Baltic States, Mongolia, Western China, Tanna Tuuva, Crimea, Turkmenistan, and Bessarabia
Capital City : Moscow
Population : 207.9 million

Government Type : Enlightened Absolutist Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : [[OPTIONAL]] Imperialist, Expansionist, Interventionist
Government Focus : Preserving the power and legitimacy of the monarchy, education for the masses,
Head of State : Tsar Nicholas II Romanov
Head of Government : Tsar Nicholas II Romanov
Government Description :

Majority/State Religion : Christian Orthodoxy
Religious Description : [[OPTIONAL]]

Economic Ideologies : Capitalism under Interventionist policies
Major Production :
Economic Description :

Development: Modern
Development Description : With a successful land reform and widespread adoption of railroads, Russia no longer looks backwater and medieval to Europe.

Army Description : Has the largest army in Europe as it can mobilize up 18 million men in a quick manner due to the modern railway system.
Army Weakness : Its sheer size is also its disadvantage as it requires more resources spent to modernize and transport throughout the empire.
Naval Description : [[Describe your nation's navy in as much detail as you can]]
Naval Weakness : Due to the lack of warm water ports, the Russian Navy is small and inexperienced in naval combat
Further Military Description : [[OPTIONAL]]

National Goals : Expand Russia's borders, get more warm water ports, retain position as a great power.
National Issues : Lack of warm water ports for international trade and dependency of grain from Polish Ukraine
National Figures of Interest :
National Ambition/Aspirations : Russia to be feared and respected.

History : [[Can be in paragraph or bulletpoint timeline.]]
RP Sample: [[Either a link to a past post, or an example written right here.]]

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Probably need help figuring out my PoD for an Industrialized Russian Empire. I do know it needs land reform and widespread adoption of railroads as well a couple other factors.

Well, there a couple very important challenges that Russia would face if it were to be industrialized more than it was, but it is a bit complicated.

What I'd like to point out however is that simply industrializing the real life Russian Empire wouldn't be original enough for what we request from a PoD, so you should perhaps try to think of another way in which your Russia would diverge from reality.

[Tracian Empire]

I was thinking Islamist anarcho-fascist feudalism with Chinese characteristics, in which we build massive castled communities built upon a fascist society which follows Islamic Chinese traditions, while the outside world is pure anarchy. /s

I’m not thinking anything crazy for the government, maybe something like a more left wing based “fascism” or something. (I’ll try not to be an edge lord) I’ll make sure the history and what not differs enough from irl, don’t worry.

Well then, it's great that I always have a few sharp stakes ready for unruly players! xD

[Jade Confederacy]

(Image)



Full Nation Name : Imperial Americana/American Empire
Majority/Official Culture : Blanco, Mulatto, and Yankees
Territorial Core : Eastern United States and the Caribbean
Territorial Claim : Texas and Central America
Capital City : Archangel (Jacksonville)
Population : 68 million

Government Type : Constitutional Monarchy
Government Ideology/Policies : Imperialist
Government Focus : Acquisition of strategic resources via imperialism to form self-sufficient resource bloc
Head of State :King Alfonzo XI
Head of Government : Chancellor William Diaz
Government Description :Parliamentary democracy with the King becoming increasingly a figurehead and dependent on the parliament blocs for support

Majority/State Religion : Catholic and Protestant Christianity
Religious Description : Majority of the South and the Caribbean are predominately Catholic while the North is a patchwork of different protestant faiths (Evangelical, Baptist, and Anabaptists)

Economic Ideologies : The south supports free trade while the northern industrialist favor protectionism and state support for key industries
Major Production : Steel, coal, manufactured goods, industrial equipment, ships, cotton, sugar, tobacco, and fruits
Economic Description : The north Anglican baronies are heavily industrialized, especially along the Ohio river valley while the south is the agricultural heartland, producing a wide verity of agricultural goods and foodstuffs. The Caribbean territories are on average, poorer than their counterparts on the mainland and are not self sufficient in terms of food production, with most land being set aside for sugar, tobacco and fruit production.

Development: Industrialized
Development Description : The north is rich with industrial resources and crisscrossed with river networks and channels, allowing for rapid localized industrialization and movement of goods. Coupled with their high autonomy and low tax rates, the region accounts for over 70% of the nation’s entire economic output while only being 30% of its territorial landmass.

Army Description : Moderate peace time force of 100,000 troops with another half million reservists. Most are stationed along the Mississippi Divider and garrison the numerous river fortresses that serve as the linchpin of the American defense doctrine. The idea is to hold the line in case of war in the west, buying the army much needed time to mobilize and leverage the Empire's industrial advantages to bare.
Army Weakness : The officer corps of the army in staffed almost entirely of southern blanco graduates of West Point Military Collage. The Empire is weary of allowing too many northern anglos into army apparatus. Most mulattoes as well as all negros are likewise excluded from the upper echelons of the military command. The effectively creates a stagnant military caste made up of the southern, landowning aristocratic elite that is slow to adjust to the rapidly changing landscape of modern warfare.
Naval Description : the Imperial American Navy is the largest in the western hemisphere both in terms of tonnage and number of capital ships. A strong force of standard dreadnought battleships serve as the backbone of the navy with an average of two battleships built every year, incorporating the latest military technology. Unlike their army counterpart, the navy is much less rigid and racially biased with men of all races serving as well as being in positions of leadership. It is the favored branch of the imperial armed forces and always gets the largest share of the budget as well as choice pick of personnel to the resentment of the army. The navy also has a strong marine component that is used extensively by the Empire to further its interests. The navy is split into the Northern Fleet, based in Boston, The Home/Central Fleet in Archangel and Southern/Caribbean Fleet in Guantánamo Bay. It also has sizable river going and Great Lakes bases flotillas.
Naval Weakness : The navy lacks the ability to project power beyond the northern Atlantic as it lacks the coaling stations and friendly ports of the other truly global empires. The focus on standard battleships, while increasing the overall combat efficiency, also makes the IAN extremely predicable in terms of what it can field.
Further Military Description : There is inter-branch competition for resources between the army and navy with the navy coming out more often on top than the other way round. This is due the army's stinting defeats in the 1800s that greatly tarnished its prestige and thus lost favor among the populace and nobility alike. In the past the dimorphism in terms of funding way so great that the naval marines outnumbered the army's standing force. The favoritism for the navy has waned as of late but is still very much present.

National Goals : establish hegemony in the western hemisphere
National Issues : northern English separatism and autonomy vs entrenched southern aristocratic class
National Figures of Interest :
- William Diaz, Chancellor of the All-American Parliament and head of the southern Democratic Coalition.
- Lt. General Theodore Roosevelt, head of the opposition, northern based Republic Party
- General John J. Pershing, head of the Imperial American Army
- High Admiral Carlos Peron, head of the Imperial American Navy
National Ambition/Aspirations : take control the entirety of the Gulf of Mexico as well central america, deny regional competitors and European empires a foothold in its sphere of influence

History : The Vice Royalty of America was established by the Spanish Empire following the conclusion of Spanish War of Secession where England was forced to cede all of its north american holdings to the victorious Franco-Spanish Alliance. The English north american colonial charters were dissolved and incorporated into the newly established Viceroyalty of America along with the territory of Florida. Over the next century, millions of Peninsulares (Spanish colonists) flooded into North America due to its abundance of arable land and the opportunities it offered. Spanish aristocratic houses established vast plantations in the deep south, producing large amounts of sugar, cotton and tobacco (the big three). Slavery was heavily restricted and then abolished by the Spanish Crown in 1796, with the millions of poor, mixed raced mulatto serving as the underclass in their stead. The Peninsulares was eventually replaced by the blancos as the majority of whites became native born rather than Spanish immigrants. In the north, the those of English decent were split into the Catholic Latinized anglos and those who refused to integrate and instead kept to their original English cultures and religions.

By 1801, the Viceroyalty of America became by far the most populous and richest of Spain's colonial possessions. That is why when Napoleon invaded Spain and capture Madrid, the Bourbon Spanish court chose to flee to America and establish a government in exile in Atlanta. They brought with them thousands of officials, the entire Spanish treasury and what remained of the Spain navy. Spain-in-America fought on the side of the English Coalition against France and sized many of France's colonial possessions, including Haiti and what remains of France's north american holdings. When the war ended, the royal court decided to stay in America rather than returning to the war ravaged Spanish homeland. This created much resentment from the European Spanish who eventually revolted upon the King's death, choosing the King's brother as the true sovereign of the entire Spanish Empire rather than King's chosen heir, the Queen in America. The resulting Carlist War tore the already weakened Spanish Empire apart as it pitted the court in Atlanta against that in Madrid. Many of the Spanish colonial governors choose this opportunity to break free rather than supporting either side. The conclusion of the war saw to the Empire's permanent division into the European Spanish Empire and the newly elevated Imperial Americana which made up of the Viceroyalies of America, Dominica and Cuba. The viceroyality system was dissolved in favor of aristocratic estates; the South and Caribbean islands were carved into counties while the north into smaller baronies.

With the onset of the industrial revolution, the northern Anglican baronies rapidly industrialized due to an abidance of local industrial resources, easily traversable water ways and skilled labor. This created an imbalance in the Empire internal power dynamic which has been traditionally dominated by the powerful southern counts and their vast agricultural plantations. As the years went on, the balance of power shifted more and more in favor of the north and tensions eventually flared into the First American Civil War/First Anglican Uprising. The northern rebellion was put down with great bloodshed and cost to both sides, with the capital city of Atalanta being burnt to the ground by separatist sympathizers. The capital was subsequently moved to the purposely built city of Archangel (Jacksonville). The peace settlement, dubbed the Great Compromise, transformed the absolutist aristocratic monarchy into a democratic constitutional one with a number of seats guaranteed to all major stakeholder including the Crown, the northerners and the Caribbean territories. Although this did not prevent a subsequent smaller second civil war and northern uprising, it did weaken support for armed rebellion enough that the majority of the northern population no longer favored violent separation from the Empire.

The Imperial Americana of the early 1900s is a nation split along ethnic, cultural, economic and religious lines. The northern protestant English subjects favor further democratization of the Empire as well as protectionist trade polices that safeguard American industries from foreign competition. The southern Catholic aristocratic elites however, depend heavily on exports of their agricultural products and thus prefer free trade. Both sides are in agreement that the Empire should expand and take its 'fair share' of the globe as one of the Great Powers but the two differ as to where. The southerners wish for more agricultural estates to farm in the tropics while the northerners covet the newly discovered oil fields in Texas.

RP Sample: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=461342

#AltDiv (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps)

Going for Spanish influenced America

Alright, done with my app. Since there are multiple players in north america, i think we should all hash out a mutual history in line with each other

[The Palmetto]

I might have to work with the Western Roman player on this one, but I was possibly thinking Lusitania emerged in the time that the Western Empire retreated back into Italy. Idea being that a Roman general/statesmen who was either incredibly gifted or just plain lucky managed to fight off the barbarians at the cost of some western land, while eventually expanding into northern Portugal and Galicia. Due to geographic isolation, said general/statesmen was allowed to rule the region as his own warlord state, and at some point independence/dominionship/etc. would've been formalized. Them colonizing the same stuff in Africa as IRL would be a coincidence, but I can change it if you'd like.

If you don't like this idea, I'm fine switching reservations.