Zedeshia wrote:Generic Info
Nation Name: Kingdom of Spain
Symbols: National Anthem of Spain: Marcha Real, Official Flag of the Kingdom of Spain, Cross of Burgundy
Location: 4
Population: 12,345,000
Capital City: Madrid
Civilization Status: Civilized
Government Info
Government Type: Semi-Constitutional Absolute Monarchy
Brief Explanation of Government: Following a period of immense unrest and instability, it proved important for the rulers of Spain to regain control following four years of power struggles for the Spanish Throne. Soon after his ascension as King of Spain, the ruling monarch Carlos de Borbón declared a state of national emergency, claiming that it was necessary for order to be restored in the country. The structure of the kingdom was radically changed, shifting power from autonomous feudal lords to an absolute monarch. Attempting to guarantee that the power of himself and his closest allies among the Spanish nobility and clergy would be secured, the King purged the nation's bureaucracy of any opposition, and then granted friendly noble families guaranteed membership as part of the Spanish High Council. The Spanish High Council (Consejo Superior de España) is the second most powerful body within the Spanish government, only surpassed by the ruling monarch. The Council is made up of 150 seats, of which 70 are members of the nobility, 30 are high-ranking members of the Catholic Church in Spain, and 50 are elected "people's representatives". The High Council functions simultaneously as a group of advisors for the King, who holds the ability to make unquestionable declarations, as well as the main force organizing matters that are viewed as unimportant at the time. The concentration of power within the Spanish government has shifted greatly, as the autonomy of Spanish nobles has overall been drastically lessened, with most of their power now being held within the High Council and dominionship over their territories mainly ceremonial, the clergy remaining prominent in Spanish society but claiming to be under represented in the High Council, and for the first time a limited idea of democracy being introduced on a greater scale.
Ideology: Carlism, Monarchism, Conservativism, Spanish Nationalism
Leader: King Carlos María Isidro Benito de Borbón
Relations Following the "Reign of Chaos" Spain slowly entered into a diplomatically isolated and self-recovering state, yet still holds complicated relations with many of their neighbors. To the north there is the Kingdom of France, which following the rise of Carlos to power relations have grown somewhat strained. The Bourbons in France did not show any support to the Carlists during the four years of conflict that raged through the country, instead backing the right of Isabella II to become the Queen of Spain in due time. Though never directly intervening, Bourbonist militias were often supplied by the French to the north, causing the Carlist government to view the French Kingdom with much suspicion. The general population of France and Spain however are generally on good terms, with friendly trade often passing over the Pyrenees. Meanwhile over the Atlantic there lies the many states that gained their independence from Spain in the Americas, in which relations range from somewhat cordial to distant. With exception to the Free State of Spanish Florida and the United Mexican States, Spain did not officially recognize the sovereignty of the independent nations in the New World until very recently, and still holds claims over some lands in the region. This naturally has caused tensions between the kingdom and the newly formed governments of such states.
Population Info
Brief Description of your people: The Spanish population in recent history has proven itself to be highly divided and dissatisfied with the current system set in place in the kingdom. Spain always has been and still is a place of immense diversity, with a wide array of different cultures and ethnic groups within its borders, from the Basques to natives of the Spanish West Indies. However, as political tensions rise and fall and the new Carlist monarchy lasts on there has been an alarming increase of conflict between different groups in the Kingdom.
Religion: Spain is largely Christian and Catholic, with Roman Catholicism being recognized as the official religion of the state. However, there are some notable Protestant and Jewish minorities that reside in the Kingdom.
Main/Accepted Cultures: Castilian Spanish, Aragonese Spanish
Other Cultures: Galician, Basque, Catalan,
Military Info
Army: 6.5/10 - The Spanish Army, like much of the nation's recent history, has entered a state of decline overall. Though still competent and of reasonable size, fielding approximately 250,000 men in total, the army has continuously suffered from issues with supply and an incompetent leadership that has only recently fallen under criticism by those in the government. The army itself is divided into two major branches: the General Army which consists mainly of conscripted troops, and the Royal Guards, which are made up of highly trained and loyal Carlist soldiers.
Navy: 7/10 - The Spanish Navy has fared perhaps slightly better than the army. Containing a relatively smaller amount of ships overall, what Spain does possess is considered of high quality and fine craft. The Spanish navy is made up of 56 ships in total, 12 of which are stationed in the Spanish West Indies. Spain also controls a force of 3,500 marines, who are largely based on British designs.
Other Info
Economic Strength: 12/20
Where other European states have seen a massive wave of industrialization and growth, Spain has time and time again lagged behind economically. Though industrialization efforts have begun to take place in major cities such as Madrid or Barcelona the country remains widely rural in many places, with peasants tending to focus mainly on farming and fishing. Worsening this issue is the fact that Spain lacks much of the necessary connections either on land or overseas to neighboring states, which has limited potential growth. Trade to and from Spain was at one point in history immensely profitable, but as time passed and interests moved elsewhere in the world, this faded. The slow decline of the Spanish colonial empire has exasperated this issue even further, as the widescale revolutions across what was once New Spain, and later Florida led to lucrative resources ceasing to reach the homeland. Now only the Spanish West Indies remain, their contribution to Spain's current wealth notable but far from what once was. However, change is coming soon, as since much of the former feudal control over Spanish lands has been stripped away capitalist businesses have begun to take their place. Industrialization, when embraced, has brought forward great results in the nation. Though the economic situation in Spain is currently less than desirable, the future still holds promise.
Development: 14.5/20
Perhaps one of the few saving graces of the current Spanish regime among the population of the country is its efforts on rebuilding and expanding infrastructure. Following the period of unrest that eventually ended with the official succession of a new monarch, many major ports, harbors, roads, and even railways had been partially destroyed. However, this damage would soon be reversed through reconstruction efforts, and using newly acquired funds from the Spanish High Council many local governments even were able to expand infrastructure beyond what was once before. There is much yet to be desired, with railways not fully implemented and many rural areas of the country having only access to dirt roads and paths, but this is quickly improving.
Public Order: 6/20
Following the struggle for power by multiple factions of the ruling class of Spain and the eventual victory of the Carlists, the general population of the country has grown to be deeply bitter, to say the very least. Though most opponents of King Carlos were removed from power, popular support of their movements continued, and with new problems arising from the monarch's absolute rule, soon began to grow. It is not uncommon for one to encounter a Bourbonist, a Spanish Bonapartist, and other non-Carlist royalists among the people of France, much to the dismay of any supporters of the current dynasty. Not only that, but following increasing frustrations with the Spanish monarchy as a whole, revolutionary republican, separatist, and similar movements have grown greatly in prominence, inspired by the French Revolution of recent history. Overall, the people of Spain are far from supportive of the current government, and public unrest, though slowly improving from the previous four years of chaos, is still widespread.
Goals: Secure and expand control in the Caribbean, establish colonies in Africa, rapidly industrialize, replace monarchist government (My focus is not exactly on preserving the power of the Carlists but rather exploring a Spanish Revolution and what would follow).
History:
Fate had not been kind to Spain in the new century. Once a great power that none in the world could question, the kingdom had slowly entered a state of decline. When or where this began is a matter of controversial discussion. Some scholars have speculated that the effect of this truly came with the brutal invasion by Napoleon to the north, others have claimed that it occurred naturally starting from the early 18th century, while those more pessimistic point to the Spanish defeat in the Philippines. Whatever the case truly be, it was clear following the end of the Napoleonic Wars that the Kingdom was damaged in a way never before thought to be possible. Within only a few centuries Spain had devolved from the home of extravagant nobility and royalty wealthier beyond one's wildest fantasies to a new backwater among Western Europe, lacking both the industrial power of Britain and the militaristic infamy of France or Prussia. With the temporary overthrow of the rightful Spanish ruler and the establishment of a Bonapartist puppet Spain's colonies in the New World found ample opportunity to separate themselves with their masters over the Atlantic, which they quickly pursued. States from across New Spain declared their independence, from the Argentine Confederation to Florida. When the Spanish line of the Bourbon Dynasty was restored the country that remained had lost much of its former glory. Many believed that Spain would at last recover when Ferdinand VII returned to power, but this was not to be.
Ferdinand VII's health had proven to be unsteady at best in the past, and this would come once again to strike the newly restored monarch. The King soon fell into poor health, and despite the best efforts of the physicians who attempted to heal him, entered into a coma in 1824. As he was unable to rule many local lords and other members of the nobility soon took advantage of the situation, and seized greater control of their estates, taking every opportunity to further their own power. Ferdinand's closest family attempted to organize a temporary government with the King's brother Carlos at its head to combat these efforts, but this failed. Finally, after two years of entering an unresponsive state the Spanish King passed away, and a new conflict would soon arise. Tensions between different factions in the country had grown greater and greater as time moved on, and following the death of the King conflicts over the crown's successor would grow volatile. Various factions soon arose claiming that they were the rightful heir of the Spanish throne. The two most notable of these factions were the Carlists and the Bourbonists, who dominated this struggle for power. The Bourbonists supported the official succession of the young Isabel II (Born in 1823 and of Ferdinand's third wife Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony rather than in 1830 by Ferdinand's fourth wife) as Queen of Spain, with a regency set in place until she was of age, while the Carlists claimed that Isabel's claim to the throne was illegitimate due the nature of Spain's Salic succession laws, and wished to establish the King's brother Carlos as the next monarch. However, the Carlists and Bourbonists were far from the only factions claiming legitimacy in Spain, as some wished for the leaders of major noble families to become the new monarch, while others wished for the restoration of those with much more dubious claims such as those of the Houses Bonaparte and Von Hapsburg.
With each faction vying to gain power in Spain no agreement over who would officially become the next ruler could be reached, and as tensions grew violence in the streets of Madrid became a common occurrence. This politically inspired violence spread rapidly across the Kingdom of Spain, as militias and similar groups began to arm themselves and clash bloodily. This situation would quickly devolve into what would eventually become known as the "Reign of Chaos", where the official government of Spain held little power and civil conflict was common. Though never considered an outright civil war the Reign of Chaos often was treated as such throughout the four years that it lasted until it finally ended with the assassination of a young Isabel II on November 19th, 1830 and the subsequent succession of Carlos V as King of Spain. Resistance to this was powerful in certain areas of the country, but with a reorganization of the remaining Spanish military such resistance was soon suppressed. The Carlists had last achieved their goal, but if this was to last was yet to be seen.
Carlos V of Spain was able to consolidate his control over the kingdom with a brutal efficiency that few would have expected. Following his incompetent handling of the crisis soon after the death of his brother, many believed that the new King of Spain would lose his power as quickly he had gained it. But despite all expectations Carlos was able to regain full control of Spain extremely quickly. Many families among the Spanish nobility had revealed themselves to be disloyal to the current monarch, either actively supporting Carlo's opponents during the Reign of Chaos or openly claiming that they themselves had the right to rule. These families were essentially purged from the Spanish government, revoked of their titles and at times even imprisoned and executed under charges of treason. To ensure that such nobles would never again step out of line and attempt to seize control for themselves, the autonomy and power of feudal lords in the country was greatly weakened. Carlos then proceeded to grant himself complete authority over matters of government, bringing a return of absolutism. But following protests among many by this he soon realized that it was necessary to grant some concessions. His solution to this was at first unclear, but allegedly after many days of reflection led to the official establishment of the Spanish High Council, which would act as a group of governors and advisors. Among this new council Carlos selected his closest allies among the nobility and clergy, promising to grant them power there in exchange for a smooth transition to more centralized control, as well as a sizeable number of "people's representatives", who were to be democratically elected every six years among the general population of Spain as a sign of public support. These changes passed without much opposition, and with a temporary return of stability reconstruction efforts began and were continued until 1833. The current system set in place in Spain is by no means popular, with many in the country opposed to its absolute monarchy and extreme centralism. However there is still hope left for the Carlists in power. What will occur in the future is yet to be seen, but the people of Spain are prepared for what must be done.
429 - Do not remove. This is for tracking purposes.
So I like what I see so far, one thing I would say though is your navy should be far weaker. From what I have read, the Spanish Navy was pretty oofed in this period. Granted this is alternate history, but Europe is meant to stay somewhat close to the course it took irl, and making a really strong Spanish navy is probably best saved for an IC project. More clarification on some of the ships might be asked for, but as Spain is not a Great Power it isn't required. Clarification on army composition would also be appreciated while on the military topic.
Once those two are addressed, your app will be accepted.
