The Golden Tsars - A Decemberist World

It is said that Constantine's rise to power began, in fact, in 1814, when he visited the Prussian Court with his brothers Nicholas and Michael. It was there that he met Princess Charlotte of Prussia. The two quickly became infatuated with each other though it was later revealed to Constantine that Alexander planned to marry her to Nicholas. Constantine begged to marry her, his planned marriage to Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld had fallen flat on it's face when she became deathly ill and died in 1792. Since then, Constantine's mistresses had become quite controversial. Alexander, seeing that his brother was truly infatuated and sensing an opportunity to dispel the rumours and controversy, consented. Two years later, in 1816 Constantine married Charlotte, who became Alexandra. Nicholas was angered by the change in plan, he too had affections for Alexandra but she never returned such emotions. Nicholas grew to hate his brother and saw him as stealing his bride away from him.

The marriage was a loving one and whilst Alexandra was at first overwhelmed by the enormity and sheer alien nature of the Russian court, her husband was loving and attentive and taught her both the Russian language and how to survive. Whilst this happened she told him of her want to be free to explore music and reading, her husband of course accepted. Alexandra would go on to introduce many new forms of music and artwork to the Russian court. She became the most fashionable woman in Russia and both Tsar Alexander and her husband Constantine came to accept and appreciate her westernisation of Russian Aristocracy. With this influx of Western Culture, came too Western ideas of Liberalism and Constitution. Whilst Alexander was at first wary of such modern ideal, his brother Constantine came to accept and believe in a modernisation of the Empire. Nicholas, throughout this, grew to hate his brother more and more and saw the influx of Liberalism into Russia as detrimental to the Russian cause. His political views slow grew more Reactionary in response to his brothers shift to the left of politics. The Court too was split, some followed Constantine's example whilst others saw it dangerous and followed Nicholas, Alexander attempted to remain neutral throughout but slowly shifted towards Constantine's camp. In an attempt to avoid conflict, and remaining childless, Constantine offered to secretly renounce his claim on the throne in 1823. Alexander and Nicholas agreed but six months later it was found that Alexandra was pregnant and Constantine would be childless no longer. On 7th July 1824, Peter Romanov was born, Constantine's first son and possible eir to the throne...

1 - Civil War Come Early​

On the First of December, 1825, The Death of Tsar Alexander of Russia rocked the Empire. His death was neither dramatic nor heroic but would divide the nation in the coming years. The controversy is believed to stem from his final words, on the 30th of November, having accepted his death he invited his brothers Nicholas and Constantine into his chambers, forbidding anyone else to enter. It is reported that after a few minutes, Nicholas stormed out of the room and fled to Moscow, whilst his brother Constantine stayed with his father until his death. The succession seemed clear, Alexander had no sons and Constantine was the eldest of his brothers however Constantine had in the past renounced the throne and Nicholas was accept as heir by some. The brothers had always been polarised, Constantine repeated broke Court etiquette and was renowned for his more progressive views whilst Nicholas was a stern, Reactionary figure.

The two brothers gave very different accounts of their brothers message. Constantine said (and most modern historians agree) that Alexander requested that Constantine inherit the Russian Throne, hence why Nicholas fled. However Nicholas stated that his brother simply told the other siblings to make peace and that his flee was not one of anger but one of grief.

When he reached Moscow on December 5th Nicholas reached Moscow and declared himself Tsar, the next day he was coronated in the Dormition Cathedral, declaring himself Tsar and Emperor of All Russians, Autocrat of the Empire, His grace Nicholas I.

Two days later, on December 5th, Constantine was recognised as Heir to the Throne by the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch and was His Imperial Majesty Constantine I Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias.

There is much debate amoung modern historians about whether Constantine was aware that his brother had declared himself Tsar when he himself assumed the same title, some believe that Constantine unknowingly assume his right, assuming his brother would come to terms with it but some have suggested that Constantine knew his brother would attempt to seize the throne and held his own coronation in an attempt to turn Nicholas away from the concept. However Russia now had two Tsars and despite Constantine's attempts to persuade Nicholas' surrender (including offering Nicholas the title of King of Poland, Duke of Finland and even listing him as heir) neither brother would give up the title. Both summoned various lords and generals to pay homage to them and the nation was split in two. Those who supported Constantine were dubbed Decemberists (though Nicholas called them "Revolutionaries"), whilst Nicholas' troops were referred to as the "reactionaries". Many states of Russia, including Poland, Finland and the Eastern States stayed neutral throughout the conflict, however all of Russia would be engulfed by the destructive conflict.

Ok, the general point of divergence here is Alexander the Firsts death and the December Revolt, which has escalated into a full scale civil war. I plan to take this through to World War 2 and a form of Cold War, with ripples visible world wide! Any feedback is appreciated.

You're probably the second author who's tried at writing a Decembrist Russia TL. The one thing that I want to point out is that there were several figures who had a role in the Decembrist Revolt: Nikita Muraviev (who favored a constitutional monarchy) and Pavel Pestel (who wanted a republic).

I shall write them in then!

Constantine's Empire was always going to progress down the more Democratic route, so Muraviev may side with him, as for Pestel, I planned on a Russian Republic (In Ukraine) being declared shortly anyway so he'd be the perfect figurehead for that. Technically this doesn't diverge from the actual Decemberist Revolt but from a more wide spread version

I might also be in assistance here. I have helped Braginsky before in the TL, and I'm still learning a fair deal on the Decembrist Revolution...subscribing.

Also, while the map seems accurate, you still have to take into account: Finland, the Baltic States, Lithuania, a Part of Poland, Ukraine, Georgia and parts of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on the map, whether it is Decembrist, Reactionary or Neutral.

Poland
Whilst the Royal Family fought it's own bitter war, the Western States of the Russian Empire began to disintegrate. The first cracks in the East began to show when, on Christmas Day 1825, The Republic of Poland declared itself a free and independent nation, forming a constitution based almost entirely on that of the United States of America. The Republic was led by the hastily chosen Bonawentura Niemojowski, a Polish lawyer and author, who became the First President of Poland. The Republic was only able to seized control of Polish Regions in the Russian Empire, those possessed by Prussia and Austria remained out of their influence. With nearly the (nearly) entirety of Imperial Russia's Army caught up in the Civil War, few could oppose the New Polish Government who very quickly removed Russian influence and military from the region. Large groups of Polish Officers and Soldier in the Russian Army defected to the Polish Republic. The neighbouring state of Krakow offered to join the Republic, which President Niemojowski promptly agreed to.

The largest of these groups was led by Józef Chłopicki, who declared his forces "The First Polish Army" and began to engage any Russian forces who remained within Poland. The largest of these Skirmishes was the First Battle of Warsaw (February 19th, 1826) where Russian forces (It is unclear whether these forces supported Nicholas, Constantine or Neither) attempted to recapture the city and bring a swift end to the Republic, however as the Siege if Warsaw Began, General Chłopicki brought his army behind the Russian loyalists whilst the Warsaw Garrison assaulted the Russian troops head on. The Russians were thoughts to number 10,000 whilst the Polish forces are estimated to be anywhere between 12,000 and 25,000. The result was the complete destruction of the Russian army, along with mass defection to the Polish cause. With the Russian army destroyed the Polish Republic had effective control over their entire borders.

The Flag of the Republic of Poland​

The Republic in Ukraine
Seeing a chance to realise their dreams of a Russian Republic, General Pavel Pastel and his fellow members in the Northern and Southern Societies of the Decemberists attempted coups in Moscow and St Petersberg on the 12th and 15th of January 1826 respectively, both of which were complete failures and dismissed out of hand by both sides of the Royal Civil War. Pastel and many of his compatriots fled to the Ukraine, where they were able to successfully seize control of the local government and combine their forces, which were found to number over 45,000 on the 2nd of April (This number is exceptionally large and disputed by some historians, whilst some believe it shows the large republican sentiment seeping Russia in the years before the Golden Age of Tsars). Whilst many now refer to this state as the "Ukraine Republic" it titled itself "The Grand Republic of All Russia" and laid claims to the entirety of the Russian Empire. Pastel became the First President of the Republic and began an offensive into the Western Russian Provinces of Rostov and Astrakhan.


Sweden in Finland
Finland's role in the Civil War at first seemed to be a small one, remaining independent of Reactionary or Decemberist influence, the local administration attempted to wait out the war and praise the victor as the one true Tsar. However many of the Generals in Finland had other ideas, a large portion of them flocked to Constantine's banner in the belief that he would be willing to grant further Finnish autonomy if he received Finnish assistance. A series of Officers defected to the Grand Russian Republic when it was declared in early 1826. By the end of these two mass defections Finland was left largely undefended, with less than 2,000 soldiers remaining to garrison the entire region.

Sensing a chance at reclaiming lost glory and lands the Russians had acquired from them during the Finnish War, the Kingdom of Sweden (backed by Great Britain) seized Southern Finland with an army of 30,000 men, whilst a Norwegian force of 10,000 invaded the North. Swedish and Norwegian forces crossed the border on May 14th and Swedish troops marched through Helsinki two weeks later (Though the Finnish Government fled East). Resistance was persistent but massively ineffective and whilst most Finnish peasants had no love for the Swedes, they had less for the Russians. The Finnish government surrendered to the Swedes on the 2nd of June and Sweden had fully regained it's old vassal.

The Alliance of The West
On the 21st of June, representatives from Sweden, Poland and the Grand Republic met in Warsaw to discuss a coalition. Overseen by British diplomats the talks went smoothly and a week later, on the 28th of June, the "Pact of Mutual Assistance and Defence" was signed. The Pact assured that the three nations would work together to depose the Tsars and establish the Grand Republic as the sole Russian government, whilst the Grand Republic would recognise the Swedish claim on Finland (But not Karelia), and the autonomy of the Republic of Poland. The Pact gave birth to "The Alliance of the West", which would oppose both Tsars and present a third side to the ever growing Russian Civil War

Russia will be in hellbend when learned what britain do with their western territories.. Nice for Sweden, they've already all of Scandinavia..only need Denmark.

Poland...Prussia will have a word with those to avoid problem with his own poland..,maybe a personal union or an act when both countries promise not meddle in other affair and protect the minority rights of both sides?

Ukraine...unless the abandon their pan russia ideal...better keep happy with a region will become the breadbasket of europe...Ukraine will be pretty happy.

Did Poland actually want to establish a republic at the time, considering how unpopular republics are in Europe at the time. Granted, the short-lived November Uprising created a Republic, that went by the official name of...the Kingdom of Poland? Wait, wha-

And then there's the potential aspect of Austria and Prussia wanting to avoid the troubles that is Polish irredentism. I'm pretty sure an Independent Poland is going to solicit a response from equally ultra-reactionary Austria, as well as Prussia (who from before the Congress, actually owned most of the territory in what would become Congress Poland.)

Also as a nitpick, it's the Finnish War, not the Great Northern War.

Yeah, the difference in the name of Poland in that, during this time line The Republic of Poland was established by Polish citizens and politicians, with the army and aristocracy having less influence, hence Republic not Kingdom.
As for Austria and Prussia, they'll show their hands soon enough.

The Finnish error was an oversight on my part though and I shall change it accordingly.

The Coldest War
By February 1826 both sides had compiled the majority of their suporters and things looked bleak for Constantine's Revolutionaries. Many of the Empires Generals sympathised with Nicholas and his Reactionary values, thinking him a stalwart defence against the threat to traditional authority that Constantine represented. After the Declarations of The Republics in Ukraine and Poland, this fear only grew. As a result of this, the Generals flocking to Nicholas' banner greatly outnumbered those who joined with Constantine. By February 15th Reactionary forces numbered almost 300,000 whilst the Revolutionaries had a mere 120,000. Both Tsars sought to organise their states, realising that the war would not be a short one, especially so during the Winter months. Constantine used this to gain his first real advantage. When Nicholas based his government out of the Moscow Kremlin, he built it out of Generals and Aristocrats, Constantine however desired a modern Constitutional Monarchy, similar to Britain's, whilst Nikita Muraviev handled the organisation and growth of the army he delegated the formation of the new "Imperial Duma" to Sergei Petrovich Troubetzkoy. Both Muraviev and Troubetzkoy were won over to Constantines cause by promises of a Constitution and elections to be held as soon as the war was over.

Whilst Constantine and Nicholas were developing their governments, Reactionary Generals began striking out east, gaining land quickly. The administration of these easternmost areas cared little about which Tsar came to power, the Primorye government had no idea that Alexander had died at all and offered no opposition to the advancing Reactionary Generals.

The Revolution Strikes Back
Encouraged by the advances of the Republic in Ukraine but disturbed by Swedish gains, the Revolutionaries began an advance towards Moscow, hoping to seize the city quickly and end the war. Nikita Muraviev, newly anointed General of Constantine's army began his infamous "Long March" from St Petersberg to Moscow. They set off on June 12th 1826 but a mere three days later sickness ravaged the army,causing them over 15,000 losses. This blow as seen by many of Muraviev's advisers as too great a loss and they implored him to turn back to St Petersberg. Muraviev ignored them and it proved to be his undoing. During the nearly month long march, many stragglers and convoys were lost though it took another week for Muraviev to realise that the Reactionaries had skirmishers picking off men from his flanks. By March 26th the Revolutionary Army numbered less than 88,000 men, due in no small part to mass desertion of soldiers and officers alike. Growing desperate Muraviev ordered a forced march south only to be presented with an Army of 150,000 Reactionaries, fresh, well rested and supplied with ample amounts of artillery and ammunition. The two forces met outside a forest near Moscow, the exact location is hard to pinpoint as neither army had efficient administration, the Reactionaries believed to be fighting at Zvenigorod whilst the Revolutionaries thought it Lotoshino. Muraviev's force was tattered and damaged, having marched through a snow storm. It is believed that Muraviev may have gone mad during his last days or simply lost all will to live for on the 28th of March he ordered a General Advance and threw all his forces headlong towards the Reactionary line. The Reactionaries, sensing a chance to crush their enemies one and for all ordered their large cavalry force to flank the enemy through the neighbouring forest and launch a surprise attack upon the enemies rear. Positioning themselves behind a hill directly on the Revolutionaries path of retreat they waited for slaughter. Muraviev and his cavalry charged straight towards the enemy cannons and barely made it 50 feet before Muraviev himself was struck by a Reactionaries cannon ball and killed instantly. The following Revolutionary route directly into the Reactionary cavalry earned the infamous battle its name; "The Battle of Bloodied Snow".

The few remnants of the Revolutionary force that had survived the slaughter, thought to be less than 30,000 men, began the Second Long March back to St Petersberg.


Desperate Times...
Hearing of the near-complete destruction of his army and encouraged by The Western Alliances advances into Karelia and the South, he sent a letter to King George IV of Great Britain, begging him to bring the Alliance of the West into talks with the Revolutionary government, discuss external intervention and the Revolutionaries entrance into the Western Alliance. The British consented and the St Petersberg Talks took place on July 9th, with representatives from Revolutionary Russia, Poland, The Grand Republic, Sweden, Britain, Austria and Prussia attending. The French were invited but refused to send a delegate, not believe it to be an issue worth addressing. Constantine and the British drafted a proposition which they presented to the other members;


Despite a few alterations the treaty was signed and Polish and Grand Republic representatives paid tribute to Tsar Nicholas . Many today seem this as strange, that the Republic and Polish would so easily submit once more to Russian authority. However one must consider that the Grand Republic had achieved its goal in creating a democratic Russia, even Constantine remained as Head of State. Meanwhile the Polish had been granted effective autonomy and a refusal to sign the bill would cause the British to withdraw their support of The Polish Republic, leaving them open to invasion from Prussia or Austria. The Prussian and Austrian signatories were probably bribed by both Russian and British Governments.

With the Treaty signed, Constantine was once more in with a fighting chance,

So, little has changed, beyond the Swedish border pretty much reverting back to it's (I'm assuming) pre-Hat's War form, and increased Polish autonomy...Hopefully a united front would defeat Nicholas.

How far are you planning on taking this?

Good start.

One nitpick: you occasionally have 1926 instead of 1826.

Depends, I have plans for up to 1950, but I don't know if it'll make it that far.

Final Days of the War August 1826 - January 1827​

The New Offensive
Determined to regain the initiative and emboldened by his reinforced armies, Tsar Constantine planned and executed a series of offensives. Begin with limited strikes east, the Revolutionaries built a small cavalry force (30,000 men and horses), led by General Sergey Muravyov-Apostol, and began attacks into Eastern Siberia. Due to Muravyov-Apostols strategic mind and the speed of the Revolutionary army they were able to secure many solid victories against the Reactionaries and after a month of light skirmishing, met the main Reactionary force in Siberia. The Battle of Lake Baikal, that took place on August 29th 1826, was the first true Revolutionary victory in the war and the Reactionary Siberian Army of 45,000 men was scattered, the remnants retreated south, though so few made it back to Reactionary territory it was for all intents and purposes, destroyed. The Revolutionary Army was now free to march east unhindered and on September 15th they reached the sea, putting Constantine in control of territory on the Baltic and Pacific Seas once more.



Panic in Moscow
The Alliance of the West's unification with Constantine's cause put Nicholas on the back foot and he was panicked by his scouts greatly exaggerated reports that put Revolutionary strength at half a million men, when in truth Constantine would have struggled to raise 200,000. Fearing that an attack without preparation would be suicidal, Nicholas began regrowing and centralising his army. (Ironically, Constantine too thought the enemy a far greater threat than they were and refused to launch any offensives towards Moscow until he felt his forces strong enough) Until, the embarrassing Reactionary defeat at the Battle of Lake Baikal, he was advised to conduct a quick strike to seize St Petersberg. Growing desperate, Nicholas agreed and amassed his army, attacking in mid September. Numbering 381,405 men (Nicholas grew paranoid and demanded exact figures, though it is likely that this figure what not, in fact, exact) the Reactionary Army began storming towards St Petersberg at a forced march. The Revolutionaries were quick to respond, compiling their force of 90,000 Russians, 20,000 Polish men and 60,000 Swedes. Constantine took command of the Revolutionary army personally, whilst Nicholas delegated to his advisor and head General, Mikhail Miloradovich. They marched to meet the Reactionary Army. The forces met on October 3rd

The Battle of Valday would go down in history as one of the most bloody battles in Russian history and would, unlike most battles of the war, drag on for many days, causing the great loss of life that took place. The forces met when the Revolutionary Army blocked the road south of the town of Valday, positioning their cavalry and artillery on a hill to the west, with a small, Elite force of 40,000 Swedish veterans in the neighbouring valley, the 80,000 Russian and Polish infantrymen positioned themselves in the surrounding forests. AN attempt to hide such a huge amount of soldiers seemed ridiculous to many but Constantine had thought the strategy through. The men were well spaced out and spanned more than a mile, Constantine then ordered the men (even the Officers, which shock many) not only to lie on the floor but also to obscure their faces with mud and remove and decorative or shiny clothing. This caused General Sergei Petrovich Troubetzkoy to speak his famous line; "I shan't your Majesty, this is simply not Russian!" to which the Tsar responded "Neither is my army, neither is defeat." Miloradovich saw the small Revolutionary army and thought that Constantine was attempting a gallant last stand. He called for parley and marched towards the Revolutionary lines under a white flag of truce. Constantine rode out to meet him and the two exchanged formalities and talked for a while as old friends before (as legend tells) one of Constantine's hidden soldiers stood up to urinate. Miloradovich saw a Revolutionary officer stand and grew angry, reportedly he threw the white flag in the dirt and yelled "You are a coward and a traitor, not a Tsar of any man! I shall never have peace with you!" He then turned to ride back towards his own lines but Constantine drew a pistol and, quite calmly, shot Miloradovich in the back of the head. This prompted a large scale charge from the Reactionaries who swarmed and surrounded the Swedish troops. (During the "Swedish Stand" hundreds of Reactionary soldiers were killed and the Swedish infantry received only a few dozen casualties, this would become one of the defining moments of modern Swedish history.) Constantine deliberately waited for a long period of time before ordering the Russian response but after a few minutes of fighting the Russian infantry charged from the forests anyway. Assisted by artillery bombardments and a targeted cavalry charge they were able to slaughter those Reactionary troops closest to Revolutionary lines. Despite the organised start, both sides soon descended into chaos and the Reactionaries would lengthen the battle by launching a counter attack that wounded Constantine and put most of the Revolutionary cavalry out of action. As the lines began to reform, the battle dragged on for another four days. On the Fifth a snowstorm struck the battle and the Swedish commander, Curt von Stedingk, saw a chance for a breakthrough.


Pushing hard against the Reactionaries' weakest point, he forced his way through the line, leading the charge personally. Though Von Stedingk was killed in the attack, it caused the mass route of the Reactionary army. In an attempt to force them back into the Battle, Reactionary Generals ordered the cavalry to charge their retreating army and force them back onto the Battlefield. This caused thousands of casualties and extended the battle for another three days. Which fled all the way back to Moscow, dogged by Revolutionary forces the whole way. (Von Stedingk's death is still remembered today in Sweden as "Veterans Day" and in Russia as "Sweden Day".) 191,000 Reactionaries left the field, as did 63,000 Revolutionaries, 12,000 Poles and merely 17,000 Swedes. Making it by far, the bloodiest battle in human history up until that point. Constantine granted Von Stedink the Imperial Order of St George for his sacrifice and hired 5,000 of the Swedish troops as his new "Imperial Swedish Guard".

The Siege of Moscow
Reactionary forces reached Moscow on the 19th of but by this point their numbers had dwindled to 146,000. Nicholas, growing paranoid and thinking their requests for entry a Revolutionary ploy, refused. Two days later the Revolutionary army arrived, jubilant at its recent victory. The Reactionary army was outraged by Nicholas' refusal to grant them entry and defected in their entirety to the Revolutionary cause. Constantine besieged and attempted to assault Moscow but it was well defended and had supplies to last over a year. Constantine knew this, but began a Siege anyway, whilst Nicholas waited to be relieved by "His Good Friends". In his final days, Nicholas grew quite mad, and began to believe that both God and The Devil has allied to restore him to his throne. He believed that, soon, An Army of Angels and Demons fighting side by side would vanquish his traitorous brother. (His insanity was clear to see but, amazingly, some believed him. The contemporary Christian sect; "Nicholas' Devout" believe that one day he will return with an army of angel and demons and conquer the world.) The Siege dragged on for two months until the people of Moscow grew tired and rose up against Nicholas. They were led by Vladimir Monagovich, a nineteen year old peasant who became popular within Moscow for his beliefs of equality. (Monagovich would later go on to found the first Menshevik Party in 1850) There was much fighting in the streets until on New Years Eve, the leader of Guard laid down his arms, and joined the Rebels against Nicholas. As they stormed the Kremlin Nicholas famously climbed to the spire and shouted; "My Friends will catch me, and I shall crush every rebel, every traitor! I AM TSAR!" before leaping from the tower and falling into the crowd. Nicholas was torn to pieces by the mob.

Monagovich and his rebels opened the city gates to Constantine and welcomed him as a liberator. He was coronated once more to confirm his title as sole Tsar of Russia and finally, after over a year of conflict and hundreds of thousands of lives lost, the Russian Civil War came to an end.

Wow, that was my largest update by far and brings to a close the Civil War. As we move onwards I'll try to explore the consequences of a more Liberal and Ambitious Tsar and as we approach 1861, things should begin to diverge big time!

I don't think a Russian Civil War in 1825 makes any real sense. The children of the Emperor Paul, for all their flaws, were close and familial. In OTL, Nicholas I waited until his brother's formal renunciation of the throne was received before he proclaimed himself Emperor.

If Constantine had decided he wanted to be Emperor, the throne was more or less his to take - certainly Nicholas would not have fled to Moscow and proclaimed himself Emperor. If your POD is that Constantine is in Petersburg instead of Warsaw when his brother dies, I think the most likely outcomes are a) things go basically exactly as they do OTL, but Nicholas is proclaimed more quickly; or b) Constantine becomes emperor without fuss.

Your attempts to elide this don't make any real sense. You have Constantine "even" offering to make Nicholas his heir. But Nicholas was his heir! Constantine was childless. His wife was non-royal, and even if they did have children (which was unlikely, his wife was 34 and childless after five years of marriage; OTL they didn't have any children after 1825), they would be ineligible for the throne. And what would be the cause for which Constantine's opponents would be fighting? Constantine wasn't a liberal - he was used as a figurehead by liberals in OTL, but that's not happening here.

Lots of timelines seem to assume that by changing some small thing you end up with some gigantic imaginary war (always a war, somehow). That seems incredibly unlikely in 1825 Russia. Either Constantine will become Emperor or Nicholas will. If Constantine becomes emperor, he reigns for 6 years, is not nearly as liberal as the OTL Decembrists might have hoped, and is succeeded by Nicholas in 1831.

Honestly jlk7e, this was my search for a situation that would create a more liberal Russian Empire. My point in fact was, Constantine was unpopular at court and the only way he could receive support at all was by siding with the Revolutionaries and Republicans that had amassed their strength against both Tsars. If you like, the point of divergence is that, in this TL, Nicholas' ambition and determination to inherit is considerable, but Constantine's is as well. Also the fact that Nicholas is crazy, ITL, contributes to the war.

The main point of the TL isn't the war itself, infact if you like you may ignore it and simply say that Constantine inherited peacefully, the point is how would a more liberal and capable Imperial Russia have shaped the modern world. IN the same way that "How Few Remain" isn't about how the US Civil War was won, but what would have happened if the Confederates won, this TL isn't about the war but about its effects.

Don't worry, I won't be focusing on another war for at least 50 years of the TL.

Harold the Great said:

Honestly jlk7e, this was my search for a situation that would create a more liberal Russian Empire. My point in fact was, Constantine was unpopular at court and the only way he could receive support at all was by siding with the Revolutionaries and Republicans that had amassed their strength against both Tsars. If you like, the point of divergence is that, in this TL, Nicholas' ambition and determination to inherit is considerable, but Constantine's is as well. Also the fact that Nicholas is crazy, ITL, contributes to the war.

The main point of the TL isn't the war itself, infact if you like you may ignore it and simply say that Constantine inherited peacefully, the point is how would a more liberal and capable Imperial Russia have shaped the modern world. IN the same way that "How Few Remain" isn't about how the US Civil War was won, but what would have happened if the Confederates won, this TL isn't about the war but about its effects.

Don't worry, I won't be focusing on another war for at least 50 years of the TL.

Click to expand...

Well, I guess the big issue is that I don't see why Nicholas would decide to fight a civil war. He's a generation younger than his childless brother - he's almost certainly going to succeed within a few years any way. If Constantine has enough support to claim the throne at all, there's no reason for Nicholas to oppose him. If Constantine doesn't have enough support, he's going to do what he did in OTL and allow his brother to succeed. They didn't have a bad relationship, so I don't see how the POD is plausible.

And pretending the war doesn't happen doesn't really work. A peaceful Russia under a somewhat more liberal emperor (which is really the best you can hope for from Constantine, I think) is going to be dramatically different from a Russia that's just emerged from an extensive two to three year civil war. For instance, Constantine probably fights at Navarino and goes to war with the Turks just like Nicholas did if he succeeds peacefully. If he's just finishing a civil war with his own brother, events in the Balkans are going to be dramatically different. That has all kinds of effects. The somewhat plausible scenario of a peaceful succession by Constantine leads to a TL that is probably only subtly different from OTL. The (imo) implausible civil war you've created is going to be dramatically different in all kinds of ways.