Here we are!
EUROPE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
Ambrose P. Harding, Oxford University Press, 1961
…In the aftermath of the Danubian War, the future of Europe seemed inevitable to the popular presses: a continent cleaved in two forever more, a wall of ice falling along the border between the two rival sides. However, this image is the norm following an inconclusive war, and the more knowledgeable are given to understand that, as life goes on, so does politics. Indeed, the first strains of the new trans-Channel 'entente' (as the French have it) would make themselves known just a few years after the war itself…
The first cause of this split was in 1858, with the near-assassination of Emperor Napoleon III by an Italian nationalist. This action lead to his loathing of the Pan-Italian cause [1], and a French agreement with Austria to declare war on Sardinia should it attempt aggressive stances. The same could not be said of Britain, where Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston was imposing a policy of strict neutrality towards Sardinia, focusing his efforts instead on the Two Sicilies. King Ferdinand II had tired of the foreign influences on his Kingdom, and in 1857 had brought diplomatic relations with France and Britain to an end, both nations withdrawing their ambassadors. However, Lord Aberdeen's administration was keen to mend relations with the Kingdom, no doubt plagued at night by lustful thoughts of plentiful Neapolitan supplies of sulphur making their way to London.
The diverging interests of the two nations might yet have returned, if not for the events of the 17th of February, 1859. Prince Maximilian of Austria had been appointed Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia two years previously by his brother, Emperor Franz-Josef, and had naturally drawn the hatred of various Italian nationalists for cementing the Habsburg rule over what they viewed as an integrally Italian territory. Thus, on that February day, Maximilian was shot dead by Felice Orsini [4] at his him in Milan. His death outraged the Emperor (though records show he had drafted the order for Maximilian's dismissal earlier that day!) and Orsini was interrogated harshly, where he reputedly claimed a connection to the Sardinian authorities. The nature of these claims has long been under suspicion, and transcripts of the interrogation suggest that Orsini meant a spiritual connection, as in the cause of Pan-Italia, rather than specific orders from Turin to assassinate Maximilian. Nevertheless, Franz Josef accepted the truth of this, and relations with Sardinia came one step closer to war.
Two weeks after the death of Prince Maximilian, the Austrian ambassador presented an ultimatum to Sardinia: withdraw all support for Italian nationalism, or face the consequences of your impudence. Sardinia refused, declaring that the accusations were slanderous, unfounded and false, and that Orsini had been a lone operator. Austria refused to countenance this, and declared war on Sardinia on the 14th of March, shortly followed by Emperor Napoleon's pledging of support for Austria; this support consisted of the Ier and IIer Corps, under Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers and Patrice MacMahon respectively. The French support was largely symbolic, with the inferior Sardinian Army no match for the greater numbers and quality of the Austrians, though the Ier Corps played a major role in the capture of Nice at the beginning of the war.
The war was almost over before it began, lasting just one month until the 17th of April, when King Vittorio Emanuele surrendered to the combined Austro-French forces. The treaty was seen as fair towards the Sardinians (though not by the Sardinians themselves, unsurprisingly), the major contention points being France's demands for Nice and Upper Savoy (though Napoleon was eventually persuaded to drop his claims on Savoy in exchange for Nice) and an Austrian garrison to be stationed in Turin and Genoa.
Palmerston was horrified. Not only had the French disrupted the Italian Balance he had worked so hard to gain, but they had even allied with Austria so quickly! The ideals of the Entente, so remarked upon in the aftermath of the Danubian War, had been utterly betrayed by France's refusal to work within British boundaries. To rub salt in the wound, just weeks after his ascension to the office of Prime Minister, he was forced by Parliament and circumstances to cooperate militarily with the French once again, in the Atlantic Intervention that concluded the War of the Southern Secession. Though Anglo-French relations remained steady throughout that conflict, Palmerston would not forget the perceived slight to his nation's role in the European stage. His revenge would come later…
FRACTALIA: A History of the German Nations [5]
J. Shapiro, Belltower Publishing, 1969
…The German Confederation is one of those historical anomalies, an entity whose depiction in some other history would be deemed “implausible”, and yet whose import in our own history is never doubted. It is difficult to explain how, precisely, Prussia was convinced to accept second place to Austria after Vienna, and how this arrangement lasted for nearly three decades with no wars between the two (not counting the various diplomatic scuffles resulting from the Zollverein debacle, and other such incidences). Nevertheless, the air of wary peace that had existed in 1853 could not be recaptured in 1856; the war had changed the political atmosphere of Germany, making compromise between the two realms impossible.
Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck attempted to use this changed atmosphere to his advantage, garnering Prussian allies to his cause to try and form a credible opposition to the Austrian domination over the Confederation; however, Prussia and her allies were not enough to challenge the Habsburg aura that exuded over the Confederation, and the Koenig was faced with an impossible choice: bow to Austria on this matter, and face humiliation; or announce his kingdom's secession from the German Confederation. Upon Bismarck's endorsement of the latter, Prussia and several of her allies withdrew from the Confederation. The Prussian bloc, while not large in number, took up most of northern Germany, exclaving several Confederation states from the greater Southern Bloc, and restoring some of that Teutonic Cartographic complexity so prevalent in the days of the First Empire, and so sadly lacking since Napoleon had wielded his pencil over the maps of Europe like a cutthroat wielding his dagger over a helpless victim, preparing to savage her and rob her of her dignity.
But simply to divide the Confederation was not Bismarck's goal, humiliating though it may be for Austria to see her sphere of influence cut off so quickly; his ultimate aim was to for Prussia to replace Austria as the centre of power in Germany. To that end, the Prussian bloc met at Bielefeld, to discuss the terms of a new treaty that would see the name of Bielefeld etched in German history… [6]
WORLD HISTORY GLOSSARY
J. Anderson, Cambridge University Press, 1972
TREATY OF BIELEFELD – the treaty that founded the North German Union from Prussia and her allies in 1859. Signatories to the treaty included Prussia, Hanover [7], Nassau, Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt, with Luxembourg to sign the treaty at a later date due to diplomatic problems. This treaty consisted of two main parts: a military alliance between the nations; and a customs union between the signatories.
The Treaty was formed as a Prussian-dominated counterpart to the recently truncated German Confederation, with the intention of reducing the Austrian control over Germany, and ensuring Prussian safety in any future conflicts. Though Prussia made little secret of its intentions with this Union, the signatories to the Union noted that belonging to a smaller union would grant them a larger representation than in the Confederation, and that Prussia’s lack of clout (when compared to Austria) would prevent the Union from becoming quite so Prussian-dominated as was feared.
SEE: Saxony, Saxon Question, Danubian War
UNION QUESTION – a German political issue following the formation of the North German Union in 1859, concerning the possible entry of Saxony and Baden into the Union from the German Confederation. While significant anti-Austrian sympathies could be found in both countries, neither kingdom wished to become a puppet of Prussia – or, in Saxony's case, to become annexed entirely, as had been Prussia's intent for some decades now. However, Baden did not wish to be subject to the whims of its ancestral enemies of Wuerttemberg and Bavaria, a fate that seemed likely if it remained in the Confederation. The matter was concluded with Saxony's remaining in the Confederation, and Baden's abandoning of both the Confederation and the Union to become a neutral state. Baden subsequently declared official neutrality in all wars, reminiscent of Switzerland's status.
EMPIRE: A History of France
J. Shapiro, Belltower Publishing, 1967
…With Prussia's gambit with military alliances paying off, Emperor Napoleon grew worried. Though he had fought alongside Prussia only three years before the Union question, he knew enough history – especially French history – to know that European alliances are wont to quick changes. Even the British – so close to France so recently – had become less than firm allies, with a combination of divergent interests on the Italian peninsula and the Prime Minister's natural distrust of the Emperor causing a somewhat cold atmosphere between the two powers. This may have been a factor in his later alliance with Austria in the Sardinian War, a decision that would alter all Europe in years to come. As both countries shared a distrust of Prussia's North German Union, and with the recent joint military operation a success, it made sense for the nations to enter into a more permanent alliance to ensure peace and prosperity across the continent. So began the Kaiserbund, or "Emperors' League"…
[1] As opposed to OTL, where it led to his favour of the cause, bizarrely.
[2] ITTL Ferdinand wasn't harmed in the assassination attempt.
[3] A TTL theory that political attitudes do not apply across oceans.
[4] The same one who attempted to kill Napoleon. He escapes the French ITTL.
[5] Nation as in "country", before some Germanic type starts complaining.
[6] LOL IRONY LOL. For those unaware of the joke, check Wikipedia.
[7] Hanover is friendlier towards Prussia ITTL, as Prussophobic George V is not yet on the throne. Butterflies and all that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, here's the fourth segment. Major divergences from both OTL and the original TL here. Feel free to inform me that I am a twerp if this is the case!
Ambrose P. Harding, Oxford University Press, 1961
…In the aftermath of the Danubian War, the future of Europe seemed inevitable to the popular presses: a continent cleaved in two forever more, a wall of ice falling along the border between the two rival sides. However, this image is the norm following an inconclusive war, and the more knowledgeable are given to understand that, as life goes on, so does politics. Indeed, the first strains of the new trans-Channel 'entente' (as the French have it) would make themselves known just a few years after the war itself…
The first cause of this split was in 1858, with the near-assassination of Emperor Napoleon III by an Italian nationalist. This action lead to his loathing of the Pan-Italian cause [1], and a French agreement with Austria to declare war on Sardinia should it attempt aggressive stances. The same could not be said of Britain, where Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston was imposing a policy of strict neutrality towards Sardinia, focusing his efforts instead on the Two Sicilies. King Ferdinand II had tired of the foreign influences on his Kingdom, and in 1857 had brought diplomatic relations with France and Britain to an end, both nations withdrawing their ambassadors. However, Lord Aberdeen's administration was keen to mend relations with the Kingdom, no doubt plagued at night by lustful thoughts of plentiful Neapolitan supplies of sulphur making their way to London.
The diverging interests of the two nations might yet have returned, if not for the events of the 17th of February, 1859. Prince Maximilian of Austria had been appointed Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia two years previously by his brother, Emperor Franz-Josef, and had naturally drawn the hatred of various Italian nationalists for cementing the Habsburg rule over what they viewed as an integrally Italian territory. Thus, on that February day, Maximilian was shot dead by Felice Orsini [4] at his him in Milan. His death outraged the Emperor (though records show he had drafted the order for Maximilian's dismissal earlier that day!) and Orsini was interrogated harshly, where he reputedly claimed a connection to the Sardinian authorities. The nature of these claims has long been under suspicion, and transcripts of the interrogation suggest that Orsini meant a spiritual connection, as in the cause of Pan-Italia, rather than specific orders from Turin to assassinate Maximilian. Nevertheless, Franz Josef accepted the truth of this, and relations with Sardinia came one step closer to war.
Two weeks after the death of Prince Maximilian, the Austrian ambassador presented an ultimatum to Sardinia: withdraw all support for Italian nationalism, or face the consequences of your impudence. Sardinia refused, declaring that the accusations were slanderous, unfounded and false, and that Orsini had been a lone operator. Austria refused to countenance this, and declared war on Sardinia on the 14th of March, shortly followed by Emperor Napoleon's pledging of support for Austria; this support consisted of the Ier and IIer Corps, under Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers and Patrice MacMahon respectively. The French support was largely symbolic, with the inferior Sardinian Army no match for the greater numbers and quality of the Austrians, though the Ier Corps played a major role in the capture of Nice at the beginning of the war.
The war was almost over before it began, lasting just one month until the 17th of April, when King Vittorio Emanuele surrendered to the combined Austro-French forces. The treaty was seen as fair towards the Sardinians (though not by the Sardinians themselves, unsurprisingly), the major contention points being France's demands for Nice and Upper Savoy (though Napoleon was eventually persuaded to drop his claims on Savoy in exchange for Nice) and an Austrian garrison to be stationed in Turin and Genoa.
Palmerston was horrified. Not only had the French disrupted the Italian Balance he had worked so hard to gain, but they had even allied with Austria so quickly! The ideals of the Entente, so remarked upon in the aftermath of the Danubian War, had been utterly betrayed by France's refusal to work within British boundaries. To rub salt in the wound, just weeks after his ascension to the office of Prime Minister, he was forced by Parliament and circumstances to cooperate militarily with the French once again, in the Atlantic Intervention that concluded the War of the Southern Secession. Though Anglo-French relations remained steady throughout that conflict, Palmerston would not forget the perceived slight to his nation's role in the European stage. His revenge would come later…
FRACTALIA: A History of the German Nations [5]
J. Shapiro, Belltower Publishing, 1969
…The German Confederation is one of those historical anomalies, an entity whose depiction in some other history would be deemed “implausible”, and yet whose import in our own history is never doubted. It is difficult to explain how, precisely, Prussia was convinced to accept second place to Austria after Vienna, and how this arrangement lasted for nearly three decades with no wars between the two (not counting the various diplomatic scuffles resulting from the Zollverein debacle, and other such incidences). Nevertheless, the air of wary peace that had existed in 1853 could not be recaptured in 1856; the war had changed the political atmosphere of Germany, making compromise between the two realms impossible.
Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck attempted to use this changed atmosphere to his advantage, garnering Prussian allies to his cause to try and form a credible opposition to the Austrian domination over the Confederation; however, Prussia and her allies were not enough to challenge the Habsburg aura that exuded over the Confederation, and the Koenig was faced with an impossible choice: bow to Austria on this matter, and face humiliation; or announce his kingdom's secession from the German Confederation. Upon Bismarck's endorsement of the latter, Prussia and several of her allies withdrew from the Confederation. The Prussian bloc, while not large in number, took up most of northern Germany, exclaving several Confederation states from the greater Southern Bloc, and restoring some of that Teutonic Cartographic complexity so prevalent in the days of the First Empire, and so sadly lacking since Napoleon had wielded his pencil over the maps of Europe like a cutthroat wielding his dagger over a helpless victim, preparing to savage her and rob her of her dignity.
But simply to divide the Confederation was not Bismarck's goal, humiliating though it may be for Austria to see her sphere of influence cut off so quickly; his ultimate aim was to for Prussia to replace Austria as the centre of power in Germany. To that end, the Prussian bloc met at Bielefeld, to discuss the terms of a new treaty that would see the name of Bielefeld etched in German history… [6]
WORLD HISTORY GLOSSARY
J. Anderson, Cambridge University Press, 1972
TREATY OF BIELEFELD – the treaty that founded the North German Union from Prussia and her allies in 1859. Signatories to the treaty included Prussia, Hanover [7], Nassau, Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt, with Luxembourg to sign the treaty at a later date due to diplomatic problems. This treaty consisted of two main parts: a military alliance between the nations; and a customs union between the signatories.
The Treaty was formed as a Prussian-dominated counterpart to the recently truncated German Confederation, with the intention of reducing the Austrian control over Germany, and ensuring Prussian safety in any future conflicts. Though Prussia made little secret of its intentions with this Union, the signatories to the Union noted that belonging to a smaller union would grant them a larger representation than in the Confederation, and that Prussia’s lack of clout (when compared to Austria) would prevent the Union from becoming quite so Prussian-dominated as was feared.
SEE: Saxony, Saxon Question, Danubian War
UNION QUESTION – a German political issue following the formation of the North German Union in 1859, concerning the possible entry of Saxony and Baden into the Union from the German Confederation. While significant anti-Austrian sympathies could be found in both countries, neither kingdom wished to become a puppet of Prussia – or, in Saxony's case, to become annexed entirely, as had been Prussia's intent for some decades now. However, Baden did not wish to be subject to the whims of its ancestral enemies of Wuerttemberg and Bavaria, a fate that seemed likely if it remained in the Confederation. The matter was concluded with Saxony's remaining in the Confederation, and Baden's abandoning of both the Confederation and the Union to become a neutral state. Baden subsequently declared official neutrality in all wars, reminiscent of Switzerland's status.
EMPIRE: A History of France
J. Shapiro, Belltower Publishing, 1967
…With Prussia's gambit with military alliances paying off, Emperor Napoleon grew worried. Though he had fought alongside Prussia only three years before the Union question, he knew enough history – especially French history – to know that European alliances are wont to quick changes. Even the British – so close to France so recently – had become less than firm allies, with a combination of divergent interests on the Italian peninsula and the Prime Minister's natural distrust of the Emperor causing a somewhat cold atmosphere between the two powers. This may have been a factor in his later alliance with Austria in the Sardinian War, a decision that would alter all Europe in years to come. As both countries shared a distrust of Prussia's North German Union, and with the recent joint military operation a success, it made sense for the nations to enter into a more permanent alliance to ensure peace and prosperity across the continent. So began the Kaiserbund, or "Emperors' League"…
[1] As opposed to OTL, where it led to his favour of the cause, bizarrely.
[2] ITTL Ferdinand wasn't harmed in the assassination attempt.
[3] A TTL theory that political attitudes do not apply across oceans.
[4] The same one who attempted to kill Napoleon. He escapes the French ITTL.
[5] Nation as in "country", before some Germanic type starts complaining.
[6] LOL IRONY LOL. For those unaware of the joke, check Wikipedia.
[7] Hanover is friendlier towards Prussia ITTL, as Prussophobic George V is not yet on the throne. Butterflies and all that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, here's the fourth segment. Major divergences from both OTL and the original TL here. Feel free to inform me that I am a twerp if this is the case!
Will Palmerston's revenge be sooner or later I wonder?