Grenadye Alaso!:A Haiti TL

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

Yes it's one of the few times I have seen a opportunity for Sweden to rise again, so I hope you go that way. While such a Sweden won't be the equal of Prussia, France if Austria, it would still be a important actor in Europe. Which would be part of shy anti-Russian alliance.



Maybe but by then Europe are in the middle if a massive clusterfuck, what can UK really do, also I suspect Russian will have limited gain, if not outright losses (they're giving Azerbaijan to the Persians, correct? In which case I suspect the Pesians also want a Armenian and Georgian buffer states against Russia and the rump Ottomans). It seem more of a Egyptian-Persian coalition beating the Ottomans, while the Russans send money, and I imagine the Ottomans will also have to deal with Armenian and Greek uprising at the same time. So UK can choose to join a alliance of absolute regimes against a weaken Russia, or they can just let two Muslim states split up the Arabic and Kurdish parts if the Ottoman Empire, a Ottoman Empire, which de facto have joined the Abolute Regime alliance. Much of the British objection to Egypt taking Syria in OTL was that Egypt was seen as a French client and fear to weird the Ottomans against Russia. If the Russians are pushed back in the Caucass and the Ottomans replaced on the border by a stronger Persia, I could see the Zbritish letting the Ottomans fail.

One the first point: The war will be seen as a perfect opportunity for the Swedes. King John seems to be his own man and would rather do it on his own. However a United Scandinavia will be a powerhouse in Europe for the years to come. It may even rival France and Austria in power. You will see soon.

On the next point: Giving up the entire Caucasus region to Iran would be a bit too much. What is likely going to happen is a compromise. So it may look something like Russia give Azerbaijan to Persia. Russia and Iran split Armenia and Russian maintains Georgia. Remember the Revolutionary govt is looking for support and cannot afford to alienate the hardliners like Ivan Peskivich. Iran will be happy to accept Azerbaijan. Besides Abbas Mirza wants to modernize the Persian military to European standards to defeat the Ottomans and expand Persian power in the middle east and Hindu Kush. So he will accept Azerbaijan with a chance to modernize the Persian military. I doubt Great Britain will be thrilled to not only worry about Russia but as well with Persia since British India is their prized jewel. Egypt and Persia for the most part will do the heavy lifting pummeling the Ottomans in the middle east. Russia will just send military aid. Russian advisers will also train Persian and maybe Egyptians as well. One big sticking point will be the Balkans. And what I have plan for the Balkans well.....let us just say the Balkans explode and Russia takes advantage of that.

 

[Jürgen]

One the first point: The war will be seen as a perfect opportunity for the Swedes. King John seems to be his own man and would rather do it on his own. However a United Scandinavia will be a powerhouse in Europe for the years to come. It may even rival France and Austria in power. You will see soon.

I'm talking Sweden not a united Scandinavia. I could easily see Denmark as the Austria to Swedens Germany. As Sweden which own Norway regain Finland, Estonia and Livonia. I don't think it will be able to rival France or UK, the area had in OTL by 1900 around 12 million people. Even with synergi effect we can in best place double it. But I suspect a 50% increase would be the most likely. Which would give it around 18 million people by 1900. This would place it population wise at around the Ottoman Empire's size, of course the Swedish industries would place it ahead. But at best I think it will be seen as a equal of Spain.

On the next point: Giving up the entire Caucasus region to Iran would be a bit too much. What is likely going to happen is a compromise. So it may look something like Russia give Azerbaijan to Persia. Russia and Iran split Armenia and Russian maintains Georgia. Remember the Revolutionary govt is looking for support and cannot afford to alienate the hardliners like Ivan Peskivich. Iran will be happy to accept Azerbaijan. Besides Abbas Mirza wants to modernize the Persian military to European standards to defeat the Ottomans and expand Persian power in the middle east and Hindu Kush. So he will accept Azerbaijan with a chance to modernize the Persian military. I doubt Great Britain will be thrilled to not only worry about Russia but as well with Persia since British India is their prized jewel. Egypt and Persia for the most part will do the heavy lifting pummeling the Ottomans in the middle east. Russia will just send military aid. Russian advisers will also train Persian and maybe Egyptians as well. One big sticking point will be the Balkans. And what I have plan for the Balkans well.....let us just say the Balkans explode and Russia takes advantage of that.

I'm not sure the Russians can take advantage of that, at least not in the Balkan, maybe in Armenia. I suspect the Balkan states will be busy fighting each other, Moldavia will be busy pushing their border east, while Wallachia just want a coastline.

I suspect a post War Russian border around the same place as USSR's in 1920, if a Polish-Lithuanian kingdom are set up, while it will be the 1945 border of Ukraine and Belarus, if the Austrians and Prussians partition Poland.

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

I'm talking Sweden not a united Scandinavia. I could easily see Denmark as the Austria to Swedens Germany. As Sweden which own Norway regain Finland, Estonia and Livonia. I don't think it will be able to rival France or UK, the area had in OTL by 1900 around 12 million people. Even with synergi effect we can in best place double it. But I suspect a 50% increase would be the most likely. Which would give it around 18 million people by 1900. This would place it population wise at around the Ottoman Empire's size, of course the Swedish industries would place it ahead. But at best I think it will be seen as a equal of Spain.



I'm not sure the Russians can take advantage of that, at least not in the Balkan, maybe in Armenia. I suspect the Balkan states will be busy fighting each other, Moldavia will be busy pushing their border east, while Wallachia just want a coastline.

I suspect a post War Russian border around the same place as USSR's in 1920, if a Polish-Lithuanian kingdom are set up, while it will be the 1945 border of Ukraine and Belarus, if the Austrians and Prussians partition Poland.

The Russian revolutionary war will be similar to the french revolutionary wars. The Revolutionary government copies France's levee en masse. So with Russia's massive manpower potential they will likely repel the invading Concert of Europe forces eventually. However with Finland out of its clutches maybe the Swedes ally with great Britain to create a potent navy and land army for the next war. And in the Balkans why wouldn't they take advantage? If Persia and Egypt are ganging up on the Ottomans, and there are massive uprisings all over the Balkans while Prussia and Austria are licking their wounds Russia could swoop in the vacuum. Of course Great Britain will have something to say about that. It is funny you mention the Polish Lithuania Commonwealth borders. In the following updates there will be a plan that would be passed upon that the Concert of Europe would create a breakaway Russia Tsardom. Basically it would what is today Baltic states,Ukraine,Belarus and Russian Poland. This massive state would be a buffer between a Russian republic and monarchist Europe. So in this TL world there will be a "what if" the Concert of Europe went with this plan, instead of regime change in Russia.

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

Questions,constructive criticism is welcomed.

 

[TimTurner]

Just how bad a position are the Ottomans in right now?

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

Just how bad a position are the Ottomans in right now?

Well this is in the 1820s. The Ottoman Empire is already engaging in a war in Greece and has joined the Concert of Europe's war against Russia in hope to weaken Russia and possibly seize territory from Russia. The sultan is Murad II who is said to be a powerful leader. Despite all that it is still the "sick man of Europe." With Persia and Egypt ganging up on them it will lead to a collapse. Russia will also deliver a major blow to the Ottomans and the Balkans is a ticking time bomb.

 

[TimTurner]

Well this is in the 1820s. The Ottoman Empire is already engaging in a war in Greece and has joined the Concert of Europe's war against Russia in hope to weaken Russia and possibly seize territory from Russia. The sultan is Murad II who is said to be a powerful leader. Despite all that it is still the "sick man of Europe." With Persia and Egypt ganging up on them it will lead to a collapse. Russia will also deliver a major blow to the Ottomans and the Balkans is a ticking time bomb.

by 1900, would there be an Ottoman Empire at all?

 

[Jürgen]

Well this is in the 1820s. The Ottoman Empire is already engaging in a war in Greece and has joined the Concert of Europe's war against Russia in hope to weaken Russia and possibly seize territory from Russia. The sultan is Murad II who is said to be a powerful leader. Despite all that it is still the "sick man of Europe." With Persia and Egypt ganging up on them it will lead to a collapse. Russia will also deliver a major blow to the Ottomans and the Balkans is a ticking time bomb.

There's also the fact that the Ottomans are in the middle of the Greek Revolt, which makes the British even less sympathic to the Ottoman trouble. The French and Austrian likely don't care about the Ottoman trouble, whether the Ottomans send troops to the Russian front or keep Russian troops busy fighting in Anatolia likely make little difference for them. The Austrian may intervene in the Balkans, as it's easy for them and those revolt have a risk of spreading into the Austrian territories. I coulkd see the Austrian make a fast intervention there, reestablish Ottoman rule, but force the Ottomans to give the Christians in the region wide autonomy except for Greece and the Romanian Principalities, which could get independence (as long as they didn't set up Republics).

My other thoughts with the Russian Revolution. Russia 1820ties aren't France 1789. Both was large states and Great Powers, but France was beside Britain the best developed state in Europe, while Russia was undeveloped, but made up for it with its vast territories and vast population. This mean we can't see a repeat of the French Revolution, in fact the Russian Revolution here are far more likely to look like OTL a century later. But Russia have the strenght that it can retreat far into its own territories. But that will mean it will lose periphery areas. Areas like the Baltic states and Finland with their own strong nobility are very likely to seek foreign protection and the local peasantry don't want to be ruled by Russia.

Poland may not like to be partitioned again, but honestly ending up under Austria or Prussia are preferable to any Russian rule, whether democratic, absolute or anything else. Lithuania will if Poland doesn't end up independent end up independent instead. It will likely select some German prince as king (it will be a kingdom not a Grand Duchy, also I would suggest Leopold I of Belgium end up Lithuanian king instead, if you decides to kill a million buttyeerfly, you could let this result in a Lithuanian Congo), be run by the local Polish nobility, have a Jewish urban population and a Catholic Lithuanian and Belarussian peasantry.

Here's a rough suggestion to the Post-War borders

I have not shown the Balkans because I'm not sure what will happen there.

I have given Courland to Sweden as the nobility there was Lutheran and closely connected to Livonian and Estonian nobility. The choice of the Swedish king build on them recognise they need protection when Russian rise again. Sweden could also include the Kola peninsula and Karelia, but that's mostly a question of taste. If you want I can make a rough idea about how I think this Sweden will develop.

Lithuania's border could easily be far bigger, I have just chosen the provincial borders because they look nice, but Lithuania could easily include post-WWI all of Polish Belarus, if it does that I would suggest that Austria get a border at Polish eastern border in the Post-WWI period.

Moldova have gotten Bessarabia, that border can also easily be moved to the Southern Buh if the Moldovans becomes greedy.

Beside that I suspect the Netherland will avoid losing Belgium, with the Frenchg conflict abroad and the general hostility to revolution. I expect the Dutch to keep their border with France.

The Schleswig Wars are likely also buftterflied away (the conflict was caused by several factors which are pretty much removed here), this continental wide conflict Denmark are neutral in, will result in Denmark pretty much getting a major economic boom, when we also mix it with Denmark likely being a major destination for wealthy Russian refugee, Denmark will likely be several decades ahead in its industrialisation.

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

by 1900, would there be an Ottoman Empire at all?

Well with Egypt and Persia taking on the Ottomans with a revolutionary Russia hell bent on saving their Slavic brothers in the Balkans I highly doubt we will see an Ottoman Empire by 1900. I highly doubt we see one in 1850. The middle east will be very different.

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

There's also the fact that the Ottomans are in the middle of the Greek Revolt, which makes the British even less sympathic to the Ottoman trouble. The French and Austrian likely don't care about the Ottoman trouble, whether the Ottomans send troops to the Russian front or keep Russian troops busy fighting in Anatolia likely make little difference for them. The Austrian may intervene in the Balkans, as it's easy for them and those revolt have a risk of spreading into the Austrian territories. I coulkd see the Austrian make a fast intervention there, reestablish Ottoman rule, but force the Ottomans to give the Christians in the region wide autonomy except for Greece and the Romanian Principalities, which could get independence (as long as they didn't set up Republics).

My other thoughts with the Russian Revolution. Russia 1820ties aren't France 1789. Both was large states and Great Powers, but France was beside Britain the best developed state in Europe, while Russia was undeveloped, but made up for it with its vast territories and vast population. This mean we can't see a repeat of the French Revolution, in fact the Russian Revolution here are far more likely to look like OTL a century later. But Russia have the strenght that it can retreat far into its own territories. But that will mean it will lose periphery areas. Areas like the Baltic states and Finland with their own strong nobility are very likely to seek foreign protection and the local peasantry don't want to be ruled by Russia.

Poland may not like to be partitioned again, but honestly ending up under Austria or Prussia are preferable to any Russian rule, whether democratic, absolute or anything else. Lithuania will if Poland doesn't end up independent end up independent instead. It will likely select some German prince as king (it will be a kingdom not a Grand Duchy, also I would suggest Leopold I of Belgium end up Lithuanian king instead, if you decides to kill a million buttyeerfly, you could let this result in a Lithuanian Congo), be run by the local Polish nobility, have a Jewish urban population and a Catholic Lithuanian and Belarussian peasantry.

Here's a rough suggestion to the Post-War borders
View attachment 336162
I have not shown the Balkans because I'm not sure what will happen there.

I have given Courland to Sweden as the nobility there was Lutheran and closely connected to Livonian and Estonian nobility. The choice of the Swedish king build on them recognise they need protection when Russian rise again. Sweden could also include the Kola peninsula and Karelia, but that's mostly a question of taste. If you want I can make a rough idea about how I think this Sweden will develop.

Lithuania's border could easily be far bigger, I have just chosen the provincial borders because they look nice, but Lithuania could easily include post-WWI all of Polish Belarus, if it does that I would suggest that Austria get a border at Polish eastern border in the Post-WWI period.

Moldova have gotten Bessarabia, that border can also easily be moved to the Southern Buh if the Moldovans becomes greedy.

Beside that I suspect the Netherland will avoid losing Belgium, with the Frenchg conflict abroad and the general hostility to revolution. I expect the Dutch to keep their border with France.

The Schleswig Wars are likely also buftterflied away (the conflict was caused by several factors which are pretty much removed here), this continental wide conflict Denmark are neutral in, will result in Denmark pretty much getting a major economic boom, when we also mix it with Denmark likely being a major destination for wealthy Russian refugee, Denmark will likely be several decades ahead in its industrialisation.

Wow thanks for the suggestion. I appreciate it. And you are right that Austria would intervene in the Balkans if things start falling apart for the Ottomans. Do you believe a great Polish uprising is also possible. With Poland being promised independence by Russia it could happen. Russia may punish Austria and Prussia for invading by aiding a great Polish uprising in both Powers. And I would gladly like to see your idea of how Sweden will develop. Also what program you used to make that map I will need it soon for after this war, the war in Haiti, and the coming great wars in Latin America and the US.

 

[Jürgen]

Wow thanks for the suggestion. I appreciate it. And you are right that Austria would intervene in the Balkans if things start falling apart for the Ottomans. Do you believe a great Polish uprising is also possible. With Poland being promised independence by Russia it could happen. Russia may punish Austria and Prussia for invading by aiding a great Polish uprising in both Powers.

I think there's a lot of different potential, I think a Polish uprising will end pretty badly, a Polish uprising will be connected with the Russia and the new Republic which will mean the nobility and the Church will be against the uprising, the result risk being a internal Polish civil war, while the Prussians and Austrians stump the revolutionaries. Honestly I find this a pretty likely scenario. If the Poles are smart, they throw their support behind the Absolute Alliance, and hope and negotiate for a bone being thrown to them. Sadly I find the first part the most likely and I can't see it ending well for the Poles.

And I would gladly like to see your idea of how Sweden will develop.

Well in OTL Sweden-Norway had massive population who emigrated abroad, but they also settled thousand in the undeveloped areas of the country. While many will continue that emigration, we will also see Ostrobothnian and Finnish Lapland be settled by Swedes and Norwegian, at same time the Swedish speaking population on the Finnish and Estonian coastline will also be strengthen, we will likely also see a influx in Turku (Åbo), Helsinki (Helsingfors), Talinn (Reval) and Riga. Riga will be the second largest city ion Sweden-Norway, demographic it will likely keep a German plurality until the late 19th century, after which we will see a Latvian plurality, but large German and Swedish minorities. The Swedish industrialisation already a major facto will be strengthen with the increased population and Stockholm will end up far larger. Finns will still be in majority in Finland, but we will likely see a quarter of the population being Swedish speaking. While in the Baltic states I expect around 10% Swedish speakers. With larger number of Norwegian migrating into the rest of Sweden and a more activistic Sweden maybe one which set up its own colonial empire (which would help the Norwegians whose economy to large extent was based on transport and trade), I expect Norway to be more pro-union. The threat of Russia will mean a far more militarised Sweden, a state with a large army.

Also what program you used to make that map I will need it soon for after this war, the war in Haiti, and the coming great wars in Latin America and the US.

Paint, if you can find a map with the correct pixel colouring paint are easy to use. Beside that this websites wiki have a lot of maps, which can be used as templates in paint.

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

I think there's a lot of different potential, I think a Polish uprising will end pretty badly, a Polish uprising will be connected with the Russia and the new Republic which will mean the nobility and the Church will be against the uprising, the result risk being a internal Polish civil war, while the Prussians and Austrians stump the revolutionaries. Honestly I find this a pretty likely scenario. If the Poles are smart, they throw their support behind the Absolute Alliance, and hope and negotiate for a bone being thrown to them. Sadly I find the first part the most likely and I can't see it ending well for the Poles.



Well in OTL Sweden-Norway had massive population who emigrated abroad, but they also settled thousand in the undeveloped areas of the country. While many will continue that emigration, we will also see Ostrobothnian and Finnish Lapland be settled by Swedes and Norwegian, at same time the Swedish speaking population on the Finnish and Estonian coastline will also be strengthen, we will likely also see a influx in Turku (Åbo), Helsinki (Helsingfors), Talinn (Reval) and Riga. Riga will be the second largest city ion Sweden-Norway, demographic it will likely keep a German plurality until the late 19th century, after which we will see a Latvian plurality, but large German and Swedish minorities. The Swedish industrialisation already a major facto will be strengthen with the increased population and Stockholm will end up far larger. Finns will still be in majority in Finland, but we will likely see a quarter of the population being Swedish speaking. While in the Baltic states I expect around 10% Swedish speakers. With larger number of Norwegian migrating into the rest of Sweden and a more activistic Sweden maybe one which set up its own colonial empire (which would help the Norwegians whose economy to large extent was based on transport and trade), I expect Norway to be more pro-union. The threat of Russia will mean a far more militarised Sweden, a state with a large army.



Paint, if you can find a map with the correct pixel colouring paint are easy to use. Beside that this websites wiki have a lot of maps, which can be used as templates in paint.

1) On Poland you make a fair point. It is likely that Poland would throw support behind the Absolute alliance however they would be betrayed by them. If they stick by Russia yes they could be independent but they would be a Russian vassal state. I originally planned for a Polish uprising to spread to Austria and Prussia backed by the Russian republic. However there may be those of the Nobility who would oppose. So it would dissolve into a Polish Civil War which becomes a proxy war between Russia and the Absolute alliance. Such a scenario would be interesting.


2)On Sweden I was going to plan that the threat of Russia would keep the Union strong over time. I was always fascinated of what the potential of the Union would be.

I also want to make a point on the Decembrist revolution that is led by officers who are liberal or moderate. The moderate faction are the ones who were for a constitutional monarchy while Pestel wanted a Republic. It is unlikely his dream will come true. However it will lead to two factions in Russia. Conservatives vs Liberals. And with the conservatives having the support of the Church they will A major force to rule Russia. It is why I said that strongman will rule Russia in the future. Another sticking point is how to reform the Russian economy after the war since the serfs are let free.

 

[Jürgen]

1) On Poland you make a fair point. It is likely that Poland would throw support behind the Absolute alliance however they would be betrayed by them. If they stick by Russia yes they could be independent but they would be a Russian vassal state. I originally planned for a Polish uprising to spread to Austria and Prussia backed by the Russian republic. However there may be those of the Nobility who would oppose. So it would dissolve into a Polish Civil War which becomes a proxy war between Russia and the Absolute alliance. Such a scenario would be interesting.

I think it's complex, the Absolute alliance won't necessary betray the Poles, if the Poles side with them, they could decide that a Polish state would serve as a good buffer to Republican Russia. But I sadly think that the most likely result will not be that or a proxy war, but just the Grand Armee v. 2 marching over them on their way to the war in Russia. I don't think they will end up as more than a speed bump for the absolutist.

I also want to make a point on the Decembrist revolution that is led by officers who are liberal or moderate. The moderate faction are the ones who were for a constitutional monarchy while Pestel wanted a Republic. It is unlikely his dream will come true. However it will lead to two factions in Russia. Conservatives vs Liberals. And with the conservatives having the support of the Church they will A major force to rule Russia. It is why I said that strongman will rule Russia in the future. Another sticking point is how to reform the Russian economy after the war since the serfs are let free.

The big problem with freeing the serf are that they keep the collective ownership of the land, which will keep Russia from getting full benefit of the freeing of the serfs. But there's nothing which keep the Stolypin reforms from being introduced earlier. These reforms was heavy inspired by the Danish agricultural reforms in the late 18th century. You could easily see someone being inspired earlier (in OTL it was in fact one of the factor behind the reforms was the Dane C. A. Koefoed who worked for Stolypin). The fact that Denmark will be one of the few major trading partners of Russia which stay neutral in the conflict, may results in Copenhagen ending up neutral ground for negotiation, which mean Russian diplomats and statesmens will visit Copenhagen. In OTL Lenin also studied the Danish agricultural reforms and methods while visiting Copenhagen (sadly he grew the correct conclusion that self owning peasants wouldn't support the Communist Revolution), which could also lead Russia hiring Danish agricultural expects.

A important part for the Stolypin reform was that the move from collective to individual ownership gave incitament to agricultural improvement, but also made it possible to buy and sell land, which resulted in the consolidation of land and made mgration to urban areas easier. So a earlier reform (maybe starting in the late 1830ties and continue 30 year forward) would drive a Russian modernisation.

I also expect the new Russian Republic will open its territory to European settlement, creating a kind of "Wild East" where European people could emigrate to, you could easily see German liberals migrating to Russia in the same manner as they emigrated to USA in OTL after the 1848 revolution. But also other Europeans.

I expect liberals will rule early on, after which the Conservatives will take power, but as the peasantry becomes more well off, we will see a stronger liberal movement, while a labour movement are rising in the cities. I suspect the end results will the liberals will dominate on the right, with the conservatives as junior partner, while the left are dominated by the labour movement with the social liberals as junior partner.

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

Russian Revolutionary War 1826-1827
Part Two
Mud, Blood, Iron, and Fire.

Spring/Summer of 1826: The rest of the spring saw coalition forces advancing into Russian territory. However Russian Cossack and army forces employed guerrilla tactics. This tactic proved effective because for a front this wide and a coalition army this vast they depended on massive amounts of supplies. Also, towns and villages were burned to prevent the coalition to forage on the land. Coalition forces learned this from Napoleon and instead used a massive system of supply wagons. This however slowed down their forces. It also gave guerrilla forces targets to attack. Daily ambushes were taking its toll on the supply lines. The deeper they got into Russia the more stretched those lines were and more vulnerable to partisan’s forces. Disagreement also plagued the coalition. Prussia was focused on trying to retake the Baltic provinces. For them, these provinces were more pro-royalist than other areas. The nobility in those areas was horrified of the revolutionaries. Many of them provided manpower to the Absolutist side. Plus it would be easier to take St Petersburg. Then march to Russia attacking all sides. Austrian forces wanted to simply march to Moscow. Set up the new government they march to St Petersburg. This, in turn, made the invasion a slow one. However, Russia forces gave up land to draw coalition forces in. By June 1826 Coalition forces were on the outskirts of Smolensk. Yermolonks fortified the town. Coalition forces encircled the city and bombarded the town. The two armies fought from 8 am to 1030 pm. Coalition forces were mauled by Russian guns and artillery every time they tried to storm the city. It took 8 attempts before a breakthrough. The 140,000 coalition forces engaged the 100,000 Russian forces in what was the early urban warfare battles. Russian forces inflicted heavy losses to the coalition. French losses were heavy especially. King Charles X son Louis Antoine was gravely wounded in the battle after getting shot 4 times in the abdomen after his cavalry were mowed down by a Russian ambush. In the end, Yermolov again had his men fight through the encirclement.

Battle of Smolensk


In Ukraine, Austrian forces along with German forces After Bessarabia fell easily Austrian/Ottoman and German forces made a move into the Ukrainian province. The heartland of the Decemberist revolution. Ukraine was a massive land with a large population. The commander of the Ukraine front was Ivan Argamakov veteran of the Patriotic War of 1812. His strategy was simple retreat his forces to the Dnieper River. Create a formidable defensive fortification to bog down the forces. That meant abandoning Odessa, Kyiv, Lvov. Argamakov figured that Ukrainian serf partisans along with Ukrainian Cossacks would wage a brutal partisan campaign. Coalition forces took western Ukraine with ease. All the cities mentioned fell with little resistance. However, guerrilla attacks were increasing. Ambushes were targeting coalition supply lines slowing down the offensive. Giving Argamakov more time. What he built near the Dnieper River was a deep trench stretching miles. Built fortifications and gun placements. The Dneiper was already a harsh river crossing it. Crossing it while getting mauled by artillery guns would make the situation worse. The first engagement was the battle of Cherkasy on July 10th 1826. Coalition forces were brutally beaten after heavy bombardment. Coalition commander then drew up a plan for an assault into Crimea to get behind the defensive line and crush the Russian forces there. However, the land they captured from Russia in western Ukraine was vast. And guerilla attacks by the people’s militia and Ukraine Cossack was hurting the war effort. Coalition forces were stretched thin. Occupying not only Western Ukraine but Belarus. Attrition was starting to take its toll. So the plan was to defeat the Russian black sea fleet. Then land Troops into Crimea which was a fortress that houses over 175,000 Russian soldiers. Coalition forces decided 60,000 would be enough to take the Peninsula and they were mistaken.

Battle of Cherkasy

Battle of Crimea-Austria/Ottoman ships were set sailed to engage Russian forces. The Austrian and Ottoman navies were some of the weakest navies however they figured if combined they could defeat one of Russia premier fleets. The battle of Crimea started and Austrian and Ottoman naval were soundly crushed. It was a devastating naval lost. Austria lost half its naval capacity in the battle. This meant plans to take Crimea was not going to happen. Austria begged Great Britain to join the war. The British were not interested in getting involved in another continental mess. The naval victory was a boon for Russia and raised patriotic morale to bigger heights. Coalition forces stayed on their side if the Dnieper River. The Ukraine front was now a stalemate. At least for now.

Battle of Crimea
Moscow taken- With Smolenks fallen the road to Moscow was open. Austrian/French/Royalist and Prussian marched intently to Moscow. However, they came upon a massive Russian force of 125,000 men. On July 27th is where one of the bloodiest battles of the war took place. The Battle of Mozhaysk. The battle lasted from morning till night. Russian General Yermolov led Russian forces. The battle was a bloody battle at it was at first in the open. Russian guns mauled coalition cavalry in multiple charges. Cossack forces wreaked havoc to coalition lines. At first Russian forces held on. Until Coalition cannons which were deadlier responded in kind. The battle was bloody because Russian forces did not retreat unless Yermolov commanded them to. Coalition forces then were able to use their cannons to devastate the Russian flanks. By nightfall, after a final charge, Russian forces retreated. Coalition forces were too exhausted to give chase, they marched into the empty town of Mozhaysk and found no supplies. Then on August 1st Moscow was taken. The city was in chaos. The prisons were opened and rioting and looting were all over the street. The coalition immediately set up the Counter-revolutionary govt in Moscow. Micheal Pasvolich was crowned king. The coalition along with counter-revolutionary soldiers cracked down heavily on crime. Looters were shot. Curfews were set. The problem was there was no food and few people in the city. Supply lines were at a breaking point. And the biggest problem was that even though the Absolutist coalition took Moscow they still haven’t decisively defeated the Russian revolutionary forces. The war was far from over.

In August there was a lull in fighting as Concert forces didn’t want to advance further to make the supply situation worse. Time was of the essence. The word and motto officers were saying “End the War before October.” The reason was that Russia in October was as bitterly cold as London in December or Paris in January. The lull in fighting gave Russian revolutionary forces time to prepare and further mobilize manpower. Since Moscow was taken the next move was St Petersburg. With much of Baltic Russia under Coalition control. The next idea was to fortify St. Petersburg. However unexpected news from Finland


Swedish Unification War of 1826 - King Charles John of Sweden was watching the events of Russia with interest. He was invited to the Concert of Europe to join the war effort he refused. He didn’t want to give in to demands by these foreign kings and sacrifice men to save their rear ends. He had other plans. He wanted to bring Finland under Swedish rule to undo a historical wrong. He had Sweden and Norway under his control. Russian Finland was what he truly wanted. Uniting the three states was a dream many in the elite had. Many of his advisors told him to join the Concert with the chance of taking Russian Finland. However, he felt the time wasn’t right. Besides the Concert would demand him to send troops to Eastern Russia to help the Prussian and Austrian Empires. He then chose the time for the invasion of Finland on his own terms. August 4th, 1826 King Charles Berdonotte of Sweden with a force of 60,000 men crossed the border into Finland. They swept through Finland with ease. Finnish citizens rose up in rebellion in the south while Swedish troops were moving quickly through the north. Cities in the south fell to the rebels with ease as Russian soldiers far away from home simply retreated. Some Russian soldiers joined the rebellion as they felt they were abandoned by their government to guard a faraway province with a hostile populace. The Finnish elites were loyal to the Czar but didn’t start a rebellion against the revolutionary government. The Finnish citizenry didn’t see the difference between the Czar or the Revolutionary government. Russian rule would be the same no matter what type of government is in Moscow. The Russian garrison was small as no one expected movement in Finland. The Russian garrison was about 34,000 men. There were only 6 battles that took place in the war and all 6 ended with Swedish victory. King Charles John showed his military genius with the war. By August 26th, 1826 Helinski was besieged. The Russian garrison was now down to 10,000 men. The garrison was wracked with desertion, defection, death and wounded. St Petersburg was not in the condition to send men to Finland as they were worried about opening another front. Sergey Muravyov Apostol told the revolutionary congress that “We will focus on Finland when the war is over. Let King Charles have his little victory. He will face out wrath when everything is done.” Helinski was stormed on August 23rd and the Russian garrison surrendered after an hour of fighting. Scandinavia was now united under one king. Finnish militias hailed King Charles as their King. And now a unified Scandinavian country was a reality. King Charles, however, didn’t rest on his laurels. He started preparing for the eventual war with Russia. The loss of Finland wasn’t a big loss and wasn’t and a pressing issue for Russia. The Decemberist knew that Sweden was acting on its own accord and wasn’t on the side of the Concert of Europe. The Coalition was begging Sweden to open another front. With Finland under their control, they could march south to the Psov region to aid with taking St. Petersburg. King Charles flat out refused. He didn’t want to send his men to Russia to die of a “defeated cause,” as he wrote back. And he was right. Instead, he began the process of building fortifications all over Finland and incorporating Finnish militias into the Swedish imperial army.

The road to St Petersburg filled with Death- In August 27th Coalition forces were ready to march north to St Petersburg. Prussia/German/French forces numbering 190,000 started the march to the Psov region. Little did they know that in the area around St.Petersburg there were 245,000 Russian soldiers. These were the first recruits of the levee en masse., The first engagement was the battle of Psov. The battle was an intense clash. It was remembered as a battle that had heavy royalist losses. After a day of intense battle, it was a surprised Russian victory. Coalitions forces retreated after Russian Cossack cavalry attacked their rear in a classic hammer and anvil maneuver. After this coalition forces went to rest and rearm. They then attempted again on September 8th. This time they made a move to Ostrov. And this is where the battle of Ostrov started. The battle was another intense contest. Russian manpower proved to be a deciding factor as coalition forces incurred heavy losses again. About 21,000 losses. The fight to protect St Petersburg was proving hard for the coalition. Simply for the fact that supplies were slow to come. Guerilla forces were increasing their ambushes on coalition wagon. This slowed down supplies reaching their destination. Shortages in food were starting to happen. So the Coalition forces waited until September 29th to try again. However this time October was almost here. The fall rains also created another hurdle for the vast and vulnerable Coalition supply lines. Roads were filled with heavy mud. Mud was like glue that made wagons stuck. This, in turn, made them an easy target for Russian Cossack guerillas. The next battle was the bloodiest one so far. The battle of Velikaya River. The battle started on September 29th and lasted 2 days. The first day was a short clash. Heavy cold rain downpours affected use of gunpowder. Low morale was spreading across the coalition camp. Low supplies, sickness and a foe that was difficult to defeat hurt morale. The next day there was light rain but the air was cold. 75,000 coalition forces facing down 150,000 Russians. Prussian/Austrian and French forces used intense artillery bombardment to soften up Russian lines. Russian lines did suffer a bit but counter batter attacks from the Russia did some damage to the coalitions. Russian guns were on the slope of the area. Soon Russian forces did the first charge. Prussian well-drilled soldiers cut down the Russian forces. At this same time, Russian calvary attacked Coalition left flank which was under the control of the depleted royalist forces. The left flank was broken. This allowed Russian forces try another and fatal charge. Coalition forces faced the prospect of being encircled. They attempted to push back the charges. In the end, losses were piling up for the Coalition forces. They retreated and Russia gave pace. The coalition army was in total disarray. They retreated all the way to Riga.

Battle of Velikaya River.



Stalemate: After the end of Velikaya the war was a stalemate. Neither side could defeat the other. As the fall came the coalition was stuck. The ground was muddy from heavy fall rains. For the next few months, both sides were trying to figure out their next plans. Coalition forces asked for reinforcements. The biggest problem was that with the muddy roads was making the precarious supply crisis even worse. This helped Russian guerillas be bolder in their attacks on these lines. A Prussian general wrote “Our supply situation is near collapse. If things do not turn around in months we could face the prospect of the army starving to death in the Russian winter.” The pressure was on the Concert to figure out what to do. They did not plan for the war to last into the winter. Russia was biding time. The Revolutionary council saw things were going according to plan. The Revolutionary committee in St Petersburg was emboldened by victories in the Psov region and in the Crimean Peninsula. For the Absolutist, it was imperative that they take St.Petersburg. Klemens von Metternich was adamant that St.Petersburg must be taken. He wrote “As long the revolutionaries hold St.Ptersburg they will have support. Holding Moscow will do nothing as long as the revolutionaries are militarily defeated. There is no time for compromise or peace. They must be defeated. Haven't we learned anything from France in the 1790s?” However, this whole notion of no compromise was easy to say but hard to do. Russia was a massive country and the question was how far could the Concert of Europe go to defeat the Decemberist?

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

Sorry for the long wait guys been very busy but I have free time now since midterms are over. Also I will post another part of the Russian Revolutionary wars tomorrow.
So now what we have the Concert of Europe forces are bogged down in Russia. A series of Russian victories has preserved the Decembrist and grind the war into a halt. Plus winter is coming so the situation is going interesting. General winter is going to be key in this war.
And don't worry there will be Haiti updates. I finished the war and starting writing the post war years in Haiti.
So remember critiques, opinions,idea is all welcomed! Next part will be focused on the Ottomans. Let us say things are going to be very very sticky for them.

 

[Sceonn]

I'm really loving this, hoping for a Russian victory!

 

[Knightmare]

Russian naval victory?

SoD broken.

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

I'm really loving this, hoping for a Russian victory!

Thanks! You will like the next update them.

Russian naval victory?

SoD broken.

Historically the Ottoman navies and Austrian navies were never that great plus the Russian naval Black fleet is one of its stronger fleets. So recipe for a surprise Russian naval victory.

 

[Knightmare]

Historically the Ottoman navies and Austrian navies were never that great plus the Russian naval Black fleet is one of its stronger fleets. So recipe for a surprise Russian naval victory.

Yeah, but you know.....

It's Russia. Their naval history ain't the best.

 

[Marcus Licinius Crassus]

Russian Revolutionary War
Part 3
The Sickman finally dies
Caucasus and Middle East Front

Abbas Mirza

Sultan Mahmud II

Muhammad Ali of Egypt

Ibrahim Pasha

Ivan Peskevich

The Start of the Ottoman Empire's ending- At this time the Ottoman Empire was the sick man in Europe. They were fighting a never-ending war in Greece to put down the rebellion there. With the help Eyalet of Egypt under the command of the ever bold Muhammad Ali they were making some gains. However, things about deteriorated fast for the Ottomans. Negotiations ended and Russia and Persia came to a compromise. The treaty of Gulistan was renegotiated. The treaty of Baku was signed. Persia would get back Azerbaijan. Russia would maintain Georgia and Armenia. Also, Russia would aid in modernizing their military as well. Plus Russia would aid Persia in future wars of conquest against the Ottomans. The Shah of Persia was the incompetent Fatah Ali Shah Qajar. However, his young reformer son Abbas Mirza who was the Crown Prince and heir to the throne was the opposite. Russian Historian Veltsin said “Fatah was incompetent and a poor leader for Persia. He represented everything wrong with the Qajar dynasty. However, his son was the complete opposite. He was a military man, reformer, hard worker and a simple man. He did the negotiation with Pestel in Tbilisi. Pestel and other Russian admired him.” Moscow wanted to use the Sunni/Shia divide in the Muslim world to defeat the Ottomans and take them out the war. Moscow also figured Persia would be a future asset for Russia. They could be used to expand Russian influence in the region and get a warm water port near British India. Pestel was a forward thinker. On January 12th, 1827 former adversaries Ivan Paskevich and Abbas Mirza were now united to fight the Ottoman Empire. In the fall Paskevich was given the duty to train the Persian Army. And it was in terrible shape. “The men had no rifle discipline. The commanders were only interested in drinking teas and playing chess rather looking at maps. When it came to war they tried to use chess tactics on a battlefield. Calvary was lacking. They had numerical numbers but they were not an army just an armed mob.” The invasion was planned by Paskevich. So he planned for an invasion of western Armenia. Russia saw this as an opportunity to take all of western Armenia from the Ottomans. The Persian force was 60,0000 while the Russian forces were 100,000. The combined 160,000 force moved to Western Armenia in January of 1827. This caught the Ottomans off-guard. The first battle was the battle of Van of which a force of 30,000 Ottoman soldiers faced down the vast invasion force and was crushed. The decisive battle of Erzurum was the bloodiest battle of the campaign. 60,000 Ottoman Turks against the 160,000 man force. The battle was bloody however the Persian/Russo force prevailed. Ottoman presence in Western Armenia was near collapse. Armenian militias rose up and welcomed Russian and Persian forces as liberators. The Ottoman empire was in great shock at how quickly and this alliance moved through Western Armenia with ease. The Ottomans withdrew from the Ukraine front in order to stop the bleeding. The feared that Russia and Persia were moving to take all of Anatolia and divide up. However Russian and Persian forces stopped their offensive once the city of Erzican was taken in a bloody siege in January 30th 1827. However, the Ottoman's woes were about to worsen in the Balkans.

Battleo of Erzurum


The Balkan Spring- The Balkans has always been a restive area under Ottoman control. One of the biggest sparks for rebellion was the Auspicious Incident. Under the leadership of Mahmud II, he defeated the rebellion. However remaining Janissary rebels fled to the Balkans. These Janissary reminders met with Christian Balkan leaders to come up with a plan. The start of the revolt was in Serbia. In started on a cold January day. January 28th, 1827 was the start of the third Serbian uprising or Serbian war of Independence. The revolt started with mass rioting. Cause of the rioting is unclear. Although reports from the ground stated a rumor was spreading of Ottoman soldiers in Belgrade raping Serbian young girls. The report was that the Ottoman soldiers were not punished, instead were given promotion. Now nobody knew where this rumor started. There is only a report of Ottoman soldiers who sexually assaulted a Serbian woman in Nich, however, he was discharged. Whether the story was true or not didn’t concerned the Serbs. Another rumor was that Ottoman forces were going around drafting Serbian young men to go fight their Russian, Armenian and Greek brothers. Rioting broke out in Belgrade and Sarajevo. Ottoman forces reacting badly due to low morale, being disillusioned, unmotivated to crackdown on the mobs. This ended in failure. Ottoman troops were chased out these cities and the surrounding areas. In one of surrounding towns, Ottoman troops massacred, raped and pillage Serbian people. This further enraged Serbian citizen and soon the entire region was in rebellion. Serbian militias took over abandoned Ottoman forts and armories. The fires of insurrection soon spread to other provinces. Bulgaria, Bosnia, Wallachia, Macedonia etc. The Balkan spring spread fast and was another event that caught the Ottoman Empire and Concert of Europe by surprise. For the Ottomans, this was a forest fire of that was getting out of control. The Ottomans were now facing a myriad of crisis and it seemed things couldn’t get much worse for them or the concert. But it did.

Third Serbian Revolution



Great Middle East war- Many scholars debate whether to separate the Great Middle East War with the Russian Revolutionary war. In any case, the Great Middle East war saw the end of the Ottoman Empire. At this time Cairo, Ishrarn, and Moscow were in communication with each other. Envoys of the three nations discussed in secret how to destroy their old enemy the Ottoman Empire. It was agreed how the land would be divided. Russia gets western Armenia. Persia gets Iraq and Kuwait. Egypt gets the Levant. As Russia was rampaging in Anatolia Persia strikes first. February 12th, 1827 Abbas Mirza with a massive force of 170,000 men marched to their first targets which were Kirkuk and Irbil. The Ottoman forces there were smashed to pieces. The road to Mosul was open. The siege of Mosul lasted 2 weeks in March 7th-24th. Mosul fell on the 24th. Abbas then set his sights on Baghdad. Meanwhile, Shiites in Basra, Karbala, Najaf, Samarra were rising in rebellion. The Ottoman forces in Iraq was near collapse. Murad II could do little as his forces were stretched thin in the Balkans and Anatolia. Baghdad fell on April 10th, 1827 with little resistance. Abbas Mirza quickly swept through the Shia heartland with little resistance. The battle of Tikrit was a battle in which the entire Ottoman forces of Iraq was annihilated. By May all of Iraq was under Persian Control. He moved further south to take Kuwait. The Shia sacred shines were now under Shia rule. Abbas Mirza empowered the majority Shia Arabs while treated the Sunnis with respect. However, the Shia Arabs were given preferential treatment and privileges. However, Abbas Mirza still wasn't satisfied and looked south into the Persian Gulf. Abbas Mirza wanted to unite the Shia world but also wanted the Persian Gulf to be the swimming pool of the Qajar Empire.

Abbas Mirza marching with his men to Mosul

Muhammad Strikes- Muhhamd Ali saw that the Ottomans were hemorrhaging territory he saw it as an opportunity to attack. He sent his son Ibrahim Ali to take the Bilad al-Sham. Ibrahim quickly took Palestine with little resistance. Th Egyptian forces numbered 80,000 but rose to 100,000 as defections from the Ottoman army switched sides. The only battle in Palestine was the battle of the Acre which had a powerful fortification. It was a bloody battle and took 17 days for the town to fall. In Syria, there were multiple engagements. The battle of Daraa Ibrahim won handily. He moved quickly in Southern Syria and set his sights in Damascus. The battle of Douma near the Outskirts of Damascus ensued on March 20th which the Ottman forces were handily crushed, He marched up north and took Homs at the Battle of the Orontes River. Homs fell on March 29th. Hama fell on April 5th. Aleppo April 15th. Ibrahim set his sights to southern Turkey. His forces engaged Ottoman forces near the battle of the Nezib River. He gave the Ottomans a devastating loss. He took over the provinces near Syria. Muhammad Ali then gave him orders to stop advancing. The loss of Southern territory would be a buffer for Ali. Mahmud II died of a massive heart attack after hearing the loss of Nezib River on May 10th 1827. His untimely death led to chaos in the remnant Ottoman rump state. The Ottoman Empire officially collapsed. This sent shockwaves all over Europe. Now Persia and Egypt were the major powers of the Middle East and were allies of Russia. Great Britain was greatly disturbed by this event. The fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of the Qajar and Alid Dynasty would forever change the Middle East and the world.

Ibrahim Pashia commanding his forces at Nezib River.