If 1813 started with a series of deaths (Gabriel, Pedro and Augusta), then it ended with the countries of New Europe receiving news of the fall of a country. Although the British Commonwealth was fighting a war of attrition in those lands in America under their jurisdiction, they had pushed forward into Spain during the summer months and the nobility had fled. With few allies able to provide support, and Florida already focused on their own problems, Spain fell with surprising speed.
Portugal was clearly the next target, but the Portuguese monarchy knew what would come and abandoned their country for the safety of their colony of Brazil. Portugal would be occupied by soldiers from the Commonwealth by 1815.
With Spain fallen, this meant Florida was cast adrift. Much like New France, it meant the Spanish monarchy would survive in Princess Maria Carlotta. Maria Carlotta, upon receiving news of the fall of Spain declared that Florida was a sovereign principality under the rule of the House of Florida-Molina.
The nobility who had fled Spain acquiesced to her rule, on the agreement that the Floridian crown would not fall into union with the Albionaisse, or New France. Through a series of acts by the executives of each of the three countries, this policy was agreed and Maria Carlottas second son, Prince Gabriel, created Duke of St Augustine under her father (his brother was Duke of Pensacola), was made Hereditary Prince of Florida whilst his elder brother, Charles, remained on track to claim the Albionaisse Crown in due course.
This meant the brothers were separated, with Gabriel raised in St Augustine at the Palacio del Principio, and Charles brought up at the Niagara Palace. Maria Carlotta and the Crown Prince shared their time between both royal palaces, with Augustine becoming a trusted advisor for his wife in the same manner that he hoped she would be to him when he was crowned.
Palacio del Principio, c. 1950, now a civic centre.
At this point, the thrones of four nations were held, or in line to be held, by descendants of James II of Albion. Augustine was King of Albion itself, his son was Prince Consort of Florida, his grandchildren were in line for the thrones of both Florida and Albion, then Augustine's nephew was the present Stateholder of New England whilst his niece was now Queen Consort of the Maritimes.
His grandson Nicholas Vladimirovich was even sixth in line to the Russian throne, but that was an unlikely inheritance to see come to being.
However, Prince Nicholas' father, Grand Duke Vladimir, was still successfully leading the campaign against the Commonwealth. Having secured their western territories, the Russian turned his attention to the eastern colonies, and slowly began pushing them towards the coast, securing the Great Lakes and the Hudsons Bay. The positive about the invasion of Spain was that the Commonwealth was now fighting a war on two fronts, and struggled to provide reinforcement to the war against New Europe. If only they hadn't pushed their luck by invading a country that had managed to remain relatively neutral until now.
This, obviously, didn't go down very well in London and their were voices of dissent against the Lord Field Marshall that even suggested inviting the royal family back. But those voices were hushed, whispered, and ultimately futile - a monarchy, perhaps, but not the former royal family? If not the former royal family, then who?
Bernard Edward Howard, the new Duke of Norfolk, as the senior Duke left in Britain, swiftly became a voice for dissenters to rally around - Long Live, King Bernard they would chant. But the Duke of Norfolk remained silent on the matter - if the House of Howard was to sit on the throne, it would not be at the moment and it certainly wouldn't be with Bernard as his regnal name.
The Fall of Spain and the arrival of the Spanish nobility in Florida brought with it further soldiers and ships that Princess Maria Carlotta immediately placed at the disposal of her brother in law. This enables the New European allies to effectively surround the Commonwealth troops, vastly reduce their navy and then effectively block any supply process in place to resupply and reinforce the Commonwealth force. By the Summer of 1814, things were looking bad for the British as troops began to slowly either abandon the war in totality or defect to any of the various New European countries in return for their liberty.
Grand Duke Vladimir was only too happy to accept these defections which increased across the winter of 1814. By the start of 1815, the writing was on the wall, and the Sub Field Marshall of the Commonwealth forces, Arthur Wellesley, was forced to concede to Vladimirs demands and surrender.
The colonies of the Commonwealth fell on July 4th 1815 with the signing of the York Accords by Wellesley and representatives from the nation's of New Europe. This relinquished any claim by the Commonwealth to their colonies, and divides the colonies between New France, and the other nations of New Europe. New Europe took the eastern portion, with initial policy that a Governor would be appointed with a Governors Council of representatives from the other nations.
The vote was, almost unanimously, that Grand Duke Vladimir would be appointed as Governor and Head of State. The Governors Council was the defacto legislature, like the British Parliament. The York Accords also cited the name of this territory as Hudsonia.
New Europe breathed easy for the first time in several years, whilst over in Europe, with the loss of the American colonies, the Field Marshall was doing very poorly with the people. With a promise that he would reinstate Parliament to the extent of its prior powers, he continued his rule for a handful of years.
At which point he died. Parliament took charge and voted to appoint the Duke of Norfolk as the new Field Marshall - but soon, by his coronation in 1818, his title had become King of the British (not King of Britain).
King "Bernard" of the House of Norfolk aka Edward VII, King of the British, Field Marshall of the Commonwealth.
As 1818 moved into 1819, the British chanted Long Live King Bernard, of course, officially he was Edward VII. Shortly after news of his coronation and the succession of the House of Norfolk reached New Europe, King Augustine succumbed to a heart attack and was succeeded by by his son, the Crown Prince of Albion and the Prince Consort of Florida.
