How? As a general rule you don't give a person a weapon unless you're sure where they're going to point it. You really don't do it if you're sure they're going to use it on you.
Chapter 38: mid May 1616
Cardinal Garnet wasn't surprised to be summoned to the Queen's private drawing room. Although the ambassador in Paris had somehow gotten news to him ahead of Her Majesty's own intelligence, that same network had no doubt spotted the Imperial messenger that had come...
Chapter 37: May Day 1616
As Elizabeth had suspected, and likely the Austrians as well, the fugitives were indeed in the Switzerland. Specifically in Berne. It had been a rough overland flight, as though a boat on the Rhone would take them straight through the Confederacy, they had determined it...
Agreed. If instead of a process of Magyarization, imagine if the education system focused on how different Slovenes, Croats, Transylvanians, and Slovaks were from Serbians, Romanians, and Czechs. They aren't going to want panslavism after decades of that. It would turn out as well as fixing the...
Chapter 36: late April 1616
Her Majesty Elizabeth, by the Grace of God Queen of England Scotland Ireland and Wales, paced the width of her throne room in rage and anxiety. But she did her best to keep her voice calm. "Archbishop, you'll understand that I find the Archduke's charges to be highly...
Chapter 35: April 1616
"Wait! Read that again. My mother has been kidnapped by the Elector Frederick?"
The Austrian ambassador to Paris had just received word and asked to speak to the King on an urgent matter. Supposedly the Elector was accused of assassinating the Emperor and fleeing Vienna...
Chapter 34: Late March 1616
Frederick was being housed far more lavishly than in the old days when Elizabeth's wicked Prime Minister ensnared him. But he was no more comfortable now than he had been then.
The sound of the late Emperor's rattled breathing finally ceasing rang in his head. His...
When things got rough Germany sent Lenin on a secret train to cause trouble in Russia. Is there anyone in the French Royal or Imperial cause that would be willing to accept German help in overthrowing the French Republic? Especially in the mutiny days of 1918?
For that matter how successful...
The big thing holding this back for me is that Bismarck didn't need Austria to defeat France and as Nivek stated Russia wasn't interested (the whole point of Bismarck's diplomacy was keeping France away from Russia and other potential allies).
The closest I can come up with is Germany decides...
Chapter 33: the day before the Olde New Year, 1616
No one was there to meet Frederick when he arrived in Vienna. That was odd any time, but given that the Elector had been specifically summoned to the Hapsburg capital, and had sent messengers ahead to let them know he was close, this was just...
Well I can explain why. George V changed the family name to Windsor during World War One. His wife, the Queen's grandmother Queen Mary, was emotionally attached to the name change and when she found out that people were assuming the change to Mountbatten she lost it.
Queen Mary summoned...
Decided to skip a day in the countdown. It seemed awfully fast for this to happen the day before.
Chapter 32: 5 days before the Olde New Year 1616
It wasn't unexpected to see ships from Dusseldorf rowing out to the Londinium to intercept it. While there hadn't been time to send word that...
Chapter 31: 7 days before the Olde New Year 1616
"Ma'am, Cardinal Garnet is here to see you."
Elizabeth grimaced, though it was she who had invited him to speak to him. "Thank you. Ask him to come in." The Queen stood up, preparing herself to deal with another diplomatic duel with the...