Well, the King of France is the head of the French Church for example, like the King of England is for his own country. The authority of the Pope has never ceased to decrease in the last decades and while Christianity has found new converts on other continents, the religious influence of Rome is not what it once was.
In this country , it is good to kill an admiral from time to time
- Thread starter Antony444
- Start date
Well, the King of France is the head of the French Church for example, like the King of England is for his own country. The authority of the Pope has never ceased to decrease in the last decades and while Christianity has found new converts on other continents, the religious influence of Rome is not what it once was.
Unwelcome alliances (South America 1880-1895)
If there was a theatre which was not given a choice whether to participate or not in the conflict to come, it was South America. For all the declarations of independence made in the last centuries, the region had become even more tied with Europe and the rest of the Great Powers of this world, not less.
Brazil, the greatest and most populated of the Kingdom of Portugal’s colonies, was included in the Grande Entente without being asked the opinion of its political class. Luis I had been wise enough to mend the differences between Rio and his most valuable colony, especially as after the terrible defeat against the Holy Spanish Empire, the territory Portugal owned in Europe was tiny and the subject of many jokes. But Luis I died of old age in 1884 and now it was his son Luis II who reigned.
Unlike his father, the current monarch could not be argued to be particularly politically skilled, military gifted or versed in the economic matters. The good news was that Luis II was well-aware of this and delegated many of his responsibilities to his ministers. The bad news was that the men in question were his favourites and had been chosen not for their competence but indeed because they were his friends. It went without saying that since Luis II had never left Europe in his life, the three chief ministers, nicknamed the ‘Marquisate Trio’ by friends and opponents alike due to their titles, were not Brazilians and not really interested in hearing the complaints of men on the other side of the Atlantic. The priority was more and more to support the English war machine for an eventual new war against Scotland, link the African colonies of Mozambique and Angola and discourage the challengers who believed the days of Portuguese glory were over. Brazil would provide the manpower and the resources for the glory of the King, end of the discussion. And if it didn’t please them to fight along the subjects of Her Holy Imperial Majesty Isabella II, they better open a dictionary and consult the definition of pragmatism.
Nevertheless, it did not escape the strategists on every side that the Grande Entente in South America had effortlessly created a southern block which was going to be a logistical nightmare to conquer.
The generals of the UPNG contemplated the magnitude of the task with justified worry. None of the Entente members in South America could be considered powerhouses by themselves, but they were a lot of them. Between the Republic of Chile, French and Spanish South America, Portuguese Brazil and French Guyana, the European kingdoms and empires could bring a lot of force to the battlefield. The question was if Paris, Madrid and Lisbon would prioritise South America over the rest of their numerous commitments. Judging it was better not to wait for the answer the government of Bogota began a large investment in the infrastructures of its client the Republic of Peru. Infrastructures and agriculture received large amounts of cash: ultimately the UPNG were to move and feed tens of thousands men for a southern offensive in Chilean lands.
A little issue remained however. Peru and Chile had no common frontiers. A nation separated them, if the Blanquist Directorate could still be qualified be as such. Since the death of its founder Director Blanquo, these lands had never regained stability and prosperity. By the time the 1880s ended, the situation was so chaotic that categorising it as ‘out of control’ was an understatement in itself. Warlords and outlaws were the new masters of this part of South America and every illegal activity which could be humanly organised had ties here.
Several expeditionary forces from the neighbouring powers had launched small wars to destroy this hive of criminality but their efforts had only managed to decrease the size of the Directorate, not to destroy it entirely. 1891 thus marked a real game-changer when a combined UNPG-Peruvian army of 25 000 men invaded the debris of the Directorate.
For the first couple of months, the Peruvian soldiers and their allies scored several impressive victories. The UPNG leadership had studied extensively the terrain and the forces in presence and the initial series of assault deprived their enemies the use of their single harbour. Facing an impressive army with modern artillery and machine guns, the bandits oppressing the western regions were beaten back.
This offensive had been the easy part. As order had utterly collapsed in the last decades along with every part of the system established by the Spanish Empire, the new masters of the provinces had to garrison and administer the conquered territories. And it was far from a simple task when nine-tenths of the local trades were illegal or at least several restricted in any civilised land.
At the same time, the Blanquists factions were not completely vanquished. The warlords and the influential cartels formerly in power knew they could not defeat the UPNG-backed armies and used their countless relations to buy modern weapons to Brazilian and Chilean unscrupulous contractors. Banding together, this instable group of local dictators started their counter-attack, launching terror attacks against civilian targets, ambushing convoys and generally leading an irregular war. The eastern part of the Directorate was still theirs and each new offensive was now paid in Peruvian and Granadan blood. The Central Alliance was progressing, but it was a slow and bloody war. Politicians grew impatient and from 1893 onwards, generals typically lasted only a few months before being replaced.
Yet by November 1895, Bogota and Lima both declared the territory of the warlords was pacified and under their control. On the ground, the situation was far more volatile the generals were willing to admit. The resistance group were exhausted by four long years of evasion and open conflict, but the arrival of Entente ‘volunteers’ was progressively forcing a bloody stalemate. From a certain point of view, the war between the Grande Entente and the Central Alliance began at this moment...though neither was ready to acknowledge it for now.
If there was a theatre which was not given a choice whether to participate or not in the conflict to come, it was South America. For all the declarations of independence made in the last centuries, the region had become even more tied with Europe and the rest of the Great Powers of this world, not less.
Brazil, the greatest and most populated of the Kingdom of Portugal’s colonies, was included in the Grande Entente without being asked the opinion of its political class. Luis I had been wise enough to mend the differences between Rio and his most valuable colony, especially as after the terrible defeat against the Holy Spanish Empire, the territory Portugal owned in Europe was tiny and the subject of many jokes. But Luis I died of old age in 1884 and now it was his son Luis II who reigned.
Unlike his father, the current monarch could not be argued to be particularly politically skilled, military gifted or versed in the economic matters. The good news was that Luis II was well-aware of this and delegated many of his responsibilities to his ministers. The bad news was that the men in question were his favourites and had been chosen not for their competence but indeed because they were his friends. It went without saying that since Luis II had never left Europe in his life, the three chief ministers, nicknamed the ‘Marquisate Trio’ by friends and opponents alike due to their titles, were not Brazilians and not really interested in hearing the complaints of men on the other side of the Atlantic. The priority was more and more to support the English war machine for an eventual new war against Scotland, link the African colonies of Mozambique and Angola and discourage the challengers who believed the days of Portuguese glory were over. Brazil would provide the manpower and the resources for the glory of the King, end of the discussion. And if it didn’t please them to fight along the subjects of Her Holy Imperial Majesty Isabella II, they better open a dictionary and consult the definition of pragmatism.
Nevertheless, it did not escape the strategists on every side that the Grande Entente in South America had effortlessly created a southern block which was going to be a logistical nightmare to conquer.
The generals of the UPNG contemplated the magnitude of the task with justified worry. None of the Entente members in South America could be considered powerhouses by themselves, but they were a lot of them. Between the Republic of Chile, French and Spanish South America, Portuguese Brazil and French Guyana, the European kingdoms and empires could bring a lot of force to the battlefield. The question was if Paris, Madrid and Lisbon would prioritise South America over the rest of their numerous commitments. Judging it was better not to wait for the answer the government of Bogota began a large investment in the infrastructures of its client the Republic of Peru. Infrastructures and agriculture received large amounts of cash: ultimately the UPNG were to move and feed tens of thousands men for a southern offensive in Chilean lands.
A little issue remained however. Peru and Chile had no common frontiers. A nation separated them, if the Blanquist Directorate could still be qualified be as such. Since the death of its founder Director Blanquo, these lands had never regained stability and prosperity. By the time the 1880s ended, the situation was so chaotic that categorising it as ‘out of control’ was an understatement in itself. Warlords and outlaws were the new masters of this part of South America and every illegal activity which could be humanly organised had ties here.
Several expeditionary forces from the neighbouring powers had launched small wars to destroy this hive of criminality but their efforts had only managed to decrease the size of the Directorate, not to destroy it entirely. 1891 thus marked a real game-changer when a combined UNPG-Peruvian army of 25 000 men invaded the debris of the Directorate.
For the first couple of months, the Peruvian soldiers and their allies scored several impressive victories. The UPNG leadership had studied extensively the terrain and the forces in presence and the initial series of assault deprived their enemies the use of their single harbour. Facing an impressive army with modern artillery and machine guns, the bandits oppressing the western regions were beaten back.
This offensive had been the easy part. As order had utterly collapsed in the last decades along with every part of the system established by the Spanish Empire, the new masters of the provinces had to garrison and administer the conquered territories. And it was far from a simple task when nine-tenths of the local trades were illegal or at least several restricted in any civilised land.
At the same time, the Blanquists factions were not completely vanquished. The warlords and the influential cartels formerly in power knew they could not defeat the UPNG-backed armies and used their countless relations to buy modern weapons to Brazilian and Chilean unscrupulous contractors. Banding together, this instable group of local dictators started their counter-attack, launching terror attacks against civilian targets, ambushing convoys and generally leading an irregular war. The eastern part of the Directorate was still theirs and each new offensive was now paid in Peruvian and Granadan blood. The Central Alliance was progressing, but it was a slow and bloody war. Politicians grew impatient and from 1893 onwards, generals typically lasted only a few months before being replaced.
Yet by November 1895, Bogota and Lima both declared the territory of the warlords was pacified and under their control. On the ground, the situation was far more volatile the generals were willing to admit. The resistance group were exhausted by four long years of evasion and open conflict, but the arrival of Entente ‘volunteers’ was progressively forcing a bloody stalemate. From a certain point of view, the war between the Grande Entente and the Central Alliance began at this moment...though neither was ready to acknowledge it for now.
True, true. Of course the final result isn't good and the subjects are not happy if you have delegated your powers to the wrong persons...
Portugal clearly need a Bourbon on the throne
Unfortunately, except ouright conquest, the Bourbons have no real way to justify their claims on Portugal.
None of the French or Spanish Bourbons have married in the Portuguese nobility in the last century so claiming dynastic ties would be...a bit difficult, shall we say? And in the middle of this there's also England to please. The English have invested a lot of money and prestige in their alliance with Lisbon, upsetting totally the status quo with a French or a Spanish vassal would certainly terribly weaken the union of the Entente and perhaps begin a Brazilian rebellion. So for now the situation is kept as it is.
Nah, a good Rye is what they need.Portugal clearly need a Bourbon on the throne
Unfortunately, except ouright conquest, the Bourbons have no real way to justify their claims on Portugal.
And in the middle of this there's also England to please. The English have invested a lot of money and prestige in their alliance with Lisbon, upsetting totally the status quo with a French or a Spanish vassal would certainly terribly weaken the union of the Entente and perhaps begin a Brazilian rebellion. So for now the situation is kept as it is.
I know I know, but one can hope right? It would be nice if France could Annex the Iberique peninsula and FINALLY secure their southern border, but I guess being Allies is fine too *sigh*.
Here's Hoping for an Entente Victory in the Coming conflict, or at least, a French one
An Age of Battleships (Naval expansion 1890-1897)
Many reasons like nationalism and colonial expansions had led to the formations of the alliances blocks dividing the world in 1897. The naval programs of armament were figuring near the top of the list. As the end of the century drew near, many famous retired officers and famous authors had published works speaking of the importance of the sea. These theorists and experts often didn’t agree on many things, but they were of common accord on one point: whoever dominated the oceans and seas of this world would rule the world.
The average citizen in the street and the governments had not debated long before ordering massive programs of warship construction. And warship in this age of modernisation meant everything floating and having the capability to destroy another ship. In centuries before, this would have been limited to ships of the line, frigates and armed merchant raiders. But times had changed. The warships could now weight over 10 000 tons and it was getting difficult to assess the firepower of each class. There were the torpedo boats, small and fragile hulls which were the one-shot attempt to sink the bigger units of the battle-line. There were submarines, supposed to wait in the dark depths of the oceans and then resurface in the middle of a fleet to make a carnage. Mineships could spread their deadly content in critical areas of a naval zone and interdict its navigation for a long time. And then there was the considerable list of more conventional warships: contre-torpilleurs (or as the term would stay in the public imagination, destroyers) to protect a fleet from the torpedo boats, light cruisers, cruisers, heavy cruisers, protected cruisers and armoured cruisers.
But the warships which attracted the majority of the imagination were the battleships. Officially called by the name since 1878, these gargantuan ships were heavily armoured, were steam-powered and without sails of any kind and mounted their guns in turrets. As the guns in question were 300mm and they were two batteries on the fore and the aft of the ship, the captain commanding the battleship could unleash a rain of fire upon any enemy in his range. And these were just the primary guns: a battleship had many secondary batteries all over its superstructure.
Unsurprisingly, the Grande Entente was fiercely supporting the battleship. Between France, England and Russia, the world alliance imagined by the Bourbons and the Romanovs decades ago had a huge merchant marine to protect and a world colonial empire to defend. Light and heavy cruisers would be built by the dozens, entire new classes of submarines were imagined and hundreds of torpedo boats found their way in service of allies like Ireland, Chile and the Satsuma Shogunate. But France needed a powerful unit if it wanted to retain its supremacy at sea. Fortunately, Paris had a lot of shipyards and London did not see any reason to limit the size of is battle-line. By 1897, Louis XVII’s navy had 43 battleships in service not to mention the other hundreds of units loyally accomplishing their duties from Australasia to the Mediterranean. England had confirmed its place as the second naval partner and could boast 10 battleships and an impressive fleet of cruisers. The Russian Empire and the Holy Spanish Empire followed with 8 battleships. Portugal, the Kingdom of Bengal and the Satsuma Shogunate all had between three and four battleships leading their local fleets. In total, the Entente had 81 battleships in active service with six more at different stage of construction in 1897.
For the rest of the world, these were very unwelcome news. Given its control of Suez, Gibraltar and Cape Horn, Southern Australasia and a good part of the Pacific, the Entente fleet could mass in crushing numbers against a single threat and sink them with tonnages they could not really answer. The Slaver’s Alliance had not the warships to oppose this: Florida had managed to build 3 brand new battleships and the Republic of the Cape had one. The European Union was stronger with 14 battleships but the 7 of the united Saxon-Polish fleet were bottled in the Baltic and unable to join the proud Scottish fleet and its 2 battleships. The rest of their naval forces were with New Spain and in the Austrian ports; no strategist was ever able to suggest a scenario which would see them break through the multiple patrols of the French and Spanish fleets intact and ready for battle.
The European Union as a result concentrated above all on it slight cruiser raiders and submarines. Battleships were too costly anyway and they had to build armies big enough to resist the juggernaut of the Entente on land too. They would have to hope the Central Alliance and the Grande Entente neutralised each other on the oceans. The UPNG-led alliance had against the odds managed to build hundreds of warships in various programs in the last decade and while they had not managed to catch up with the sheer numbers of France, they had 52 battleships in service with the UPNG, Denmark and the Carolinas having the greatest numbers of battleships.
Like the Entente however, the Central Alliance had many commitments in the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. And it could not reinforce each of its partners, with Denmark and Norway generally seen as the most problematic since France and England could cut the North Sea the moment hostilities commenced. On the other hand, Chuan China and the Californians with the rest of the Alliance could reinforce faster their Pacific fleets due to the newly built Panama Canal...even if it was the cost of Europe and many critical theatres. Still, as long as Batavia served as an involuntary shield, this status quo would persist.
The French Admirals had different priorities in mind. If they wanted to control the North Sea completely, the Scottish land and naval forces had to be crushed quickly. In the Mediterranean, it was Habsburg Italy which was seen as the main threat against the merchant marine and the sea trade with India. In the Middle East, Oman would have to be neutralised with the help of the Ethiopians. France had the largest navy, but Louis XVII knew that in case of war, his warships were going to devour the reserves of coal at a formidable rate to extinguish all threats.
Dozens of secret war plans were made during this date, some which would never be remembered until they were declassified decades later. But with the world at the edge of the abyss, dominating the seas was primordial and nearly every government tried to be kept in the know of where the warships would be engaged the moment the situation exploded out of control. Millions more of francs, pounds, marks were poured into the steel hulls and the prospects of appeasement were ignored...
Many reasons like nationalism and colonial expansions had led to the formations of the alliances blocks dividing the world in 1897. The naval programs of armament were figuring near the top of the list. As the end of the century drew near, many famous retired officers and famous authors had published works speaking of the importance of the sea. These theorists and experts often didn’t agree on many things, but they were of common accord on one point: whoever dominated the oceans and seas of this world would rule the world.
The average citizen in the street and the governments had not debated long before ordering massive programs of warship construction. And warship in this age of modernisation meant everything floating and having the capability to destroy another ship. In centuries before, this would have been limited to ships of the line, frigates and armed merchant raiders. But times had changed. The warships could now weight over 10 000 tons and it was getting difficult to assess the firepower of each class. There were the torpedo boats, small and fragile hulls which were the one-shot attempt to sink the bigger units of the battle-line. There were submarines, supposed to wait in the dark depths of the oceans and then resurface in the middle of a fleet to make a carnage. Mineships could spread their deadly content in critical areas of a naval zone and interdict its navigation for a long time. And then there was the considerable list of more conventional warships: contre-torpilleurs (or as the term would stay in the public imagination, destroyers) to protect a fleet from the torpedo boats, light cruisers, cruisers, heavy cruisers, protected cruisers and armoured cruisers.
But the warships which attracted the majority of the imagination were the battleships. Officially called by the name since 1878, these gargantuan ships were heavily armoured, were steam-powered and without sails of any kind and mounted their guns in turrets. As the guns in question were 300mm and they were two batteries on the fore and the aft of the ship, the captain commanding the battleship could unleash a rain of fire upon any enemy in his range. And these were just the primary guns: a battleship had many secondary batteries all over its superstructure.
Unsurprisingly, the Grande Entente was fiercely supporting the battleship. Between France, England and Russia, the world alliance imagined by the Bourbons and the Romanovs decades ago had a huge merchant marine to protect and a world colonial empire to defend. Light and heavy cruisers would be built by the dozens, entire new classes of submarines were imagined and hundreds of torpedo boats found their way in service of allies like Ireland, Chile and the Satsuma Shogunate. But France needed a powerful unit if it wanted to retain its supremacy at sea. Fortunately, Paris had a lot of shipyards and London did not see any reason to limit the size of is battle-line. By 1897, Louis XVII’s navy had 43 battleships in service not to mention the other hundreds of units loyally accomplishing their duties from Australasia to the Mediterranean. England had confirmed its place as the second naval partner and could boast 10 battleships and an impressive fleet of cruisers. The Russian Empire and the Holy Spanish Empire followed with 8 battleships. Portugal, the Kingdom of Bengal and the Satsuma Shogunate all had between three and four battleships leading their local fleets. In total, the Entente had 81 battleships in active service with six more at different stage of construction in 1897.
For the rest of the world, these were very unwelcome news. Given its control of Suez, Gibraltar and Cape Horn, Southern Australasia and a good part of the Pacific, the Entente fleet could mass in crushing numbers against a single threat and sink them with tonnages they could not really answer. The Slaver’s Alliance had not the warships to oppose this: Florida had managed to build 3 brand new battleships and the Republic of the Cape had one. The European Union was stronger with 14 battleships but the 7 of the united Saxon-Polish fleet were bottled in the Baltic and unable to join the proud Scottish fleet and its 2 battleships. The rest of their naval forces were with New Spain and in the Austrian ports; no strategist was ever able to suggest a scenario which would see them break through the multiple patrols of the French and Spanish fleets intact and ready for battle.
The European Union as a result concentrated above all on it slight cruiser raiders and submarines. Battleships were too costly anyway and they had to build armies big enough to resist the juggernaut of the Entente on land too. They would have to hope the Central Alliance and the Grande Entente neutralised each other on the oceans. The UPNG-led alliance had against the odds managed to build hundreds of warships in various programs in the last decade and while they had not managed to catch up with the sheer numbers of France, they had 52 battleships in service with the UPNG, Denmark and the Carolinas having the greatest numbers of battleships.
Like the Entente however, the Central Alliance had many commitments in the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. And it could not reinforce each of its partners, with Denmark and Norway generally seen as the most problematic since France and England could cut the North Sea the moment hostilities commenced. On the other hand, Chuan China and the Californians with the rest of the Alliance could reinforce faster their Pacific fleets due to the newly built Panama Canal...even if it was the cost of Europe and many critical theatres. Still, as long as Batavia served as an involuntary shield, this status quo would persist.
The French Admirals had different priorities in mind. If they wanted to control the North Sea completely, the Scottish land and naval forces had to be crushed quickly. In the Mediterranean, it was Habsburg Italy which was seen as the main threat against the merchant marine and the sea trade with India. In the Middle East, Oman would have to be neutralised with the help of the Ethiopians. France had the largest navy, but Louis XVII knew that in case of war, his warships were going to devour the reserves of coal at a formidable rate to extinguish all threats.
Dozens of secret war plans were made during this date, some which would never be remembered until they were declassified decades later. But with the world at the edge of the abyss, dominating the seas was primordial and nearly every government tried to be kept in the know of where the warships would be engaged the moment the situation exploded out of control. Millions more of francs, pounds, marks were poured into the steel hulls and the prospects of appeasement were ignored...
On the whole, about two years more advanced than OTL, with some areas like dirigibles more advanced and others like battleships on par with the course of our world.
Enjoy your evasion (East Indies 1895-1897)
The irregular Batavian succession of 1895 had not gone unremarked from the rest of the world. The Board of the VOC and their accomplices had managed to remove Prince Paulus without an open war, but the feelings of discontent had been noticed by the foreign observers. The Batavian Kingdom had never been the most stable nation in the world, but now its foundations were really trembling. Military and civilian production were decreasing trimester after trimester. There was not one week where no riot, insurrection or rebellion attempt was reported. The rule of William III and his friends over the theatre was getting increasingly unpopular.
In a world where the Great Powers had already chosen their sides, this kind of weakness was practically a death sentence. Furthermore, the Batavian Kingdom commanded a vital strategic area between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The straits of Singapore were a gateway to China and Japan, a possible base to ease logistics, a means to acquire the raw resources of the East Indies. And these were just the first points which came to mind. In the minds of the generals and admirals of the great alliance systems, the Batavian barrier had to pass under their control. And to break the Pact without a costly war, they needed a sovereign at the top favourable to their goals.
The European Union intervention in the Batavian troubles was incredibly limited. They had no ally or colony in range of Java, Borneo and Sumatra. Their agents could promise gold and weapons, but those took time to come from half a world away. As for military support, the prospect of Dresden or Warsaw sending volunteers in the East Indies was never a real possibility.
The Central Alliance planners were far more active and ambitious. Hundreds of soldiers had already been garrisoning the Sultanate of Brunei but 1896 saw this force multiplied six times in effectives, the surplus infantry and the supplies coming from California, the Carolinas and the UPNG. At the same time, a special cadre was trained. These elite forces would have the difficult task to infiltrate Timor and free King Paulus, legitimate monarch of the Batavian Kingdom. The Central Alliance agents had several high-ranked Batavians officers in their service – though none on Timor itself – and if Paulus was freed, they all guaranteed a prompt uprising to get rid of the VOC.
As classified archives would reveal decades later, the French diplomats had proposed a similar plan to Paris but it had been shot down by Louis XVII and a large majority of his senior advisors. It was true France could have organised a rescue easily: French Antipodea was not far from Timor and the Batavian Navy was not a real threat for the Entente. Modern battleships outclassed by a large margin the ironclads-cruisers forming the core of the VOC naval assets. But King Louis XVII had no intention to remove an antagonistic monarch and replace him by an unknown persona. Perhaps King Paulus would be a better king than King William III. It was likely the newly freed sovereign would be in their debt. But there was no certainty that once the current crisis was past, Batavia would stay an ally of the Entente. Besides, the French spies at Batavia all confirmed how fragile the kingdom’s social structure was. There was a high probability the Batavian Kingdom would not survive one more decade.
Therefore the French plans, supported by their Bengali allies, were to profit a maximum of the Batavian weakness and undermine the entire realm before the first shot was sounded. Intense propaganda efforts were made in Sumatra, with a decidedly pro-Aceh tone and the final goal of restoring ‘the Good Sultan’ his legitimate lands. In order to achieve this, the Sumatra Liberation Army (or SLA) was created, swelling the ranks of the rebels with thousands of new recruits. An unofficial blockade was put in place by the VOC officials to make sure the potential insurgents were not armed with foreign weapons but the generalised corruption of their officer corps and the lack of morale resulted in the ‘blockade’ leaking like a sieve. Two French ship captains pushed the temerity to the creation of very real military bases on the island of Nias. At the same time, contact was established with Princess Ingrid of Batavia. Unlike her cadet brother and her cousins (some who were quite dead by now) the eldest child of William II had been almost forgotten. The Board of the VOC had been men-only and these merchant-princes had more or less banned women from all position of power. Of course, it meant Princess Ingrid could not give them any significant support, military or otherwise, but it was fine for the emissaries of Paris: they could not promise the Queen’s new kingdom would be as large and extensive as the current one. Consequently, while the Batavian government attention was fixed on Brunei and Sumatra, the efforts of Queen Ingrid’s faction on Celebes were dismissed as paranoiac nonsense.
As the months of 1897 passed, every side – save the VOC and King William III – could congratulate their agents and affirm in front of their allies that soon, the Batavian Kingdom would be theirs. And then everything unravelled. Prince Paulus before his arrest had been popular, and several officers had anonymously declared there would be a sizeable sum paid for his escape. No one had been crazy enough to make an organised attempt however. The prison of Timor where the Prince was imprisoned was in the interior of the island, out of reach for a rapid amphibious landing. And the VOC Board had placed a heavy garrison of seven hundred soldiers around it. A conventional escape had very few chances to succeed and it was why the UPNG soldiers would storm the island. But on August 25 1897, a week before they were ready to act, the impossible happened. Timor was under attack.
At first the Granadan rescue force believed the French were behind this attack but to their consternation it wasn’t the case. The attackers were men of the Republic of the Cape, led by the Governor’s eldest son, Theodore Roosevelt. The South African adventurer was somehow famous in certain African circles. Theodore was a famous of animals and men, killing everything from antelopes to hyenas and enjoying the reputation of a fearless commander. The young Roosevelt was a Colonel in the regular Cape army, and his cavalry regiment the famous ‘Savannah Riders’ had fought many battles in the African colonial wars, mainly against Portuguese or English counterparts. Anyway, rumours of recompense and the sheer difficulty of the task had stirred the blood of Theodore Roosevelt. The Cape was heavily isolated on the world stage and freeing a King would go a long way in diverting the eyes of the world away from his home country. Receiving the permission of his superiors for this insane adventure – the Cape generals probably hoped the young fool would die there – Roosevelt sailed away with five hundred men, all volunteers.
The Batavian soldiers supposed to defend bravely Kupang against any conceivable threat were sleeping when the ruthless Cape veterans cut their throat in the middle of the night. The assault of the prison was even more one-sided. Facing a terrible mass of men throwing them the heads of the Kupang garrison, the defenders were target practises for the South African snipers. In three days, Theodore Roosevelt accomplished the impossible and freed Prince Paulus. Unfortunately, the UPNG wasn’t about to let this valuable noble fall into enemy hands. The initial plan was scrapped and the Central Alliance soldiers already infiltrated on Timor ambushed the Savannah Riders. The battles were of an extreme violence and countless Kupang civilians perished in the crossfire. The Californians and Granadans were technically victorious at the end of the day, but the victory was completely hollow. Theodore Roosevelt had escaped with three hundred of his men and two ships, despite the Alliance outnumbering him nearly three-to-one. They had Prince-King Paulus...well, they had his corpse. And it was full of UPNG-made bullets.
Needless to say, this bloodshed was an act of war impossible to refute. But as the news of what had happened on Timor arrived to the ears of William III, the world had already begun its descent into the abyss.
The great conflict millions of men and women had thought would never happen was about to start...
The irregular Batavian succession of 1895 had not gone unremarked from the rest of the world. The Board of the VOC and their accomplices had managed to remove Prince Paulus without an open war, but the feelings of discontent had been noticed by the foreign observers. The Batavian Kingdom had never been the most stable nation in the world, but now its foundations were really trembling. Military and civilian production were decreasing trimester after trimester. There was not one week where no riot, insurrection or rebellion attempt was reported. The rule of William III and his friends over the theatre was getting increasingly unpopular.
In a world where the Great Powers had already chosen their sides, this kind of weakness was practically a death sentence. Furthermore, the Batavian Kingdom commanded a vital strategic area between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The straits of Singapore were a gateway to China and Japan, a possible base to ease logistics, a means to acquire the raw resources of the East Indies. And these were just the first points which came to mind. In the minds of the generals and admirals of the great alliance systems, the Batavian barrier had to pass under their control. And to break the Pact without a costly war, they needed a sovereign at the top favourable to their goals.
The European Union intervention in the Batavian troubles was incredibly limited. They had no ally or colony in range of Java, Borneo and Sumatra. Their agents could promise gold and weapons, but those took time to come from half a world away. As for military support, the prospect of Dresden or Warsaw sending volunteers in the East Indies was never a real possibility.
The Central Alliance planners were far more active and ambitious. Hundreds of soldiers had already been garrisoning the Sultanate of Brunei but 1896 saw this force multiplied six times in effectives, the surplus infantry and the supplies coming from California, the Carolinas and the UPNG. At the same time, a special cadre was trained. These elite forces would have the difficult task to infiltrate Timor and free King Paulus, legitimate monarch of the Batavian Kingdom. The Central Alliance agents had several high-ranked Batavians officers in their service – though none on Timor itself – and if Paulus was freed, they all guaranteed a prompt uprising to get rid of the VOC.
As classified archives would reveal decades later, the French diplomats had proposed a similar plan to Paris but it had been shot down by Louis XVII and a large majority of his senior advisors. It was true France could have organised a rescue easily: French Antipodea was not far from Timor and the Batavian Navy was not a real threat for the Entente. Modern battleships outclassed by a large margin the ironclads-cruisers forming the core of the VOC naval assets. But King Louis XVII had no intention to remove an antagonistic monarch and replace him by an unknown persona. Perhaps King Paulus would be a better king than King William III. It was likely the newly freed sovereign would be in their debt. But there was no certainty that once the current crisis was past, Batavia would stay an ally of the Entente. Besides, the French spies at Batavia all confirmed how fragile the kingdom’s social structure was. There was a high probability the Batavian Kingdom would not survive one more decade.
Therefore the French plans, supported by their Bengali allies, were to profit a maximum of the Batavian weakness and undermine the entire realm before the first shot was sounded. Intense propaganda efforts were made in Sumatra, with a decidedly pro-Aceh tone and the final goal of restoring ‘the Good Sultan’ his legitimate lands. In order to achieve this, the Sumatra Liberation Army (or SLA) was created, swelling the ranks of the rebels with thousands of new recruits. An unofficial blockade was put in place by the VOC officials to make sure the potential insurgents were not armed with foreign weapons but the generalised corruption of their officer corps and the lack of morale resulted in the ‘blockade’ leaking like a sieve. Two French ship captains pushed the temerity to the creation of very real military bases on the island of Nias. At the same time, contact was established with Princess Ingrid of Batavia. Unlike her cadet brother and her cousins (some who were quite dead by now) the eldest child of William II had been almost forgotten. The Board of the VOC had been men-only and these merchant-princes had more or less banned women from all position of power. Of course, it meant Princess Ingrid could not give them any significant support, military or otherwise, but it was fine for the emissaries of Paris: they could not promise the Queen’s new kingdom would be as large and extensive as the current one. Consequently, while the Batavian government attention was fixed on Brunei and Sumatra, the efforts of Queen Ingrid’s faction on Celebes were dismissed as paranoiac nonsense.
As the months of 1897 passed, every side – save the VOC and King William III – could congratulate their agents and affirm in front of their allies that soon, the Batavian Kingdom would be theirs. And then everything unravelled. Prince Paulus before his arrest had been popular, and several officers had anonymously declared there would be a sizeable sum paid for his escape. No one had been crazy enough to make an organised attempt however. The prison of Timor where the Prince was imprisoned was in the interior of the island, out of reach for a rapid amphibious landing. And the VOC Board had placed a heavy garrison of seven hundred soldiers around it. A conventional escape had very few chances to succeed and it was why the UPNG soldiers would storm the island. But on August 25 1897, a week before they were ready to act, the impossible happened. Timor was under attack.
At first the Granadan rescue force believed the French were behind this attack but to their consternation it wasn’t the case. The attackers were men of the Republic of the Cape, led by the Governor’s eldest son, Theodore Roosevelt. The South African adventurer was somehow famous in certain African circles. Theodore was a famous of animals and men, killing everything from antelopes to hyenas and enjoying the reputation of a fearless commander. The young Roosevelt was a Colonel in the regular Cape army, and his cavalry regiment the famous ‘Savannah Riders’ had fought many battles in the African colonial wars, mainly against Portuguese or English counterparts. Anyway, rumours of recompense and the sheer difficulty of the task had stirred the blood of Theodore Roosevelt. The Cape was heavily isolated on the world stage and freeing a King would go a long way in diverting the eyes of the world away from his home country. Receiving the permission of his superiors for this insane adventure – the Cape generals probably hoped the young fool would die there – Roosevelt sailed away with five hundred men, all volunteers.
The Batavian soldiers supposed to defend bravely Kupang against any conceivable threat were sleeping when the ruthless Cape veterans cut their throat in the middle of the night. The assault of the prison was even more one-sided. Facing a terrible mass of men throwing them the heads of the Kupang garrison, the defenders were target practises for the South African snipers. In three days, Theodore Roosevelt accomplished the impossible and freed Prince Paulus. Unfortunately, the UPNG wasn’t about to let this valuable noble fall into enemy hands. The initial plan was scrapped and the Central Alliance soldiers already infiltrated on Timor ambushed the Savannah Riders. The battles were of an extreme violence and countless Kupang civilians perished in the crossfire. The Californians and Granadans were technically victorious at the end of the day, but the victory was completely hollow. Theodore Roosevelt had escaped with three hundred of his men and two ships, despite the Alliance outnumbering him nearly three-to-one. They had Prince-King Paulus...well, they had his corpse. And it was full of UPNG-made bullets.
Needless to say, this bloodshed was an act of war impossible to refute. But as the news of what had happened on Timor arrived to the ears of William III, the world had already begun its descent into the abyss.
The great conflict millions of men and women had thought would never happen was about to start...
This anticlimax
, we should make an AH of this event :rofl: The South African seems to use well the infiltrations tactic, they seems very dangerous opponents
This anticlimax
The South African seems to use well the infiltrations tactic, they seems very dangerous opponents
Thanks!
Yeah, though these South Africans are of course an elite unit. Not every regiment of the Cape army is as gifted
And now a little sum-up of the forces in presence on the eve of the Great War:
Alliances blocks:
Grande Entente:
Kingdom of France, Empire of Russia, Satsuma Shogunate, Wu China, Sultanate of Aceh, Kingdom of Bengal, Tsardom of Transylvania, Kingdom of Dutch Germany, Grand Duchy of Westphalia, Republic of Ireland, Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Portugal, Holy Empire of Spain, Ethiopian Empire, Republic of Delaware, the Republic of Chile
Central Alliance:
Chuan China, Empire of Chosen, United Provinces of New Granada, Californian Republic, Peruvian Republic, Republic of the Carolinas, Persian Empire, Tokugawa Shogunate, Sultanate of Brunei, Sultanate of Oman, Kingdom of Denmark, Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Habsburg Italy, Louisianan Republic
Batavian Pact
Batavian Kingdom, Empire of Annam, Kingdom of Burma
European Union
Kingdom of Poland, Empire of Saxony, Dual Republic of Hungary-Austria, Republic of Serbia, Republic of Finland, Kingdom of Scotland, Empire of New Spain
Slaver’s Alliance:
Consulate of New Virginia, Directorate of Florida, Republic of the Cape
Non-aligned:
Kingdom of Greece, Ottoman Empire, Republic of North Italy, Princedom of Monaco, Kingdom of Madagascar, Republic of Australasia
Neutrals:
Republic of Albania, Republic of Sweden, Bavarian Republic, Swiss Republic, Duchy of Liechtenstein, Republic of Maryland, Tibet, Afghan Empire
Disputed:
Blanquist Directorate
Alliances blocks:
Grande Entente:
Kingdom of France, Empire of Russia, Satsuma Shogunate, Wu China, Sultanate of Aceh, Kingdom of Bengal, Tsardom of Transylvania, Kingdom of Dutch Germany, Grand Duchy of Westphalia, Republic of Ireland, Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Portugal, Holy Empire of Spain, Ethiopian Empire, Republic of Delaware, the Republic of Chile
Central Alliance:
Chuan China, Empire of Chosen, United Provinces of New Granada, Californian Republic, Peruvian Republic, Republic of the Carolinas, Persian Empire, Tokugawa Shogunate, Sultanate of Brunei, Sultanate of Oman, Kingdom of Denmark, Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Habsburg Italy, Louisianan Republic
Batavian Pact
Batavian Kingdom, Empire of Annam, Kingdom of Burma
European Union
Kingdom of Poland, Empire of Saxony, Dual Republic of Hungary-Austria, Republic of Serbia, Republic of Finland, Kingdom of Scotland, Empire of New Spain
Slaver’s Alliance:
Consulate of New Virginia, Directorate of Florida, Republic of the Cape
Non-aligned:
Kingdom of Greece, Ottoman Empire, Republic of North Italy, Princedom of Monaco, Kingdom of Madagascar, Republic of Australasia
Neutrals:
Republic of Albania, Republic of Sweden, Bavarian Republic, Swiss Republic, Duchy of Liechtenstein, Republic of Maryland, Tibet, Afghan Empire
Disputed:
Blanquist Directorate
And the fact that their oponents weren't that good to begin with helped.
Vive La France!!!
En avant pour la Grande Victoire!!! Que nos Ennemis tremble devant nos Armées!!!
On another note, I'm hoping the treacherous louisiana finally get what is coming for it
Also, what is the state of French territories in French South America and Australia?
Edit: Still not enough Blue on this map...
En avant pour la Grande Victoire!!! Que nos Ennemis tremble devant nos Armées!!!
On another note, I'm hoping the treacherous louisiana finally get what is coming for it
Also, what is the state of French territories in French South America and Australia?
Edit: Still not enough Blue on this map...
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