A Plethora of Princes (10) - Realignments
- Thread starter Grey Wolf
- Start date
Part 7
So, what do we have in the 1870s ?
UPCA reconquered by the USA, installation of a puppet
Acceptance of the Republic of Yucatan's independence by the USA
Revitalisation of Imperial China
Resolution to the Klondike Crisis by negotiation
Radical dominance in Paris, over King Louis Philippe II
Piedmont-Sardinia on the offensive in Italy upon Umberto I's accession, 1879
Death of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein in 1880 - seems to portend an attempt by Prussia to take direct control, to take advantage of Austria's difficulties in Italy
Sherman's election to the presidency in 1880 also portends a new world...
Grey Wolf
So, what do we have in the 1870s ?
UPCA reconquered by the USA, installation of a puppet
Acceptance of the Republic of Yucatan's independence by the USA
Revitalisation of Imperial China
Resolution to the Klondike Crisis by negotiation
Radical dominance in Paris, over King Louis Philippe II
Piedmont-Sardinia on the offensive in Italy upon Umberto I's accession, 1879
Death of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein in 1880 - seems to portend an attempt by Prussia to take direct control, to take advantage of Austria's difficulties in Italy
Sherman's election to the presidency in 1880 also portends a new world...
Grey Wolf
Part 8 - Spain, Portugal and Brazil
Areas that haven't been touched on enough - what has happened in Iberia, and in Brazil ?
After the 1830s which saw Miguel win the civil war in Portugal, and through his aid Carlos V win the civil war in Spain, there has not been much mention of either.
A look at the royal dynasties will give some picture :-
In Spain, King Carlos V dies in 1855. He is succeeded by his eldest (of 3) sons, King Charles VI who was born in 1818.
OTL this Carlos VI had a difficult life, and died in 1861 after a failed expedition to Spain. He also died childless though he was married to Princess Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, daughter of Francesco I, sister of Ferdinando II and aunt of Francesco II. In the ATL this certainly looks like a viable marriage, but it seems more likely that given a stable existence Carlos VI would both have lived longer and have had children. Thus, for the ATL, I have him still reigning in 1880 (he would be only in early 60s) and with a son, also named Carlos to succeed him.
Spain's position is not too dis-similar from OTL. Its remained outside the major European events, had some troubles with parts of its empire, especially Cuba, and in 1871 offered haven to Confederate refugees after the American Civil War, some of whom settled in Cuba, others of whom found their way back to Spain.
In Portugal, King Miguel reigned until 1866, when he passed away. In OTL he married late, in exile, and beget children only in the 1850s. This seems an unlikely course of events for a reigning monarch. Intriguingly, he was pledged initially to marry his niece, the daughter of his older brother Pedro I of Brazil (she was only 7 IIRC, but they did that kind of thing then, lol). After he claimed the throne for himself, Pedro recalled her then led a civil war in Portugal in her name. OTL this civil war was won due in a large part to British naval help. In the ATL this was not forthcoming and the civil war was won by Miguel. In OTL, Miguel made some efforts to get his niece back to marry, between her recall and Pedro's launching of a civil war, but Pedro was vehemently against it. However, Pedro I died in 1834. For want of a better plot (and reckoning this is a pretty good one !), I have Miguel make overtures to the Regents of Brazil in the wake of Pedro's death and secure Maria as his wife. They then go on to have several children, the oldest son of which inherits the throne as Miguel II in 1866.
For Brazil, in OTL Pedro I's abdication in 1831left his 5 year old son as Emperor Pedro II and thus brought about a long regency. In the ATL, I have Pedro I remain on the scene until 1834 (his OTL year of death) and perhaps never abdicate, or return from losing the Portuguese civil war and retake his throne until his death. Pedro II is thus only 9 when his father dies, and thus there is a long regency in the ATL anyway. As stated above, pressure from Miguel's Portugal sees his sister depart to be Miguel's queen. Pedro II will eventually come out of the Regency in 1841 (aged 16) and rule in his own name. He is still on the throne in 1880 (the current year that the ATL is abutting)
Pedro II had a son born in 1845, Afonso Pedro who in OTL died in 1848. In this ATL he survives as Prince Imperial of Brazil, and thus secures the succession for Pedro II.
Brazil has not fought an exhausting war as in OTL (the Triple Alliance War) and although smarting from being warned off by the British in the early 1860s, and viewing the Younger Lopez's Paraguay with some alarm (Jesuit Paraguay Gigante had claims to Brazil's Mato Grosso province which Lopez raises from time to time), by 1880 they have seen a long period of peaceful development. There are pressures, most notably from the USA with the emancipation of slaves there, and the settlement of communities of freed slaves in the US vassal United Provinces of Central America. But until the election of Sherman in 1880, the USA is tending to look more to other parts of the world than to South America.
As a footnote, Afonso Pedro's sister Isabel Cristina born in 1846, married in OTL Gaston d'Orleans, son of Prince Louis of Orleans. In the ATL Prince Louis is King of Belgium but he has his OTL wife in Viktoria of Saxe-Coburg, and thus Gaston can be rationalised into existence. If Isabel Cristina had been Pedro II's heir as per OTL there is no way this marriage would have taken place, but given that Afonso Pedro is being allowed to live (!) in this ATL, it seems a nice exotic touch to have a Brazilian princess head off to Europe to be the wife of the heir to the Belgian throne !
Grey Wolf
Areas that haven't been touched on enough - what has happened in Iberia, and in Brazil ?
After the 1830s which saw Miguel win the civil war in Portugal, and through his aid Carlos V win the civil war in Spain, there has not been much mention of either.
A look at the royal dynasties will give some picture :-
In Spain, King Carlos V dies in 1855. He is succeeded by his eldest (of 3) sons, King Charles VI who was born in 1818.
OTL this Carlos VI had a difficult life, and died in 1861 after a failed expedition to Spain. He also died childless though he was married to Princess Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, daughter of Francesco I, sister of Ferdinando II and aunt of Francesco II. In the ATL this certainly looks like a viable marriage, but it seems more likely that given a stable existence Carlos VI would both have lived longer and have had children. Thus, for the ATL, I have him still reigning in 1880 (he would be only in early 60s) and with a son, also named Carlos to succeed him.
Spain's position is not too dis-similar from OTL. Its remained outside the major European events, had some troubles with parts of its empire, especially Cuba, and in 1871 offered haven to Confederate refugees after the American Civil War, some of whom settled in Cuba, others of whom found their way back to Spain.
In Portugal, King Miguel reigned until 1866, when he passed away. In OTL he married late, in exile, and beget children only in the 1850s. This seems an unlikely course of events for a reigning monarch. Intriguingly, he was pledged initially to marry his niece, the daughter of his older brother Pedro I of Brazil (she was only 7 IIRC, but they did that kind of thing then, lol). After he claimed the throne for himself, Pedro recalled her then led a civil war in Portugal in her name. OTL this civil war was won due in a large part to British naval help. In the ATL this was not forthcoming and the civil war was won by Miguel. In OTL, Miguel made some efforts to get his niece back to marry, between her recall and Pedro's launching of a civil war, but Pedro was vehemently against it. However, Pedro I died in 1834. For want of a better plot (and reckoning this is a pretty good one !), I have Miguel make overtures to the Regents of Brazil in the wake of Pedro's death and secure Maria as his wife. They then go on to have several children, the oldest son of which inherits the throne as Miguel II in 1866.
For Brazil, in OTL Pedro I's abdication in 1831left his 5 year old son as Emperor Pedro II and thus brought about a long regency. In the ATL, I have Pedro I remain on the scene until 1834 (his OTL year of death) and perhaps never abdicate, or return from losing the Portuguese civil war and retake his throne until his death. Pedro II is thus only 9 when his father dies, and thus there is a long regency in the ATL anyway. As stated above, pressure from Miguel's Portugal sees his sister depart to be Miguel's queen. Pedro II will eventually come out of the Regency in 1841 (aged 16) and rule in his own name. He is still on the throne in 1880 (the current year that the ATL is abutting)
Pedro II had a son born in 1845, Afonso Pedro who in OTL died in 1848. In this ATL he survives as Prince Imperial of Brazil, and thus secures the succession for Pedro II.
Brazil has not fought an exhausting war as in OTL (the Triple Alliance War) and although smarting from being warned off by the British in the early 1860s, and viewing the Younger Lopez's Paraguay with some alarm (Jesuit Paraguay Gigante had claims to Brazil's Mato Grosso province which Lopez raises from time to time), by 1880 they have seen a long period of peaceful development. There are pressures, most notably from the USA with the emancipation of slaves there, and the settlement of communities of freed slaves in the US vassal United Provinces of Central America. But until the election of Sherman in 1880, the USA is tending to look more to other parts of the world than to South America.
As a footnote, Afonso Pedro's sister Isabel Cristina born in 1846, married in OTL Gaston d'Orleans, son of Prince Louis of Orleans. In the ATL Prince Louis is King of Belgium but he has his OTL wife in Viktoria of Saxe-Coburg, and thus Gaston can be rationalised into existence. If Isabel Cristina had been Pedro II's heir as per OTL there is no way this marriage would have taken place, but given that Afonso Pedro is being allowed to live (!) in this ATL, it seems a nice exotic touch to have a Brazilian princess head off to Europe to be the wife of the heir to the Belgian throne !
Grey Wolf
Some more on South America
I'm trying to work out what happens next ! Peru and Bolivia are pretty much unchanged by events (though I guess Peru hasn't fought its war with Spain over birdshit), and though Chile is negatively affected by the establishment of the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia in the 1860s I don't think it will have been thrown off its OTL course all that much. This combination appears to offer us a way into OTL's War of the Pacific.
But it will be fought in a different environment, but also in an environment different from the previous war in South America.
Hmmm, OTL 1848 France banned slavery throughout its empire (main effect being in Senegal). In the ATL that hasn't happened, a situation which was exacerbated by French support for the Confederacy whilst Radical Britain backed the Union. But 1876 saw a Radical uprising in Paris force a more liberal constitution on Louis Philippe II. Hence, surely one of the first acts of the Radical administration (apart from denouncing the Protocols of Saint Petersburg) is to follow the US Radicals' lead and ban slavery. This could therefore lead to a rapprochement between Britain, France and the USA. all in agreement on this issue, and have it even more in the forefront than in OTL
This in turn will bring pressures to bear on Spain and on Brazil
Grey Wolf
I'm trying to work out what happens next ! Peru and Bolivia are pretty much unchanged by events (though I guess Peru hasn't fought its war with Spain over birdshit), and though Chile is negatively affected by the establishment of the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia in the 1860s I don't think it will have been thrown off its OTL course all that much. This combination appears to offer us a way into OTL's War of the Pacific.
But it will be fought in a different environment, but also in an environment different from the previous war in South America.
Hmmm, OTL 1848 France banned slavery throughout its empire (main effect being in Senegal). In the ATL that hasn't happened, a situation which was exacerbated by French support for the Confederacy whilst Radical Britain backed the Union. But 1876 saw a Radical uprising in Paris force a more liberal constitution on Louis Philippe II. Hence, surely one of the first acts of the Radical administration (apart from denouncing the Protocols of Saint Petersburg) is to follow the US Radicals' lead and ban slavery. This could therefore lead to a rapprochement between Britain, France and the USA. all in agreement on this issue, and have it even more in the forefront than in OTL
This in turn will bring pressures to bear on Spain and on Brazil
Grey Wolf
When Brazil Banned Slavery in OTL 1880's it was almost a AntiClimax
So many Slaves had run away and were living Free, that the whole institution of Slavery was Crumbling. Most of them were in the Cities, seeking work in the new Factories. No one wanted to go to the expense of rounding them up.
So many Slaves had run away and were living Free, that the whole institution of Slavery was Crumbling. Most of them were in the Cities, seeking work in the new Factories. No one wanted to go to the expense of rounding them up.