PROLOGUE
-PROLOGUE-
It was a normal morning, the morning of July the 14th, in 1861. But, to Oskar Becker, it was his last morning. Camping out in the town of Baden-Baden, he knew that he would use what might be his last breaths to brighten the future of a nation, of a people long divided. The Russian-born German, attending Leipzig University for about two years, was wary of the future of the German states.
Becker was a revolutionary that believed that Germany would one day be united, and that the policies of upcoming Emperor Wilhelm did not reflect this future.
Wilhelm, King of Prussia, had been in the spa-town for relaxation purposes. He had, on the morning of the 14th, been on a morning stroll, and had crossed paths with Prussia's ambassador in Baden, Count Albert von Flemming, and the two decided to walk together.
A few minutes beyond this point, King Wilhelm and Count Flemming walk by one Mr. Becker, who greeted them as politely as any young German man did, and stood aside as they walked.
Three paces. The two men took three paces, before there was the sound of two gunshots, and then there was one man left.
The King of Prussia took an awkward, clumsy step forward, making eye contact with Oskar Becker, and then fainted, blood beginning to stain the ground around him.
Calmly, politely, Oskar confessed to Count Flemming that he had shot the King, as a crowd formed around them.
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1024px-Baden-Baden_Lichtenthaler_Allee_Attentat_a_d_pr_K%C3%B6nig_14-07-1861_%28IZ_37%29.jpg

Artist's depiction of the Assassination of King Wilhelm of Prussia.
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The King of Prussia was escorted to a local gardener for first aid, but it was discovered that his rescue was too late, and the shot too fatal: the King of Prussia died that day, changing the face of history herself.

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Author's Notes:
Well, hello! My second timeline on this website, based on a conjunction of two or so timeline ideas I've had. Most of the information provided is historically accurate to real life, ignoring the assassination attempt being successful. In this alternate history, Becker is killed on the spot, but in our real history, he was simply exiled for his attempts of assassination, and spent his days in Chicago and then Alexandria, Egypt, where he died. This will be done in a different style to my other timeline, Brandenburg, in that it will be set up as a timeline of events which may eventually lead to the modern day (as opposed to the modern-retrospect approach in my first, and still ongoing, timeline). I will just state that, for the record, don't expect this timeline to be too hard alt-hist, there's going to definitely be many elements that are unrealistic and not plausible, but I hope that the timeline will be enjoyed regardless!
-Bennett
 
Alright, got a bit of my chronology mixed up a bit:
Wilhelm was King of Prussia, he had just not been officially crowned as such yet. My apologies!
 
CHAPTER 1
-CHAPTER 1: THE MORAL KING-
With the death of his father, it became the responsibility of Frederick III to adopt the Crown of Prussia. Unlike his more moderate father, Frederick III was a staunch liberal, corresponding heavily to the political leanings of the Prussian House of Representatives. Keeping his father's election to Prime Minister, the liberal Prince Karl Anton in power, Frederick III began the slow and arduous process of the Unification of Germany. Although some politicians moved for conquering and subjugation of German statelets into Prussia (at the time called "blood and iron" policies), Frederick III proposed "moral conquests," based in diplomacy, dignity, and peace overall. Following the reactionary era of Prussia ending, it seemed only fair that a new, liberal king came to rule a more liberal nation.
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220px-Oskar_Begas_Kronprinz_Friedrich_Wilhelm_von_Preu%C3%9Fen_1867.jpg

Painting of King Frederick III
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220px-The_Family_of_Crown_Prince_and_Crown_Princess_Frederick_William_of_Prussia.jpg

Frederick III, his wife, the British princess Victoria, and their two kids in 1862.

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The Prussian House of Representatives, though little information about their numbers in the Year of the Two Kings exists, roughly were numbered as the following:
aau prus hor 1861.png

The parties of the seats are unknown, and they weren't recorded at this point because of their limited role in the Prussian government. The Landtag's real power base was in it's conservative House of Lords, which consisted almost entirely on royals and nobles. This dwarfed the importance of the people, who were represented based solely on how many taxes they paid the state (the three-class franchise, or the Dreiklassenwahlrecht system). However, Frederick III made promises of reform following being crowned, proclaiming change in the Prussian constitution would pass within years of him entering his reign; of importance for later, Frederick III also proposed a formal alliance between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Prussia. And, with the aid and help of his PM, Karl Anton, both of these goals were plausible.
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220px-Karl_Anton_von_Hohenzollern.jpg

Prime Minister, and Prince of Hohenzollern, Karl Anton; he was brought into office during King Wilhelm's reign as regent for his ill brother. King Frederick III, a fellow liberal, opted to keep him in office.

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Author's Notes:

Well, here's what technically constitutes as the first chapter! And, this is also the chapter where we'll probably start moving into medium alternate history: not too hard, not too soft. That alliance with Britain will be somewhat important later on, or something to that effect. I hope any who read this chapter enjoyed it, and I'm well aware that my writing's way too short. It's always been a problem of mine, so I'll attempt to work on that for now. There will be no world-map for awhile, since history's continuing fairly normally for now, minus for Prussia. I hope my minimally-researched understanding of the Prussian Landtag wasn't too off-putting or incorrect!
Have a good day,
Bennett!
 
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