I was wondering if anyone would catch that little easter egg! Surprise was a real 28 gun frigate however so I think I can get away with using it.
Alyska. A kingdom of ice and Iron.
- Thread starter Count of Crisco
- Start date
Devestation
Anglo-Alyskan war.
1806-1807
Anglo-Alyskan war.
1806-1807
The British force under Commodore Wilson arrived in the Pacific on the fifth of October 1806 and immediately encountered their first alyskan vessels when they seized and burned the small Alyskan whaling outpost in Patagonia. Six vessels were sunk in this attack and almost fifty people killed. Afterwards the British force split and set sail in several different directions while the Tigre, Amphion and Surprise continued to Alyska. Over the next four months the Medusa, Glasgow and Coventry would capture over sixty Alyskan merchant ships between them while Surprise took six, Amphion four and even Tigre managed to take two whaling vessels as she made her way north.
Upon arriving off Posadka in the middle of February the bitter winter caused some trouble for the British force, which soon became stuck in the harbor by ice. However Wilson was able to defeat the small Alyskan navy and capture the Yakaterina fort which guarded the harbour entrance. With the guns of the fort Wilson demanded to speak with king Peter. Peter was forced to agree to meet and on the twenty fifth of February he and Commodore Wilson had a meeting in which Wilson demanded that Peter relinquish all claims over the Pacific except where Alyskan whalers had bases established.
Peter signed the treaty of Posadka on the first of March and Wilson agreed to withdraw his forces from Alyskan waters as soon as the ice melted and his ships could leave the harbor. Which he did on the fifteenth of April. A further part of the treaty had also relinquished control over the Columbia river to Britain and Wilson made a brief visit to the area to plant a British flag and inform the few Alyskan settlers in the area about their change of nationality. He then set a course for the Indies and arrived their by the seventeenth of October 1807, just over a year since first arriving in Alyskan territory.
The repercussions of what was viewed as a failure on the part of king Peter would be far reaching as soon public support for him evaporated, as the economic results of the war began to be felt public opinion shifted to violence and soon mobs had appeared around Posadka. Forcing Peter to flee the city in favor of his estates in Opolzen. The army was left to declare martial law in Posadka and other Russian speaking cities while the south to was beset by turmoil thanks to the destruction of a large part of their economy. Here the public was less violent. And were thus more easily contained.
Collapse of the Monarchy
Peter would die when his bodyguard turned on him just outside the town of Zuringorod on the Eden, killing him on the fifteenth of November. His son Willhelm would initially proclaim himself king from Opolzen. However he shared unpopularity with the people with his late father and lacked the support of the army. The army which in the vacuum created by the kings death began to fight amongst themselves for power and control over various cities in the north. Some of these men, colonel Kurdishnolev in particular, would hold considerable support amongst the people and large bodies of armed men. It looked for some time as if a warring states period could break out in Alyska as the Assembly struggled to hold any sway over the army and most of the populace due to their perceived support of the monarchy. Colonel Kurdishnolev had taken over Posadka following the withdrawal of the king and according to some orchestrated the assassination of the king. He had managed to gain the support of the cities people early on and expand his influence to nearby settlements as far as Weston. He quickly became the largest landholder in the Russian provinces and although still claiming loyalty to the monarchy he refused to recognize Wilhelm as king in Opolzen, although the latter made several attempts to woo him and even wrote him several letters.
In the south the situation was somewhat different. Peter had never held the sort of control he had wielded in the north here and the Forum, with its speaker generaal Ryker managed to maintain a decent hold over the region. Various factions failing to emerge due to a strong control being exerted from the Forum. News of Peters death reached Novoyal Amsterdam and Williamstat only on the second of February 1808 and the appropriate response for the kings death was a topic of hot debate in the Forum. One faction supported Wilhelm in Opolzen, while another supported independence from the north. While yet a third faction supported the declaration of a republic for all of Alyska.
Rumbles for the Republic
The Forum was not alone in their calls for a republic to replace the monarchy. In fact ever since the formation of the kingdom a sizeable number of the Assembly had called for just such a thing. As well as much of the population which looked to emulate the United States and France. The republican faction of the Forum gained significant support in the south, especially as the other two parties were seen as either highly conservative, or radical in the eyes of many. However support in the north was more difficult as many of the generals felt that would mean they would loose their power in the region. Virtually the only supporter for a republic was Kurdishnolev who had since the nations independence called for the monarchy to be replaced by a republic, though one very different from the American or French models. Kurdishnolev would write regularly to the southern Dutch and English provinces about forming a republic. Even pledging his support to such a government, provided some demands of his were met and that broad regional independence of each region was allowed. He wanted as weak a central government as possible with local states permitted to field their own armies, mint their own currency, have their own laws and taxation. Generally the only thing he wished for from the central government was to deal with the world at large. Being responsible for representing the nation on the world stage, making treaties and establishing trade relationships.
His views were widely supported by many in the south who wished to preserve the general independence of the south in any new government created but were unwilling to split entirely with the Russian speaking north. Kurdishnolev managed to gain much support in the Forum and in June of 1808 drafted a basic outline for the functioning of the proposed Republic for ratification by the Forum. He also worked feverishly to unite the north behind the idea of a republic. He saw the fighting then taking place as incredibly harmful to the nation and wished to see it end. With almost herculean efforts he managed to calm the fighting and once more called an Assembly in Posadka to weigh in on forming a republic.
So a shortish update, next week will focus on the actual manner in which this proposed Alyskan republic will be governed. Really this was a difficult one to write as I had a lot of ideas, but felt like I could not adequately explain. In the future if I get a suitable itch I may go back and change a few things around with this and a few of the past updates just to make it a little more interesting and detailed.
Alyskan first republic.
1809-1830
Following some difficult negotiation the Assembly managed to draft an outline for a constitution which formed three primary branches of government in a manner broadly similar to the method in which the United States was governed. With an Executive, Legislative and Judicial branch existing in the forms of the President, National Assembly and High court. However there the similarities ended as practically all real power was granted to local provincial rulers in the form of the nobles in the north, while the Forum continued to wield considerable authority in the south. Its Grootste Spreker, or high speaker, even having similar powers to the president. In essence the north and south existed under two broadly differing governments. The north under the so called время раздора, or era of discord, while the south existed under what has been called after the fact as the first republic. Thus there was a major difference between how the government that was agreed upon and formed in 1809 and how things actually functioned.
1809-1830
Following some difficult negotiation the Assembly managed to draft an outline for a constitution which formed three primary branches of government in a manner broadly similar to the method in which the United States was governed. With an Executive, Legislative and Judicial branch existing in the forms of the President, National Assembly and High court. However there the similarities ended as practically all real power was granted to local provincial rulers in the form of the nobles in the north, while the Forum continued to wield considerable authority in the south. Its Grootste Spreker, or high speaker, even having similar powers to the president. In essence the north and south existed under two broadly differing governments. The north under the so called время раздора, or era of discord, while the south existed under what has been called after the fact as the first republic. Thus there was a major difference between how the government that was agreed upon and formed in 1809 and how things actually functioned.
The Constitution.
Formed primarily through input from Kurdishnolev and his supporters the 1808 constitution gave the greatest possible independence to each of the provinces, twenty five of which existed in total at this time. Seven in the south, five Dutch and two British, and eighteen in the north, all under the control of various former military commanders who were by posthumous order of the late king granted noble titles and given large estates to run. Some members of the Dutch aristocracy were similarly bestowed with titles of nobility, while a system for attaining noble titles such as knight, baron, count and viscount were provided. The creation of the nobility elevated many of the oldest and richest families in Alyska to noble rank, initially however such titles carried little formal weight to them. There being no distinction in politics over those of noble and non noble standing.
Nobility had existed in Alyska before this, with Catherine II being especially fond of conferring titles of nobility to various Alyskans. And even some second or third sons of high ranking Russian nobles being sent away to Alyska with a title. However those who held such titles were rare and possessed little actual power to go along with their rank. In many cases those who held titles dating from the Imperial era had them confirmed and carried over to the new government. While even Wilhelm in Opolzen would receive the title of Duke of Opolzen in luie of becoming the next king.
The most lasting effect of the 1808 Constitution was the elimination of serfs and slaves from Alyskan society. The system of Serfs had been carried over by wealthy Russian settlers, who brought men and women with them when they settled in Alyska to work their lands and tend to their estates. Under Russian rule and the Kingdom these serfs held little in the way of rights, and by law were not allowed to be capable of reading. Slavery to existed in a small scale in the Dutch and British provinces. Some men and women being brought over from India to work in the spice plantations. Natives also were forced into bondage. Although the Alyskan slavery was by any measure far less harsh than slavery in the Caribbean or American south. Slaves, like serfs in the north, were barred from schools and prohibited from learning to read or write.
Aside from the abolishon of both slavery and indentured servitude the constitution of 1808 accomplished little, serving more to legalize the near feudal rule in the north and make the south independent in all but name. There was a significant disconnect between the way the document claimed the nation should work, and the way in which the government actually worked in practice. With the constitution being rewritten, or straight up ignored on a number of occasions when it did not suite the whims of those running the nation.
President.
For the first time in Alyskan history the title of President found its way into political use. Assumed for a period of two years, with yearly elections held within the national Assembly to determine the next president, the title held little other than symbolic weight as the leader of the nation. The president could suggest policy and was tasked with planning a government budget, but could do little else in peace. In war his role became more formal as the position became the leader of the nations armed forces. Tasked with prosecuting a war with whoever the nation happened to be fighting. However outside of war breaking out he held very little power and as soon as fighting was over his power was stripped by the Assembly.
National Assembly.
Largest and most important of the branches of government outlined under the constitution the Assembly was radically reformed from the days of the kingdom or Russian Imperial era. Comprised of representatives from each Province and city its role was to act as a place for differences to be discussed, policy decided and matters of import determined. Any bills or plans submitted by the president were also to be discussed here. In practice however the Assembly, which conveyed but twice a year accomplished little. Serving merely to provide a place for the various people representing each province and city to loudly declare their superiority and decry the actions of their neighbors. With the exception of Dutch representatives which often did not even attend.
High Court.
Tasked with deciding legal cases involving two or more provincial court systems the high court was intended to act as a councillor to lesser courts and a place where the president could push through some policies without interference from the assembly. However the high court was more often than not sidelined completely from politics and law. Its decisions and rulings having little effect in determining anything other than who bemoaned their very existence at what time and for how long. Its members appointed by the president this body often served as a place where he appointed potential allies as a way of gaining favor. Its members served at the pleasure of the president and often times when a new election was held the first thing done was to dismiss the currently sitting court and fill it with new men. Meaning that the body had very little staying power in any form.
Army.
Under the control of the president Alyska maintained a standing army under the first republic. With an active force in 1810 of a mere five thousand men split into five separate regiments it was not much of a force and in wartime would need to be supplemented by the provincial militias which by mandate were formed. In peacetime its primary mission was to ensure that the Japanese cities remained in line. Beating down any uprisings before they could become major concerns. It was funded by a special tax on shipping and river transport rather than a national tax. Surprisingly given its limited role and small size the force was very well equipped. Its supply being provided almost entirely by the Posadka and Novoya Amsterdam Arsenals which manufactured powder, rifles, shot, uniforms, artillery, boots, gathered provisions and tested new kit regularly. Enlistment was for two years for a footsoldier and three for a cavalry man. Officers were trained at the Yakaterina military Academy in Posadka or the Williamstat academy of military sciences. Officers served at their leisure and the force quickly became a place where second and third sons could earn some distinction and wealth of their own.
Navy.
Junior of the two service branches the navy was funded entirely by the southern provinces through the Forum. Following the British invasion faith in the organization had been lost by many. While the fact that many of those who formed the members of the Assembly were former officers in the army gave the navy a degree of hostility and lack of interest. Only the Dutch provinces, with their significant sea borne trade with Europe, China and the United States had any interest in the navy. While many Russian nobles felt that the whaling fleet based in Posadka did not need any protection in the Pacific.
Using arsenals and shipyards in Williamstad and Novoya Amsterdam the navy carried out an ambitious expansion plan in 1810 which aimed to construct four heavy frigates of fifty guns and eight smaller vessels of thirty eight or forty guns. Fifteen sloops of twenty guns were also authorised alongside the construction of fifty gunboats of twenty tons and armed with a pair of forty pound long guns. Officers to man these ships were hired from Britain. Following the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars when these ships were entering service this was an easy thing to do as the Royal Navy was massively downsizing the number of ships under its command. Leaving many officers on half pay and with little prospect of future commands and advancements in rank.
In peacetime the navy tasked itself with the protection of seaborne trade and the communications lines between the north and south. The Japanese cities being located unfortunately right between the two parts of the republic. The sea thus being the primary way in which the two parts of the nation communicated and traded. In wartime the force was to combat pirates and enemy warships as they entered the pacific ocean and gulf of Alyska itself. Hopefully delaying the enemy long enough to give the army suitable time to amasse its own forces to confront them as they landed on the beaches.
Formed primarily through input from Kurdishnolev and his supporters the 1808 constitution gave the greatest possible independence to each of the provinces, twenty five of which existed in total at this time. Seven in the south, five Dutch and two British, and eighteen in the north, all under the control of various former military commanders who were by posthumous order of the late king granted noble titles and given large estates to run. Some members of the Dutch aristocracy were similarly bestowed with titles of nobility, while a system for attaining noble titles such as knight, baron, count and viscount were provided. The creation of the nobility elevated many of the oldest and richest families in Alyska to noble rank, initially however such titles carried little formal weight to them. There being no distinction in politics over those of noble and non noble standing.
Nobility had existed in Alyska before this, with Catherine II being especially fond of conferring titles of nobility to various Alyskans. And even some second or third sons of high ranking Russian nobles being sent away to Alyska with a title. However those who held such titles were rare and possessed little actual power to go along with their rank. In many cases those who held titles dating from the Imperial era had them confirmed and carried over to the new government. While even Wilhelm in Opolzen would receive the title of Duke of Opolzen in luie of becoming the next king.
The most lasting effect of the 1808 Constitution was the elimination of serfs and slaves from Alyskan society. The system of Serfs had been carried over by wealthy Russian settlers, who brought men and women with them when they settled in Alyska to work their lands and tend to their estates. Under Russian rule and the Kingdom these serfs held little in the way of rights, and by law were not allowed to be capable of reading. Slavery to existed in a small scale in the Dutch and British provinces. Some men and women being brought over from India to work in the spice plantations. Natives also were forced into bondage. Although the Alyskan slavery was by any measure far less harsh than slavery in the Caribbean or American south. Slaves, like serfs in the north, were barred from schools and prohibited from learning to read or write.
Aside from the abolishon of both slavery and indentured servitude the constitution of 1808 accomplished little, serving more to legalize the near feudal rule in the north and make the south independent in all but name. There was a significant disconnect between the way the document claimed the nation should work, and the way in which the government actually worked in practice. With the constitution being rewritten, or straight up ignored on a number of occasions when it did not suite the whims of those running the nation.
President.
For the first time in Alyskan history the title of President found its way into political use. Assumed for a period of two years, with yearly elections held within the national Assembly to determine the next president, the title held little other than symbolic weight as the leader of the nation. The president could suggest policy and was tasked with planning a government budget, but could do little else in peace. In war his role became more formal as the position became the leader of the nations armed forces. Tasked with prosecuting a war with whoever the nation happened to be fighting. However outside of war breaking out he held very little power and as soon as fighting was over his power was stripped by the Assembly.
National Assembly.
Largest and most important of the branches of government outlined under the constitution the Assembly was radically reformed from the days of the kingdom or Russian Imperial era. Comprised of representatives from each Province and city its role was to act as a place for differences to be discussed, policy decided and matters of import determined. Any bills or plans submitted by the president were also to be discussed here. In practice however the Assembly, which conveyed but twice a year accomplished little. Serving merely to provide a place for the various people representing each province and city to loudly declare their superiority and decry the actions of their neighbors. With the exception of Dutch representatives which often did not even attend.
High Court.
Tasked with deciding legal cases involving two or more provincial court systems the high court was intended to act as a councillor to lesser courts and a place where the president could push through some policies without interference from the assembly. However the high court was more often than not sidelined completely from politics and law. Its decisions and rulings having little effect in determining anything other than who bemoaned their very existence at what time and for how long. Its members appointed by the president this body often served as a place where he appointed potential allies as a way of gaining favor. Its members served at the pleasure of the president and often times when a new election was held the first thing done was to dismiss the currently sitting court and fill it with new men. Meaning that the body had very little staying power in any form.
Army.
Under the control of the president Alyska maintained a standing army under the first republic. With an active force in 1810 of a mere five thousand men split into five separate regiments it was not much of a force and in wartime would need to be supplemented by the provincial militias which by mandate were formed. In peacetime its primary mission was to ensure that the Japanese cities remained in line. Beating down any uprisings before they could become major concerns. It was funded by a special tax on shipping and river transport rather than a national tax. Surprisingly given its limited role and small size the force was very well equipped. Its supply being provided almost entirely by the Posadka and Novoya Amsterdam Arsenals which manufactured powder, rifles, shot, uniforms, artillery, boots, gathered provisions and tested new kit regularly. Enlistment was for two years for a footsoldier and three for a cavalry man. Officers were trained at the Yakaterina military Academy in Posadka or the Williamstat academy of military sciences. Officers served at their leisure and the force quickly became a place where second and third sons could earn some distinction and wealth of their own.
Navy.
Junior of the two service branches the navy was funded entirely by the southern provinces through the Forum. Following the British invasion faith in the organization had been lost by many. While the fact that many of those who formed the members of the Assembly were former officers in the army gave the navy a degree of hostility and lack of interest. Only the Dutch provinces, with their significant sea borne trade with Europe, China and the United States had any interest in the navy. While many Russian nobles felt that the whaling fleet based in Posadka did not need any protection in the Pacific.
Using arsenals and shipyards in Williamstad and Novoya Amsterdam the navy carried out an ambitious expansion plan in 1810 which aimed to construct four heavy frigates of fifty guns and eight smaller vessels of thirty eight or forty guns. Fifteen sloops of twenty guns were also authorised alongside the construction of fifty gunboats of twenty tons and armed with a pair of forty pound long guns. Officers to man these ships were hired from Britain. Following the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars when these ships were entering service this was an easy thing to do as the Royal Navy was massively downsizing the number of ships under its command. Leaving many officers on half pay and with little prospect of future commands and advancements in rank.
In peacetime the navy tasked itself with the protection of seaborne trade and the communications lines between the north and south. The Japanese cities being located unfortunately right between the two parts of the republic. The sea thus being the primary way in which the two parts of the nation communicated and traded. In wartime the force was to combat pirates and enemy warships as they entered the pacific ocean and gulf of Alyska itself. Hopefully delaying the enemy long enough to give the army suitable time to amasse its own forces to confront them as they landed on the beaches.
Okay so a brief description of the formation of the new government, explaining the new nobility (I can do an update including how this works if anyone wants) and how the different parts of the government work. I had intended to include a map of the provinces. But for those of you who had followed this TL for awhile it will be no surprise that it is taking me longer than I thought to make the map. Hopefully it will be included next week.
They will have a part. But British colonization was never as full bore as Dutch. And still again nothing compared to the russians who settled large numbers of people in their colonies.
Collectively yes. Although both the japanese and Tlingit live in city states with at most a few ten thousand people. So the Alyskan nation has a larger population than any one city but not the whole population of non Europeans. Of that makes sense.
Okay update from my phone. My internet went down Sunday. I called Monday and the internet company said they can fix my problem after Christmas. But they gave no timeframe as to when this will be.
So I am stuck without internet for awhile. No update tomorrow and given my service providers track record possibly no update next week either. Sorry.
So I am stuck without internet for awhile. No update tomorrow and given my service providers track record possibly no update next week either. Sorry.
So internet is back up and everything. However I had some time the past week and worked out something I would very much like to try.
The TL I feel has been rambling a bit lately. Partially this is due to lack of preplanning on my part. I generally have a rough idea of how I want updates to go, and I know clearly how Alyskan history will play out, but when I write an update I tend just write until I think the update is done. Also I have a lot of other projects going on, plus this TL is constantly evolving and changing. By this point the way I had intended Alyskan history to go is radically different from when I started writing it.
My solution basically involves starting a new thread and going over Alyskan history all over again. Hopefully keeping a quicker and less rambly pace. I want to plan things out a little better and hopefully from the start work out some maps for the world and region. If things go well I will even take up some side things. Like histories of other nations involved. Or even notable people, like Alyskan generals, kings, etcetera.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for the new timeline please share them here and I will post an update when I get the first part of the new timeline out.
The TL I feel has been rambling a bit lately. Partially this is due to lack of preplanning on my part. I generally have a rough idea of how I want updates to go, and I know clearly how Alyskan history will play out, but when I write an update I tend just write until I think the update is done. Also I have a lot of other projects going on, plus this TL is constantly evolving and changing. By this point the way I had intended Alyskan history to go is radically different from when I started writing it.
My solution basically involves starting a new thread and going over Alyskan history all over again. Hopefully keeping a quicker and less rambly pace. I want to plan things out a little better and hopefully from the start work out some maps for the world and region. If things go well I will even take up some side things. Like histories of other nations involved. Or even notable people, like Alyskan generals, kings, etcetera.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for the new timeline please share them here and I will post an update when I get the first part of the new timeline out.