1749
Rio Plata, New Spain
Despite Governor Cajigal's attempts to broker a peaceful solution between the ill-defined southern border of the Portuguese and Spanish Empires, his proposal to hand over inland territory under Spanish control in exchange for the Portuguese withdrawal of their Colonia de Sacramento along the northern shore of the Rio Plata Region would be rejected. In truth, six months travel by sea between Buenos Aires and Madrid may as well have been six years for the speed news reached him. It seemed an equitable solution to the border conflict. Cajigal would only years later learn that, oddly, the holdup was related to the Jesuit missions spread across the disputed territories. The Jesuits were the only people whom could control the Guarani peoples of the region and they maintained much influence in Spain (despite the Jesuits being effectively run out of the Portuguese government by the Minister of State, the Marquis of Pombal).
Apparently, the deal was scuttled by a shift in power among King Ferdinand's Ministers in Madrid. The pro-Jesuit Marquis of Ensenada had apparently outmaneuvered his personal enemy at Court, Jose de Carvajal by providing Ferdinand IV with evidence that the Anglo-file Carvajal was conspiring with the British Ambassador. A Franco-phile himself, Ensenada would not miss his mark in painting Carvajal's entire party as traitors....PROTESTANT-leaning Traitors, at that.
Carvajal was removed from office and arrested, though eventually released by order of the King. However, his influence was dead and many of his supporters were expelled from government, replaced by Ensenada's. This would lead to a gradual reapproachment of the French and Spanish Bourbon branches over the next five years.
As a pro-Jesuit, the order would see....less....oppression by the government. Like most other Catholic countries of the 18th century, the remarkable wealth and power of the Jesuits would be coveted by monarchs. Falling out of favor with the Vatican as well, the order would swiftly be removed of former influence. Ensenada would cancel the proposed land-swap in South America based on objections from the Order that the distinctly anti-Jesuit Portuguese Minister of State would no doubt confiscate all Jesuit property in the disputed area.
On the whole, the entire episode of modest border conflict in the New World seemed unimportant. But it would have remarkable consequences.
1749
Colony of Georgia, British Empire
After Governor Oglethorpe, the abolitionist founder of the colony of Georgia, finally departed the moribund colony for home after a full decade away from Britain, the calls for institution of slavery began to spring up. There seemed no natural reason why Georgia withhold such a vital developmental tool being used to such gain in South Carolina.
Oddly, it was a revivalist preacher from England named George Whitefield which was stirring up the majority of the problems. He came to see slavery as a divine institution and, with his unparalleled power of speech, would encourage thousands of Georgian settlers to agree. Having preached to literally millions of people over the past decades (he estimated he'd given 15,000 or so sermons or speeches), Whitefield was the foremost orator of his day. Only his deep religious convictions kept him from a life in politics (as deep spiritual beliefs were often considered a negative in the public realm).
Indeed, over the past several weeks, he'd preached throughout the colony that slavery was good and great. Unfortunately, one day he preached this in the wrong place. Several runaway slaves from South Carolina caught the end of one of his speeches, waited for him to retire for the evening and then entered his house and murdered him.
Then, they burned the house to the ground. By the time, the locals reacted, the slaves had vanished again, this time fleeing even further south to the Indian tribes of Spanish Florida.
The entire episode would make it to England. What horrified the aging Oglethorpe the most was the fact that someone was daring to challenge his "pure" colony with the stench of slavery. A wealthy man, Oglethorpe would offer free transport to Quakers and other peoples opposed to the institution to the shores of Georgia. While they represented only a few thousand people over the next few years, this would be enough to forestall the movement to enact slavery in Georgia.
1755
Berlin
King Frederick II knew damned well the Habsburg Bitch would not let well enough alone. With the new treaty bonding France (Prussia's historical ally), Russia and Austria, there seemed little doubt that Prussia was being targeted. Outnumbered by these realms 30 to 1, the lightly populated (but well protected by a fine army) state would potentially face annihilation if the three powers would truly direct their forces upon the geographically vulnerable Kingdom of Prussia.
Frederick opted to take up the Englishman's offer for alliance. "The Englishman" was the Duke of Newcastle, the powerbroker of the British Parliamentary system. For years, Prussia and Britain had been at odds due to Frederick coveting the Electorate of Hanover, another domain ruled by King George II of Britain.
Now he realized that the British-Hanoverians were the least of his problems. He needed an ally...and the British were the only volunteers. While they didn't offer much in the way of an army, they could at least pay for a force of mercenaries hired from the Holy Roman Empire (usually Protestant princes).
The treaty was easy enough to sign. However, Frederick believed that he may have to strike first before the Habsburg Bitch consolidated her forces and those of her allies to reclaim Silesia, the rich and populous province taken in the War of Austrian Succession. Maria Theresa wanted it back in the worst way and plainly would not stop until she broke the Hohenzollern Kingdom.
No, Frederick must act first.
1755
Lisbon, the Royal Ribeira Palace
King Jose I of Braganza was getting tired of listening to his daughter (and heiress') complaints. Jose was not a bright or particularly dynamic man but he knew enough to see that Portugal was rotting, falling far being the rest of Europe (even Spain!) over the past century in technological and economic development. Fortunately, his chose Minister of State, Pombal, had a plan. He would seize the massive Jesuit estates in Portugal and Brazil (as many Catholic rulers were doing) for the government treasury, close down the convents and abbeys and use the wealth to modernize the country.
As it was, the colony of Brazil was already more populous and certainly more wealthy than the mother country. Despite spending the past quarter millennium as arguably the top trading nation in the world, Portugal had little to show for it. The nation was poor and backward, exceptional in nothing, utterly dependent upon the colonies rather than the other way around.
His daughter, now twenty one, was utterly under the spell of her Jesuit confessors and constantly harangued the King to reinstitute the power of the Jesuits. In her last episode, Maria had decried Pombal as a tempter sent by Satan to steal the King's soul. If the King did not amend his ways, he would be struck down by the hand of God.
This was quite enough for King Jose and he ordered his daughter from his sight until she learned to behave. Already twenty-one, he would have thought Maria would have grown up by now.
The King sighed and ordered in Pombal. The man had probably heard every word. At least he had the good grace to keep a straight face at his daughter's histrionics.
Princess Maria would depart the fine Ribeira Palace with her priests in tow. Her confessors was comforting her by stating God knew his enemies and would not allow the repression of the Jesuits to continue.
That was when the ground started shaking.
Within minutes, the city of Lisbon was collapsing. Tsunamis battered the shores and great fires spread inland as thousands of buildings fell upon their foundations. Later it was estimated that nearly a quarter of the city's population died in the Great Earthquake of 1755...including King Jose I and his Minister Pombal as their fine palace crushed them under thousands of tons of stone.
