America - Albion's Orphan - A history of the conquest of Britain - 1760
- Thread starter Alt History Buff
- Start date
Spring, 1828
Bucharest
For years, the Prince of Wallachia and Princess of Moldavia had jointly ruled Transylvania until the....ahem....inheritance of their respective fathers' lands, thus allowing for the unification of the three Kingdoms into one "Romania". At last, the sickly King of Wallachia passed, leaving his Kingdom to his son. His daughter-in-law was already Queen of Moldavia.
Nobles from throughout the country would descend upon Bucharest, the capital of Wallachia, to learn of the reorganization of all three Kingdoms into one Kingdom of Romania. Though the Royal Couple had ruled Transylvania for years, Cluj was not an adequate Capital for a larger country. It was also too close to Hungary.
Thus Bucharest would be the new Capital and the Royal Couple would waste no time stamping their authority. Hardly a democracy, the nobles assumed that they would have great say in the future. However, the King and Queen moved swiftly to cut out any opposition, utilizing their immense popularity amongst the common people as a mechanism. Naturally, a few nobles were goaded into uprisings which were immediately crushed and the nobles' lands confiscated by the crown.
In order to sustain their popularity, the King and Queen would make numerous reforms to the legal code, reduced the restrictions of commerce, open up trade with several neighbors (rejected by the late King of Moldavia) and so on. That was enough for the moment though exactly how long this "honeymoon" would last was up for interpretation.
Egypt
Estimates varied as the population of Egypt, usually between 4-5 million souls. About a seventh of these were Copts (Christian Egyptians) at the start of the 19th century. By 1826, by agreement of the Khedive and the Czar, most of the Copts had been removed to the Balkans (about 250,000) or the French and Spanish West Indies (about 200,000).
The Khedive was not so foolish to risk war with Russia and jointly paid for the Copt's transport from Egypt. Whenever a mob of Muslims attacked Christians or Jews or Shi'a or Sufis....well, the Russian fleet would promptly flatten Alexandria and other port cities. The blockade was even more devastating as Egypt's economy was dependent upon foreign trade. Grains and other goods regularly left the Nile for foreign ports, ensuring a healthy balance of trade.
By 1828, the Khedive spent more time DEFENDING Christians than suppressing them. Still, they were forced from their homes and most Copts saw their property confiscated if they could not be sold and the survivors sailed up the Nile bound for hundreds of ships hired by the Russians, Egyptians, French, Spanish and assorted European Christians to transport their co-religionists away. Even Catholic and Protestant countries would offered to pay for transport.
Bound on rickety sailing ships tens of thousands would expire on board or shortly after disembarking. By 1828, the Balkan nations whom had been directed by the Czar to "Volunteer" to take in Christians as an act of charity would summon a spine and reject any further Coptic immigration (Copts were by this point the largest minority group in Greece and Bulgaria).
Russian then offered to accept some 100,000 Copts directly by offering up some of the lands formerly home to the Circassians. But only about 5000 would take up this offer.
The French and Spanish, always eager for labor, would pay for any transport to their West Indian colonies but these had a terrible reputation. Nevertheless, large numbers of Copts would board for the West Indies as the Khedive stepped up his persecution even in the face of Russian threats.
After decades of steady trickle outward, the Copts would begin a five year rush to escape Europe as the Khedive publicly announced that any Copt in Egypt which had not renounced his faith by 1833 would be executed and his wife and children....reallocated....to Muslim households.
This was enough for even the most stubborn Christian to stomach. By 1828, over 5000 Christians per month were escaping the lands their ancestors had inhabited for thousands of years. An estimated 150 ships were permanently occupied with the "rescue" of these Christians. However, the trans-Atlantic voyage was long and few of the new steam-ships would be given this task (not that they were reliable enough for constant use anyway). Thus large numbers of Copts were already starving and disease-ridden even before arriving in the West Indies or other parts of the Spanish Empire.
The ironic this was that few opted to stay in the West Indies for long. By 1830, there was an exodus of Copts (and other groups) from the West Indies as both France and Spain loosened their travel permit system and these peoples, along with Jews, Roma and others, would commence taking the relatively short voyage from the West Indian islands to the coast of British North America with greater regularity.
There was a short-lived effort to take Copts directly from Egypt to the former slave Dominions but no more than a few hundred actually took up the offer. Most preferred the hot and humid coastal belt as East Florida, West Florida, Hanover and Aethiopia were the primary destinations. American traders were common in the Caribbean with hundreds of merchant ships from American ports sailing the area with regularity. Many took up the offer of guaranteed human cargo back across the Pacific, following the Trade Winds west from the Coast of Africa to the West Indies.
True to his word, the Khedive would sullenly wait until 1833 before commencing with his massacres. By this point, virtually any Copts remaining had agreed to convert to Islam or simply didn't care if they lived or died.
Bucharest
For years, the Prince of Wallachia and Princess of Moldavia had jointly ruled Transylvania until the....ahem....inheritance of their respective fathers' lands, thus allowing for the unification of the three Kingdoms into one "Romania". At last, the sickly King of Wallachia passed, leaving his Kingdom to his son. His daughter-in-law was already Queen of Moldavia.
Nobles from throughout the country would descend upon Bucharest, the capital of Wallachia, to learn of the reorganization of all three Kingdoms into one Kingdom of Romania. Though the Royal Couple had ruled Transylvania for years, Cluj was not an adequate Capital for a larger country. It was also too close to Hungary.
Thus Bucharest would be the new Capital and the Royal Couple would waste no time stamping their authority. Hardly a democracy, the nobles assumed that they would have great say in the future. However, the King and Queen moved swiftly to cut out any opposition, utilizing their immense popularity amongst the common people as a mechanism. Naturally, a few nobles were goaded into uprisings which were immediately crushed and the nobles' lands confiscated by the crown.
In order to sustain their popularity, the King and Queen would make numerous reforms to the legal code, reduced the restrictions of commerce, open up trade with several neighbors (rejected by the late King of Moldavia) and so on. That was enough for the moment though exactly how long this "honeymoon" would last was up for interpretation.
Egypt
Estimates varied as the population of Egypt, usually between 4-5 million souls. About a seventh of these were Copts (Christian Egyptians) at the start of the 19th century. By 1826, by agreement of the Khedive and the Czar, most of the Copts had been removed to the Balkans (about 250,000) or the French and Spanish West Indies (about 200,000).
The Khedive was not so foolish to risk war with Russia and jointly paid for the Copt's transport from Egypt. Whenever a mob of Muslims attacked Christians or Jews or Shi'a or Sufis....well, the Russian fleet would promptly flatten Alexandria and other port cities. The blockade was even more devastating as Egypt's economy was dependent upon foreign trade. Grains and other goods regularly left the Nile for foreign ports, ensuring a healthy balance of trade.
By 1828, the Khedive spent more time DEFENDING Christians than suppressing them. Still, they were forced from their homes and most Copts saw their property confiscated if they could not be sold and the survivors sailed up the Nile bound for hundreds of ships hired by the Russians, Egyptians, French, Spanish and assorted European Christians to transport their co-religionists away. Even Catholic and Protestant countries would offered to pay for transport.
Bound on rickety sailing ships tens of thousands would expire on board or shortly after disembarking. By 1828, the Balkan nations whom had been directed by the Czar to "Volunteer" to take in Christians as an act of charity would summon a spine and reject any further Coptic immigration (Copts were by this point the largest minority group in Greece and Bulgaria).
Russian then offered to accept some 100,000 Copts directly by offering up some of the lands formerly home to the Circassians. But only about 5000 would take up this offer.
The French and Spanish, always eager for labor, would pay for any transport to their West Indian colonies but these had a terrible reputation. Nevertheless, large numbers of Copts would board for the West Indies as the Khedive stepped up his persecution even in the face of Russian threats.
After decades of steady trickle outward, the Copts would begin a five year rush to escape Europe as the Khedive publicly announced that any Copt in Egypt which had not renounced his faith by 1833 would be executed and his wife and children....reallocated....to Muslim households.
This was enough for even the most stubborn Christian to stomach. By 1828, over 5000 Christians per month were escaping the lands their ancestors had inhabited for thousands of years. An estimated 150 ships were permanently occupied with the "rescue" of these Christians. However, the trans-Atlantic voyage was long and few of the new steam-ships would be given this task (not that they were reliable enough for constant use anyway). Thus large numbers of Copts were already starving and disease-ridden even before arriving in the West Indies or other parts of the Spanish Empire.
The ironic this was that few opted to stay in the West Indies for long. By 1830, there was an exodus of Copts (and other groups) from the West Indies as both France and Spain loosened their travel permit system and these peoples, along with Jews, Roma and others, would commence taking the relatively short voyage from the West Indian islands to the coast of British North America with greater regularity.
There was a short-lived effort to take Copts directly from Egypt to the former slave Dominions but no more than a few hundred actually took up the offer. Most preferred the hot and humid coastal belt as East Florida, West Florida, Hanover and Aethiopia were the primary destinations. American traders were common in the Caribbean with hundreds of merchant ships from American ports sailing the area with regularity. Many took up the offer of guaranteed human cargo back across the Pacific, following the Trade Winds west from the Coast of Africa to the West Indies.
True to his word, the Khedive would sullenly wait until 1833 before commencing with his massacres. By this point, virtually any Copts remaining had agreed to convert to Islam or simply didn't care if they lived or died.
Fall, 1828
Royal Military Academy at West Point
Cadets Abraham Lincoln and his roommate Jeff Davis had become the best of friends over the past few years. Now seniors, the Cadets were looking forward to graduation after one more year. Both had been singled out as good students, no doubt to finish in the upper quarter of the class.
Their advisor and mentor was a brilliant Captain named Robert Lee. Lee was a mathematics instructor from Virginia who took to teaching the future soldiers of the nation when he found frontier garrisons to be tedious work. Recalling the monotony of his own days at the Academy, Lee sought to lighten the harsh discipline of West Point. For years, Cadets had not been allowed to leave the grounds, often for extended periods. Drilling for hours per day was reduced. The curriculum was updated to encouraged more mathematics and practical disciplines rather than Greek, Latin, History and the like. This was a military training institution, not one of the old British aristocratic finishing schools. Considered among the finest soldiers in the army, Lee was viewed as a future commandant.
As it was, Lee became quite close to the young Cadets, almost a fatherly one despite the relative closeness of their years.
The incoming class of 1828 would see a distinguished new cadet: Prince Henry, the youngest son of King Frederick.
Puebla, new capital of New Spain
The new Governor of New Spain, Tomas de Zumalacorregui, was a Basque of strong religious conviction and an iron will. Tiring of failed Generals of the past, Carlos V had ordered Zumalacorregui to the Americas to resolve the situation. What the General and new Governor found was chaos.
Not only were the breakaway "Kingdoms" of Anahuac and California still in rebellion, but even the Eastern remnants of New Spain ranged from "restive" to "rebellious". It was not even just the Indians or lower classes proving difficult. Even the colonial gentry were pressing for the crown to cede more and more authority to THEM.
Over the years, Spain had conceded much to the colonies but this was asking too much.
ZUmalacorregui feared that he was going to have to start making examples.
London, Kingdom of Wessex
Though it had taken years, King William V had managed to reconcile well enough with his neighbors for them to allow Wessex to join the British trade association. This meant lowered trade barriers for raw materials (particularly coal from Wales, copper from Cornwall and grain from the midlands, etc) and allowed the rivers and canals of Wessex to supply the hinterlands of Britain.
It was a small victory but one William had sought for years. The Pariah of Britain was slowly being accepted back into the fold.
Naples
The aging Corsican General Napoleon Bonaparte doubled over in pain. His father had died in agony due to stomach cancer or some such. Perhaps it was not the General's time. For the past several years, Bonaparte had served as the commander of the southern half of Italy, the old Kingdom of Naples. He suspected the Princess Maria Beatrice just wanted to be rid of him and sent him off to the most remote and dangerous region in Italy.
The Neapolitans had rebelled against the Spanish...but didn't seem any happier under the Princess-Regent (and Empress). But not all was poor for the General. He'd married a daughter of a local aristocrat and the woman had already produced him two male heirs with a third on the way. Plus, one of his mistresses provided a son. The House of Bonaparte would carry on.
In gratitude for his services, the Princess-Regent had made the Corsican a Duke and granted him a number of large blocks of land in Naples once belonging to the Spanish crown or Spanish administrators (and a few local Italian Bourbon supporters).
Royal Military Academy at West Point
Cadets Abraham Lincoln and his roommate Jeff Davis had become the best of friends over the past few years. Now seniors, the Cadets were looking forward to graduation after one more year. Both had been singled out as good students, no doubt to finish in the upper quarter of the class.
Their advisor and mentor was a brilliant Captain named Robert Lee. Lee was a mathematics instructor from Virginia who took to teaching the future soldiers of the nation when he found frontier garrisons to be tedious work. Recalling the monotony of his own days at the Academy, Lee sought to lighten the harsh discipline of West Point. For years, Cadets had not been allowed to leave the grounds, often for extended periods. Drilling for hours per day was reduced. The curriculum was updated to encouraged more mathematics and practical disciplines rather than Greek, Latin, History and the like. This was a military training institution, not one of the old British aristocratic finishing schools. Considered among the finest soldiers in the army, Lee was viewed as a future commandant.
As it was, Lee became quite close to the young Cadets, almost a fatherly one despite the relative closeness of their years.
The incoming class of 1828 would see a distinguished new cadet: Prince Henry, the youngest son of King Frederick.
Puebla, new capital of New Spain
The new Governor of New Spain, Tomas de Zumalacorregui, was a Basque of strong religious conviction and an iron will. Tiring of failed Generals of the past, Carlos V had ordered Zumalacorregui to the Americas to resolve the situation. What the General and new Governor found was chaos.
Not only were the breakaway "Kingdoms" of Anahuac and California still in rebellion, but even the Eastern remnants of New Spain ranged from "restive" to "rebellious". It was not even just the Indians or lower classes proving difficult. Even the colonial gentry were pressing for the crown to cede more and more authority to THEM.
Over the years, Spain had conceded much to the colonies but this was asking too much.
ZUmalacorregui feared that he was going to have to start making examples.
London, Kingdom of Wessex
Though it had taken years, King William V had managed to reconcile well enough with his neighbors for them to allow Wessex to join the British trade association. This meant lowered trade barriers for raw materials (particularly coal from Wales, copper from Cornwall and grain from the midlands, etc) and allowed the rivers and canals of Wessex to supply the hinterlands of Britain.
It was a small victory but one William had sought for years. The Pariah of Britain was slowly being accepted back into the fold.
Naples
The aging Corsican General Napoleon Bonaparte doubled over in pain. His father had died in agony due to stomach cancer or some such. Perhaps it was not the General's time. For the past several years, Bonaparte had served as the commander of the southern half of Italy, the old Kingdom of Naples. He suspected the Princess Maria Beatrice just wanted to be rid of him and sent him off to the most remote and dangerous region in Italy.
The Neapolitans had rebelled against the Spanish...but didn't seem any happier under the Princess-Regent (and Empress). But not all was poor for the General. He'd married a daughter of a local aristocrat and the woman had already produced him two male heirs with a third on the way. Plus, one of his mistresses provided a son. The House of Bonaparte would carry on.
In gratitude for his services, the Princess-Regent had made the Corsican a Duke and granted him a number of large blocks of land in Naples once belonging to the Spanish crown or Spanish administrators (and a few local Italian Bourbon supporters).
1829
Moscow
General Arkady Suvorov had spent years fighting the Imperial war against the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, pushing the Kazaks and other tribes further and further south, opening up hundreds of millions of acres of land for Russian settlers which followed the Russian Army in a mass exodus seldom witnessed in history.
However, the General was called back to the capital by the Czar himself in 1829 to defend his "conduct" in Central Asia. It wasn't clear what complaints the Czar had until Suvorov arrived. Apparently, the Czar was unhappy that the General maintained good relations with the Chinese. Suvorov had been generally aware of an incident between Chinese miners and Russian settlers in Russian America....but that resulted in a Russian slaughter of Chinese...not the other way around.
Why would the Emperor care if the Chinese were helping Russian forces in Central Asia? After all, wasn't Russian benefiting the most from the relationship?
Still, an exchange of harsh letters between the Mandarin and the Czar had lowered relations to the point that Czar Alexander no longer wanted the association to continue and determined to blame Suvorov for the undeclared regional "alliance". Irritated that the Czar would treat the man whom gained the Empire more territory than anyone in recent history, Suvorov managed a stiff response from the rebuke and promptly tendered his resignation, almost turning his back on the Emperor in his outrage.
Days later, the Czar summoned Suvorov back to his offices to apologize as much as a Czar does apologize but the damage was done. Suvorov thanked the Czar for his words and reiterated his desire to "retire". Exasperated, the Czar accepted this and rewarded the General for his years of service in lands, a few trinkets (gold medals and the such) and a new title to Suvorov's already large collection.
Suvorov politely thanked the Czar in a cold tone and took his leave as quickly as he felt he could without be arrested.
In the meantime, General Ivan Paskevich, whom had kept the peace for a generation in the Caucasus with the Muslim majority, would be replaced as well.
In short order, both Suvorov and Paskevich would be supplanted by more violent and ruthless men.
Throughout the 1830's, the pressure upon the plains Turks of Central Asia would take the tone of mass slaughter. Similarly, the Dagostanis and other Muslim peoples of the Cauacasus would soon face the terror of the Russian Armies. Only those peoples like the Chechyans (still mainly practicing animism) and the Buddhist Kalmyks would be spared. Most tribesmen would be pushed further and further south into Persia, still a client state of Russia.
Santa Fe
As Sam Houston expected by 1829, a General arrived in Santa Fe. However, to his surprise, Zachary Taylor was not there to replace him but "advise" him. Of course, no actual additional troops had arrived with Taylor to supplement the remnants of the 20th of Foot.
If Houston wondered how much His Majesty cared about the violent incidents in Russian America, California and Anahuac, this more or less verified the truth.
Apparently, Manhattan cared very little indeed.
The Hudson River
King Frederick's rheumatism was acting up. He was finally starting to feel his age. Still, he managed to take his wife and family north up the Hudson to his summer retreat. His youngest son was able to get leave from West Point (as the King's "recommendation").
Prince Henry was escorted by two friends he had made, freshly minted Lieutenants Davis and Lincoln, both on leave themselves to visit family before taking up their commissions in the field. Naturally, the King and Queen insisted that both young officers stay a few weeks on the sprawling Royal estate, something they could hardly refuse.
Thus the two country bumkins were treated to a Royal reception, both grateful that the nation provided uniforms worthy of being seen in the presence of the King. Neither man owned civilian clothes suitable for court (though Davis had some minor family funds, the strapped Lincoln had not a penny to his name).
First Lord William Steuban Smith retained his office despite repeated losses in Parliament. Some called this a "Constitutional Crisis" and recommendations were made to amend the political system in one way or another.
Moscow
General Arkady Suvorov had spent years fighting the Imperial war against the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, pushing the Kazaks and other tribes further and further south, opening up hundreds of millions of acres of land for Russian settlers which followed the Russian Army in a mass exodus seldom witnessed in history.
However, the General was called back to the capital by the Czar himself in 1829 to defend his "conduct" in Central Asia. It wasn't clear what complaints the Czar had until Suvorov arrived. Apparently, the Czar was unhappy that the General maintained good relations with the Chinese. Suvorov had been generally aware of an incident between Chinese miners and Russian settlers in Russian America....but that resulted in a Russian slaughter of Chinese...not the other way around.
Why would the Emperor care if the Chinese were helping Russian forces in Central Asia? After all, wasn't Russian benefiting the most from the relationship?
Still, an exchange of harsh letters between the Mandarin and the Czar had lowered relations to the point that Czar Alexander no longer wanted the association to continue and determined to blame Suvorov for the undeclared regional "alliance". Irritated that the Czar would treat the man whom gained the Empire more territory than anyone in recent history, Suvorov managed a stiff response from the rebuke and promptly tendered his resignation, almost turning his back on the Emperor in his outrage.
Days later, the Czar summoned Suvorov back to his offices to apologize as much as a Czar does apologize but the damage was done. Suvorov thanked the Czar for his words and reiterated his desire to "retire". Exasperated, the Czar accepted this and rewarded the General for his years of service in lands, a few trinkets (gold medals and the such) and a new title to Suvorov's already large collection.
Suvorov politely thanked the Czar in a cold tone and took his leave as quickly as he felt he could without be arrested.
In the meantime, General Ivan Paskevich, whom had kept the peace for a generation in the Caucasus with the Muslim majority, would be replaced as well.
In short order, both Suvorov and Paskevich would be supplanted by more violent and ruthless men.
Throughout the 1830's, the pressure upon the plains Turks of Central Asia would take the tone of mass slaughter. Similarly, the Dagostanis and other Muslim peoples of the Cauacasus would soon face the terror of the Russian Armies. Only those peoples like the Chechyans (still mainly practicing animism) and the Buddhist Kalmyks would be spared. Most tribesmen would be pushed further and further south into Persia, still a client state of Russia.
Santa Fe
As Sam Houston expected by 1829, a General arrived in Santa Fe. However, to his surprise, Zachary Taylor was not there to replace him but "advise" him. Of course, no actual additional troops had arrived with Taylor to supplement the remnants of the 20th of Foot.
If Houston wondered how much His Majesty cared about the violent incidents in Russian America, California and Anahuac, this more or less verified the truth.
Apparently, Manhattan cared very little indeed.
The Hudson River
King Frederick's rheumatism was acting up. He was finally starting to feel his age. Still, he managed to take his wife and family north up the Hudson to his summer retreat. His youngest son was able to get leave from West Point (as the King's "recommendation").
Prince Henry was escorted by two friends he had made, freshly minted Lieutenants Davis and Lincoln, both on leave themselves to visit family before taking up their commissions in the field. Naturally, the King and Queen insisted that both young officers stay a few weeks on the sprawling Royal estate, something they could hardly refuse.
Thus the two country bumkins were treated to a Royal reception, both grateful that the nation provided uniforms worthy of being seen in the presence of the King. Neither man owned civilian clothes suitable for court (though Davis had some minor family funds, the strapped Lincoln had not a penny to his name).
First Lord William Steuban Smith retained his office despite repeated losses in Parliament. Some called this a "Constitutional Crisis" and recommendations were made to amend the political system in one way or another.
1830
Puebla
Throughout the first few months of his term as governor of New Spain, Tomas de Zumalacorregui would spend most of his time in two tasks:
1. Placating the increasingly shrill colonial gentry (whom, to his mind, had benefited most from the crown control over the years) demanding more and more authority including virtually all placemen positions and military commissions. As he'd rarely seen such a useless collection of manhood, the governor flatly refused to consider this.
2. He sought to effectively recolonize the desolated Mexican Valley (and much of the Central Mexican Plateau).
In both cases, he failed miserably. The constant friction between Anahuac and Spanish "settlers" (re: raiders) kept perhaps the richest region of New Spain (or Anahuac as that nation also claimed the region) from being exploited. The population of the plateau had already dropped by 80% (estimated as no census could possibly take place). It did not seem likely that the region would be returned to productivity any time soon.
As it was, the people of Anahuac were having their own problems and were hardly in a position to contest the region. The true plagues of the Valley of Mexico were the brigands.
Guadalajara
So terrible were the economic times that the utterly bankrupt government of Anahuac were forced to extreme measures to raise funds in order to maintain the powder supply of their army. The young King's advisors repeatedly pointed out that very little in the way of exports were being sent abroad. By 1830, the greatest export was corn sent to the miners of California and Russian America. This hardly was enough to sustain an army which had long since given up on being paid and instead had devolved into a defacto militia with volunteer officers and "soldiers" who came and went as they pleased.
This was the Kingdom's sole defense and the Anahuacans were certain that it was only a matter of time until the Crown of Spain dispatched forces suitable to reconquer Anahuac...and probably California...and, who knews? Perhaps even Russian America or parts of British North America. This was the hold that the old Empire had on the Anahuacan psyche.
An impoverished land which had few of the blessings (silver, etc) of New Spain, Anahuac was quite certain that their days were numbered without an infusion of capital to keep the government and army in some semblance of existence.
The new American Ambassador to Anahuac, a man named Joel Poinsett, would offer a solution. The American King, Poinsett explained, desired an outlet to the Pacific. Rumors of American follies against the Russians, Californians and Indians of northern Anahuac no doubt dampened this enthusiasm.
Poinsett, a clever and multi-talented man, saw the weakness of Anahuac and recommended a potential solution. In exchange for a large sum of money, would the King of Anahuac be willing to sell his "brother" Frederick the lands of the northern regions, from the southern areas of the Sonora desert to the Gulf of California. America desired an outlet to the Pacific so King Frederick's merchants may trade with China and the western coast of the Americas.
Santa Fe
Already, in just one winter, Sam Houston was getting tired of his "comrade" Zachary Taylor whom he was starting to view as a buffoon. Still, Houston remained in command and a few hundred replacements for the men lost to the 20th Infantry (and now 7th Cavalry) regiment would arrive replenish his forces.
Humiliated, the General had been forced to write letters which even he viewed as whiny excuse-making pleas which placed blame for the fiascos of the previous years upon those of his subordinates whom vastly overstepped their authority. That this was true did not make Houston feel any less contemptable.
At least Houston had the pleasure of seeing his old adjutant Abraham Lincoln return from the Royal Academy of West Point, this time trained in whatever people were trained in there. Houston suspected incredibly useful skills like Latin and Ancient Greek, plus some marching around for hours at a time in the Academy yards.
But Lincoln seemed happy enough with his placement to this remote and desolate place and brought along his old friend from West Point Jefferson Davis. As it turned out, a small social group formed in Santa Fe between the senior officers and their families (Taylor would bring his wife and children with him while Houston had remarried over the previous winter to a widow with four daughters aged 12 to 18).
It turned out that both young offers became much taken with Taylor's 16 year old daughter, Sarah Knox Taylor. Little could it be expected that the slim and pretty girl would break up this close friendship in the coming years.
Puebla
Throughout the first few months of his term as governor of New Spain, Tomas de Zumalacorregui would spend most of his time in two tasks:
1. Placating the increasingly shrill colonial gentry (whom, to his mind, had benefited most from the crown control over the years) demanding more and more authority including virtually all placemen positions and military commissions. As he'd rarely seen such a useless collection of manhood, the governor flatly refused to consider this.
2. He sought to effectively recolonize the desolated Mexican Valley (and much of the Central Mexican Plateau).
In both cases, he failed miserably. The constant friction between Anahuac and Spanish "settlers" (re: raiders) kept perhaps the richest region of New Spain (or Anahuac as that nation also claimed the region) from being exploited. The population of the plateau had already dropped by 80% (estimated as no census could possibly take place). It did not seem likely that the region would be returned to productivity any time soon.
As it was, the people of Anahuac were having their own problems and were hardly in a position to contest the region. The true plagues of the Valley of Mexico were the brigands.
Guadalajara
So terrible were the economic times that the utterly bankrupt government of Anahuac were forced to extreme measures to raise funds in order to maintain the powder supply of their army. The young King's advisors repeatedly pointed out that very little in the way of exports were being sent abroad. By 1830, the greatest export was corn sent to the miners of California and Russian America. This hardly was enough to sustain an army which had long since given up on being paid and instead had devolved into a defacto militia with volunteer officers and "soldiers" who came and went as they pleased.
This was the Kingdom's sole defense and the Anahuacans were certain that it was only a matter of time until the Crown of Spain dispatched forces suitable to reconquer Anahuac...and probably California...and, who knews? Perhaps even Russian America or parts of British North America. This was the hold that the old Empire had on the Anahuacan psyche.
An impoverished land which had few of the blessings (silver, etc) of New Spain, Anahuac was quite certain that their days were numbered without an infusion of capital to keep the government and army in some semblance of existence.
The new American Ambassador to Anahuac, a man named Joel Poinsett, would offer a solution. The American King, Poinsett explained, desired an outlet to the Pacific. Rumors of American follies against the Russians, Californians and Indians of northern Anahuac no doubt dampened this enthusiasm.
Poinsett, a clever and multi-talented man, saw the weakness of Anahuac and recommended a potential solution. In exchange for a large sum of money, would the King of Anahuac be willing to sell his "brother" Frederick the lands of the northern regions, from the southern areas of the Sonora desert to the Gulf of California. America desired an outlet to the Pacific so King Frederick's merchants may trade with China and the western coast of the Americas.
Santa Fe
Already, in just one winter, Sam Houston was getting tired of his "comrade" Zachary Taylor whom he was starting to view as a buffoon. Still, Houston remained in command and a few hundred replacements for the men lost to the 20th Infantry (and now 7th Cavalry) regiment would arrive replenish his forces.
Humiliated, the General had been forced to write letters which even he viewed as whiny excuse-making pleas which placed blame for the fiascos of the previous years upon those of his subordinates whom vastly overstepped their authority. That this was true did not make Houston feel any less contemptable.
At least Houston had the pleasure of seeing his old adjutant Abraham Lincoln return from the Royal Academy of West Point, this time trained in whatever people were trained in there. Houston suspected incredibly useful skills like Latin and Ancient Greek, plus some marching around for hours at a time in the Academy yards.
But Lincoln seemed happy enough with his placement to this remote and desolate place and brought along his old friend from West Point Jefferson Davis. As it turned out, a small social group formed in Santa Fe between the senior officers and their families (Taylor would bring his wife and children with him while Houston had remarried over the previous winter to a widow with four daughters aged 12 to 18).
It turned out that both young offers became much taken with Taylor's 16 year old daughter, Sarah Knox Taylor. Little could it be expected that the slim and pretty girl would break up this close friendship in the coming years.
Quebec - 315,000
Montreal - 205,000
Nova Scotia - 105,000
Charlottia (New Brunswick, former Acadia west of the Isthmus of Chignecto) - 75,000
Newfoundland - 48,000
Vermont (including the contested Hampshire Grants and the western portion of the former district of Maine under the colony of Massachusetts) - 510,000
Sagadahock (formerly the eastern portion of the district of Maine under the colony of Massachusetts) - 110,000
Massachusetts - 520,000
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations - 210,000
Connecticut - 258,000
New York - 910,000
Long Island -270,000
Manhattan - 155,000
New Jersey 260,000
Pennsylvania - 1,000,000
Delaware - 252,000
Maryland - 465,000
Virginia - 710,000
Kanawha (West Virginia) - 250,000
North Carolina 385,000
Catabwa (West North Carolina) - 156,000
South Carolina - 300,000
Wateree (West South Carolina) - 105,000
Georgia - 257,000
West Florida (South Alabama, South Mississippi and Florida Panhandle) - 155,000
Mississauga (Peninsular Ontario) - 112,000
Maumee (Western Kentucky) 255,000
Shawnee (Eastern Kentucky) - 205,000
Westsylvania (Western Pennsylvania) - 208,000
Watauga (Eastern Tennessee) - 255,000
Tennessee (Western Tennessee) - 200,000
Hanover (Louisiana) - 250,000
Caledonia (Parts of Northern Texas and Oklahoma) - 200,000
Aethiopia (Southern Texas and parts of northeast Mexico) - 300,000
Arkansas - 150,000
Miami (OTL Indiana) - 200,000
Ohio (Most of OTL Ohio) - 400,00
Michigan (Lower Peninsula) - 100,000
East Florida and the Bahama Islands (Florida minus Panhandle) - 100,000
Indiana (northern Mississippi and Alabama) - 200,000
Chicago (Illinois) - 50,000
Assorted British North American Territories (not yet Dominions) - 175,000
Hudson (Northern Ontario)
Marquette (Wisconsin)
Cappadocia
Belgica
Thracia
Lusitania
Aquitania
Hiberia
Mauretania
Cilicia
Pannonia
Iceni
Dobunni
Denendeh
Baetica
Montreal - 205,000
Nova Scotia - 105,000
Charlottia (New Brunswick, former Acadia west of the Isthmus of Chignecto) - 75,000
Newfoundland - 48,000
Vermont (including the contested Hampshire Grants and the western portion of the former district of Maine under the colony of Massachusetts) - 510,000
Sagadahock (formerly the eastern portion of the district of Maine under the colony of Massachusetts) - 110,000
Massachusetts - 520,000
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations - 210,000
Connecticut - 258,000
New York - 910,000
Long Island -270,000
Manhattan - 155,000
New Jersey 260,000
Pennsylvania - 1,000,000
Delaware - 252,000
Maryland - 465,000
Virginia - 710,000
Kanawha (West Virginia) - 250,000
North Carolina 385,000
Catabwa (West North Carolina) - 156,000
South Carolina - 300,000
Wateree (West South Carolina) - 105,000
Georgia - 257,000
West Florida (South Alabama, South Mississippi and Florida Panhandle) - 155,000
Mississauga (Peninsular Ontario) - 112,000
Maumee (Western Kentucky) 255,000
Shawnee (Eastern Kentucky) - 205,000
Westsylvania (Western Pennsylvania) - 208,000
Watauga (Eastern Tennessee) - 255,000
Tennessee (Western Tennessee) - 200,000
Hanover (Louisiana) - 250,000
Caledonia (Parts of Northern Texas and Oklahoma) - 200,000
Aethiopia (Southern Texas and parts of northeast Mexico) - 300,000
Arkansas - 150,000
Miami (OTL Indiana) - 200,000
Ohio (Most of OTL Ohio) - 400,00
Michigan (Lower Peninsula) - 100,000
East Florida and the Bahama Islands (Florida minus Panhandle) - 100,000
Indiana (northern Mississippi and Alabama) - 200,000
Chicago (Illinois) - 50,000
Assorted British North American Territories (not yet Dominions) - 175,000
Hudson (Northern Ontario)
Marquette (Wisconsin)
Cappadocia
Belgica
Thracia
Lusitania
Aquitania
Hiberia
Mauretania
Cilicia
Pannonia
Iceni
Dobunni
Denendeh
Baetica
Last edited:
1831
Manhattan
Though it would take much of 1830 and early 1831, Parliament finally agreed how to fund the Sonoran Purchase (renamed by His Majesty as "Baetica" after yet another Roman Province, this one in contemporary Spain and Portugal). The nation's finances remained fragile but the influx of gold and silver over the past decade had helped stabilize the banking system.
Still, "Smith's Folly", as it was known in some quarters, forced the nation into the unaccustomed practice of debt financing. There were plenty of Americans wiling to invest in government bonds, though.
King Frederick would see the nation's political leaders start to fragment as the "Constitutional Crisis" reached a boiling point. If a vote of No Confidence does not bring down a Ministry....what did?
The King invited the Ministers to form a government...but theoretically were beholden to Parliament. If Parliament could not bring down a Ministry....then the King may keep anyone he likes in control over the government indefinitely without any pretense of democratic sanction. The worst Parliament could do is refuse to fund the government...and there were ways around this. This neither Parliament nor the nation could allow.
Oddly, it was the First Lord which proposed a solution. If the King could give up that authority to select the government in more official terms, then perhaps some sort of compromise could be worked out.
William Steuban Smith recommended an alternative...well, several.
These included:
Giving Parliament authority to vote on the First Lord for a set number of years.
Allowing direct vote by the American people, also for a set number of years.
This second was obviously unacceptable thus Smith proposed an Amendment to the Constitution to reflect an automatic vote among Parliament every three years. Later this was changed to five years to match the automatic Parliamentary election cycle.
The Crown, as always, had the right to call for a new election at any time (though this has rarely ever been utilized in the past). The First Lord, like the rest of Parliament, would only serve until the next automatic Parliamentary cycle in cases of a Royal Call for an Election, not a full five year term reset at that point.
In spring of 1831, the First Lord ushered this through Parliament, perhaps the most profound change to law in the past six decades. At the fall election in Parliament, there were numerous contenders for the First Lordship. While political party and faction had not quite developed despite ardent efforts from some quarters, there were obvious interest groups backing certain candidates.
Among the men rising to threaten Smith were:
Daniel Webster - popular in some quarters of the public for his ingenious, the abrasive Vermonter also managed to alienate a number of people in Parliament.
Henry Clay - perhaps the closest thing to an old-style British Party boss. Clay had a history of making alliances and pushing through legislation applauded by his western constituents in Shawnee.
Martin Van Buren - another skilled political organizer from New York born to a Dutch family who learned English as his second tongue.
John Quincy Adams - the son of the former First Lord, Adams was an intelligent, hard-working and honorable man hindered by his glacial personality. He was also a cousin of the First Lord.
John Sergeant - A Princeton educated Pennsylvanian.
Richard Rush - Pennsylvanian
Philip Hamilton - New Jersey
In the end, Parliament would hem and haw for days, apparently uncertain how to exorcise their new power. Late night bargaining sessions behind closed doors occurred with regularity as men attempted to gain support. Eventually, the King himself had to publicly and politely inquire just when Parliament was planning on making a decision.
The first round of votes occurred in October. Fourteen men received at least one vote. By agreement, every round of voting would see one name be removed. In this case, a full five gentlemen receiving votes requested that their names be taken off the ballots.
One by one, the true contenders weeded out the pack.
By late October, on the 5th Ballot, the man who won 50%+ of the votes in Parliament for the position of First Lord was......the current First Lord William Steuban Smith.
His official term, unless he died, resigned or was dismissed by the King, would carry through 1835.
Manhattan
Though it would take much of 1830 and early 1831, Parliament finally agreed how to fund the Sonoran Purchase (renamed by His Majesty as "Baetica" after yet another Roman Province, this one in contemporary Spain and Portugal). The nation's finances remained fragile but the influx of gold and silver over the past decade had helped stabilize the banking system.
Still, "Smith's Folly", as it was known in some quarters, forced the nation into the unaccustomed practice of debt financing. There were plenty of Americans wiling to invest in government bonds, though.
King Frederick would see the nation's political leaders start to fragment as the "Constitutional Crisis" reached a boiling point. If a vote of No Confidence does not bring down a Ministry....what did?
The King invited the Ministers to form a government...but theoretically were beholden to Parliament. If Parliament could not bring down a Ministry....then the King may keep anyone he likes in control over the government indefinitely without any pretense of democratic sanction. The worst Parliament could do is refuse to fund the government...and there were ways around this. This neither Parliament nor the nation could allow.
Oddly, it was the First Lord which proposed a solution. If the King could give up that authority to select the government in more official terms, then perhaps some sort of compromise could be worked out.
William Steuban Smith recommended an alternative...well, several.
These included:
Giving Parliament authority to vote on the First Lord for a set number of years.
Allowing direct vote by the American people, also for a set number of years.
This second was obviously unacceptable thus Smith proposed an Amendment to the Constitution to reflect an automatic vote among Parliament every three years. Later this was changed to five years to match the automatic Parliamentary election cycle.
The Crown, as always, had the right to call for a new election at any time (though this has rarely ever been utilized in the past). The First Lord, like the rest of Parliament, would only serve until the next automatic Parliamentary cycle in cases of a Royal Call for an Election, not a full five year term reset at that point.
In spring of 1831, the First Lord ushered this through Parliament, perhaps the most profound change to law in the past six decades. At the fall election in Parliament, there were numerous contenders for the First Lordship. While political party and faction had not quite developed despite ardent efforts from some quarters, there were obvious interest groups backing certain candidates.
Among the men rising to threaten Smith were:
Daniel Webster - popular in some quarters of the public for his ingenious, the abrasive Vermonter also managed to alienate a number of people in Parliament.
Henry Clay - perhaps the closest thing to an old-style British Party boss. Clay had a history of making alliances and pushing through legislation applauded by his western constituents in Shawnee.
Martin Van Buren - another skilled political organizer from New York born to a Dutch family who learned English as his second tongue.
John Quincy Adams - the son of the former First Lord, Adams was an intelligent, hard-working and honorable man hindered by his glacial personality. He was also a cousin of the First Lord.
John Sergeant - A Princeton educated Pennsylvanian.
Richard Rush - Pennsylvanian
Philip Hamilton - New Jersey
In the end, Parliament would hem and haw for days, apparently uncertain how to exorcise their new power. Late night bargaining sessions behind closed doors occurred with regularity as men attempted to gain support. Eventually, the King himself had to publicly and politely inquire just when Parliament was planning on making a decision.
The first round of votes occurred in October. Fourteen men received at least one vote. By agreement, every round of voting would see one name be removed. In this case, a full five gentlemen receiving votes requested that their names be taken off the ballots.
One by one, the true contenders weeded out the pack.
By late October, on the 5th Ballot, the man who won 50%+ of the votes in Parliament for the position of First Lord was......the current First Lord William Steuban Smith.
His official term, unless he died, resigned or was dismissed by the King, would carry through 1835.
1832
Santa Fe, Iceni Territory
General Sam Houston, governor of Iceni and Dobunni Territories, was getting signals that his career appear to have peaked. The humiliating defeats of his forces in California, Russian America and what is now Baetica had damaged his prospects of a more desirable posting. He was lucky not to have been relieved despite having no hand in the fiascos.
At least that damned Zachary Taylor was down in Baetica, out of Houston's hair. But, of course, that left two huge provinces under Houston's care. Prospectors continued to pour in, though few dared to cross the Russian or Californian border. There was some interest in mining in Baetica but the hostile Indians of the region, unhappy with being handed over to British America, continued to create problems.
Perhaps the biggest issue facing Taylor's inner circle was that Lieutenants Lincoln and Davis were both courting the same girl: General Taylor's daughter Sarah. Houston knew damned well this was not going to get better.
At least his "mustang" James Smith, whom had been raised from the ranks, wasn't causing problems. Indeed, the man had been tasked with escorting the Taylor women from Santa Fe to General Taylor's camp in Villa de Pitic, Baetica Territory. Houston hoped that getting rid of the troublesome girl would allow Davis and Lincoln to mend their friendship.
Smith would also carry with him a large amount of currency, the second payment of 1,000,000 pounds sterling due to Anahuac for the sale of Sonora (now Baetica).
Russian America
For the past several years, with the discovery of gold fields, the Russian Empire actively sought to colonize as many people as possible in Russian America. Previously, most Russian immigrants to the American colonies would sail along the indian Ocean to the Pacific...or just directly from Siberia.
But changing political situations allowed the Russians to increase this quantity of migrants. Previously, the Spanish saw no reason to aid Russian Immigration to America. But the separation of Anahuac and California would reduce any particular friction between the colonial Empires. Also, the weakening relationship between Spain and France left the Spanish Ministers seeking political ties elsewhere.
Thus when the Russians asked the Spanish for permission to transit the Panama region rather than circumnavigating the globe, the Spanish saw little reason to create an international incident. Thus thousands of Russians would begin pouring into Russian America from the western Russian lands (mostly out of St. Petersburg or the Black Sea region), areas previously too remote from Russian America to provide manpower.
Some Spanish ministers (and colonial officials) protested this. There were still dreams of retaking Anahuac and California as well as challenging the borders of British North America and Russian America. Few saw how closer relations with Russia mattered to or could benefit Spain.
From the Russian standpoint, this meant increasing the influx of Russians to the colonies from perhaps 2000 per year to over 10,000 eagerly seeking quick wealth in a land with fewer social restrictions (no serfdom).
With a huge swath of coastal land to fill, the Russians flooded across Panama to fill it.
Guadalajara, Anahuac
King Augustin II of Anahuac had long feared a coup d'etat. People were unhappy with the economic doldrums. Powerful men were reportedly hearing offers of bribes from the Governor of New Spain to help regain the territory for King Carlos V .
The sale of a square inch of territory was abhorrent to Augustin II but he realized that the nation was so far beyond bankrupt that only a massive infusion of specie from America would allow any semblance of solvency.
Agustin, now in his mid-twenties, had grown up to be a well-read and intelligent young man. He knew more about civic finances (and bankruptcy) than only in Anahuac. The Kingdom was forever on the verge of collapse and he'd hoped that the 3,000,000 America Pounds Sterling would revitalize his country...or at least allow the government to function and the purchase of military supplies.
Little did he realize that the 2nd installment of the American payments were being waylaid at the border by a twenty man gang led by "One Leg Tony", the former Spanish Royal Officer, former rebel officer and former British American officer, Antonio de Santa Anna.
After losing his leg in a battle with the Yaquis fighting for King Frederick, Santa Anna was put on half pay (in reality retirement). Humiliated, Santa Anna would forge a gang with South Carolinian Will Travis and other men, including a 14 year old former Maryland Slave named Frederick.
Despite having twice the manpower available when Santa Anna attacked, Lieutenant Smith would panic and lead his men to high ground nearby....leaving most of the gold and silver upon the horses. Santa Anna would utilize the fear of the Yaquis by having several of his men dress up on warpaint and feign an Indian attack.
By the time Smith figured out the ruse, the gold and silver had vanished into the ravines.
Santa Fe, Iceni Territory
General Sam Houston, governor of Iceni and Dobunni Territories, was getting signals that his career appear to have peaked. The humiliating defeats of his forces in California, Russian America and what is now Baetica had damaged his prospects of a more desirable posting. He was lucky not to have been relieved despite having no hand in the fiascos.
At least that damned Zachary Taylor was down in Baetica, out of Houston's hair. But, of course, that left two huge provinces under Houston's care. Prospectors continued to pour in, though few dared to cross the Russian or Californian border. There was some interest in mining in Baetica but the hostile Indians of the region, unhappy with being handed over to British America, continued to create problems.
Perhaps the biggest issue facing Taylor's inner circle was that Lieutenants Lincoln and Davis were both courting the same girl: General Taylor's daughter Sarah. Houston knew damned well this was not going to get better.
At least his "mustang" James Smith, whom had been raised from the ranks, wasn't causing problems. Indeed, the man had been tasked with escorting the Taylor women from Santa Fe to General Taylor's camp in Villa de Pitic, Baetica Territory. Houston hoped that getting rid of the troublesome girl would allow Davis and Lincoln to mend their friendship.
Smith would also carry with him a large amount of currency, the second payment of 1,000,000 pounds sterling due to Anahuac for the sale of Sonora (now Baetica).
Russian America
For the past several years, with the discovery of gold fields, the Russian Empire actively sought to colonize as many people as possible in Russian America. Previously, most Russian immigrants to the American colonies would sail along the indian Ocean to the Pacific...or just directly from Siberia.
But changing political situations allowed the Russians to increase this quantity of migrants. Previously, the Spanish saw no reason to aid Russian Immigration to America. But the separation of Anahuac and California would reduce any particular friction between the colonial Empires. Also, the weakening relationship between Spain and France left the Spanish Ministers seeking political ties elsewhere.
Thus when the Russians asked the Spanish for permission to transit the Panama region rather than circumnavigating the globe, the Spanish saw little reason to create an international incident. Thus thousands of Russians would begin pouring into Russian America from the western Russian lands (mostly out of St. Petersburg or the Black Sea region), areas previously too remote from Russian America to provide manpower.
Some Spanish ministers (and colonial officials) protested this. There were still dreams of retaking Anahuac and California as well as challenging the borders of British North America and Russian America. Few saw how closer relations with Russia mattered to or could benefit Spain.
From the Russian standpoint, this meant increasing the influx of Russians to the colonies from perhaps 2000 per year to over 10,000 eagerly seeking quick wealth in a land with fewer social restrictions (no serfdom).
With a huge swath of coastal land to fill, the Russians flooded across Panama to fill it.
Guadalajara, Anahuac
King Augustin II of Anahuac had long feared a coup d'etat. People were unhappy with the economic doldrums. Powerful men were reportedly hearing offers of bribes from the Governor of New Spain to help regain the territory for King Carlos V .
The sale of a square inch of territory was abhorrent to Augustin II but he realized that the nation was so far beyond bankrupt that only a massive infusion of specie from America would allow any semblance of solvency.
Agustin, now in his mid-twenties, had grown up to be a well-read and intelligent young man. He knew more about civic finances (and bankruptcy) than only in Anahuac. The Kingdom was forever on the verge of collapse and he'd hoped that the 3,000,000 America Pounds Sterling would revitalize his country...or at least allow the government to function and the purchase of military supplies.
Little did he realize that the 2nd installment of the American payments were being waylaid at the border by a twenty man gang led by "One Leg Tony", the former Spanish Royal Officer, former rebel officer and former British American officer, Antonio de Santa Anna.
After losing his leg in a battle with the Yaquis fighting for King Frederick, Santa Anna was put on half pay (in reality retirement). Humiliated, Santa Anna would forge a gang with South Carolinian Will Travis and other men, including a 14 year old former Maryland Slave named Frederick.
Despite having twice the manpower available when Santa Anna attacked, Lieutenant Smith would panic and lead his men to high ground nearby....leaving most of the gold and silver upon the horses. Santa Anna would utilize the fear of the Yaquis by having several of his men dress up on warpaint and feign an Indian attack.
By the time Smith figured out the ruse, the gold and silver had vanished into the ravines.
1832 - Fall
Santa Fe
"How the hell can you lose 1,000,000 lbs sterling?!" General Houston demanded in utter exasperation to Lieutenant Smith, who had trouble keeping from quivering.
Smith knew better than to interrupt his superior's rant. The two had served together for years and formed a general sense of mutual respect. But Smith returning empty handed...and without taking a single casualty....after failing in his mission to deliver his precious cargo was enough for even Houston's patience.
"This is an utter catastrophe, you know this don't you?!" Houston demanded. "Half of Parliament will demand an investigation! This will be a terrible blow to the reputation of the 20th Infantry!"
Armstrong Hymen Thruston, aka "John James Smith", merely nodded, hoping the interview would be over soon. He knew damned well that this would result in far more attention that the once-attempted regicide wanted. Ignoring the potential for personal prosecution, the last thing Smith wanted was to return to Manhattan where people would look uncomfortably at his past. It had been decades since Smith killed George Washington in an attempt to assassinate Frederick I for British North America and no one had ever managed to associated his alter-ego "Smith" with his true identity.
But losing 1,000,000 lbs sterling?
That could be trouble.
Smith quietly considered simply walking away from the army, perhaps crossing one of the local borders. But Americans were hardly welcome these days in Russian America, California, Anahuac and New Spain, not after the border incidents of the previous years. Also, there was a chance which he would be captured by the army if he attempted to abandon his post and face prosecution for desertion and possible even be accused of collaboration with the thieves. As humiliating as it was to be known as the man who lost a huge amount of gold and silver for the nation.
Already the international incident had led to arguements between America and Anahuac over who was responsible for the loss. The attack took place on Anahuac and by, supposedly, Anahuac citizens. But the Anahuac government would point out stipulations in the contract that America was responsible for delivery to Guadalajara.
Santa Fe
"How the hell can you lose 1,000,000 lbs sterling?!" General Houston demanded in utter exasperation to Lieutenant Smith, who had trouble keeping from quivering.
Smith knew better than to interrupt his superior's rant. The two had served together for years and formed a general sense of mutual respect. But Smith returning empty handed...and without taking a single casualty....after failing in his mission to deliver his precious cargo was enough for even Houston's patience.
"This is an utter catastrophe, you know this don't you?!" Houston demanded. "Half of Parliament will demand an investigation! This will be a terrible blow to the reputation of the 20th Infantry!"
Armstrong Hymen Thruston, aka "John James Smith", merely nodded, hoping the interview would be over soon. He knew damned well that this would result in far more attention that the once-attempted regicide wanted. Ignoring the potential for personal prosecution, the last thing Smith wanted was to return to Manhattan where people would look uncomfortably at his past. It had been decades since Smith killed George Washington in an attempt to assassinate Frederick I for British North America and no one had ever managed to associated his alter-ego "Smith" with his true identity.
But losing 1,000,000 lbs sterling?
That could be trouble.
Smith quietly considered simply walking away from the army, perhaps crossing one of the local borders. But Americans were hardly welcome these days in Russian America, California, Anahuac and New Spain, not after the border incidents of the previous years. Also, there was a chance which he would be captured by the army if he attempted to abandon his post and face prosecution for desertion and possible even be accused of collaboration with the thieves. As humiliating as it was to be known as the man who lost a huge amount of gold and silver for the nation.
Already the international incident had led to arguements between America and Anahuac over who was responsible for the loss. The attack took place on Anahuac and by, supposedly, Anahuac citizens. But the Anahuac government would point out stipulations in the contract that America was responsible for delivery to Guadalajara.
1833
Nepal
The Raja of Nepal, Arthur Wesley, had started his own dynasty over the past two decade in Nepal, serving as a nominally independent but nevertheless subservient client state of the Maratha Empire. Many other Kingdoms on the subcontinent had similar relationships with the Peshwa. Occasionally, these would be polite but distant, something which made the assorted petty crowns breathe easier.
However, other occasions would create more concern.
Too many times the Peshwa would make unreasonable demands for treasure or troops. As the Peshwa's MADE many of these Kings and Princes and Rajas (etc), this did not seem so unreasonable. Other occasions he would unilaterally commence oppressing ethnic or religious minorities, often with no particular reason.
By 1833, Wesley was well entrenched in his Nepalese Kingdom, his native wife having provided multiple children (all of who followed the Hindu faith, the majority in Nepal). Aging, the man had no desire to return to the field. However, the Peshwa's command did not leave any particular leeway.
Wesley rode from his high eastern Kingdom towards Pune. Here he learned that the Peshwa desired to "protect" the Hindus under the rule of the Nawab of Bengal. The Irish-born man had not heard of any particular oppression in recent years by the Nawab of the Hindu minority. But the Peshwa intended to put a stop to it nevertheless (assuming it was at all true and if the Peshwa cared in the slightest).
Well into his sixties, Wesley knew he may not survive another campaign. Leaving his wife and son in command of Nepal, Wesley had not choice but to take command of the Maratha forces massing at the border of Bengal.
Manhattan
The Ambassador from Anahuac would be received with courtesy by the King...and deferred to the government ministers. Unsurprisingly, the Ambassador demanded full payment for the "Sonora Purchase". Parliament was already debating whether or not to take responsibility for the stolen shipment when the third and, theoretically, final payment was dispatched.
Naturally orders were sent for General Taylor and Houston to ensure its safe delivery.
Guadalajara
Despite the second payment of the 3,000,000 lb sterling purchase having been waylaid, the Kingdom of Anahuac was, indeed, experiencing an odd economic situation of inflation. With the first payment of 1,000,000 lb sterling arriving safely, the Anahuacans swiftly realized that they had little to no ways to obtain actual products. Spain continued to forbid direct trade with New Spain or allow Anahuacan ships from naval trade. That only left the Kingdom of California, Russian America and British America as potential trading partners.
Unfortunately, the great distances made receiving bulk goods from British America unfeasible. California lacked a population to import or export significant goods. Russian America also had a low population but wanted little of what Anahuac produced.
Thus, the Anahuacans suddenly held large gold reserves...but nothing to spend it on. Thus the government used some of the gold to pay off internal debts while also giving the long-suffering "volunteer" soldiers with some gold. As individuals, they similarly had nothing to spend it on the the inflation wreaked havoc upon the nation. The barter system that was common among the lower classes proved prevalent and was perhaps the only thing that kept the economy functional.
Any transaction utilizing gold would see the costs spiraling ever higher.
Nepal
The Raja of Nepal, Arthur Wesley, had started his own dynasty over the past two decade in Nepal, serving as a nominally independent but nevertheless subservient client state of the Maratha Empire. Many other Kingdoms on the subcontinent had similar relationships with the Peshwa. Occasionally, these would be polite but distant, something which made the assorted petty crowns breathe easier.
However, other occasions would create more concern.
Too many times the Peshwa would make unreasonable demands for treasure or troops. As the Peshwa's MADE many of these Kings and Princes and Rajas (etc), this did not seem so unreasonable. Other occasions he would unilaterally commence oppressing ethnic or religious minorities, often with no particular reason.
By 1833, Wesley was well entrenched in his Nepalese Kingdom, his native wife having provided multiple children (all of who followed the Hindu faith, the majority in Nepal). Aging, the man had no desire to return to the field. However, the Peshwa's command did not leave any particular leeway.
Wesley rode from his high eastern Kingdom towards Pune. Here he learned that the Peshwa desired to "protect" the Hindus under the rule of the Nawab of Bengal. The Irish-born man had not heard of any particular oppression in recent years by the Nawab of the Hindu minority. But the Peshwa intended to put a stop to it nevertheless (assuming it was at all true and if the Peshwa cared in the slightest).
Well into his sixties, Wesley knew he may not survive another campaign. Leaving his wife and son in command of Nepal, Wesley had not choice but to take command of the Maratha forces massing at the border of Bengal.
Manhattan
The Ambassador from Anahuac would be received with courtesy by the King...and deferred to the government ministers. Unsurprisingly, the Ambassador demanded full payment for the "Sonora Purchase". Parliament was already debating whether or not to take responsibility for the stolen shipment when the third and, theoretically, final payment was dispatched.
Naturally orders were sent for General Taylor and Houston to ensure its safe delivery.
Guadalajara
Despite the second payment of the 3,000,000 lb sterling purchase having been waylaid, the Kingdom of Anahuac was, indeed, experiencing an odd economic situation of inflation. With the first payment of 1,000,000 lb sterling arriving safely, the Anahuacans swiftly realized that they had little to no ways to obtain actual products. Spain continued to forbid direct trade with New Spain or allow Anahuacan ships from naval trade. That only left the Kingdom of California, Russian America and British America as potential trading partners.
Unfortunately, the great distances made receiving bulk goods from British America unfeasible. California lacked a population to import or export significant goods. Russian America also had a low population but wanted little of what Anahuac produced.
Thus, the Anahuacans suddenly held large gold reserves...but nothing to spend it on. Thus the government used some of the gold to pay off internal debts while also giving the long-suffering "volunteer" soldiers with some gold. As individuals, they similarly had nothing to spend it on the the inflation wreaked havoc upon the nation. The barter system that was common among the lower classes proved prevalent and was perhaps the only thing that kept the economy functional.
Any transaction utilizing gold would see the costs spiraling ever higher.
1833 - Fall
Baetica
Governor-General Zachary Taylor had been amused at the junior officers fawning over his daughter Sarah. However, it soon became apparent that Lincoln and Davis were intent on battling for his daughter's hand. This was creating enough dissention that Taylor was happy to have been transferred in 1832 from Iceni to Baetica, recently acquired from Anahuac. Naturally, Taylor's entire family travelled from Santa Fe to Baetica.
Taylor expected the nonsense to end. He did not want another daughter (like his eldest who married an Army surgeon) to waste her life as a soldier's wife in god-awful hellholes like this. Indeed, Taylor had nearly ordered his own long-suffering wife and children from Baetica after some of the local Indians rose up again. However, it seemed unlikely that the natives intended to raid larger towns and Taylor expected the situation to resolve itself soon enough. Emissaries had been sent to the local tribes and most seemed willing to make peace with the American government.
Now, Sarah was once-again deluged by ardent admirers as Davis and Lincoln had passed through en route to Guadalajara with the third shipment of gold and silver (the second to make it) for the purchase of Baetica. Sarah was pressed for an answer. Taylor considered ordering both out of his camp but that was ungentlemanly and unprofessional.
Eventually, Taylor decided to speak with each man privately and give them the only conceivable answer he could give: he would allow his daughter to select her own husband...provided that that man was not a soldier.
A few weeks later, Sarah Taylor would be married to Lieutenant Abraham Lincoln...who had tendered his resignation from the Army with the intent of entering the field of law.
Heartbroken, Jefferson Davis could not summon the will to remain for the wedding. He opted to return to Santa Fe beforehand to report to General Calhoun.
Manhattan
First Lord William Steuban Smith, spent over a year convincing Parliament to extend another million pounds sterling to the budget to replace the funds stolen by the bandits in Baetica intended for Anahuac. This did not prove popular and many Parliamentarians made good political points with constituents for opposing this. However, the First Lord had witnessed the King stating it was "a matter of honor" and few Parliamentarians truly opposed the measure. Still, some public resentment remained for years afterwards.
Smith also managed to allow the ruckus over the humiliating military defeats in the west to subside, mainly by continually pushing it to the back of the agenda until people forgot about it. The Ambassador from Russia nearly departed in a huff but Smith managed to pen an apology/non-apology which spared the pride of all involved. In truth, there wasn't much either nation could do to harm the other if relations devolved. Perhaps Russia may raid American shipping in the North Sea and the Caribbean. Perhaps America might....and this was a big MIGHT...find some way to launch an invasion of British North America over the Rocky Mountains. In truth, with the population of the Russian colony well over 250,000 and apparently rising by the day, it did not seem likely that any force of American origin could possibly cross the mountain chain and sustain a logistical base (though some soldiers remained hard at work reviewing the matter and hoped to provide an invasion plan sometime in the 19th century.
As it was, America actually prospered almost as much by the Russian Gold Boom as Russia as many of these prospectors, seeing the high taxes levied upon gold mining by the Russian colonial government, the lack of products to actually spend it on in Russian America (inflation was, if anything, more rife in Russian America than in Anahuac) and facing a god-awful 6-12 month long journey back to Russia where serfdom remained prevalent....well, many simply opted to travel along the mountain trails into America, taking their gold with them. Indeed, much of the gold used by America to purchase Baetica (the Sonora Purchase) had entered circulation in America from these Russian miners. Evidently, the Russian colonial government was better set up to fight a war than keep individuals from escaped east.
It was these men and women whom would form the first Russian communities in America.
Baetica
Governor-General Zachary Taylor had been amused at the junior officers fawning over his daughter Sarah. However, it soon became apparent that Lincoln and Davis were intent on battling for his daughter's hand. This was creating enough dissention that Taylor was happy to have been transferred in 1832 from Iceni to Baetica, recently acquired from Anahuac. Naturally, Taylor's entire family travelled from Santa Fe to Baetica.
Taylor expected the nonsense to end. He did not want another daughter (like his eldest who married an Army surgeon) to waste her life as a soldier's wife in god-awful hellholes like this. Indeed, Taylor had nearly ordered his own long-suffering wife and children from Baetica after some of the local Indians rose up again. However, it seemed unlikely that the natives intended to raid larger towns and Taylor expected the situation to resolve itself soon enough. Emissaries had been sent to the local tribes and most seemed willing to make peace with the American government.
Now, Sarah was once-again deluged by ardent admirers as Davis and Lincoln had passed through en route to Guadalajara with the third shipment of gold and silver (the second to make it) for the purchase of Baetica. Sarah was pressed for an answer. Taylor considered ordering both out of his camp but that was ungentlemanly and unprofessional.
Eventually, Taylor decided to speak with each man privately and give them the only conceivable answer he could give: he would allow his daughter to select her own husband...provided that that man was not a soldier.
A few weeks later, Sarah Taylor would be married to Lieutenant Abraham Lincoln...who had tendered his resignation from the Army with the intent of entering the field of law.
Heartbroken, Jefferson Davis could not summon the will to remain for the wedding. He opted to return to Santa Fe beforehand to report to General Calhoun.
Manhattan
First Lord William Steuban Smith, spent over a year convincing Parliament to extend another million pounds sterling to the budget to replace the funds stolen by the bandits in Baetica intended for Anahuac. This did not prove popular and many Parliamentarians made good political points with constituents for opposing this. However, the First Lord had witnessed the King stating it was "a matter of honor" and few Parliamentarians truly opposed the measure. Still, some public resentment remained for years afterwards.
Smith also managed to allow the ruckus over the humiliating military defeats in the west to subside, mainly by continually pushing it to the back of the agenda until people forgot about it. The Ambassador from Russia nearly departed in a huff but Smith managed to pen an apology/non-apology which spared the pride of all involved. In truth, there wasn't much either nation could do to harm the other if relations devolved. Perhaps Russia may raid American shipping in the North Sea and the Caribbean. Perhaps America might....and this was a big MIGHT...find some way to launch an invasion of British North America over the Rocky Mountains. In truth, with the population of the Russian colony well over 250,000 and apparently rising by the day, it did not seem likely that any force of American origin could possibly cross the mountain chain and sustain a logistical base (though some soldiers remained hard at work reviewing the matter and hoped to provide an invasion plan sometime in the 19th century.
As it was, America actually prospered almost as much by the Russian Gold Boom as Russia as many of these prospectors, seeing the high taxes levied upon gold mining by the Russian colonial government, the lack of products to actually spend it on in Russian America (inflation was, if anything, more rife in Russian America than in Anahuac) and facing a god-awful 6-12 month long journey back to Russia where serfdom remained prevalent....well, many simply opted to travel along the mountain trails into America, taking their gold with them. Indeed, much of the gold used by America to purchase Baetica (the Sonora Purchase) had entered circulation in America from these Russian miners. Evidently, the Russian colonial government was better set up to fight a war than keep individuals from escaped east.
It was these men and women whom would form the first Russian communities in America.
1833 - Winter
Puebla
Tomas de Zumalacorregui, Governor of New Spain, had spent three years attempting to corral the sheep he'd been given to govern. Assuming that he could get through to the local gentry that it was for the best that Peninsulars like him continue to guide the colonies, he would swiftly be disappointed.
Already, there had been great sentiment against the King...or at least against the Cortes of Spain by all segments of the population. While reforms had been many, political reforms had been few. The fact that two nations (excluding the lands taken by the British and Russians) emerged from this sentiment in the past decades to the west proved the weakness of the Spanish grip.
Even the colonials of what was left of New Spain proved restless. The patricians desired more power...naturally. Even the plebians expected some sort of....of....votes as if they were deviant Protestants to the north. The fact that the King of British North America actually yielded to this mob by ceding virtually all his power proved how dangerous this sentiment could be.
Thus Zumalacorregui would work as extensively to maintain order over the lands still under his control as he did to attempt to regain control over the disputed Valley of Mexico. Naturally, the Governor also was preparing to regain Anahuac...and potentially other lands to the North.
Zumalacorregui spent years building up resources, ordering the colonials into "volunteer" regiments under command of Peninsular officers and a few colonial gentry he trusted. This, of course, irritated much of the aristocrats and alcaldes of New Spain.
Due to the economic crisis of the times , trade had been down and even the still-lucrative mines were facing social and political unrest, the "volunteers" were increasingly refusing to assemble on Sundays after church. The colonial gentry, whom prospered by the Spanish system, bafflingly began supporting THE PEASANTS in their resistance.
Strikes became common in the vital silver mines. Unapproved migration back and forth with Anahuac and California continued apace as Spanish colonials sought better working conditions on haciendas or mines (it was unclear where, if anywhere, conditions were better). This was unacceptable. For taxes to be collected, workers had to work. Zumalacorregui was sympathetic to the working classes and was willing to discuss wages in areas which the government held certain powers.
But men not showing up for duty and their social superiors actively supporting them....
This could not be allowed.
With the losses of revenue, the Governor was forced to raise taxes and then impose fines for failure to show up for militia. With so many of the local patricians resisting his authority, Zumalacorregui was inclined to replace any officers in the militia whom were not politically reliable.
Humiliated, many of these colonial gentry would commence communicating with one another to air their grievances and find new ways to resist.
Puebla
Tomas de Zumalacorregui, Governor of New Spain, had spent three years attempting to corral the sheep he'd been given to govern. Assuming that he could get through to the local gentry that it was for the best that Peninsulars like him continue to guide the colonies, he would swiftly be disappointed.
Already, there had been great sentiment against the King...or at least against the Cortes of Spain by all segments of the population. While reforms had been many, political reforms had been few. The fact that two nations (excluding the lands taken by the British and Russians) emerged from this sentiment in the past decades to the west proved the weakness of the Spanish grip.
Even the colonials of what was left of New Spain proved restless. The patricians desired more power...naturally. Even the plebians expected some sort of....of....votes as if they were deviant Protestants to the north. The fact that the King of British North America actually yielded to this mob by ceding virtually all his power proved how dangerous this sentiment could be.
Thus Zumalacorregui would work as extensively to maintain order over the lands still under his control as he did to attempt to regain control over the disputed Valley of Mexico. Naturally, the Governor also was preparing to regain Anahuac...and potentially other lands to the North.
Zumalacorregui spent years building up resources, ordering the colonials into "volunteer" regiments under command of Peninsular officers and a few colonial gentry he trusted. This, of course, irritated much of the aristocrats and alcaldes of New Spain.
Due to the economic crisis of the times , trade had been down and even the still-lucrative mines were facing social and political unrest, the "volunteers" were increasingly refusing to assemble on Sundays after church. The colonial gentry, whom prospered by the Spanish system, bafflingly began supporting THE PEASANTS in their resistance.
Strikes became common in the vital silver mines. Unapproved migration back and forth with Anahuac and California continued apace as Spanish colonials sought better working conditions on haciendas or mines (it was unclear where, if anywhere, conditions were better). This was unacceptable. For taxes to be collected, workers had to work. Zumalacorregui was sympathetic to the working classes and was willing to discuss wages in areas which the government held certain powers.
But men not showing up for duty and their social superiors actively supporting them....
This could not be allowed.
With the losses of revenue, the Governor was forced to raise taxes and then impose fines for failure to show up for militia. With so many of the local patricians resisting his authority, Zumalacorregui was inclined to replace any officers in the militia whom were not politically reliable.
Humiliated, many of these colonial gentry would commence communicating with one another to air their grievances and find new ways to resist.
1834
Maumee
The reunion of recently retired Lieutenant Lincoln with his father had not gone well. Rather than welcoming home his son to Maumee, Thomas was apparently unable to do anything more than complain that his son had "robbed" him of several years of labor by staying in the army without his permission and later attending West Point...again without permission.
Thomas Lincoln had intended to keep his son under obligation, as was the custom until he turned twenty or twenty-one in order to best exploit his labor. Thomas had willingly taken the then-teenaged Abraham's enlistment bonus all those years ago when the nation needed soldiers in Chicago and Marquette but assumed he would return soon enough to work the elder's land. Instead, Abraham "robbed" his father by continuing to serve his country. Thomas flatly stated that Abraham's half-brother would inherit the farm.
By this time, Abe was so livid that he had to contain himself from striking his father. Only the intervention of his stepmother Sarah, his sister Sarah and his wife Sarah kept father and son from blows.
Without spending a single night in his father's home, Abe and Sarah (the wife, not the stepmother or sister) left Thomas' farm for the last time. He would never speak to his father again despite the three Sarahs' admonishments.
Within a few days, the cash-strapped Lincoln put up a shingle in Springfield as a lawyer. As fortune would have it, none of the three lawyers called to the Bar in the town from previous years were actively practicing. One had left the town permanently, one had departed for the summer on a long tour of the east and the third died only weeks prior to Lincoln's return.
This allowed several cases to be funneled to Abraham, an unusual event for a lawyer whom passed the Bar in the wilds of Dobunni and Baetica. Normally, Lincoln, whom had spent years studying law in the evenings after completing his duties, would act as a sort of apprentice to a more experienced attorney. But, within weeks, he was placed before local courts advocating for his clients. Most were petty grievances, the fees barely covering the family bills. When clients were sparse, Lincoln actually hired out to do so woodcutting (an act which reminded him why he wanted to be an attorney). But the rent was paid and the couple did not go hungry.
By the fall, Lincoln lucked into a pair of high-profile cases:
1. A major property dispute between large landholders outside of town. Lincoln spent weeks in court and managed, out of court, to arrange a reasonable compromise between the two local leading men, a move which would endear him to both. This would eventually bode well for his political career in a few years.
2. The Maumee tribe filed a claim against the Crown for benefits promised by treaty when the reservation system was set up. It was promised only "right of way" transit was legal within their lands. However, there remained wildcat miners and other trespassers. Local officials were doing nothing. In 1835, Lincoln would travel to Manhattan to file a formal grievances with the Court of Indian Affairs and take the nation to Court.
Though it took over a year for the case to be settled, the tribe's rights were upheld. Rather cunningly, the tribe did not really want Americans to be banned from their lands....they just wanted to profit by it. Therefore, the Indian Tribes would have the power to grant "licenses" to any man wishing to mine their territory (or hunt). Initially, these would be licenses for gold mining but, in the long term, coal was discovered in abundance and this would make the tribe an enormous profit in later decades as owners of the mines (usually with white or black laborers as the Indians didn't care for the harsh work). Any man without a license to prospect was liable to be arrested by the developing Indian "Marshalls" system.
Similarly, the tribe was able to profit from toll roads being built at tribal expense through their territories. While the national government had long retained the right of way via arteries like the small rivers flowing through the land, Lincoln pointed out several key locations from which the tribe may profit from this, including the construction of several little harbor facilities along the rivers to sell whatever was desired (at a modest markup, of course).
Lincoln also pointed out that the national government had made certain promises of "supplies" in perpetuity in gratitude for Maumee assistance in past Indian wars (including the one with the Illini to the north in which Lincoln himself participated). However, no payments had been received and Lincoln took the opportunity to bring this to court as well. Though it would take several years, the case would be settled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for a one-time, lump sum.
The attorney was proud to have helped the people whom he had come to respect so much. Many summers during is boyhood, his father had "leased" Abraham's labor to the Maumee tribesmen to work their lands (usually in exchange for food or furs). Abraham found his Indian "employers" far more pleasant than his father then and now.
By 1836, Abraham had been paid well for his services and held a growing reputation in the area. He was able to build a huge 1200 square foot home outside of Springfield upon several hundred acres of largely cleared land, mostly orchards and open fields he leased to local farmers.
With his sister Sarah and her husband nearby (Lincoln did not care for his brother-in-law but dearly loved his sister and her son George), Lincoln and Sarah (the wife, not the sister) would welcome six of their own children over the next ten years, all boys (unsurprisingly none were named Thomas).
In 1840, Lincoln was financially stable enough to run for the Maumee House of Burgesses and won a seat by a wide margin.
Maumee
The reunion of recently retired Lieutenant Lincoln with his father had not gone well. Rather than welcoming home his son to Maumee, Thomas was apparently unable to do anything more than complain that his son had "robbed" him of several years of labor by staying in the army without his permission and later attending West Point...again without permission.
Thomas Lincoln had intended to keep his son under obligation, as was the custom until he turned twenty or twenty-one in order to best exploit his labor. Thomas had willingly taken the then-teenaged Abraham's enlistment bonus all those years ago when the nation needed soldiers in Chicago and Marquette but assumed he would return soon enough to work the elder's land. Instead, Abraham "robbed" his father by continuing to serve his country. Thomas flatly stated that Abraham's half-brother would inherit the farm.
By this time, Abe was so livid that he had to contain himself from striking his father. Only the intervention of his stepmother Sarah, his sister Sarah and his wife Sarah kept father and son from blows.
Without spending a single night in his father's home, Abe and Sarah (the wife, not the stepmother or sister) left Thomas' farm for the last time. He would never speak to his father again despite the three Sarahs' admonishments.
Within a few days, the cash-strapped Lincoln put up a shingle in Springfield as a lawyer. As fortune would have it, none of the three lawyers called to the Bar in the town from previous years were actively practicing. One had left the town permanently, one had departed for the summer on a long tour of the east and the third died only weeks prior to Lincoln's return.
This allowed several cases to be funneled to Abraham, an unusual event for a lawyer whom passed the Bar in the wilds of Dobunni and Baetica. Normally, Lincoln, whom had spent years studying law in the evenings after completing his duties, would act as a sort of apprentice to a more experienced attorney. But, within weeks, he was placed before local courts advocating for his clients. Most were petty grievances, the fees barely covering the family bills. When clients were sparse, Lincoln actually hired out to do so woodcutting (an act which reminded him why he wanted to be an attorney). But the rent was paid and the couple did not go hungry.
By the fall, Lincoln lucked into a pair of high-profile cases:
1. A major property dispute between large landholders outside of town. Lincoln spent weeks in court and managed, out of court, to arrange a reasonable compromise between the two local leading men, a move which would endear him to both. This would eventually bode well for his political career in a few years.
2. The Maumee tribe filed a claim against the Crown for benefits promised by treaty when the reservation system was set up. It was promised only "right of way" transit was legal within their lands. However, there remained wildcat miners and other trespassers. Local officials were doing nothing. In 1835, Lincoln would travel to Manhattan to file a formal grievances with the Court of Indian Affairs and take the nation to Court.
Though it took over a year for the case to be settled, the tribe's rights were upheld. Rather cunningly, the tribe did not really want Americans to be banned from their lands....they just wanted to profit by it. Therefore, the Indian Tribes would have the power to grant "licenses" to any man wishing to mine their territory (or hunt). Initially, these would be licenses for gold mining but, in the long term, coal was discovered in abundance and this would make the tribe an enormous profit in later decades as owners of the mines (usually with white or black laborers as the Indians didn't care for the harsh work). Any man without a license to prospect was liable to be arrested by the developing Indian "Marshalls" system.
Similarly, the tribe was able to profit from toll roads being built at tribal expense through their territories. While the national government had long retained the right of way via arteries like the small rivers flowing through the land, Lincoln pointed out several key locations from which the tribe may profit from this, including the construction of several little harbor facilities along the rivers to sell whatever was desired (at a modest markup, of course).
Lincoln also pointed out that the national government had made certain promises of "supplies" in perpetuity in gratitude for Maumee assistance in past Indian wars (including the one with the Illini to the north in which Lincoln himself participated). However, no payments had been received and Lincoln took the opportunity to bring this to court as well. Though it would take several years, the case would be settled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for a one-time, lump sum.
The attorney was proud to have helped the people whom he had come to respect so much. Many summers during is boyhood, his father had "leased" Abraham's labor to the Maumee tribesmen to work their lands (usually in exchange for food or furs). Abraham found his Indian "employers" far more pleasant than his father then and now.
By 1836, Abraham had been paid well for his services and held a growing reputation in the area. He was able to build a huge 1200 square foot home outside of Springfield upon several hundred acres of largely cleared land, mostly orchards and open fields he leased to local farmers.
With his sister Sarah and her husband nearby (Lincoln did not care for his brother-in-law but dearly loved his sister and her son George), Lincoln and Sarah (the wife, not the sister) would welcome six of their own children over the next ten years, all boys (unsurprisingly none were named Thomas).
In 1840, Lincoln was financially stable enough to run for the Maumee House of Burgesses and won a seat by a wide margin.
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1835
Manhattan
King Frederick I of British North America would be taking an afternoon ride one mild summer day when he clutched his chest in agony. Only the assistance of his retainer prevented the King from falling from his steed altogether. The King managed to make it back to the Palace.
His doctor would verify that he'd had a heart attack.
London
On the exact same day, William V of Wessex would notice an abnormal growth upon his abdomen. His son had reached maturity and sired his own children. The King would send for the best surgeons and doctors of London. Unsurprisingly, the doctors announced a tumor, uncertain yet if it was benign or cancerous.
The King would be happy to see his son taking more responsibility as he did not know how much longer he had to live.
Britain would have the good fortune to see the benefits of the Britannic Trade Confederation. London's ideal location for a port/trading entrepot with Europe would prove vital to returning the island to solvency.
Puebla, New Spain
By the summer of 1835, Governor Zumalacorregui had managed to alienate most of the gentry of New Spain to such an extent that most resigned their military commissions. On the surface, this may have been a good thing as Zumalacorregui held a low opinion of the colonial gentry. However, the departure of the nobles from the militia prompted the commoners to evade service in droves.
With only a limited number of Spanish regulars (and let's face it, the Spanish regulars were hardly the elite of Europe), Zumalacorregui would be forced to rely on locals for both money and manpower for his proposed invasion of Anahuac. This threatened to stymy his plans. Zumalacorregui ordered the arrest of any man who did not show up for militia maneuvers after Sunday Church.
By the fall of 1835, the general population of New Spain was nearly up in arms and Zumalacorregui had more to worry about than any proposed offensive.
Guadalajara, Anahuac
The government of Anahuac was felled not due to the lack of money...but a sudden surplus of it. Already unhappy to have sold a portion of their nation (a portion remote and unlikely to ever been seen by the common man), the commoners had at least expected the funds to improve their lives. However, imported goods remained impossible to obtain while the cost of those few goods actually available, like grain, suddenly saw a burst of inflation due to the increase in liquidity of capital.
Food riots commenced in the capital as the king and his Congress were forced to flee the city. Calling out the militia seemed a poor idea as the militia were seen at the fore of the mobs.
Manhattan
King Frederick I of British North America would be taking an afternoon ride one mild summer day when he clutched his chest in agony. Only the assistance of his retainer prevented the King from falling from his steed altogether. The King managed to make it back to the Palace.
His doctor would verify that he'd had a heart attack.
London
On the exact same day, William V of Wessex would notice an abnormal growth upon his abdomen. His son had reached maturity and sired his own children. The King would send for the best surgeons and doctors of London. Unsurprisingly, the doctors announced a tumor, uncertain yet if it was benign or cancerous.
The King would be happy to see his son taking more responsibility as he did not know how much longer he had to live.
Britain would have the good fortune to see the benefits of the Britannic Trade Confederation. London's ideal location for a port/trading entrepot with Europe would prove vital to returning the island to solvency.
Puebla, New Spain
By the summer of 1835, Governor Zumalacorregui had managed to alienate most of the gentry of New Spain to such an extent that most resigned their military commissions. On the surface, this may have been a good thing as Zumalacorregui held a low opinion of the colonial gentry. However, the departure of the nobles from the militia prompted the commoners to evade service in droves.
With only a limited number of Spanish regulars (and let's face it, the Spanish regulars were hardly the elite of Europe), Zumalacorregui would be forced to rely on locals for both money and manpower for his proposed invasion of Anahuac. This threatened to stymy his plans. Zumalacorregui ordered the arrest of any man who did not show up for militia maneuvers after Sunday Church.
By the fall of 1835, the general population of New Spain was nearly up in arms and Zumalacorregui had more to worry about than any proposed offensive.
Guadalajara, Anahuac
The government of Anahuac was felled not due to the lack of money...but a sudden surplus of it. Already unhappy to have sold a portion of their nation (a portion remote and unlikely to ever been seen by the common man), the commoners had at least expected the funds to improve their lives. However, imported goods remained impossible to obtain while the cost of those few goods actually available, like grain, suddenly saw a burst of inflation due to the increase in liquidity of capital.
Food riots commenced in the capital as the king and his Congress were forced to flee the city. Calling out the militia seemed a poor idea as the militia were seen at the fore of the mobs.
Population of British North American Dominions and Territories from 1830 census - After Royal Edict Reorganizing Territories
Quebec - 315,000
Montreal - 205,000
Nova Scotia - 105,000
Charlottia (New Brunswick, former Acadia west of the Isthmus of Chignecto) - 75,000
Newfoundland - 48,000
Vermont (including the contested Hampshire Grants and the western portion of the former district of Maine under the colony of Massachusetts) - 510,000
Sagadahock (formerly the eastern portion of the district of Maine under the colony of Massachusetts) - 110,000
Massachusetts - 520,000
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations - 210,000
Connecticut - 258,000
New York - 910,000
Long Island -270,000
Manhattan - 155,000
New Jersey 260,000
Pennsylvania - 1,000,000
Delaware - 252,000
Maryland - 465,000
Virginia - 710,000
Kanawha (West Virginia) - 250,000
North Carolina 385,000
Catabwa (West North Carolina) - 156,000
South Carolina - 300,000
Wateree (West South Carolina) - 105,000
Georgia - 257,000
West Florida (South Alabama, South Mississippi and Florida Panhandle) - 155,000
Mississauga (Peninsular Ontario) - 112,000
Maumee (Western Kentucky) 255,000
Shawnee (Eastern Kentucky) - 205,000
Westsylvania (Western Pennsylvania) - 208,000
Watauga (Eastern Tennessee) - 255,000
Tennessee (Western Tennessee) - 200,000
Hanover (Louisiana) - 250,000
Caledonia (Parts of Northern Texas and Oklahoma) - 200,000
Aethiopia (Southern Texas and parts of northeast Mexico) - 300,000
Arkansas - 150,000
Miami (OTL Indiana) - 200,000
Ohio (Most of OTL Ohio) - 400,00
Michigan (Lower Peninsula) - 100,000
East Florida and the Bahama Islands (Florida minus Panhandle) - 100,000
Indiana (northern Mississippi and Alabama) - 200,000
Chicago (Illinois) - 50,000
Assorted British North American Territories (not yet Dominions) - 175,000
Hudson (Northern Ontario)
Labrador (Eastern Quebec Peninsula)
Laurentia (Northwestern Quebec)
Denedeh
Inuit
Marquette (Wisconsin)
Cappadocia
Belgica
Thracia
Lusitania
Aquitania
Hiberia
Mauretania
Cilicia
Pannonia
Noricum
Moesia
Galatea
Iceni
Dobunni
Baetica
North Zealand
South Zealand
Montreal - 205,000
Nova Scotia - 105,000
Charlottia (New Brunswick, former Acadia west of the Isthmus of Chignecto) - 75,000
Newfoundland - 48,000
Vermont (including the contested Hampshire Grants and the western portion of the former district of Maine under the colony of Massachusetts) - 510,000
Sagadahock (formerly the eastern portion of the district of Maine under the colony of Massachusetts) - 110,000
Massachusetts - 520,000
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations - 210,000
Connecticut - 258,000
New York - 910,000
Long Island -270,000
Manhattan - 155,000
New Jersey 260,000
Pennsylvania - 1,000,000
Delaware - 252,000
Maryland - 465,000
Virginia - 710,000
Kanawha (West Virginia) - 250,000
North Carolina 385,000
Catabwa (West North Carolina) - 156,000
South Carolina - 300,000
Wateree (West South Carolina) - 105,000
Georgia - 257,000
West Florida (South Alabama, South Mississippi and Florida Panhandle) - 155,000
Mississauga (Peninsular Ontario) - 112,000
Maumee (Western Kentucky) 255,000
Shawnee (Eastern Kentucky) - 205,000
Westsylvania (Western Pennsylvania) - 208,000
Watauga (Eastern Tennessee) - 255,000
Tennessee (Western Tennessee) - 200,000
Hanover (Louisiana) - 250,000
Caledonia (Parts of Northern Texas and Oklahoma) - 200,000
Aethiopia (Southern Texas and parts of northeast Mexico) - 300,000
Arkansas - 150,000
Miami (OTL Indiana) - 200,000
Ohio (Most of OTL Ohio) - 400,00
Michigan (Lower Peninsula) - 100,000
East Florida and the Bahama Islands (Florida minus Panhandle) - 100,000
Indiana (northern Mississippi and Alabama) - 200,000
Chicago (Illinois) - 50,000
Assorted British North American Territories (not yet Dominions) - 175,000
Hudson (Northern Ontario)
Labrador (Eastern Quebec Peninsula)
Laurentia (Northwestern Quebec)
Denedeh
Inuit
Marquette (Wisconsin)
Cappadocia
Belgica
Thracia
Lusitania
Aquitania
Hiberia
Mauretania
Cilicia
Pannonia
Noricum
Moesia
Galatea
Iceni
Dobunni
Baetica
North Zealand
South Zealand
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1835
Manhattan
King Frederick I of British North America slowly recovered from his heart attack. Over the course of several weeks, Frederick even managed to ride a few times in his carriage to reassure the public of his good health.
Once he returned to work, he agreed to separate the northern Territories into more geographically reasonable sizes. However, he thought this was silly as he could not imagine these Artic tundra regions would possess the population to graduate into Dominions. Similarly, some of the Western territories would be split and new Territories of Noricum, Galatea and Moesia were created.
But the King didn't care much about that. He knew he was in poor health and was already preparing his heir for the throne.
He would not be the only one.
Puebla, New Spain
Governor Zumalacorregui was utterly livid. Nearly a hundred of the colonial gentry had written a letter to the King asking for his removal, detailing his "offenses". As the King's Ministers had demanded that Zumalacorregui make these changes, he hardly viewed himself as having acted in poor faith to the King's Will.
Rumors of a boycott of Spanish goods (not that Spain typically produced much) abounded and the militia was ordered to stand down as it looked increasingly likely that it would take the lead on any disorders.
Zumalacorregui would beg the King for a few more regular regiments to restore order. This unrest was preventing his dreams of invading Anahuac, itself under political turmoil.
Moscow
The State Funeral of Alexander I of Russia would take place in 1835. The Czar had been ill for years and his son long-since assuming more and more day-to-day authority.
Alexander II of Russia would see the expansion east further and further south as a drain on Royal Coffers and finally ordered a halt to the expansion into Turkic territory. Most of what Russia actually wanted, it already possessed. The Turkic peoples had largely been pushed from the Steppe into the mountains of Persia and Central Asia.
Let them remain there. The Russian migration into this ancient nomadic lands continued apace though as Serfs were lured by promises of better conditions into Siberia and the Steppe (and Russian North America).
Alexander II, like his father, was hardly a reformer but incremental changes in the relief of serfs could be seen almost on a yearly basis. Old freedoms were reestablished including greater migration rights and freedom to own land. Many of the eastern lands produced cash crops like cotton, hemp and others, which greatly benefited Russia's economy.
The legal system was softened under Alexander I and this would also continue under Alexander II.
Paris
It was a poor year for Royals in Europe as Louis XVII also expired after a brief illness. His son Louis XVIII would prove far more dynamic than any French King in over a century. Unlike his father and grandfather, Louis had a vested interest in government and reforms. While Louis XVI and Louis XVII reformed when necessary, the new King sought to actively promote the idea.
While there had been many changes in the legal, economic, political and demographic landscapes, Paris would soon be the forefront of a new wave of modernizing monarchs in Europe.
Northern Europe
The Northern Confederation, the loose economic and political affiliation of northern European states (mostly Protestant) had slowly devolved into a Customs Union as the decades past. Once fearing a French, Italian, Austria or even Polish invasion upon Protestant Europe, these fears had slowly ebbed away over the years as the peace was maintained.
Instead, the economic union expanded as much of Britain and even Ireland would expand trade relations with mainland Europe.
Nippon
After over a decade in Nippon, the Chinese Army had devolved from a disciplined force of professionals to a harried and irate collection of peace-keepers. The continuous Nipponese resistance had led to a complete failure to collect taxes even as costs spiraled. After years of losses, the Chinese army would withdraw from Honshu and later the southern islands as well.
China was withdrawing into itself, seeing no benefit expanding further abroad given that there were no natural rivals to the Middle Kingdom.
Manhattan
King Frederick I of British North America slowly recovered from his heart attack. Over the course of several weeks, Frederick even managed to ride a few times in his carriage to reassure the public of his good health.
Once he returned to work, he agreed to separate the northern Territories into more geographically reasonable sizes. However, he thought this was silly as he could not imagine these Artic tundra regions would possess the population to graduate into Dominions. Similarly, some of the Western territories would be split and new Territories of Noricum, Galatea and Moesia were created.
But the King didn't care much about that. He knew he was in poor health and was already preparing his heir for the throne.
He would not be the only one.
Puebla, New Spain
Governor Zumalacorregui was utterly livid. Nearly a hundred of the colonial gentry had written a letter to the King asking for his removal, detailing his "offenses". As the King's Ministers had demanded that Zumalacorregui make these changes, he hardly viewed himself as having acted in poor faith to the King's Will.
Rumors of a boycott of Spanish goods (not that Spain typically produced much) abounded and the militia was ordered to stand down as it looked increasingly likely that it would take the lead on any disorders.
Zumalacorregui would beg the King for a few more regular regiments to restore order. This unrest was preventing his dreams of invading Anahuac, itself under political turmoil.
Moscow
The State Funeral of Alexander I of Russia would take place in 1835. The Czar had been ill for years and his son long-since assuming more and more day-to-day authority.
Alexander II of Russia would see the expansion east further and further south as a drain on Royal Coffers and finally ordered a halt to the expansion into Turkic territory. Most of what Russia actually wanted, it already possessed. The Turkic peoples had largely been pushed from the Steppe into the mountains of Persia and Central Asia.
Let them remain there. The Russian migration into this ancient nomadic lands continued apace though as Serfs were lured by promises of better conditions into Siberia and the Steppe (and Russian North America).
Alexander II, like his father, was hardly a reformer but incremental changes in the relief of serfs could be seen almost on a yearly basis. Old freedoms were reestablished including greater migration rights and freedom to own land. Many of the eastern lands produced cash crops like cotton, hemp and others, which greatly benefited Russia's economy.
The legal system was softened under Alexander I and this would also continue under Alexander II.
Paris
It was a poor year for Royals in Europe as Louis XVII also expired after a brief illness. His son Louis XVIII would prove far more dynamic than any French King in over a century. Unlike his father and grandfather, Louis had a vested interest in government and reforms. While Louis XVI and Louis XVII reformed when necessary, the new King sought to actively promote the idea.
While there had been many changes in the legal, economic, political and demographic landscapes, Paris would soon be the forefront of a new wave of modernizing monarchs in Europe.
Northern Europe
The Northern Confederation, the loose economic and political affiliation of northern European states (mostly Protestant) had slowly devolved into a Customs Union as the decades past. Once fearing a French, Italian, Austria or even Polish invasion upon Protestant Europe, these fears had slowly ebbed away over the years as the peace was maintained.
Instead, the economic union expanded as much of Britain and even Ireland would expand trade relations with mainland Europe.
Nippon
After over a decade in Nippon, the Chinese Army had devolved from a disciplined force of professionals to a harried and irate collection of peace-keepers. The continuous Nipponese resistance had led to a complete failure to collect taxes even as costs spiraled. After years of losses, the Chinese army would withdraw from Honshu and later the southern islands as well.
China was withdrawing into itself, seeing no benefit expanding further abroad given that there were no natural rivals to the Middle Kingdom.
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