1720
The birth of a son to the Prince and Princess of Asturias sends relief throughout the entire Spanish court. Ensuring that the next generation of Spanish royals will continue. King Felipe is himself growing more and more tired with every passing day, though he continues to exert himself beyond what some might consider healthy. Constantly working from the crack of dawn to the first sign of night. Felipe has slowly brought the Spanish economy out of the red and toward a level of balance.
In Milan, Archduke Joseph manages to hold court several times a week, and even if he does look slightly pale and frail, he holds a presence enough to keep scheming nobles and foreign dignitaries on their toes. His son Leopold Joseph is a fine young man, an administrator who is growing to be the pride of his father and mother.
Rajaram ensures the conquest of Kutch completely for the Marathas, having decided against properly invading Delhi. His son Shivaji adds to this conquest by conquering lower Saurasthra. Jahan Shah quite literally shits himself when he receives word of this, and the embarrassing sight just about sums up how low the Mughals have really fallen. His cousins are now planning a coup, and to ignore the laws of succession.
1721
In Versailles, scandal is the word on everyone’s lips. It appears that certain members of the court have been trying to convince the King’s brother, the Duke of Berry to side with them and reduce the power of the crown. The Duke of Berry has naturally rejected this, and was in fact the one to inform the King of the scandal. The list of the conspirators is long and shocking. Several prominent nobles are behind it including the Marquis De Louvain, and the Duke of Vendome. King Philippe has them all executed and their estates confiscated. He then retires to his reading, leaving his wife and brother to do most of the ruling.
In London, King James starts giving more power over to his son, the Prince of Wales, who embarks on several tours with his wife and children. The Prince of Wales is greeted with cheering and applause wherever he goes, much to his delight and the King’s pride. The Duke of Kendal passes away after suffering from an illness for many months. His son, named James is confirmed as Duke of Kendal and Secretary of State for Scotland. Any hope the Presbyterians might have had about bringing their faith back to the forefront of national politics is dashed when the Duke of Kendal signs an agreement with the Highland clans allowing them freedom of worship within their own private homes, so long as they support Protestantism in public.
Jahan Shah is found murdered in his bed. Imperial law declares his son Jahangir is now his heir, but Jahangir is only a boy of ten, and so his cousins Muhammed and Akbar view for the Peacock throne. Taking the armies meant to deal with Rajaram away from their designated purpose and toward the battle fields of northern India. The following war lasts only a few short months before Muhammed and Akbar are both dead and Jahangir is named Emperor under the regency of his mother and several generals.
1722
Tensions along the border between Austrian Serbia and Ottoman Serbia necessitate Emperor Maximilian venturing out from Vienna to Belgrade to meet with the Ottoman Sultan. Maximilian is known to have remarked to his own advisors. “Which Sultan is this? There have been so many.” A truer statement was never spoken, for the Turks have had a lot of bad luck with Sultans. Several of whom died within the past decade from illness and old age and one cause or another. The current Sultan, Muhammed is an old and frail man, who was a fierce fighter in his youth, but now is nothing more than a husk. He agrees to the renewal of the border before dying on his way home, and without sons of his own body a succession war is sparked.
In Poland, King Alexander dies, a fever which had run rampant throughout the capital finally claiming him. His son, Jan is elected as King without much opposition from anyone, other than Russia, but really, Russia is a bit preoccupied with its own issues, what with Peter the Great having died. King Jan takes a moderate approach to things, bringing tariffs down on trade, and reinforcing the church settlement, but also wanting to explore more options other than Austria.
In India, Shivaji, heir to the Maratha throne takes all of Saurasthra, bringing it completely under Maratha control. He is feted for his achievement, whilst the Mughals continue to shit themselves. Rajaram has grown tired as of late, an entire reign in the saddle has proven quite exhausting, but he wants one more thing before he can truly retire, and that is Delhi. Of course his advisors are telling him that Delhi is perhaps one conquest too far, but he still wants it.
1723
In London, King James summons Parliament, not for any discernible reason, but simply because he can. Parliament meets, discusses something mundane such as the growing inappropriateness of the room the Commons are lodged in for discussion. King James laughs when told about this and says. “They are there to represent the people, not live in comfort, they have their own estates for that.” Parliament is dismissed when it becomes apparent that they will not be discussing anything of note, and King James focuses most of his attention on improving the Palace of Whitehall, intending to make it the biggest and most splendid Palace in Europe.
In Versailles, Queen Elisabeth and the Duke of Berry clash on numerous things, first and foremost is Queen Elisabeth’s obsession with Italy, the Duke of Berry rightly points out that France is the bigger prize than some minor duchy in Italy, and that she should focus on ensuring that her children do not lose sight of that. The Queen takes offense to her brother in law’s tone and sharply reprimands him for what she calls unbecoming conduct, and as such the council is held at a stalemate over the issue of reforming the taxation system. The King wants no part in any of it, and Cardinal Alberoni, was beginning to lose favour with the Queen due to his agreement with the Duke of Berry.
In Spain, King Felipe watches the indecision in France with a lot of anxiety. Spain is growing again, the economy made a profit for the first time in nearly fifty years, but, France’s divisions are rankling. He writes to his nephew advising him to stop fooling about and to actually rule. His nephew ignores his letter, and Felipe turns away from France, seeking out a potential alliance with Britain, something that his advisors think would be good especially as Britain is becoming a dominant naval power. Discussions continue throughout the year, as Felipe keeps one eye on Versailles.