Odyssey of Fritz, the Turncoat Prince
- Thread starter Alt History Buff
- Start date
Map 1730: Just before the Wars of Polish & Austrian Succession
Map of Europe (stock photo): 1730
Just a small nitpick. Anna Petrovna Romanov died in 1728, before your POD. Even if she lived she may not have been chosen Tsarina by the supreme privy council. As a legitimised daughter of Peter she does not have the noble pedigree that her half brother Alexei or her cousins do. Their mothers where from noble boyar families. She also had a husband and family. Something the SPC may well have preferred not to have since they were trying to put limits on the powers of the autocracy.
She could have done so however if Peter had named her in his will, he failed to do so. It would take a coup of the kind that installed both Catherine I and II and Elizabeth to get her on the throne by 1830. The supporters that put Catherine I in place by then favoured Anna Ivanovna instead. No heirs, or husband as political baggage and experience in governing in Courland were in her favour. By 1830 it's likely one of the Ivanovna daughters will gain the throne.
She could have done so however if Peter had named her in his will, he failed to do so. It would take a coup of the kind that installed both Catherine I and II and Elizabeth to get her on the throne by 1830. The supporters that put Catherine I in place by then favoured Anna Ivanovna instead. No heirs, or husband as political baggage and experience in governing in Courland were in her favour. By 1830 it's likely one of the Ivanovna daughters will gain the throne.
Love this thread idea, and while the Prussophile in me is slightly fuming I'm hoping that this will be an interesting timeline.
I agree, it was the Supreme Council of State (or whatever) that determined the issue. Had Anna Petrovna returned to Russia after her husband died and toting a living male heir, I feel that Peter would almost certainly have included his daughter and granddaughter in his will, even arranging for the pair to be closer to the central power sources.
If it had been the assumption for years or even decades that she/he would inherit, then there would have been less resistance.
Anna Ivanovna was a good candidate but she was not the daughter of Peter the Great. He had absolute power and, if he made it clear who he wanted, I question if anyone would overthrow her.
Note that Catherine the Great barely had a drop of Russian blood in her veins but few stood against her.
Frederick did serve under Eugene of Savoy in the war of Polish Succession but, by this point, Eugene was a worn out old man whom had lost his edge and aggression. The dynamic between the aged veteran and the young genius will be a central point of future chapters.
Peter I died before Anna married the Duke of H-G, though they were betrothed. There are no heirs at his death. The Petrine succession laws allowed the Tsar to chose his successor. He didn't and it went to the Supreme Privy Council of State, whom the Duke of H-G had fallen out with. They chose Catherine I, Peter's wife. Frederick and Anna returned to Holstein-Gottorp where she died shortly after the death of her first son. All of this is before your POD. After Peter I you only have Elizabeth , there were some who supported her, as she was nearest by blood and the Ivanovna cousins. Your POD has to be that Anna arrives at Peter's side and is lucid enough to actually dictate his final will naming her. Something that was widely suspected at the time. The succession would then not be in doubt. It would have to be a second prior POD to your main one. Anna and Frederick would then never leave Russia, and neither may die. Karl Peter would be born and raised in Russia. It would lead to personal union with the Duchy.
As to Catherine I I that was a military coup in the midst of a war. Those circumstances are specific to her and not comparable to Russia being at peace, where the dynamic is political not military. Elizabeth was both political with the support of the military, also during war.
Last edited:
Anna won't return to Russia. Her son is heir to the Duchy. She is probably part of the Regency for her son alongside his uncle.
If Anna thought she may inherit or that her son would be Czar of Russia if Peter lived long than OTL (as he may have done, he died fairly young), would she not consider that more important than a minor German Duchy?
OTE="Alt History Buff, post: 16384631, member: 83498"]If Anna thought she may inherit or that her son would be Czar of Russia if Peter lived long than OTL (as he may have done, he died fairly young), would she not consider that more important than a minor German Duchy?[/QUOTE]
Its doubtful the Holsteiners would let her go if she already has responsibilities there. More importantly as already stated. TheSPC of state is unlikely to choose her because she brings the political baggage of personal union with Holstein and she was illegitimate at birth to a woman of low birth, a maid in the household. If they go with the Petrovna line it would be Elizabeth instead, for the same reason they chose Anna Ivanovna over her sister Catherine even though Catherine was the elder daughter of Ivan AND currently resident in Moscow with her daughter.
Its doubtful the Holsteiners would let her go if she already has responsibilities there. More importantly as already stated. TheSPC of state is unlikely to choose her because she brings the political baggage of personal union with Holstein and she was illegitimate at birth to a woman of low birth, a maid in the household. If they go with the Petrovna line it would be Elizabeth instead, for the same reason they chose Anna Ivanovna over her sister Catherine even though Catherine was the elder daughter of Ivan AND currently resident in Moscow with her daughter.
Chapter 8: Chaos
Chapter 8: Chaos
Fall - 1733
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy was little more than a modest slice of land ensconced into the mountains of Northern Italy but the economic and strategic influence vastly outweighed its size. Milan was a cross-point of France, Germany and Italy. As multiple powers had ambitions in Italy, there was no more vital strip than Milan. With Carlos of Parma also set to inherit the Grand Duchy of Tuscany sooner rather than later, the Bourbon Powers were eager to wipe out Habsburg influences once and for all on the Peninsula.
Louis XV, young and aggressive, twisted his distant cousin Carlos of Parma's arm to gain his alliance. There was some suggestion that Carlos wanted revenge for failing to gain Maria Theresa's hand in marriage. In reality, he simply looked at the available resources on hand in northern Italy and picked a winner. With France and their ally, the King of Sardinia (Savoy-Piedmont), were much closer than the Habsburgs and had fewer distractions. The assorted Habsburg domains were also in poor financial shape due to numerous wars and general dysfunction. Charles VI also was far more concerned with his "Pragmatic Solution" and starting a war would not help either his internal or external struggles to put his daughter upon the throne(s) of his ancestors.
As such, the preponderance of local forces were huge as Parma, Sardinia, France and Spain poised to invade Italy.
But Milan held great natural defenses and her border fortresses in the mountains were formidable. Prince Eugene, largely a spent force by now in his dotage, was nevertheless a keen tactical mind. It would be a tough fight.
Unfortunately for the allies, the year was too late to campaign much in Northern Italy. Though the first snows had yet to fall in the valleys, the mountains were already cold. Even the modest garrisons of Milan could hold out long enough for the weather to stymy any sieges.
But, in the south, that was a different matter.
Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily
Louis I of Spain, now a father of two healthy sons, was perhaps the most strong-willed of the Bourbons. His distant cousin Louis XV of France had never particularly impressed him. His brother, Carlos, on the other hand, was perhaps the most pragmatic of his family. Carlos was already destined to inherit Tuscany and no doubt a sliver of Milan.
Louis I of Spain, however, wanted a hell of a lot more than divided a piss-ant little Duchy like Milan in pieces with his allies. His father's ascension to the throne of Spain cost the Bourbons the Spanish Netherlands (now "Austrian), Milan, Naples and Sicily. Realistically, he was never going to get the Spanish Netherlands back nor even Milan. He could live with that. Louis honestly did not want to deal with the endless wars that came with owning those wealthy but troublesome border territories. He would be satisfied with Sicily and Naples.
And he intended to get them.
With a warmer winter in southern Italy, Louis saw no reason to wait for his allies.
Twenty thousand Spanish soldiers embarked upon Spanish ships from various ports and sailed east for Sicily.
"Royal Prussia", Poland
In Poland, the war had already begun. Stanislaus I, finally, had gotten off his ass in Paris and bothered to ride to his country. Naturally, he brought no French forces of import with him. This largely proved King Frederick William's theory that Louis XV was using this conflict as a distraction for his REAL objective: Milan and, perhaps, if rumor had it right, Lorraine.
In a way, that suited the Prussian King fine. There was more than one way to skin a cat. Largely ignoring his "ally", Frederick William's army seized much of the province of Royal Prussia, until this point a largely uneventful backwater to the Polish civil war. Infante Manuel and his Austrian backers were in the far south, the Russians would no doubt cross the eastern border in the spring, Augustus III of Saxony was in Warsaw and Stanislaus...well, no one knew where he was. Mostly the only ethnic Pole in the race was drumming up support in the countryside among factions of the Polish nobility as the "native" candidate.
While the factions waged war, Frederick William seized what he wanted all along.
It was a ruthlessly pragmatic decision. But the Hohenzollerns were a pragmatic people. Turning a third rate European state into something approaching a challenger to the "Great" states of Russia, Austria, Spain, France, etc required all of the talents of Frederick Williams family and people: the Protestant work ethic, a well-drilled army capable of fighting above its weight and the moral flexibility of the Hohenzollern monarchs.
Frederick William and his ancestors had alternately waged furious war...then groveled before their betters. Negotiated treaties...and broke them. Anything that advanced the power, wealth, population and prestige of their nation was acceptable.
The latest King was no different. Realizing that his allies had betrayed him, Frederick William simply adjusted course. He took what he wanted and would wait to see which way the winds blew. If necessary, he would treat with the Austrian Emperor again to ensure he kept his prize after the fighting was over and to hell with the French.
He wondered what happened to his idiot effeminate son. Last he heard, Fritz was in Milan.
Frederick William prayed his damn son froze his dick off.
London
George II had yet to really learn to speak conversational English. His ministers managed to explain that, while the peace treaty protecting Hanover from French aggression appeared to be in place, the rumored intent of the Spanish to expand in the Mediterranean brought more than a little heartburn to the British government. The Mediterranean was a key trading link for British merchants and vital to the British economy. While much was made of India and America, few places were as consistently profitable as Italy, Greece, the Levant and Anatolia for the trading nation. The loss of Gibraltar, Sicily and Naples years before by the Spanish helped open these links and Britain would loathe to give them up.
With Britain's fading Protestant ally, the once-powerful Dutch Republic, more concerned with keeping the French out of the Austrian Netherlands and King George II demanding that no actions be taken that may risk Hanover, Robert Walpole began to suspect that Britain may be dragged into this dismal war. Given that Britain had nothing to be gained by doing so and much to lose, he knew that any such conflict would reflect poorly on his administration.
St. Petersburg
Czarina Anna Petrovna wondered why her advisors were carrying on about the Ottoman. Were these raids by Tatars in the Crimea not irrelevant?
Apparently not.
Now her ministers were recommending a separate course of action. It had been assumed that the Russian Army would cross into Poland in the spring to put down this civil war and install the Infante Manuel as the King. In reality, this was hardly a great objective for Russia.
Now, apparently her ministers thought the Ottoman was a greater opportunity for gain than in Poland. Any attempt for Russia to annex Commonwealth lands would result in war with Austria, Prussia and the Poles. There was little to gain there.
But Anna's father had been adamant in expanding south. Given the dismal record of the Ottoman army in recent wars (they had been crushed by the Austrians only a few years prior and showed no discernable improvement in recent years), the opportunities to gain were enormous.
Her ministers explained that an army was required to stand guard the border against Persia (which had lost a war recently to Russia), to fight the Ottomans and to fight in Poland.
In reality, Russia had the resources to do two of these, not all three. Her ministers recommended eliminating the conflict from which they had the least to gain...and that was Poland.
The Czarina penned a note to her "ally" Charles VI that her forces were "required" closer to home to repel the Tartars.
The Russian Army, if consigned to a single adjective, may be referred to as "ponderous". Powerful once in motion but very difficult to control. The "ponderous" army started marching south in the spring.
Fall - 1733
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy was little more than a modest slice of land ensconced into the mountains of Northern Italy but the economic and strategic influence vastly outweighed its size. Milan was a cross-point of France, Germany and Italy. As multiple powers had ambitions in Italy, there was no more vital strip than Milan. With Carlos of Parma also set to inherit the Grand Duchy of Tuscany sooner rather than later, the Bourbon Powers were eager to wipe out Habsburg influences once and for all on the Peninsula.
Louis XV, young and aggressive, twisted his distant cousin Carlos of Parma's arm to gain his alliance. There was some suggestion that Carlos wanted revenge for failing to gain Maria Theresa's hand in marriage. In reality, he simply looked at the available resources on hand in northern Italy and picked a winner. With France and their ally, the King of Sardinia (Savoy-Piedmont), were much closer than the Habsburgs and had fewer distractions. The assorted Habsburg domains were also in poor financial shape due to numerous wars and general dysfunction. Charles VI also was far more concerned with his "Pragmatic Solution" and starting a war would not help either his internal or external struggles to put his daughter upon the throne(s) of his ancestors.
As such, the preponderance of local forces were huge as Parma, Sardinia, France and Spain poised to invade Italy.
But Milan held great natural defenses and her border fortresses in the mountains were formidable. Prince Eugene, largely a spent force by now in his dotage, was nevertheless a keen tactical mind. It would be a tough fight.
Unfortunately for the allies, the year was too late to campaign much in Northern Italy. Though the first snows had yet to fall in the valleys, the mountains were already cold. Even the modest garrisons of Milan could hold out long enough for the weather to stymy any sieges.
But, in the south, that was a different matter.
Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily
Louis I of Spain, now a father of two healthy sons, was perhaps the most strong-willed of the Bourbons. His distant cousin Louis XV of France had never particularly impressed him. His brother, Carlos, on the other hand, was perhaps the most pragmatic of his family. Carlos was already destined to inherit Tuscany and no doubt a sliver of Milan.
Louis I of Spain, however, wanted a hell of a lot more than divided a piss-ant little Duchy like Milan in pieces with his allies. His father's ascension to the throne of Spain cost the Bourbons the Spanish Netherlands (now "Austrian), Milan, Naples and Sicily. Realistically, he was never going to get the Spanish Netherlands back nor even Milan. He could live with that. Louis honestly did not want to deal with the endless wars that came with owning those wealthy but troublesome border territories. He would be satisfied with Sicily and Naples.
And he intended to get them.
With a warmer winter in southern Italy, Louis saw no reason to wait for his allies.
Twenty thousand Spanish soldiers embarked upon Spanish ships from various ports and sailed east for Sicily.
"Royal Prussia", Poland
In Poland, the war had already begun. Stanislaus I, finally, had gotten off his ass in Paris and bothered to ride to his country. Naturally, he brought no French forces of import with him. This largely proved King Frederick William's theory that Louis XV was using this conflict as a distraction for his REAL objective: Milan and, perhaps, if rumor had it right, Lorraine.
In a way, that suited the Prussian King fine. There was more than one way to skin a cat. Largely ignoring his "ally", Frederick William's army seized much of the province of Royal Prussia, until this point a largely uneventful backwater to the Polish civil war. Infante Manuel and his Austrian backers were in the far south, the Russians would no doubt cross the eastern border in the spring, Augustus III of Saxony was in Warsaw and Stanislaus...well, no one knew where he was. Mostly the only ethnic Pole in the race was drumming up support in the countryside among factions of the Polish nobility as the "native" candidate.
While the factions waged war, Frederick William seized what he wanted all along.
It was a ruthlessly pragmatic decision. But the Hohenzollerns were a pragmatic people. Turning a third rate European state into something approaching a challenger to the "Great" states of Russia, Austria, Spain, France, etc required all of the talents of Frederick Williams family and people: the Protestant work ethic, a well-drilled army capable of fighting above its weight and the moral flexibility of the Hohenzollern monarchs.
Frederick William and his ancestors had alternately waged furious war...then groveled before their betters. Negotiated treaties...and broke them. Anything that advanced the power, wealth, population and prestige of their nation was acceptable.
The latest King was no different. Realizing that his allies had betrayed him, Frederick William simply adjusted course. He took what he wanted and would wait to see which way the winds blew. If necessary, he would treat with the Austrian Emperor again to ensure he kept his prize after the fighting was over and to hell with the French.
He wondered what happened to his idiot effeminate son. Last he heard, Fritz was in Milan.
Frederick William prayed his damn son froze his dick off.
London
George II had yet to really learn to speak conversational English. His ministers managed to explain that, while the peace treaty protecting Hanover from French aggression appeared to be in place, the rumored intent of the Spanish to expand in the Mediterranean brought more than a little heartburn to the British government. The Mediterranean was a key trading link for British merchants and vital to the British economy. While much was made of India and America, few places were as consistently profitable as Italy, Greece, the Levant and Anatolia for the trading nation. The loss of Gibraltar, Sicily and Naples years before by the Spanish helped open these links and Britain would loathe to give them up.
With Britain's fading Protestant ally, the once-powerful Dutch Republic, more concerned with keeping the French out of the Austrian Netherlands and King George II demanding that no actions be taken that may risk Hanover, Robert Walpole began to suspect that Britain may be dragged into this dismal war. Given that Britain had nothing to be gained by doing so and much to lose, he knew that any such conflict would reflect poorly on his administration.
St. Petersburg
Czarina Anna Petrovna wondered why her advisors were carrying on about the Ottoman. Were these raids by Tatars in the Crimea not irrelevant?
Apparently not.
Now her ministers were recommending a separate course of action. It had been assumed that the Russian Army would cross into Poland in the spring to put down this civil war and install the Infante Manuel as the King. In reality, this was hardly a great objective for Russia.
Now, apparently her ministers thought the Ottoman was a greater opportunity for gain than in Poland. Any attempt for Russia to annex Commonwealth lands would result in war with Austria, Prussia and the Poles. There was little to gain there.
But Anna's father had been adamant in expanding south. Given the dismal record of the Ottoman army in recent wars (they had been crushed by the Austrians only a few years prior and showed no discernable improvement in recent years), the opportunities to gain were enormous.
Her ministers explained that an army was required to stand guard the border against Persia (which had lost a war recently to Russia), to fight the Ottomans and to fight in Poland.
In reality, Russia had the resources to do two of these, not all three. Her ministers recommended eliminating the conflict from which they had the least to gain...and that was Poland.
The Czarina penned a note to her "ally" Charles VI that her forces were "required" closer to home to repel the Tartars.
The Russian Army, if consigned to a single adjective, may be referred to as "ponderous". Powerful once in motion but very difficult to control. The "ponderous" army started marching south in the spring.
Its doubtful the Holsteiners would let her go if she already has responsibilities there. More importantly as already stated. TheSPC of state is unlikely to choose her because she brings the political baggage of personal union with Holstein and she was illegitimate at birth to a woman of low birth, a maid in the household. If they go with the Petrovna line it would be Elizabeth instead, for the same reason they chose Anna Ivanovna over her sister Catherine even though Catherine was the elder daughter of Ivan AND currently resident in Moscow with her daughter.[/QUOTE]
I don't deny your point but neither of these are 100% final.
Note that a young Russian Duchess that probably didn't speak a word of German and barely out of her teens was not likely to be the power source in Holstein. If she were to inform the Holstein ruling council that they would be in charge in her absence, would they really risk war with Russia to force her and her son to stay? They'd probably be happy to be rid of the Russians and have a couple of decades or more to rule themselves.
As for the situation in St. Petersburg, if Peter the Great's only son died early and he publicly acclaimed his eldest daughter his heir and she already had her own heir, would this not be more than acceptable to the gentry and the population as a whole? Have two generations of heirs on hand would stabilize the country.
Also, Peter, having chosen his daughter and grandson, could simplify the situation by placing his most trusted retainers in positions of military power in St. Petersburg and Moscow and give them orders that, should he die, they were to place Anna Petrovna on the throne regardless of what the Council of State says.
Indeed, I think that council only has real power in the rare case where a ruler dies suddenly and never bothered to announce a succession. If Peter the Great announces years in advance who would be succeeding him, would there really be a problem?
As for the low birth of Peter's mother, I doubt that would matter much in an autocratic state. Technically, Peter should never have been Czar in the first place. When Ivan died, the throne should have gone to his eldest daughter. The Council of State probably didn't have much to say about that.
I don't deny your point but neither of these are 100% final.
Note that a young Russian Duchess that probably didn't speak a word of German and barely out of her teens was not likely to be the power source in Holstein. If she were to inform the Holstein ruling council that they would be in charge in her absence, would they really risk war with Russia to force her and her son to stay? They'd probably be happy to be rid of the Russians and have a couple of decades or more to rule themselves.
As for the situation in St. Petersburg, if Peter the Great's only son died early and he publicly acclaimed his eldest daughter his heir and she already had her own heir, would this not be more than acceptable to the gentry and the population as a whole? Have two generations of heirs on hand would stabilize the country.
Also, Peter, having chosen his daughter and grandson, could simplify the situation by placing his most trusted retainers in positions of military power in St. Petersburg and Moscow and give them orders that, should he die, they were to place Anna Petrovna on the throne regardless of what the Council of State says.
Indeed, I think that council only has real power in the rare case where a ruler dies suddenly and never bothered to announce a succession. If Peter the Great announces years in advance who would be succeeding him, would there really be a problem?
As for the low birth of Peter's mother, I doubt that would matter much in an autocratic state. Technically, Peter should never have been Czar in the first place. When Ivan died, the throne should have gone to his eldest daughter. The Council of State probably didn't have much to say about that.[/QUOTe)
The point which your missing is that Peter did'nt do any of the things you suggest. Anna died before your oD, h*LL Louis I was dead at this time. Your pulling details out of the air without any kind of explanation. Oh already have at 3 pod going on with in no way can besaid to cause the other.
Peter followed Ivan because he was the eldest male relative AND he was already co-ruler with Ivan before he died. And yes illegitimacy and low birth of the Catherine were a factor in the choice of the Ivanovna line over the Petrovna.
Peter II , grandson , was still alive at Peter's death.
However yes there is nothing to say it couldn't happen that way ever, but given political dynamic of the times immediately after Peter I's death the probability is extremely low. It's even money that Peter intended Anna or his grandson to follow him. Since he didn't state anything officially to anyone,. Court politics will determine who does.
Enough already though. I am now assuming that your pod now has to go back to 1718 I think,. That POD appears as your first and with a lot of hand waving and butterflies perhaps the subsequent 2 could follow it as subsequent events. Like I originally stated.......small nitpick. I am not going to make anything more of it.
Last edited:
Chapter 9: Shifting Alliances
Chapter 9: Shifting Alliances
Spring 1735
Duchy of Milan
Prince Frederick of Prussia was pleased to have been given a command in the Austrian Army, though only a small "irregular" corps surrounding his regiment. Von Katte, his old friend, as the Colonel and the Prussian
barely into his twenties had 2500 men under his command.
While many Princes held commissions, few actually were given martial power. It was a tribute to Prince Eugene's faith in him that Frederick acted as more than a mere staff officer for the aging and experienced General. Indeed, Eugene had not been impressed by the quality of the Austrian or Milanese officers under his command. Given that he was outnumbered at least 3 to one by the French-Savoy-Parma armies, that was not a good thing.
It would probably be early summer before the mountain passes started to swarm with French soldiers. Eugene and his officers must be ready.
Sicily
Despite adequate warning of impending invasion, the Habsburg forces in Sicily were woefully unprepared. The February invasion was virtually unopposed and by the end of spring, the entirety of the island beyond a few bastions in the larger cities had been conquered. Even the modest fleet dispatched by Spain was more than a match for the negligible Habsburg navy.
The Spanish government had reformed enormously in the past three decades since the War of Spanish Succession. Revenues collected internally by the once-dysfunctional and ineffective Spanish state had risen exponentially. The peace had allowed Spain to gain additional silver from the new world. For the first time in generations, Spain was casting their own cannon, building their own ships, etc.
For now, the decline of Spain had been suspended. With no one to stop him from regaining at least SOME of his ancestral lands stripped from the family in the War of Spanish Succession, Louis I of Spain (Bourbon) sought to push his Habsburg cousins out of southern Italy.
Rome
The Pope's power over the secular states had been waning for years. He could no longer threaten Kings with excommunication in order to bend them to his will. Where once the Papacy held sway over Italy, the Pope was now largely a non-entity surrounded by warring Catholic Kingdoms.
Istanbul
The Sultan realized now was the time. The Austrians had crushed his forces in the Balkans only a decade before, leading to the deal of the Grand Vizier. With their attention spread across many fronts, now was the best time to challenge the Austrians and push them back to Hungary.
Encouraged by France, the Ottoman declared war upon the assorted domains of the Habsburg Monarchy (often simply called the Austrian Empire, no matter how incorrect that term may be) utilizing minor failures in meeting the terms of the last treaty as a pretext.
What the Sultan did not realize was that the Russians were not "entirely occupied in Poland and intent upon holding the line against Persia". In reality, the largest of the Russian armies were marching against the Ottoman Empire even as he wrote the terms of the Declaration of War.
Poland
"Where the hell are all the armies?" Stanislaus I, the declared Polish King, wondered.
By now, there were supposed to be supportive armies of French and Prussians, not to mention opposing armies of Russia (nominally declaring for "Manuel 1"). But only less-then-expected Austrian forces and the smallish Saxon army actively fought in the vast Commonwealth.
Given that the Polish Succession had been the nominal cause of war now spreading across the Continent...well, not many people actually seemed to care about it.
As it was, the aging Pole managed to rally his supporters against the Saxon Pretender, Augustus III, and the Portuguese Infante, Manuel. The three sides appeared fairly well matched.
Stanislaus assumed that armies were on the way to aid one side or the other.
Weren't they?
Spring 1735
Duchy of Milan
Prince Frederick of Prussia was pleased to have been given a command in the Austrian Army, though only a small "irregular" corps surrounding his regiment. Von Katte, his old friend, as the Colonel and the Prussian
barely into his twenties had 2500 men under his command.
While many Princes held commissions, few actually were given martial power. It was a tribute to Prince Eugene's faith in him that Frederick acted as more than a mere staff officer for the aging and experienced General. Indeed, Eugene had not been impressed by the quality of the Austrian or Milanese officers under his command. Given that he was outnumbered at least 3 to one by the French-Savoy-Parma armies, that was not a good thing.
It would probably be early summer before the mountain passes started to swarm with French soldiers. Eugene and his officers must be ready.
Sicily
Despite adequate warning of impending invasion, the Habsburg forces in Sicily were woefully unprepared. The February invasion was virtually unopposed and by the end of spring, the entirety of the island beyond a few bastions in the larger cities had been conquered. Even the modest fleet dispatched by Spain was more than a match for the negligible Habsburg navy.
The Spanish government had reformed enormously in the past three decades since the War of Spanish Succession. Revenues collected internally by the once-dysfunctional and ineffective Spanish state had risen exponentially. The peace had allowed Spain to gain additional silver from the new world. For the first time in generations, Spain was casting their own cannon, building their own ships, etc.
For now, the decline of Spain had been suspended. With no one to stop him from regaining at least SOME of his ancestral lands stripped from the family in the War of Spanish Succession, Louis I of Spain (Bourbon) sought to push his Habsburg cousins out of southern Italy.
Rome
The Pope's power over the secular states had been waning for years. He could no longer threaten Kings with excommunication in order to bend them to his will. Where once the Papacy held sway over Italy, the Pope was now largely a non-entity surrounded by warring Catholic Kingdoms.
Istanbul
The Sultan realized now was the time. The Austrians had crushed his forces in the Balkans only a decade before, leading to the deal of the Grand Vizier. With their attention spread across many fronts, now was the best time to challenge the Austrians and push them back to Hungary.
Encouraged by France, the Ottoman declared war upon the assorted domains of the Habsburg Monarchy (often simply called the Austrian Empire, no matter how incorrect that term may be) utilizing minor failures in meeting the terms of the last treaty as a pretext.
What the Sultan did not realize was that the Russians were not "entirely occupied in Poland and intent upon holding the line against Persia". In reality, the largest of the Russian armies were marching against the Ottoman Empire even as he wrote the terms of the Declaration of War.
Poland
"Where the hell are all the armies?" Stanislaus I, the declared Polish King, wondered.
By now, there were supposed to be supportive armies of French and Prussians, not to mention opposing armies of Russia (nominally declaring for "Manuel 1"). But only less-then-expected Austrian forces and the smallish Saxon army actively fought in the vast Commonwealth.
Given that the Polish Succession had been the nominal cause of war now spreading across the Continent...well, not many people actually seemed to care about it.
As it was, the aging Pole managed to rally his supporters against the Saxon Pretender, Augustus III, and the Portuguese Infante, Manuel. The three sides appeared fairly well matched.
Stanislaus assumed that armies were on the way to aid one side or the other.
Weren't they?
Chapter 10: Chaos
Chapter 10: Chaos
Fall, 1735
London
The German King muttered in his ancestral tongue as he wandered away from his bowing ministers. He hadn't wanted to keep Walpole on after his father's death. But George II's wife encouraged him not to relieve the man of his duties and cause upset among the political establishment. After all, Walpole had Parliament under control and the House of Hanover was hardly secure on the throne. With Walpole's support, George II's ascension was smooth and the man even ensured a favorable civil list for the King. That was enough for George II.
Now, Walpole was suggesting that someday, not today, that Great Britain may have to intervene against the Spanish in the Mediterranean. This made the King cringe as wars were expensive and monarchs often blamed for losses. More so, Spain was the ally of France and, tangently, Prussia. One threatened Britain at sea and the other Hanover by land.
George II would not encourage such a strategy though he feared he may be pushed into it. The Dutch were already preparing to defend the Austrian Netherlands as well should France decide to strike.
Northern Poland, "Royal Prussia"
The Prussian King's primary forces had invaded northern Poland with quiet efficiency. Rather than move to support his "ally" Stanislaus in the south, he seized most of Royal Prussia, the Poland enclave which separated his Holy Roman Empire domains from his non-contiguous Kingdom of Prussia in the east.
Then...he did nothing, ignoring increasing pleadings from Stanislaus to aid him near Warsaw.
Frederick William had already gotten what he wanted. Why bother doing more?
Eventually, the winds would blow and the Prussian would fly with it. No need to do more right now.
Milan
Over 30,000 French, Savoy and Parmese troops invaded Milan through the valleys. They found what they expected: an assortment of fortresses guarding the passes. One by one, the fortresses were besieged as Eugene of Savoy was ensconced in his central base, like a spider in his web.
His subordinate, Frederick of Prussia, begged him to grant a small contingent of forces to counterattack the enemy supply lines before it was too late.
Finally, Eugene gave in.
Russia/Ottoman Frontier
The Sultan was shocked when he learned that the Russian armies had crossed the borders against his forces in the Caucasus, Azar and the Crimea. He had yet any idea of what to do with the situation. He demanded that the Grand Vizier act.
Did not the man demand that the Sultan declare war upon the Austrians?
How could he fight on four fronts (the Balkans, Azar, the Caucasus and Crimea) at once?
Then the Grand Vizier recommended seeking an alliance with Persia, whom also had lost a war to Russia recently and itched for a payback.
The Sultan was horrified, then relented. The two Muslim states had long been rivals, both politically and theologically, but war was war. If an alliance could be gained, then so be it.
Persia could always be crushed later.
Fall, 1735
London
The German King muttered in his ancestral tongue as he wandered away from his bowing ministers. He hadn't wanted to keep Walpole on after his father's death. But George II's wife encouraged him not to relieve the man of his duties and cause upset among the political establishment. After all, Walpole had Parliament under control and the House of Hanover was hardly secure on the throne. With Walpole's support, George II's ascension was smooth and the man even ensured a favorable civil list for the King. That was enough for George II.
Now, Walpole was suggesting that someday, not today, that Great Britain may have to intervene against the Spanish in the Mediterranean. This made the King cringe as wars were expensive and monarchs often blamed for losses. More so, Spain was the ally of France and, tangently, Prussia. One threatened Britain at sea and the other Hanover by land.
George II would not encourage such a strategy though he feared he may be pushed into it. The Dutch were already preparing to defend the Austrian Netherlands as well should France decide to strike.
Northern Poland, "Royal Prussia"
The Prussian King's primary forces had invaded northern Poland with quiet efficiency. Rather than move to support his "ally" Stanislaus in the south, he seized most of Royal Prussia, the Poland enclave which separated his Holy Roman Empire domains from his non-contiguous Kingdom of Prussia in the east.
Then...he did nothing, ignoring increasing pleadings from Stanislaus to aid him near Warsaw.
Frederick William had already gotten what he wanted. Why bother doing more?
Eventually, the winds would blow and the Prussian would fly with it. No need to do more right now.
Milan
Over 30,000 French, Savoy and Parmese troops invaded Milan through the valleys. They found what they expected: an assortment of fortresses guarding the passes. One by one, the fortresses were besieged as Eugene of Savoy was ensconced in his central base, like a spider in his web.
His subordinate, Frederick of Prussia, begged him to grant a small contingent of forces to counterattack the enemy supply lines before it was too late.
Finally, Eugene gave in.
Russia/Ottoman Frontier
The Sultan was shocked when he learned that the Russian armies had crossed the borders against his forces in the Caucasus, Azar and the Crimea. He had yet any idea of what to do with the situation. He demanded that the Grand Vizier act.
Did not the man demand that the Sultan declare war upon the Austrians?
How could he fight on four fronts (the Balkans, Azar, the Caucasus and Crimea) at once?
Then the Grand Vizier recommended seeking an alliance with Persia, whom also had lost a war to Russia recently and itched for a payback.
The Sultan was horrified, then relented. The two Muslim states had long been rivals, both politically and theologically, but war was war. If an alliance could be gained, then so be it.
Persia could always be crushed later.
Last edited: