Germaniac
Donor
I have, for quite some time, been considering writing a TL on a topic in Russian History. My First attempt was a POD where Alexander survived a few more months, but it failed to really take of for me. It's been a while for me now and I have decided to try again. The POD is that Alexander refuses to end the war immediately and Cracks begin to form in the alliance. Any comments or Complaints are Extremely welcome as it is my first TL be utterly destructive as it will help with further attempts
Prologue
The Fall of Sevastopol
“Thank God there were no women or brandy left in the Town.” - Captain Henry Clifford
Alexander II: The Last Great Autocrat
“Sevastopol is not Moscow, and even after Moscow was taken, we later got to Paris.” Alexander II told his nation. However he knew continuing the war much longer, against all three allies, would be suicidal. He simply did not have the necessary forces or effective lines of communication to launch any kind of significant counter-attack to retake Sevastopol, and who would want to wast resources on retaking what amounted to a pile of rubble and dead bodies. There was little Alexander could due, but resolved to not begin his reign with a surrender he bided his time.
The War in the Crimea
Never had the Alliance, throughout the war, have been strained as now. Napoleon had significant financial difficulties during the Fall of 1855 and while, much better than the Russian, the condition of the French fighting force was waning. By the time the siege of Sevastopol was ended the French were in need of an end to the war. The French Medical support was showing it's inability to deal with the growing typhus and and general bad conditions plaguing the French troops. The comparison between our two armies was growing more and more in our favor every day. And above all the French people were tired of war, and ready to welcome home their army.
Alexander II: The Last Great Autocrat
Alexander knew that is would be near impossible to run a war with such a rotted and bloated system. He knew he would soon need peace, but in no way was he going to declare defeat. Understanding the French wanted the war to end, he began to send diplomats to Paris to see if a separate peace could be reached. The Russian were very much afraid Vienna would hear of these, as the tense relations were there and Austria wanted to at least have a hand in the peace. The Austrians never heard a word of the negotiations in St. Petersburg and Paris. While in public Napoleon announced his intention to see the war through with his ally Britain in private he was nearing closer and closer to an agreement with Alexander. While the Austrians did not get word of these talks, Britain did.
Crimea: The Great Crimean War
The British were not calling for the end of the war, unlike their cross-channel partners. Britain wanted to put Russia in its place, secure the Ottoman Empire, and make India impenetrable to the Tsar all in one conflict. For Britain the Crimean War was that conflict, and they were going to see it through. Knowing of France's growing problems and hopes for peace, the British decided that it was in their best interest to antagonize any attempts at peace until they felt that the British had the best possible seat at the negotiation table. The British needed a major victory and that could only come with another front, whether that be in the Crimean or the Baltic.
…
The Russians had won a major victory at the Ottoman stronghold of Kars and it did not seem that the Russians were in fact as finished as the British might have thought. While the Ottoman coast was secure, the Russians could not launch an attack against Terbizond. The Tsar decided that with the French looking for a peace, he needed another victory against the Ottomans to push the British to join the negotiations. He ordered that the city of Erzerum to be taken. Now that the siege of Kars was complete the Russians had the forces needed to undertake such an attack. While the Russian army marched to the city, the demoralized and under prepared defenders. While Selim Pasha had brought an army to Erzerum from Trebizond and once arriving and hearing of the fall of Kars the army turned back because apparently their mission was to relieve the city of Kars only and not to defend the city of Erzerum. By the time the Russians began preparing for the siege, the defenders were already ready to admit defeat.
The War in the Crimea
The French were the most disturbed by the sudden revival of the Russian forces in Asia Minor. They in no way wanted the Russians gaining any more diplomatic capital, and a capture of Erzerum would most certainly be just that. Napoleon broke his word, in the face of growing unrest at home and worsening conditions for his soldiers in the war, and officially the French made a separate peace with the Russians. Even with this betrayal we were in no way ready to end the conflict and while France lacked the stomach to face the Russians any longer, we would not back down.
Prologue
The Fall of Sevastopol
“Thank God there were no women or brandy left in the Town.” - Captain Henry Clifford
Alexander II: The Last Great Autocrat
“Sevastopol is not Moscow, and even after Moscow was taken, we later got to Paris.” Alexander II told his nation. However he knew continuing the war much longer, against all three allies, would be suicidal. He simply did not have the necessary forces or effective lines of communication to launch any kind of significant counter-attack to retake Sevastopol, and who would want to wast resources on retaking what amounted to a pile of rubble and dead bodies. There was little Alexander could due, but resolved to not begin his reign with a surrender he bided his time.
The War in the Crimea
Never had the Alliance, throughout the war, have been strained as now. Napoleon had significant financial difficulties during the Fall of 1855 and while, much better than the Russian, the condition of the French fighting force was waning. By the time the siege of Sevastopol was ended the French were in need of an end to the war. The French Medical support was showing it's inability to deal with the growing typhus and and general bad conditions plaguing the French troops. The comparison between our two armies was growing more and more in our favor every day. And above all the French people were tired of war, and ready to welcome home their army.
Alexander II: The Last Great Autocrat
Alexander knew that is would be near impossible to run a war with such a rotted and bloated system. He knew he would soon need peace, but in no way was he going to declare defeat. Understanding the French wanted the war to end, he began to send diplomats to Paris to see if a separate peace could be reached. The Russian were very much afraid Vienna would hear of these, as the tense relations were there and Austria wanted to at least have a hand in the peace. The Austrians never heard a word of the negotiations in St. Petersburg and Paris. While in public Napoleon announced his intention to see the war through with his ally Britain in private he was nearing closer and closer to an agreement with Alexander. While the Austrians did not get word of these talks, Britain did.
Crimea: The Great Crimean War
The British were not calling for the end of the war, unlike their cross-channel partners. Britain wanted to put Russia in its place, secure the Ottoman Empire, and make India impenetrable to the Tsar all in one conflict. For Britain the Crimean War was that conflict, and they were going to see it through. Knowing of France's growing problems and hopes for peace, the British decided that it was in their best interest to antagonize any attempts at peace until they felt that the British had the best possible seat at the negotiation table. The British needed a major victory and that could only come with another front, whether that be in the Crimean or the Baltic.
…
The Russians had won a major victory at the Ottoman stronghold of Kars and it did not seem that the Russians were in fact as finished as the British might have thought. While the Ottoman coast was secure, the Russians could not launch an attack against Terbizond. The Tsar decided that with the French looking for a peace, he needed another victory against the Ottomans to push the British to join the negotiations. He ordered that the city of Erzerum to be taken. Now that the siege of Kars was complete the Russians had the forces needed to undertake such an attack. While the Russian army marched to the city, the demoralized and under prepared defenders. While Selim Pasha had brought an army to Erzerum from Trebizond and once arriving and hearing of the fall of Kars the army turned back because apparently their mission was to relieve the city of Kars only and not to defend the city of Erzerum. By the time the Russians began preparing for the siege, the defenders were already ready to admit defeat.
The War in the Crimea
The French were the most disturbed by the sudden revival of the Russian forces in Asia Minor. They in no way wanted the Russians gaining any more diplomatic capital, and a capture of Erzerum would most certainly be just that. Napoleon broke his word, in the face of growing unrest at home and worsening conditions for his soldiers in the war, and officially the French made a separate peace with the Russians. Even with this betrayal we were in no way ready to end the conflict and while France lacked the stomach to face the Russians any longer, we would not back down.
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