"Sic Semper Tyrannis!" :: Part 1

This' deeply cool, and I'm loving it.

I think I should warn you that getting external help for CSA might be a tad harder than you're thinking.

o CSA started it, never a help for general opinion.
o CSA's idea of diplomacy was THREATS, the very worst approach. Yes, they planned to THREATEN haughty European powers with cotton shipment suspension.
o CSA's UK support was limited to the upper classes; more, especially lower classes, loved Lincoln. And it was a cause the UK'd already taken arms against.
o Would the result really would've been reversed? We would've had our own allies tying you down, and it's a land war like the UK'd already failed to win against us twice.

But the rest looks great to me, and lotsa fun.
 

mojojojo

Gone Fishin'
Sorry, when I saw the title I just couldn't resist
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Just to keep you all happy, an update ;)

Part III

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From “The 60’s”, episode two – “ Unification” – narrated by Daniel Clarke and written by Ken Frost, Britannia Broadcasting, 1992.

“Few Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, Finns and Icelanders in 1860 could have imagined that by 1870, each would be united together as part of an Empire. But such was the revolutionary and volatile political climate of the time that it was possible. Like German and Italian Unification, Scandinavian unification was complex. But there were significant differences. For example, unlike Germany and Italy, The peoples of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland had been united once before. Between the years 1397 and 1523, each had been united under the Danish royal family in the so-called Kalmar Union. However, this previous Union eventually failed, partly due to the Swedish resentment of Denmark’s constant wars in Germany and a wish for greater self-government within the Union, a rather erie reflection of what was to come.

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A circa 1840's Scandinavianist Propaganda piece.

However, by the middle of the 19th century, with liberal nationalism on the rise, many in the Scandinavian nations wished once again for greater cooperation if not full political union to combat both the conservative powers at be at home and the growing influence of autocratic Prussia to the south. The powers at be in both Denmark and Sweden were suspicious of the movement and, although it wasn’t suppressed as such, its leaders were kept under close watch. However, when Oscar I of Sweden succeeded his autocratic father in 1844, the previously strained relationship with Denmark improved and the movement began to gain legitimacy in both countries, particularly in light of what was happening to the south. For almost a millennium, Denmark had ruled the bilingual German-Danish Duchy of Schleswig as a fief of the Danish Crown. Also, as far back as 1474, Danish House of Oldenburg had ruled the almost totally German Duchy of Holstein in a similar manner while that duchy had remained part of the Holy Roman Empire. For centuries, the Germans of both duchies had remained fairly quiet and were content under Danish rule.

However, in 1848, that would all change. In March of that year, the new and relatively liberal King Frederick VII of Denmark announced a liberal constitution in which Schleswig, although with great autonomy, would be integrated into Denmark. Although the intentions were good, the timing couldn’t have been worse. In Germany, the revolutions of 1848 were in full swing and German Nationalism was at an all time high. As a result, when the Germans of Schleswig heard that they were to be integrated into Denmark, they revolted. War followed. However, even with the support of Prussia, the opinion of the European powers was almost wholly against the dismemberment of Denmark and Schleswig and Holstein remained under the rule of Denmark. Despite the fact that Denmark had fought the war alone and Swedish and Norwegian troops Oscar I sent had not fought the Germans in combat, the War end of the war saw an outpouring of Scandinavian Nationalism and when Danish troops marched through Copenhagen at the end of the War, Swedish flags flew alongside Danish ones. [1]
The victory of “Little Denmark” against Prussia not only provided a boost to the growing Scandinavian Nationalist movement, but also fostered a deep mistrust of Germans, but particularly Prussians and their conservative militarism amongst the people of the Scandinavian Nations, with the result being that the founders of the Scandinavian Empire sought to create their new empire as a liberal anti-thesis to what they saw as the aggressive and tyrannical neighbor to the south.

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Danish Soldiers return to Copenhagen after the First Schelswig War.

If the First Schleswig War galvanized the Scandinavian Nationalist Movement, the second consolidated it. By the beginning of the 1860’s, the childless Frederick VII was dying. As far back as 1847, Prince Christian from the relatively obscure Glucksburg branch of the Oldenburg Dynasty was pronounced heir to the Danish throne, something that the Germans of Schleswig and Holstein vigorously denounced. Most German nationalists supported the Augustenburg Branch in the form of Frederick of Augustenburg. Things came to ahead when, on January 2nd 1863 [2], Frederick VII died and Prince Christian ascended to the Danish Throne as Christian IX. Almost immediately, he began to finalize the implementation of the so-called November Constitution, which would have created a joint parliament to govern the affairs of both Denmark and Schleswig.

The German nationalists now had their chance. Claiming that Christians succession and the November constitution were a clear violation of the London Protocol of 1851, the states German Confederation declared war on Denmark on March 8th 1863. In particular, Prussia and its ambitious Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck were keen for another round with the Danes. Not only did Bismarck wish to address the defeat of Prussia in the First Schleswig War, but he was also keen to allow for Prussia to build the planned Kiel Canal, which would have expanded Prussian influence in the Baltic and North Sea Greatly.

Hostilities opened after Saxon and Hanoverian troops crossed to border into Holstein. Almost immediately, the Danish Army retreated to the Viking Age Dannevirke Fortifications where the Danish army first engaged the Prussian Military Machine. With the might of the entire German Confederation against them and with the less impressive state of the Danish Military, the Danes were in a bad position from the start. As a result, Christian pleaded with the Swedish King Charles XV for aid. Charles, an enthusiastic supporter of Scandinavian Nationalism and, somewhat rarely in the mostly Pro-German Swedish Aristocracy, suspicious of Prussia and Bismarck’s intentions, responded positively and on August 12th, Sweden declared war on the German Confederation [3]. Almost immediately, Swedish and Norwegian troops were sent to Schleswig and on the 20th, a joint Swedish and Danish naval squadron clashed with the Prussian Navy off Bornholm, emerging victorious.

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Danish and Swedish ships engage the Prussian Navy off Bornholm.

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Danish and Norwegian troops holding the Dannevirke against the Prussians.

The Declaration of war as well as a Danish-Swedish Victory at Dybbøl saw an outpouring of Scandinavian Nationalism across both nations. However, by the end of the year, it was becoming clear that, even with the added support of Swedish and Norwegian troops, the Germans with the Prussian Military machine would emerge victorious and, after a particularly bad defeat outside of Aalborg, the Danes were forced to the negotiating table. The peace At the Treaty of Amsterdam, signed on the 18th of July 1864 and with Prince Albert, the British Prince Consort mediating, the Danes were forced to cede Schleswig and Holstein to the German Confederation. Holstein, it was stipulated, was to become an independent Duchy within the German Confederation with Frederick VIII August of the Augustenburgs begin made Duke of Holstein. However, in practice, it was to be an Austrian puppet. Schleswig on the other hand passed into Prussian ownership, with Prussian King Wilhelm I, who received the somewhat dubious title of “Duke of Schleswig”. As a result, a great many Danes came under German rule. In Denmark and Sweden, although particularly Denmark, there was an outpouring of grief at the loss of both the provinces and somewhat interestingly, instead of destroying the Scandinavianist movement, a desire for revenge began to grow among political classes of Scandinavia. It was from here on that the Scandinavian Nationalist movement began to take a more serious tone and there were calls from many for a political unification of the Kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden-Norway to combat the rise of Prussia. The Scandinavian Empire was born.

[1] Apologies, but everything up till about here is OTL.

[2] Slightly earlier than OTL here for Butterflies sake.

[3] IOTL, Charles promised troops, but backed down. The presence of Swedish and Norwegian troops ITTL is going to have a great effect on Scandinavian Nationalism.
 
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Despite the victory, Prussia didn't proceed well; its navy was defeated and a new country, probably future powerhorse, menaced it to North.

Future of Germany seemed very grim...:eek:
 
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