Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III

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ejpsan

Michael and Alberta (AKA not Charles) do seem to have real affection for each other and I wouldn't be surprised if her brother Billy starts to spend a large part of the summer with them.
Michael of course will remember the time he spent in the mountains with Freddy and the SKA and maybe start up a Young Calvary Troopers camp where Billy and other children in his age range will learn the joys of taking care of horses by feeding them, grooming them, cleaning tack, helping the Farrier with shoeing and trimming the hoofs and the most fun part, mucking out the stables.

Young Louis Ferdinand should be finishing up his time on the Grand Admiral's staff and is ready to go back to the Fleet and some time in the Pacific commanding his own small boat squadron can kill two birds with one stone by also making him the equivalent of whatever version of Governor- General the German Empire has.
 

Othala

NHBL said:
More good stuff--always fun to read this and see the world keep changing.

I'm confused. Was it illegal to leave your church?
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Might have worded that a bit better.

But the short of it is, kind of.

You could leave your Confession in the form of one of the accepted Religious Confessions (if Christian you Kirche - Church, but in the meaning of the organisation, not the individual parish; though on the other hand you have Serfdom bound to their Land in Prussia up to early 19th century... tangents) before that. And well, it was socially frowned upon.

But you could only do that to join one of the other accepted Confessions. So basically for Prussia, unless I get something wrong, Roman Catholic or the Protestant or Reformed State Churches (before those were joined together in the Landeskirche anyway), plus Judaism (and that only recently by 1847 without looking it up). Most conversions were in fact from either Catholic (often immigrant and/or for the opportunities both economic and political) or Jews (in many cases assimilation or just for the economic opportunities) to the Landeskirche, just looking at Prussia here.

It means you couldn't just from your own splinter 'Church' or even worse, be without a declared religion before 1847. Afterwards that was at least in theory possible. Though again socially frowned upon and especially forming your own church would get you some unsympathetic attention from the state. (Anecdote from further South, in Austria there still remain some certain, if very small social circles that are officially Protestant, because their ancestors decided to convert away from Catholicism, but being atheist back then wasn't an option.)

As I mentioned in the last post, the first organised wave of Kirchenaustritte (plural noun for the act of leaving a church) was only shortly before the First World War and closely tied to the Socialist movement, leading to a small group of atheists.


So for the matter of this fic, by the time of the PoD changing Confessions and even Atheism was legal (unless one of the surviving small States hadn't gotten there by then), even if socially not fully acceptable. Having since moved up over half a century, and several developments that should aid the move in that direction, it should by now be fully accepted. (Though Atheism will probably be less common than it was in the GDR parts than it was OTL - while the FGR should tend a bit more there. Though there is the last update, and Michael reviving Catholic Religious Orders in Bohemia (already hinted at in earlier ones)... To be honest that has implications all of his own. It might be Michael trying to resurrect Chivalry, or it might be a countermovement to a perceived Socialist, Langist, German Atheism - I'd have to reread earlier parts of the story for that, and I don't really have it in me at the moment to do that. )
 
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Othala

Peabody-Martini said:
The situation in Bohemia is complicated. While the majority is nominally Catholic, there is deep suspicion of the organization itself due to the actions of Austria-Hungary.
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Okay, refresh my memory. IIRC A-H splintered after a victorious First World War (and since I only started reading the story after that I couldn't place my objection on that AH trope, but well...).

So it's been 'just' the Archduchy of Austria for over half a century by now? Or did I miss something concerning Hungary? Because Bohemia breaking away, but not Hungary would be odd.

While yes, Catholicism and the House of Habsburg had a close relation, and religion was an important element to their rule, I can see the topic not being easy.

Though again, it's been half a century. If not earlier, I'd expect at the very least with the independence of Galicia from Poland, that there will be a nostalgia wave concerning the old Empire. (That is if the Habsburgs hadn't managed to mess up in Austria itself). I'd very much expect film very much in the vein of the Sissi ones OTL to turn up (though under very different circumstances from the OTL '50s - Austria hadn't just regained it's independence from Germany and the occupying Allied powers)

So yeah, religion will be in the centre of an identity conflict there.
1. First you have the old Habsburg Catholicism, something that is to be left behind, the old oppressor maybe even (depending on how much the exiles got their part in writing the national history, I'd expect their influence to be somewhat less than OTL. I'd very much doubt that Germany would accept the politicians who lived as government-in-exile in Paris a say, or the ones that fought in the Czechoslovak Legion against them, after Bohemia joined them.)
2. Then we have Prussian Protestantism as the counterforce, the old conflict that haunted the HRE since the Reformation. The northern neighbour, modern, victorious, not in chaos (that they probably weren't innocent in creating). I'd be seen as a chance at first, but increasingly also as a foreign element, especially under the influence of...
3. Polish Catholicism. Yeah, those. Pan-Slavism, a perceived second class role behind the German Kingdoms and a religion to unify them. Though it didn't seem to have taken nearly as much as over there to the point of basically revolt, but the influence was certainly felt. And once the Poles failed, well that left, three options. Either returning to a Austria-nostalgia or...
4. Their other neighbour, the other big German catholic power - Bavaria. We've certainly seen them trying to take the counterweight in the old north-south, protestant-catholic tensions from Austria, until the king moved himself into the difficult position of bringing dynastic ties into the whole thing.
5. Leaving the chance to actually strengthen their own Czech/Bohemian Catholicism. And yes, while religion is far less of a political consideration in the 70s, than it was in the 20s, it's still one of many tools to be wielded. And the revived religious orders might come into play here as well.

Of course, in the end it will not be clear cut, but a mix of elements and things that I very likely missed, but this should give some ideas at least.

Now then we have Michael. I get the feeling he's mostly the military men, a figurehead in many respects. Still, he has some of his own ideas. However I very much get the idea that despite everything he isn't representative at all for the average Czech who's king he is. And the handful of Czechs we see all seem to be pretty German-assimilated military men (unless I missed something).

I actually forgot if he converted. I think I remember something about that (when there was discussion of Kiki staying IIRC with the Russian-Orthodox church quite a while ago) but I could be wrong. He certainly acts like it for some parts. As mentioned he's talking to the Pope, so those are explicitly catholic order that he is trying to revive (though I hope they take more the current charitable form, not the meritorious order that IIRC the Johanniter were in Prussia). He's got cavalry and chivalry nostalgia, I can tell. I wouldn't be surprised if people tried to relate him to Maximilian I. "The last knight". (Though his centre of power was Tyrol, not Bohemia...)

When it concerns Alberta, I'd assume we have a conflux of a Hohenzoller family that very much tries to spread themselves broadly over the Confessions, leaving a lot of it up to the individual, and a reluctance from the English side to loose their grip on a girl that is still pretty high up in the line of succession. If she were to convert, she might even conspire with her sister-in-law who had in turn married the the heir of the Jacobite Pretender!

(And I seem to be in the mood to write up long posts, uselessly speculating... oh well)
 

Jules

Othala said:
When it concerns Alberta, I'd assume we have a conflux of a Hohenzoller family that very much tries to spread themselves broadly over the Confessions, leaving a lot of it up to the individual, and a reluctance from the English side to loose their grip on a girl that is still pretty high up in the line of succession. If she were to convert, she might even conspire with her sister-in-law who had in turn married the the heir of the Jacobite Pretender!
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If Alberta does convert all her worries about British throne go away. Unless there's been butterflies, Catholics are forbidden the Crown. In fact, just marrying one will remove her from the succession.
 

Istariol

The Hohenzollerns weren't that religious equivocal.
The prussian part of the familiy was protestant, the swabian part of the familiy catholic.
The prussian part which Michael is part of is accaptable for the british inheritance law.
Just because the majority of Bohemia is catholic is no reason for Michael to convert, at least in this time!
 
Part 118, Chapter 1979
  • Index
    • Peabody-Martini

    Peabody-Martini

    Chapter One Thousand Nine Hundred Seventy-Nine



    30th April 1970

    Wunsdorf-Zossen

    The Hauptmann had figured that Manny was the best suited to take over the role of Oberlieutenant when the previous one had gotten himself promoted and had left to take over a different Company. Manny had been left wondering exactly what the differences were between that and what he had been doing previously. Eventually he had taken something that he understood and had run with it. The detail that it was keeping the entire Company busy was something that the Hauptmann didn’t seem to mind in the least and he had given Manny his full backing.

    Manny heard the distant “CLANK!” as the rifle bullet hit the steel target that had been placed five hundred meters away. The Company had collectively had not wanted to hear it, but Manny had learned about the absurdly high expenditure of ammunition they had gone through during the Polish campaign and had decided that something needed to be done about it. To say that they didn’t want to hear about it was an understatement. They had been successful in Poland, had they not?

    Manny had not been inclined to let them rest on their laurels and they had found themselves swiftly out one the firing range. The stated goal was that they reach not just the Heer’s standards, but his standards. Anyone who had a problem with that was going to find themselves on his permanent shit-list. So, he had gone back to basics, the proper assembly and care of their weapons followed by lots of practice. It was like what guest lecturer at the War Academy, a retired Field Marshal, had spelled out to his class while also encouraging them to read his books a few years earlier. Sweat saves blood, blood saves lives, brains save both. It was easy to remember that sort of thing and the Noncoms were always happy when any Officer let them help produce the sweat in question. This time by having the men push the steel targets that were normally moved by Raupenschlepper artillery tractors around the range. Manny hadn’t asked them to do that, but Jost had just smiled and told Manny to run with it.

    The two-power scopes that had been issued to most of the men extended the effective range of their rifles out to eight hundred meters, in theory. The realty was that the odds of any of them hitting a man-sized target at that range was next to nil. Trying to hit a brightly painted steel target with a concrete base that was the size and weight of an Iltis at five hundred meters was a lot more realistic and it was easy to tell if they managed to get a hit.

    All of this had been a welcome distraction at a time when Manny needed one. There had been a recent complication with his relationship with Suse when they had a bit of a scare. That had fortunately been a false alarm, but Manny had realized that they needed to start taking these things seriously and there was the looming threat of his Aunt to consider. Suse had said with the recent Royal wedding and everything else going on Katherine was far too busy to bother paying attention to what was going on with her. Manny wasn’t so sure. He knew from experience with his Aunt that it was foolish to think that there was not a huge difference between not paying attention and hadn’t gotten to it just yet. Katherine was perfectly aware of everything that happened under her roof and Suse was living there. Eventually, Katherine was going get around to it and then…

    Then came another “CLANK!”

    Manny heard another hit on the target. Now, if only he could tell if it was because the men were getting better or if it was through the process of elimination.



    Plänterwald, Berlin

    It was Nella and Nan who finally got them moving again after a few days of doing as little as possible. The girls had decided that sitting around watching television with adults who were not acting the part suited them too. It was just that the two of them eventually grew bored and became increasingly obnoxious until Kiki had thrown them out. “If we try to hide from the world, it will inevitably come to us” Ben had said, “And next time it will probably not in a form as easily dealt with as your sisters.”

    Kiki had been forced to agree. The last few days had been nice though. The two of them alone together, with absolutely no responsibilities, and not having to worry about what anyone else had to say about them anymore. Then Kat had shown up and asked if they needed anything and Ben had mentioned that they probably needed to go to the market for food. Kat had suggested that might be a bad idea, particularly now, without elaborating before she had left. Only then had it occurred to Ben that he would probably never be an anonymous citizen ever again. That was when Kat had also mentioned that the tour that had been planned for them was going to be starting on Monday and that Kiki’s father really would like it if they were ready to go.

    Having had experience in the past of doing this, Kiki went through the kitchen cabinets and the icebox to see what they needed. She had told Ben that they needed to be thorough and write clearly on the list because the members of the First Foot tasked with going to the market sometimes got things comically wrong. The expression on his face when she had said that had spoken volumes, he had to be questioning what he had gotten himself into.
     
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  • Index

    • Wet Coast

    Peabody-Martini said:
    Having had experience in the past of doing this, Kiki went through the kitchen cabinets and the icebox to see what they needed. She had told Ben that they needed to be thorough write clearly on the list because the members of the First Foot tasked with going to the market sometimes got things comically wrong. The expression on his face when she had said that had spoken volumes, he had to be questioning what he had gotten himself into.
    Click to expand...
    Ben, don't think of it like that. Savor the fact that you now have minions.
     

    jlckansas

    Peabody-Martini said:
    Having had experience in the past of doing this, Kiki went through the kitchen cabinets and the icebox to see what they needed. She had told Ben that they needed to be thorough write clearly on the list because the members of the First Foot tasked with going to the market sometimes got things comically wrong. The expression on his face when she had said that had spoken volumes, he had to be questioning what he had gotten himself into.
    Click to expand...
    Given Ben’s position now, coupled with his previous duties, rank, and academic standing, shouldn’t he have at least an aide of some sort? Even a Sergeant drive/Batman would be available. Kiki also with her rank and position in the Medical service would have the same, if not a junior officer.
     

    GSW

    jlckansas said:
    Given Ben’s position now, coupled with his previous duties, rank, and academic standing, shouldn’t he have at least an aide of some sort? Even a Sergeant drive/Batman would be available. Kiki also with her rank and position in the Medical service would have the same, if not a junior officer.
    Click to expand...
    Kiki doesn’t want one, so she may have one in a official position but likely only handles her mail and certain official things, but Kiki probably does most of the rest. However for Ben, that would be a way to introduce a new character, for example Sigi was introduced as an aid to Kat at first.
     

    ejpsan

    Jost finally has what he wanted, a Michener trained to his specifications.
    Manny is very right about his Aunt Kat knowing what EVERY thing that is going on between him and Suse Rosa and that is scarier then anything Manny will face in his life.
    If there is a wedding between Suse Rosa and Manny look to Gerta to want a big wedding that she didn't have and Kat quietly pushing for a small courthouse wedding that she wanted but was forced to by Kira to have a big wedding.
    Of course any children that Manny and Suse Rosa may have will be claimed by the various armed forces as they will have the DNA of Michener, Richthofen, Knipsel, and Wolvogle.

    Poor Kiki she is cursed with having two much younger sisters who love her and very much admiring her and want to be around her, fortunately Ben seems to like the girls.
    Kiki and Ben needs their own Mr. French to run their household.
     
    Peabody-Martini

    Peabody-Martini

    This is what the reticle of a WW2 Era Japanese riflescope looks like with a fixed zero at 300 meters. In TTL the German Army adopted a similar system in a two-power DMR riflescope. In the last post it was mentioned that holdovers out to 800 meters were seen as unrealistic, this one has them out to 1500 meters.

    steamworkshop_webupload_previewfile_149114632_preview.jpg
     
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