XIX. Fountain of Independence
“Remove the Peninsulares[*]!”
(an Anahuacan cry for independence)​

The combined independence forces of New Spain overwhelmed the garrisons and forced General Juan O’Donojú to sign the Treaty of Córdoba. At first, Spain would not officially recognize the treaty, and it would be some time before they finally did. Some wanted to attempt to form a republican government, but when Gen. Agustín de Iturbide appeared to address the crowed they proclaimed him Agustín I, emperor of Anahuac.

Similar events happened all over the Spanish Americas, the fact that all of the rebellions happen at similar times only helped their success as the Spanish could not reinforce everywhere. In New Granada, General Simón Bolívar successfully set up his Republic of Gran Venezuela. In Río de la Plata, General José de San Martín led his forces to independence. There he helped crown Juan Baistista Túpac Amaru, a relative of the last Sapa Inca, Juan I king of Argentina, and later Peru.

Out of all the other rebellions in the Spanish Americas, the Floridas had the most interesting. Gen. Simón Bolívar sent an army to the Floridas as part of his war against the Spanish. General Gregor MacGregor led the invasion and managed to capture Amelia Island. His troops were made up of mostly Venezuelan soldiers and Democratic-Republicans fleeing Columbia. Shortly after Gen. MacGregor proclaimed the Republic of the Floridas, it was discovered that Gen. MacGregor squandered much of the funds the army had. He was promptly kicked out of the country. The army that remained then began to attack mainland Florida. Many of the Spanish forces on the mainland were caught off guard when the Floridian army attacked because they had been watching the Columbian army.

There had been a number of border skirmishes between the Columbians and the Native American Nations that were refuging in the Floridas. After the Second American Revolution, the Columbian army was sent into West Florida, were most of the Natives were, to “eliminate” the threat. The Columbians ensured the Spanish that they had no intention of conquest, and the Spanish knew they could not afford another war, so they gave the troops permission to enter. This did not keep the Spanish garrisons from worrying about a Columbian attack, however.
***​
The Spanish Americas were not the only place for rebellions at this time though. The new anti-French sentiment was not going over very well in the English colony of Lower Canada. A small rebellion was put down at this time.

While the League Wars had kept the great powers of Europe busy with their own problems, Greece was suffering from a great deal of unrest from its Turkic inhabitance. That unrest erupted into a full-scale rebellion that threatened to reunite some parts of the country with the Ottomans. Without the League Wars though the great powers sent troops to Greece to maintain the country in statu quō[†].
***​

[*] spa: Hispanics who were born on the Iberian Peninsula

[†] lat: status quo

map_of_america1829.png

Map of the Americas circa 1829
 
XX. Den Retfærdife Sag[*]
“…a return to the glory of Kalmar.”
(from The Saga of United Scandinavia)

Back in 1818, Charles XIII died and Frederick VI became Frederick VI & II of Denmark-Norway and Sweden. Now, there was no formal unification of the two countries, but that did not keep Frederick VI & II from trying to promote Scandinavian unity. And he was a patron of works connecting his new personal union as that of the Kalmar Union.
***​
Columbia’s war with the Five Civilized Tribes was a short one. Their goal was merely to cripple the tribes in order to prevent raids and gain public good opinion. The now recently formed Florida had a different plan for the tribes. They wanted to drive the tribes out of the Floridas so they could have undisputed control over the region.

A major general for the Democratic-Republicans in the Second American Revolution, Andrew Jackson, had originally joined Gen. Gregor MacGregor to transform Florida into a Democratic-Republican refuge. He now led his men to burn out the tribes. With their population and towns were already destroyed the tribes could not fight back. Faced with no other choice the tribes fled west in search for new land.
***​
Even with the rebellions in Spanish America, the powers still looked to create new colonies. England most of all hoped to replicate what happened to France after the conquest of the Levant and revitalize their economy. England’s main focus was to expand its Indian colony north, though they were still a bit far to revitalize the economy. North Africa, was also a tempting target since the Ottomans were no longer in control of the region. Colombia was the first to capitalize on the opportunity here. All they had to do was convert their protectorate of Tripolitania into a colony.

Regions of the new land of Australia also were being claimed. England was the only country with substantial settlements, so they had a strong claim. France claimed western Australia, and the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain also made claims, even though Spain could not colonize any of its claim due to its rebellion issue.
***​
[*] dan: the just cause

flag_of_scandinavia1818.png

Union Flag of Scandinavia

map_of_australia1830.png

Territorial Claims of Australia
 
XXI. Trying again Elsewhere
“For many, stability was the most important factor.”
(from The Anahuacan Frontier)​

At the death of Louis XVIII, his brother, Charles X assumed the throne of France. The politics during the reign of Louis XVIII was an uneasy balancing act. Louis XVIII was willing to allow aspects of a constitutional monarchy for the sake of stability. Charles X, however, was less inclined to compromise than either of his brothers. It was obvious that Charles X could not return France to the Ancien Régime[*], it had been a constitutional monarchy for too long now. He did attempt to enact changes make the government as similar to the Ancien Régime* as possible. He enacted an anti-blasphemy law, restored various privileges to the nobility, and attempted to limit the power of parliament.
***​
In the town of Manchester, Columbia, a new religious movement began. A man named Joseph Smith founded Mormonism, after he proclaimed that he was helped by an angel. The new religion was not well accepted by those in power. Joseph Smith soon would lead his followers west looking for a land they could live without persecution.
***​
Agustín I’s reign of Anahuac was not unchallenged. General Antonio Santa Anna gather troops to fight for a republican government. Gen. Santa Anna was able to gain quite a few supporters, however, many looked at the recent issues Columbia had been having and attributed those issues as being inherit to that form of republic. The republicans attempted to siege Mexico[†], but were forced to withdraw when reënforcements approached. With the prospects of taking Mexico lost and having to fight several skirmishes Gen. Santa Anna led his forces north to regroup and gain more strength.
***​
Many of those who fled after the Second American Revolution did not feel safe so close to the border of Columbia. They left Louisiana and traveled west further into Anahuacan territory finally squatting in Tejas. In Tejas, the squatters met with a section that had broken off of Gen. Santa Anna’s army. Though the two groups were initially suspicions of each other they soon realized that they both shared similar republican ideals. With common goals the Anahuacan soldiers separated from Gen. Santa Anna and joined with the squatters to form their own republican country rather than replace the current government of Anahuac.
***​
[*] fra: Old Regime

[†] Anahuac is the name of the country, Mexico is the name of the capital city
 
XXII. The Inglorious Days
XXII. The Inglorious Days
Traditionalisme, modération, justice[*]
(motto of moderates during the July Rebellion)​

After seeing the success of the rebellion in former Tejas, Gen. Santa Anna decided it was time to march again. As he marched south the imperial army marched north to meet him. The Battle of Huatabampo was the only major battle during the conflict. The republicans won the battle, but it was too costly to continue. As much as Agustín I wanted to capture Gen. Santa Anna as a traitor, he could not afford to send an army after him. Despite how badly certain individuals wanted a civil war Anahuac just could not support it at this time. It was too soon since the country’s war of independence, and the territory too big. Because of this it was decided that for now, it would be better to follow in the example of the rebels that were in Tejas. Alta California proclaimed itself an independent republic.
***​
Most contemporary sources blame the July Rebellion entirely on Charles X’s reforms or on few discontents stirring up the masses over nothing. Modern historians, though, attribute much of the unrest as the aftermath of the Wars of the League. Seeing this problem Charles X turned to the age-old solution of make a new colony. It did not work this time. He ordered an invasion of North Africa. The region had been in chaos since the withdrawal of Ottoman forces and adding French forces to the mix only made things there worse. And the added pressure of an invasion only made the internal unrest in France worse.

In July of 1830, a mob assembled outside of Tuileries Palace crying for the revocation of Charles X’s reforms. By day two, the mob had grown, and military troops had to be used to maintain some semblance of order. Three factions developed. The first was the ultra-royalists, they fully supported Charles X and all of his policies. Royalists were those who wanted Charles X to stay king, but his reforms should be reversed. And the liberals, they wanted to replace Charles X with an elected king, most likely Louis Philippe the duke of Orléans. There were rumors that certain influential liberal leaders actually wanted to restore a republic, but no solid evidence of this was ever found.

The country as a whole was split about even, but Paris had a high concentration of liberals who began rioting in the streets. As Charles X hid in the Tuileries Palace, he sent out a plea for help just as he helped Spain defeat its own liberal movement. No country came to help. Spain was too busy with its colonial rebellions to send aid and the other countries either did not care or were remembering the Wars of the League and welcomed the potential for another French humbling. Maréchal de camp[†] August de la Rochejaquelein brother of the former generalissimo of the Catholic and Royal Army, Henri de la Rochejaquelein, led a band of ultra-royalists to Paris to defend the king. Unlike the force stationed in Paris, M de C. de la Rochejaquelein had no problem threatening and using force to keep the mob in check. His defense of the king was lauded as the second time the Vendéans saved France. While M de C. de la Rochejaquelein dispersed most of the liberals from rioting there was still the royalists calling for reform.

Several days of hiding for his life in his palace had made Charles X slightly more willing to negotiate, if only to prevent something like this from happening again. Thus, France created its first functional constitution[‡] the Charter of 1830. Both the monarch and parliament had their own powers and purpose. In exchange for the division of power though several of Charles X’s reforms were placed in the constitution, such as the anti-sacrilege law and reaffirmation of the Ancien Régime[§] succession laws.
***​
After the July rebellion was over, another rebellion broke out in the region of French Netherlands. This rebellion was unrelated to the previous one, but was still influenced by it. Here the Dutch speaking Flanders wanted independence from France and possibly join the Dutch Republic. William VI, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, threatened to send troops to protect the lives of the Dutch speakers. Fear of escalation the other powers forced another congress of powers to sort out this crisis. Charles de Talleyrand stepped up again to negotiate for France. In the interest of preventing another European wide conflict, he developed a plan to partition the region loosely based on the people groups that lived in each area.
***​


[*] fra: Traditionalism, moderation, justice

[†] two-star general

[‡] all previous constitutions had the goal of intentionally limiting another part of the government’s power: the constitutions during the revolution either removed all of the monarch’s power or removed the monarchy all together, the previous constitutions during the restoration intentionally limited the power of parliament

[§] fra: Old Regime
 
XXIII. Not Holy, Not Roman, No More
XXIII. Not Holy, Not Roman, No More
“Was it ever a true empire?”​
(from Memories of the Holy Roman Empire)​

Obviously, no one lives forever, and in 1835 Franz II, the Holy Roman Emperor, died. Franz II’s eldest son Ferdinand, rose to rule the Habsburg Monarchy despite being declared mentally unfit to make decisions on his own. His uncle Ludwig of Austria would be his adviser in all matters both domestic and foreign.

The Austrian aristocracy had no doubt that Ferdinand would still be elected emperor due to tradition, it was not like the emperor did anything anymore anyway. The delegation of the king of Bohemia (the Habsburg’s vote) arrived on schedule and everything appeared normal. But when they entered the election chamber they found the room deserted. Ferdinand was advised to “elect” himself as emperor, which he did. No one saw this as valid and he was never recognized or crowned.

At first, even the smallest city states were unphased by the lack of an emperor. If any of them made a comment about it, it was about how they were now truly sovereign in practice and name. Despite not having an official declaration of its termination, and a pretender, the Holy Roman Empire was considered dead by all entities[*]. It did not take long after the failed election for the smaller states to feel threatened. Prior to now there had been a sense that the smaller states were still “friends” as they were also part of the Holy Roman Empire. Now without anymore empire there was no diplomatic risk from forcing more influence into those states. Nor was there anything keeping the new kingdoms (such as Bavaria, Hanover, and Württemberg) from furthering their interests in the area either.
***​
Naïvely, the leaders of the Central and Souths American revolutions believed that once the Spanish had been ousted that their virtues and ideals would lead their new nations into an era of peace and prosperity. This could not be further from the truth. Almost as soon as the Spanish forces left disagreement erupted between the various factions. Both regions descended into chaos and civil war as various factions accused the others of not being virtuous enough and that their own unique brand of republic was the only true way to prosperity. As most of the groups that continued their revolutions were ununified warret[†] groups they accomplished very little. The one thing they did do was break the “faith in the people” those nations’ leaders had. None had their faith more shaken then Gen. Bolívar, who used his influence to rewrite the Venezuelan Constitution not only to make himself president for life (as most of the new republics eventually would, including California), but the ability to appoint his own successor.
***​
While a small rebellion had already been temporarily contained in the Canadas unrest was still rampant. England’s “Anglo-Saxon First” policies were always very unpopular with the Francophone population, and the policies were also starting to become unpopular with prominent Anglophones. A new organized group of rebels formed under the leadership of James Smith, Wolfred Nelson, and Louis-Joseph Papineau. The Patriotes[‡] grew slowly as it leadership were admirers of those who attempted to secularize France during its revolution. However, because the England’s new policies were also anti-Catholic many saw it as the lesser of two evils. Many of the English garrison in the Canadas had been transferred to England or to Egypt. England was quick to blockade the Canadas and send an expeditionary force, but they were unwilling to decrease the amount of troops in Egypt, the territory had too much potential wealth in it.
***​


[*] technically if one could gather the right people in the present day, they could elect a new emperor and the entire period would be considered an interregnum
[†] guerilla
[‡] fra: patriots


After a very long hiatus, another update! I am hoping I can find time to get back to making these as I still have more notes to use. I doubt I will be able to ever do once a week again, but as winter comes closer I should get more time.
 
XXIV. Under the Auspice of the Company
XXIV. Under the Auspice of the Company
“The world got a little less centered that day.”
(from The New Book of Qīng)​

Upper Canada was easily recaptured. The expeditionary force was greeted by pro-English militias. In Lower Canada, no such militia existed. The Patriotes refused to fight the English in any pitched battles resorting entirely to warret actions. While Columbia did not provide any assistance, individuals from Columbia did. Wealthier individuals would provide funding while others would actually cross the border and fight, all to help the formation of a new, hopefully friendly, country not under European control. Every time the English would venter into Lower Canada they would be continually harassed and when they reached their target, to find it deserted, only to be harassed all the way out. They did manage to capture the major cities, but the Patriotes simply moved their operations to the countryside. And cities require garrisons, spreading the already thin troops even more.

Willelm IV of England had just died prior to the rebellions in the Canadas, leaving the English crown to his niece, Alexandra, as queen. Because of this parliament had been handling most military matters. When the request for more troops and funding to recapture Lower Canada, someone asked “why?”. Why should they spend money to recapture an area full of French Catholics that has no resources Upper Canada could not provide? While the argument did not win over the entire assembly, it did cause enough infighting to delay any decision long enough that it would be too late either way.

When the war attrition was over, the Republic of Lower Canada was declared. This republic had a problem though. The county’s leaders had designed it to be a secular republic and the Catholic Church was to be tolerated, but have no influence over the government or the people. Nobody listened to these laws. Most lower government leaders would consult the Church before making a decision and in the events were the Church did legally “overstepped” its bounds no one would enforce any consequences.
***​
While England was having massive trouble with its affairs, the English East India Company operated with near complete autonomy since the invasion, almost as though it was a separate government. This was good for the company, but was one of the reasons England had such a hard time recovering as the profits from the company benefited the company, and only benefited England indirectly.

Europe would had been trying to open trade with China centuries, the East India Company found one way to do this. They imported opium from English India to create a demand for trade. China obviously did not like this and banned the importation of opium, and highly restricted all other trade. To enforce this China used its navy to seize the company ships and cargo. The company took this as an act of war and decimated the Chinese navy. The company captured a few islands and then made plans to invade key cities on the coast of the mainland. In order to mount a proper invasion, the company would need some backup support from the English army.

Representatives of the East India Company petitioned parliament for support in the war. Parliaments response was, “are you crazy!? We have enough trouble why are you causing another war?!” Parliament refused their request, and the request caused such an uproar in the English government that they were able to overrule the East India Company shareholders and place restrictions on what the company could and could not do on their own. The company was forced to capitulate to China as punishment.

Queen Alexandra wrote a personal to the Emperor of China apologizing for the incident. Insulted by the fact that the queen addressed him as an equal the emperor wanted to continue the war to humble the queen. To which the imperial commissioner, Lín Zéxú, reminded him that this “lesser monarch” destroyed almost the entire Chinese navy by accident, there were not enough ships to attack England with.
***​
While England was suffering externally, internally it was on the verge of a new era. Beginning in the textile industry and spreading to others, English factories began to attach their machinery to a steam engine. Allowing them to produce more goods cheaper than before, this innovation would be just what England needed to recover from its economic recession. The booming textile industry needed a steady supply of material to fuel its profit, cotton was brought in from English India and Egypt. Though due to India’s distance and the unrest still in Egypt the industry still needed more cotton. The rest of the cotton was imported from southern Columbia, fueling a small cotton boom there.
***​
Charles X of France sent a small contingent of troops to aid the Infante Carlos in the First Carlist War. The French troops were not enough to grant the Carlist victory. Charles X wanted to send more troops and funding, however he was too worried about maintaining his public support, given that not even a decade earlier he was in his palace surrounded by an angry mob.
***

Butterflies have finally been spotted over China.
 
Top