The Silver Knight, a Lithuania Timeline
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Chapter 54: I'll Face My Fate Here
Part 54: I'll Face My Fate Here (1776)
Meanwhile, the German Revolutionary Army was rushing towards Vienna as fast as possible. Schwarzburg made a mistake - fearing that losing Vienna will deal a heavy blow to morale, he set himself a goal to not lose the city, and thus tired out his men trying to reach the capital before his Lithuanian counterpart. He often ordered forced marches day and night, especially when Vienna was getting close. And Pacas definitely knew that - this was one of the reasons why his party moved so slowly, despite the small distance between Vienna and Buda. The Lithuanian army briefly stopped at Gyor, where they were joined by a number of Visegradian loyalist regiments, including a company of the famous, but obsolete Winged Hussars. In a similar fashion, the German Revolutionary Army was joined by a number of fleeing Hungarian and Bohemian revolutionaries when it reached Vienna - and yes, it reached the city first. After a night's rest, Schwarzburg's army marched southeast, where it finally met the Lithuanians near the city of Sopron, on the border between Germania and Visegrad.
The chosen battlefield was near the shore of Lake Ferto, composed of a farmland with several smaller lakes and swamps scattered around, which made mobility difficult. The morning of the fated day - May 11th, 1776 - was spent by both armies by getting ready for battle, setting up artillery, preparing their muskets, making battle plans and things like that. On 11 o'clock, German envoys arrived to Martynas Pacas's camp, offering an armistice for the time being, and then dividing central Europe between the two powers, but the Grand Hetman declined. It's easy to see why Schwarzburg wanted a peace - his army was quite a lot smaller, weeded out by long battles against the French and tired - 120 000 men strong, in comparison to the 155 000 Lithuanians. Lithuanians had twice the number of cavalry alone, but their artillery corps was smaller. Failing to find an agreement, the armies got ready to bloody their bayonets.
The Battle of Sopron has begun.
Army positions and composition right before the beginning of the Battle of Sopron.
Lithuanians are red, Germans are blue.
Blank rectangles are infantry; figures with a single line are cavalry/German mobile infantry and figures with a large dot are artillery.
(I apologize for the terrible quality)
The battle began with a large infantry offensive from both sides. There wasn't really any room for maneuver because of the tight battlefield, so the charge was pretty much head-on. The terrain and the ground were wet, thick and hard to move through, most of it was pretty much a swamp - after all, this was a lakeside battle - which made the wagons Germans brought for mobile infantry practically useless - but, of cource, the Lithuanian cavalry corps wasn't much more effective, either. Pacas was the first to realize this problem, and his focus quickly went on the land in his right flank, past the batches of small lakes, which was more distant from the lake and thus dry enough for large-scale cavalry maneuvers, and he quickly ordered the flank to take over these positions. He even rode along the cavalry himself, ready to fight alongside his men.
The front lines saw thousands of young men die in hours, but despite the massive casualties, the Lithuanian imperial infantry kept advancing forward, and this is where their advantage in numbers began to set in. That is, the larger Lithuanian force began to envelop the enemy and surround them. Schwarzburg was well aware of this potential problem, he didn't fight in Saarbrucken for nothing, and soon he ordered his soldiers to take a slow, organized retreat, hopefully tiring the advancing Lithuanians out with constant artillery bombardment. But while this strategy worked against the French, whose mobility was like a turtle compared a hare, Lithuania, a mobility-centered army as it was, is an entirely different beast.
Remember the Lithuanian cavalry, which left it's flank to seemingly throttle around the farmland for a while? Well, it's back. Let by the Grand Hetman himself, pistol loaded and sabre raised, the Imperatoriškosios raitosios pajėgos ("Imperial Mounted Forces") slammed to the German army's left flank with a massive charge, surprising even Maximilian Schwarzburg himself. The Lithuanian cavalry raided German artillery positions and disorganized the entire flank before pulling back. It was a sudden, unexpected blow that could have been avoided if only the German high command had a bit more experience in handling enemy cavalry...
With the cavalry hammering the German lines, it was about time for the anvil to come forth. One of Martynas Pacas's biggest fears in the battle was that the frontline commanders wouldn't notice the opportunity to strike and thus give Schwarzburg enough time to consolidate his forces and weather the strike out, but his fears did not end up realized, as a Lithuanian infantry advance, supported by artillery bombing, swiftly followed. German commanders noted that the Lithuanians were using mobile artillery, an innovation introduced by Schwarzburg himself - they were starting to understand that Pacas was studying for this figurative test. Despite the Lithuanian numerical superiority and the cavalry support, the German lines surprisingly held despite numerous attempts to break through.
It was around this time in the battle that an event, which was inconsequential to the result of the battle as a whole, but resonated deeply across pop culture and history for years to come, happened. Only one primary source, the Chronicle of Lithuania, mentions this event. Among the Visegradian loyalist regiments that joined Pacas's company, a particular group stood out - a company of Winged Hussars, 70 in total, all from Greater Poland. Due to their heavy armor, they were hardly able to participate in the battle or charge at the German artillery along with Pacas's men, but during the renewed Lithuanian offensive and the ensuing chaos, a small German regiment of about 300 soldiers got separated from the rest of the battle, and ended up wandering near the location of the Winged Hussars, who promptly decided to prove their worth and attacked. The German bluecoats were quick to notice the charge, and prepared their muskets. After 10 minutes, 70 dead Winged Hussars were laying on the battlefield, with only a single German injured due to a fallen spear. This was the Last Charge of the Winged Hussars, and while the Chronicle of Lithuania portrayed them as brave men who died for their cause, nowadays this event is seen as a symbol of the battle between modern technology and the ancient ways, and how it almost always results in a victory for the former.
But anyway. After the success of the first cavalry charge, Martynas Pacas was ready to give it a second shot and hopefully destroy the German opposition for good - but Schwarzburg was not willing to let the same tactic win against him a second time. He moved the remaining leftovers of artillery back, then prepared to counter a charge with his own cavalry and the elite Jäger battalions, experts at fighting in rough terrain, and when the Lithuanian cavalry charged again, one of them promptly sniped the Grand Hetman with a shot at the shoulder. The dictator of Lithuania fell from his horse almost instantly, and while he was found by his men shortly thereafter and brought back to the camp, his condition was critical. News of this direct hit quickly spread across the battlefield, and as soon as Schwarzburg heard the news, as contemporaries say, "a spark of hope appeared in his eyes". While the Lithuanian high command was reorganizing himself with Martynas Pacas already one foot in the grave, the German commander ordered a mass counter-charge to break the enemy while it is still unprepared.
However, that's exactly what it was - a spot of hope, false hope. Having been forced to weather Lithuanian charges for the entire day, the Germans were far too thinned and weakened to put up a fight once more. The big thing was that they lacked the sufficient artillery support to break through the Imperial Infantry, and soon the intact Lithuanian mobile artillery battalions ripped them to shreds. In addition, even if lacking a leader, the Lithuanian cavalry corps put itself back together, now led by field officers, and successfully charged a third them, breaking through the Jägers and surrounding the core of the German army. It was a killing ground for both sides, and in the end, Schwarzburg and the majority of the German high command were captured and the remnants of the German Revolutionary Army fled west. The Battle of Sopron has been won!
But, unfortunately to Martynas Pacas, he did not live to see the consequences of the victory that he orchestrated. The wound in the shoulder was infected, and the doctor's attempts to take out the bullet instead of cleaning the wound only made it worse, because his instruments punctured the lung. Sources mention that before his death, the Grand Hetman turned insane from the pain and horror, holding onto a cross and constantly muttering something unintelligible until he finally died...
With both Lithuania and Germania decapitated, the German Revolutionary Wars were about to come to an end. But what consequences will this battle have?..
Hmm... interesting. Also, now that I think about it, this is obviously an ATL-version of the French Revolutionary Wars, not the Seven Years War or Napoleonic Wars. I don't know what I was thinking.
On an unrelated note, after this story arc/time period is done, could we get a look into the inner workings of some of the more important and/or interesting countries? Not anything huge, or detailed, but just something that would let us know what it's like to live in this world under these regimes, you know? I hope I'm not asking too much or anything, I just really like this TL and thought it would be cool to see something like that.
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That was my plan all along. Since not much is going to happen for quite some time after this period is finished, I'll take a break to detail the technology, culture and inner workings of the world. Including a number of themes that are important, but I keep forgetting to mention (like Lithuanian Jews)
But think of the morale boost!and THIS is why you don't have the kind leading cavalry charges anymore
Chapter 55: News of Future Past
Part 55: News of Future Past
Passage from Erikas Aimanavičius's 2015 novel "1776", published in Vilnius (English translation)
"Doctor, doctor! Someone get here a doctor, now!" Katerina exclaimed after lighting a candle to illuminate the tent, then helped the soldiers place her husband on a bed. Martynas was gasping for air, and his clutch on his wound looked less like a grip and more like him trying to rip off his flesh. A doctor was what everyone waited for, and a doctor was what they soon got. A bald, middle-aged swirling man, looking half like he's drunk and half like he's asphyxiated, and carrying a bag of tools for the necessary operation.
"Please, miss, make him remove his hand from the wound, I want to look at it," the doctor spoke, and Katerina, with the help of a nearby maid, moved the hand back. And after glancing at the wound, she instantly placed her hand on her mouth to make sure she doesn't vomit - flesh ripped apart, blood flowing in all directions, bone visible and shattered. It was hard to even see where the bullet was - but it was definitely inside, there was no outside hole.
"Let me go... back to the battlefield..." Martynas muttered, trying to speak to his wife and to the maids holding him down. "I need... to beat Schwarzburg..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Grand Hetman! Half of your body looks like chopped pork." a nearby general, who returned to the camp after hearing the news of Pacas's fall, spoke.
"Don't interrupt me, I have work to do." the doctor cut off the conversation, then pulled out a scalpel from his bag and moved closer to the wound. "Don't worry, your Majesty, his tool has served me for 15 years - it may be a bit rusty and dirty, but it'll get the job done." The doctor began to delve deeper into the large hole, pushing back loose strands of muscle with the side of his knife in search for the bullet, but in the search, it seemed to have accidentally opened a blood vessel, because even more of the red liquid spilled across the body. Martynas couldn't hold it - he began to outright scream, shaking his head from side to side and trying to take deeper and deeper breaths. Blood flow to the brain was weakening. The maids and even he soldiers rushed to hold the Hetman down, but while he was roaring in agony, his eyes suddenly opened...
The bell of the Cathedral of the Theotokos roared loudly, and I suddenly woke up in a city - somewhat familiar, yet somewhat not. The rays of the morning sun illuminated my right cheek. At first sight, it appeared as if I was transported into... into a city square. Thousands of people were walking past and didn't even look at me.
Is this a dream? Is this reality? Katerina? Anyone? Where are you?
I began to take a walk across the square. One of the first things I noticed was the... composition of the population. Almost no able-bodied men. Lots of women, children and the elderly, and dozens of others sitting at the sides of the street, lined up, with hands and legs covered in papers, holding up their palms and asking strangers for money.
The ground was neither stone nor dirt. It was... something weird. It looked like a dark stone, but it was completely bland, and smooth. Perhaps-
Wait, who are those people? Hundreds were marching throughout the square, saying chant after chant. They were all armed, and they were waving blue flags. One of them aimed and shot down the cross above the Cathedral...
"Martynas! Martynas! Say something!" Katerina exclaimed, her eyes watering and her hands holding onto her husband's bloodied hand. The Hetman was looking straight up, unblinking, but he suddenly woke up from the trance, let out a scream, inhaled and turned towards his wife, saying:Is this a dream? Is this reality? Katerina? Anyone? Where are you?
I began to take a walk across the square. One of the first things I noticed was the... composition of the population. Almost no able-bodied men. Lots of women, children and the elderly, and dozens of others sitting at the sides of the street, lined up, with hands and legs covered in papers, holding up their palms and asking strangers for money.
The ground was neither stone nor dirt. It was... something weird. It looked like a dark stone, but it was completely bland, and smooth. Perhaps-
Wait, who are those people? Hundreds were marching throughout the square, saying chant after chant. They were all armed, and they were waving blue flags. One of them aimed and shot down the cross above the Cathedral...
"I... I had a dream..."
"About what, my dear?" Katerina raised her eyebrow.
"It was... it was..."
Before the man could put a finger on what it was, the doctor, who was still examining the wound, suddenly said:
"I found it! It's right behind the collarbone," obviously referring to the location of the bullet. Out of this excitement, not even noticing the constant blood flow seeping through his hands, he held tight onto the scalpel and dug deeper, cutting through a bunch of muscle and arteries in the process. Once again, liquid shot forward, and the Hetman again screamed in agony.
"Martynas! Martynas! Stay with me! The scout arrived, he said that Schwarzburg's been captured!" Katerina spo-
Kiev. At least, that's what I thought it was.
The sun was no longer shining, and quite the opposite - rain was now plowing through the streets. But I had an umbrella, and a coat, for some reason, and I stood in a back street, near what I presumed to be homes of the lower classes. There no longer were thousands of people moving past me - only one or two ever appeared while I was walking. With worn out faces, distressed, saddened by something.
My arm had... a strange device on the wrist. It looked like a clock, it showed that it is a quarter past six, but how could it be so small? That's impossible. I am definitely dreaming. But before I could continue pondering about the craziness of it all, someone pulled my coat from the back.
And as I turned around, I saw it to be just a tiny girl, with a strange device in her hands. Something weird, resembling a box. And she looked shocked.
"What's the matter, little girl?" I spoke in Ruthenian. It took her a while to understand what I said, but she soon replied - not by voice, but by pressing her finger on the device. It suddenly created a sound, and not just any sound - music. Weird music.
"Did you... not hear the music?" she then spoke. It was as hard for me to understand her speech as it likely was for her. It was Ruthenian, but a much different version. "It's called 'Prelude for a New Empire'. And do you know who created this sonata? It was-"
"Priest! Someone call a priest! We need the Holy Unction, before it is too late!" Katerina exclaimed, rushing out of the tent in search for anyone capable. Martynas once again suddenly woke up from his trance, looking to the sides. His wife was not only there, and instead, he was safeguarded by one of his guards.The sun was no longer shining, and quite the opposite - rain was now plowing through the streets. But I had an umbrella, and a coat, for some reason, and I stood in a back street, near what I presumed to be homes of the lower classes. There no longer were thousands of people moving past me - only one or two ever appeared while I was walking. With worn out faces, distressed, saddened by something.
My arm had... a strange device on the wrist. It looked like a clock, it showed that it is a quarter past six, but how could it be so small? That's impossible. I am definitely dreaming. But before I could continue pondering about the craziness of it all, someone pulled my coat from the back.
And as I turned around, I saw it to be just a tiny girl, with a strange device in her hands. Something weird, resembling a box. And she looked shocked.
"What's the matter, little girl?" I spoke in Ruthenian. It took her a while to understand what I said, but she soon replied - not by voice, but by pressing her finger on the device. It suddenly created a sound, and not just any sound - music. Weird music.
"Did you... not hear the music?" she then spoke. It was as hard for me to understand her speech as it likely was for her. It was Ruthenian, but a much different version. "It's called 'Prelude for a New Empire'. And do you know who created this sonata? It was-"
"What's happening to you, sir?" the soldier asked. "You've been screaming and suddenly stopping for ten minutes now. Does Saint Peter keep denying you the gates of Heaven?"
"I... I don't know..." the Hetman replied. "Are... are we winning?"
"We already won, sir. Schwarzburg is captured, the Germans are fleeing and-"
"I've got it!" the doctor suddenly cut the guard off, putting his greasy fingers deep into the wound. "I'm pulling it out!"
With every pull, however, Martynas screamed more and more, and the loss of oxygen in his brain was turning more and more apparent.
"Sir, calm down! It's almost done!" the soldier exclaimed, standing up and holding onto his dying superior's shoulders. Martynas promptly coughed up blood on the man's uniform and continued shaking his hea-
The splashes of the waves were the first to inform me that I have once again been transported. With a helmet and a uniform, I was standing alongside hundreds of fellow soldiers in this ship, placing my eyes towards the shore in the distance. This vessel was unique, though, and it once again confused me - it was made of steel! Steel! How can it even float? How are we not dead?
All the soldiers were standing straight and tall, with discipline that I wished I could see in my own soldiers. One was using what seemed to be two green glass bottles tied together to look towards the shore, but he soon lowered the device, turned around and spoke to the back of the ship in weird, almost unintelligible Lithuanian:
"Enemy defenses have been weakened by constant bombardment. 1st Air Assault Regiment has landed. Clear to engage."
"For Lithuania, men!" one of the soldiers suddenly exclaimed, and the rest followed in a united chant.
"Save up your excitement for later, boys." the bottle-seeing man, probably a scout, commented back. "We'll land near Manamelkudi in a few hours time. Ready your weapons and..."
"Mr. Butvydas, the Hetman needs the Holy Unction." Katerina spoke, bringing in an aged priest into the tent. He was carrying a cross in one hand and a number of scented oils in the other. The doctor had already moved back, hoping to let the wound heal itself after the bullet has been pulled out.All the soldiers were standing straight and tall, with discipline that I wished I could see in my own soldiers. One was using what seemed to be two green glass bottles tied together to look towards the shore, but he soon lowered the device, turned around and spoke to the back of the ship in weird, almost unintelligible Lithuanian:
"Enemy defenses have been weakened by constant bombardment. 1st Air Assault Regiment has landed. Clear to engage."
"For Lithuania, men!" one of the soldiers suddenly exclaimed, and the rest followed in a united chant.
"Save up your excitement for later, boys." the bottle-seeing man, probably a scout, commented back. "We'll land near Manamelkudi in a few hours time. Ready your weapons and..."
"Right, let me get ready..." Butvydas replied, moving up to the injured general, but before he could even do anything, Martynas suddenly ripped the cross from his hand and firmly placed it upon his chest, muttering word after word. Katerina quickly ran up to him and screamed out:
"MARTYNAS! What are you doing?!"
"Manamelkudi... Where the hell is... Manamelkudi... What is the... Prelude for a New Empire... Sonata... For Lithuania... Blue flags..."
"My dear, my dear... What happened to you?" the woman muttered, crying, holding onto his upper arm. She held and held, hoping for her husband to recover, until his grip over the cross finally loosened and the eyes closed.
The guards and the doctor slowly removed their hats and placed them at their chest. Butvydas formed the shape of a Cross in front of his chest.
"We'll need to inform the Emperor. The Grand Hetman is dead..." a guard muttered.
Yeesh, that was creepy. Is this foreshadowing, or just the Hetman's brain falling apart?
All three of the events you saw will happen in this TL.
And yeah, it was sort of meant to be creepy
This update was by FAR, your best written one to date.
It now has me wondering if you have written other works in the past and if they are available to read.
It now has me wondering if you have written other works in the past and if they are available to read.
Thanks!
I have in fact written a number of short works before, they were made for literary contests and the like, but they are all in Lithuanian and I don't think that they are available to read, at least online. But this is my first alternate history timeline, of course.
Wait, so at some point Lithuanian forces are going to be involved in an amphibious assault in the Indian subcontinent? COOL! Must mean that Lithuania will be a little more sea-faring in the future
Okay, so at some point Lithuania is going to have armed men with blue flags marching with it and attacking crosses. Some sort of *Communist revolution, maybe?
Lithuania, or whatever country is holding Kiev, looks miserable and there's a sonata called 'Prelude to a New Empire.' Maybe the revolution succeeded?
Lithuanian soldiers are going for a naval landing in India. I really don't know what to think of that one.
Lithuania, or whatever country is holding Kiev, looks miserable and there's a sonata called 'Prelude to a New Empire.' Maybe the revolution succeeded?
Lithuanian soldiers are going for a naval landing in India. I really don't know what to think of that one.
Thanks!
I have in fact written a number of short works before, they were made for literary contests and the like, but they are all in Lithuanian and I don't think that they are available to read, at least online. But this is my first alternate history timeline, of course.
I know that this made be a degrading comparison but, I'm not this invested in reading unless it was for fanworks like "Fallout: Equestria" or the ongoing series "This Bites"
A Lithuanian victory would be great, and would keep this TL from getting too convergent.
Chapter 56: Status Quo
Part 56: Status Quo (1776-)
The new French invasion force outnumbered the Germans three times - Schwarzburg may have potentially salvaged this situation, but he was no longer here. The German Revolutionary Army tried to resist the invasion at the beginning, but it was more of a delaying action rather than a realistic attempt to stop the western attacks, and after the Battle of Aachen, where an entire German army of 50 000 men was encircled and destroyed, the GRA was no longer a major threat. France began an offensive from North Italy, too, and this time the attacks were more successful - the French soon broke through the Alps, and by the time that September arrived, troops under the command of Matthieu Bertillon were marching across the streets of Vienna and raised their flag above the Congress. Germania was overrun, and on September 25th, Sigismund Blacher declared the nation's surrender to the overwhelming French and Lithuanian onslaught. The German Revolutionary Wars came to an end, leaving three million people dead across Central Europe and the political and social landscape of the continent changed forever.
Meanwhile, the former leader of the Republic of Germania was sent off from the front, where he was held captive by Lithuanian forces since the Battle of Sopron, and to the Empire itself. When the news of the surrender of Germania came, Maximilian Schwarzburg was in Vilnius, under constant supervision of the Lithuanians - and according to a few sources, the defeat came as no surprise to him. While the Council of Lords, which was still in the middle of electing a new Grand Hetman, was discussing on what to do with him, the German general was treated with reasonable respect - after all, this was the man who made countries like France and Visegrad kneel before him. He was a bachelor, and quite a handsome one at that, and the Chronicle of Lithuania mentions that when this information spread across the city, a number of local magnates came up to him and offered the hands of their daughters to him, for the sake of prestige by having such a renown man in their family. Schwarzburg declined all offers, and soon the decision on his fate arrived - he was deported to Lithuania's recently acquired Northeastern Territories, situated along the White Sea. These lands were still in the process of integration into the nation, and the distance and harsh climate of the region meant that it had been used to get rid of unwanted criminals ever since it's acquisition. Schwarzburg lived here in a few years, in a frontier fort supervised by local guards, before he caught pneumonia (a death sentence in such a cold climate) and died three years after the end of the Revolutionary Wars. He has since solidified himself as one of the most impactful men in history - he revolutionized warfare, he built up a myth of near invincibility on the battlefield that has placed him along the likes of Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great, the revolution that he protected had changed Europe forever, and his legacy shines above the German people until today. He is a German national hero, one of the most famous ones, in fact, and without him, the Great German Revolution would have likely been strangled in it's cradle.
While this was happening, both reactionary powers were going through major political changes.
Despite the victory in the German Revolutionary Wars, Director Arthur Bachelot's approval was dropping at an all-time low. He ruled without a popular mandate, and allegations of corruption, fraud and backdoor intimidation to get rid of political rivals were starting to come to light. People were tired of six years of constant war, many empathized with the struggle of the German people, and this gave the opposition in the Estates-General to wipe the dust off Bachelot's promise to hold an election as soon as the war was finished. The next French legislative election took place in December of 1776, and in a historical upset, Bachelot and his Red Party were defeated in the election, securing only 38% of the seats in the Estates-General and losing the mandate to the leader of the opposition, the pro-capitalist, liberal Blue Party, which appointed Christopher Baudelaire as the new Director. Baudelaire was an experienced diplomat and an ambassador to a number of countries before his service in the Estates-General, and he accurately guessed that the new order in Europe had to be achieved through diplomacy, rather than war.
A much more historic upset took place in Lithuania at that time. Martynas Pacas's death in the Battle of Sopron led to chaos within the highest echelons of the empire's society, as it was so sudden that no candidate was even projected as a potential successor to the young and now dead Grand Hetman. While the Council of Lords gathered to resolve the situation, it had to face a threat from outside. Jonas II, the Emperor of Lithuania, had been steadily increasing his influence and strength in the nation's government throughout Pacas's reign, especially during his campaign against Germania, and he gained a following among the more moderate and liberal officers in the army, aristocrats and the small, bur growing bourgeoisie. At the beginning of 1777, the Emperor led the dissolution of the Council of Lords and the dismissal, in many cases also execution, of over 150 of the most disloyal generals and courtiers, and with the help of his supporters, he finalized an almost bloodless coup that tore down the Hetmanate and returned the power of the Emperor, the Imperial Restoration. One of the Emperor's first acts dealt with something that, in his opinion, should have never even started - the existence of "that peculiar institution" that was rapidly losing support even among the aristocracy. Many feared that Serfdom and all that came with it would lead to widespread discontent among the peasantry and eventually an attempt at revolution, so there was reason to prevent that and please the farmers. This led to the Emancipation Manifesto, publicly released in 1777, that declared the end of the institution of serfdom and the emancipation of the serfs under strict guidelines, which included having serfs buy out their land partially through their money and partially through government funding. They all also gained the rights of full citizens, including the rights to marry without noble consent, the right to create businesses and own property. It marked an end to over two centuries of widespread serfdom, starting with the Volok Reform back in the 16th century.
Serfs in Pskov listen to the proclamation of the Emancipation Manifesto (1907 painting)
The German Revolutionary Wars informed the powers of Europe of one important thing - the Amsterdam System has become obsolete. It needs to be rebuilt and redrawn to fit the needs of the modern age, and that is why Director Baudelaire arganized an official meeting of representatives from all powers in Europe, including the recently restored imperial Lithuania, Netherlands, Spain, Italian states, Sweden and others, in Paris to organize the beginning of the Second Amsterdam System, or the Paris System. Representatives from Germania and Visegrad, which were occupied by France and Lithuania respectively, were not invited, although a few still arrived, even if they were soon shunned and forced to leave. Director Baudelaire hoped to reorganize Europe to meet the new balance of powers, considering the downfall of Visegrad and Lithuania's rise as the second great power of Europe, but not all countries in the meeting agreed with him. Some, like the Lithuanian delegation, led by diplomat Juozas Vareikis, just wanted to increase their nation's powers at the expense of others, while others, like the Spanish and Swedish delegations, hoped to prevent the two juggernauts from becoming too powerful.
The question of Germania was where France's opinion was the most respected. Under the orders of the delegates in Paris, the Republic of Germania shall be dismantled by splitting it into two - into the Republic of North Germania, composed of the former North German Communion, and the Kingdom of South Germania, built from the former Holy Roman Empire. The law systems and constitutions for both of these nations were written by the representatives in the Paris meeting - the North was constructed to be a French-style parliamentary republic, representing the French wishes to control that nation and play it off it's southern neighbour to prevent a second German reunification, while the South had a kingdom installed. Not wishing to repeat the same mistake that helped create the Revolution, the French denied Jean I nor any of his relatives the chance to return to the throne, instead backing the son of the last German Holy Roman Emperor, now crowned as Charles III of South Germania.
Of course, these news came as a huge shock to the German people, and even though they already had plenty of reasons to hate France before, it reached a new low. There was no hope left of a return of the Franco-German friendship that existed for a while after the Twenty Years' War, it was now replaced by mutual hate and mutual disgust. Of course, Lithuania was the second on Germania's "hate list", right after France.
"Germania", painting by the artist Johannes Sebastian Gruber (1865). The two women, representing North and South Germania, are about to be deported to the Northeastern Territories.
One region presented a dilemma, however - the Rhineland. During the years before the German Revolutionary Wars and throughout most of them, France occupied these territories, and it is no secret that a big number of politicians from both the Blues and the Reds wished to see the Rhine as France's new eastern border. However, French occupation of the land proved to be very unpopular, so unpopular that the people even organized rebellions against the occupiers. This dilemma continued on into the negotiations on the French system, and France itself was unsure on which path to take. In the end, however, the Rhineland ended up split into two - Alsace and most of the southern Rhineland was annexed into France directly, while Nordrhein was left into a sort of "limbo". This was the Temporary State of the Rhine, and as the name suggests, the territory was given temporary independence, with a public vote scheduled in 10-20 years that would decide the fate of the region - either it stays separate and is granted full independence, it joins France, or it joins one of the German states. Before that could happen, the region was treated as an unofficial autonomous region of France - very autonomous, even with it's own army.
An another dilemma dealt with a victim of the Great German Revolution - Visegrad, or what was left of it. Juozas Vareikis and the Lithuanian delegation wished to annex Poland into the Lithuanian empire and create the independent states of Bohemia and Hungary, but the rest of the representatives vehemently opposed this plan, fearing that this would make Lithuania too powerful. In addition, the French delegation hoped to surround Germania with powerful, compact states to prevent the events of the Great German Revolution from occurring again - and neither Bohemia nor Hungary would be strong enough to fight off a German invasion. In the end, the Lithuanians had to bite the dust, only allowed to take a number of border territories that they lost in the Galician War, while Visegrad was restored as the previously disestablished union of three kingdoms. A cousin of the last King was installed and crowned as Franciszek I, and the nation was left on it's own, albeit with a lot of Lithuanian influence over it's affairs.
Hoping to surround Germania with powerful states, France and Director Baudelaire turned towards Italy. Many of the North Italian stated had been occupied by France during the German Revolutionary Wars as a way of opening a second front with Germania, and the French didn't exactly wish to let them be. Despite heavy, very heavy complaints from Spain, France reorganized the North Italian states into the Italian Confederation, uniting countries like Savoy, Milan and Venice into a decentralized federation, similar to the HRE (just without a monarch) and aligned with France. Of course, the Italians themselves weren't much in favor of this outright interference in their affairs, but could they really oppose France's wishes? Lithuania didn't object, so there was nobody in Europe who could prevent France from working like that. Even Spain eventually backed off, knowing that a war with France over North Italy would be insane - but they still held a grudge.
With the last territorial changes finalized and the delegates returning home, the Paris System was put into place. France and Lithuania were it's gendarmes.
The Great German Revolution has come to an end and the dust of the Battle of Sopron has settled, but the ideals of liberty, equality and nationalism that it brought are here to stay and grow stronger. As the world comes closer and closer to modern day, as the march of science and technology grows more and more unstoppable, people shall soon cast doubt on ideas and beliefs that were held sacred since time immemorial. New dogmas will arise, the old will fall and the new will rise. And it isn't just Europe that is limited to these changes. Far across the briny foam, the riches of Africa, Asia, Oceania and Vespucia await for those who dare to venture there.
Maestro, choose your instrument, and let the music play.
The world in 1780
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It's time for a bit of an intermission, as we have about a hundred slow years ahead of us.
To not waste time with meaningless updates, I shall spend this time developing the world of the TL through a number of special chapters, as I have already said in the thread before. Of course, there will still be events happening, but they're a bit isolated from one another, so we'll cover them in a similar, special chapter manner.
The next chapter is going to be called "The Fourth Nation"
Hmmm, interesting. Some of the non-colonial borders are a bit too straight for my tastes, but otherwise the map looks good. As for the update itself, I honestly did not see this being how it ended.
You know what? Looking at an actual map, the Ottomans might have a decent chance of colonizing *Australia... On the other hand, both Danish and *German Australia are things that I like, but never see. Not that it really matters, since you mentioned that Britain is sniffing around the area a few updates ago.
You know what? Looking at an actual map, the Ottomans might have a decent chance of colonizing *Australia... On the other hand, both Danish and *German Australia are things that I like, but never see. Not that it really matters, since you mentioned that Britain is sniffing around the area a few updates ago.