1856:
January:
On the 4th January, King Peter of Greece passed on in his sleep after a long illness. In his death, he left a country governed by King, Army and Church, those three being the pillars of the Greek state. Greece was a Theocratic and Military aided absolute Monarchy upon which power was split between the three pillars with the King being the deciding factor of any dispute. This however changed with the Ascension of King Peter II, a pious man who looked to the Church rather than his own ideas for guidance. The balance of power soon shifted right towards the Orthodox Church as the King started to listen more and more to the Patriarch rather than his other advisors.
This might not have been so bad if the Patriarch had been like his predecessors and been happy to keep to Spiritual affairs. The Patriarch during this period had many different ideas concerning the way in which to govern Greece, including an expansive foreign policy against the Ottoman Empire. Preparations began in the hope of striking at the Empire and making the entire Balkan region Greek Allies in a bid to become a dominant power on the Mediterranean Sea.
March:
True to his word, a year since he made his announcement in Parliament, King Alfred married Lavanya in Westminster Abbey with a crowd of tens of thousands travelling to the ceremony to witness history. The ceremony was largely a traditional Church of England one with the bride wearing white. It was the first time any British King had married outside of Europe and many important people from Europe had come to witness the event, even as a matter of curiosity more than anything else.
The marriage was a major success with London being lined with street parties paid for by the King himself and Indian food being the main dish for many, the cuisine soon gaining quite a following for many of the English who tasted it. The mixture of British and Hindu-Indian culture was a great success and Alfred’s popularity was as high as ever amongst most although his actions had lost him a great deal of respect amongst the core Conservative population. This mattered little to the King however as his marriage went well and he began to enjoy the years of married life which would come.
July:
The cultural clash in Wanci Oyate grew deeper as traditionalists reacted harsher against the rising modernist movements. The harshest resistance came from the Sioux Tribes furthest West with the most vocal of those being the popular Makhpiya Luta, a thirty-four year old Sioux Captain of the Wanci Army and rising politician. Luta was one who believed that although a modern Army was needed for Wanci Oyate, socially, the Tribes needed to return to way they had been to retain their identity. He was opposed in this by another Sioux rising star, Ta-Tanka I-Yotank, a young man and political commentator who believed that Sioux and Shawnee identity could be retained even with modernisation.
The first clashes between Ta-Tanka and Luta on the political front would be one of many as the two would form one of the greatest political rivalries of the 19th century. The way the Wanci Parliament worked would also lend itself to their rivalry as the unstructured debates within the Parliament would make both rely on their famous oratory and produce some of the finest debates in politics. The traditionalists in Wanci Oyate still held firm against the modernisers and the disparity between east and west would soon become even more pronounced as only the train tracks going through to Oregon would show any sign of industry of the land of the Sioux Tribes.
December:
Tensions between California and Texas exploded as an abortive uprising took place by Juntist groups against the Texan Government. After three days of bloody fighting around the capital, the rebels were put down by Texan troops. A furious Texas then proceeded to outlaw Juntism completely, making it illegal to belong to any Juntist group whatsoever. The Juntist Californian Republic then demanded that Texas recall this law and restore Juntism the same political rights as any other ideology or face the consequences. An already pushed Republic of Texas refused the demand and on New Years Eve, accusing California of being behind the uprising, declared War. After twelve years of peace, North America was once more plunged into War.