So something of a Bavarian resurgence - any chance of burying the hatchet with Bavaria yourself and forming an alliance?
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
An alliance is one way to secure the southern flank. Might be worth it to be able to focus better on pushing to the far east.
Nope - the Bavarians still hate Livonia, given that they still hold almost all of its old empire within their influence.
As nice as that'd be, it's unrealistic. Also, there isn't much reason to invade Karenia as their land is a different culture/religion, loosely populated, and lacking in any important resources.
Interesting Checzslovakia that doesn't own any of real-life Checzslovakia
Heh, well I would rename them Czechia if I could - but in this world the Czech minority settled further south around Hungary - specifically, they were centered about the old Bohemian empire, which got crushed some time in the 15/1600s
Why Bavaria doesn't form South German Confederation?
Ural even in game should have some coal\iron deposites(at least in vanilla this region starts with 80% of POPs as labourers).
Chapter 15: Sunshine in Liivimaa (Sep 1877 – Feb 1882)
Over the course of 1877, the Livonian and English borders approached each other in Central Africa. The exact boundaries of each country’s authority weren’t clear though, and there was still tension over the remaining independent tribes.
While mainly in the West African states, the debate also spread to Kongo – Livonia invaded Ndongo rather suddenly (although it couldn’t realistically be claimed by any of the other powers), but Kongo held valuable land coveted by both England and Livonia. Ironically, the tension between both sides delayed them from invading, and Isbania took advantage of the situation to expand their colony instead.
That November, the government of Haiti collapsed after an anarchist rebellion – in the chaos, Colombie retook much of the territory which had been occupied by Haiti for the last century. Livonia backed Colombie during the crisis, ensuring their peaceful expansion – as a result, the two countries became sufficiently close for Colombie to agree to begin a Panama Canal project.
In January of 1879, Livonian and English delegates met for a rare feat of diplomacy between the two rivals, agreeing to draw final borders and partition the rest of Africa between them. The tribes splitting the two colonies in West Africa were wiped away after the agreement, as both countries now had free reign to invade. Kongo was handed over to Isbania, since their soldiers had already taken over most of the country and it served as a buffer between the two powers.
Notably absent from the partition was the Horn of Africa, which neither side had yet invaded. It was still uncertain which European power would try to conquer the region, but its strategic position could be a great asset to the other Europeans who lacked land on the east coast.
During the Genoese Civil War, Bavarian soldiers rushed into West Switzerland and declared the land back under its rightful ownership. Genoa wasn’t in any position to dispute these claims, so they reluctantly allowed the annexation, for the moment at least.
By July of 1879, the Genoese war had ended with the old government finally defeating the rebels and retaking Sardinia.
As of 1880, Livonian industry had finally surpassed that of England. The larger population and space in the country had made building more factories much easier, and combined with the resources being brought overseas from the colonies, England was unable to keep up. Regardless, both counties still had enormous industry, but this was the first time England had ever been surpassed since the Industrial Revolution began.
In terms of military technology, England was still king. Livonia was close behind, and Bavaria’s reforms meant their army was well-equipped as well. Genoa’s technology was okay, but somewhat dated – the same applied to Isbania, although they were working on implementing machine guns, even if they lacked other basic technologies.
The work on African infrastructure was going well: both coasts were lined with railways, and several roads were being constructed into the center of Africa (although their main use was to extract resources, rather than connect the two sides – that would take much longer to achieve, and given the speed of maritime travel, it was unnecessary)
The Livonian colonial forces were busy elsewhere - an invasion of Malacca began in May. The Malaya peninsula was extremely valuable, full of rare natural resources and located in an excellent strategic position.
Later in the year, America instigated a trade war with England. After several conflicts over seizure of English ships and privateers, the American Navy was given full permission to capture any ship flying the English flag, which resulted in several battles against escort fleets.
Bresil was expanding as well, taking some of the land Colombie had snatched from Haiti during its collapse. Livonia’s Guyana colony was completely encased by Bresil, although the country knew better than to try and attack.
After suffering heavy casualties against the massive Malaccan army and its jungles, the Livonians finally forced the government to transfer Malaya. This colony would be immensely valuable, both in terms of its own resources and the access to Asia it would facilitate.
Misr decided to invade Ajuuraan and Ethiopia near the end of 1881, trying to seize the land for themselves before the Europeans did. The English had become quite interested in the area, as capturing southern Ajuuraan would connect their colonies to the east coast and make sailing to Asia more convenient.
In the election of 1882, the Liberal Party once again took control of the Livonian Parliament. Shortly after, they reformed the voting laws to make all votes equally valuable, rather than weighted based on the taxes paid by the voter. This move was applauded by the lower and middle classes, but only divided the nation further.
By the end of the year, the Panama Canal was wide enough to open. Trade to Asia and the west coast of the Americas was about to become much faster, and Livonia now had the power to cut off both major canals from any enemy. Colombie was currently at war with Mexico and Peru over border disputes, although the war would end inconclusively. Livonian sovereignty over the canal and its surrounding region was strengthened during the conflict, as neither Colombien nor Mexican soldiers were allowed to cross through the zone.
1882 started with a new challenge for Livonian influence – Iraq had declared war on Karenia. Since Livonia had agreed to an alliance with their new neighbor, they were forced to assist them in this war. A few armies were mobilized to help defend the Caucasus border, but this war would turn out to be far more deadly than the Livonians initially anticipated.
Over the course of 1877, the Livonian and English borders approached each other in Central Africa. The exact boundaries of each country’s authority weren’t clear though, and there was still tension over the remaining independent tribes.
While mainly in the West African states, the debate also spread to Kongo – Livonia invaded Ndongo rather suddenly (although it couldn’t realistically be claimed by any of the other powers), but Kongo held valuable land coveted by both England and Livonia. Ironically, the tension between both sides delayed them from invading, and Isbania took advantage of the situation to expand their colony instead.
That November, the government of Haiti collapsed after an anarchist rebellion – in the chaos, Colombie retook much of the territory which had been occupied by Haiti for the last century. Livonia backed Colombie during the crisis, ensuring their peaceful expansion – as a result, the two countries became sufficiently close for Colombie to agree to begin a Panama Canal project.
In January of 1879, Livonian and English delegates met for a rare feat of diplomacy between the two rivals, agreeing to draw final borders and partition the rest of Africa between them. The tribes splitting the two colonies in West Africa were wiped away after the agreement, as both countries now had free reign to invade. Kongo was handed over to Isbania, since their soldiers had already taken over most of the country and it served as a buffer between the two powers.
Notably absent from the partition was the Horn of Africa, which neither side had yet invaded. It was still uncertain which European power would try to conquer the region, but its strategic position could be a great asset to the other Europeans who lacked land on the east coast.
During the Genoese Civil War, Bavarian soldiers rushed into West Switzerland and declared the land back under its rightful ownership. Genoa wasn’t in any position to dispute these claims, so they reluctantly allowed the annexation, for the moment at least.
By July of 1879, the Genoese war had ended with the old government finally defeating the rebels and retaking Sardinia.
As of 1880, Livonian industry had finally surpassed that of England. The larger population and space in the country had made building more factories much easier, and combined with the resources being brought overseas from the colonies, England was unable to keep up. Regardless, both counties still had enormous industry, but this was the first time England had ever been surpassed since the Industrial Revolution began.
In terms of military technology, England was still king. Livonia was close behind, and Bavaria’s reforms meant their army was well-equipped as well. Genoa’s technology was okay, but somewhat dated – the same applied to Isbania, although they were working on implementing machine guns, even if they lacked other basic technologies.
The work on African infrastructure was going well: both coasts were lined with railways, and several roads were being constructed into the center of Africa (although their main use was to extract resources, rather than connect the two sides – that would take much longer to achieve, and given the speed of maritime travel, it was unnecessary)
The Livonian colonial forces were busy elsewhere - an invasion of Malacca began in May. The Malaya peninsula was extremely valuable, full of rare natural resources and located in an excellent strategic position.
Later in the year, America instigated a trade war with England. After several conflicts over seizure of English ships and privateers, the American Navy was given full permission to capture any ship flying the English flag, which resulted in several battles against escort fleets.
Bresil was expanding as well, taking some of the land Colombie had snatched from Haiti during its collapse. Livonia’s Guyana colony was completely encased by Bresil, although the country knew better than to try and attack.
After suffering heavy casualties against the massive Malaccan army and its jungles, the Livonians finally forced the government to transfer Malaya. This colony would be immensely valuable, both in terms of its own resources and the access to Asia it would facilitate.
Misr decided to invade Ajuuraan and Ethiopia near the end of 1881, trying to seize the land for themselves before the Europeans did. The English had become quite interested in the area, as capturing southern Ajuuraan would connect their colonies to the east coast and make sailing to Asia more convenient.
In the election of 1882, the Liberal Party once again took control of the Livonian Parliament. Shortly after, they reformed the voting laws to make all votes equally valuable, rather than weighted based on the taxes paid by the voter. This move was applauded by the lower and middle classes, but only divided the nation further.
By the end of the year, the Panama Canal was wide enough to open. Trade to Asia and the west coast of the Americas was about to become much faster, and Livonia now had the power to cut off both major canals from any enemy. Colombie was currently at war with Mexico and Peru over border disputes, although the war would end inconclusively. Livonian sovereignty over the canal and its surrounding region was strengthened during the conflict, as neither Colombien nor Mexican soldiers were allowed to cross through the zone.
1882 started with a new challenge for Livonian influence – Iraq had declared war on Karenia. Since Livonia had agreed to an alliance with their new neighbor, they were forced to assist them in this war. A few armies were mobilized to help defend the Caucasus border, but this war would turn out to be far more deadly than the Livonians initially anticipated.
Last edited:
Very - it's helpful for all the Europeans though, not just Livonia. It does serve as another deterrent against war with Livonia, unless someone like the English decided to try and capture it for themselves.
Bavaria doesn't have anybody to confederate with. Pomeranija and Brabant have distinct cultures from Bavaria and aren't friendly with the country.
As for the Urals, they do have a lot of iron [resources are same as base game], but there isn't any reason to waste the resources and infamy on a little bit of faraway iron - especially when it can just be imported from the country by becoming friendly. Besides, Iron isn't a resource holding back Livonia - more coal is always a good thing, but Karenia doesn't really have very much and there are already plenty of other sources.
Livonia is further cementing its drive to pre-eminence with the Panama Canal opening. But this affair in Karenia might draw unwelcome attention.
Well the war between America and England is interesting - should hopefully keep your main colonial rival interested elsewhere.
Now this other matter ... I wonder if Bavaria might seek to take advantage.
Now this other matter ... I wonder if Bavaria might seek to take advantage.
Chapter 16: The Caucasus War, and the Birth of Communism (Feb 1882 - Oct 1884)
Three armies had been sent by Livonia to assist the defense of the Caucasus, as the country had not formally declared war against Iraq and wasn’t willing to pour men and money into an insignificant war. As the soldiers travelled towards upper Caucasus, the Iraqi armies started their invasion – Karenia’s armies were scattered across the country, and took many months to travel across the country.
As a way to further show support and help the country defend itself in the future, Livonian capitalists were given permission to begin constructing railroads in Karenia. The funded railways were to be constructed primarily along the border with Livonia and Kiev, although they would be more expansive along the Crimea region. Of course, it was unlikely any of these would be operational before this war had ended, but ideally this would help Livonia’s ally to secure its borders in the future.
As the Livonian armies arrived, they successfully pushed back several of the Iraqi armies which had been probing further into the country. The armies of Iraq were outmatched in terms of weaponry and tactics, but they had one of the largest armies in the world – for the moment though, they were spread out too far to overpower Livonia’s smaller force.
In Africa, Misr’s invasion of Ethiopia ended, with them annexing the remains of the country as well as most of inland Ajuuraan – they refrained from conquering the country’s coast to avoid provoking the English.
After a few months of victory, the Livonian expeditionary force was rattled by the massive amount of Iraqi soldiers that poured into the invasion and forced to regroup.
Over the next coming months, the Iraqi invasion shocked the northern allies – they were advancing on both the Caucasus and northern Persian front, and now had an enormous advantage in numbers. The Livonians hadn’t expected nearly as much of a threat – the military staff had assumed that their superior army would be able to hold the Caucasus mountains while Karenia did most of the fighting in the East, but that turned out to be completely unrealistic.
After one more attempted counterattack, the Livonian armies were pulled out of the front line completely and moved to defend the region near Kiev. The Iraqi forces were simply too large to handle, and the drain on Livonian manpower and finances was far too costly to be worth it.
In March of 1883, the Anglo-American trade war ended when England agreed to America’s restrictive demands. Despite being one of the supreme naval powers in the world, England couldn’t project itself along the American coast like they did almost everywhere else in the world – the rising power in the western hemisphere had proven its ability to protect its interests against the European powers.
Meanwhile, Bavaria found itself in a dreadful position. The country had been dealing with a massive series of revolts in its recently conquered territory for around a year now, and social discontent led to smaller uprisings within the German regions of the country as well. Taking advantage of its weakness, Al-Turkis declared war in order to liberate its land in the Balkans.
One week later, Aquitaine did the same. The country had been routinely humiliated for this entire century, and desperately needed to regain its strength before disaster struck. Despite the unrest in France over reintegration into Aquitaine, there was ironically unrest in some of Aquitaine as well to become part of France – after all, the country was far more prosperous, and protected by Livonia.
The entire region of Aquitaine was a mess in general – there was unrest throughout pretty much all of the territory which had previously been part of Revolutionary Aquitaine – including those lands still within Aquitaine itself. A country which had once shocked the region and dominated the west had now lost much of its old population to foreign countries, and even when Genoa’s conquests in the south were reversed, the country was humiliated once again when the territory was given instead to an independent France, which the Livonians found easier to defend.
Yet Aquitaine’s unrest was simple – France’s problems were far more severe. A confused national identity, corrupt government, and hostile neighbors on all sides put the seemingly prosperous country in dire straits. The popular attempts to overthrow the corrupt new government had failed in the past, but a new movement was developing now – Communism. Inspired by the Socialist revolutionaries across the world, these Communists imagined a much more centralized and aggressive government, able to maintain their power through authoritarian rule, similar to the other monarchies, but still granting freedom to the workers and lower classes.
This new form of Socialism was quickly succeeding the old ones – almost all of the Socialist governments which had been in power across the world in the last decade had collapsed or been replaced, and it seemed the initial movement had failed. Out of the several Soclialist governments during the movement’s peak in the 70’s, only Norvegija remained, with the rest mostly turning to more orthodox Liberalism.
Returning to international politics, the Turkish invasion was quick and successful – thanks to the rebellion, they seized their old land in mere months, and Bavaria quickly surrendered Bosnia before the war escalated any further. Aquitaine was pushing strong along the western front, much stronger than expected, and the Bavarians needed to concentrate their forces to defend the more important land in the west.
England had moved into Ajuuraan after Misr’s invasion was concluded. The country was annexed, and England’s colonies were now connected to the east coast.
In the Caucasus War, the Livonians were taken off guard once again when Iraq declared formal war on them as well – they had already decided to pull out of the conflict in Karenia, but now the Oman colony was being invaded, and the Iraqi navy began engaging colonial trade ships, killing several merchants in the process.
The Livonians were fiercer in their response to this threat – immediately, the African Fleet was sent to destroy the Iraqi Navy – they were chased into the Persian Gulf and annihilated. Iraq was still using the old-fashioned Man-O-War style ships, which were completely obsolete against the Baltic steam-powered raiders using explosive ammunition. Not a single Livonian ship was lost in the battle.
Now that the seas were clear, the colonial army defending Ceylon was transported over. The ensuing counteroffensive was devastating to Iraq – they lost 70,000 men in only a few months, and the remains of their invasion force were trapped in the mountains. Their defensive position was too strong to assault directly, but they had no access to food and would surely starve soon. In order to punish Iraq for their attack, the Livonian armies began marching towards Mecca.
The war was becoming too much for all sides involved by this point – Livonia was distracted by a widespread Anarchist revolt at home, fueled by the recent industry boom which had pushed Livonian industry above England’s. Iraq already occupied their claims in the Caucasus, but they were taking severe attritional losses. In addition, their annihilation in Arabia demoralized the country, and fears over the looting of Mecca were enough to bring them to negotiate.
In October of 1884, peace was agreed to between the two powers. Iraq was given minor territorial gains against Karenia, although they were far less than the country had desired. While Karenia was naturally upset over these losses, the demands were much less severe than they had anticipated, so the country agreed.
The Caucasus War had satisfied nobody, but all three counties were glad to see it end. The unrest in Aquitaine and France was still a concern though, and the Livonian government’s refusal to make serious social changes was only escalating the tension at home. The Livonians continued to intervene across the world, but discontent among their own citizens at home had become their greatest threat.
Three armies had been sent by Livonia to assist the defense of the Caucasus, as the country had not formally declared war against Iraq and wasn’t willing to pour men and money into an insignificant war. As the soldiers travelled towards upper Caucasus, the Iraqi armies started their invasion – Karenia’s armies were scattered across the country, and took many months to travel across the country.
As a way to further show support and help the country defend itself in the future, Livonian capitalists were given permission to begin constructing railroads in Karenia. The funded railways were to be constructed primarily along the border with Livonia and Kiev, although they would be more expansive along the Crimea region. Of course, it was unlikely any of these would be operational before this war had ended, but ideally this would help Livonia’s ally to secure its borders in the future.
As the Livonian armies arrived, they successfully pushed back several of the Iraqi armies which had been probing further into the country. The armies of Iraq were outmatched in terms of weaponry and tactics, but they had one of the largest armies in the world – for the moment though, they were spread out too far to overpower Livonia’s smaller force.
In Africa, Misr’s invasion of Ethiopia ended, with them annexing the remains of the country as well as most of inland Ajuuraan – they refrained from conquering the country’s coast to avoid provoking the English.
After a few months of victory, the Livonian expeditionary force was rattled by the massive amount of Iraqi soldiers that poured into the invasion and forced to regroup.
Over the next coming months, the Iraqi invasion shocked the northern allies – they were advancing on both the Caucasus and northern Persian front, and now had an enormous advantage in numbers. The Livonians hadn’t expected nearly as much of a threat – the military staff had assumed that their superior army would be able to hold the Caucasus mountains while Karenia did most of the fighting in the East, but that turned out to be completely unrealistic.
After one more attempted counterattack, the Livonian armies were pulled out of the front line completely and moved to defend the region near Kiev. The Iraqi forces were simply too large to handle, and the drain on Livonian manpower and finances was far too costly to be worth it.
In March of 1883, the Anglo-American trade war ended when England agreed to America’s restrictive demands. Despite being one of the supreme naval powers in the world, England couldn’t project itself along the American coast like they did almost everywhere else in the world – the rising power in the western hemisphere had proven its ability to protect its interests against the European powers.
Meanwhile, Bavaria found itself in a dreadful position. The country had been dealing with a massive series of revolts in its recently conquered territory for around a year now, and social discontent led to smaller uprisings within the German regions of the country as well. Taking advantage of its weakness, Al-Turkis declared war in order to liberate its land in the Balkans.
One week later, Aquitaine did the same. The country had been routinely humiliated for this entire century, and desperately needed to regain its strength before disaster struck. Despite the unrest in France over reintegration into Aquitaine, there was ironically unrest in some of Aquitaine as well to become part of France – after all, the country was far more prosperous, and protected by Livonia.
The entire region of Aquitaine was a mess in general – there was unrest throughout pretty much all of the territory which had previously been part of Revolutionary Aquitaine – including those lands still within Aquitaine itself. A country which had once shocked the region and dominated the west had now lost much of its old population to foreign countries, and even when Genoa’s conquests in the south were reversed, the country was humiliated once again when the territory was given instead to an independent France, which the Livonians found easier to defend.
Yet Aquitaine’s unrest was simple – France’s problems were far more severe. A confused national identity, corrupt government, and hostile neighbors on all sides put the seemingly prosperous country in dire straits. The popular attempts to overthrow the corrupt new government had failed in the past, but a new movement was developing now – Communism. Inspired by the Socialist revolutionaries across the world, these Communists imagined a much more centralized and aggressive government, able to maintain their power through authoritarian rule, similar to the other monarchies, but still granting freedom to the workers and lower classes.
This new form of Socialism was quickly succeeding the old ones – almost all of the Socialist governments which had been in power across the world in the last decade had collapsed or been replaced, and it seemed the initial movement had failed. Out of the several Soclialist governments during the movement’s peak in the 70’s, only Norvegija remained, with the rest mostly turning to more orthodox Liberalism.
Returning to international politics, the Turkish invasion was quick and successful – thanks to the rebellion, they seized their old land in mere months, and Bavaria quickly surrendered Bosnia before the war escalated any further. Aquitaine was pushing strong along the western front, much stronger than expected, and the Bavarians needed to concentrate their forces to defend the more important land in the west.
England had moved into Ajuuraan after Misr’s invasion was concluded. The country was annexed, and England’s colonies were now connected to the east coast.
In the Caucasus War, the Livonians were taken off guard once again when Iraq declared formal war on them as well – they had already decided to pull out of the conflict in Karenia, but now the Oman colony was being invaded, and the Iraqi navy began engaging colonial trade ships, killing several merchants in the process.
The Livonians were fiercer in their response to this threat – immediately, the African Fleet was sent to destroy the Iraqi Navy – they were chased into the Persian Gulf and annihilated. Iraq was still using the old-fashioned Man-O-War style ships, which were completely obsolete against the Baltic steam-powered raiders using explosive ammunition. Not a single Livonian ship was lost in the battle.
Now that the seas were clear, the colonial army defending Ceylon was transported over. The ensuing counteroffensive was devastating to Iraq – they lost 70,000 men in only a few months, and the remains of their invasion force were trapped in the mountains. Their defensive position was too strong to assault directly, but they had no access to food and would surely starve soon. In order to punish Iraq for their attack, the Livonian armies began marching towards Mecca.
The war was becoming too much for all sides involved by this point – Livonia was distracted by a widespread Anarchist revolt at home, fueled by the recent industry boom which had pushed Livonian industry above England’s. Iraq already occupied their claims in the Caucasus, but they were taking severe attritional losses. In addition, their annihilation in Arabia demoralized the country, and fears over the looting of Mecca were enough to bring them to negotiate.
In October of 1884, peace was agreed to between the two powers. Iraq was given minor territorial gains against Karenia, although they were far less than the country had desired. While Karenia was naturally upset over these losses, the demands were much less severe than they had anticipated, so the country agreed.
The Caucasus War had satisfied nobody, but all three counties were glad to see it end. The unrest in Aquitaine and France was still a concern though, and the Livonian government’s refusal to make serious social changes was only escalating the tension at home. The Livonians continued to intervene across the world, but discontent among their own citizens at home had become their greatest threat.
Mmm, so Bavaria getting squeezed .. and Livonia has more than a few problems. Mmm - is a true revolution in the offing?
... not exactly, as you see now
The countries that have changed the least are starting to feel the most pressure.
Chapter 17: The Absence of Order (June 1884 – Aug 1887)
Despite Bavaria’s quick capitulation to Al-Turkis, they still were unable to stop Aquitaine’s advance. By June of 1884, the country had accepted defeat. Now, Aquitaine’s borders were returned to a more natural position (other than the absence of France).
The Liberal government of Livonia continued passing reforms – them and the Socialists passed a healthcare law in October, which would certainly help the quality of life for the general population. Still, popular demands were for far more than just a weak healthcare system – it would take much more meaningful reforms to satisfy the people.
The colony of Malaya was making a huge profit already, even though infrastructure and administration were still in the process of being built. The precious metals being mined were making an enormous profit for the country – far more than any other individual Livonian colony. It was clear that Asia had been untapped for too long, but between the Suez Canal and this colony, expansion would be easy in the future.
Only a month after Bavaria’s surrender to Al-Turkis, a crisis erupted in Dalmatia, which had technically remained part of Bavaria after the peace deal, despite its residents being part of the separatist rebellion. As soon as Aquitaine and Rom threatened to get involved, Bavaria buckled and surrendered the region to Al-Turkis.
The Iraqi invasion had dragged Livonian troops out of Ceylon, as well as the colonial fleet – during that time, several revolts erupted on many of the island territories in the Indian Ocean, with the largest revolt taking place in Ceylon. Now that the war was over, the armies went back to restore order, although they actually took more casualties landing on rebel-held islands than they had defending against Iraq.
The country of Rom has really started exerting itself recently, fueled by its industrial boom caused by the Livonian and Genoese competition for influence over the last two decades. Their involvement in the Dalmatian Crisis caught Bavaria off-guard, and now they were trying to work on influencing their Italian brothers in Naples. The idea of Italian unification was an inspiring one – after being subjugated by Bavaria for hundreds of years, the possibility of becoming an independent world power was romanticized by many Italians in both countries.
Aquitaine had also been pushing for reunification with France with a strong effort to influence the country. Livonia wasn’t about to let their ally be snatched away though: their diplomats began to promote French nationalism and counter the influence of Aquitaine. It wasn’t in Livonia’s best interest to create hostility between the two nations, but the risk of an Aquitanean takeover was too strong to ignore.
England, in their continuing effort to undermine Livonian expansion, formed an alliance with Iraq. This was naturally a big concern for Livonia, especially if the country decided to invade Karenia again – but it also ensured that their territorial gains were secured (although in reality, Livonia had no interest in fighting Iraq again over the return of Karenian territory in the first place)
The Kingdom of America had been rather quiet in recent years, which can probably be attributed to their difficulties administering the enormous land they grabbed during their string of western conquests. A minor break to their isolation came in 1885 with a minor war against Jiazhou, after which they annexed the Idaho territory.
Emboldened by their recent victory against Bavaria, Aquitaine declared war on Genoa in September in an attempt to overthrow its government and install a puppet. The war went badly – despite their size, Genoa still had conscripted an enormous, high-quality military. After several months of fighting, the invasion was called off and Aquitaine was humiliated.
Isbania continued their colonial expansion after taking Kongo – now, it was Oman that became their protectorate, granting them the ability to project themselves into Asia.
England was strengthening their position in Asia as well – the country of Brunei was annexed in 1886, and they were working on integrating Lata as an official protectorate of the Empire.
The Livonian propaganda effort in France had been a success – in fact, it was far too successful. The King of France decided, unilaterally, to invade Aquitaine in 1887, assuming Livonia would support their attempt to expand northwards.
This also meant war with Misr – the Livonian garrison along Suez was quite strong, so this wasn’t a huge concern, but it still was another front to worry about.
However, the country’s entry into another foreign intervention proved to be the spark that ignited the fire. Former general Augusts Titov had been a thorn in the side of the Livonian authorities for a long time – originally a Socialist revolutionary, he had lived in France for several years, becoming enthralled by its Communist movement. Ever since returning to Livonia, he had been consolidating his influence, gaining the support of anarchists, socialists, and the poor who had been disenfranchised by the lack of change in the government.
After the war in France began, Titov managed to organize an uprising, assisted by factions within the military itself and massive civilian support. On the 25th of August (ironically), they delivered an ultimatum to the King, demanding the abolishment of the Monarchy and the installation of Augusts Titov as minister of the new Communist government. Without replying, the King ordered the army to attack the Communist militants, and soon an entire Civil War erupted.
The Communist militants actually outnumbered what remained of the Livonian Army at home, although the majority of the rebels were civilian revolutionaries, lacking the artillery and machineguns of the Baltic Army. Still, there were entire divisions of the army which had defected to the communists, equipment and all, so the larger rebel armies were still a huge threat.
The rebels had risen all across the country, but their largest concentrations were around the Capital, in the Lithuanian region, and in the east countryside. The Baltic Army (commonly referred to as the Black Army during this conflict based on the country’s flag, as a large chunk of the Baltic Army had defected to the Reds, making the distinction necessary) was disconnected, primarily positioned along the country’s borders.
A brutal conflict was about to begin – during which hundreds of thousands of Livonians would lose their lives, and brutal policies by both sides would result in nearly as many civilian deaths, as well as widespread destruction across the country.
Despite Bavaria’s quick capitulation to Al-Turkis, they still were unable to stop Aquitaine’s advance. By June of 1884, the country had accepted defeat. Now, Aquitaine’s borders were returned to a more natural position (other than the absence of France).
The Liberal government of Livonia continued passing reforms – them and the Socialists passed a healthcare law in October, which would certainly help the quality of life for the general population. Still, popular demands were for far more than just a weak healthcare system – it would take much more meaningful reforms to satisfy the people.
The colony of Malaya was making a huge profit already, even though infrastructure and administration were still in the process of being built. The precious metals being mined were making an enormous profit for the country – far more than any other individual Livonian colony. It was clear that Asia had been untapped for too long, but between the Suez Canal and this colony, expansion would be easy in the future.
Only a month after Bavaria’s surrender to Al-Turkis, a crisis erupted in Dalmatia, which had technically remained part of Bavaria after the peace deal, despite its residents being part of the separatist rebellion. As soon as Aquitaine and Rom threatened to get involved, Bavaria buckled and surrendered the region to Al-Turkis.
The Iraqi invasion had dragged Livonian troops out of Ceylon, as well as the colonial fleet – during that time, several revolts erupted on many of the island territories in the Indian Ocean, with the largest revolt taking place in Ceylon. Now that the war was over, the armies went back to restore order, although they actually took more casualties landing on rebel-held islands than they had defending against Iraq.
The country of Rom has really started exerting itself recently, fueled by its industrial boom caused by the Livonian and Genoese competition for influence over the last two decades. Their involvement in the Dalmatian Crisis caught Bavaria off-guard, and now they were trying to work on influencing their Italian brothers in Naples. The idea of Italian unification was an inspiring one – after being subjugated by Bavaria for hundreds of years, the possibility of becoming an independent world power was romanticized by many Italians in both countries.
Aquitaine had also been pushing for reunification with France with a strong effort to influence the country. Livonia wasn’t about to let their ally be snatched away though: their diplomats began to promote French nationalism and counter the influence of Aquitaine. It wasn’t in Livonia’s best interest to create hostility between the two nations, but the risk of an Aquitanean takeover was too strong to ignore.
England, in their continuing effort to undermine Livonian expansion, formed an alliance with Iraq. This was naturally a big concern for Livonia, especially if the country decided to invade Karenia again – but it also ensured that their territorial gains were secured (although in reality, Livonia had no interest in fighting Iraq again over the return of Karenian territory in the first place)
The Kingdom of America had been rather quiet in recent years, which can probably be attributed to their difficulties administering the enormous land they grabbed during their string of western conquests. A minor break to their isolation came in 1885 with a minor war against Jiazhou, after which they annexed the Idaho territory.
Emboldened by their recent victory against Bavaria, Aquitaine declared war on Genoa in September in an attempt to overthrow its government and install a puppet. The war went badly – despite their size, Genoa still had conscripted an enormous, high-quality military. After several months of fighting, the invasion was called off and Aquitaine was humiliated.
Isbania continued their colonial expansion after taking Kongo – now, it was Oman that became their protectorate, granting them the ability to project themselves into Asia.
England was strengthening their position in Asia as well – the country of Brunei was annexed in 1886, and they were working on integrating Lata as an official protectorate of the Empire.
The Livonian propaganda effort in France had been a success – in fact, it was far too successful. The King of France decided, unilaterally, to invade Aquitaine in 1887, assuming Livonia would support their attempt to expand northwards.
This also meant war with Misr – the Livonian garrison along Suez was quite strong, so this wasn’t a huge concern, but it still was another front to worry about.
However, the country’s entry into another foreign intervention proved to be the spark that ignited the fire. Former general Augusts Titov had been a thorn in the side of the Livonian authorities for a long time – originally a Socialist revolutionary, he had lived in France for several years, becoming enthralled by its Communist movement. Ever since returning to Livonia, he had been consolidating his influence, gaining the support of anarchists, socialists, and the poor who had been disenfranchised by the lack of change in the government.
After the war in France began, Titov managed to organize an uprising, assisted by factions within the military itself and massive civilian support. On the 25th of August (ironically), they delivered an ultimatum to the King, demanding the abolishment of the Monarchy and the installation of Augusts Titov as minister of the new Communist government. Without replying, the King ordered the army to attack the Communist militants, and soon an entire Civil War erupted.
The Communist militants actually outnumbered what remained of the Livonian Army at home, although the majority of the rebels were civilian revolutionaries, lacking the artillery and machineguns of the Baltic Army. Still, there were entire divisions of the army which had defected to the communists, equipment and all, so the larger rebel armies were still a huge threat.
The rebels had risen all across the country, but their largest concentrations were around the Capital, in the Lithuanian region, and in the east countryside. The Baltic Army (commonly referred to as the Black Army during this conflict based on the country’s flag, as a large chunk of the Baltic Army had defected to the Reds, making the distinction necessary) was disconnected, primarily positioned along the country’s borders.
A brutal conflict was about to begin – during which hundreds of thousands of Livonians would lose their lives, and brutal policies by both sides would result in nearly as many civilian deaths, as well as widespread destruction across the country.
France really is a wellspring of trouble for Livonia at the moment, between a cheery march to war with Aquitane and harbouring a dangerous rebel.
