Could you show the cultural map of Livonia and Kiev?It's actually interesting where anti-Ugric separatism can grow(if Ukrainian and Russian are not accepted cultures in Kiev,of course).
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So mainly along the Livonian border, the Czech/Bavarian border, and Crimea.
Really I would have made Kievan Ugrian a different culture in the same group as Uyunid Ugrian (This is another 1882 screenshot before the Uyunids ceased being a state), since they are different religions and have been separate for a while, but ultimately that isn't impacting very much since the eastern border has stayed solid for most of this period.
Sadly, due to being converted in grand campaign form, there aren't nearly as many cores for separatists, so there are a lot of minorities without a possible state to form on their own. I do appreciate some of the ones that do exist [such as the Czech/French ones], but I wish there was more opportunity for ethnic conflict to erupt in certain countries (Also, once again due to being a grand campaign, a lot of the cultures are homongenized since the culture system in that game is extremely basic - although I did do a lot of modifying to cultures to make them somewhat better than the initial conversion)
The Livonians have suffered reverses, which have not yet turned into disasters. Well, except in Africa.
Sunni Genoa is a powerhouse and not to be underestimated despite their small land area.
Sunni Genoa is a powerhouse and not to be underestimated despite their small land area.
Chapter 20: A New Order in Europe (Jan 1889 – Dec 1890)
As 1889 began, enemies were advancing on both borders of Genoa. The communists had just seized the capital of France, and the roman army was surrendering en masse by late January. The only silver lining to the disasters of last year was that the Livonian army had done a phenomenal job of holding out against the attempted Genoese encirclement, and a full retreat would likely be possible soon.
Two weeks later, the French king had been found and captured by the communist rebels, and was hanged at a huge event where the new French Communist State was declared. In the ensuing takeover, all of the country’s factories and railroads were seized by the state, including several which had been owned by Livonian businessmen. This was the first communist country to be established, and the whole world would watch closely to see how it fared.
Over the next month, the surviving Livonian armies managed to successfully break out and retreat into neutral Naples, which had allowed Livonian access through their borders for decades now. The Livonian soldiers were at first planning on rebuilding their strength for a potential counterattack, but Rom was being devastated by the occupation, so it was agreed that Genoa would regain the region of Emilia in exchange for peace.
Despite the fact that only a small (albeit very valuable, with a large population and huge iron mines) amount of territory had been exchanged, in reality this was a big victory for Genoa, and a huge loss for Livonia. As a result of this war, France had completely fallen out of Livonian influence and embraced a dangerous ideology, while Rom had been devastated and weakened by the war.
In addition, the African colonies in the west and along the coast of Zimbabwe had been looted and sabotaged by the English invaders, and proven that a much larger army would need to be tied down in defense of Africa if there was any hope of retaining the land in the future.
Meanwhile, Bavaria’s war, which had been going well for them up until this point, had reversed into a disaster. The defensive line against Al-Turkis had demanded so much manpower and supplies from the Bavarian army that they weren’t able to maintain their hold against the Pomeranian advance when they began conscripting men into their army, nearly tripling its size.
Over in Livonia, the elections were finally held in April of 1889. The parliamentary results were split almost exactly three ways, with the Conservatives and Liberals both earning 27% of the vote, while the Socialists earned 26%. The man who ended up becoming the first Master of Parliament was Leo Kviesis, voted in by the majority of both socialists and liberals.
The doctrine of Leo was a departure from the old one of Livonia – he believed that intervention in Italy and France was a waste of army resources, and supported a reorganization of the military in Europe to focus fully on defense at home. In Africa, the administration was given the approval to begin recruiting a much larger army, mainly from the local populace, although it would take nearly a decade in order for the bureaucracy to cement itself across the African colonies and set up the necessary infrastructure to recruit and maintain a larger army.
For the time being, the government’s focus would be on peace in Europe and social reform – two things the public were overwhelmingly in favor of. Overseas, he agreed to continue the colonialism in Asia – Livonia had fallen behind in the colonial race due to its distractions, and if any of the remaining Asian territories could be anywhere near as profitable as Malaya then it was essential to take them before England could.
England had been busy in the Indies, integrating Lata into their colony and conquering some of the smaller island nations which hadn’t yet become part of the empire. Meanwhile, Isbania’s colonial empire had become much stronger, after they conquered the valuable Malacca territories a few months ago.
The remaining unconquered territories were as follows: Barusiak (which was potentially valuable, but would be tough to invade), Jhainabhumi (A country which had been mostly ignored by Europeans, due to the how difficult it would be to invade such a continent and its relative lack of value), and the majority of mainland Asia. Pattani could potentially be a valuable colony, but they were protected by China and none of the Europeans were willing to commit enough forces to deal with them.
After the devastation of Rom, the government of Naples began discussing the possibility of unification with the Romans. Italian unification had always been a dream of many, but it had been hindered at first by the influence of Bavaria, and later by the growing differences between the two countries as Rom rapidly industrialized and aligned itself with Livonia. However, since then Naples had been undergoing industrialization of its own – the progress had been much slower than Rom’s, as there was no investment war in Naples (although Livonian railroad companies had been investing in the country recently), but by 1889 they were nearly equal in prosperity to Rom – of course, the war had obviously tipped the scales in their favor.
What followed was a tremendous feat of diplomacy – Naples was united with Rom by the end of the year as an autonomous entity within the country. In practice, both countries still had nearly the same amount of sovereignty as they did previously, but they now shared a military, currency, and diplomatic status. Bavaria was currently in no position to contest the move, and Livonia actually supported it – it turned out to be an excellent way for Kviesis to leave the Mediterranean, as the new republic would ideally be strong enough to defend itself.
The creation of a true, single Italian state was still only a dream, but now with the Italian Union it wasn’t so unlikely that such a state could exist in the future.
Meanwhile, Aquitaine began to spread its wings once again. The only thing which had kept the French state alive in the past had been Livonian guarantees, but now that the communists had taken over, France’s only ally had been lost.
In fact, Aquitaine was practically praised by the rest of Europe for the invasion – France had been an unpopular country even in its previous form, and reports of the mass purges and chaos that had erupted since the communist takeover horrified the rest of Europe. The Communist movement was centered around Provence and the capital, but their support in the west had never been very strong. The people along the northwest section of the country had always been the loudest voices in favor of rejoining Aquitaine, and now that the country was being plunged into repression and murder, the situation was dire for the separatists. This was the justification for Aquitaine’s invasion, and there would be no foreign opposition.
Genoa’s recent victories had secured their influence over the Central Mediterranean region, so the Italian Union was a huge concern for them. While the state was in no position of strength right now, there was a grave possibility that Rom and Naples could overtake Genoa in the future.
This risk to the balance of power wasn’t just a problem for Genoa though – it threatened Isbania too. The Isbani had been mostly content to stay out of European warfare for a long time now, focusing on internal reforms, industrialization, and more recently on colonialism. Ever since they had secured supremacy over Misr, the Isbani Empire lacked any major rivals. They had always enjoyed cordial relations with Genoa, and now the two countries had a common threat.
They formed a pact only a few weeks after the Italian Union happened, but it evolved into something more over the coming months. England had already been allied to Genoa before, so they decided to join the pact and again another ally. Afterwards, Brabant requested to join – they still had claims on all three of their neighbors which they had been unable to enforce thus far. The Italian Union had inadvertently created a dangerous entity - the four countries now formed a dangerous sphere of influence over Western Europe, and it wasn’t long before they tested it.
In June of 1890, the alliance declared war on Bavaria, which was still being occupied by Al-Turkis and Pomeranija. The Turks had some rather severe demands for Bavaria, and negotiations were still ongoing by the time this war was declared – the Western Pact presumed that the threat of a fresh invasion would be enough to simply convince Bavaria to cede land without fighting. In addition, this move confirmed that England’s longstanding alliance with Bavaria was now over.
Negotiations were attempted over the next two weeks, but the Bavarian government refused to budge. If they had agreed to all the demands being made of them, they would lose almost 1/3 of their territory. The Turkish and Pomeranian occupations had been going on for a while now, and the overstretch of their army was beginning to wear them down. Frustrated, they withdrew from the negotiations on August 16, removing their soldiers from Bavarian territory and shifting them onto the new borders they had been demanding during the negotiations. As a consequence, this gave Genoa and Brabant free reign to begin invading and occupying the country themselves.
Under the current boundaries, the Turkish border was extended north, forming a more solid horizontal border, and the Czech state was given its old land in the east.
Pomeranija didn’t take any land for themselves - their main ambitions for expansion were against Brabant. Instead, they claimed the devastation they had inflicted on Bavaria as a victory, using the loot taken during the long occupation as a form of reparations.
Bavaria was completely unable to dispute the new borders - the country was already in ruins, and what remained of the army now needed to defend against the invasions of Genoa and Brabant.
Back in Livonia, Leo Kviesis began a huge series of reforms which were made possible by the authority granted by the new constitution. One of the first changes he made was the introduction of the Secret Police, who would use aggressive methods to suppress the radical leftists that still remained in the country. Kviesis wanted to completely stamp out whatever remained of communism within Livonia, but the aggressive and questionable methods used by the Secret Police would prove to be very controversial.
Later in 1890, anti-government leftists rose up in rebellion across the country in response. While the revolts were widespread, they were generally very small in size, so it wasn’t long before the rebels were all killed or imprisoned.
Finally, in December there was a rather large Communist uprising in Pomeranija. The conscription and long occupation of Bavaria had taken a toll on the country, and its exit from the war with no real gains had fueled the communist movement, similar to that of France, to organize a takeover. Most of the Pomeranian army was demobilized by this point, so there was a real risk of the rebellion succeeding.
Leo Kviesis wasn’t about to let that happen. As the Livonians were in a defensive alliance with Pomeranija, their request to provide army assistance was quickly accepted. Over the next month, the Pomeranian communists were engaged by the Livonian military and destroyed – securing the country’s ally and preventing Communism from spreading any further.
Of course, it would take more than suppression to solve Livonia’s problems – Kviesis and his cabinet were already working on a set of social reforms in order to increase the quality-of-life for the Livonian people, and he had ambitious plans for the military as well…
As 1889 began, enemies were advancing on both borders of Genoa. The communists had just seized the capital of France, and the roman army was surrendering en masse by late January. The only silver lining to the disasters of last year was that the Livonian army had done a phenomenal job of holding out against the attempted Genoese encirclement, and a full retreat would likely be possible soon.
Two weeks later, the French king had been found and captured by the communist rebels, and was hanged at a huge event where the new French Communist State was declared. In the ensuing takeover, all of the country’s factories and railroads were seized by the state, including several which had been owned by Livonian businessmen. This was the first communist country to be established, and the whole world would watch closely to see how it fared.
Over the next month, the surviving Livonian armies managed to successfully break out and retreat into neutral Naples, which had allowed Livonian access through their borders for decades now. The Livonian soldiers were at first planning on rebuilding their strength for a potential counterattack, but Rom was being devastated by the occupation, so it was agreed that Genoa would regain the region of Emilia in exchange for peace.
Despite the fact that only a small (albeit very valuable, with a large population and huge iron mines) amount of territory had been exchanged, in reality this was a big victory for Genoa, and a huge loss for Livonia. As a result of this war, France had completely fallen out of Livonian influence and embraced a dangerous ideology, while Rom had been devastated and weakened by the war.
In addition, the African colonies in the west and along the coast of Zimbabwe had been looted and sabotaged by the English invaders, and proven that a much larger army would need to be tied down in defense of Africa if there was any hope of retaining the land in the future.
Meanwhile, Bavaria’s war, which had been going well for them up until this point, had reversed into a disaster. The defensive line against Al-Turkis had demanded so much manpower and supplies from the Bavarian army that they weren’t able to maintain their hold against the Pomeranian advance when they began conscripting men into their army, nearly tripling its size.
Over in Livonia, the elections were finally held in April of 1889. The parliamentary results were split almost exactly three ways, with the Conservatives and Liberals both earning 27% of the vote, while the Socialists earned 26%. The man who ended up becoming the first Master of Parliament was Leo Kviesis, voted in by the majority of both socialists and liberals.
The doctrine of Leo was a departure from the old one of Livonia – he believed that intervention in Italy and France was a waste of army resources, and supported a reorganization of the military in Europe to focus fully on defense at home. In Africa, the administration was given the approval to begin recruiting a much larger army, mainly from the local populace, although it would take nearly a decade in order for the bureaucracy to cement itself across the African colonies and set up the necessary infrastructure to recruit and maintain a larger army.
For the time being, the government’s focus would be on peace in Europe and social reform – two things the public were overwhelmingly in favor of. Overseas, he agreed to continue the colonialism in Asia – Livonia had fallen behind in the colonial race due to its distractions, and if any of the remaining Asian territories could be anywhere near as profitable as Malaya then it was essential to take them before England could.
England had been busy in the Indies, integrating Lata into their colony and conquering some of the smaller island nations which hadn’t yet become part of the empire. Meanwhile, Isbania’s colonial empire had become much stronger, after they conquered the valuable Malacca territories a few months ago.
The remaining unconquered territories were as follows: Barusiak (which was potentially valuable, but would be tough to invade), Jhainabhumi (A country which had been mostly ignored by Europeans, due to the how difficult it would be to invade such a continent and its relative lack of value), and the majority of mainland Asia. Pattani could potentially be a valuable colony, but they were protected by China and none of the Europeans were willing to commit enough forces to deal with them.
After the devastation of Rom, the government of Naples began discussing the possibility of unification with the Romans. Italian unification had always been a dream of many, but it had been hindered at first by the influence of Bavaria, and later by the growing differences between the two countries as Rom rapidly industrialized and aligned itself with Livonia. However, since then Naples had been undergoing industrialization of its own – the progress had been much slower than Rom’s, as there was no investment war in Naples (although Livonian railroad companies had been investing in the country recently), but by 1889 they were nearly equal in prosperity to Rom – of course, the war had obviously tipped the scales in their favor.
What followed was a tremendous feat of diplomacy – Naples was united with Rom by the end of the year as an autonomous entity within the country. In practice, both countries still had nearly the same amount of sovereignty as they did previously, but they now shared a military, currency, and diplomatic status. Bavaria was currently in no position to contest the move, and Livonia actually supported it – it turned out to be an excellent way for Kviesis to leave the Mediterranean, as the new republic would ideally be strong enough to defend itself.
The creation of a true, single Italian state was still only a dream, but now with the Italian Union it wasn’t so unlikely that such a state could exist in the future.
Meanwhile, Aquitaine began to spread its wings once again. The only thing which had kept the French state alive in the past had been Livonian guarantees, but now that the communists had taken over, France’s only ally had been lost.
In fact, Aquitaine was practically praised by the rest of Europe for the invasion – France had been an unpopular country even in its previous form, and reports of the mass purges and chaos that had erupted since the communist takeover horrified the rest of Europe. The Communist movement was centered around Provence and the capital, but their support in the west had never been very strong. The people along the northwest section of the country had always been the loudest voices in favor of rejoining Aquitaine, and now that the country was being plunged into repression and murder, the situation was dire for the separatists. This was the justification for Aquitaine’s invasion, and there would be no foreign opposition.
Genoa’s recent victories had secured their influence over the Central Mediterranean region, so the Italian Union was a huge concern for them. While the state was in no position of strength right now, there was a grave possibility that Rom and Naples could overtake Genoa in the future.
This risk to the balance of power wasn’t just a problem for Genoa though – it threatened Isbania too. The Isbani had been mostly content to stay out of European warfare for a long time now, focusing on internal reforms, industrialization, and more recently on colonialism. Ever since they had secured supremacy over Misr, the Isbani Empire lacked any major rivals. They had always enjoyed cordial relations with Genoa, and now the two countries had a common threat.
They formed a pact only a few weeks after the Italian Union happened, but it evolved into something more over the coming months. England had already been allied to Genoa before, so they decided to join the pact and again another ally. Afterwards, Brabant requested to join – they still had claims on all three of their neighbors which they had been unable to enforce thus far. The Italian Union had inadvertently created a dangerous entity - the four countries now formed a dangerous sphere of influence over Western Europe, and it wasn’t long before they tested it.
In June of 1890, the alliance declared war on Bavaria, which was still being occupied by Al-Turkis and Pomeranija. The Turks had some rather severe demands for Bavaria, and negotiations were still ongoing by the time this war was declared – the Western Pact presumed that the threat of a fresh invasion would be enough to simply convince Bavaria to cede land without fighting. In addition, this move confirmed that England’s longstanding alliance with Bavaria was now over.
Negotiations were attempted over the next two weeks, but the Bavarian government refused to budge. If they had agreed to all the demands being made of them, they would lose almost 1/3 of their territory. The Turkish and Pomeranian occupations had been going on for a while now, and the overstretch of their army was beginning to wear them down. Frustrated, they withdrew from the negotiations on August 16, removing their soldiers from Bavarian territory and shifting them onto the new borders they had been demanding during the negotiations. As a consequence, this gave Genoa and Brabant free reign to begin invading and occupying the country themselves.
Under the current boundaries, the Turkish border was extended north, forming a more solid horizontal border, and the Czech state was given its old land in the east.
Pomeranija didn’t take any land for themselves - their main ambitions for expansion were against Brabant. Instead, they claimed the devastation they had inflicted on Bavaria as a victory, using the loot taken during the long occupation as a form of reparations.
Bavaria was completely unable to dispute the new borders - the country was already in ruins, and what remained of the army now needed to defend against the invasions of Genoa and Brabant.
Back in Livonia, Leo Kviesis began a huge series of reforms which were made possible by the authority granted by the new constitution. One of the first changes he made was the introduction of the Secret Police, who would use aggressive methods to suppress the radical leftists that still remained in the country. Kviesis wanted to completely stamp out whatever remained of communism within Livonia, but the aggressive and questionable methods used by the Secret Police would prove to be very controversial.
Later in 1890, anti-government leftists rose up in rebellion across the country in response. While the revolts were widespread, they were generally very small in size, so it wasn’t long before the rebels were all killed or imprisoned.
Finally, in December there was a rather large Communist uprising in Pomeranija. The conscription and long occupation of Bavaria had taken a toll on the country, and its exit from the war with no real gains had fueled the communist movement, similar to that of France, to organize a takeover. Most of the Pomeranian army was demobilized by this point, so there was a real risk of the rebellion succeeding.
Leo Kviesis wasn’t about to let that happen. As the Livonians were in a defensive alliance with Pomeranija, their request to provide army assistance was quickly accepted. Over the next month, the Pomeranian communists were engaged by the Livonian military and destroyed – securing the country’s ally and preventing Communism from spreading any further.
Of course, it would take more than suppression to solve Livonia’s problems – Kviesis and his cabinet were already working on a set of social reforms in order to increase the quality-of-life for the Livonian people, and he had ambitious plans for the military as well…
Fortunate indeed for Livonia that in their moment of weakness their nearest rival - Bavaria - became so embroiled and weakened too. I would not be surprised if Genoa regained territory there as well.
All in all though it sounds like the stage is set for some Livonian revanchism. National pride has been humbled. The Mediterranean is not so friendly a place as it was. The sense of decline must be surely reversed.
All in all though it sounds like the stage is set for some Livonian revanchism. National pride has been humbled. The Mediterranean is not so friendly a place as it was. The sense of decline must be surely reversed.
Italy will unite! And Commies have actually took control over someplace! Yay!
P.S.:Ukraine's cores would make sense only over Rovne state,while Russia's - in East Galicia.Otherwise,the only other region in Kiev with certain separatism would be Bedouin Crimea.
P.S.:Ukraine's cores would make sense only over Rovne state,while Russia's - in East Galicia.Otherwise,the only other region in Kiev with certain separatism would be Bedouin Crimea.
Bavaria always finds a way to screw up right after Livonia does
Thanks
Heh, maybe since this isn't vanilla Vic2 they will have a chance. I find it funny how common it is for Italy to get annihilated in Vic2 AAR's.
Technically the Uyunids still have their cores around the Crimea areas [and Bavaria still has cores all the way into Kiev's eastern border from the Germanic Wars of EU4], although thus far rebellions have been easily suppressed in Kiev, and Livonia's enemies generally have more valuable targets in mind.
Livonia must be burning with the urge to fight back, given their recent reverses.
New colonies, crushing revolt, standing up against enemies new and old.
New colonies, crushing revolt, standing up against enemies new and old.
There hasn't been a major showdown in Europe between the largest powers (Liv, Eng, and arguably Isbania) in quite a while - and given the rather large shifts in the power dynamics, it's inevitable that they will get more directly involved soon.
I can only hope that the new Western Pact will save Genoa from being swallowed by their strenghtened southern Italian counterpart.
I can't help but feel that Genoa has a place in this timeline, considering all the stuff that happens around it all the time.
But things seem to be going into an involvement of more major powers directly in Europe, maybe the unthinkable will happen and England itself will make a move?
I can't help but feel that Genoa has a place in this timeline, considering all the stuff that happens around it all the time.
But things seem to be going into an involvement of more major powers directly in Europe, maybe the unthinkable will happen and England itself will make a move?
The world is certainly in flux. Who knows where these wars, alliance blocks, and revolutions will lead?
Chapter 21: Fighting for Advantage (Dec 1890 - Dec 1895)
After the Turkish forces moved out of Bavaria, those of Aquitaine and Brabant moved in. It didn’t take long before Bavaria was forced to surrender – their army was nonexistent by this point. After the surrender, Genoa retook all of the northern Swiss land that they had once owned at the height of their empire, once again adding valuable population and resources to their realm. Brabant also demanded land near the Rhine – land which they had desired for a long time but never been in a position to take.
The Western Pact’s sudden formation (and aggression) was quite a scare for the remaining countries in Europe – Rom and Naples were obviously at the greatest risk, since their union had caused the pact to form in the first place, but Aquitaine was nervous as well – they were surrounded on all sides by this new alliance.
Aquitaine had long been in a poor position, unable to secure a powerful ally. There had been a few short-lived alliances with Livonia in the past, but otherwise they had been forced to ally faraway powers like Misr and Al-Turkis. Italy presented a great new natural ally for the country, so in 1891 the alliance was formalized.
Livonia, meanwhile, began their invasion of Barusiak in February of 1892. The fleets in Africa and Asia were combined for this operation, to support the transport of soldiers across the many islands of the country. While the terrain made invasion slow and difficult for the soldiers, it also made it somewhat easier on a strategic level: after the first island was captured, it was easy to simply hold the island without risk of counterattack, while the remaining colonial armies were transported from their stations in the Malay colony.
At home, Kviesis managed to pass a series of social reforms with the support of the Liberal and Socialist parties in parliament. The most popular of the 1892 reforms was the minimum wage reform, which made the law of minimum wage apply to all jobs across the country, closing many of the loopholes and exceptions that characterized the previous system. Healthcare was also improved, giving far more people access to state-funded hospitals.
The army also went through some big changes – Until now, Livonia had relied primarily on its discipline and technology, but the wars against Iraq and Genoa had proven that superior numbers could be a huge threat to the army – in addition, it seemed discipline and training for the common soldier was becoming less effective with the rise of machine guns and modern artillery.
In response to these observations, the structure of the army was changed quite a bit, with armies being organized into much larger groups, and an increased emphasis on defensive tactics for infantry who would be supplemented by massed artillery. Of course, such changes took quite some time to establish, so for the time being Livonia would still try to avoid European conflicts.
Finally, the expansion of the army in Africa was supplemented with a huge government program in which a series of fortifications were built along the border with the English colonies. These fortifications were quite expensive to build, but the last war had clearly proven the need for better defenses in Africa. If another direct war with England were to occur, it was feasible that they could capture the entirety of Livonian Africa.
Meanwhile, the invasion of France by Aquitaine was finally concluded at an armistice in 1892 where nearly half of France being returned. It took over two years of fighting for Aquitaine to reach this deal – France’s resistance was intense thanks to their leftover Livonian equipment, and guerrilla warfare.
In addition to the shift in borders, Aquitaine completely destroyed the communist government of France, permanently imprisoning its leaders, and freeing all of the communists’ political prisoners. A new democracy was put in charge, more in line with the standard European systems.
After nearly two years of island hopping, the country of Barusiak was annexed by Livonia in 1893, adding quite a bit to their colonial empire in Asia. Meanwhile, Isbania was having serious problems with native rebels in their recently-acquired colony.
Later that year, Pomeranija unexpectedly ended their alliance with Livonia. They were apprehensive of the potential for war against the Western Pact, and didn’t want to risk the possible devastation such a war could bring – Pomeranija had become fairly powerful, but that power could easily be destroyed by a single diplomatic mistake. Regardless, given their diplomatic ties, war with Livonia was still very unlikely, so the Livonians weren’t too concerned by the move.
The last 5 years had not been kind to Bavaria. The country had shown signs of resurgence in the early 1880s, but the disastrous war against Al-Turkis and the subsequent invasion by the Western Bloc had turned the country, at least temporarily, into one of the weakest independent countries in Europe. With the rising tensions between the major powers, Bavaria became an easy target for gaining the upper hand. It was this logic that led to an invasion by Aquitaine and Rom – both countries had claims to press, and with Bavaria’s isolation there wasn’t much risk involved.
Just one year after the annexation of Barusiak, Livonia continued their aggressive expansion in Asia with the invasion of Pattani. This was perhaps the largest [and most risky] colonial war ever fought in the modern era, given their alliance with the Xi dynasty, but the coast of Pattani had a large population and valuable resources, which could turn Livonia into the dominant colonial power in Asia.
The Livonian invasion force was quite large, but still it was vastly outnumbered. However, the Asian foes still used old muskets, while Livonia had the benefit of machineguns and artillery. The initial strategy was to entrench in the narrow peninsula and whittle down the enemy numbers until an offensive became practical.
After months of holding the line, the Livonian forces began pushing up the peninsula. In a brilliant plan by both the Army and Navy, the Livonians decided to let the huge Pattani counterattack slip through into the peninsula, while the navy transported men to the its northernmost section. The Asian forces, with very poor communication and scouting equipment, didn’t realize what was going on. Believing they had forced the Livonians to retreat back into their colony, they pushed hard. There were now over 100,000 Asian soldiers on the peninsula who were about to be trapped.
In Europe, the invasion of Bavaria continued. Neither Rom or Aquitaine had a very large army – both countries had been strained by their recent wars. However, Bavaria had suffered as well, so the first year was mostly successful for the invaders – especially Rom, who advanced quickly through the rest of Bavarian Italy. Aquitaine was still fighting along their border, but was doing well overall.
Towards the end of the year, the Czechs took advantage of Bavaria’s war to invade a small Bavarian border region that still contained a large Czech population. After in a series of skirmishes, the Bavarians agreed to cede the relatively insignificant land to the Czechs so they could focus on the western invaders.
The encirclement in Asia worked perfectly, and soon the remaining Pattani defenders were far too small in number to oppose Livonia. By October of 1895, they had agreed to cede the southern coast of Indochina to Livonia, granting the country a new colony with a large population and good cash crops. While annexing land further up the Malay Peninsula would have been preferable, that was where the Pattani capital was located, so it was far easier to negotiate this peace.
The competition between Europeans was intensifying, between wars against Bavaria and overseas. Leo’s policies in Livonia had helped to calm the problems at home, but a new election would be held in 1896, and with the increasing potential for another big war, the stakes were high.
After the Turkish forces moved out of Bavaria, those of Aquitaine and Brabant moved in. It didn’t take long before Bavaria was forced to surrender – their army was nonexistent by this point. After the surrender, Genoa retook all of the northern Swiss land that they had once owned at the height of their empire, once again adding valuable population and resources to their realm. Brabant also demanded land near the Rhine – land which they had desired for a long time but never been in a position to take.
The Western Pact’s sudden formation (and aggression) was quite a scare for the remaining countries in Europe – Rom and Naples were obviously at the greatest risk, since their union had caused the pact to form in the first place, but Aquitaine was nervous as well – they were surrounded on all sides by this new alliance.
Aquitaine had long been in a poor position, unable to secure a powerful ally. There had been a few short-lived alliances with Livonia in the past, but otherwise they had been forced to ally faraway powers like Misr and Al-Turkis. Italy presented a great new natural ally for the country, so in 1891 the alliance was formalized.
Livonia, meanwhile, began their invasion of Barusiak in February of 1892. The fleets in Africa and Asia were combined for this operation, to support the transport of soldiers across the many islands of the country. While the terrain made invasion slow and difficult for the soldiers, it also made it somewhat easier on a strategic level: after the first island was captured, it was easy to simply hold the island without risk of counterattack, while the remaining colonial armies were transported from their stations in the Malay colony.
At home, Kviesis managed to pass a series of social reforms with the support of the Liberal and Socialist parties in parliament. The most popular of the 1892 reforms was the minimum wage reform, which made the law of minimum wage apply to all jobs across the country, closing many of the loopholes and exceptions that characterized the previous system. Healthcare was also improved, giving far more people access to state-funded hospitals.
The army also went through some big changes – Until now, Livonia had relied primarily on its discipline and technology, but the wars against Iraq and Genoa had proven that superior numbers could be a huge threat to the army – in addition, it seemed discipline and training for the common soldier was becoming less effective with the rise of machine guns and modern artillery.
In response to these observations, the structure of the army was changed quite a bit, with armies being organized into much larger groups, and an increased emphasis on defensive tactics for infantry who would be supplemented by massed artillery. Of course, such changes took quite some time to establish, so for the time being Livonia would still try to avoid European conflicts.
Finally, the expansion of the army in Africa was supplemented with a huge government program in which a series of fortifications were built along the border with the English colonies. These fortifications were quite expensive to build, but the last war had clearly proven the need for better defenses in Africa. If another direct war with England were to occur, it was feasible that they could capture the entirety of Livonian Africa.
Meanwhile, the invasion of France by Aquitaine was finally concluded at an armistice in 1892 where nearly half of France being returned. It took over two years of fighting for Aquitaine to reach this deal – France’s resistance was intense thanks to their leftover Livonian equipment, and guerrilla warfare.
In addition to the shift in borders, Aquitaine completely destroyed the communist government of France, permanently imprisoning its leaders, and freeing all of the communists’ political prisoners. A new democracy was put in charge, more in line with the standard European systems.
After nearly two years of island hopping, the country of Barusiak was annexed by Livonia in 1893, adding quite a bit to their colonial empire in Asia. Meanwhile, Isbania was having serious problems with native rebels in their recently-acquired colony.
Later that year, Pomeranija unexpectedly ended their alliance with Livonia. They were apprehensive of the potential for war against the Western Pact, and didn’t want to risk the possible devastation such a war could bring – Pomeranija had become fairly powerful, but that power could easily be destroyed by a single diplomatic mistake. Regardless, given their diplomatic ties, war with Livonia was still very unlikely, so the Livonians weren’t too concerned by the move.
The last 5 years had not been kind to Bavaria. The country had shown signs of resurgence in the early 1880s, but the disastrous war against Al-Turkis and the subsequent invasion by the Western Bloc had turned the country, at least temporarily, into one of the weakest independent countries in Europe. With the rising tensions between the major powers, Bavaria became an easy target for gaining the upper hand. It was this logic that led to an invasion by Aquitaine and Rom – both countries had claims to press, and with Bavaria’s isolation there wasn’t much risk involved.
Just one year after the annexation of Barusiak, Livonia continued their aggressive expansion in Asia with the invasion of Pattani. This was perhaps the largest [and most risky] colonial war ever fought in the modern era, given their alliance with the Xi dynasty, but the coast of Pattani had a large population and valuable resources, which could turn Livonia into the dominant colonial power in Asia.
The Livonian invasion force was quite large, but still it was vastly outnumbered. However, the Asian foes still used old muskets, while Livonia had the benefit of machineguns and artillery. The initial strategy was to entrench in the narrow peninsula and whittle down the enemy numbers until an offensive became practical.
After months of holding the line, the Livonian forces began pushing up the peninsula. In a brilliant plan by both the Army and Navy, the Livonians decided to let the huge Pattani counterattack slip through into the peninsula, while the navy transported men to the its northernmost section. The Asian forces, with very poor communication and scouting equipment, didn’t realize what was going on. Believing they had forced the Livonians to retreat back into their colony, they pushed hard. There were now over 100,000 Asian soldiers on the peninsula who were about to be trapped.
In Europe, the invasion of Bavaria continued. Neither Rom or Aquitaine had a very large army – both countries had been strained by their recent wars. However, Bavaria had suffered as well, so the first year was mostly successful for the invaders – especially Rom, who advanced quickly through the rest of Bavarian Italy. Aquitaine was still fighting along their border, but was doing well overall.
Towards the end of the year, the Czechs took advantage of Bavaria’s war to invade a small Bavarian border region that still contained a large Czech population. After in a series of skirmishes, the Bavarians agreed to cede the relatively insignificant land to the Czechs so they could focus on the western invaders.
The encirclement in Asia worked perfectly, and soon the remaining Pattani defenders were far too small in number to oppose Livonia. By October of 1895, they had agreed to cede the southern coast of Indochina to Livonia, granting the country a new colony with a large population and good cash crops. While annexing land further up the Malay Peninsula would have been preferable, that was where the Pattani capital was located, so it was far easier to negotiate this peace.
The competition between Europeans was intensifying, between wars against Bavaria and overseas. Leo’s policies in Livonia had helped to calm the problems at home, but a new election would be held in 1896, and with the increasing potential for another big war, the stakes were high.
It's very interesting to see, how things will be set. When will Bavarians rise again to punish Saracens of Genoa? And what course will take Pomeranija? I hope you'll continue this great AAR.
Thanks for the encouragement. One of my favorite things about doing this is how I can both plan out [in a limited degree] where I want things to go and what I want to happen, and then also have completely unexpected shifts take place, like what is happening right now in the story.
I'll definitely continue through to the end of Vic2 - the pace was just a bit slower recently because I had a busy week, plus I had to put a bit more effort into the writing the recent chapters. As for HOI4, I should be able to get something good out of it [after modding Vic2 for this playthrough, the modern engine will be so much more convenient] but it'll require a bit more work, since HOI4's gameplay is built upon the roads of the focus system.
I can only second that this is indeed very interesting to follow. It seems like the mechanics of Vic II fit into the story quite well. Keep it coming
So Livonia's overseas adventures proceed quite successfully - but there surely has to be some concern at these European shenanigans. To be able to sit them out is surely a good thing, but one feels there will come a time when sitting out will not be an option.
It looks like Bavaria is beginning to be partitioned. It's still early enough that they could turn it around, but they'd need a chance to recover. It seems like Livonia is properly focused to set itself up well for the future, too.
As for HoI4, the converter is continuing to improve, so it should at least provide a solid foundation on which to build a mod.No clue where we'll be on our feature list by the time you're ready to convert, though.
As for HoI4, the converter is continuing to improve, so it should at least provide a solid foundation on which to build a mod.No clue where we'll be on our feature list by the time you're ready to convert, though.
I can only second that this is indeed very interesting to follow. It seems like the mechanics of Vic II fit into the story quite well. Keep it coming
Thanks. In reality, I think I have a good time fitting my story into the mechanics, rather than the other way around
There might be less sitting and more laying down in the future
Bavaria isn't *completely* hopeless yet
and I imagine it's tough to set up the converter for HOI4 given the focus system, although I'm glad you are putting in the effort! Either way I imagine it'll be a lot less frustrating to deal with modding my HOI4 conversion than it was doing the Victoria 2 one.
Chapter 22: Setting the Dominoes in Place (Dec 1895 – April 1900)
By January of 1896, Pomerania was going through serious internal turmoil. The militant nationalism of the current government, which had enabled the country to field such a large army in the last war against Bavaria, was quite unpopular. Despite the political shift that Pomeranija had seen, it was still in the same position it had been for decades now. In addition, the popular support for Communism hadn’t been suppressed by the government after the attempted overthrow like it had been in Livonia. The fact that a foreign power had been the only reason the revolution had failed had given the Communists a strong justification for continued fighting, as well as the high ground with the Pomeranian public.
Of course, the Livonian alliance had been broken a few years ago, but those in charge hadn’t expected the risk that caused to come from within. That was exactly what happened though, when the communists staged another uprising in January. Over the course of the next two months, they managed to successfully seize control of the country, establishing a new “Worker’s Democracy” in the process. Unlike the previous government in France, the new Pomeranian communism was more democratic in nature, rather than autocratic.
For Livonia, the change of government was concerning, but the internal threat of communism had been mostly stamped out under the rule of Kviesis. Over the course of his reign, a combination of social reforms and repression by the Secret Police had destroyed the Communists’ organization and drastically lowered their membership. There was going to be another election next month, but for now Livonia sat and waited to see if the Pomeranian government would retain its old alliances or attempt to form new ones – after all, if they maintained the same posture as before, then there was no reason to create a new enemy.
In June, the Livonian elections resulted in a new parliament, led by a new Master of Parliament: Vilis Berkis. Being a member of the Socialist party, Vilis believed in the further expansion upon the recent social reforms by the government, but his largest departure from Leo was in foreign policy. Rather than focusing on defense at home and expansion overseas, Berkis was concerned with the divide in Europe, and believed that a major war was inevitable if Livonia were to retain its position as one of the dominant powers.
Over the coming months, he instituted several new edicts:
The first was a military reorganization program, in which the home army was vastly expanded. Far more funding was poured into equipment, and recruitment efforts soured across the country. For Livonia to have a loud voice, it would need to have a terrifying army.
A refitting of the Baltic Navy was also initiated – for the last few decades, the bulk of the home navy was heavy capital ships, but as steam engines had become ubiquitous, the speed of these capital ships was no longer able to rival that of smaller ones. To deal with the lack of maneuverability, a series of ‘Cruisers’ would be ordered in huge quantities to populate the Baltic Navy, and eventually would become part of the colonial fleets as well.
The second edict was on social reform, where two new laws were implemented – mandatory safety requirements for workers, and pensions for all who served in the military or government. The pensions program especially would be expensive, but it would ideally help the effort to expand the military and ensure the public stayed content.
Finally, full voting rights were given to Livonian citizens living in many of the old colonies – most notably in the coastal territories along Canada and Guyana, as well as many of the smaller island colonies and outposts.
Meanwhile, Bavaria had still spent the last two years fighting against Aquitaine and Rom. While the initial Italian push had been strong, fighting had become a stalemate as Bavaria established two powerful defensive positions along the Rhine and in the Alps. As they managed to hold the position, waves of new recruits were added to the Bavarian army, which had been far undersized at the start of the war. Rom wasn’t able to match these numbers, as there was still conflict over the idea of conscripting Neapolitan citizens for a war declared by Rom.
Further issues arose for Aquitaine when their puppet government in France was overthrown by members of the old Communist party. The country of France had only been left on the map in the first place as a compromise to keep the peace (and end the war more quickly so that Aquitaine could prepare for the current invasion of Bavaria), but the attempted opportunism by the Communists turned out to be a death blow for their entire country.
A state of war began almost immediately, forcing Aquitaine to divert much of their armies away from Bavaria. In addition, the Bavarians had launched a counteroffensive against Rom, pushing all the way back to the original border between the two countries.
The situation was bad for Bavaria’s opponents, but Bavaria itself had little desire for total war. As negotiations began in July of 1897, both sides were quickly able to agree to a ceasefire.
With the freedom to commit their full army to France, it didn’t take long for Aquitaine to occupy the entire country. While the attempted communist revival had attracted popular support, the Aquitanean reaction was far too quick for any serious resistance to be organized. In just a month, Aquitaine had taken control of the entire country and revoked its sovereignty. After nearly 60 years of foreign occupation, Provence was finally part of Aquitaine again.
In 1898, the revolts which had plagued Isbani Malacca resulted in the independence of Java. The lasting independence of this nation seemed unlikely, since Isbania would surely send more reinforcements to Asia. Even if they failed to retake Java, England certainly would have no problem adding it to their own empire.
As the Livonian military approached the size that had been planned during Berkis’s expansion, he began opening dialogue with several countries around the world, trying to establish what a coalition against the Western Pact might look like. Several countries around the world had claims and ambitions against members of the Pact, but the alliance was far too strong for any existing nation to defeat on their own. Of course, Livonia already had influence over most of the countries in Eastern Europe, as well as an alliance with Rom, but it would take more than just those to reach victory.
The most important discussion was with the leadership of Rom, which was going through several changes at the moment. Since the union with Naples, the government had constantly pushed to centralize the union further, trying to establish one central government for the entire realm. These moves resulted in rather large opposition throughout Naples, culminating in a nationalist revolt at the beginning of 1899. Still, the revolt was only made up of a faction within Naples and wasn’t condoned by the country’s leadership, so it wasn’t too severe to handle.
A Livonian army was stationed in Rom at this time and assisted in suppressing the revolt. The leadership of Rom felt that it would take a war for them to inspire nationalism across the peninsula and further their plans for centralization. Given the bitterness that had arisen in the country after the last war with Genoa, a revanchist war would certainly inspire public support.
Elsewhere, several countries were being courted by Livonia, with promises being made left and right. The colonial empires of England and Isbania were the most tempting targets for many – both countries had been mostly untouchable for a long time, and there were many who could benefit from their destruction.
After a tense 15 months, the final move was made. As the new century began, Rom made the first move – on April 29th of 1900, they demanded that Genoa return the territory of Emilia under the threat of war. Naturally, this threat was rejected, and war was declared soon after. Livonia announced its full support for Rom immediately, and called to arms all of its immediate allies to fight against the Western Pact.
The war that was about to ensure would escalate far beyond just the Italian peninsula. Eventually, it would spread to most of the globe, as it escalated from a territorial dispute to a battle for supremacy. While initially the war was between six main countries, by the end there would be far more involved. A Great War had begun, and millions would die as the great powers of Europe finally went head to head.
By January of 1896, Pomerania was going through serious internal turmoil. The militant nationalism of the current government, which had enabled the country to field such a large army in the last war against Bavaria, was quite unpopular. Despite the political shift that Pomeranija had seen, it was still in the same position it had been for decades now. In addition, the popular support for Communism hadn’t been suppressed by the government after the attempted overthrow like it had been in Livonia. The fact that a foreign power had been the only reason the revolution had failed had given the Communists a strong justification for continued fighting, as well as the high ground with the Pomeranian public.
Of course, the Livonian alliance had been broken a few years ago, but those in charge hadn’t expected the risk that caused to come from within. That was exactly what happened though, when the communists staged another uprising in January. Over the course of the next two months, they managed to successfully seize control of the country, establishing a new “Worker’s Democracy” in the process. Unlike the previous government in France, the new Pomeranian communism was more democratic in nature, rather than autocratic.
For Livonia, the change of government was concerning, but the internal threat of communism had been mostly stamped out under the rule of Kviesis. Over the course of his reign, a combination of social reforms and repression by the Secret Police had destroyed the Communists’ organization and drastically lowered their membership. There was going to be another election next month, but for now Livonia sat and waited to see if the Pomeranian government would retain its old alliances or attempt to form new ones – after all, if they maintained the same posture as before, then there was no reason to create a new enemy.
In June, the Livonian elections resulted in a new parliament, led by a new Master of Parliament: Vilis Berkis. Being a member of the Socialist party, Vilis believed in the further expansion upon the recent social reforms by the government, but his largest departure from Leo was in foreign policy. Rather than focusing on defense at home and expansion overseas, Berkis was concerned with the divide in Europe, and believed that a major war was inevitable if Livonia were to retain its position as one of the dominant powers.
Over the coming months, he instituted several new edicts:
The first was a military reorganization program, in which the home army was vastly expanded. Far more funding was poured into equipment, and recruitment efforts soured across the country. For Livonia to have a loud voice, it would need to have a terrifying army.
A refitting of the Baltic Navy was also initiated – for the last few decades, the bulk of the home navy was heavy capital ships, but as steam engines had become ubiquitous, the speed of these capital ships was no longer able to rival that of smaller ones. To deal with the lack of maneuverability, a series of ‘Cruisers’ would be ordered in huge quantities to populate the Baltic Navy, and eventually would become part of the colonial fleets as well.
The second edict was on social reform, where two new laws were implemented – mandatory safety requirements for workers, and pensions for all who served in the military or government. The pensions program especially would be expensive, but it would ideally help the effort to expand the military and ensure the public stayed content.
Finally, full voting rights were given to Livonian citizens living in many of the old colonies – most notably in the coastal territories along Canada and Guyana, as well as many of the smaller island colonies and outposts.
Meanwhile, Bavaria had still spent the last two years fighting against Aquitaine and Rom. While the initial Italian push had been strong, fighting had become a stalemate as Bavaria established two powerful defensive positions along the Rhine and in the Alps. As they managed to hold the position, waves of new recruits were added to the Bavarian army, which had been far undersized at the start of the war. Rom wasn’t able to match these numbers, as there was still conflict over the idea of conscripting Neapolitan citizens for a war declared by Rom.
Further issues arose for Aquitaine when their puppet government in France was overthrown by members of the old Communist party. The country of France had only been left on the map in the first place as a compromise to keep the peace (and end the war more quickly so that Aquitaine could prepare for the current invasion of Bavaria), but the attempted opportunism by the Communists turned out to be a death blow for their entire country.
A state of war began almost immediately, forcing Aquitaine to divert much of their armies away from Bavaria. In addition, the Bavarians had launched a counteroffensive against Rom, pushing all the way back to the original border between the two countries.
The situation was bad for Bavaria’s opponents, but Bavaria itself had little desire for total war. As negotiations began in July of 1897, both sides were quickly able to agree to a ceasefire.
With the freedom to commit their full army to France, it didn’t take long for Aquitaine to occupy the entire country. While the attempted communist revival had attracted popular support, the Aquitanean reaction was far too quick for any serious resistance to be organized. In just a month, Aquitaine had taken control of the entire country and revoked its sovereignty. After nearly 60 years of foreign occupation, Provence was finally part of Aquitaine again.
In 1898, the revolts which had plagued Isbani Malacca resulted in the independence of Java. The lasting independence of this nation seemed unlikely, since Isbania would surely send more reinforcements to Asia. Even if they failed to retake Java, England certainly would have no problem adding it to their own empire.
As the Livonian military approached the size that had been planned during Berkis’s expansion, he began opening dialogue with several countries around the world, trying to establish what a coalition against the Western Pact might look like. Several countries around the world had claims and ambitions against members of the Pact, but the alliance was far too strong for any existing nation to defeat on their own. Of course, Livonia already had influence over most of the countries in Eastern Europe, as well as an alliance with Rom, but it would take more than just those to reach victory.
The most important discussion was with the leadership of Rom, which was going through several changes at the moment. Since the union with Naples, the government had constantly pushed to centralize the union further, trying to establish one central government for the entire realm. These moves resulted in rather large opposition throughout Naples, culminating in a nationalist revolt at the beginning of 1899. Still, the revolt was only made up of a faction within Naples and wasn’t condoned by the country’s leadership, so it wasn’t too severe to handle.
A Livonian army was stationed in Rom at this time and assisted in suppressing the revolt. The leadership of Rom felt that it would take a war for them to inspire nationalism across the peninsula and further their plans for centralization. Given the bitterness that had arisen in the country after the last war with Genoa, a revanchist war would certainly inspire public support.
Elsewhere, several countries were being courted by Livonia, with promises being made left and right. The colonial empires of England and Isbania were the most tempting targets for many – both countries had been mostly untouchable for a long time, and there were many who could benefit from their destruction.
After a tense 15 months, the final move was made. As the new century began, Rom made the first move – on April 29th of 1900, they demanded that Genoa return the territory of Emilia under the threat of war. Naturally, this threat was rejected, and war was declared soon after. Livonia announced its full support for Rom immediately, and called to arms all of its immediate allies to fight against the Western Pact.
The war that was about to ensure would escalate far beyond just the Italian peninsula. Eventually, it would spread to most of the globe, as it escalated from a territorial dispute to a battle for supremacy. While initially the war was between six main countries, by the end there would be far more involved. A Great War had begun, and millions would die as the great powers of Europe finally went head to head.