Bier und Bruderschaft: A Bavaria Divergences AAR

[deagoir]

Hello, everyone,

I am working on what I hope will actually be a completed project this time. I will be taking the Kingdom of Bavaria in the Divergences Victoria 2 mod and forming Germany as soon as I can while remaining somewhat plausible. I do not have much of the game started, and the first couple chapters are more to establish the world of Divergences and what is going on in Bavaria. I like to be detail oriented, so I do apologize if there are long stretches between chapters. Also, though I did not finish it, you can check out my (quickly aborted) AAR as Ireland in Kaiserreich for HOI4. I should have the first post ready in about 2 hours or so

Thank you

 

[stnylan]

Sounds interesting.

 

[Attalus]

Count me subbed !

 

[deagoir]

Bier und Bruderschaft: The Rise of Bavaria and the Unification of Germany
By Pierre Lestrange, Professor of History at Université Paris-Sorbonne
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Chapter 1: Electorate, Kingdom, and the Great German War
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It seems to be a great irony of European history that the German Revolution was the start of a United Germany, but it was not the violent overthrow of the German aristocracy that accomplished this goal. Due to the brutality of the war, there were few revolutionary leaders that were able to see the proclamation of Germany, including many of the various monarchs that fought the war in the first place. More ironic still is the very system that the revolutionaries were fighting against, the “Catholic Bloc” of Jagiellon Bavaria, Habsburg Austria, and Wittelsbach Bavaria, it was Bavaria to lead the charge for true German unification. But before we explore the role of Bavaria in both the German Revolution and the subsequent Great German War, there needs to be an understanding of the causes of the German Revolution.


For centuries in Germany, from the age of Charlemagne, there had been the Holy Roman Empire. However, as would become increasingly more apparent, one of the Dual Monarchy’s great philosophers and satirists, Voltaire, remarked that “The Holy Roman Empire is neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.” Aside from the Carolingian era, it was always a loose confederation of various German, Italian, and other entities on the German periphery, with various elector princes that controlled the Imperial Diet, that elected the Holy Roman Emperor. Though it was a limited democracy, it generally worked out to where there was a particular dynasty that would rule for decades or centuries as long as they kept the electors in their good graces. For a long time it was the Habsburgs of the Archduchy of Austria, but after the Burgundy disaster, which saw the crowning of the effectively independent Kingdom of Burgundy. It was in this war that Ladislas II Jagiellon, the King of Bohemia, became the hero of the Germans and was elected in the Diet to the office of Holy Roman Emperor in 1486. Under his son Louis, who succeeded him as Holy Roman Emperor, who although he was successful in fighting off the Ottomans from Hungary, the biggest challenge he would face was instead a humble monk from Zurich, Huldrych Zwingli.



Zwingli’s 95 theses nailed to the door of the cathedral in Zurich in 1518, created an entirely new Christian movement, Reformism, that swept almost all of western and central Europe into a bloodbath. Predominantly northern and Rheinland German states and the Scandinavians were the earliest adopters of Zwinglism, while another Swiss pastor John Calvin gained predominance in Burgundy and in England, though there are now an absolute plethora of various sub-denominations today. The spread of Reformism lead to a near century of constant violence across the Empire and spilling over into the Dual Monarchy, culminating in the Imperial Religious War in 1605. An alliance of Austria, Bohemia, Poland, and Bavaria fought against the Reformist powers of Burgundy, Scandinavia, and a variety of small German states. Though the Catholic League was on the brink of collapse, they were (in my countrymen’s opinion) saved by the forces of the Dual Monarchy, who helped turn the tide in their favor. After the Battle of Melnik, the subsequent peace treaty drawn up in Hanover in 1621, formalized the Scandinavian occupation of Pomerania, the Bohemian occupation of Saxony, but most importantly established freedom of religion within the Empire, though it was determined by the prince or equivalent title of the subdivisions, not the people themselves. This also had the effect of the first modern equivalent of national sovereignty, with the world still following what is called in academic circles the Hanoverian system. This period also saw the reunification of the electorate of Bavaria under the Wittelsbachs of Munich. Previous to the Imperial Religious wars, Bavaria was denied the title of the elector, the title had belonged to the Palatinate branch of the Wittelsbach family, but after their conquest by Burgundy, the seat had been kept empty hoping for a return of the territory. In the Imperial War of religion, the Bavarian army proved itself truly loyal, sharing in both victory and defeat with the Bohemian army. With their contribution to the war, the Emperor Wenceslaus II named the Duke of Bavaria, Maximilian von Wittelsbach, Maximilian I, Prince-Elector of Bavaria.

Maximilian I von Wittelsbach parading through his troops after the Battle of Melnik, AD 1619

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Thus began both the era of Bavarian history known simply as the Electorate. In this era, there was a time of relative calm throughout the German region, with the leadership of the Most Catholic Kings of Bohemia consistently being re-elected as emperor due to their overwhelming control of the Diet along with the Habsburgs of Austria and the Wittelsbachs of Bavaria. These times saw the slow absorption of some of the smaller states and bishoprics that surrounded the lands of the Wittelsbachs that were still a part of Bavaria, especially in the regions of Franconia and Swabia. The consolidation of power greatly increased the power of the Wittelsbachs who remained loyal to the Jagellions due to their elevation to prominence again within the Holy Roman Empire. Also, this era saw a crackdown on any Reformist churches and villages, led by the predominantly Jesuit clergy with, though unspoken, support from the Prince-Elector. However, they were not entirely successful, and even by the year 1800, Bavaria still had about a 20% Reformist population. However, this peace was not to last forever, and as with any system, it held the seeds of its own destruction. With the rise of the Katholische Gruppe (literally the Catholic Group), many of the Northern and Western states who were overwhelmingly Reformist felt increasingly marginalized from the Catholic Emperor in Prague. However, things would not come to a head until a century and a half later, with the German Revolution.


Though many scholars of the German Revolution tend to focus merely on the political realities within the Holy Roman Empire as the causes of the Revolution, there were a variety of other factors that led to the massive uprising. Throughout this interbellum period, there was a gradual democratization of many of the German states, especially those in the north and west who were more under the influence of the parliamentary monarchies of Burgundy and Scandinavia than the absolutist regime of Bohemia. Many of these states maintained a Landstag, a generally bicameral legislature, an upper house of those selected from the nobility and clergy, and a lower one voted by the people. The actual power of these democratic institutions varied depending on the territory, but in the vast majority, there was little true input from the masses. Another overlooked impact was the rise of early industrialization into the Rhine and Elbe valleys. This created a new Mittelklasse based around trades, though the industrialization was not exactly the same as the second wave of industrialization, it was instead a conglomeration of guilds, where artisans would come together to create joint ventures to increase efficient production of goods. These proto-corporations sparked a mechanization that greatly expanded their profits and with it their will for political representation. These classes were also heavily engaged in trade with the other German states which sparked the beginnings of modern Pan-Germanism.


The spark that would set off this powder keg of resentment and change would be the ascension to the throne of Emperor-King Wenceslas V in 1790. As the Crown Prince of Bohemia, he had advocated for the centralization of the Holy Roman Empire, including the creation of an Imperial Army, a direct Imperial taxation system, and the Imperial promotion of the Catholic church. For many of the increasingly discontent, and republican oriented people of the northern states, this was the final straw. Across the Elbe and Rhine river valleys, people rose in protest against any vestige of Imperial power they could find. However, as more radical elements began to take over the revolution, the revolutionaries began attacking members of the nobility and Catholics, anything associated with the Imperiale Struktur (Imperial Structure). This would not stand as the Bohemian, Austrian and Bavarian armies all attempted to invade the newly declared Deutsche Volksrepublik (German People’s Republic.) The republic granted universal male suffrage, protection of private property, freedom of religion (constitutionally, not in practice), and many other smaller protections that would not become mainstream in the majority of democracies until many decades later. However, in the modern era, the Revolution is remembered more for the horrific violence that was perpetrated by the revolutionaries with the Hegelsklinge (Hagel’s Blade). This large single falling blade was invented by a young physician and rising pan-German revolutionary leader, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, who argued that it was a truly egalitarian way to die. It claimed the lives of thousands of aristocrats, Catholics, and anyone deemed an enemy of the regime, especially during the Herrschaft des Terrors (Reign of Terror). Another cultural impact was the prevalence of the dreifarbige flag. The black, red and yellow of the flag came from the black and yellow of the Holy Roman Empire, a symbol of the united German nation (yes, this is a contradiction, but that is a good summation of the German experiment) and the red for the revolution. However, the official interpretation given by the revolutionary government was that it was from the night (feudal Europe), through the blood (the Revolution), to the light (a free, united, Germany).

German revolutionary barricade during the Battle of Hanover, notice the prominence of the dreifarbige

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The German revolution and its subsequent war was actually a relatively easy campaign for the Imperial Alliance, largely due to the lack of organization of the revolutionary armies, who were drawn from the independent states and behaved more like local militias than an organized and professional armies, and the campaign lasted for five years, but it often had more in common with a modern counterinsurgency than an actual military campaign. The largest true battle was a large street to a street fight in the streets of Hanover, the de facto capital of the Republic after the initial capture of Frankfurt. However, the speed of the campaign and the subsequent beginnings of the centralization reforms caused the Scandinavians and the Burgundians to declare war on the Catholic Bloc in 1795. The war was one of the bloodiest the world had ever known, the Great German War (GGW), with the repercussions of the war reaching Ameriga, Arcadia, and even Africa. While the majority of the war was fought on the North German Plain, the vast majority of the Bavarian army was deployed to the fight the Burgundian army in the Rhine river valley. One of these battles was the battle of Mannheim in 1797, where the Bavarian Army under the command of Benjoin Thompson and Maximilian Joseph orchestrated a brilliant defense of the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar rivers that prevented the Burgundian army from crossing and striking at the heartlands of Bavaria and Bohemia. Bejoin Thompson was a Henrist from Port-Royal, who fled to Europe after the War of Anglo-French Succession and had taken up residence in Munich and was close friends with the childless Duke Charles Theodore. One of his lieutenants was the Maximilian Joseph, the heir to the electorate of Bavaria and the living survivor of the Palatine branch of the family, who had taken up residence in Nuremberg and ruled in the Duke’s stead after the Burgundian invasion of the Palatinate. Thompson and Maximilian's strategy revolved around a total defense of the Rhine Valley, seeing it as the natural wall between themselves and the Burgundians.

Bavarian Line Infantry capture a Burgundian battery, Battle of Mannheim, AD 1797
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However, four years after the war began, disaster seemed to hit the Bavarians, as on the 16th of February, 1799, Prince-Elector Charles Theodore passed away, leaving no legitimate sons, but a plethora of illegitimate ones. Though this could have led to a succession crisis, the quick actions of Maximilian Joseph made sure that the reigns of the Bavarian government were quickly in his hands. He then went to Prague to be officially named him Maximilian IV Joseph, Prince-Elector of Bavaria. Though many within the Catholic bloc believed that Maximilian, who had been a proficient military commander would help save the war effort that had effectively stalemated with neither side being able to advance. However, it would bring about the eventual downfall of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire. Maximilian, though a devout Catholic and supporter of the Imperiale Struktur, had harbored a resentment toward the Bohemian king, who had repeatedly refused his calls for aid, citing his victories as reason enough for the Bohemian king to focus elsewhere. His sentiments were shared by the Archduke of Austria, Francis I, who was fighting a similar campaign in the Alps and Switzerland, while half of his forces were under Bohemian command in the north.

Maximilian I Joseph von Wittelsbach, King of Bavaria
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The war continued to drag on for another 20 years, with countless battles and campaigns, that have been covered in greater detail than I could ever hope to accomplish, but in general, it was a stalemate, the likes of which would not be seen for more than a century. The reasons for the end of the war could be summed up in a single word, exhaustion. The Burgundians had expended seemingly endless resources and men on the fields of Germany, for little gain, and the loss of their large Amerigan (Lotharingia), Arcadian (Belgian Confederacy), and some of their Cape colonies (the various Boer republics). Similarly, the Scandinavians had lost their expansive colony of Vinland after the increased taxes that were necessitated by the war. However, there was a similar dissatisfaction amongst the Catholic Bloc as well. They had been at war for an additional five years, as well as the personal rift that had grown between Emperor-King Wenceslas VIII and his “subordinates” Maximilian IV Joseph of Bavaria, and Francis I of Austria. After the Imperial victory over the battle of Magdeburg, the exhausted sides met in Frankfurt to discuss the peace terms. Wenceslas was forced to abandon his ideal of a united Empire, and instead accept a three-fold “sphere of influence” over the reconstituted states of the empire while retaining the title of Holy Roman Emperor, but the title became a truly ceremonial title. With this loss in authority, as well as the massive contributions of both Austria and Bavaria, they pushed the former emperor to crown them as semi-independent kings. Thus began the Kingdom era of Bavaria, under the rule of Maximilian I Joseph von Wittelsbach, King of Bavaria.


The years immediately after the war were relatively peaceful, with another revolution slowly taking hold in Bavaria, the Industrial Revolution. Throughout the era, small factories began to pop up along the Danube in Munich and the Pegnitz in Nuremberg, largely driven by the large industrial coal fields that were prevalent throughout Southern Bavaria. Sadly, Maximilian I Joseph would not live to see the true rise of Bavaria, as he died on the 13th of October, 1825, and is succeeded by his son, Ludwig, who would go on to spearhead the unification of Germany.

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Here is my first chapter. Later this week I should have a new chapter up detailing Ludwig and the rise of Bavaria to a GP. Again any advice is welcome. Also, a point of clarification, Reformist is like OTL Protestant, I thought the alterations to the Reformation warranted a different name.

 

[stnylan]

A rather nice write-up of how we get to this point so far.

 

[AvatarOfKhaine]

Germany united in DoD?

DoD?

Subbed so hard!

 

[guillec87]

subbed!

 

[youstas]

Subbed!

 

[ThaHoward]

I'll follow this one

 

[deagoir]

Hey Guys, just finished a session of playing and have enough material for two more new chapters. I should be able to get one up this weekend or early next week. However, I may be a bit delayed as I have quite a few papers and exams coming up in these next few weeks. I do not want to spoil much but I am well on my way to forming Germany and am only in 1851.

 

[cybandeath]

Hey Guys, just finished a session of playing and have enough material for two more new chapters. I should be able to get one up this weekend or early next week. However, I may be a bit delayed as I have quite a few papers and exams coming up in these next few weeks. I do not want to spoil much but I am well on my way to forming Germany and am only in 1851.

sounds good cant wait!

 

[Attalus]

I'd just nitpick by saying that in the lore, Bohemia is still Holy Roman Emperor in 1836 but the title is all but void of meaning and in my mind they become Emperor of Bohemia following the Springtime of People (explaining why they can reform the HRE as an effective state before that).

Otherwise good introduction, and eagerly waiting for more !

 

[deagoir]

Thank you for that correction, it has been fixed. Sorry, some details have slipped through the cracks in my attempts to mix OTL history and the wonderful world of Divergences.

 

[Beaverman1]

This looks awesome! Can't wait to see more