Chapter 2 - Independence or Death!
New Years' Day slowly came to an end and Luxembourg found itself in a situation that was less than ideal. Running a huge deficit, having no army, and not enough men to mobilise a single brigade, the country was at war with the Netherlands. It was only a matter of time before the Dutch could bribe the Belgians or Prussians for military access. When it looked as though all hope was lost, the newly elected Grand Duke of Luxembourg dispatched a diplomat in the cover of darkness.
As the sun rose, he returned with news:
After signing the alliance, the Prussians assured the Grand Duke that they would not allow Dutch troops to use their land to reach Luxembourg. The Netherlands was despised by the Belgians after their recent rebellion against their Protestant northern neighbours, so the likelihood of Dutch armies invading from the west was considered low by Luxembourgian military strategists.
After two and a half weeks of cold war between the Netherlands and Luxembourg, the Prussian King finally agreed to join the war.
Unable to win the war alone, the Grand Duke had no other option than to leave the decision making to Prussia.
The Dutch suddenly found themselves at war with one of the mightiest land forces on the European continent. Realising that they would never be able to win a war of attrition against this formidable foe, they launched an attack into the Rhineland to take down the Prussian defences before Prussia could mount an offensive.
At the end of February, the Luxembourgian army was finally ready to fight in the Luxembourgian War of Independence.
In mid-April, the deciding battle of the war began, as 55 000 Prussians engaged nearly 30 000 Dutch soldiers besieging Cologne.
With combined casualties from the battle estimated at almost 40 000, the losses were huge for both sides, but the Prussians managed to break the Siege of Cologne and drive the Dutch army back.
As Prussian reinforcements started arriving from the east, things started to look bleak for the Dutch war efforts.
The Prussian offensive began, invading the neighbouring provinces in the Netherlands. In early June, after securing the border provinces, Prussia made it clear why they joined the war in the first place:
The Prussian King did not care for Luxembourg or their independence. It was just an excuse to acquire fertile land from the Netherlands. What started as a war for freedom and independence was turned into a brutal war of conquest fuelled by the never-ending Prussian desire for expansion and destruction.
Several Luxembourgian cartographers were reportedly hospitalised with eye injuries and suffering from severe depression after seeing the proposed border between the Netherlands and Prussia. Cartographers would continue have one of the highest rates of work-related injuries in the Grand Duchy for the foreseeable future. This was surely just the start of the atrocities to be committed against the world map. The Grand Duke assured them that he would do everything in his power to reduce the risks associated with being a cartographer in the future.
After avoiding direct confrontation with enemy forces, the Luxembourgian Army managed to slip past the Dutch defences. In late June, to the surprise of both the Netherlands and Prussia, the mighty Luxembourgian Army started to besiege Amsterdam.
Later joined by Prussian reinforcements, the result was inevitable:
As Luxembourg's flag was mounted atop the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, Luxembourgian diplomats presented the Dutch and Prussian negotiators with what they considered an acceptable compensation for years of oppression.
If this was to be a war of conquest, the Grand Duchy would not be left out of its fair share!
The rest of the Netherlands Proper fell to Prussian occupation before Christmas. Only time would tell how the Prussians would handle the peace negotiations.
In May 1837, at a diplomatic meeting with the French ambassador to Luxembourg, the Grand Duke was told that the Prussian-Luxembourgian alliance was nothing more than Prussian opportunism taking advantage of Luxembourg's aspirations for independence and would only end with the Grand Duchy in ruins. The French ambassador claimed that the Prussians would never stand by their allies if there was nothing to gain for Prussia. He suggested that closer relations with France would benefit Luxembourg more in the long run than this temporary alliance with Berlin.
On Christmas Day, what could only be described as a Christmas miracle occurred:
Wasting no time, the Luxembourgian scientists started to research Realism. If only these highly educated scientists were able to correctly address their "King" as Grand Duke...
Largely inspired by the ongoing war and hope of independence, artists all over Luxembourg discovered that Romanticist Art was "pretty cool" and the other nations of the world agreed.
With a total of 6 prestige and 2 military score, Luxembourg had now climbed to 34th rank.
On the 4th of June 1838, after two and a half years of war, Prussian and Dutch negotiators finally came to an agreement. Luxembourg was finally at peace. That glorious day would forever be remembered as Independence Day in the Grand Duchy and celebrations lasted for weeks.
