Augsberger Affair

Floren territory in 1852 (dark green), territory promised to Florena by Ludwig von Augsberger (light green), Gaullican possessions (red line)

The Augsberger Affair, also known as the Augsberger Letter Crisis, was a major diplomatic incident stemming from a series of letters sent by Weranian foreign minister Ludwig von Augsberger during the War of the Triple Alliance, which proposed a military alliance between Werania and Etruria against Gaullica. The letters indicated that, should Etruria accept the offer, they would be awarded Gaullican colonies, a strip of land along the Floren-Gaullican border, and the revocation of constraints placed on Etruria following the defeat of the Etrurian First Republic. The communications were intercepted by Etrurian reactionary nobles in the foreign ministry who were sympathetic to the Gaullican cause. Revelation of the content wrought popular outrage from Gaullicans, and galvinised support for the war on the home front. In Etruria, the exposure was a national embarrassment; King Caio Onorio subsequently denounced Weranian ambitions.

Background

Ludwig von Augsberger

War of the Triple Alliance

Main article: War of the Triple Alliance

The crisis unfolded as the War of the Triple Alliance was being fought across Euclea, pitting the Triple Alliance of Gaullica, Sunrosia and Narozalica against Werania and Estmere. Although the Weranians had held the advantage in the early stages of their Sunrosian campaign, by 1853 they were beginning to lose the initiative, and were at risk of being pushed back by Gaullo-Narozalic forces. As a result of this, they had begun to search for new allies to turn the tide of the war. The key aim in contacting Etruria, on Werania's part, was to enable an unanticipated attack on Gaullica's southern flank, that would catch them off-guard and force them to pull back from Sunrosia, while Etruria would be able to capture key points in southeastern Gaullica. This was ultimately misinformed; as would soon be confirmed, Etruria had little military capability to act with.

Weranian-Etrurian relations

Relations between Werania and Etruria were largely amicable at the time, but strained by a Etrurian refusal to counteract Gaullican influence in their country. The two countries did, however, have a shared history dating back to the Euclean Revolutionary Wars, in which the two had fought against Gaullica and the rest of Euclea. Although Werania believed that this historical friendship would help them in their cause for an alliance, Etruria's defeat in that war had caused them to be far more cautious when considering military activity. Further, they were hesitant to become to aligned with Estmere whom they maintained an intense colonial rivalry with starting from the 1840's in Bahia and Coius.

Content of the Letters

Etrurian King Caio Onorio.

The letters themselves were not cleverly hidden or encoded; the Weranian foreign ministry assumed that they would be kept secret by their Etrurian counterparts. Though there were a number of letters, the most important was one concerning rewards for joining Werania in the war. The letter was delivered to the Weranian ambassador at the Weranian embassy in Poveglia, and was then given by him to members of the Etrurian foreign office, for an intended transfer to King Caio Onorio and his royal court, for his eyes only. The Weranians had not anticipated the level of Gaullican sympathy in the Etrurian nobility and foreign office.

The key letter read as follows:

We are planning new, great military offences across northern Euclea. We intend to smash Gaullica's resistance, and to enforce a change in the continent's politics. Our aim is nothing less than the dethroning of the Gaullican behemoth. To this end, we propose the aforementioned alliance of war together and peace together, and promise to support Etrurian ambitions in Coius and Bahia. We offer the recovery of Montecara, control over the Holy Lands and rights to Southern Bahia. Further, the redrawing of the Gaullican-Etrurian border, in Etruria's favour. With Gaullica's defeat, the revocation and annulment of the unjust measures imposed in 1810 becomes necessary. I ask you to relay this information to the his majesty Caio Onorio, first of his name.
Signed, Ludwig von Augsberger

Interception and revelation

The letters were ultimately intercepted by a cabal of pro-Gaullican nobles who worked within the Etrurian foreign office. Distressed at the contents of the letters, they immediately informed their contacts in Gaullica of the situation, and hoped it would lead to a Gaullican intervention. The information and content of the letters was quickly leaked to news outlets, who reported the story as breaking news. Within days, it had emerged as the leading story across Euclea. For a number of days, the Etrurian foreign office refused to comment on the scandal, until it finally addressed it a month after the revelation, in November 1853.

Reception

In Gaullica, the revelation of the letters galvinised support for the war, and stirred on anti-Weranian sentiment. The popular outrage shaped government policy, with the Gaullican government exerting its commercial influence in Etruria to demand that the government denounce Weranian ambitions. Caio Onorio found himself backed into a corner, and publicly denounced Weranian ambitions. The revelation of the letters had a significantly negative affect on the perception of Werania worldwide, seriously damaging their credibility and raising concerns regarding their willingness to respect international norms.