User:Vjaarland/Sandbox: Difference between revisions

Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
[[File:Boston Massacre, 03-05-1770 - NARA - 518262.tif|thumb|The [[Gledworth Massacre]] in 1795 is widely considered to mark the beginning of the [[Cuthish Revolution]].]]
During his rule, Edwin III launched a series of military campaigns to reassert revanchist claims on former Cuthish territories that had been lost during the partitions.  These campaigns, known as the [[Alhstead Wars]], began with the [[Second Cutho-Waldish War]] in 1832, which ended in the reannexation of Waldrich after a brief two month conflict. The decisive victory sparked a wave of nationalism across Cuthland, emboldening Edwin III to continue his aggressive foreign policy against [[X Peninsula War|Dulebia]] in 1834.  The war was largely successful, with the [[Treaty of Ulich]] ceding most of the [[X Peninsula]] that had been seized in the fourth partition, with the exception of [[Erjarvia]], back to Cuthland. The victory over Dulebia allowed Edwin III to begin expanding east, [[Second Cutho-Mascyllary War|invading]] Mascylla in 1838. 


The second partition had left the Cuthish Empire a state of economic and social disarray.  Cenhelm I died in 1780, leaving the throne to his son, Edmund IX.  Edmund IX attempted to pay off the debts that had been incurred over decades of war and economic malaise by levying a highly regressive tax regime from which the nobility and clergy, who collectively represented the first estate in feudal Cuthland, were exempt.  This enraged the second estate of burghers, who bore the brunt of Edmund IX's new taxes, and led to an increasing acceptance of {{wp|Liberalism|liberal}} and {{wp|Republicanism|republican}} ideals associated with the {{wp|Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment}} among the lower and middle classes.  These ideals were most notably promoted by the [[Council of Reason]], a society led by enlightenment thinkers such as [[Alfred Harwood]] and [[Dunstan Millard]] that published various articles and pamphlets between 1790 and 1795.  The publication of ''[[Just Governance and the Rights of Man]]'' in 1795 proved particularly controversial for its denouncement of the Cuthish monarchy, and led Edmund IX to order the arrests and executions of both Harwood and Millard for treason.  The executions led to a rapid deterioration in relations between the estates, culminating on 10 October when a group of demonstrators protesting the executions were fired upon by soldiers of the [[Royal Guard (Cuthland)|Royal Guard]] in front of [[Gledworth Palace]] in Kingsham.  The soldiers killed 14 demonstrators in what became known as the [[Gledworth Massacre]], leading to waves of riots and unrest across the nation and signaling the start of the [[Cuthish Revolution]].
The Alhstead Wars successfully reestablished the Cuthish Empire as a major power to rival Lavaria and Mascylla, which had dominated Berean geopolitics for the past half-century.   
 
The Gledworth Massacre caused outrage in the [[House of Burghers]], an advisory body to the Cuthish monarch which represented the second estate in the [[Wittenmoot]].  In March 1796, members of the House of Burghers established the [[Popular Committee]] with the intent of organizing revolutionary activities in Cuthland.  The Popular Committee issued the [[Declaration of Rights and Liberties]] on 19 May, which condemned feudalism and absolute monarchism in Cuthland as infringements on the {{wp|Natural rights and legal rights|natural rights}} of man.  The Declaration was accompanied by the [[Petition of the Burghers]], which asked Edmund IX to abolish feudalism and the privileges of the first estate and to provide for {{wp|Representative democracy|representative government}} based around the Enlightenment concept of {{wp|Popular sovereignty|popular sovereignty}}.  The King attempted to quash the nascent revolution by sending soldiers to arrest the members of the Committee on 3 June, leading to a violent confrontation known as [[Bloody Monday]] when the soldiers clashed with peasant militias that had been raised to defend the Committee against royal interference.  News of Bloody Monday led Cuthish soldiers assigned to the garrison at [[Leihstead-on-Fen]] to [[Leihstead mutiny|mutiny]], occupying the city for 10 days until a contingent from [[Edgton]] was dispatched to restore order.
 
Fearing that the mutiny in Leihstead would spread, Edmund IX's advisors recommended that he accept the Popular Committee's demands in order to avoid a military coup d'état.  After months of negotiations, Edmund IX signed the [[Cuthish Constitution of 1796|Cuthish Constitution]] on 17 September 1796, officially abolishing feudalism in Cuthland and reorganizing the Wittenmoot as a legislative body.  However, the monarch retained substantial powers, including the ability to veto legislation and appoint government ministers.  These powers enraged the more radical members of the revolutionary movement, who had advocated for the monarchy to be abolished completely in favor of a republic.  The schism between the republicans and constitutional monarchists became increasingly evident at the first meeting of the Wittenmoot, when radical leader [[Harold Blace]] famously denounced the body before storming out of the House of Burghers with 162 other republican members. 
 
Tensions came to a head on 26 August 1797, when Edmund IX dismissed five republican ministers appointed by the Wittenmoot.  Outraged by what they viewed as an undemocratic exercise of royal power, republican revolutionaries led by Blace staged an [[September Uprising|uprising]] in September that ended with Edmund IX's arrest.  Edmund IX was subsequently tried for treason and famously [[Execution of the Haltboruh family|executed]] along with his family in front of Gledworth Palace on 10 September.  The republicans subsequently abolished the Wittenmoot and replaced it with the newly established [[Popular Council]], which [[Declaration of the Cuthish Republic|declared]] the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the [[First Cuthish Republic]] on 6 October, with Blace as the new government's first [[President of Cuthland|President]].  The republicans subsequently rounded up and executed suspected counterrevolutionaries in the [[Republican Terror]], killing over 30,000 royalists, constitutional monarchists, moderate liberals, and remaining members of the nobility over the next three years.
 
Edmund IX's brother, [[Algar III]], met with [[X]] of Dulebia and [[X]] of Mascylla during the winter of 1797-8 in order to organize a coalition to intervene in the revolution and restore the Cuthish monarchy.  Algar III offered significant territorial concessions as compensation for their assistance, granting the two nations many border territories and colonial possessions that would bring Cuthland to a historic territorial nadir and effectively end the Cuthish colonial empire.  The negotiations produced the [[Ulich Agreement]] in February 1798, which led to the outbreak of the [[Cuthish Revolutionary War]] in the spring of 1798 when the Dulebian and Mascyllary armies launched a two-pronged invasion of the Cuthish Republic.  Fighting spread to the Cuthish colonies during the summer, beginning with the Mascyllary invasion of [[X]] in June and spreading to Alvinia and eastern Pamira during the fall.  Initial gains made by coalition forces in continental Cuthland stalled following a decisive Cuthish victory at the [[Battle of Crestwick]] in December, giving way to a Cuthish counter-offensive in the spring of 1799 that pushed coalition forces past the antebellum borders and resulted in the sack of several major Mascyllary and Dulebian cities in August and September.  However, the tide turned with [[X]]'s entrance to the war the next spring at the request of Algar III and the coalition powers, securing a decisive victory at the [[Battle of Edgton]] in May 1800 that allowed coalition forces to advance on Kingsham.  The increasingly dire situation for the Cuthish revolutionary forces, coupled with rising public disenchantment with the authoritarianism of the Republican Terror, contributed to a strengthening reactionary movement in Cuthland that opposed the republic and advocated for the return of the monarchy.  Internal instability led to a [[Coup of 30 June|military coup d'état]] by royalist sympathizers on 30 June that overthrew the republic and invited Algar III to return to Kingsham, ending the war and [[Haltboruh Restoration|restoring]] the Cuthish monarchy.
 
As a consequence of the war, Algar III became the first Cuthish monarch since 1444 not to hold the title of Emperor.  The new Kingdom of Cuthland was reduced to a {{wp|Rump state|rump state}} in the nation's [[Third Partition of Cuthland|third partition]] since 1715, which ceded significant territories to the victorious coalition powers in keeping with Ulich Agreement.  The [[Treaty of Swithtun]] granted independence to Waldrich and allowed Mascylla to annex [[X]], while Dulebia took control of [[X]] and [[X]].  [[X]], which was not a part of the original Ulich Agreement, was nevertheless ceded the territory of [[X]] separately in the [[Treaty of Bloomford]].  In addition, the remnants of the Cuthish colonial empire were divided among Dulebia and Mascylla, with Dulebia taking control of Cuthish colonies in eastern Pamira while Mascylla was granted the remaining Cuthish possessions in Alvinia and northern Pamira.
 
While the failure of the Cuthish Revolution was widely seen in Cuthland as a repudiation of republicanism as a form of government, the liberal ideals of the Enlightenment had left a permanent impact on Cuthish society.  As such, Algar III attempted to rule as an {{wp|Enlightened absolutism|enlightened absolutist}}, taking advantage of the centralized state apparatus established during the revolutionary period to modernize the country.  He implemented economic reforms that brought the {{wp|Industrial revolution|industrial revolution}} to Cuthland, devoted public funds to the arts and sciences, and became one of the first world leaders to abolish capital punishment.  Algar III also sustained many of the social conventions brought about by the revolution, upholding civil liberties and maintaining a merit-based system in public service.  His highly popular rule restored the image of the monarchy in the eyes of the Cuthish public and ushered in a brief era of stability known as the [[Finest Era]].
 
Algar III's death in 1817 left his son, Edmund X, as the successor to the Cuthish throne.  In contrast to his father, Edmund X's rule was highly conservative, keeping many staunchly royalist members of the nobility in his closest group of advisors.  Consequently, Edmund X stripped back many of the reforms made during his father's rule, controversially reinstating capital punishment for certain crimes committed against members of the clergy and nobility.  These revisions of the post-revolution social order were seen as highly regressive, once more turning public opinion against the monarchy.  In April 1822, [[Newbridge riots of 1822|riots]] broke out in [[Newbridge]] after a mob stormed a jailhouse in order to free two brothers who had been sentenced to death for burning a noble's field.  Edmund X sent imperial troops to Newbridge to quell the unrest, resulting in a confrontation with rioters that resulted in nearly 60 fatalities and marked the start of the [[April Revolution]].  The growing unrest quickly spread to Kingsham, leading Edmund X to abdicate his throne on 29 April and flee to Ochoccola.
 
The Revolution resulted in the creation of the [[Second Cuthish Republic]] as the Wittenmoot announced the abolition of the monarchy for the second time in three decades.  However, the Second Republic quickly fell into instability.  The Dulebian Empire invaded Cuthland during the fall, sparking a [[Karsk Sea War|three year long war]] which resulted in the cession of much of the [[X Peninsula]] in 1825.  The war left the fledgling republic in heavy debt, which was exacerbated by the inability of the national government to raise its own taxes.  Instead, the [[Cuthish Constitution of 1823|1823 Constitution]] had made the national government dependent on the [[Shires of Cuthland|shires]] for financial support, leaving it severely underfunded and unable to pay off its war debts.  The financial crisis particularly enraged elements of the military, many of whom had still not received pay after years of war.  The crisis culminated in January 1828, when a group of disenchanted soldiers led by General [[Ecgfriþ Garfield]] staged a [[Feirford Rebellion|rebellion]] and seized [[Feirford Arsenal]].  The national government found itself unable to raise an army to suppress the rebellion as unpaid soldiers nationwide began to mutiny, allowing Garfield and his army to march into Kingsham unopposed.
 
Garfield subsequently suspended the Constitution and declared himself President, establishing a military junta that temporarily stabilized the country.  However, the failures of the Second Republic had spawned a strong reactionary movement that supported the restoration of the monarchy.  [[House of Alhstead]], a {{wp|Cadet branch|cadet branch}} of the House of Haltboruh, staged a [[Alhstead Revolution|popular uprising]] against Edmund X in March 1830.
 
The uprising led to [[Edwin III]] being crowned Emperor of a restored [[Second Cuthish Empire|Cuthish Empire]] and established a unique form of {{wp|Constitutional monarchy|constitutional monarchism}} in Cuthland, termed [[Alhsteadism]] by political scientists.  Instead of turning powers over to democratically elected officials, the [[Cuthish Constitution of 1830]] created legal bounds within which the sovereign could exercise his power.  The Constitution codified many of the enlightened absolutist practices normalized by Algar III, creating a bill of rights for the people and formally stripping the nobility and clergy of special privileges.  The [[High Court]], the highest judicial body in Cuthland, was granted the power of {{wp|Judicial review|judicial review}} over the monarch's actions in order to maintain {{wp|Constitutionality|constitutionality}}.  The 1832 Constitution also expanded the power of the Wittenmoot, requiring the approval of both houses in order for the monarch to amend the constitution or appoint new judges to the High Court.


==History of Cuthland-Waldrich==
==History of Cuthland-Waldrich==

Revision as of 20:40, 20 August 2020

During his rule, Edwin III launched a series of military campaigns to reassert revanchist claims on former Cuthish territories that had been lost during the partitions. These campaigns, known as the Alhstead Wars, began with the Second Cutho-Waldish War in 1832, which ended in the reannexation of Waldrich after a brief two month conflict. The decisive victory sparked a wave of nationalism across Cuthland, emboldening Edwin III to continue his aggressive foreign policy against Dulebia in 1834. The war was largely successful, with the Treaty of Ulich ceding most of the X Peninsula that had been seized in the fourth partition, with the exception of Erjarvia, back to Cuthland. The victory over Dulebia allowed Edwin III to begin expanding east, invading Mascylla in 1838.

The Alhstead Wars successfully reestablished the Cuthish Empire as a major power to rival Lavaria and Mascylla, which had dominated Berean geopolitics for the past half-century.

History of Cuthland-Waldrich

  • Pre-6th century: Tribes and stuff from prehistory until circa 6th century
  • 6th century: Various petty kingdoms, duchies, etc. emerge and dominate throughout early medieval period
  • 6th-11th centuries: But oh no, they keep getting fucked by Mascylla from the east and the Nordics from the west
  • 11th century: Probably better if we unite into two kingdoms instead, Cuthland and Waldrich
  • 15th century: Yeah this is pretty cool but Masc keeps fucking us so let's form a political union and totally not rip off Poland-Lithuania in the process
  • 15th-17th centuries: Wow I like this whole empire thing let's go invade not!Scandinavia and maybe parts of Mascylla as well
    • We should also be artsy and shit while we're at it
  • 17th century: Oh never mind this is actually completely unsustainable, ethnic tensions are sucky and our economy is in the shitter
    • Guess we better partition the G L O R I O U S E M P I R E and return to getting railed by Mascylla
  • 1818: Lol jk we're getting the band back together
  • 19th century: Oh look, industry and colonies
    • Oh awesome now Dulebia wants in, maybe we can challenge Lavarian/Mascyllary dominance and in no way collapse spectacularly in the process
  • Great War: Oh wow that was shockingly predictable guess we suck again
  • 1920s: Yep we definitely suck, Masc took our monarchy and now the commies want in
  • 1930s: But what better cure for communism than a return of the monarchy, this time with double the oppression
  • 1930s: Guess we should invade/annex Waldrich again, as is customary
  • 1930s-1970s: Oh wow this is much better than before, we're actually kind of feared
  • 1970s: Whoops maybe economics aren't our thing, the people are restless again
    • Okay we'll give you more capitalism but the monarchy stays
  • 1980s-2000s: Mmm yes the sweet taste of cold hard cash
  • 2000s-present: Wow we're actually developed as fuck for once
Retrieved from "https://iiwiki.us/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:Vjaarland/Sandbox&oldid=240824"