stevep
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Post by stevep on Nov 19, 2023 0:45:34 GMT
Constitution of Novorossiya, 1638: 1. Every city in the lands elects its own vyetje and sends two representatives to the Central Vyetje in Yeniseysk. The representatives have to act as advised by their home vyetjes, but are free in their decisions about any topics they didn't get an advice about how to vote. 2. The Central Vyetje decides about the budget and new laws to be made. Simple majority decides. 3. A town that wants to be represented in the Central Vyetje has to be acknowledged by at least three of the Old Cities [1]. 4. The country-wide decisions are made by the collegia. Each collegium consists of ten men elected by the Central Vyetje for their abilities. There's one collegium for the army, one for foreign politics, one for trade, one for finances, one for laws and justice, and one for post riders.5. Each collegium elects a speaker (with two-thirds majority) who has two votes in every collegial decision. 6. Each city arms a militia for defensive purposes; all cities pay together for the national army, under the command of the army collegium. There have to be armies for every part of the border. [2] 7. The serfdom and the monarchy are abolished. 8. To amend the constitution, three quarters of the Old Cities and three quarters of all cities have to accept it. [1] i.e. cities represented in the Central Vyetje of 1638. [2] In the 17th century, the army was divided into the Ural Army in the west, the Ob Army in the South, the Yenisey Army in the Central, the Amur Army in the East (incl. Alyeska), and the Navy. In addition, there are/were the Free Dvoryans who control the vast North. PS: Misspelt "Yenisey" in the past.
Point 4 sounds interesting. What happens when one collegium wants something the fiscal one doesn't want to pay for? [Which is likely to occur very often given the traditional clash between the treasury and just about every other branch of government]. Or when say two collegium are in conflict over aims - for instance trade wishing to increase contact with X while the foreign policy or military one sees it as a principle threat and wishes to minimise contact.
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Post by Max Sinister on Nov 22, 2023 22:12:20 GMT
Constitution of Novorossiya, 1638: 1. Every city in the lands elects its own vyetje and sends two representatives to the Central Vyetje in Yeniseysk. The representatives have to act as advised by their home vyetjes, but are free in their decisions about any topics they didn't get an advice about how to vote. 2. The Central Vyetje decides about the budget and new laws to be made. Simple majority decides. 3. A town that wants to be represented in the Central Vyetje has to be acknowledged by at least three of the Old Cities [1]. 4. The country-wide decisions are made by the collegia. Each collegium consists of ten men elected by the Central Vyetje for their abilities. There's one collegium for the army, one for foreign politics, one for trade, one for finances, one for laws and justice, and one for post riders.5. Each collegium elects a speaker (with two-thirds majority) who has two votes in every collegial decision. 6. Each city arms a militia for defensive purposes; all cities pay together for the national army, under the command of the army collegium. There have to be armies for every part of the border. [2] 7. The serfdom and the monarchy are abolished. 8. To amend the constitution, three quarters of the Old Cities and three quarters of all cities have to accept it. [1] i.e. cities represented in the Central Vyetje of 1638. [2] In the 17th century, the army was divided into the Ural Army in the west, the Ob Army in the South, the Yenisey Army in the Central, the Amur Army in the East (incl. Alyeska), and the Navy. In addition, there are/were the Free Dvoryans who control the vast North. PS: Misspelt "Yenisey" in the past.
Point 4 sounds interesting. What happens when one collegium wants something the fiscal one doesn't want to pay for? [Which is likely to occur very often given the traditional clash between the treasury and just about every other branch of government]. Or when say two collegium are in conflict over aims - for instance trade wishing to increase contact with X while the foreign policy or military one sees it as a principle threat and wishes to minimise contact.
Good question, I actually haven't put too much thought into it, and I don't want to get into Russian cliches.
They'll certainly have to do some heavy politicking in cases like you mentioned. Still, it should be more democratic than under the czars.
"History of European monarchies from 962 to 1838, Volume 10", by Jaroslav Adamík, Brno, Republic of the Bohemians, Moravians and Slovaks, 1904 The Twin Princes of Hungary: François / Ferenc III and Charles / Károly IV Grandsons of the first Bourbon king of Hungary François / Ferenc I and sons of Charles, the scandalous youngest brother of François / Ferenc "the impotent" II, the Twin Princes were born in Hungary's new capital Pest in 1592. Since their father died in the same year, they grew up at the court of their uncle. When they had reached the age of 23, the death of their other uncle Louis made them second (and third) in the line of succession. In 1636, François was elected king Franciszek of Poland. Six years later, his uncle died and made him king of Hungary; upon this news, François gave up the crown of Poland and returned to Pest. [...] The only known identical twins who became kings in European history, the brothers caused a lot of surprises in the world fo the royals. Since noone could tell them apart except for their mother, they are said to have often used their peculiar situation to their advantage. Noone could ever prove it, but it has been said that they conveniently shared their duties while both were alive. Some of their contemporaries claimed that this was the only explanation for François' industriousness and diligence, while at the same time attending many celebrations and meetings. It it sure, however, that they shared the same opinions, and after François' death in 1647, the Hungarian politics didn't change in substantial ways. [...] Charles never envied his brother, who became king before him, as some people might have expected. Instead, he would care more for his family, for François had no surviving children but a girl, while Charles fathered three sons alone, two of whom would later become kings themselves. [...] |
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Post by Max Sinister on Nov 26, 2023 8:43:38 GMT
(From a letter written by Charles de Verneuil, member of a party on diplomatic mission, 1706)
The palace of the Hong emperor in Nanking covers an area of at least a quarter of a square mile, not even counting the various parks surrounding it, and the zoological garden we had the opportunity to visit. We have seen lions there, and several kinds of tigers, elephants, rhinoceroses, many kinds of apes, zebras, buffalos, cranes, flamingos, and a strange hopping animal with a long tail, which is said to come from a southern island far away. The treasure fleets of the emperor have to replace the animals that died in regular intervals, for not all animals seem to get offspring in this habitat. [...]
Our local guide told us that some centuries ago, the emperor then had some hills near Nanking destroyed and flattened with gunpowder, to make room for his new palace, since the city at that time was almost as crowded as it is today. One later emperor had the area enlarged even further, to be able to have the Garden of Supreme Harmony constructed. Parts of the removed hills were used to construct the huge walls around the palace, which are strong enough to stop a cannonball. [...]
The palace itself has 8888 rooms, for the Chinese believe this to be an auspicious number. All the buildings have the typical Chinese roofs, and are adorned with pictures and statues of dragons and lions, to depict the power of the emperor. Many thousand people and soldiers live and work here for the emperor. [...]
One of the most lasting impressions we had in the Imperial Library, which contains several hundreds of thousands of books, including poetry and novels, and also scientific works of all the disciplines. The high-ranking members of the court are often interested in astronomy, which is developed on a high level in the empire, but don't seem to be engaged in the various technical inventions we hear about from Russia, although they're supposed to be based on Chinese ideas originally. [...]
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Post by Max Sinister on Nov 29, 2023 5:04:50 GMT
"An essay about king François IV and his reign", by François-Marie Corneille, Paris, 1755
Historians agree that the two most influential kings of Europe in the last two and a half centuries were Edward V of England, Scotland, Castille and Portugal, and François IV. Both of them reigned the mightiest European state of their time, and both of them governed them for more than a half century, enough that many of their contemporaries could lead a productive life without ever knowing another king. However, their greatness in history doesn't mean that they were without controversy, or even that all they tried was crowned by success. Edward V was most famous for trying to split the Catholic church in two, and finally had to resign for his son, after having lost a continental war. François on the other hand never had to live to see his work destroyed; even his son François V died before facing the full catastrophe. But the downfall of his empire was, one could almost say, predestined, by his doings in his life. France had more influence in Europe than ever since the death of Charlemagne - he was Holy Roman Emperor and could do with the small German states as he liked; his relatives, the Bourbons, held the thrones of Hungary and Bohemia; Denmark, Poland, Scotland, Portugal, and the Italian states were friends of France, leaving only the edge of Europe against him. Twice during his lifetime the Seljuks were shattered, giving the city of Jerusalem after four centuries back to the Christians. This was because the king still believed in the same church as the crusaders had done, and never stopped. But his fleets went even further, to places where no European had been before [1], bringing back the exotic goods we all enjoy, in our coffee-and-tea-houses, or the sophisticated spiced meals. [...]
But in the end, his empire had to fall too. In the humbled breakaway parts of the Triple Monarchy, armaments were done for revenge, and a woman [2] wove the nets that would finally catch France. [...]
[1] Well - except for Alexander's Greeks, and the Swedes, and some Roman traders, and the Russians... (-Max)
[2] Queen Kristina I of Sweden, head of the Baltic League, for some time the effective ruler of Brandenburg-Silesia and Franconia-Pomerania, and having worked hard to form the anti-French coalition.
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Post by Max Sinister on Dec 5, 2023 21:16:06 GMT
Two stories this time!
"The transformation of Russia's economy", by Ph.D. Aleksandr Ilyich Belkin, Dmitryskoye, 1704
At the moment, everyone in our great nation only looks at the cities, but the farmer is ignored - although more than 90% of the people are farmers, and the value of their goods produced dwarfs that of trade, no matter how glorious the objects of the latter seem to be. [...]
We don't say that there shouldn't be anything but agronomy, but that the farmer should come first. Everything else has to be built on that foundation. Thus, the economy has to concentrate first on the production of food and raw materials; once this is achieved, on the production of simple, necessary goods; but luxuries should have the lowest priority. [...]
[1] The proposed economy seems to be the equivalent to OTL physiocracy, apparently.
Excerpt from one chapter of "South-Eastern Asia - the chessboard of the powers", by Lionel MacCaine, Kingsburgh, Canada, 1887
All the Chinese dynasties stayed in power for three or four centuries at most, and the Hong dynasty was no exception. As early as in the 17th century, the beginnings of the downfall were visible. The great Treasure fleets first were seen more and more rarely in the seas around Melaka, and finally completely avoided those area - Nipponese, Koreans and Europeans sailed those seas instead. [...]
The first Hong emperors who had meddled in the affairs of South-Eastern Asia were backed by centuries of strategies and by Confucianist teachings about what it means to be a ruler. Except for Annam, the kings they found in their south were used to rule by comparably unsophisticated power alone and couldn't compete with the cunning of their new overlords.
During the centuries passing, things changed however. Confucianist philosophy had found its way into the minds of the Thai, Bamar [1] and Khmer, making the "war of the minds" more equal. At first they used their new knowledge to come ahead of their fellow monarchs in the region, but later they found ways to mix into the intrigues at the court in Nanking. Chinese officials and generals found it more and more difficult to influence the southern rim, as they had done before. And because the change took decades, if not centuries, no one but a few Chinese historians took notice of it. [...]
The appearance of a new, although rather China-friendly power in the North, the Republic of New Russia, didn't help either. The Russians removed the Northern threat of steppe people like the Mongols or the Jurchen, but the emperors didn't use their freed troops for an expansionist policy. One or two centuries earlier, one could have expected a war on the Indian subcontinent, or at least a greater exertion of influence by military power at the Indies. [...]
[1] Main ethnic group of OTL Burma / Myanmar.
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Post by Max Sinister on Dec 9, 2023 13:19:13 GMT
From now on, three stories every time I post!
About Johann K. Kodweiß' story "Christnacht", by Ph.D. Margarethe Reinhold, University of Boston, 1920
The most famous son of the little city of Lengefeld in Farther Pomerania, Johann Kodweiß wrote his most popular story in 1733. Friedrich IX "from Atlantis" of Franconia and Pomerania tried to solve the financial problems of the country after the last of his wars by printing paper money, following the Russian example (as strange as it may look today for us, but at this time they were the most progressed nation in the world), which lead to the infamous "Theuerthaler" [1]. Many writings of this time witness the rising of the prices, the destruction of fortunes and the unbelievable suffering of the people under this situation, which nobody knew how to handle. [...] Kodweiß built in a reference to the inflation of his time, by giving his protagonist the speaking name Thimotheus, which is clearly a deliberate change in the writing of this name, for the Greek version of the name is Τιμόθεος, with only one "th". [...]
Thimotheus, the rich but avaricious landowner, who isn't willing to share his wealth with others, until he is suddenly experiencing at the evening of the 24th of December [2] [...]
[1] Lit: "Expensive Thaler". Thaler is a German currency. IOTL for some time there were hundreds of currencies around in Germany, although ITTL they're reduced to about a dozen.
[2] In Germany, christmas is celebrated one day earlier than in other countries.
A little settlement near to the mountains [1]. It's not a town, not even a village - just a few farms here and there in the thick forest. Not that long ago, the Atlanteans [2] used to raid the area sometimes. At least, that's what father Wilhelm uses to tell during the long winter evenings. "When I was a young man, there were Atlanter warriors all around here! They'd not let a christian man live and work in peace, hell no! They would come at night, burn down the houses, rob the women and children, and if they got you, they'd let you go only after you run the gauntlet! We had to fight, we had to fight them until there was not a single one left of them, until they were all dead or fled to the French!" So the grim grey-bearded man would tell.
There wasn't much of civilization around there. No theater, no school, not even a church with some arts inside, for this is Puritan land. And if you asked father Wilhelm, he'd be happy that things would stay like this until the Second Coming. Once an Italian musician passed by, playing on his flute. All the people dropped their work and came by to hear him, and gave him some of their crops as payment. Little boy Friedrich also came and listened rapturously - until father Wilhelm appeared threw stones after the poor musician and cursed him with the worst words anyone ever remembered hearing, and even cussed at the other people for being impious and forgetting the really important things. It stayed the only time when an artist came to the lands, but Friedrich would never forget it. He would make his own flute from a piece of wood afterwards, and play little songs on it, if he was alone in the woods, or at home when his father was absent, to the joy of his mother and his sisters. Because they all knew how much father Wilhelm hated "girlish stuff", and would burn the flute and punish the boy brutally if he ever found it what his son had done - and one day, he'd really find out.
Many years later. His mother died meanwhile, maybe even his father and his sisters died meanwhile - but he isn't sure about the latter, because he doesn't live at the farm in the woods anymore. Some day after the death of the mother, he simply ran away, to the South, where the Italians lived, as he knew.
At first he went along the streets, learning Italian from the passerbies. Sometimes he even met a musician - there were so many here around! - but not that one from his youth. A bit later, he would find the little city of Adorno, surrounded by vineyards. For the first time, he really started to live. The Italians in the city knew him as "Frederico di Hohenzollern", for his family came once from this land in Germany...
(To make a long story short: Friedrich lived some time in Italia Nuova, and later joined the army, ironically. During the anti-French War he fought in their cavalry, rose through the ranks, and became famous for his raid into the French lands of Caroline. After the war, he was introduced to old king Francesco of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor, and finding out that his officer was really a "von Hohenzollern", Francesco immediately gave him back the lands of Franconia and Pomerania, where he became known as "Frederick of Atlantis", or "the German prince Alexander" - refering to the famous Scot, of course.)
[1] The Appalachians, apparently.
[2] Algonquian or Connestoga, probably.
(A magazine commercial from 1977)
"Under the Green Flag" - the new Wargame by Taktische Spiele Regensburg, makers of "Anti-Russian War" and "The Guns of September: World War One"
It's the year 1700, and it's the Caliph vs. the Shah: The two mightiest men in the muslim world battle it out! They introduced new weapons, new tactics, new strategies... let's see how this will turn out!
Battle in the mountains, swamps and deserts of the Near East [1]!
Have your corsairs sweep the Red Sea!
Fight for the Holy Cities of Islam! Decide who's the true successor of the prophet!
Vie for influence among the European nations!
Now on sale for only four dozen Th [2]! Including five boards, 2000 counters and 288-paged manual!
[1] TTL's (more correct, BTW) term for our Middle East.
[2] The original document (see first post) uses a character not contained in Ascii. It looks like a simplified Th ligature. The value of this game would be roughly 120 US$ of today.
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575
Captain
There is no Purgatory for warcriminals - they go directly to Hell!
Posts: 2,729
Likes: 4,106
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Post by 575 on Dec 9, 2023 13:32:46 GMT
From now on, three stories every time I post! About Johann K. Kodweiß' story "Christnacht", by Ph.D. Margarethe Reinhold, University of Boston, 1920 The most famous son of the little city of Lengefeld in Farther Pomerania, Johann Kodweiß wrote his most popular story in 1733. Friedrich IX "from Atlantis" of Franconia and Pomerania tried to solve the financial problems of the country after the last of his wars by printing paper money, following the Russian example (as strange as it may look today for us, but at this time they were the most progressed nation in the world), which lead to the infamous "Theuerthaler" [1]. Many writings of this time witness the rising of the prices, the destruction of fortunes and the unbelievable suffering of the people under this situation, which nobody knew how to handle. [...] Kodweiß built in a reference to the inflation of his time, by giving his protagonist the speaking name Thimotheus, which is clearly a deliberate change in the writing of this name, for the Greek version of the name is Τιμόθεος, with only one "th". [...] Thimotheus, the rich but avaricious landowner, who isn't willing to share his wealth with others, until he is suddenly experiencing at the evening of the 24th of December [2] [...] [1] Lit: "Expensive Thaler". Thaler is a German currency. IOTL for some time there were hundreds of currencies around in Germany, although ITTL they're reduced to about a dozen. [2] In Germany, christmas is celebrated one day earlier than in other countries.
A little settlement near to the mountains [1]. It's not a town, not even a village - just a few farms here and there in the thick forest. Not that long ago, the Atlanteans [2] used to raid the area sometimes. At least, that's what father Wilhelm uses to tell during the long winter evenings. "When I was a young man, there were Atlanter warriors all around here! They'd not let a christian man live and work in peace, hell no! They would come at night, burn down the houses, rob the women and children, and if they got you, they'd let you go only after you run the gauntlet! We had to fight, we had to fight them until there was not a single one left of them, until they were all dead or fled to the French!" So the grim grey-bearded man would tell. There wasn't much of civilization around there. No theater, no school, not even a church with some arts inside, for this is Puritan land. And if you asked father Wilhelm, he'd be happy that things would stay like this until the Second Coming. Once an Italian musician passed by, playing on his flute. All the people dropped their work and came by to hear him, and gave him some of their crops as payment. Little boy Friedrich also came and listened rapturously - until father Wilhelm appeared threw stones after the poor musician and cursed him with the worst words anyone ever remembered hearing, and even cussed at the other people for being impious and forgetting the really important things. It stayed the only time when an artist came to the lands, but Friedrich would never forget it. He would make his own flute from a piece of wood afterwards, and play little songs on it, if he was alone in the woods, or at home when his father was absent, to the joy of his mother and his sisters. Because they all knew how much father Wilhelm hated "girlish stuff", and would burn the flute and punish the boy brutally if he ever found it what his son had done - and one day, he'd really find out. Many years later. His mother died meanwhile, maybe even his father and his sisters died meanwhile - but he isn't sure about the latter, because he doesn't live at the farm in the woods anymore. Some day after the death of the mother, he simply ran away, to the South, where the Italians lived, as he knew. At first he went along the streets, learning Italian from the passerbies. Sometimes he even met a musician - there were so many here around! - but not that one from his youth. A bit later, he would find the little city of Adorno, surrounded by vineyards. For the first time, he really started to live. The Italians in the city knew him as "Frederico di Hohenzollern", for his family came once from this land in Germany... (To make a long story short: Friedrich lived some time in Italia Nuova, and later joined the army, ironically. During the anti-French War he fought in their cavalry, rose through the ranks, and became famous for his raid into the French lands of Caroline. After the war, he was introduced to old king Francesco of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor, and finding out that his officer was really a "von Hohenzollern", Francesco immediately gave him back the lands of Franconia and Pomerania, where he became known as "Frederick of Atlantis", or "the German prince Alexander" - refering to the famous Scot, of course.) [1] The Appalachians, apparently. [2] Algonquian or Connestoga, probably.
(A magazine commercial from 1977) "Under the Green Flag" - the new Wargame by Taktische Spiele Regensburg, makers of "Anti-Russian War" and "The Guns of September: World War One" It's the year 1700, and it's the Caliph vs. the Shah: The two mightiest men in the muslim world battle it out! They introduced new weapons, new tactics, new strategies... let's see how this will turn out! Battle in the mountains, swamps and deserts of the Near East [1]! Have your corsairs sweep the Red Sea! Fight for the Holy Cities of Islam! Decide who's the true successor of the prophet! Vie for influence among the European nations! Now on sale for only four dozen Th [2]! Including five boards, 2000 counters and 288-paged manual! [1] TTL's (more correct, BTW) term for our Middle East. [2] The original document (see first post) uses a character not contained in Ascii. It looks like a simplified Th ligature. The value of this game would be roughly 120 US$ of today. First [2] - well then we must live in an ATL..
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Post by Max Sinister on Dec 9, 2023 14:22:26 GMT
From now on, three stories every time I post! About Johann K. Kodweiß' story "Christnacht", by Ph.D. Margarethe Reinhold, University of Boston, 1920 The most famous son of the little city of Lengefeld in Farther Pomerania, Johann Kodweiß wrote his most popular story in 1733. Friedrich IX "from Atlantis" of Franconia and Pomerania tried to solve the financial problems of the country after the last of his wars by printing paper money, following the Russian example (as strange as it may look today for us, but at this time they were the most progressed nation in the world), which lead to the infamous "Theuerthaler" [1]. Many writings of this time witness the rising of the prices, the destruction of fortunes and the unbelievable suffering of the people under this situation, which nobody knew how to handle. [...] Kodweiß built in a reference to the inflation of his time, by giving his protagonist the speaking name Thimotheus, which is clearly a deliberate change in the writing of this name, for the Greek version of the name is Τιμόθεος, with only one "th". [...] Thimotheus, the rich but avaricious landowner, who isn't willing to share his wealth with others, until he is suddenly experiencing at the evening of the 24th of December [2] [...] [1] Lit: "Expensive Thaler". Thaler is a German currency. IOTL for some time there were hundreds of currencies around in Germany, although ITTL they're reduced to about a dozen. [2] In Germany, christmas is celebrated one day earlier than in other countries.
A little settlement near to the mountains [1]. It's not a town, not even a village - just a few farms here and there in the thick forest. Not that long ago, the Atlanteans [2] used to raid the area sometimes. At least, that's what father Wilhelm uses to tell during the long winter evenings. "When I was a young man, there were Atlanter warriors all around here! They'd not let a christian man live and work in peace, hell no! They would come at night, burn down the houses, rob the women and children, and if they got you, they'd let you go only after you run the gauntlet! We had to fight, we had to fight them until there was not a single one left of them, until they were all dead or fled to the French!" So the grim grey-bearded man would tell. There wasn't much of civilization around there. No theater, no school, not even a church with some arts inside, for this is Puritan land. And if you asked father Wilhelm, he'd be happy that things would stay like this until the Second Coming. Once an Italian musician passed by, playing on his flute. All the people dropped their work and came by to hear him, and gave him some of their crops as payment. Little boy Friedrich also came and listened rapturously - until father Wilhelm appeared threw stones after the poor musician and cursed him with the worst words anyone ever remembered hearing, and even cussed at the other people for being impious and forgetting the really important things. It stayed the only time when an artist came to the lands, but Friedrich would never forget it. He would make his own flute from a piece of wood afterwards, and play little songs on it, if he was alone in the woods, or at home when his father was absent, to the joy of his mother and his sisters. Because they all knew how much father Wilhelm hated "girlish stuff", and would burn the flute and punish the boy brutally if he ever found it what his son had done - and one day, he'd really find out. Many years later. His mother died meanwhile, maybe even his father and his sisters died meanwhile - but he isn't sure about the latter, because he doesn't live at the farm in the woods anymore. Some day after the death of the mother, he simply ran away, to the South, where the Italians lived, as he knew. At first he went along the streets, learning Italian from the passerbies. Sometimes he even met a musician - there were so many here around! - but not that one from his youth. A bit later, he would find the little city of Adorno, surrounded by vineyards. For the first time, he really started to live. The Italians in the city knew him as "Frederico di Hohenzollern", for his family came once from this land in Germany... (To make a long story short: Friedrich lived some time in Italia Nuova, and later joined the army, ironically. During the anti-French War he fought in their cavalry, rose through the ranks, and became famous for his raid into the French lands of Caroline. After the war, he was introduced to old king Francesco of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor, and finding out that his officer was really a "von Hohenzollern", Francesco immediately gave him back the lands of Franconia and Pomerania, where he became known as "Frederick of Atlantis", or "the German prince Alexander" - refering to the famous Scot, of course.) [1] The Appalachians, apparently. [2] Algonquian or Connestoga, probably.
(A magazine commercial from 1977) "Under the Green Flag" - the new Wargame by Taktische Spiele Regensburg, makers of "Anti-Russian War" and "The Guns of September: World War One" It's the year 1700, and it's the Caliph vs. the Shah: The two mightiest men in the muslim world battle it out! They introduced new weapons, new tactics, new strategies... let's see how this will turn out! Battle in the mountains, swamps and deserts of the Near East [1]! Have your corsairs sweep the Red Sea! Fight for the Holy Cities of Islam! Decide who's the true successor of the prophet! Vie for influence among the European nations! Now on sale for only four dozen Th [2]! Including five boards, 2000 counters and 288-paged manual! [1] TTL's (more correct, BTW) term for our Middle East. [2] The original document (see first post) uses a character not contained in Ascii. It looks like a simplified Th ligature. The value of this game would be roughly 120 US$ of today. First [2] - well then we must live in an ATL..
I'm not speaking for all Germans, but in my family, we got gifts on the evening of December 24th, and since we weren't that religious, well, that was a celebration to me.
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Post by Max Sinister on Dec 14, 2023 1:47:29 GMT
From the annals of the University of Zanzibar:
In the month of Safar, AH [1] 1058, the troops of the Persian Shah were sent to protect the Persian traders in Zanzibar. Since then, the generosity of Him and His successors has helped our humble site of studies acquire more knowledge. As happened in the year 1073, when He sent us a ship containing one printing press, one telescope, two microscopes, various alchemist devices and over two thousand books. [...]
Sadly, the traders - of whom more and more arrived during the 12th century - suffered under the local diseases, like the malaria or the sleeping disease. This caused a lot of grief during the centuries. [...]
As early as 1169, Hossein ibn Farrokh had discovered the bacteria of the sleeping disease, and even later the tsetse fly was proven to be the vector. But a moment of truth happened to us, when in the year 1245 the doctor, alchemist and philosopher Abu Tahir ibn Muhammad al-Shirazi found that the poisonous [Persian word - means either OTL Atoxyl or Salvarsan] could help fighting this dreadful disease. [...]
[1] No, in this case it means Anno Hegirae - year of Hijra (622 CE).
And yet again: A thread from the WWW forum.
OT-DDR78:
Hey folks! I just found an interesting article about Kristian III "the Mad" of Denmark. I just wondered what'd happen if he had success and became a saint while living?
(27.11.1992 CE, 10:12)
meisterhans:
Could work. After all, some of the kings really made miracles, curing people and like that.
(27.11.1992 CE, 10:58)
Henrich:
This is against everything the Catholic church teaches. Saints can only be canonized after their death, so that alone would be a capital offense. Not to mention that the life of the saints-to-be-canonized is throughly examined over years. And unless we're talking about a martyr here, he'd have to be beatified first - which makes the process even longer. The other European countries wouldn't tolerate such a behavior, even if his own people did.
(27.11.1992 CE, 12:43)
OT-DDR78:
Anti-Danish War? :-) But seriously, what if he or another king pushed it through?
(27.11.1992 CE, 14:31)
Henrich:
Then he would challenge the other kings in their very authority. That's the reason why we haven't seen more European wars in the first half of the 18th century.
(27.11.1992 CE, 16:52)
meisterhans:
Let me add a twist to that idea: The kings of Europe decide to put away the pope and take all the power of the church for themselves. Then they could make themself saint and whatever. How about that?
(27.11.1992 CE, 17:14)
Henrich:
If it really worked like that, their states would become 18th century dictatorships of the worst kind, with no more limits at all. They would be as mighty as the early caliphs, only dependent on their abilities.
(27.11.1992 CE, 17:27)
Hofnarr:
That can't be the end of all. Noone can have all that for for himself - there must be someone else as a counterweight, and a potential successor.
(27.11.1992 CE, 19:46)
Henrich:
Today we know that. But if it happened then - would the people be able to find out? I can rather see them being thoroughly oppressed until the state itself is damaged beyond repair, as sadly happened in China sometimes.
(27.11.1992 CE, 22:08)
A critique of "Ambassador d'Aubron at the court of the Shah", by François-André Naquet, published in the "Paris Journal", 3. 7. 1856
The picture by Oscar Delaistre from the year 1730, painted for king François VI, is one of the most prominent examples of Idealism [1]. Measuring impressive 14 to 8 feet, it depicts the French ambassador visiting the Shah of Persia in the year 1713. While the historical documents tell us that the meeting took place inside the palace, the artist painted the scene happening in the palace gardens. We see the Shah and his ministers, guards and concubines, all clad in magnificent silks, watching the ambassador approaching under the flowering jasmine trees. Exotic birds in all rainbow colors fly through the air, and a peacock fanning its tail while sitting on the top of the Shah's throne. It is said, when the picture was first unveiled, one of the guests spontaneously exclaimed "My God - it looks like it was made of gems!" [...]
[1] Art style ITTL in the first half of the 18th century. A bit like OTL Rococo. More dreamy and exotic than its predecessor Victorianisme, which is a kind of optimistic Baroque.
"'Uncle Popov' and the reorganized Novorussian Army", by Ph.D. Vassili Pyotrvich Gromov, University of Yenisseisk, 1820
For more than a century, Novorossiya had had several armies, who fought valiantly at all the borders, but had to do so without any control. It would take riders to bring orders or news about battles weeks, if not months. In the 1740s, this changed when the telegraph suddenly made comminucation between cities ten thousand versts apart possible. Very soon, the Army Council also saw the advantage the new invention would have for military purposes. [...]
During the anti-Czarist uprisings in Novgorod, the Novorussian government had decided to send the western army under general Popov to their help in 1715, which ended in the liberation of Veliki [1] Novgorod and the republic of Novorossiya now reaching from the Baltic to the Great Atlantean mountains [2]. Now, "Uncle Popov" became the first head of the unified general staff - the Central Vyetje had chosen him for being a popular war hero, because only such a man would be accepted by all the army leaders, who might've been upset about losing their independence. [...]
[1] Old
[2] Rockies
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575
Captain
There is no Purgatory for warcriminals - they go directly to Hell!
Posts: 2,729
Likes: 4,106
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Post by 575 on Dec 14, 2023 9:52:51 GMT
From the annals of the University of Zanzibar: In the month of Safar, AH [1] 1058, the troops of the Persian Shah were sent to protect the Persian traders in Zanzibar. Since then, the generosity of Him and His successors has helped our humble site of studies acquire more knowledge. As happened in the year 1073, when He sent us a ship containing one printing press, one telescope, two microscopes, various alchemist devices and over two thousand books. [...] Sadly, the traders - of whom more and more arrived during the 12th century - suffered under the local diseases, like the malaria or the sleeping disease. This caused a lot of grief during the centuries. [...] As early as 1169, Hossein ibn Farrokh had discovered the bacteria of the sleeping disease, and even later the tsetse fly was proven to be the vector. But a moment of truth happened to us, when in the year 1245 the doctor, alchemist and philosopher Abu Tahir ibn Muhammad al-Shirazi found that the poisonous [Persian word - means either OTL Atoxyl or Salvarsan] could help fighting this dreadful disease. [...] [1] No, in this case it means Anno Hegirae - year of Hijra (622 CE).
And yet again: A thread from the WWW forum. OT-DDR78: Hey folks! I just found an interesting article about Kristian III "the Mad" of Denmark. I just wondered what'd happen if he had success and became a saint while living? (27.11.1992 CE, 10:12) meisterhans: Could work. After all, some of the kings really made miracles, curing people and like that. (27.11.1992 CE, 10:58) Henrich: This is against everything the Catholic church teaches. Saints can only be canonized after their death, so that alone would be a capital offense. Not to mention that the life of the saints-to-be-canonized is throughly examined over years. And unless we're talking about a martyr here, he'd have to be beatified first - which makes the process even longer. The other European countries wouldn't tolerate such a behavior, even if his own people did. (27.11.1992 CE, 12:43) OT-DDR78: Anti-Danish War? :-) But seriously, what if he or another king pushed it through? (27.11.1992 CE, 14:31) Henrich: Then he would challenge the other kings in their very authority. That's the reason why we haven't seen more European wars in the first half of the 18th century. (27.11.1992 CE, 16:52) meisterhans: Let me add a twist to that idea: The kings of Europe decide to put away the pope and take all the power of the church for themselves. Then they could make themself saint and whatever. How about that? (27.11.1992 CE, 17:14) Henrich: If it really worked like that, their states would become 18th century dictatorships of the worst kind, with no more limits at all. They would be as mighty as the early caliphs, only dependent on their abilities. (27.11.1992 CE, 17:27) Hofnarr: That can't be the end of all. Noone can have all that for for himself - there must be someone else as a counterweight, and a potential successor. (27.11.1992 CE, 19:46) Henrich: Today we know that. But if it happened then - would the people be able to find out? I can rather see them being thoroughly oppressed until the state itself is damaged beyond repair, as sadly happened in China sometimes. (27.11.1992 CE, 22:08)
A critique of "Ambassador d'Aubron at the court of the Shah", by François-André Naquet, published in the "Paris Journal", 3. 7. 1856 The picture by Oscar Delaistre from the year 1730, painted for king François VI, is one of the most prominent examples of Idealism [1]. Measuring impressive 14 to 8 feet, it depicts the French ambassador visiting the Shah of Persia in the year 1713. While the historical documents tell us that the meeting took place inside the palace, the artist painted the scene happening in the palace gardens. We see the Shah and his ministers, guards and concubines, all clad in magnificent silks, watching the ambassador approaching under the flowering jasmine trees. Exotic birds in all rainbow colors fly through the air, and a peacock fanning its tail while sitting on the top of the Shah's throne. It is said, when the picture was first unveiled, one of the guests spontaneously exclaimed "My God - it looks like it was made of gems!" [...] [1] Art style ITTL in the first half of the 18th century. A bit like OTL Rococo. More dreamy and exotic than its predecessor Victorianisme, which is a kind of optimistic Baroque.
"'Uncle Popov' and the reorganized Novorussian Army", by Ph.D. Vassili Pyotrvich Gromov, University of Yenisseisk, 1820 For more than a century, Novorossiya had had several armies, who fought valiantly at all the borders, but had to do so without any control. It would take riders to bring orders or news about battles weeks, if not months. In the 1740s, this changed when the telegraph suddenly made comminucation between cities ten thousand versts apart possible. Very soon, the Army Council also saw the advantage the new invention would have for military purposes. [...] During the anti-Czarist uprisings in Novgorod, the Novorussian government had decided to send the western army under general Popov to their help in 1715, which ended in the liberation of Veliki [1] Novgorod and the republic of Novorossiya now reaching from the Baltic to the Great Atlantean mountains [2]. Now, "Uncle Popov" became the first head of the unified general staff - the Central Vyetje had chosen him for being a popular war hero, because only such a man would be accepted by all the army leaders, who might've been upset about losing their independence. [...] [1] Old [2] Rockies Kristian the III "mad"? Never seen any such thing mentioned. He was a devout Protestant so some Catholic slander post Reformation? Or Ritterschaft slander as he divided the rule of the Duchies? Any source? |
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Post by Max Sinister on Jan 9, 2024 0:27:52 GMT
From the annals of the University of Zanzibar: In the month of Safar, AH [1] 1058, the troops of the Persian Shah were sent to protect the Persian traders in Zanzibar. Since then, the generosity of Him and His successors has helped our humble site of studies acquire more knowledge. As happened in the year 1073, when He sent us a ship containing one printing press, one telescope, two microscopes, various alchemist devices and over two thousand books. [...] Sadly, the traders - of whom more and more arrived during the 12th century - suffered under the local diseases, like the malaria or the sleeping disease. This caused a lot of grief during the centuries. [...] As early as 1169, Hossein ibn Farrokh had discovered the bacteria of the sleeping disease, and even later the tsetse fly was proven to be the vector. But a moment of truth happened to us, when in the year 1245 the doctor, alchemist and philosopher Abu Tahir ibn Muhammad al-Shirazi found that the poisonous [Persian word - means either OTL Atoxyl or Salvarsan] could help fighting this dreadful disease. [...] [1] No, in this case it means Anno Hegirae - year of Hijra (622 CE).
And yet again: A thread from the WWW forum. OT-DDR78: Hey folks! I just found an interesting article about Kristian III "the Mad" of Denmark. I just wondered what'd happen if he had success and became a saint while living? (27.11.1992 CE, 10:12) meisterhans: Could work. After all, some of the kings really made miracles, curing people and like that. (27.11.1992 CE, 10:58) Henrich: This is against everything the Catholic church teaches. Saints can only be canonized after their death, so that alone would be a capital offense. Not to mention that the life of the saints-to-be-canonized is throughly examined over years. And unless we're talking about a martyr here, he'd have to be beatified first - which makes the process even longer. The other European countries wouldn't tolerate such a behavior, even if his own people did. (27.11.1992 CE, 12:43) OT-DDR78: Anti-Danish War? :-) But seriously, what if he or another king pushed it through? (27.11.1992 CE, 14:31) Henrich: Then he would challenge the other kings in their very authority. That's the reason why we haven't seen more European wars in the first half of the 18th century. (27.11.1992 CE, 16:52) meisterhans: Let me add a twist to that idea: The kings of Europe decide to put away the pope and take all the power of the church for themselves. Then they could make themself saint and whatever. How about that? (27.11.1992 CE, 17:14) Henrich: If it really worked like that, their states would become 18th century dictatorships of the worst kind, with no more limits at all. They would be as mighty as the early caliphs, only dependent on their abilities. (27.11.1992 CE, 17:27) Hofnarr: That can't be the end of all. Noone can have all that for for himself - there must be someone else as a counterweight, and a potential successor. (27.11.1992 CE, 19:46) Henrich: Today we know that. But if it happened then - would the people be able to find out? I can rather see them being thoroughly oppressed until the state itself is damaged beyond repair, as sadly happened in China sometimes. (27.11.1992 CE, 22:08)
A critique of "Ambassador d'Aubron at the court of the Shah", by François-André Naquet, published in the "Paris Journal", 3. 7. 1856 The picture by Oscar Delaistre from the year 1730, painted for king François VI, is one of the most prominent examples of Idealism [1]. Measuring impressive 14 to 8 feet, it depicts the French ambassador visiting the Shah of Persia in the year 1713. While the historical documents tell us that the meeting took place inside the palace, the artist painted the scene happening in the palace gardens. We see the Shah and his ministers, guards and concubines, all clad in magnificent silks, watching the ambassador approaching under the flowering jasmine trees. Exotic birds in all rainbow colors fly through the air, and a peacock fanning its tail while sitting on the top of the Shah's throne. It is said, when the picture was first unveiled, one of the guests spontaneously exclaimed "My God - it looks like it was made of gems!" [...] [1] Art style ITTL in the first half of the 18th century. A bit like OTL Rococo. More dreamy and exotic than its predecessor Victorianisme, which is a kind of optimistic Baroque.
"'Uncle Popov' and the reorganized Novorussian Army", by Ph.D. Vassili Pyotrvich Gromov, University of Yenisseisk, 1820 For more than a century, Novorossiya had had several armies, who fought valiantly at all the borders, but had to do so without any control. It would take riders to bring orders or news about battles weeks, if not months. In the 1740s, this changed when the telegraph suddenly made comminucation between cities ten thousand versts apart possible. Very soon, the Army Council also saw the advantage the new invention would have for military purposes. [...] During the anti-Czarist uprisings in Novgorod, the Novorussian government had decided to send the western army under general Popov to their help in 1715, which ended in the liberation of Veliki [1] Novgorod and the republic of Novorossiya now reaching from the Baltic to the Great Atlantean mountains [2]. Now, "Uncle Popov" became the first head of the unified general staff - the Central Vyetje had chosen him for being a popular war hero, because only such a man would be accepted by all the army leaders, who might've been upset about losing their independence. [...] [1] Old [2] Rockies Kristian the III "mad"? Never seen any such thing mentioned. He was a devout Protestant so some Catholic slander post Reformation? Or Ritterschaft slander as he divided the rule of the Duchies? Any source? Different Kristian III than in OTL, I'd say. Also, the important year is 1709. Haven't covered that yet, so sorry. |
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575
Captain
There is no Purgatory for warcriminals - they go directly to Hell!
Posts: 2,729
Likes: 4,106
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Post by 575 on Jan 9, 2024 8:51:50 GMT
Kristian the III "mad"? Never seen any such thing mentioned. He was a devout Protestant so some Catholic slander post Reformation? Or Ritterschaft slander as he divided the rule of the Duchies? Any source? Different Kristian III than in OTL, I'd say. Also, the important year is 1709. Haven't covered that yet, so sorry. Hmm, quite misleading post then. |
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Post by Max Sinister on Jan 12, 2024 12:31:02 GMT
Different Kristian III than in OTL, I'd say. Also, the important year is 1709. Haven't covered that yet, so sorry. Hmm, quite misleading post then. |
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Post by Max Sinister on Jan 27, 2024 2:34:21 GMT
I had slacked off somewhat with this thread, because I had problems with my internet access. Now however they're fixed, and we can get on with this.
City history of Wildenhartburg, from a city guide, printed in 1990
The city of Wildenhartburg was founded in the year of 1750, after the defeat of the Menominee tribe. It is named after Ernst von Wildenhart, the former vice governor of Anderland who took office as governor of the new land Männermenland [2] and held it until his death in 1771. [...]
When the Atlanteans came as far as to the Mississippi spring in the Nakota [3] War, the city was fortified in the Italian fortress style, giving it the famous star-shaped city wall. Around the year 1880, when the city grew over one million, most of the wall was removed, leaving the "Star Way" in its place. At the same time, the famous TH [4] was founded. [...]
Today, Wildenhartburg (simply called "Big W") has five million inhabitants, which makes it the third-biggest city of Atlantis, and the most important city at the Great Lakes, even before its competitor Wolfsburg and the Canadian metropoles Kingsburgh and Fort d'Eau. The city is part of the Atlantean vacuum tube line, connecting it to the West and East Coast. [...]
Once per year (Calendar week 23) the W-Tekk [5] festival takes place in the city (first time in 1980); it was once overshadowed by the W-Tech festival in Wolfsburg, but meanwhile is firmly established. [...]
[1] Lake Michigan; "W" seems to be founded at the site of OTL Chicago
[2] NE Illinois / SE Wisconsin
[3] Probably Dakota / Sioux.
[4] Technische Hochschule - German for a university specialized on machine construction and other technical sciences. Although today, they also use to teach stuff like computer science or even economics.
[5] Tekk and Tech are music styles, closely related.
"The rise of Fort Knox", by Ph.D. U Soe, University of Pegu, 1954
Fort Knox was founded in the (Christian) year 1732, on initiative of the French who had just founded the Indochinese League. It is named after Donald Knox, a Scotsman who had to leave his country after the conquest of the English in 1694. [...]
Fort Knox practically immediately became a symbol for "fast riches from Asia" in France, in the same way Chennai did for Sweden, Bali for Britain, Seoul for Russia or Nagasaki for Spain. However, Fort Knox with its cannons (at this time, the strongest of the world) was the most important of them somehow, since it controlled the Straits of Melaca - thus keeping France's competitors from crossing between the Indian and the Great Ocean easily. France effectively controlled the city only for a half century, but during this time, several ships per week went the route Marseille - Port Said - Suez - Fort Knox, and made sure that the French Indochinese Company could pay its stockholders fantastical revenues. [...]
[1] At OTL Singapore
"The New Seljuks [1] - a historical re-view", Erzerum Telegraph, by Raffi Adamian, 14. 7. 1929
Since the two failed conquests of Florence, the star of the Seljuk Empire was falling. Except for some occasions, when their opponents were too overconfidential or military reforms gave them a temporary advantage, they lost war after war against the various Christian powers. Even in the Muslim world, they fell back compared to their Shiite competitor Persia, which even managed to take the three most Holy Cities of Islam. Several sultans were toppled by members of the court (like Mas'ud V, Kay Khusrau IX, Süleyman VIII and Kilij Arslan VII), but to no avail. [...]
During this time of visible decline, some reform movements emerged, helped by the introduction of the printing press and later the telegraph. Even in the 17th century, the "Greater Seljuk" movement appeared, whose proponents already suggested to give up conquests in Europe (more radical members even thought about selling parts of the European Empire to Russia, Hungary or Italy, against money, technology and military alliance), turning to Persia and Choresm instead. In the 18th century, even that proved to be unfeasable. Now, Seljuk intellectuals started to turn inward. [...]
The constant lack of money had the "New Seljuk" movement try out new monetarist [2] methods, often cooperating with the many Jews fled from Western Europe and Northern Africa in earlier times. For some time, it was tried to participate in the lucrative trade with East Asia again, but while this could've been successful at earlier time, now the Europeans and Persians proved to be too strong. Even the agriculture, until then neglected by Seljuk rulers, now got some attention; but except for some eccentrics, like "Mad Süleyman", the governor of Vlachia, who introduced the maize and sunflowers from Atlantis to this country (planning to make a fortune by growing and selling food), but the fruits he sowed were only reaped much later, even after the Seljuks were thrown out of this land. [...]
[1] An earlier-in-time historical equivalent of the Young Turks.
[2] Capitalist
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Post by Max Sinister on Jan 27, 2024 2:35:22 GMT
The last six years had been a burden for France. The old man who became king Charles X already had accepted his fate as a disappointed old bachelor in his house in Angoulême, when the early death of his nephew Philippe VI made him unexpectedly king. Being very conservative and of a stern religiousness, he had never liked the enlightenment, and the well-meaning, progressive ministers who had served under his brother and nephew were sent into retirement or treated in the worst imaginable way. He had barely any friends at the court, but demanded from everyone proper respect, and his wrath would hit anyone who dared to reject him, or not do what the king ordered him to do, and the other nobles wouldn't dare to defend him openly against the king.
Anyone would've forgiven him that he didn't start one single reform project during his few years left, but worse, he vetoed many necessary decisions too, mostly simply because they didn't fit his mind. And worst of all, he didn't even make an attempt to solve the most important problem, his succession. On the contrary, he angrily refuted any proposal going into this direction, postponing the question until it was too late. In 1749, the last king of the Valois-Berry dynasty died, and the country had to solve a situation never done before.
Despite the years under Charles X, most French were actually still very pro-Monarchist, and the country hadn't any half-democratic tendencies, like the Netherlands, Poland or even Spain and England/Britain. The 900 men of the General Estates who were called to assemble had never before acted in this role, since the Estates had been called the last time 16XX. It took months alone to decide who exactly would sit in the quasi-parliament, and some weeks to notify all the people in the farther away provinces of France, and weeks again until they all had traveled to the capital, during which time the creatures of the dead king continued to govern in his way, i.e. doing nothing, or treating the population in a way as if the old king François IV was still alive.
Despite of the circumstances, the Estates were ready in early 1750 to decide about the new king, for at this time even among the Third Estate the majority was decidedly for holding up the old system. The 900 men had to start their work from scratch, because king Charles (as said) had blocked any attempts to think about his succession. So it took some time again until the old family documents were brought to light, during which the nobles and the richer clerics spent their time making one big party after another. "The estates dance", as the contemporary French used to say.
And the work would take long, very long. Many people among the 900 (and elsewhere in France, and in Europe, and even Asia and Atlantis) immediately thought about the family of Bourbon in Hungary, related with the Valois, and even having a both competent and popular candidate, namely king Charles / Károly VI; but this solution was prevented by the fact that the first Bourbon in Hungary had had to sign a document then, forfeiting the right to the throne of France for himself and his offspring forever. Besides, king Károly was already 65 years old at this time, and felt unready for the demands of reigning France.
So the men of the estates had to work through old documents, going back as far as the 15th century, finally finding the brothers of king Charles V, Louis and Philippe, and then tracing their offspring. This alone took months again, since the noble members wouldn't leave their parties and games aside, which angered their colleagues of the Third Estate, who had to neglect their businesses at home. When the winter of 1750/51 approached, the Third Estate protested, and found the support of many clerics, and threatened to leave the assembly, which would've rendered it useless, and thus unable to decide about the new king. So it was decided that all members of the Estates would receive a compensation for their work. This made the representatives content again, and they left for the winter and returned in 1751, to continue their work.
During this time, many forgotten kings and princes became the topic of the day again, and the enlightened people of France found out to their surprise several embarrassing details about said princes, which would've stayed forgotten otherwise, like the fact that Philippe had been killed after a scandalous life on behalf of then-king Louis himself, and that this hadn't even been the first time Louis had angered the grand nobles of France, who'd later have caused his downfall. And the journalists of Paris wouldn't leave out any such details, and occasionally invent new ones.
After several months, the members of the Estates would find out that in the second half of the 17th century, a great-great-great-great-great-grandson of king Louis XII had left France for Louisiane, Atlantis. From now on, the Estates only could talk effectively about the succession three times per year, since the communication per ship with Atlantis took months for every simple request, and some progressive members of the Third Estate would demand a telegraph network for France and Atlantis, as Russia had it, and the fictionalists [1] even dreamed about building cables spanning the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, from time to time some legitimist would repeat the proposal whether the unusual circumstances wouldn't allow to make a Bourbon king. These proposals were discussed seriously too, and those who could afford sent messages to Pest, to find out more about the Bourbons, whether it'd be possible to make one of the king's many brothers or nephews king; but the longer this took, the more embarrassing things became for the monarchists in the Estates. The elder brother of king Károly, François / Ferenc, wasn't too bad actually, but had taken the office of the archbishop of Gran, and thus neither had offspring, nor could've anymore, being over 70 years old. Jean / Janos, the king's younger brother, was still praised by many Hungarians, but had died already, and his sons lacked offspring too ("Italian plague" [2], as the gossipers would say). About Louis / Lajos, another brother of the king, nobody had anything good to say, and neither about the offspring of the last (dead) brother of the king, Sigismond / Zsigmond. "Good kings are a thing of the past, obviously", some mockers would say.
The country only didn't run down completely during this time because some people saw that things still had to be done, even if there was no king at the throne. So, slowly the unpopular creatures of Charles X were removed, some postponed reforms from the drawers of the last two kings before Charles executed, and the country started to blossom again. But even more important was the new freedom of the spirits, which had so suffered in the years before. And the people of France used their freedom, and almost forgot that their country lacked a king.
The 1750s passed by, and the 1760s came, because the researches in Atlantis were even further complicated - first by the chaos and destruction of the Great War [3] in Louisiane, and yet even more since the area where the royal offspring had lived became Italian or German in 1694, and the estates would puzzle for hours over the meanings of messages in foreign languages. Some people in the more progressive lands of Aquitaine had stopped to take the Estates seriously, and when their members had to be replaced, the Aquitainians used their influence to send sixteen-year-old boys, befuddled old men or once even a priest who had been caught wearing clothes of a noblewoman, into the Estates.
The "Atlantean riddle" finally found its ridicilous end in 1762, when the message arrived that the last (9th generation) heir of Louis XII had already died in 1749, the very year the question for succession had been asked openly the first time. Again the followers of (meanwhile almost 80 years old) king Károly would raise their voices, while the serious legitimists obliviously told that the estates now would've to check the offspring of prince Charles (younger brother of the kings Jean II, Louis XI and Philippe V - in the 14th century!), despite the fact that everyone knew that many documents of the noble families had been destroyed in the Aquitainian Wars [4] then.
But meanwhile many people, even some clerics and nobles, had enough of the comedy. During the last dozen years, the country had been administrated quite well thanks to people cooperating and working to their best knowledge, but no new laws had been made, although this was necessary in many cases, and many laws Charles X had made were demanded to be dropped (prudent judges had ignored them during the last years already as much as possible, but now they had become quite discontent), and besides, France was tired of the never-ending search. Something had to happen; people in other countries were starting to lose their respect of the French. Hadn't king Francesco III of Italy simply annexed France's old ally, the Republic of Venice, the Serenissima? No, the time was ripe for France to get a strong government again. This was the most important thought in the peoples' heads when the Estates parted in winter 1762.
The year 1763 came, and the Estates took up work again. Nobody knew whether this situation would go on fourteen years more in addition to the last fourteen years, or even until the Second Coming. But the harvest of the year 1763 happened to be very bad, and when the peasants started to rebel, the fate of the French kingdom was sealed...
[1] In OTL, we'd call them Utopians
[2] Not just since this century an euphemism / slur for homosexuality. And not only TTL either.
[3] In other places also called the anti-French War (1682-94), we remember.
[4] 1341-85, 1414-26 and 1477-83.
"The Russian danger" (from the memoires of Walter Meier [1], written in 1829, Prague)
Until four centuries ago, German knights rode east to drive back the Russians and conquer lands for German people to settle in. But then, one day, the foolish dukes and emperors stopped the Ostsiedlung. [2] The Russians, of course, were smart enough to expand further, until they owned half of Europe and Asia and North Atlantis, and may they go to hell, they didn't stop because they never got enough! All the time the monarchs, be they damned, were looking anywhere, to the fights between England-France-Spain, their colonies in Atlantis or the spice lands in South Asia, anywhere, but never to Russia! [...]
Once in the past, there was a Russian state of Novgorod, and because it wasn't strong enough to overwhelm Sweden, Prussia or Poland, nobody thought that they might be a danger, until they attacked. Then fortunately - or not - Novgorod was broken by their big eastern brother Vladimir, and everyone was relieved and collected what Novgorod had taken from them. Then one day, Vladimir decided to look to the west too, and attacked, and was many times stronger than Novgorod had ever been, and everyone was afraid, but nobody dared to start a crusade against them, which would've been the only possible cure. But they thought they didn't have to do, because one or two centuries later, Vladimir's even bigger eastern brother New Russia attacked, and again the cowardly monarchs were relieved and took back what Vladimir had once taken from them, but again they didn't start fighting them in unison. [...]
Now the New Russia has grown stronger than any Russian state has been before, and this time we can't rely that some power will come from the East to relieve us temporarily. But one day the Russian threat has to be stopped, or all the Germans will have to flee to Australia or Antipodia or the devil knows where... because not even Atlantis would be a safe haven anymore! A horrible imagination, having only the choice between fleeing, or suffering under Russian yoke - just ask the Prussians, or the Poles, the poor devils. [...]
[1] German politician, had to go to exile.
[2] Seems Herr Meier doesn't know about the connection between Black Death and the end of the Drang nach Osten.
Application for the ban on the movie "Shirin, delight of my eyes" (Persia, 1923)
Martinsburg, 18.6.1949
This romantic Persian movie describes the story of the Russian Yegor Smotrytsky who went to the Persian province of Kerman to acquire a load of copper for his employers, a Novorussian telegraph company. The negotiations with the Persians take some time, during which he falls in love with Shirin Alavitabar, the daughter of the neighbor of his business partner. When he starts to court for her hand, the Persians demand that he has to pay a great amount of gold, or give them some equivalent. After many conflicts, he decides to betray his firm and country and gives the Persians the secret of the telegraph.
This movie has to be considered extremely dangerous, since it propagates the selling of secrets to foreign states, and should be forbidden without delay.
Signed: Gustav Ewald Köhler, censorship official (rank 2)
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