Events in the Americas
Quebec, France
The French government in 1852 announced a series of economic initiatives pertaining to New France, with the intention of bringing industrialization and infrastructural improvements to the province. In order to accomplish this, the local and provincial authorities have been instructed to contract out to private firms in order to accomplish specific tasks, rather than allow uncontrolled and unorganized development. Port facilities along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes will be expanded, and the New French railroad network will be greatly expanded. There will also be a focus on expanding industry. The initiatives have been popular amongst the local populace, for the jobs they are providing, as well as a demonstration that New France has not been neglected by Paris.
Tanka Wicoti, Indiana
High Chief Wapello was pleased to hear news of the completion of the current phase of Indianas economic reform and modernization efforts. A fledgling industrial sector has begun to grow in the country, centered in Tanka Wicoti, although it is still largely owned by New English or British foreigners, who have established a presence in the country to take advantage of the newly available relative abundance of natural resources. Perhaps the most immediately visible fruits of the effort are the infrastructural improvements; for one, the country now boasts a modern port, if a rather small one when compared to a European port. The newly constructed road from Tanka Wicoti across the border with New England has been effectively integrated into the greater New English road network with New Englands own infrastructural improvements, providing New Englanders easy access to Indiana and vice versa.
(Indiana: +1 Economy Development)
Boston, New England
New Englands Federalist government, led by First Minister Ashland, passed a controversial and far-reaching law, addressing working conditions in the country. The law abolished child labor, set a minimum age of employment at thirteen, and set a standardized ten-hour-long workday. These measures constitute one of the first efforts to improve working conditions and eliminate some of the worst offenses to labor, not merely in New England but across the globe. Business owners and their allied elements in the Conservative opposition and in dissenting factions of the Federalists are up in arms over the measures, claiming that they will be detrimental to the economy as a whole, but the Federalist government has survived, gaining significant support amongst the working class wherever it has the franchise, and the governments subsidizing of industry has softened any expected blow to the economy.
With assistance from their British counterparts aboard the new ironclad vessels, New English naval specialists returned home with a great amount of new knowledge on the operation and tactics of the new ships. Naval staff has recommended to the government that the New English navy be outfitted with the new vessels post haste. The state-of-the-art vessels created great public attention when they arrived in Boston, with large crowds turning up to view them.
(New England: +1 Navy Development)
Richmond, Virginia
The Conservative Party President of Virginia, Christopher Walker, was slain by an assassins bullet in June 1852 during. The assassin, an elderly man by the name of Robert, was revealed to be a delusional ex-soldier who had fought for the Confederacy in the wars with Louisiana three decades earlier, lived as an unemployed vagabond for most of the time since then, and written in his diary that he had been divinely appointed to kill President Walker for purposes he himself claimed to not know. After being subdued by the crowd, Robert was tried and hanged with great expediency. Walkers deputy, Joseph Earle, has succeeded him, promising to continue the late President Walkers legacy and that of the Conservative Party, and will serve at least until next years presidential elections. President Earle is also a noted friend of New English interests in Virginia, even more so than Walker. But thanks to Roberts bizarre story, and other perceived discrepancies, rumors and unfounded theories have spread that President Earle in fact ordered the assassination to gain the presidency.
Concurrently with President Walkers assassination were a number of demonstrations of Black freedmen in the country calling for increased rights and protections from the Virginian government, including the right to vote. While the majority of the country, including President Earle, is opposed to this, the freedmen have gained sympathy in certain elements of the populace, including the leadership of the Virginia Liberal Party.
Charleston, Confederacy of American States
In the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, the Confederate government established the countrys largest naval academy. The naval schools establishment has been interpreted as a sign that Thomas Leighs government is turning its attention to controlling the seas off its coasts, evidenced by expansions in the Confederate navys size, and its placement in North Carolina has been taken by locals as a statement of Charlestons continued interest in developing the region, where sentiment against the central government is high. The newly appointed staff at the school has quickly set to work training a new generation of cadets.
(CAS: +1 Navy Development)
Liberty, Costa Lina
The Creole Commission, established by President Cousineaus government last year to create a standardized, unified language from the existing commonly used creole for official use in the Freedmens Republic of Costa Lina, was in 1852 given the task of publishing a complete dictionary of the newly standardized language, as well as writing textbooks, in both English and French, for use by the countrys educational system. Reports released by the commission show that progress is being made quickly, and that their assigned battery of tasks should be complete by early 1854.
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Louisianan government, in addition to continuing its program of encouraging industrialization, began funding a widespread educational program in which the Bible would be taught to school children across the country as a means of encouraging literacy. This program has proven itself popular, particularly in the frontier north where quality education is not as readily available.
Seville, Tejas
The American presence, following last years intervention to depose the despotic President Dubois, had completely withdrawn from Tejas by mid-1852 as the interim government took upon itself the task of administering the country and restoring peace and order. The most far-reaching acts of the interim government during its term were the ratifications of a series of constitutional amendments. The primary change was the removal of most of the Tejan Presidents powers, such as to effectively transform the country into a parliamentary republic; after the experience with Dubois, it was decreed that Tejas would never again have a powerful executive in a position to dominate the country. Other amendments added to the constitution a permanent guarantee of protections for all three of English-, French-, and Spanish-speakers in Tejas, protections which did not include Indians.
As elections came in the summer of 1852, the interim government, despite successfully ratifying the series of amendments, lost support from much of its conservative wing, the majority of which pulled out of the governing coalition to contest the election separately, but the conservatives, divided between nationalities, could not unite into a single. The Liberal Party, consisting of the majority of the interim governments remnants, managed to avoid these problems, taking advantage of their opponents disunity to fuse together a broad coalition of supporters, and sailed to an easy and significant majority in the National Assembly.
A treaty stipulating a friendship agreement and a defensive alliance with the American Republic had been signed and ratified by the interim government before elections. This was followed up by the removal of customs barriers between Tejas and the American Republic.
Mexico City, American Republic
The most significant event of the year, barring the return of American soldiers from their foreign adventure in Tejas, was the establishment of a public national university in Mexico City, for the stated purpose of bringing the countrys brightest young students in one place. Following the Tejan intervention, increasing investment in education as a whole, especially in the northern frontier provinces, continued to be perhaps the top priority for President Campos and his Federalist government. Also in the frontier provinces, several battles occurred between American cavalry and local Indian tribes threatening settlements, particularly the Comanche and the Ute peoples. Both have been defeated in battle, and the latter have largely dispersed across the border into the western parts of neighboring Indiana.
A band of Ute Indios fleeing the American military, searching for safe havens in Indiana
Kingston, British Jamaica
Thousands of protestors filled the streets of the city of Kingston on the island of Jamaica, calling for the islands independence from Great Britain. Inspired by a similar movement over the past several years in the nearby Spanish colonies, even as efforts towards devolution have quelled the movements in Puerto Rico and Cuba, the protests in the British West Indies reflect a deeper pro-independence sentiment that has recently struck a chord amongst the people of the region. Similar protests sprung up in other British towns throughout the region, such as St. Dominic and Nassau.
La Paz, Peru
Presidential elections were scheduled to be held in the Republic of Peru this year, amidst a year of increasing unrest and discontent with President Santiagos incumbent government over long-term economic troubles and increasing resentment against the largely urban political and economic elite, all catalyzed by widespread rumors that the military was threatening to intervene and overthrow the democracy, meant that the Liberals faced a difficult re-elected challenge. President Santiago chose to retire rather than attempt re-election; without the steady hand of his leadership, the Liberal Party fell apart, and multiple candidates ran each under an ostensibly Liberal banner. The Conservative Party, under their new leader Bautista Narvaez, were able to strike a populist chord amongst the populace much like in neighboring Ecuador, additionally helped by the countrys Catholic element and (surprisingly) a number of intellectuals who felt that the Liberals had betrayed their principles, and easily won. Ultimately, no coup occurred, and despite some reports of violence, the elections proceeded more or less peacefully.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Brazilian legislative elections were held in 1852. The elections were relatively low-key and calm compared to the norm, with the ruling Liberal government relatively popular from its ongoing economic reforms and development programs, which have brought continued prosperity to the already fast-growing Brazilian domestic economy; it would be an uphill battle for any opposition, no matter how united, to dethrone them. Adding more support to the Liberal cause, Prince Miguel made several public statements interpreted as tacitly supporting the Liberals. This, however, has incensed some of the military establishment; rumors of potential future action abound. Promising further reforms, the Liberals easily gained another sizable majority. A coalition of nationalist parties, calling for full separation from Portugal, did gain a significant amount of support by striking a nativist nerve amongst some of the Brazilian lower classes.
The other landmark event of 1852, for the Brazilian government at least, was the completion of the countrys military reform efforts. The governments incessant efforts at reform, while fruitful in improving the quality of the military as a whole, have only worsened the already tense relationship between the government and the former military elite. Nevertheless, the government does have one great advantage if a feared coup does come; it has the support of the populace, while the military does not, meaning that any coup is likely to be a failure in the long term.
(Brazil: +1 Navy Development)
Second Patagonian War
The war between La Plata and Cordoba dragged on into 1852. Despite fears that Brazil would attempt some form of intervention, none came; the Brazilian government eventually stated that they would not intervene in an internal matter between La Plata and Cordoba, unless Brazil was directly threatened, and in any case potential intervention was unpopular amongst the Brazilian public.
Cordobas situation was already dire when the year began, with its capital under siege by the La Platans and its coasts blockaded. That dire situation never truly improved; the Cordobans had too few men left to mount any reasonable counterattack, and instead fortified their capital, the city of Cordoba, in hopes of foreign or divine intervention to distract the La Platans. None came; after several months of siege, in April 1852, La Platan soldiers breached the Cordoban defenses and captured the city. King Carlos attempted to flee the city in disguise, but was apprehended by La Platan soldiers and forced to sign a document of surrender.
La Platan soldiers overrun Cordoban defenses outside the city of Cordoba
But in the south, in the sparsely populated lands of Patagonia that had previously been nominally under Cordoban control but hardly settled before the outbreak of renewed conflict, a collection of native Mapuche tribes saw an opportunity. Uniting under a single leader, Chief Leviantu, the new confederation of Araucania, as foreigners are calling it, has established a degree of control over the tip of the South American continent; the Araucanians have also solidified control over Cape Horn, which has been cause for some concern abroad.
(La Plata: -1 Infantry Brigade, -1 Artillery Brigade; +1 captured Frigate; +1 Army Development)
(Cordoba: -2 Infantry Brigades, -1 Artillery Brigade, -2 Conscript Brigades; -Existence)
Events in Africa and the Middle East
Constantinople, Turkey
In the early months of 1852, before Turkey fell victim to the multinational Russian-led invasion, Sultan Ismet had announced a battery of government reforms. Primarily amongst them was the institution of a bicameral legislature, a Parliament modelled loosely after that in Westminster. The lower house of his legislature consisted of 120 popularly elected Deputies, elected every four years, with the voting franchise restricted to landowners but not restricted on basis of religion; its upper house counterpart consists of 40 Senators, appointed by the Sultan from the military or the bureaucracy. Bills must be passed by the upper house; they can be passed by the lower house, but those passed by the lower house must also be passed by the upper house. Additionally, there is no prime minister; the Sultan holds supreme executive power. Any reaction against the Parliaments establishment was preempted by the invasion and the need for national unity in war, as thanks to the invasion, the Parliament never actually met.
Additionally, completed just before the invasion, was a road linking the port of Kuwait to the capital.
Cairo, Whaheydi Caliphate and
Tehran, Persia
Largely ignored amongst the diversions of the Turkish War, the Suez rail development efforts that had been ongoing in the Whaheydi Caliphate for several years were completed this year. Similarly, the cotton industry development program in Persia was completed this year.
(Whaheydi Caliphate: +1 Economy Development)
Omani War
Last years establishment of a pirate state in Oman has not gone unnoticed by neighboring countries. Most concerned has been the neighboring nation of Yemen, fearing that the existence of a rogue state to its east could pose a heavily destabilizing factor. From afar came the Dutch; above all the other European powers with interests in the region, and numerous others who sent naval vessels to blockade the Omani coast, the Dutch took the most proactive role in countering Oman. A controversial treaty signed between Yemen and the Netherlands ceded the port of Aden to the Dutch, in exchange for military support. The treaty has lost the Zaydi Imam of Yemen a great amount of support amongst the already tenuous tribal leadership, but focus on the military campaign that followed was able to silence critics for now.
The war in Oman proper was in fact relatively short. From their new base at Aden, the Dutch entered with their far more modern and superior navy, shattering the pirate sultan Zayids nascent fleet at the cost of a single frigate, proceeding to establish a blockade over Muscat. Witnessing the rapid decimation of their fleet, and knowing it would soon come to them, a significant number of Zayids supporters elected to desert and fend for themselves; loyalists and deserters began clashing amongst themselves. This disorder opened the perfect opportunity for the Yemenis, who followed the Dutch, invading by sea, and were able to secure all of the former Oman as it shattered into what would have been a patchwork of petty sheikdoms. Zayid himself was captured by the Yemenis, and publicly beheaded in Muscat. Yemen has yet to decide what is to be done with the territory, although the mounting tribal unrest across the entirety of Yemen may influence matters.
In the aftermath of the brief conflict, piracy in the Indian Ocean has begun to wane, as the Yemenis have ruthlessly cracked down on the pirate activity that was formerly using Oman as home base. The end of Oman may mark a turning point in Indian Ocean piracy.
(Yemen: -3 Infantry Brigades, -5 Conscript Brigades; +1 Army Development)
(Netherlands: -1 Frigate)
(Oman: -2 Infantry Brigades, -2 Cavalry Brigades, -6 Frigates, -1 Ship of the Line; -Existence)
Tunis, Tunis
The Tunisian bey this year enacted new tariffs, favoring Islamic traders and goods. There will now be only a miniscule tariff placed on goods from Islamic countries, but a much higher one placed on goods from non-Islamic countries. Some advisers have pointed out that this may deter trade from the developed economies of Europe and potentially hinder Tunisian economic development, but the bey and his allies remain steadfast in continuing their progress, claiming that this would make Tunis an ideal point for Islamic trade to converge and flow to Europe.
The small Tunisian navy has benefited from the countrys recent focus on trade and the sea, although it still remains far behind its European counterparts.
(Tunis: +1 Navy Development)
Algiers, Aragonese Algiers
In 1852, about a decade after Aragon-Sicily had been one of the first European countries to recognize the Algerian Sultan al-Hassans countrys full independence from the decaying Ottoman Empire, the Sultanate of Algiers was a de facto Aragonese protectorate, with the Sultan only maintaining his position thanks to Aragonese support. In the spring of 1852, the Aragonese government decided it was time to extend its control over the territory and fully incorporate Algiers as a colony. The bolstered Aragonese garrison in Algiers marched up to the Sultans palace and forced him to sign a treaty ceding all remaining sovereignty to an Aragonese colonial authority. The Algerian military leadership attempted to stage a rebellion in response, only to be met with Aragonese gunfire and a quick defeat. The nascent Algerian fleets ships were captured by the Aragonese in port and incorporated into their own navy. The Sultan has been left on his throne, but it is no secret that the throne is an empty one, and that he is all but a figurehead.
Even though it was a badly kept secret at best that Algiers was a protectorate before the attack, the action and the blatant aggression of Aragon-Sicily has sent shockwaves throughout the neighboring North African states. In Morocco, the burgeoning anti-French court faction has been greatly bolstered in size and influence (detailed below), and in Tunis, there has been a similar spike in fears of a Whahyedi incursion, especially after news of the events in Turkey reached Tunisian ears.
(Aragon-Sicily: -2 Infantry Brigades)
(Algiers: -2 Infantry Brigades, -2 Cavalry Brigades, -1 Artillery Brigade; -Existence)
Marrakesh, Morocco
The Moroccan sultan, in cooperation with French advisors, began incorporating reforms into the national education system, attempting to modernize it. However, perhaps intentionally, any reforms were conducted slowly and to limited spread, much to the annoyance of the French advisors, as the Sultan was reluctant to introduce Catholicism and French-language education to his nation.
However, the unprecedented Aragonese annexation of its protectorate in neighboring Algiers has sent shockwaves through Morocco. In its wake, an ever-more-influential, anti-French, political coalition of courtiers, elites, and military leaders has begun to crystalize, calling on the Sultan to reverse his moves towards France, to ensure that what happened in Algiers does not occur in Morocco. The Sultan has shown indications, much to the chagrin of the French liaison to Morocco, that he may in fact heed to this growing factions demands; he, too, has been shocked by the Aragonese actions, it seems.
Gondar, Ethiopia
The Ethiopian central governments major effort this year was to begin the construction of a modern port on the countrys northeast coast, at the already existing port city of Zeila, which dates back to antiquity. This effort is being undertaken with technical assistance from the British. The hope is that, with the establishment of relatively modern port infrastructure, Zeila can act as an inlet for wealth-generating foreign trade into Ethiopia. The country has taken large steps towards opening up to the greater region and bringing itself into the modern world, and it seems that Zeila is the next step. Work on the port was threatened by unrest amongst the local Muslim population, but the military was able to maintain adequate order, and estimates are that it should be finished sometime after the midpoint of the decade.
(Ethiopia: +1 Economy Development)
Italian West Africa
In a surprise entrance to the West African geopolitical scene, the Italian Republic carved for itself a possession on the West African coast. The colony was established by enterprising traders on an island along the coast southeast of the British settlement of Freetown, and northwest of Danish Ny Skane. However, the complete absence of an Italian naval presence in the Atlantic Ocean, coupled with the relative lack of trading activity in the new colony due to better-established British, French the French in fact put effort in expanding their regional ivory trading operations this year and even Danish trade links, has ensured that there can only be limited support for the operation, and Italian West Africa has failed to make a profit thus far. Many opponents of the ruling Liberal Party have called it a failed venture, but the government remains confident that the colony can make a presence known for itself.
Danish Ny Reykjavik
Danish and Norwegian traders in 1852 founded with the blessing of the Danish government a new settlement on the western coast of Central Africa, located on the coast between the two Spanish possessions and east of the Portuguese-held islands. Although built on a coastal island, the newly founded town of Ny Reykjavik has nonetheless been able to secure control over the immediate area inland. The town has, like many of the other recent settlements in Africa, become a base for missionaries active amongst the local native populace, and a base for traders, although little headway has been made thanks to the established Spanish dominance over the local market.
One of Ny Reykjaviks additional first uses was a base for an anthropological expedition of Rhenish explorers, who used it as a base for an expedition mapping the area inland. Another Rhenish expedition trekked up the Congo River starting from the Spanish colony in Central Africa, and mapped out a significant portion of the Congo basin, making contact with several of the native states and their leaders in the process.
Mswatis War
The nascent state of Eswatini came under heavy assault by the Dutch army, renewing its expansion eastwards from the Cape with fury. The Swati had the numerical advantage in battle, but the Dutch had the tactical and technological edge, with the Dutch artillery coming into heavy use in Eswatini. After several small, early battles won by the Dutch, who brutally burned villages and killed Swati indiscriminately in their advance, the stage was set for an ultimate showdown at Mbabane itself. After several days of fighting, the Dutch were able to encircle the Swati, and Mbabane became a bloodbath. Mswati took his own life rather than face capture by the white man. The lands of the former Eswatini lost their independence, and were brought under Dutch control by the end of the year.
With the fall of Mbabane, the Swati army dispersed. Many of the Swati only continued migrating northwards and away from the wrath of the feared Dutchmen, either into the southern parts of Portuguese-controlled Mozambique, where they have been a destabilizing influence locally, or into the wild savannas of Zimbabwe, where fighting has ensued between the Swati and the existing Mutapa peoples in the area.
Utilized in the war by the Dutch was a new type of gun that had been initially created by a military engineer from Kaapstad several years earlier. This gun consists of multiple barrels arrayed around a central shaft, and is powered by a hand crank, thus capable of firing rounds continuously. Named the Barnard Gun after its inventor, it has been used to great effect against masses of Swati forces, and Dutch military staff at home has taken notice, as have other foreigners.
Dutch soldiers posing with a Barnard gun
(Netherlands: -2 Infantry Brigades, -1 Cavalry Brigade; +1 Army Development)
(Eswatini: -6 Infantry Brigades, -2 Conscript Brigades; -Existence)