If this war goes in Mexico's favor, then they could porbably become known as the the "Prussia of the America's"
Lone Star Republic
- Thread starter Kaiser Chris
- Start date
So, 'Delenda Est' from both sides. A glorious opening act for mexico, but RoR was always the weakest of the three siblings. And the others are no longer unaware. The dogs have war have been let loose, and they are riled by a generation of humiliation, arrogance, along with mutual hatred and fear.
Is the Pan Mexican sympathy in the border regions of the Yucatan?
Hmm, what about Honduras as well? That nation lost territory but was not completely absorbed like its northern neighbors.
I expect the French will long remember 'Mexican Barbarism' at Tampico.
Is the Pan Mexican sympathy in the border regions of the Yucatan?
Hmm, what about Honduras as well? That nation lost territory but was not completely absorbed like its northern neighbors.
I expect the French will long remember 'Mexican Barbarism' at Tampico.
Mexico is far from being the "Prussia of the America's", that is a title that currently belongs to the Empire of Brazil which you will see in later updates. Mexico is nothing like Prussia in that they are not heavily millitarized all the time, they do not have a monarchy, they are quite liberal compared to Junkar Prussia, they are not heavily industrialized, and they are nowhere near becoming a regional power. If the war goes well in Mexican favor then they can certainly regain some strength, but not enough to become a Prussia.
Pan-Mexican sympathy exists primarily in the districts of Chiapas and Tabasco, the two states that were won from Mexico and have a majority Creole population. Especially Chiapas since it is right next to Oaxaca. The good news is that there are also Creole Yucatan loyalists and a decent sized Mayan population. We'll see how that Pan-Mexican sympathy plays out in future updates.
If Hondurasbtried to invade the Yucatan then it would utterly cease to exist. Only a few people in the Yucatan even care about Central American independence nowadays, most are content.
Yeah, Mexico's actions at Tampico will really come to bite them back on the future.
Well we know t least a few Rio Grande Cities will end up in Texas.
Say what is the situation like in Baja?
Say what is the situation like in Baja?
Since its annexation by Texas in 1836, Baja California has mostly been a quiet region though it has had some more development compared to OTL due to the California Gold Rush. Currently the region of the Commonwealth is inhabited by a large Tejano majority though they dont care about Juarez's Pan-Mexican ideology since they've lived decent lives under Texas and Mexico City never really had much of an influence on them. Right now they haven't been attacked yet since Mexico focused a majority of its manpower and resources into the conquest of the Rio Grande. They will be addressed soon in a later post with heavy action taking place in 1861.
Next chapter will feature the German Empire and its next steps at Unification.
So they just killed anyone and everyone even remotely tied to the Riogradense del Norte's government...what nightmare is this?
Well that sounds fun. Actually the last updates have been fun Ive just been a bit quiet as I fell behind a little. Anywho, North America is now up in flames, China is in the midst of a civil war, and Europe is inching towards conflict again itself. People in TTL will never be able to say the mid 19th century is boring.
Lastly (for this post anyway) really liked the flag in the last update.
The Mexican troops who did it had am couple of "legitimate" reasons to do so. First, the Rio Grande was a "rebel" nation under Juarez's call and as such they were traitors to Mexico. Second, these men were tried for failure to maintain the order within the states by allowing outlaws and foreigners like Waljer to run amok. Third, the Army here was high on the sweet drug of success for the first time in 25 years and were a bit overzealous in their duty to El Presidente.
These actions actually do serve a purpose in story as it will slightly affect the course of the war and will damage Mexican relations in the future.
Assuming this logic is applied consistently, this does not bode well for prominent POW's of Texas, Yucatan.
Well... we now have people coming who'll be essentially the Japan of America.
Will Mexico cede land if it is defeated? Will it possibly gain land? Please don't make Mexico be conpletely defeated.
Actually, kinda hoping that they are...sorta...
All the same, I'm hoping that, with the post-war era that the border gore is fixed...cause holy sweet jesus, that border gore.
All the same, I'm hoping that, with the post-war era that the border gore is fixed...cause holy sweet jesus, that border gore.
Its been implied this war will not end in a clean cut winner loser situation. For Juarez is viewed as a great President by Mexico, one would not expect total defeat would not see him painted as such. But on the other hand we know at least two cities of the RRG will end in Texan hands.
EDIT:
Hmm, I can't seem to find the mention of Satillo and another city as Texan territory. Maybe I am wrong and Mexico will get the former RRG?
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Since everyone seems to be flipping out about Mexico's execution of the Rio Grande government in the last chapter, I shall attempt to explain in full detail their actions that led to the trials and execution. Firstly, I don't want any impressions that Mexico went all Comanche and devastated the entirety of the Rio Grande. The last paragraph says that the accusations of Mexican barbarism is entirely false and that the civilians were treated with dignity. The Mexican Army came in and behaved as liberators by driving out the filibuster cartels and restoring order to the lawless wastelands of the Rio Grande, while taking care of the Rio Grande civilians who they considered to be Mexican citizens. In the Battle of Satillo, the brutality of the Mexican Army was only against fighting the Rio Grande defenders. No harm was done to the people of the city and the citizens of Satillo actually rose up to work in unity with the Mexican Army. Lastly, the execution of the Rio Grande government only happened since this was the Rio Grande. The nation has undergone multiple governments since its independence and the current government barely had control of the country, having taken power in a coup as usual in the Rio Grande. In the minds of the Mexican Army, these men are absolute scum since they let the Rio Grande fall to ruin and the Mexican citizens get harassed constantly by outlaws. They are not seen as the legitimate government by Mexico, merely a band of rebel criminals. Hell, NO ONE recognized the Rio Grande government in 1861. If Mexico had conquered Austin or Merida first then the opposing governments would be treated with the honor and dignity that they deserve according to the Rules of War. That way Mexico can gain legitimacy and they don't get a huge uprising of millions of Texans and Yucatani for killing their leaders. The Rio Grande government was executed because they were not legitimate and because the people of Satillo were rejoicing in their deaths. The prisoners of the Rio Grande while not given the best conditions, were treated as per the Rules of War.
This action was written within the narrative to show the pain and suffering that Mexico had been suffering the last 25 years and their retaliation. Mexico received a peace that can be said to be even worse than the Treaty of Versailles and for a while it looked like the nation would collapse. The execution of the Rio Grande government is Mexico releasing steam in a way and restoring confidence in their country. This action is meant to be more than shock as it will play a part in foreign relations during the war and will drive the Texan and Yucatani's resolve to defeating Mexico, leaving a stain on Mexico's image for several decades to come due to their actions. Lastly, Benito Juarez never directly ordered for this to happen, the commanding General took independent action and decided to go along with it.
For now I won't be giving too many hints as it would be a huge spoiler to the end of the Mexican War, something I've been wanting to keep secret compared to the Civil War or the Great War. All I will say for now is that Mexico will not get any outcome near that of the First Civil War or the Border Wars, but they will not be achieving everything that they wanted. Look to Herr Frage's comment as that is exactly what I intend, there are no clear winners or losers and every side comes out of the conflict with a mix of losses and wins. By the way Herr Frage, what are the two cities of the Rio Grande that you say I said will be in Texas? Can you explain because I don't think I ever gave direct hints of that before.
For Satillo I seem to recall a city shot stating it as Satillo Texas. But as the edit I did upthread says, I cannot now seem to find such thing. I recall being surprised yopu would tip your hand like that. Maybe it was just a typo or something where you meant to say Rio Grande and typed Texas or something? Or just a bit of crazy on my part.
I think that much was a given with all those hints about a 21st century Texas you've given us (and it would be a shame for Texas to be wiped off the map.). That said with Juarez being well remembered I'd bet Mexico walks away from this war slightly larger then when it entered it. Actually I'd bet everyone but Rio Grande and France walks away larger, but time will tell.
Chapter 76 The Schleswig-Holstein War
Chapter 76 The Schleswig-Holstein War
“It is time to finish what I started. Germany will be unified for the rest of time!”- Kaiser Wilhelm I 1861
“Today is a sad day, for the last of the Vikings have been removed from this Earth.”- King Charles XV 1861
"With Schleswig-Holstein we are one step further to total unification of the Fatherland. Now off to Austria!"- Chancellor Heinrich von Gagern 1861
In the aftermath of the 1846 Revolutions emerged a united Germany, the first time in over a millennia that such an event had happened. With the crowing of Wilhelm as Kaiser of the Germans came a new change to Europe, one where the old balance was forever destroyed and a new world order would emerge, with Germany quickly emerging as a leader. With the Treaty of Copenhagen was signed, Wilhelm set out into immediately ensuring the unification and prosperity of his new empire. With a high amount of popularity and support of the German parliament which had been made up of a majority coalition of National Liberals and Conservatives (who made up of the Prussian Junkers) under the leadership of Chancellor Heinrich von Gagern, multiple amounts of legislation were passed to create a single federal state with all of the various kingdoms and duchies uniting together with a common transportation system, currency, postal service, and infrastructure. Millions of Reichsmarks were poured into the economy so that the industrious areas of the Rhine and Prussia could begin the process of fully implementing the technological changes of the Industrial Revolution and develop an industry that could one day become the largest producer in the world. Conscription was introduced and the Army unified into one overall unified force under the Prussian high command in Berlin, the various Prussian reforms being implemented to ensure that Germany would have the highest quality army of Europe in contrast to the poor inefficiency of Austria. Investments were made into education with the creation of the gymnasium system and the encouragement of attending universities so that Germany could have a highly skilled work force. Alongside this was the strict emphasis of Germanization and the celebration of the various regional cultures of Germany; so that all Germans whether they be Prussian, Bavarian, Saxon, Hanoverian, etc., could unite together and pledge loyalty and patriotism to their new state. Thanks to Germany keeping out of foreign affairs and the nationalization of their industry to take part in the new global economy, Germany was emerging to quickly become the powerhouse of continental Europe, being followed closely behind by France, Italy, and Russia. Yet while his nation was prospering and the people praising their Kaiser, Wilhelm was not content. While he had won an enormous victory with Copenhagen and had achieved what every Prussian King since Fredrick had been dreaming of, he did not win a total victory. The Hapsburg's were still independent and kept millions of patriotic Germans under their rule, their mere existence in Vienna being a mockery in the eye of the prideful Wilhelm. In addition there were many Germans still outside of the borders in Denmark, Russia, and France; a majority wishing for unification with the fatherland. With Germany having been unified and all domestic conflicts under control, it was time to strike.For in the mind of Kaiser Wilhelm his mission was not done, it had only just begun.
Map showing German linguistic distribution in 1860
The first target of the Second phase of German Unification was Denmark. In the past two centuries Denmark had slowly been a stagnate power of Europe with each succeeding monarch further losing power and influence within Europe. The true death blow to the Kingdom, like many others, came during the Napoleonic Wars when the Treaty of Kiel was signed which turned over ownership of Norway to Sweden. This left Denmark as a tiny nation of little power in Europe with their only colonies being Greenland and Iceland, the Danish West Indies, and a small trading post in India. Leaving them right for the pickings of their far more powerful southern neighbor. A rather good thing since they held the most important German lands outside of the Empire below Austria, Schleswig-Holstein. For centuries prior to its dissolution in 1806, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstien had been German provinces that were under the territory of the Holy Roman Empire. However this was rather symbolic as they were at the same time vassals underneath the Danish monarchy. While there had been much conflict in the area from the Thirty Years War to the Napoleonic Wars, the areas had only managed to be strengthened under Danish rule, making them what many Danes considered to be a core part of the Kingdom. During the 1846 Revolutions, while the Danish themselves had peacefully transitioned from an autocracy to a constitutional monarchy, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were in revolt to join Germany. Unfortunately for them, Wilhelm was not able to order the invasion of Denmark in order to preserve his new alliance with Britain and focus all attention on Austria so that the Russians could not invade Germany through Denmark. With no external support, the rebellion was crushed under the Danish Army and territorial status quo maintained. Yet the feelings of German nationalism were still their, being only strengthened due to Germany's apparent success in the 1850's. The situation was only made worse by the German Pan-Nationalists in Germany who decried the "Illegal Danish occupation" and called for reunification with their brethren, something that the Big Five political parties (National Liberal, Conservative, FVP, Zentrum, SPD) were in full support. Thanks to the steady rule of Fredrick VII and Germany's focus on internal affairs, a crisis was manged to be averted. This would not last forever though with the death of King Fredrick on November 15th, 1860; setting off a chain of events that would ignite the Schleswig-Holstein War.
With the death of Fredrick came a perfect casus belli for the reestablishment of German control over Schleswig-Holstein. The main reason this happened was due to the fact that Denmark's claim on the two duchies were no more upon the death of their monarch In order to understand exactly why this was possible we must go into full detail of the history of Schleswig-Holstein. For centuries while the duchies had been under the rule of Danish Kings, they were tied only to the monarchs and not the Kingdom of Denmark itself. The issue of sovereignty was resolved in the Aftermath of Thirty Years War with the Holy Roman Empire recognizing control of Schleswig-Holstien by Denmark, however this only applied to the Danish rulers who were tied to the House of Oldenberg. This was not a issue for many years until the reign of Fredrick VII. Fredrick was the only son of his father the King Christian VIII, making him the last of the House of Oldenberg for the Danish throne. Despite the pressure of producing an heir to continue the bloodline, Fredrick never produced a son with any of his three wives and instead spent time with various mistresses over the years of his life, surprisingly there were neither any bastards produced by them. There have been many speculations for why there had been no offspring over the years. In addition to his infidelity, there was a wide expectation that Fredrick was infertile and as such could not produce any children. Other theories had emerged that the King was actually gay or bisexual, though few historical evidence has been able to prove this. Whatever the case the King died with no direct heirs and as such the throne went to Christian IX who was a member of the cadet House of Oldenberg. With the death of Fredrick eliminating the main claim to Schleswig-Holstien, Kaiser Wilhelm demanded that the two duchies be handed over to the German Empire as he now had claim as Emperor of the Germans. The National Liberals within Denmark resisted as doing so would mean a further humiliation to Demark which had suffered constant losses for the past century. In order to preserve control of Schleswig and Holstein, the Danish Parliament drafted up a new constitution, the "November Constitution". This Constitution was one that kept the previous reforms of the 1847 one, however it incorporated both the Duchy of Schleswig and Holstein as integral parts of the Kingdom of Denmark with a centralized rule from Copenhagen. The move caused an outcry in the German Empire with the Imperial Parliament passing a proclamation which denounced the move and formally proclaimed that Schleswig and Holstein were an integral part of German sovereignty. The document was later signed and approved by both Chancellor Gagern and Kaiser Wilehlm, essentially a death threat to Denmark that could lead to war. Such a situation put King Christian into a bind. Either he could relent to the Germans demands and incur the wrath of his people, or please the Danish nationalists and bring about the fury of the Kaiser. Feeling that his duty to his countrymen were far more important than that of the German Kaiser, King Christian supported the National Liberals and signed the November Constitution into law. Whether such a move was the right choice of action is one that is hotly debated by historians to this day, whatever the case, it was one that set both Denmark and Germany upon the path of war.
King Fredrick VII of Denmark (Left) Territory of Schleswig and Holstein prior to the war (Right)
Before the Imperial Army could be mobilized, the Germans had to create a diplomatic situation that would result in their favor and prevent the intervention of foreign powers. The task to this incredible dilemma was one that was left to Germany's most powerful statesman, Chancellor Heinrich von Gagern and Foreign Minister Otto von Bismarck. Gagern, regarded today by many as Germany's most greatest Chancellor, was a key force behind German Unification and alongside Wilhelm is one of the founding fathers of Imperial Germany. Gagern was a man who had humble origins as a statesman from Heese, managing to rise into prominence by presiding over the Frankfurt Parliament and being a key force behind the passing of the Imperial Constitution and the coronation of Wilhelm. Thankful to the Nationalist who had put him into power and wanting to throw a bone to the South Germans as a sign of unity, Wilhelm appointed Gagern as Chancellor of Germany in 1849 with his appointment gaining a resounding majority of parliament. Acting as a faithful servant to the Kaiser, Gagern overseed the total unification of Germany and implemented the industrialization of the various Imperial states while being the key backer of the passing of the liberal agenda and reforms, his favor with the Kaiser being a major reason for their passing. On the opposite side existed Conservative Prussian junker Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck was a rising star in Prussian politics as a member of the Prussian Parliament who was a favorite of the deceased King Fredrick Wilhelm. With the rise of Wilhelm as first King and later Kaiser, Bismarck suckered up to the monarch and managed to be appointed as Foreign Minister of Germany in 1856 following the Crimean War. While at first opposed to German Unification before the Revolutions, in the aftermath Bismarck became a German patriot and determined to make Prussia the center of German politics. Both men were exact opposites in terms of personality and ideology, but their love of Germany was equal and they were both loyal to the Kaiser. Upon the passing of the November Constitution both worked hard to bring the situation into their favor.
The first great obstacle that was passed was the status of Great Britain, the two countries were already in an alliance and had a strong bond through the marriage of Crown Prince Fredrick to Princess Victoria, Fredrick being held favorably in the eye of the Queen as she referred to him as "my son in all but blood". With little investment in Denmark, Britain was more than free to back up Germany. Another strong alliance which maintained support was that of Hungary as the two countries had maintained strong ties in the aftermath of the Revolutions with both Gagner and Kossuth maintaining a close friendship. Gagner using the Zentrum party as a medium due to their stance as the Catholic party, was able to get into contact with Pope Pius who proclaimed that he had no interest in the matter, especially as Denmark was a protestant nation. Gagner's most major obstacle was the nation of Imperial France as Napoleon was a staunch anti-German and was very wary of his counterpart in Berlin. Traveling to Paris in December and spending Christmas there, Gagner entered into hard negotiations with the Bonaparte Emperor, constantly stressing of how a potential war between the two nations over Denmark would be an immense disaster for both parties. In the end Gagern was able to obtain French diplomatic neutrality, however Germany had to in return support France's claims in Africa against Britain. What both sides had largely ignored in the meantime was the status of Alsace-Lorraine, the topic later coming up both during and after the Second War of German Unification. On Bismarck's side he was able to use the Foreign Ministry to obtain the neutrality of all European nations outside Russia. In regards to Russia it was at first Gagner's mission to deal with the issue by traveling to St. Petersburg. However this was prevented when Bismarck managed to convince Kaiser Wilhelm to allow him to travel to St. Petersburg and deal with the matter personally while Gagner was in Paris. The main reason for the switch being not due to contempt by Bismarck against Gagner, but rather out of a personal need to implement his version of German Unification. Bismarck sailed by ship and arrived at St. Petersburg on December 8th to personally meet with the Tsar. While Tsar Alexander II cared little for the fate of Denmark and did not think fondly of the Intervention into Germany, he was anti-German and as such it would be a real test of strength to the skills of Bismarck in order to receive an agreement. For weeks Bismarck stayed in the Russian capitol where he negotiated heavily with the Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Gorchakov who was a favorite of the Tsar, relying much on his pragmatism and steering away from Berlin's main goals. To the shock of all in both governments, Bismarck left on January 2nd with a satisfactory agreement with Alexander. What had happened during their stay was the creation of the secret Bismarck-Gorkachov pact. The pact which was signed by both ministers and approved by the Tsar in St. Petersburg, was an agreement between both Germany and Russia over a future partition of the Austrian Empire which Bismarck planned to deal with after Denmark (More on this will be elaborated in the Second War of German Unification). While Wilhelm was annoyed of the prospect of having to enlarge Russia in the future, for now he was satisfied with the diplomatic situation and mobilized the German Army for war in January.
Chancellor Heinrich von Gagern (Left). Foreign Minister Otto von Bismarck (Right). The masterminds behind the second and final phase of German Unification.
On February 1st, 1861, the German Empire declared war on the Kingdom of Denmark for the liberation of Schleswig-Holstein. On the side of Denmark Christian searched desperately to get foreign support against the might of the German Empire. To his immense disappointment he found none as the Danish government focused too much on the new Constitution and had merely expected the Great Powers to intervene, not having been made aware of Germany's diplomatic manuevering. With Denmark being hugely outnumbered by the Germans, it was the hope of the Danish Army to merely prolong the Germans for several months until a power like France or Russia could intervene. Besides the non-existent support of the other powers, the plan was doomed from the start upon the Danish army's positioning. Originally the plan had called for positions upon the flanks of a German invasion at the cities Ebeltoft, Fredrica, and Dybbol. Covering the North, Center, and Southern flanks respectively. However the politicians at Coopenhagen overruled the Danish High Command and instead wished to place fortifications strictly on the border, figuring that they would defeat Germany in a war of attrition, an immense tactical mistake. There were several factors in the war which prevented such an occasion and caused the German success. First off was the immense German numerical and quality superiority versus that of the Danish Army. In the 1850's Germany had been hard at work into making their Army into the best in Europe and they had achieved such a result. Against the 38,000 Danes at the border was a huge Army of 250,000 Germans led by Field Marshal Graf von Wragnel. On February 2nd, Wragnel led 100,000 Germans on a direct assault on the border with a 2500 gun artillery barrage and constant waves of infantrymen which overwhelmed the enemy and sent them retreating on the 4th. The situation grew worse after that as the remaining 150,000 troops had managed to cross both the Baltic and the North Sea due to the area around the Danish-German border being frozen during winter time. The troops split into two and arrived behind Danish lines with both corps surrounding the right and left flank with 75,000 each. For two weeks the German Army gave chase and constantly harassed the Danish Army, causing thousands of Danes to die due to the harsh cold winter which made the situation comparable to Napoleon's retreat. On February 18th, Danish General Christian De Meza having fallen ill during the march surrendered the entire Danish Army to the Germans. The war did not stop there though as the German Army advanced under orders of Gagern to not only occupy Schleswig and Holstein, but the entirety of the Jutland peninsula. Schleswig-Holstein was fully occupied on February 20th and Danish Jutland fell under German occupation on March 22nd. Kaiser Wilhelm threatened that if a cease fire was not called by Christian, Germany would conquer Coopenhagen by summer. Seeing that he had lost and continuing further would be pointless, Christian called a cease fire on March 26th and had to humiliatingly travel to Amsterdam where he would sign a treaty.
Danish troops marching to battle (Left) German infantry storming Danish fortifications (Right)
Both the German delegation and the Danish delegation would meet in Amsterdam to negotiate the treaty to end the war. To call the conference a negotiation is itself a bit of a stretch as the whole thing was merely a discussion among the Germans over terms while the Danes watched, constantly under threat of total occupation if they ever questioned or demanded favorable terms. Wilhelm, Bismarck, and Gagern were all present and engaged in a light debate over what to do with the matter. Gagern advocated for a possible full annexation over Denmark as he and some of the other Pan-Germans thought the nation to be Germanic. Bismarck was vehemetly opposed as he did not want Danish blood to "taint the soil of Deuchstland" and only wanted Schleswig and Holstein, having already been nervous of the presence of 200,000 Danes in the territories. In the end Wilhelm agreed with Bismarck and went for the annexation of Schleswig-Holstein as it was both the casus belli and a preferable solution to the Danish annexation which would have gathered the ire of the rest of Europe and could've caused an additional war. Wilhelm also made a surprise move to the shock of both Gagern and Bismarck where he demanded Danish Ghana, bluffing that if they did not give the colony then he would keep the rest of the Jutland. Finding Danish proper to be favorable to a profitless colony which the Danes had been wanting to sell anyway, Christian agreed and the Treaty of Amsterdam was signed by both parties on April 15th. Its terms being the territorial acquisition of Schleswig and Holstein to be incorporated as Duchies in the Kingdom of Prussia under the rule of House Augustenburg. With the additional acquisition of the colony of Ghana, starting German Africa.
Territorial changes post Treaty of Amsterdam
The results of the war differed vastly in both countries and would have enormous consequences for the future. In Germany celebrations occurred all throughout the nation as the Empire had managed to win another glorious victory to restore the Fatherland. In Holstein and Schleswig Germans marched onto the streets and greeted their liberators with gifts and praise, while the Danish citizens looked on in despair. The veterans of the swift conflict were given a soldier's parade in Berlin with Kaiser Wilhelm appearing and personally thanking the soldiers for winning the war for the fatherland. The makeup of the Imperial parliament shifted slightly to a National Liberal majority in the 1861 federal elections thanks to the leadership of Gagern in obtaining the peace, while Zentrum and the FVP managed to gain a few seats from the Danish population in Schleswig and Holstein. Meanwhile Bismarck began plotting for the next phase of unification, creating a series of events that would eventually lead to war with Austria over their integration into the Empire, the Second War of German Unification. Most importantly in world affairs however would be the Denmark situation, which was ignored by the other European powers at the time. For in Denmark Christian soon became one of the most unpopular kings in history for the defeat, with his seeking of the reemergence of the autocracy increasing in his reign due to his perceived notion that the forcing November Constitution started the war. This sentiment against the monarchy grew within the next decade, as the Danish became tired of the House of Oldenberg and seeked for another monarch to protect their nation. This would result in the latter Scandinavian Revolution, its effects having the biggest consequences for the world as its aftermath would be the cause for the beginning of the Great War decades later.
“It is time to finish what I started. Germany will be unified for the rest of time!”- Kaiser Wilhelm I 1861
“Today is a sad day, for the last of the Vikings have been removed from this Earth.”- King Charles XV 1861
"With Schleswig-Holstein we are one step further to total unification of the Fatherland. Now off to Austria!"- Chancellor Heinrich von Gagern 1861
In the aftermath of the 1846 Revolutions emerged a united Germany, the first time in over a millennia that such an event had happened. With the crowing of Wilhelm as Kaiser of the Germans came a new change to Europe, one where the old balance was forever destroyed and a new world order would emerge, with Germany quickly emerging as a leader. With the Treaty of Copenhagen was signed, Wilhelm set out into immediately ensuring the unification and prosperity of his new empire. With a high amount of popularity and support of the German parliament which had been made up of a majority coalition of National Liberals and Conservatives (who made up of the Prussian Junkers) under the leadership of Chancellor Heinrich von Gagern, multiple amounts of legislation were passed to create a single federal state with all of the various kingdoms and duchies uniting together with a common transportation system, currency, postal service, and infrastructure. Millions of Reichsmarks were poured into the economy so that the industrious areas of the Rhine and Prussia could begin the process of fully implementing the technological changes of the Industrial Revolution and develop an industry that could one day become the largest producer in the world. Conscription was introduced and the Army unified into one overall unified force under the Prussian high command in Berlin, the various Prussian reforms being implemented to ensure that Germany would have the highest quality army of Europe in contrast to the poor inefficiency of Austria. Investments were made into education with the creation of the gymnasium system and the encouragement of attending universities so that Germany could have a highly skilled work force. Alongside this was the strict emphasis of Germanization and the celebration of the various regional cultures of Germany; so that all Germans whether they be Prussian, Bavarian, Saxon, Hanoverian, etc., could unite together and pledge loyalty and patriotism to their new state. Thanks to Germany keeping out of foreign affairs and the nationalization of their industry to take part in the new global economy, Germany was emerging to quickly become the powerhouse of continental Europe, being followed closely behind by France, Italy, and Russia. Yet while his nation was prospering and the people praising their Kaiser, Wilhelm was not content. While he had won an enormous victory with Copenhagen and had achieved what every Prussian King since Fredrick had been dreaming of, he did not win a total victory. The Hapsburg's were still independent and kept millions of patriotic Germans under their rule, their mere existence in Vienna being a mockery in the eye of the prideful Wilhelm. In addition there were many Germans still outside of the borders in Denmark, Russia, and France; a majority wishing for unification with the fatherland. With Germany having been unified and all domestic conflicts under control, it was time to strike.For in the mind of Kaiser Wilhelm his mission was not done, it had only just begun.
Map showing German linguistic distribution in 1860
The first target of the Second phase of German Unification was Denmark. In the past two centuries Denmark had slowly been a stagnate power of Europe with each succeeding monarch further losing power and influence within Europe. The true death blow to the Kingdom, like many others, came during the Napoleonic Wars when the Treaty of Kiel was signed which turned over ownership of Norway to Sweden. This left Denmark as a tiny nation of little power in Europe with their only colonies being Greenland and Iceland, the Danish West Indies, and a small trading post in India. Leaving them right for the pickings of their far more powerful southern neighbor. A rather good thing since they held the most important German lands outside of the Empire below Austria, Schleswig-Holstein. For centuries prior to its dissolution in 1806, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstien had been German provinces that were under the territory of the Holy Roman Empire. However this was rather symbolic as they were at the same time vassals underneath the Danish monarchy. While there had been much conflict in the area from the Thirty Years War to the Napoleonic Wars, the areas had only managed to be strengthened under Danish rule, making them what many Danes considered to be a core part of the Kingdom. During the 1846 Revolutions, while the Danish themselves had peacefully transitioned from an autocracy to a constitutional monarchy, the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were in revolt to join Germany. Unfortunately for them, Wilhelm was not able to order the invasion of Denmark in order to preserve his new alliance with Britain and focus all attention on Austria so that the Russians could not invade Germany through Denmark. With no external support, the rebellion was crushed under the Danish Army and territorial status quo maintained. Yet the feelings of German nationalism were still their, being only strengthened due to Germany's apparent success in the 1850's. The situation was only made worse by the German Pan-Nationalists in Germany who decried the "Illegal Danish occupation" and called for reunification with their brethren, something that the Big Five political parties (National Liberal, Conservative, FVP, Zentrum, SPD) were in full support. Thanks to the steady rule of Fredrick VII and Germany's focus on internal affairs, a crisis was manged to be averted. This would not last forever though with the death of King Fredrick on November 15th, 1860; setting off a chain of events that would ignite the Schleswig-Holstein War.
With the death of Fredrick came a perfect casus belli for the reestablishment of German control over Schleswig-Holstein. The main reason this happened was due to the fact that Denmark's claim on the two duchies were no more upon the death of their monarch In order to understand exactly why this was possible we must go into full detail of the history of Schleswig-Holstein. For centuries while the duchies had been under the rule of Danish Kings, they were tied only to the monarchs and not the Kingdom of Denmark itself. The issue of sovereignty was resolved in the Aftermath of Thirty Years War with the Holy Roman Empire recognizing control of Schleswig-Holstien by Denmark, however this only applied to the Danish rulers who were tied to the House of Oldenberg. This was not a issue for many years until the reign of Fredrick VII. Fredrick was the only son of his father the King Christian VIII, making him the last of the House of Oldenberg for the Danish throne. Despite the pressure of producing an heir to continue the bloodline, Fredrick never produced a son with any of his three wives and instead spent time with various mistresses over the years of his life, surprisingly there were neither any bastards produced by them. There have been many speculations for why there had been no offspring over the years. In addition to his infidelity, there was a wide expectation that Fredrick was infertile and as such could not produce any children. Other theories had emerged that the King was actually gay or bisexual, though few historical evidence has been able to prove this. Whatever the case the King died with no direct heirs and as such the throne went to Christian IX who was a member of the cadet House of Oldenberg. With the death of Fredrick eliminating the main claim to Schleswig-Holstien, Kaiser Wilhelm demanded that the two duchies be handed over to the German Empire as he now had claim as Emperor of the Germans. The National Liberals within Denmark resisted as doing so would mean a further humiliation to Demark which had suffered constant losses for the past century. In order to preserve control of Schleswig and Holstein, the Danish Parliament drafted up a new constitution, the "November Constitution". This Constitution was one that kept the previous reforms of the 1847 one, however it incorporated both the Duchy of Schleswig and Holstein as integral parts of the Kingdom of Denmark with a centralized rule from Copenhagen. The move caused an outcry in the German Empire with the Imperial Parliament passing a proclamation which denounced the move and formally proclaimed that Schleswig and Holstein were an integral part of German sovereignty. The document was later signed and approved by both Chancellor Gagern and Kaiser Wilehlm, essentially a death threat to Denmark that could lead to war. Such a situation put King Christian into a bind. Either he could relent to the Germans demands and incur the wrath of his people, or please the Danish nationalists and bring about the fury of the Kaiser. Feeling that his duty to his countrymen were far more important than that of the German Kaiser, King Christian supported the National Liberals and signed the November Constitution into law. Whether such a move was the right choice of action is one that is hotly debated by historians to this day, whatever the case, it was one that set both Denmark and Germany upon the path of war.
King Fredrick VII of Denmark (Left) Territory of Schleswig and Holstein prior to the war (Right)
Before the Imperial Army could be mobilized, the Germans had to create a diplomatic situation that would result in their favor and prevent the intervention of foreign powers. The task to this incredible dilemma was one that was left to Germany's most powerful statesman, Chancellor Heinrich von Gagern and Foreign Minister Otto von Bismarck. Gagern, regarded today by many as Germany's most greatest Chancellor, was a key force behind German Unification and alongside Wilhelm is one of the founding fathers of Imperial Germany. Gagern was a man who had humble origins as a statesman from Heese, managing to rise into prominence by presiding over the Frankfurt Parliament and being a key force behind the passing of the Imperial Constitution and the coronation of Wilhelm. Thankful to the Nationalist who had put him into power and wanting to throw a bone to the South Germans as a sign of unity, Wilhelm appointed Gagern as Chancellor of Germany in 1849 with his appointment gaining a resounding majority of parliament. Acting as a faithful servant to the Kaiser, Gagern overseed the total unification of Germany and implemented the industrialization of the various Imperial states while being the key backer of the passing of the liberal agenda and reforms, his favor with the Kaiser being a major reason for their passing. On the opposite side existed Conservative Prussian junker Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck was a rising star in Prussian politics as a member of the Prussian Parliament who was a favorite of the deceased King Fredrick Wilhelm. With the rise of Wilhelm as first King and later Kaiser, Bismarck suckered up to the monarch and managed to be appointed as Foreign Minister of Germany in 1856 following the Crimean War. While at first opposed to German Unification before the Revolutions, in the aftermath Bismarck became a German patriot and determined to make Prussia the center of German politics. Both men were exact opposites in terms of personality and ideology, but their love of Germany was equal and they were both loyal to the Kaiser. Upon the passing of the November Constitution both worked hard to bring the situation into their favor.
The first great obstacle that was passed was the status of Great Britain, the two countries were already in an alliance and had a strong bond through the marriage of Crown Prince Fredrick to Princess Victoria, Fredrick being held favorably in the eye of the Queen as she referred to him as "my son in all but blood". With little investment in Denmark, Britain was more than free to back up Germany. Another strong alliance which maintained support was that of Hungary as the two countries had maintained strong ties in the aftermath of the Revolutions with both Gagner and Kossuth maintaining a close friendship. Gagner using the Zentrum party as a medium due to their stance as the Catholic party, was able to get into contact with Pope Pius who proclaimed that he had no interest in the matter, especially as Denmark was a protestant nation. Gagner's most major obstacle was the nation of Imperial France as Napoleon was a staunch anti-German and was very wary of his counterpart in Berlin. Traveling to Paris in December and spending Christmas there, Gagner entered into hard negotiations with the Bonaparte Emperor, constantly stressing of how a potential war between the two nations over Denmark would be an immense disaster for both parties. In the end Gagern was able to obtain French diplomatic neutrality, however Germany had to in return support France's claims in Africa against Britain. What both sides had largely ignored in the meantime was the status of Alsace-Lorraine, the topic later coming up both during and after the Second War of German Unification. On Bismarck's side he was able to use the Foreign Ministry to obtain the neutrality of all European nations outside Russia. In regards to Russia it was at first Gagner's mission to deal with the issue by traveling to St. Petersburg. However this was prevented when Bismarck managed to convince Kaiser Wilhelm to allow him to travel to St. Petersburg and deal with the matter personally while Gagner was in Paris. The main reason for the switch being not due to contempt by Bismarck against Gagner, but rather out of a personal need to implement his version of German Unification. Bismarck sailed by ship and arrived at St. Petersburg on December 8th to personally meet with the Tsar. While Tsar Alexander II cared little for the fate of Denmark and did not think fondly of the Intervention into Germany, he was anti-German and as such it would be a real test of strength to the skills of Bismarck in order to receive an agreement. For weeks Bismarck stayed in the Russian capitol where he negotiated heavily with the Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Gorchakov who was a favorite of the Tsar, relying much on his pragmatism and steering away from Berlin's main goals. To the shock of all in both governments, Bismarck left on January 2nd with a satisfactory agreement with Alexander. What had happened during their stay was the creation of the secret Bismarck-Gorkachov pact. The pact which was signed by both ministers and approved by the Tsar in St. Petersburg, was an agreement between both Germany and Russia over a future partition of the Austrian Empire which Bismarck planned to deal with after Denmark (More on this will be elaborated in the Second War of German Unification). While Wilhelm was annoyed of the prospect of having to enlarge Russia in the future, for now he was satisfied with the diplomatic situation and mobilized the German Army for war in January.
Chancellor Heinrich von Gagern (Left). Foreign Minister Otto von Bismarck (Right). The masterminds behind the second and final phase of German Unification.
On February 1st, 1861, the German Empire declared war on the Kingdom of Denmark for the liberation of Schleswig-Holstein. On the side of Denmark Christian searched desperately to get foreign support against the might of the German Empire. To his immense disappointment he found none as the Danish government focused too much on the new Constitution and had merely expected the Great Powers to intervene, not having been made aware of Germany's diplomatic manuevering. With Denmark being hugely outnumbered by the Germans, it was the hope of the Danish Army to merely prolong the Germans for several months until a power like France or Russia could intervene. Besides the non-existent support of the other powers, the plan was doomed from the start upon the Danish army's positioning. Originally the plan had called for positions upon the flanks of a German invasion at the cities Ebeltoft, Fredrica, and Dybbol. Covering the North, Center, and Southern flanks respectively. However the politicians at Coopenhagen overruled the Danish High Command and instead wished to place fortifications strictly on the border, figuring that they would defeat Germany in a war of attrition, an immense tactical mistake. There were several factors in the war which prevented such an occasion and caused the German success. First off was the immense German numerical and quality superiority versus that of the Danish Army. In the 1850's Germany had been hard at work into making their Army into the best in Europe and they had achieved such a result. Against the 38,000 Danes at the border was a huge Army of 250,000 Germans led by Field Marshal Graf von Wragnel. On February 2nd, Wragnel led 100,000 Germans on a direct assault on the border with a 2500 gun artillery barrage and constant waves of infantrymen which overwhelmed the enemy and sent them retreating on the 4th. The situation grew worse after that as the remaining 150,000 troops had managed to cross both the Baltic and the North Sea due to the area around the Danish-German border being frozen during winter time. The troops split into two and arrived behind Danish lines with both corps surrounding the right and left flank with 75,000 each. For two weeks the German Army gave chase and constantly harassed the Danish Army, causing thousands of Danes to die due to the harsh cold winter which made the situation comparable to Napoleon's retreat. On February 18th, Danish General Christian De Meza having fallen ill during the march surrendered the entire Danish Army to the Germans. The war did not stop there though as the German Army advanced under orders of Gagern to not only occupy Schleswig and Holstein, but the entirety of the Jutland peninsula. Schleswig-Holstein was fully occupied on February 20th and Danish Jutland fell under German occupation on March 22nd. Kaiser Wilhelm threatened that if a cease fire was not called by Christian, Germany would conquer Coopenhagen by summer. Seeing that he had lost and continuing further would be pointless, Christian called a cease fire on March 26th and had to humiliatingly travel to Amsterdam where he would sign a treaty.
Danish troops marching to battle (Left) German infantry storming Danish fortifications (Right)
Both the German delegation and the Danish delegation would meet in Amsterdam to negotiate the treaty to end the war. To call the conference a negotiation is itself a bit of a stretch as the whole thing was merely a discussion among the Germans over terms while the Danes watched, constantly under threat of total occupation if they ever questioned or demanded favorable terms. Wilhelm, Bismarck, and Gagern were all present and engaged in a light debate over what to do with the matter. Gagern advocated for a possible full annexation over Denmark as he and some of the other Pan-Germans thought the nation to be Germanic. Bismarck was vehemetly opposed as he did not want Danish blood to "taint the soil of Deuchstland" and only wanted Schleswig and Holstein, having already been nervous of the presence of 200,000 Danes in the territories. In the end Wilhelm agreed with Bismarck and went for the annexation of Schleswig-Holstein as it was both the casus belli and a preferable solution to the Danish annexation which would have gathered the ire of the rest of Europe and could've caused an additional war. Wilhelm also made a surprise move to the shock of both Gagern and Bismarck where he demanded Danish Ghana, bluffing that if they did not give the colony then he would keep the rest of the Jutland. Finding Danish proper to be favorable to a profitless colony which the Danes had been wanting to sell anyway, Christian agreed and the Treaty of Amsterdam was signed by both parties on April 15th. Its terms being the territorial acquisition of Schleswig and Holstein to be incorporated as Duchies in the Kingdom of Prussia under the rule of House Augustenburg. With the additional acquisition of the colony of Ghana, starting German Africa.
Territorial changes post Treaty of Amsterdam
The results of the war differed vastly in both countries and would have enormous consequences for the future. In Germany celebrations occurred all throughout the nation as the Empire had managed to win another glorious victory to restore the Fatherland. In Holstein and Schleswig Germans marched onto the streets and greeted their liberators with gifts and praise, while the Danish citizens looked on in despair. The veterans of the swift conflict were given a soldier's parade in Berlin with Kaiser Wilhelm appearing and personally thanking the soldiers for winning the war for the fatherland. The makeup of the Imperial parliament shifted slightly to a National Liberal majority in the 1861 federal elections thanks to the leadership of Gagern in obtaining the peace, while Zentrum and the FVP managed to gain a few seats from the Danish population in Schleswig and Holstein. Meanwhile Bismarck began plotting for the next phase of unification, creating a series of events that would eventually lead to war with Austria over their integration into the Empire, the Second War of German Unification. Most importantly in world affairs however would be the Denmark situation, which was ignored by the other European powers at the time. For in Denmark Christian soon became one of the most unpopular kings in history for the defeat, with his seeking of the reemergence of the autocracy increasing in his reign due to his perceived notion that the forcing November Constitution started the war. This sentiment against the monarchy grew within the next decade, as the Danish became tired of the House of Oldenberg and seeked for another monarch to protect their nation. This would result in the latter Scandinavian Revolution, its effects having the biggest consequences for the world as its aftermath would be the cause for the beginning of the Great War decades later.
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interesting, the partition of the Habsburg realm will be a major stumbling bloc. Will the agreement be kept, and what of Hungary and the other nations?