[CHAR] From Sick Man to Savior - An 1847 Nation RP

[Dinh AaronMk]

Government

Name:
The House of Saud

Flag/Badge:


Head of State:
Faisal bin Turki Al Saud

Head of Government:
Same as Head of State

Ideology:
Wahhabist

Military

Army Numbers:
6,000

Navy Numbers:
None

Army Equipment:

• 1836 Brunswick Rifles
• Jezali Pattern Rifles
• 1829 Delvigne Rifles
• Kilij
• Old Turkish muskets

Naval Ship Types:
Nonelol

History, Expansion, and Economics

History:
The origins of the House of Saud go back to the mid 15th century, when the Mrudah clan of bedouins settled in the city of Diriyah in central Arabia. The Mrudah clan would grow in size and power and eventually come to rule Diriyah itself, which came to grow and prosper in proportion to the strength of clan Mrudah. As the clan grew though so did its ambitions and the ambitions of cliques within it. And as the old Bedouin proverb goes, “I against my brother, I and my brother against our cousin, I, my brother and our cousin against the neighbors” the clan split along lines of interest, with one sect leaving for Iraq, and the other coalescing around Sheikh Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin and thus the House of Saud would be born.

The independent of the House of Saud would however not come until the 18th century when the rise of the Wahhabist sect of Sunni Islam swept Arabia. Angered at Ottoman ambitions to declare themselves the Caliph – defenders – of Islam, the Wahhabi movement was critical of the Ottomans for their boldness and even of their decadence. While Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab himself was never publicly inflammatory towards the Ottomans, his political followers in the House of Saud were so bold as to be publicly against the Ottomans. Though nominally a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, the Arab house engaged in years of low-level broiling war with the Ottomans raiding into Iraq and the Levant from their home in the harsh deserts of central Arabia, though controlling the entire peninsula at the time save for the Rub al-Khali, Oman, and Yemen.

Though the conflict with the Ottomans was at a low level, best described as grudges by one vassal against another, it was by no means insincere. Propelled by a combination of religious fervor and state building self-interest the Saudi war against the Ottomans entailed the cleansing of Arabia, attacks against the Iraqi city of Karballah and the destruction of its Shia shrines, and strict control of Medina and Mecca, banning the playing of drums and musics by pilgrims from Egypt, Syria, and beyond. Despite the violence, this was met with esteem and support by the peoples of Arabia who saw the strict Orthodox tendencies of the House of Saud a blessing and a matter of good rule. But to the House of Osman, this became a threat.

In 1811, growing tired of the aggression of the Saudis, the House of Osman declared war on them and ordered Muhammad Ali of Egypt to invade Arabia and deal with the problem posed by the Wahhabists. Muhammad Ali sent his son Ibrahim Pasha to put down the rebellion and over the course of seven years a slow campaign across the deserts of Arabia was initiated, involving the destruction of cities and the extermination of populations as the House of Saud scrambled to mount a defense against the Egyptians. Eventually, the war would come to an end at Diriyah, where the garrison and population was exterminated, and the walls and trenches of the city leveled and filled in. The Ottoman-Egyptian forces, decimated the Arabians and capturing the last Emir-Imam Abdullah bin Saud of the First Saudi State, sent him to Istanbul to be executed and his corpse displayed publicly as a then warning against further rebellion.

This though, did not kill the House of Saud.

Though scattered remnants remained and the last man capable of taking leadership of the house, Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud who was able to flee Diriyah before its destruction, living in exile in the desert before eventually leaving for India to seek refuge. His son Faisal bin Turki Al Saud was taken to Egypt by Ibrahim Pasha as a captive, where through lacking importance compared to Abdullah bin Saud was permitted to live for a time in soft exile in Egypt, before returning to Arabia, and on invitation from his father himself left for India.

In India, the remnants of the House of Saud gathered around the court of the Empire of the Sikhs as refugees. There they were clothed and sheltered and even began new military careers in the Sikh army. Though leading small parts, the refugees of the House of Saud showed admirable bravery in the war in Afghanistan. The Sauds also made a popular decision to back the Sindhanwalias in Sikh internal politics.

Though austere, the differences in Saudi belief in Wahhabism has not seen them alienated among the Sikhs who find only their belief in austere modesty a humorous modesty reminiscent of the gurus of the Indian subcontinent. While shunning decadence the family in India practices many of the virtues of the Islamic faith in charity and faith and has carved out a niche and a following in Punjabi society which has allowed the House of Saud to reconstruct a small military base in India that they someday dream of bringing back with them to Arabia, and lay out revenge against the Egyptians and Ottomans that decades ago so annihilated their people.

Despite the distance all the same, they maintain contact with the rest of their clan in Arabia and with the people through letters, and Faisal bin Turki Al Saud has inherited the practice of his father Turki bin Abdullah as a poet and a letter writer, regularly writing missives about his love for Arabia and his desire to return to its deserts and mountains. He remains in close contact with the chiefs of the high deserts of Nejd and beyond and close Saudi family still living in the area, which after the war still maintains a nominal political presence in Arabia, as the immediate and organized Wahhabist resistance to the foreigners has for the time being, been laid low.

As the proverb goes:
“I against my brother, I and my brother against our cousin, I, my brother and our cousin against the neighbors, All of us against the foreigner.”

Territory:
Effectively as an independent polity: none.
As local provincial rulers in Egypt: Nejd

Economic Description:
The basic economy of Nejd was nearly decimated by the Nejd Expedition during the Ottoman-Wahabbi War, where in many of the settlements visited by the armies many of the men over the age of ten were executed and much of the infrastructure destroyed. Though cities like Diriyah enjoyed a vibrant agricultural life blessed upon the region by the Wadi Hanifa.

Historical Claims:

[Andreyich]

The United States of America

Government

Name: United States of America
Flag/Badge: I'm too lazy to edit on the appropriate number of stars so suck it bitches
Head of State: President Clay
Head of Government: President Clay
Ideology: The United States is best characterized by nationalist liberalism, wherein typically reactionary values are syncretized with liberal ones like value of the individual and his freedom and the right of all men to vote.

Military
Loosely based on alternatewars.com/BBOW/Stats/US_Mil_M…
Army Numbers: 70,000 men under arms (30,000 additional in irregulars)
Navy Numbers: 20,000 men under arms (including and mostly made up of USMC)
Army Equipment: The United states though bearing a comparatively small army when accounting for population density certainly makes up for this by the ingenuity of its development. Noticing the fact they had hardly any superiority on the mothballed arms of the Mexicans and arguable inferiority to the British-Canadians the United States has begun to use its technological progresto not only modernize their army but to be the one to be pushing the standard of modernity in warfare. The Artillery of the United States is particularly advanced with production in local armouries. The Hall Rifle system has come to be the standard issue rather than simply for elites, to be replaced by the Sharps following further tests and development. As well, the United States is far ahead of other states in weaponry of the future such as the Colt Revolver; based upon this it is creating revolving rifles. Though first models are wrought with issues of reliability newer ones are appearing ever more fit for standard issue to cavalry and marines.
Naval Ship Types: Following the loss of much of its old fleet to Britain and the failure to seize British ships in Canada, the United States fleet is rather small, though many propagandists have used this to describe a "fresh start" wherein all ships will be steamers of the future. Indeed though it has a numeric and doctrinal disadvantage on navies of other powers there is a distinct qualitative advantage of the vessels.

History, Expansion, and Economics

History: The Point of Divergence is 1841 with the second presidency of Martin van Buren
With the election of Martin van Buren, the United States was free of the bleeding heart nonsense of the Whigs, the Democrat stranglehold tightened for the foreseeable future. However the vote was not won by appealing to moderates, rather by playing further to his base. A promise to undo the failings of his presidency, namely the eventual induction of Texas into the Union.

However, as he became President his first act was to focus upon undoing his Northern failures. Mackenzie's Republicans, Papineau's Patriotes, Natives, Fenians and even Mormons seeking to carve themselves a small enclave, all forces for a Canada free of the British (or for the Americans) were rallied, and once more marched North. The conflict was a short but vicious one, where the American navy in effect sacrificed itself in all but entirety to ensure the British would struggle to reinforce the continent. Though ultimately American victory was hard fought and it brought more problems than it solved. The Republic of Canada was made into an unincorporated territory of the United States, and the strains of defending this ensured that van Buren was unable to maintain his promise to annex Texas into the United States of America.

Just as easily as the Democrats had created their hold on the US government, so too they quickly lost it. The Whigs under Clay won the presidency in 1844, and began the process of elimination of slavery through Federal payments for the liberation of slaves to their owners akin to what the British had done. Though still formally legal, the Whigs set into motion bills in an effort to make the practice unprofitable to further encourage slave owners to attempt to get rid of them fast. Unfortunately for the moral goals of the Whigs, many simply sold them off elsewhere for great profit.

By 1846 the refusal of Clay to take Texas into the Union made Senators and Congressmen push to introduce the means to make a vote of no confidence. In a last ditch effort to avoid the matter, a referendum was made across the United States to decide whether or not Texas would be admitted into the Union. An overwhelming success, the matter unsurprisingly prompted Mexico to declare was as promised.

It was a difficult conflict with strong initial gains from the Mexicans as American soldiers had to face difficulties in arranging sustainable deployment that wouldn't put the North at risk. Nevertheless, the United States military was able to narrwoly overcome the Mexican army through its superior armament and command; in and of itself these would not have been able to overcome Mexico, but several lucky strikes of canisters were able to eliminate Mexican generals that collapsed their war effort. Though much of the United States were sated by the taking of Texas and California, the difficulty of the conflict made the public feel that a larger prize was needed giving great strength to the All-Mexico movement. Another referendum was held, and at a far tighter margin than the previous one all of Mexico was declared another unincorporated territory of the United States. However, American troops only maintain order as far South as Durango and Ciudad Victoria; beyond is a great guerilla movement that the Federal army has not yet found the confidence to move against.

Territory: The US has gained control of the vast majority of Canada as an unincorporated territory and Northern Mexico (formally claiming Southern Mexico as well). However its hold on all of its territories is far more strenous than in the past, especially with the risings of the natives, the ever increasing count of Mormons, and the veteran Fenian soldiers without a cause.
Economic Description: The United States is truly capable of autarky with advanced industry compounded by a vast sectors of agriculture, mining and other natural resource extraction. Nevertheless, with the multitude of ports it holds it performs trade for may things, notably luxuries like fur for more southern ones of tropical climes. Further, the impending end of slavery has had many Southerners decide to sell their slaves abroad for a high price rather than the much smaller one that the Federal Government is offering.
Historical Claims: The United States is first and foremost interested in the consolidation of its existing territories. However, once that is finished there are many calls for the ejection of European colonial powers from the New World.

[Antediluvixen]

Provisional Imperial Republic of Japan

"The social insecurity of the worker is the real cause of their being a peril to the state."

- Otto von Bismark

---

Government

Name: Provisional Imperial Republic of Japan
Flag/Badge:

Head of State: His Imperial Majesty Emperor Kōmei of Japan
Head of Government: Sei-i Taishōgun, Katayama Kumiko, Shogun of Japan
Ideology: Japanese Republican Imperialism:
An ideology created and espoused by Shogun Kumiko following her stunning military victories in the early days of the civil war. Japanese Republican Imperialism is an ideology espousing the rule and ownership of the nation of Japan by its population rather than by social elites, and the spreading of Japanese influence, culture, and territory through military or economic action. Lands and resources are to be managed for the public good, instead of private profit, and the surplus from this used to further expand the lands and resources of the Japanese state and to bring other peoples into the fold of Japanese society.

Military

Army Numbers: The Imperial Japanese Army practices conscription and is capable of levying hundreds of thousands to supplement its 50,000 strong professional standing army. It is notable for the high number of women in its armed forces.
Navy Numbers: The Imperial Japanese Navy is small, but growing, and efforts are underway to purchase yet more ships from abroad and construct new ones domestically.

• 4 Ships of the Line
• 11 Frigates
• 16 Sloops
• 2 Brigs
• 6 Schooners
• 2 Steamships

Army Equipment: The Imperial Japanese Revolutionary Army is equipped with modern percussion rifled muskets, artillery, and other equipment. Initially these weapons were purchased from abroad, but have recently begun domestic production following the purchase of industrial tooling from abroad.
Naval Ship Types: The Imperial Japanese Revolutionary Navy is small, but counts ships of the line, frigates, sloops, brigs, schooners, and even steamships among its fleet.

History, Expansion, and Economics

Historical Claims: The Provisional Imperial Republic of Japan is overt about its short term goals - annexing Korea, Taiwan, the Sakhalin island, and large swathes of mainland China. In the longer term, they seek to control or influence a much wider sphere, turning the Pacific Ocean to their rule.

History: Point of Divergence: 1840

The Shogun of Japan’s road to greatness began in the year 1840. Bad harvests exacerbated by the poor management and harsh taxation of the Daimyo lead to severe food shortages and riots across the entire nation. Though most of the Japanese people were secluded from the goings on of the wider world, the port city of Nagasaki was not. Hearing news of the ongoing humiliation of Qing China, a young woman living in the farms on the outskirts of Nagasaki began making waves in the local community, insisting the same might happen to them, that if their rulers could not handle the food shortages, what hope did they have against the foreigners?

Initially, she was ignored, belittled, and told to know her place. She was, for a time, regarded as little more than a madwoman - claiming to be a descendent of Tokugawa Ieyasu himself, no less. But her following grew, slowly, as news filtered in from abroad. The year was 1840 when, following the orders of a local magistrate, an order for her arrest was issued. Instead of allowing herself to be taken, the strange woman produced a short sword and slew the two men sent to arrest her.

The rebellion began in earnest, then. Buoyed by her rhetoric, many villagers and townsfolk flocked to her side. Bearing improvised weapons they overran and looted the city’s armory. The rebellion exploded overnight, seizing control of the city of Nagasaki. An army was dispatched by the Shogun to quell the uprising, but in a startling turn of events the rebels, under the stunning leadership of Katayama Kumiko, intercepted and decisively defeated the government forces.

Urgent missives were dispatched from the port of Nagasaki to any foreign empire that might lend an ear. The great bear of the east, the Russian Empire, was the first to respond. Russian ships arrived in Nagasaki, bringing old guns and cannon, powder and shot. With an eerie level of proficiency, Kumiko began the organization of a proper army from her peasant’s rebellion. With fresh supplies, new weapons, and a fanatically devoted and growing army, the Japanese civil war commenced fully. Skillfully lead both tactically and strategically, the growing rebellion pried the country away from the hands of the Shogun and Emperor piece by piece.

In the year 1844, Katayama Kumiko enters Kyoto at the head of her victorious army. The previous Shogun is executed, and with the support of her army she is inducted as the new Shogun of Japan, much to the shock of onlookers both internal and external.

Shogun Kumiko’s reforms begin almost immediately. Trade deals and alliances are forged with the Russian Empire, and the centuries long policy of isolation of the previous Tokugawa Shoguns is abolished overnight. The port city of Nagasaki is transferred to the ownership of the Russian Empire, granting the great power something it has sought for decades if not centuries - a warm water port. Women are empowered by her decree, enforced by her fanatical army, women consisting of up to thirty percent of its number. Weapons, industrial machinery, wondrous technologies, trains, and more are imported as much as the nation’s treasury will allow. The domains of the daimyo are liquidated and transferred to the ownership of the peasants who work them. Foreigners - primarily Dutch and Russian - are permitted, and encouraged, to enter the country in order to spread the technologies of the West. Samurai rebellions are put down with ruthless efficiency, the newly termed Imperial Japanese Revolutionary Army formed around a solid core of veteran soldiers from the civil war, drilled and trained in the style of European warfare. The armies of Japan stand ready to make China bend the knee and make the whole world recognize the Imperial Republic as a force to be reckoned with.

"If we are to stand against the European powers we must learn from them, and take what is rightfully ours by force, lest we be left behind to be crushed beneath their bootheel. The ways of old have served us well, but in the land of the rising sun, we must look forward into this new dawn."

-Katayama Kumiko, Shogun of the Provisional Imperial Republic of Japan

Economic Description: The economy of Japan remains primarily agricultural, but is rapidly modernizing in nearly every conceivable field. Railroads are being rapidly constructed to link as much of the country together as possible. The consolidation of farmland away from the hands of the nobility and into those of farmer’s cooperatives has boosted rice output significantly. The Japanese islands are notably resource-poor, and intensive efforts are underway to secure not only mining and extraction rights within the vast Russian territory of Siberia, but expanding the borders of the empire. At present, Japan relies on imports for its burgeoning industrial sector, built up first on foreign purchased machinery, and subsequently on an increasing number of domestically produced tools.

This is, of course, a massive gamble on the part of the Shogun. The importation of resources and the Shogun’s financial investments on the scale currently being practiced requires an equally vast incentive. The Japanese Yen has been established as a fiat currency, and intensive efforts are underway to build up a proper financial sector of the economy. As it stands, the Japanese economy has two great advantages in building itself up - cheap labor, and cheap goods. The rapidly growing economy is built on a pile of IOUs to foreign creditors, and it is in the island nation’s best interests to make good on every ounce of investment. Resources such as iron and coal flow in to newly founded factories in rivers, and cheap goods flow out to the global market. Though the standard of living has risen, costs remain low in comparison to those factories of Europe, giving the Japanese Empire a chance to grow strong on European gold.

[Eldritch Puppy]

The French Empire

Government

Name: French Empire
Flag/Badge:

Head of State: Napoléon III
Head of Government: Napoléon III
Ideology: Authoritarian bonapartism and liberalism

Military

Army Numbers: 60,000 permanent professionals, 600,000 trained reserves.

Navy Numbers:

Levant Fleet (Mediterranean Sea): 22 ships of the line, 10 frigates, 142 various smaller ships.

Ponant Fleet (Atlantic Ocean and English Channel): 30 ships of the line, 20 frigates, 113 various smaller ships.

Army Equipment:

- Minié rifle
- Modèle 1842 St. Etienne Percussion Musket

- Breech-loading pistols
- Percussion pistols

- Muzzle-loading cannons
- Muzzle-loading howitzers
- Mortars

Naval Ship Types:

- Ships of the line
- Frigates
- Brigs
- Avisos
- Sloops
- Bomb ships

History, Expansion, and Economics

History:

In 1840, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince of Holland and heir to the French imperial throne, takes advantage of the patriotic fervor following the return of the Emperor’s ashes from Saint Helena and stages a military coup in Boulogne-sur-Mer from London with the intent to march on Paris. He learned from his failed attempt in Strasbourg in 1936 which made him known to the public and prepared carefully, bribing the commander of the garrison and his officers in advance. Using the initial impetus gained from rallying the 42nd Line Regiment to his cause, Bonaparte leads them southwards as the Gendarmerie forces who attempt to arrest him flee when the soldiers of the 42nd open fire on them. A portion of the local Garde Nationale defects to him as well, the others withdrawing in confusion.

Louis-Napoléon rallies more and more support as his growing army closes in on Paris. King Louis-Philippe’s men who were sent to stop him fail to do so, joining Louis-Napoleon instead and shouting “Vive l’Empereur”, long live the Emperor, in a repeat of the events of Napoléon’s return from Elba in 1815.

The king panics and flees the capital to Belgium. The defenders of Paris lay down their weapons and Louis-Napoléon makes a triumphant entrance into the city. What is left of the monarchy crumbles and the French Second Empire is born.

Louis-Napoléon, now known as Napoléon III, Emperor of the French, is much like his uncle yet so different. He admires England and wants to emulate English modernity as he seeks to enact policies reminiscent of bonapartism, but also humanism and social christianism, along with authoritarian liberalism. Bank systems and infrastructures are modernized, railways are built, the army is reformed. Despite both monarchist and republican opposition, the Emperor is massively popular with rural France and enjoys the support of rich bourgeois, small towns residents, and workers alike.

Now, France looks to the outside. While the Emperor wishes for closer ties with Britain, France’s defeat at the hands of its old enemies, Austria, Prussia, and Russia, is neither forgotten nor forgiven. Nevertheless, the Second Empire so far proves to be more interested in trade, prosperity and influence than vengeance.

Territory: No change from OTL

Economic Description: France produces and exports wheat and cereals, wine, timber and wooden products, machines, steel, and textiles in large quantities.

Historical Claims: France wishes to increase its influence in Western Germany, Italy, North Africa, and the Middle East. Meanwhile, expeditions sail to Asia and Africa with goals to open new trade routes and establish trading posts in faraway lands.

France is currently embroiled in a war against Emir Abdelkader ibn Muhieddin's djihad in Algeria. Most Algerain tribes have turned on the Emir and joined forces with the French, and Abdelkader's defeat seems inevitable.

[Letter Bee]

Formal Application - The Sultanate of Egypt:

Hider

Government

Name: Sultanate of Egypt

Flag/Badge:


Head of State: Sultan Muhammad Ali Pasha
Head of Government: Sultan Muhammad Ali Pasha
Ideology: Conservative.

Military

Army Numbers: 75,000 - 80,000 (After Point of Divergence.)

Navy Numbers: (Copy Wikipedia if you are not using a Point of Divergence. If you are, use common sense and reason - No absurd numbers. Also, if you have multiple fleets, list each one's ships seperately, do not bunch them up).

Mediterrenean Fleet (After Point of Divergence):

-8 Ships of the Line
-20 Frigates
-30 Corvettes
-10 Schooners
-20 Brigantines

Red Sea Fleet (After Point of Divergence):

- 3 Ships of the Line
- 8 Frigates
- 10 Corvettes
- 5 Schooners
- 10 Brigantines

Army Equipment:

-Springfield Model 1842 (Rifle).
-Colt Walker 1846 (Pistol).
-The Harpers Ferry Model 1841 (Rifle).
-Aston Model 1842 (Pistol).
-20 Smoothbore Cannons (Field and Siege Guns).
-15 Rocket Artillery.

Naval Ship Types:

-Ships of the Line
-Frigates
-Corvettes
-Schooners
-Brigantines

History, Expansion, and Economics

The Point of Divergence began in the year 1840, where the British offered Muhammad Ali, then merely the rebellious viceroy of Egypt, a deal - Keep his military conquests, his navy, and gain independence from the Ottoman Empire in exchange for an earlier Suez Canal. Muhammad Ali agreed, and once the deal was signed, he found himself the new Sultan of Egypt, and ready to create a new modern nation which nevertheless did not lose its continuity and attachment to the Past. With a free hand to continue his reforms, and relations with the independent Greek Kingdom repaired by his' ceding Crete to them, he now had almost unlimited power in his nation.

His modernizing reforms involved improving education and fostering literacy, encouraging foreign business and trade, while at the same time making use of the Western Powers' current goodwill (extended by legally abolishing slavery) to foster trade with the parts of Africa which were still unconquered by European powers. Not just that, but he also founded a Military Academy in order to lessen his dependence on European specialists, as well as extended medical education to women in order to improve the expertise of midwives and women's doctors so that his pool of potential soldiers and workers can grow.

While these all came with a cost, economic growth was high due to investment in Egypt's agricultural economy, as well as the workshops and small factories the Sultan ordered built all along the Nile. Gold mining in Sudan was also a vital source of funds, especially when new methods of resource production were brought in from the West. And of course, there was Egyptian Cotton, which grew into a viable competitor against the American South's products. While taxes were still high, wages grew, and the standard of living in Egypt began to improve, although it was still poor by European Standards.

As for foreign affairs, Muhammad Ali chose to eschew intervention into Ethiopia as he grew older, knowing full well that he had to focus on building Egypt's economy. So in a surprising move, he chose to aid the would-be uniter of the Ethiopians, Sahle Dingil/Tewedoros II, in ascending to his nation's throne in exchange for preferential access to the coffee plants of said nation. At the same time, defenses are built up all across the Cicilian border with the Ottomans, where the local Armenian population is given tax exemptions in exchange for helping build fortifications and serving as soldiers and sailors.

Nevertheless, some touch of the old ruthlessness remains in the elderly, successful, Sultan of Egypt, as he is speculated to have secretly ordered the death of his most incompetent nephew, Abbas, in order to have an heir who would not scrap his modernizing policies (his competent eldest son, Ibrahim, is currently dying from tuberculosis). For now, however, despite the absolute nature of his rule and his insistence that it continue, Egypt's future looks bright...

Territory: Cilicia/Lesser Armenia, The Levant, the Hedjaz region of Arabia including the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, Egypt and Sudan.

Economic Description: Egypt makes most of its money from agriculture, whether of food crops or cash crops, with cotton making up most of the latter. It has also built up a proto-industrial economy of workshops and factories for local consumption of goods, as well as the production of guns, artillery, and ships. Mining in Sinai and Sudan is also a source of wealth, with gold and iron ore being important resources to the domestic and foreign economies. And finally, a Western-style Bank has been set up in Cairo itself, one which heralds the arrival of more 'sophisticated' financial institutions.

Historical Claims: None, Egypt is satisfied.

[TheEvanCat]

Korea

Government

Name: Great Joseon State (대조선국) - Joseon Dynasty of Korea

Flag/Badge: The Royal Standard of the King of Joseon

Head of State: King Heonjong

Head of Government: Queen Sinjeong (Grandmother of King Heongjong)

Ideology: Korean Confucianism (Absolute Monarchy)

Military

Army Numbers: 75,000 members of the standing army. In wartime, a significant pool of volunteers and irregulars is drawn from the Korean tradition of uibyeong - “Righteous Army.”

Navy Numbers: The contemporary Joseon dynasty maintains no significant naval forces, save for a robust system of coastal defenses.

Army Equipment: Line soldiers are equipped with metallic brigandine armor in the style of martial hanbok. Unique to the Joseon dynasty, experimental bulletproof soft armor - myeonji baegap - is fielded to some troops to protect against new firearm developments. Joseon firearms are referred to as chongtong and are a fusion of traditional Korean weaponry with modern advancements. Joseon troops utilize rockets, cannon, mortars, and handheld muskets. Rifles are rare, as Joseon doctrine adapts to modern developments of Western militaries.

Naval Ship Types: Naval theory and posited modernization programs center on historical doctrine, deriving heavily from the pairing of the geobukseon “turtle ship” and the panokseon warship.

History, Expansion, and Economics

History: The Joseon dynasty emerged from almost two centuries of peace and prosperity at the turn of the 19th century. In the 18th century, kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo maintained a delicate balance between the warring factions of the Korean peninsula. This policy of tangpyeongchaek resulted in the solidification of the Joseon dynasty’s power and rule over the Koreans. However, with the death of King Jeongjo, the Joseon dynasty began a significant decline with the rule of the “in-law” families. These rulers were ineffective: the resulting corruption and mismanagement sent thousands of Koreans into poverty. Korea became a “hermit kingdom”, increasingly isolationist and unwilling to communicate outside its borders.

The 1830s were increasingly complicated in the Joseon political sphere. Illnesses, regents, and shifts of power were commonplace as the Joseon dynasty struggled to survive a turbulent period. By 1840, the Joseon dynasty was ruled by the thirteen-year-old King Heongjong through the regency of his grandmother, Queen Sinjeong. Despite reaching adulthood, Queen Sinjeong refused to give up her regency due to the supposed incompetency of Heongjong. Kept satisfied with a good life in the capital of Hanseong, King Heongjong kept a low profile from politics and instead utilized his nature as a royal to live a life of vice and playfulness.

Queen Sinjeong, however, dealt with the increasing pressures of being surrounded by the Qing and the Japanese. With the dysfunction of her government rampant at every level, she sought to bail out a sinking ship. The Confucian ideals of bureaucracy had been tainted by clans, bribes, and all manner of impropriety. Despite this, there was no significant effort to improve the Joseon regime until 1844 when news of a revolution reached the Joseon palaces. The Shogun, who had left the Korean peninsula alone for decades, had been overthrown by an aggressive and assertive imperialist regime.

That summer, after the rise of Shogun Kumiko, an advisor to Queen Sinjeong voiced his grievances during a routine meeting. The advisor, a wise elderly veteran of Joseon politics, reportedly stood up to Queen Sinjeong and called her a fool in front of the court for continuing the status quo. In an impassioned speech, the advisor laid out the threats posed to the Korean people by the Japanese. He evoked the Imjin Wars that the Joseon dynasty had fought in the last decade of the 16th century, and argued that a new invasion was imminent if they were allowed to advance uncontested.

Normally, such impropriety towards the royal system would not be tolerated. But Queen Sinjeong pondered her advisor’s words and, after many days of thinking and consultation, the regent of the Joseon dynasty agreed to follow suit and prepare her country for the impending threat of the Japanese, Chinese, and Russians. Reactively, she sent her bureaucrats to find a solution to the rapidly modernizing threat of the Japanese across the East Sea. Their answer to her: send a diplomatic delegation to the United States across the ocean. Queen Sinjeong, after careful thinking, agreed.

The Korean party came ashore to the Americas after a long voyage. Outside of Oregon, the Korean diplomatic element landed outside a settlement and asked to speak to the country’s leader. Through a highly charismatic and specially selected diplomat who had learned English from the British, the Korean-American Friendship Party traveled across the United States to Washington, where the group of “exotic Oriental” diplomats were granted a special session with President Clay to voice their message. This meeting resulted in the historic pact between the Joseon dynasty and the United States, where the Koreans became the first significant overseas partners of America.

Until 1847, the Koreans received a significant amount of technological aid and investment from the Americans. Businesses and the government utilized Korea as a foundation to export their products, with the aim of defeating the Japanese and Russians across the sea. Korea, meanwhile, continued its modernization and professionalization of government and military. Queen Sinjeong, her view changed by the sudden encounter with an advisor, heavily utilized her bureaucrats to bring the Joseon dynasty back to the professional Confucian ways. It was now her responsibility to merge Western modernization with Eastern ideals.

Korea, through its vast investment in help from America, seeks to modernize and improve itself in the face of a Japanese threat. With the threat of the Imperial Japanese Revolutionary Army just across the East Sea, the Koreans struggle to build themselves into a power that can resist yet another incursion upon their homeland. While the political and societal ramifications of this rapid change remain uncertain, Queen Sinjeong remains steadfastly dedicated to the preservation of Joseon Korea. American culture and ideas seep into the country, seeding the classes of people who may oppose the absolutism of the monarchy. As a new year in 1448 dawns, Korea and Japan have reemerged; they are rearmed, renewed, and ready.

Territory: The Joseon dynasty controls the Korean peninsula up to the Amrok (Yalu) River bordering China.

Economic Description: The Korean economy is highly regional. Much of southern Korea is agricultural, where farms and rice paddies dominate the countryside. Northern Korea, especially in the mountainous and cold central regions, has a wealth of mineral deposits and mines. The coasts and rivers are a source of seafood and maritime trade. Cities in Korea represent the centers of economic development and trade. Hanseong (modern day Seoul) is Joseon Korea's political and governmental center of gravity. Pyongyang to the north benefits significantly from the north's mines, rapidly becoming a center of Western-style industry. Busan, to the south, is perhaps the most heavily Westernized city in Korea owing to its port facilities importing American and European trade.

Historical Claims: There are no official external territorial claims north of the Amrok River. It is the longest-standing international border in history, with over 800 years separating China and Korea. However, certain highly nationalist members of the Korean court maintain irredentist ideologies ranging in intensity. Some wish to take territory in Qing China where ethnic Koreans live, while the most extreme advisors advocate for full restoration of the ancient Goguryeo dynasty's frontier.

Dark purple represents the current Joseon borders on the Korean peninsula. Light purple represents the extent of ethnic Korean communities within Qing China. Pale pink is the largest northward expansion of the fourth-century Goguryeo dynasty.

[Wernher]

The United States of Greater Austria:

Hider

Government

Name: Vereinigte Staaten von Großösterreich (United States of Greater Austria) VSGO
Flag/Badge:

Head of State: Prinz-Präsident Klemens von Metternich
Head of Government: Reichskanzler Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky
Ideology: Liberal

Military

Army Numbers: 350.000
Navy Numbers:
- 1 Ship of the line
- 5 Frigates
- 5 Frigates
- 8 Schooners
- 2 Paddle Steamers
Army Equipment:
Naval Ship Types:

History, Expansion, and Economics

History:
Metternich, the architect of the concert of Europe, was a masterful diplomat that managed to keep Austria relevant following the Napoleonic wars despite an arguably dismal military performance from the empire. His objective was simple: Maintain the status quo and keep Austria relevant in these changing times. This was easier said than done and when Ferdinand I, a speech impeded epileptic, took the throne in 1835, more power was delegated to him and he realized he could either save the monarchy or make Austria into a durable entity. With the raising nationalism and revolution in the air, old absolute monarchies were ill fit to rule over a large multi-ethnic empire. In this point of divergence, he decided to ditch the monarchy and collaborate with the liberals to preempt the upcoming storm.

A master negotiator, it was easy for him to rally people on his side by stating the obvious: Napoleon had shattered the old order and while the tides of liberalism had recessed, just like the tides, they were sure to come back. The elite could either drown under this wave or try and ride it to greater heights and attempt to harness the energies of liberalism to achieve success on the European and world stage.

Turning Austria around was achieved with extreme ease, all the minorities were clamoring for freedom and reform and so chose the path of least resistance: Metternich`s path. The Emperor relied entirely on the man and trusted him when he told this was the only way: A Federal and Democratic Austrian constitutional monarchy. The monarchy part would quickly take a dive and Ferdinand was forced to abdicate, so the Habsburg name may go down quietly in history as that of diplomats and reformers and so that some privileges may be retained by the aristocrats, there were no breaks on this train anymore.

The great experiment has been a wild success, the liberalization allowing for greater freedom and development while the Maestro of Europe held the economy in a tight leash with standardization efforts and making german the default langua franca of the Union, but despite how the Prince-President speaks with confidence of the future of the Balkans and how this country is a model for the basis of a united Europe, the truth is no one knows where this is going and that no one has gone down the road of progress so fast. Will this be truly a success story that will inspire mankind? Or will this wind of change be too strong for the fabric of this nation to handle, smashing it to bits?

So far, two things have held this enterprise together: Metternich`s personal charisma, and a rapidly raising quality of life for everyone in the empire, closing the gap with germany and france year after year. Everyone is mostly friendly right now, embracing each other as friends as everyone enjoys the fruits of prosperity, but can this friendship last when things don`t go so well?

Territory:


Economic Description:
Bohemia is the economic power-house of the union and industrializing at a pace rivaling the rest of the major powers thanks to its rich coal and iron deposits, likewise there is a growing fashion and ship-building in north Italy while Austria proper is an important financial and cultural center. The Balkan parts of the region are in comparison backward but are seeing quick development, especially around the Adriatic and rivers that can be used to facilitate the transport of resources around. The government generally keeps a hands free approach on things, but the armament industry is a protected area of the economy as it is seen of vital strategic importance for the Union to be able to produce its own arms.

Historical Claims:
Officially, there are only disputes with the Ottoman Empire on the subject of the Balkans and minor things with the Italian states. Unofficially however, the nationalist fervor sweeping through the Union has led many local governments to make quasi-claims of their own and petition the Federal government to seek territorial expansion in states where their own minority exists in a subjugated state. Slavic-Pan-Nationalism in the Balkans, the Polish state wishing to expend itself to include all Poles, including those in Russia and Germany, the State of Venice seeing itself as a contender to form Italy and many german liberals saying all of germany would be better enjoying the freedoms of the Union rather than be under the yoke of Prussia. Some, again, think there should be a 'United States of Europe', but these are the minority.

[DELETED32084]

The Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Kingdom of the Netherlands

Map

Head of State: King William II
Head of Government: King William II
Ideology: Conservative / Monarchist

Military

Army Numbers:
Standing Army: 75,000

Navy Numbers:
- 60 Ships of the line
- 100 Frigates
- 400 smaller vessels
- 10 Paddle Steamers

History, Expansion, and Economics

History:
The relative savaging of the British Empire by numerous other powers around the world left a massive gap in the ability to transport goods around the world.

In 1841, the Dutch East India and Dutch West India companies were resurrected on the stock exchange and ships once again sailed under their flag as they quietly stepped in to fill the roll left empty by British shipping.

Walking a careful tight rope of neutrality, the Netherlands has done everything in its power to avoid being dragged into any major conflicts while moving goods around the world.

A struggling Britain has since sold several key holdings to the Dutch, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malta are among them. The Dutch have fortified these islands and then largely withdrawn from colonial rule, instead serving the local rulers and people by connecting them with world trade.

The lose of Belgium in 1840 still stings of course but what the Dutch could not do by force of arms they are doing with economic weight as they fund projects around the world and maintain a slice of ownership.

Economic Description:
While not a massive industrial powerhouse with the Prussians or Austrians, the Dutch have continued to amass wealth through trade and investments in other parts of the world. Be it shipping machinery to Japan, sugar and spices to Europe, or Swedish timber to America. If there is coins to be made, the Dutch are around somewhere.

Historical Claims:
The Dutch control their traditional territories on mainland Europe and a smattering of small but heavily fortified islands or ports throughout the world for resupply purposes.

[Jeddaven]

The Great Qing

Name: Great Qing
Flag/Badge:

By u/DonGatoCOL on r/vexillology
Head of State: Emperor
Head of Government: Same as Head of State
However, note that there are several important ministries in the Empire that hold serious informal policy-making power, such as the Grand Council, headed by Prince Gong, which operates as an effective privy council.
Ideology: Absolute Monarchy

Military

Army Numbers: 200,000 Bannermen, 600,000 Green Standard Troops

Navy Numbers:
63 gunboats
1 Steam Ship

Army Equipment: Under the watchful eye of the Prince Gong the Great Qing as rapidly modernized its military, at a pace comparable to Japanese thanks to the aid of the United States. The sheer size of its army, however, means that it has yet to fully equip its army with fully modern rifles, and large portions still utilize older European-style rifles and cannon purchased from surplus. In particular, large stocks of older American and captured Mexican weapons populate the Green Standard armies. Of particular note is the intensification of coastal and riverine fortifications, esp. larger and longer range gun batteries.

Naval Ship Types: The Chinese Navy, despite its moderate size, is mostly composed of gunboats built for riverine and coastal defense, along with a single steam ship purchased from the Dutch for study. Most of the Navy was obliterated in the First Opium War, and the Empire is still modernizing and rebuilding its fleets.

History, Expansion, and Economics

History: In 1840, embroiled in the Opium War, the Daoguang Emperor was temporarily incapacitated after a bad fall, leaving the Prince Gong as his temporary regent. The Regent made a determination that, although unpopular, would eventually change China's fortunes for the better - he negotiated a treaty with the United Kingdom, offering amnesty for the opium merchants and return of their cargo along with the treaty port of Hong Kong in exchange for immediate cessation of the war. His calculation was simple - the humiliation could, with some effort, be used to demonize and humiliate Britain, and thrust China into the modern age whether it wished to or not. For nearly two years afterward, Prince Gong ruled China in his comatose father's stead, and a momentous two years it was, for the perfect opportunity quickly presented itself. Britain was suddenly occupied by an American invasion of Canada, and Prince Gong struck.

Declaring Opium once again illegal, Prince Gong confiscated large amounts of the drug, returned it to the merchants selling it, and promptly ousted foreigners caught selling opium from the country - permanently. Praise was given to the Americans, from popular biographies of George Washington to special permission for American missionaries, all to ingratiate the people to the idea of asking for American aid. They too struggled against the English barbarians, and Prince Gong was happy to purchase large quantities of surplus British-Canadian arms from the Americans as they conquered the country. Tariffs and restrictions placed further on English merchants exacerbated the unprofitability of Hong Kong, and soon enough it was sold off to the Dutch, who Prince Gong welcomed with open arms, taking advantage of both Dutch and American merchants to bring modern goods into China and begin a process of rapid industrialization as he modernized the country, filling the court with competent ministers, and, of course, neatly assigning much of the credit to his (unbeknownst to most of the population) father. By the time the Daoguang Emperor awoke, he woke to a China that was rapidly advancing, fortifying its coasts, and slowly coming to par with the Europeans that humiliated it, all thanks to a handful of allies. He, of course, was now happy to continue the process, leaving Prince Gong with much of the unofficial policymaking power, all the while a Christian man by the name of Hong Huoxiu found new purpose as a missionary with one of many American parties.

In 1844, with news of revolution in Japan reaching the Imperial Court, the country was thrown into a panic - but once again, Prince Gong saw an opportunity. With a few whispers into his father's ear, he was able to convince his father to further intensify modernization, displacing merchant houses with new arrivals to further diversify and expand the Qing economy. The influx of Dutch and American trade - and missionaries - brought an even greater wealth of technical expertise to Qing, allowing industrialization to proceed in earnest. Growing increasingly bold, and confident in the new technologies gained from America and the Dutch, the Emperor emphasized that the Great Qing would tolerate no threat to Joseon Korea, including Japanese Imperialism. Following Korea's example, also, a delegation was dispatched to Oregon to join their compatriots, and establish a formal embassy.

Once again, an American victory, this time over Mexico, allowed Qing to purchase greater quantities of somewhat old European arms. Today, the Great Qing stands at the head of a rapidly modernizing Empire, and is eager to prove that it can remain relevant even in a world increasingly dominated by hostile interests.

Territory: The territory of the Qing Empire at the time OTL, barring all treaty ports except for Hong Kong.

Economic Description: Although still primarily an agricultural economy, the Daoguang Emperor, encouraged by Prince Yixi has made great strides in industrializing China's economy, the first measure of which has been to reintroduce paper currency. China also produces large amounts of mineral resources such as salt, iron, and, especially as of late with the Daoguang Emperor's industrialization policies, coal.

Historical Claims: Though presently content with controlling the territory it possesses, the Daoguang Emperor has made clear his stance that any Japanese territorial ambitions on China, Korea, or Taiwan will not be tolerated, and that an attack on Korea will be considered an attack on China itself.