The Great Spanish Civil War Part 2

Following the repositioning of Monarchist troops from the Basque and Aragon Front, seperatist groups in the area grew in power. French troops sent into the region met with ever heavier resistance and members of the French high command did not expect victory. France began to send less and less troops to support its Monarchist ally in the civil war. However, French troops did not retreat from the territory they had gained, instead fortifying what they controlled. It is this point of the Great Spanish Civil War that many historians believe was the turning point. Seperatist groups in the Basque Country and Aragon were able to operate free from French attack and could focus their efforts against the weakened Monarchist armies.

Meanwhile on the Galician and Southern Fronts, the English-Portuguese advance had ground to a halt. Attempted offensives resulted in catastrophic losses, largely due to the harsh terrain. Monarchist troops had ordered troops to advance further into Galicia but the superiour training and equipment of the English and Portuguese troops forced them to retreat. There was no breakthrough in sight for both belligerants and the war in the West became one of attrition.

However, across the Strait of Gibraltar, something stirred.The

great beast that was the desert nation of Morocco saw an opportunity to take back territory that they had lost ages ago in the time of the Moors and the Reconquista. With Monarchist troops spread thinly already over the Western and Aragon fronts, Morocco declared war and began to invade Spain from the Mediterranean, seizing control of the Balaeric Islands and moving north through Spain towards Madrid at great speed. They faced little resistance from troops and the population as the Moroccan troops struck fear into the hearts of the Spanish people who had heard many stories of the days of the Moor occupation of Spain. After only three months of fighting, Moroccan troops besieged Madrid and ordered the Spanish Monarchy to capitulate. The Spanish Monarchy refused to and the Moroccans mounted an assault, sacking the city of Madrid and killing the royal family. Demoralised by the fall of their capital and the deaths of their leaders, Monarchist generals surrendered to Morocco. Thus began the Moroccan Occupation of Spain.

However, that was not the end of the Great Spanish Civil War. Morocco saw the risk Aragon and the Basque Country posed to the integrity of the occupation and invaded both states. With the fall of the Spanish Monarchy and the independence of the Basque Country and Aragon, the people of the region were celebrating a victory and were not prepared for such an invasion. Both countries officially fell in less than a month but fighting in the region between rebels and the Moroccan occupiers did not end for many years. It is this point, the fall fo Aragon and the Basque, that many historians consider to be the end of the Great Spanish Civil War.

The Independence of Quebec

{Before we delve into today, or rather this weeks post, I would like to say that this week's post will be a combination between an event and the bio of a nation since I will be going over the full region of Canada later on.}

After the independence of TUPA, a surge of independence movements started, especially in colonies, although much of the others were just small revolts, one of the main ones that were inspired by TUPA was the Independence movement of Quebec.

Although Quebec did not have a very large population, they knew the land and took an advantage by starting their movement about ten years after TUPA's independence, which the British were still recovering from.

In 1743 their movement started, and at first, the movement went on for 4 years without any visible progress--in fact, not even recognized as a threat by the British Military, and more as Highwaymen. The cause was simply that while Quebec was expansive, and certainly was fairly Metropolitan, they simply didn't have enough supporters to take their cause, En Masse. This changed following the production of a couple of circumstances.

The morning of November 3rd, 1747 was an eventful moment for the whole of the American continent, as it would decide the fate of the American continent. In the Lake Ontario, some American militia-men from the Province of New England encountered a group of British troops crossing what they had set as the border against the British colony of Quebec. Upon confrontation, they were at first civil, until a shot from somewhere along the bay had come, it hit the British Regimental Officer, Edward Cornwallis, straight in the head, causing him to die on the spot. The British, in a blood-fueled rush, decided to shoot at the Americans, and a firefight had started. 

{Which would ultimately lead to the Anglo-American War of 1748} 

Little did they know, it had actually been from a Quebecer under the command of François Gaston de Lévis, a former officer of the French army during the American War of Independence, who had been waiting for the right time to strike. This was it, the Quebecers fired pot-shots the whole duration of the Skirmish while staying almost completely hidden from detection (with only a few accounts from the Militiamen reporting seeing the gun-fire from the woods behind).

On February 5th, 1748, the United Provinces of America voted to support the movement of the Quebecois, as part of the newly sparked Anglo-American War.

With the help of the Americans, and Francois' newly found support by the Quebecois people, under the flag they called the 'Drapeau de la Liberté', Gaston formed a formidable fighting force and began marched towards Quebec by the 22nd of April of the same year. Facing resistance only once on the way there, to which they crushed the Small British force in the Battle of Mont Tremblant. All of the lasting British forces had decided to take solitude in the city of Quebec itself, fortifying it to the best of their abilities.

On the 5th of May, they would arrive, what followed can only be described as the treacherous siege of Quebec.

Apologies from the Alt World Team

Sorry From The Team

Harry and I would like to apologize from our absence from the blog. We have been trying to keep up with schooling, and life in general. I have been trying to make our debut on YouTube to promote the blog. 

We are dedicated to you, our small community of followers and readers, and wish you get the best Alternate World((s), when we complete this current one).

As a follow-up to the apology, I will be telling you how things are going from now on, we will go event-wise, and then add on the biographies of Alternate countries connected to the event (In separate posts and until the time of the event).

And that is Today's Post, Tomorrow's will be about...{I dont want to spoil it for you, just wait until tomorrow ;) }

The Great Spanish Civil War Part 1

The Great Spanish Civil War began in July 1773 after years of rising tension in Spain. It lasted three years with fighting in almost every part of the country. By the end of it, Spain no longer existed as a single unified nation and foreign powers occupied various parts of the country for 'peacekeeping reasons'.

The reason for the Great Spanish Civil War is still debated to this day but many believe it was due to the effect the American War of Independence had on the Spanish population combined with the unrest left over from the War of the Spanish Succession earlier in the century. Spain had chosen to take the side of the American separatists in the American War of Independence and found itself supporting a radical republican nation. Spain had previously been a conservative nation with strong support for the monarchy but the War of the Spanish Succession at the turn of the century damaged support for the crown and driven a wedge into the Spanish population. Spain was now a haven of ideologies and beliefs, with many believing that Spain was following an archaic system by having an absolute monarchy. Spain also faced growing separatist movements with the Crown of Aragon, Galicia and the Basque Country striving for independence. The Kingdom of Spain, now ruled by the Bourbons after the War of the Spanish Succession, refused to grant these provinces independence, instead sending more troops to the regions to deter revolt. This only angered the regions further and they refused to accept Spanish rule, declaring independence and forming an alliance. Thus began the Great Spanish Civil War.

Originally, the belligerents in the war were almost entirely Spanish.  The separatist regions of the Basque Country, Aragon and Galicia sided with the republican movement in Spain against the Spanish Monarchy. The Spanish Monarchy believed that it could crush resistance in the regions easily but found many troops deserting and a large percentage of the population up in arms against them. Spain looked to France for support, both nations were ruled by Bourbons and France was willing to lend support to its ally. French troops moved into Aragon and the Basque Country in an attempt to restore order. However, at this time, the United Kingdom of England and Portugal took an interest in the affairs of the Great Spanish Civil War. England and Portugal had already seized control of Gibraltar and had fought against the Bourbon monarchy in the War of the Spanish Succession. England and Portugal took this as a chance to seize even more ground that had belonged to their old enemies, Spain and France. England and Portugal officially joined the war in January 1774, invading Galicia and Southern Spain and refusing to assist either side in the war. England and Portugal were able to rapidly expand into Spain but the harsh terrain and fierce resistance put up by both sides slowed the advance to a crawl in August 1774. France and the Spanish Monarchy continued to battle in Aragon and the Basque Country against separatists and republicans, at first with great success but the England and Portuguese invasion in the west drew royalist troops from the Aragon Front to the Western Front.

The American War of Independence

Pre-War Independence Flag of the Rebellion

Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, fled Britain in 1725, after George I crushed the Walpole-ists in the Second English Civil War. Settling in southern Georgia, and taking control of a distant relatives farm which ended up constituting nearly a 20th of Georgia. Post-Civil War, George I started expanding rapidly, requiring more funds for his impulsive tendencies to expand, he started imposing taxes, especially on slaves and tea. The people of the Thirteen Colonies replied with outrage, resulting in what can only be described as severe unrest.

Fierce resistance to the taxes, and 'False Lord George' started to ramp up, resulting in the Philadelphia, Savannah, and Boston Massacres, and an increased garrison of British troops in the 13 Colonies.

Standing up to their situation, as well as a group of equally powerful figures in their colonies, Compton headed a growing revolt, supported by the French, and Spanish, who were threatened by the British rapid expansion. 

Fighting fiercely, the southernmost colonies were the first to accept the movement, and with Compton as head, Compton's experience against George and extensive Guerilla knowledge being a massive help throughout the war. Compton headed a form of warfare which combined Celtic and Native tactics. His extensive use of slaves as spies, and his Proclamation of Freedom;

"While all men are inherently inferior in the eyes of God, I believe we are all equally inferior. Putting us at a level of equity to which I believe that we should all strive to achieve. I am giving you all the chance to be equal, for I will give you freedom if you help us get freedom. For we are brothers in slavery and nothing less!" 

Which ended up conscripting an army equivalent to, if not larger, than much of the colonial British forces. Compton brought the fighting to cities without sieges, and to the country, without line battles. He'd set up what he'd call a clam trap (for the way he'd lead troops in with an apparent prize only to surround whole armies with his own), and send in his own forms of Trojan Horses into cities. One example would be the Siege of New York was an overnight siege, which was the least bloody battle of the war, entailing surprise ambushes within the streets, to which normally only the British would suffer the consequences of and an extensive use of scare tactics. Eventually, simply two years after the start of the war, the Americans had won, all Colonial troops had surrendered, and the British had sent a convoy to discuss peace agreements.

 After the war, Compton set up a Provincial Democracy (in which every province acted as its own country within the higher Country of TUPA) and ordered the flag of what would be called The United Provinces of America. The red and white stripes stand for the four original provinces, with the two stars standing for the North and the South. Although most slaves were freed, a good amount was kept in a kind of manner as serfs, they were paid and granted education but could never leave working on someone's plantation, unless granted the right.

The Second English Civil War

The Second English Civil War was the result of George I's attempt to militarily expand more. In real life, George I couldn't expand due to the parliament. In our Alternate Universe, however, George I decided to declare war on the Parliament, or rather, defy the Parliamentary power. 

By doing this, much like what occurred during the First English Civil War, the parliament gathered an army in an attempt to overthrow his power. Under Command of Robert Walpole, the first few battles were victories, until the Georgian Army managed to flank the parliamentary armies at the Second Battle of Hastings.

After a long harsh battle at, ironically, a battlefield which had been bruised by a historical impactful battle, George I managed to defeat the Parliamentarian Armies and win the war. Afterward, George used his newly found authority to round up all Parliamentarian high ranks and executing them one by one to set an example of anyone who dared to oppose his armies. Although a couple of high ranks were not accounted for, with most accounts varying about the remains of the two unaccounted for.

The highly active movement of Enlightenment was now stunted, as George I did anything and everything to stop those who wished they had a voice from having a voice. The Dark Age of England has now begun.

  

Intro To My Alt World

Hello Everyone this is the first post on my Alternate World blog.