Bavarian news 1915

[Kaiser Kirk]

January 1st

The Bavarian Foreign Ministry, reacting to news of the Italio-Zionest war:
" The official stance of this Kingdom is neutrality until such a time as definitive evidence is provided. The evidence provided to date while potentially serious, is circumstantial. Given the New Zion attempts to stir unrest [1] within our borders, New Zion vessels are not welcome in our harbours except for diplomatic purposes.

Should neutral ground be desired for negotiations, facilities will be made available in Munich.

[1] which is how the Bavarians view the advertisment the New Zion govt. attempted to run.

January 2nd

Today saw several 'changing of the Guard' ceremonies in the Kingdom as the four new Fortress Brigades became active. 

In Trieste and Trente, the new Brigades took to the ramparts, allowing the local XXIV and XXV Corps to stand down after years in active duty. 

In Treviso, the XIV Corps relinquished its duties along the fortified border and will depart for Plauen while the 3rd and 4th Brigades took up the patrol, leaving only the reserve XV Corps  stationed in Treviso with the two brigades. 

These troop drawdowns, made possible by Treaty of Venice, have seen the standing forces more than halved as tensions have eased.

January 3rd
At dawn this morning pilots brought a squadron of the East Sea Confederation into Trieste harbor. While this was the first visit by ESC vessels in a considerable time, there was little time for rest and recreation.  Stores and Silesian coal had been reserved for the vessels in advance, and reprovisioning was rapidly accomplished to allow the ESC squadron to resume their journey quickly.

A second ESC squadron is expected later this year, to conduct brief exercises and sample the local wines.

The two kliene kruisers of the Bavarian navy served as honor guards for the departure of the ESC squadron. The small cruisers accompanied the ESC force to the straits of Otranto, where they parted ways. The Bavarian cruisers will continue to the Greek harbor at Patras.   

[Kaiser Kirk]

February 13th

Newpapers throughout the kingdom announce  the end of the Zionist war and voluntary exile of the Zion Royal Family.  The tone of the articles vary throughout the Kingdom, those in the Catholic south tend to advance the notion the treaty is an admission of complicity in the papal murder. Several papers in the southern portion of the country hail Italian restraint in agreeing to this result, while papers in the more protestant portions of the nation dwell on the preservation of New Zion and the wisdom of war in light of the limited evidence. Newspaper articles are generally favorable regarding the restoration of the peace, and highlight Gran Columbias role as mediator. 

[Kaiser Kirk]

March

Munich Messenger
March 18th
Princess Gundelinde returned to Friuli for a week prior to the wedding, only to be met with a surprise parade in the streets of Ondine. The Princess made an impromptu speech
promising that she and her fiancée would do their absolute best to be deserving of such a response. What surprised the crowd was not only her command of Italian, but an obvious effort to use the Friuli dialect particular to the area.

April

Munich Messenger
Easter Sunday, April 4
SPECIAL FROM ROME

The wedding of our lovely Princess Gundelinde Maria Josepha to the Italia Prince Tommaso Cecilo Filberto Giovani was a magnificent affair. 

The city had been gently washed by the spring rains and presented a most lovely face to the world.  The wedding procession moved slowly through the streets of Rome, and along the Tiber of antiquity. The bands wreathed the procession in movement, and the uniforms of the Italian guards were flawless.  The Prince looked magnificent in his carriage, a truly regal figure.  The bride wore a white dress with a seven meter long cloak embroidered with white gold and was escorted by her brother, the Kronprinz Rupprecht.

The couple was humbled to have the ceremony conducted in St. Peters Basilica itself. Everything was perfect, the solemn ceremony took place and the congregation was moved when the couple exchanged rings and the Pope gave them his blessing.

The Guest List was filled with luminaries. The Emporer of Italia, Emperor Gaius Marius Camila and our own King Lugwig III and their families were of course in attendance.

Many prominent guests attended this event, from relatives of our royals such as Emperor Jamie I of Iberia and Stefan II Kaiser of the Habsburg Kasierreich and his family, to a great friend of our nation, the lovely young Queen of the Netherlands and her Prince Consort.  The event was honored by the presence of the esteemed president of Grand Columbia, President Rey Alizandro.  The assemblage of nobility did not stop at these exalted ranks, but accounted the Princes and Dukes of our kingdom, lesser Dukes, Counts, Grafs, Barons, and Frieherrs as well as prominent individuals of merit.

At the end of the ceremony, the happy couple appeared at the top of the stairs to greet the cheering crowds amid a flock of white doves which took to the air. The lovely couple is expected to honeymoon before returning to the Duchy.

There were many scrumptious wedding gifts, including Ducal regalia for the new Duchy of Friuli. The Wedding day was made a holiday in that new state, and a tremendous festival has been occurring for several days.


May
Munich Messenger
May 1st
The Formal investiture ceremony occurred today in Ondine, which served merely as a formality in the creation of the Duchy.  The Prince has evidenced that he has ambitious goals to bring greater prosperity to the Duchy.

Munich Messenger
May 10th
The Senate voted approval for a new law today. The law allows for waivers to be granted to Citizens and active duty military to allow enlistment in Honor Guard forces of other nations and governments, while retaining the rights and privileges of their citizenship. At the current time, the law is aimed at allowing interested citizens to enlist in the Papal Guard, but Protestant legislative members objected to the papal focus and broadened the provision. While it has been pointed out that this could see citizens of Jewish descent enlisting in Rabbanical forces, this was not viewed as a substantive problem.

The Senate voted against proffering arms to the Papacy, as inappropriate.

Munich Messenger
May 14th
ooc : if the international news is valid
The international press reports of Ottoman outrages in Armenia have served to quiet critics of foreign aid to Greece. A portion of the legislature has argued that Greece is the beneficiary of Hapsburg and Iberian aid, and further token foreign aid is not productive.

The War Minister has continued to advance the notion that not only is Greece a Christian nation and a cradle of western civilization and philosophy, and requires our aid for those purposes, but that a strong and independent Greece can remain free of the oppressive hand of the Ottomans. The recent outrages in Armenia are widely seen as supportive of this position.

[Kaiser Kirk]

July
The Duke of Friuli made public his plans for the Duchy.  Boldly clearing the regulatory paperwork, he has taken advantage of the large degree of autonomy granted Bavarian states to announce plans for making Friuli a land with an international flavor.

The Duchy will open its arms to international banking concerns, international aid groups such as the Green Cross, and perhaps even offer it's own pennant for mercantile shipping.

In an effort to draw people on Holiday from Bavaria, the Hapsburg realms and Italia, ambitious plans for remaking the seashore have been advanced. These range from a boardwalk and thrill rides to several luxurious casinos.

August
The Kattowice Clarion
August 20th

The Uhlans of the XXVI Cavalry Division led the procession in Kattowice today. The Prince of Saxony took the solemn oath from Prince Adam Ludwick Czartoryski, entrusting him with the new County of Kattowice (1). The new Count then gave a speech in Polish to the gathered crowd, however this paper did not have a translator present. Transcripts will be published next week.

(1) Prior references have been to a Duchy, but Borys expressed the notion that the Polish population was too small, so for now the storyline will refer to this as a County. 

Munich Messenger
October 27th
Unrest in the Kingdom of Bahrat has led to demonstrations in Delhi. This has caused a travel advisory to be issued for Bavarian citizens doing business in the Mughal Empire and Bahrat.

Several European powers, including most of Bavaria's neighbors- Italia, the Hapsburgs, ESC and France, are said to be considering responses.

November

Munich Messenger
November 5th
The Hapsburg involvement in Bahrat has become an element of conversation, once again our esteemed neighbors have launched themselves into a war in which they had little part, save a chance to flex their military might.

An editorial in the paper compared the forces of Bavaria to those of her neighbors. (2)
An estimate of the ESC Military places the mobilized force at 1.65 million
An estimate of the Ukrainian Military places the mobilized force at 1.5 million.
An estimate of the Hapsburg Military places the mobilized force at 1.7 million
An estimate of the Italian Military places the mobilized force at 1.35million
An estimate of the French Military places the mobilized force at 3.5 million
An estimate of the Bavarian Military places the mobilized force at 1.3million

At this time the Bavarians were raising more troops which were not counted. For that matter the journalists did not separate the foreign deployed troops from the home forces of the neighboring countries.

Munich Messenger
November 25th
An editoral by the Munich Messenger has berated the military for its lack of foresight in  in protecting lives and property in Bombay and other locales in the Orient.

The Dresden Dairyman
November 27th.
The Foreign Minister  and War Minister welcomed representatives from The East Sea Confederation and the Netherlands to a conference regarding security matters in Leipzig today.  The conference is a successor to the inconclusive Nymphenburg talks last year.

Munich Messenger
November 28th
Further reports from the Orient indicate that  a Hindu religious sect called the Thugee may be involved in the attacks and that Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim religious leaders were a particular target of this group.

December
Munich Messenger
December 1st

The Foreign Minister departed today for Ghana, pursuing a trade mission there.

Munich Messenger
December 5th
Mixed reports of violence continue to emanate from the Kingdom of Bahrat. Christian facilities have indeed been savaged, and many missionaries have been recalled home.  Reports of cholera epidemics, as well as others,  have not been confirmed.  A Jesuit mission with strong Bavarian ties has reportedly been razed. Reports are of a member of the mission leading a group of refugees to the coast, where they were rescued by Gran Columbian personnel.

Munich Messenger
December 17th
The Arnhem treaty grew larger by a nation yesterday as the sovereign nation of Ireland joined the treaty. Ireland is known as a poor nation, but it has a long history of agricultural successes and is expected to provide a  source of these basic resources. Additionally the large manpower surplus of the Irish nation may be a welcome relief to the labor starved manufacturers of Bavaria.

December 18th, Proceedings of a Bavarian Cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Georg von Hertling :  Sire, have you seen the French missive congratulating us on Ireland's joining the Arnhem treaty?

Lugwig III : Indeed, quite nice of them to acknowledge our prosperity and future prospects.

P.M. von Hertling  : Sire, did you read the entire missive, including the portion regarding Bavaria not needing the support of the Neuschwanstien treaty?

Lugwig III <puzzled> : Yes, I rather liked that passage, seemed a nice way to compliment our Kingdom at having grown far more stable since 1906.

War Minister Gustav Ritter von Kahr <pained> : No your majesty, it's the French way to nicely say they are canceling the treaty.

Lugwig III <puzzled> : Yes, I understood that, they said we didn't need it anymore. Why, do we?

W.M. von Kahr : As you may recall, when France signed the Treaty of Nassau with Italia we were very concerned about the potential result.

Lugwig III : Why are we concerned? We signed the Venice treaty with Italia, the Emperors a nice chap and his son seems quite a good match, I don't get what we are concerned about?

P.M. von Hertling  : Yes your Majesty, now matters are fine. However, at the time there were outstanding Italian claims on Bavarian territory, and the wording of Nassau is such, as we saw with New Zion, that had Italia chosen to prosecute those claims militarily, France would have been treaty bound to aid Italia.

The Treaty of Neuschwanstien was the only protection we had, and that was tenuous at best. That France chose to place a naval order with us shortly thereafter was a reassuring sign of their continued good intent.

Lugwig III : But the Emperor and I chatted in Rome, we patched all that up I thought ?

P.M. von Hertling  : Yes Sire, your personal intervention saved us from a potentially awkward situation.

Lugwig III <relieved> : Oh, very good then. So what is the issue at hand then?

W.M. von Kahr : That the French have suddenly decided to drop their guarantee not to invade us carries the consideration that France envisions an invasion as potentially necessary. This also has the associated problem of removing the possibility the French would come to our aid, given our past history, should somebody else attack us.

Lugwig III <perturbed> : My word, when you put it that way it does sound bad. Is it really that bad?

P.M. von Hertling  : I doubt we have to fear an invasion. The intent is likely to indicate that they recognize our political realities are no longer twinned with theirs.

Lugwig III : I am afraid I do not pay adequate attention in the military briefings, but can we defend ourselves if the French become hostile?

W.M. von Kahr : Our soldiers are well equipped, trained and led. However we long ago removed our troops from the border and defortified it, as required by treaty. The French would outnumber our troops nearly two to one, without having to call on their colonies allies. Our troops would be well led, they would fight with skill and bravery, and they would loose.

P.M. von Hertling  :  Sire, as you know, we have discussed security issues with the ESC before, and recently resumed talks at Leipzig.

Lugwig III : As I recall these matters were discussed last year, at Munich,. The ESC and the Dutch both was it not?  I recall the briefing, we wanted the ESC to support us in the event the Ukraine chose a foreign distraction or our friends the Hapsburgs become more erratic. Didn't somebody call a strike at Dresden "Breaking the Swan's Neck"? Whatever happened to those talks?

W.M. von Kahr : They foundered. Our conceptual model of a defensive arrangement that merely guaranteed to liberate and keep safe the homelands of the three nations clashed with their desire for a general alliance. The Leipzig talks have started by attempting to identify the common grounds and objections are nations have. However our insistence on the Homelands limitation will likely sink these talks as well.

Lugwig III : Yes, I remember requesting that provision. It seems reasonable to me. You say they don't like it ?

P.M. von Hertling  : Not at all Sire.

Lugwig III : With this French thing, it would seem those talks have turned from a luxury to a necessity, the ESC has a large army does it not? I know the Dutch are financially important to us, is their army very big?

W.M. von Kahr : Yes Sire, the ESC's army is formidable. The Dutch army not so much, but they have a strong navy, and as you say, they are financially important.

Lugwig III : Well then, I suppose we should reconsider our position on limiting any treaty to focus purely on the liberty of the homelands. That is not license for a general alliance, keep the wording defensive and limited to what our Kingdom can commit to, and avoid any belligerent language.

W.M. von Kahr : As you wish Sire.