Impulse buying

Three posts in four days; I am almost up with Stew!

Although, he is posting about doing stuff, while I am just putting up a lot of text and a few piccies. Unlike the last two, this will be a 'quickie'. Like a... (see Stew's post for a relevant analogy).

I have done a bit of impulse buying.

Now I am not posting this as one of those social media 'look what I just bought/ate/drank kinda posts—I understand these occur all too often, but I wouldn't know as I don't frequent them 'platforms'—it's 'cause this book might be of interest to other's who are 'students' of the Napoleonic period (taking the widest span for that epoch).

I received an email today from Naval & Military Press promoting this little beauty. A quick look at the information and previews on their website and I was in! Around $60 (including postage by surface mail) for a hardback version that comprises 164 pages, 71 full colour uniform plates and an index and commentary in English, seemed like a good buy to me.

There are few volumes about the uniforms of the Russian army of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic period. Certainly in English. Even fewer about the marvellous uniforms of the Potemkin reforms (1786–1796) and fewer still from the reign of Paul I (1796–1801).

The previews seem to show mainly Potemkin uniforms. There are no dates on the list of plates that is provided by Naval & Military Press in their information about the book, but I am hoping that quite a few will be of those under Paul I.

Not from this book, but detail of Knotel's representation of the Russian Potemkin uniform showing jägers, musketeers and a drummer (Wikimedia Commons).

Information about the uniforms of the latter period, which the Russian army wore in Suvorov's campaign in Italy and Switzerland, is particularly sparse and confused. Several sources indicate that they were a 'back to the future', Seven Year's War-style. While inspired by that, they were a version from the latter stages of that period, which the Prussians did not adopt, and using pretty crappy material, from what I have read.

There's a description of them in Duffy's marvellous Eagles Over the Alps, along with a few plates (but in black and white), and it does not provide sufficient detail. Viskovatov's Historical Description of the Clothing and Uniforms of the Russian Army for the period 1796–1801 (I have Mark Conrad's translation from his website and as an ebook) is limited to organisation and the plates show a more Frederickian-type uniform. The best information about the uniforms of Suvorov's army in the alpine campaign is on the website Швейцарский поход (the "Swiss campaign"), which has an in-built English language translation.

Regardless of the range of the types of uniform shown in the plates in the book, I am sure that I am gonna enjoy it and find it really useful. I'll have to wait until it arrives, in a month or three.

Muck and mystery in the Imaginations campaign

The Death of Caesar, Janssens
(Wikimedia Commons)

Caesar has been murdered! Or so it seems.

Having introduced my part in the Imaginations Campaign in the last post, it is time to bring you up to date with recent developments.

Oh, and haven't there been some developments...

Fortunately for us, ever the note-taker, 'our man' Jacob of Bayerische has recorded events and details, as they are known, and his reactions to them.

So, once again we'll turn to him for the story.

 

Having been the ruler of our nation for a year I am deemed to have served my apprenticeship and, in the Bayerische tradition, can assume the title of König.

This should be a time for celebration, reflection and looking ahead, but such feelings have been tempered by recent, dastardly events.

Back in early March, there was a call for nominations for Kaiser des Reiches. I am a strong believer in the Empire as a model institution, an historic, voluntary grouping of like-minded nations, so I put in my oar as a candidate for the election of our next Kaiser.

The first vote, held on 25th March 1803, was a close call. There was a three-way tie between Frederick Franz, The Elector of Kaiserliche, Emil, Prince Elector of Hesse and Jacob I Kurfürst of Bayerische.

This lead to a second ballot of the Electors, held on 1st April. The votes came out in favour of Franz-Ferdinand. His coronation was set for 1st May in the Kaiserliche capitol.

While I was disappointed at being overlooked, I had been privileged to be part of a process, conducted openly, democratically and without conflict that serves as a model to other, less enlightened nations.

I accepted the vote of the Electors and was readying myself to travel to the Kaiserliche capitol to be part of the joy and celebration of Franz Ferdinand’s coronation. Then I received shocking news. On 27th April, an attempt had been made on the life of the Kaiser-elect!

Since then, I have been clamouring for news, confirmation and insight into these, it would appear, tragic events. Oh tragedy and calamity; I have been told indirectly, by Kardeef Master of Dahara and more recently Fuddland's Foreign Minister, that Ferdinand has been assassinated!

Can this be true? I have sent ‘my best men’ to determine the veracity of this news and, if true, who enacted this dastardly act. They are yet to report back to me.

Not only our dear friend Franz Ferdinand, but the very institution of the Empire has been attacked. Its important, crucial position as a beacon of enlightenment for the world and as a strong rock for the one true Faith has been challenged.

This heinous crime cannot go unpunished! Once the perpetrator(s) has been determined I will be seeking redress. I would hope that this can be achieved by peaceful means and legal processes, but I, and my subjects, are prepare to fight for what is right.

This terrible news has unsettled me greatly. I have lost a friend and brother ruler in the Empire. There is a void and likely an Empire without its elected leader.

König Jacob I von Bayerische, Kurfüst des Reiches
Schloß Maximilian, Zwettei, 23rd June 1803

 

Additional

A comment from Richard below brought to mind the marvellous scene in I Clavdivs— but then they were all marvellous, weren't they?—between King Herod and Emperor Claudius:

True perhaps.

Or is it better to have trust and to be trustworthy? It certainly works better in Diplomacy the game, from my experience. We'll have to see how it plays out here and how young Jacob deals with it.

Joining the Imaginations campaign

Schloß Maximilian

In June last year I was chuffed when I was asked by Joe Fisher (no relation) whether I'd be interested in joining the Napoleonic-era-inspired imaginations campaign that he had recently commenced. This is the fourth such campaign that he has run and he has noted that "...I do think it my last". Never say never Joe!

This fact/thought just added to my feeling of 'specialness' to be asked, as an outsider and relative unknown, to join in the campaign of a long-standing group of friends/wargamers. Having double-checked with Joe, to ensure that I could fulfill the commitments, I was 'in'!

I was duly given control of the small Kingdom of Bayerische, a member state of the Empire.

Gridded map of Bayerische showing major towns, from Imaginations Campaign page

The campaign began in 1800 (2020) and takes place in 'real time', so that a day in our time is a day in the campaign. Hence, today is the 21st June 1803. I will am playing as a map player, so that any combats that my forces get involved in will be resolved on the table top by Joe and others.

Even with this limited role it has taken a while for me to get a sense of who is who, what is what and what the @#%$ is going on!

As I said in recent correspondence with Joe, I honestly, really do not know what is going on, but I see that as part of the fun. This is due partly to confusion on my part and, I think and hope, a bit of deliberate obfuscation by him. A contributing factor was also that I had not put sufficient effort into my ‘homework’ for the campaign—something that I corrected to some extent over the past weekend.

Joes is doing a marvellous job. He puts in loads of time and effort to keep it going, to make it an enjoyable and challenging campaign and, especially, one that is free-flowing, giving the players as much license as possible while keeping us to task.

Map of Bayerische's northern and eastern neighbours, also from Imaginations Campaign page

Map showing Bayerische's southern neighbour, likewise from Imaginations Campaign page

I'll turn over to Kurfürst Jacob I von Bayerische to provide some recent historical background.

Like Karl XII of Sweden, whose life I have studied in depth, the death last year of König Rolf II, my beloved Father, plunged me, ahead of expectation, into the role for which I had been prepared over the 28 years of my life so far. Fortunately my dear Father's illness was short and He died 'quietly and peacefully', as the history will record it—and was the veritable truth for He and his family around Him. He has been a crucial mentor to me and has afforded me the widest and deepest education that our small kingdom could provide.

My Father lead our country through a period of stability and progress, encouraging the new enlightenment enquiry and ideas, while holding firm to our one, true Catholic Faith. It was His belief and modus operandi that, as a small kingdom, Bayerische should keep to itself, maintain peaceful relations with neighbours, but not engage in any 'grand escapades', as he termed them. "Jacob, I am not an isolationist, but a realist," He told me on several occasions. This was so true.

He strongly held to Bayerische's position as a member of the Empire, but was not inclined to join in 'Imperial military ventures' as He put them. Therefore, in the spring of 1802, He went against the Electoral Council, refused to send troops to assist Konnigliche & Kaiserliche in the campaign against Dahara and even closed our borders to all foreign troop movement. This action added a distinct coolness to relations with Brunswick, Hanover and Hesse. König Rolf stressed to me that it was essential to ensure the primacy of Bayerische's national interest in all matters of diplomacy.

Yet He was far from being isolationist.

He instituted a ship building programme to develop our small fleet, establishing the colony of Gewürzinseln, a group of islands south of the equator renowned for the production of spices. This brought expanded trade and wealth to our nation and has lead to our new national dish, a spicy mutton stew, which goes down a treat with any of the beers for which we are famous. A dark, malty ale is a favourite of mine.

My Father's interest in modern enquiry and working to improve the wealth of our country and the knowledge of its citizens was never in such evidence as when, in April 1802, He founded our first university. I will ensure its completion and the development of a other centres of learning for the benefit of our brightest minds and of our nation. One of my first acts was to have Our Government look into other public works—expanded roads and a possible system to remove sewerage from our cities—that will continue the work begun by my Father. It seems that we have some knowledge to re-learn from the ancients.

After a period of national mourning, I have begun a campaign of outreach to our neighbours and fellow rulers of the nation states that comprise the Empire. This began, on 15th October 1802, with a festival to celebrate my coronation. This comprised a week-long series of balls, fêtes and plays to entertain the visiting rulers, as well as time for meetings of state with our esteemed guests. We were pleased to welcome Princes of Hesse and Nassau, the ambassador from the Empire's council, the Queen of Konigliche and the King of Orbajosa. It was a marvellous week of joyous celebration, show-casing Bayerische and honouring the enduring friendship of our realms and peoples.

I look forward to serving our country, to continuing on a path of stability and progress and to continued friendly relations with our neighbours and fellow members of the Empire.

Kurfürst Jacob I von Bayerische
Schloß Maximilian, Zwettei, 25th April 1803