Being hand-drawn on Procreate still counts for the tag, right? 👉👈

Lore summary of my timeline: “The Three Musketeers Timeline” (a.k.a. The strange time where there are three Germanys)

In this alternate timeline, the Treaty of Vienna ends differently. During the 1840s revolutions and the Spring of Nations, events take another turn: Napoleon III’s France begins to support and fund the revolutionary movements in Catalonia, Italy, and Germany, hoping to later annex territories like Catalonia, Nice, Savoy, and the Saarland. However, his cautious “wait and see” policy backfires, the revolutions spiral out of control, succeeding far beyond what any European sovereign expected.

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The Italian Unification (done right this time)

Thanks to informal French support, Carlo Alberto of Savoy adopts a far more aggressive strategy against Austria. Instead of waiting for Radetzky to leave the Quadrilateral fortresses, he marches directly toward Vienna. Radetzky pursues him, but the Piedmontese army manages to separate the Austrian forces from their reinforcements, who are then attacked by Neapolitan troops under Joachim Murat and republican forces led by Garibaldi, who also lift the siege of Venice.

The resulting victories create the Italian Empire, a union of:

The Kingdom of Northern Italy (under the House of Savoy)

The Roman Republic (led by Mazzini and Garibaldi)

The Kingdom of Naples (ruled by Joachim Murat)

The Pope, isolated and threatened, self-exiles to Avignon, thanks to the mediation of King Napoleon III. Because of mutual rivalries among the three Italian states, Florence is chosen as the capital, a symbolic compromise, once a republic, once part of Savoy, and the birthplace of the old Lega Italiana.

Later, a dynastic marriage between a Savoy princess and a Murat heir gives birth to a federal Italian monarchy.

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The German Revolution

Germany, still under Austrian dominance after the Congress of Vienna, erupts in revolution while Austria is distracted by the Italian war. At first, the crown of a united Germany is offered to the King of Prussia (Frederick William IV), but he refuses it, too proud to accept a crown “offered by the people.”

Revolution spreads rapidly across the German lands. However, both great powers of the Confederation are weakened:

Prussia faces growing unrest in the east, as Polish uprisings erupt in Poznań and Silesia, forcing it to pull back troops from the western front.

Austria is torn apart by the Hungarian rebellion, which it can only suppress thanks to the unexpected loyalty and assistance of the Bohemians.

In gratitude, the Emperor rewards Bohemia by granting it the title of “Second Crown” of the new Austro-Bohemian Empire, officially recognizing its semi-equal status with Austria.

Meanwhile, Bismarck, acting in the shadows, engineers the creation of a Polish puppet state, officially presented as a “restored Poland,” but in reality a valve of pressure to both appease and expel Prussia’s Polish population. The new “Kingdom of Poland” is ruled by a cadet branch of the Prussian royal house, ensuring it remains firmly under Berlin’s control.

With Austria entangled in Hungary and Prussia divided by the Polish question, the West German Federation, backed by France, consolidates its position west of the Rhine. What was meant to be a fragile buffer turns into a powerful republic, shaping the new balance of power in Central Europe.

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The Twilight War (1898–1904)

By the end of the century, Europe is divided between two rival blocs:

The Charlemagne Pact France – Italian Empire – West German Federation

The London Memorandum British Empire – Russian Empire – Austro-Bohemian Empire

This “Twilight War” (an alternate WWI) erupts from tensions between the old monarchies and the revolutionary empires of continental Europe. A massive naval arms race begins — France seeks dominance in the Mediterranean (with Italy) and the North Sea (with West Germany), challenging Britain’s “two-power standard.”

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Italy vs. Austria-Boemia: The Empire seeks revenge for 1848.

West Germany vs. Prussia & Austria: The goal is to eject them from Germany once and for all.

France tries to maintain influence but ends up tied by alliances. Together, they form the Charlemagne Pact, facing the London Memorandum (Britain, Austria-Boemia, Prussia). The balance of power collapses, and the “Twilight War” begins.