An Earlier Alexander II - 1907

The world was in shock when the Russian tsar Nicholas I. suddenly died aged 51 from choking on a meal (OOC: my random POD to set this world into motion) in late 1847. His almost 30-year-old son Alexander II. quickly succeeded him. The young tsar would go down into history as "The Liberator" (a nickname he was given IOTL as well). His liberal upbringing, standing in stark contrast to his more conservative father, led Russia to become a major power and the first step towards that was laid in 1848. The revolutions that spread across most of Europe also reached the Hungarian lands, ruled by the German Habsburg family. Inspired by nationalistic and liberal ideals, the Hungarian revolutionaries, supported by the various minorities within the country, declared Hungary an independent state. Alexander II. had to react, with revolution brewing so close to Russia. Due to sympathies to most of the Hungarians' cause, he declared himself as an ally of the revolutionaries! Allowing the assistance of Hungary by Russian volunteers, as well as by not aiding his father's Austrian allies, he allowed Hungary to gain independence from Vienna. When the dust settled and most revolutions had proven to be futile, Hungary stood as an example of liberal thought and Russia had gained a close ally. In the settlement between the Buda and Vienna, the Russians gained Galicia from the Habsburgs due to being undefendable after the loss of the Crown of St. Stephan. Russia would continue to dominate Eastern Europe ever since...

Meanwhile other places saw change as well. Most notably the North American continent, where the American victory in the Mexican-American War led to US dominance over the continent. This was cemented even further after the disaster known as the Southern Uprising (occasionally called the American Civil War or, in the South, States' Rights War), which shook America to the core but allowed for greater central control and, after some diplomatic maneuvering with the British (who gave minor support to the Southerners during the uprising), the gaining of the previously partitioned Oregon Country in its entirety. During the 1870s Washington also bought Alaska from the Russians, since Alexander II. needed money to implement certain reforms.

The late 1860s meanwhile saw the rise of Prussia reaching its climax with them unifying most of Germany (excluding Austria) in 1866. This new empire in the heart of Central Europe would become a major force to be reckoned with, especially after gaining the Congo territory in the late 1870s despite early British and Portuguese objections. Next to Germany the Second French Empire flourishes besides a historic humiliation at the hands of Berlin which costed them Alsace-Lorraine. Nowadays the French Emperor is a patron of the arts and a neutral arbiter, who frequently seeks the company of like-minded individuals from Stockholm, Rome or Cairo (as well as the odd one out from other countries).

The year now is 1907 and the world is facing a crisis. Reports of atrocities directed towards Christians living in the Ottoman Empire, as well as Russian ambitions along the Black Sea, are dividing the world into two major factions. The Königsberg Pact, an alliance between Russia, Germany, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, stands on the one side, with their powerful armies being regarded as some of the world's most powerful. On the other side the pro-Ottoman forces of the Imperial League stand against them. Led by the mighty British Empire and joined by the Kingdom of Portugal, the Empire of Japan, the Austrian Empire and the Sultanate of Oman, this power blocks seeks to keep the St.Petersburg-Berlin axis in check. Will war break out? How will the neutral European nations react? Nobody really knows.