In the "Chronicles of Saxe Pape" we will track the military clashes and political intrigues of four fictional German principalities, approximately situated in the likewise fictional region of Alte-Saxe, not too far from present-day Thuringia. Our story takes place in the early 1750s, and our narrative will mix elements of Alternate History with traditional Imagination campaigning, in the style of Charles and Charles S. Grant. In particular, in order to flesh out our historical background, we have reconstrued significant aspects of the Holy Roman Empire as it stood in the middle of the 18th century. In the introduction, we provide a quick summary of historical situation, as we envision it had developed in the years preceding our story, as well as a brief outline of our re-invented political institutions that governed in Germany during the "Age of Reason."
The four warring parties are entirely the result of our imagination (lower case,) and they were chosen in order to take full advantage of our collection of historical miniatures, for the day their armies will face each other on a miniature battlefield. The Principality of Saxe-Pape, which is namesake of our blogging effort, deploys an army freely inspired by the forces of Palatinate. The troops of the Duchy of Lippen-Schweigen (which has little to do with the Westphalian principality, and much to thank to the "Merry Widow" waltz) are Saxon infantry in disguise. The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kapelle owes its forces to the historical Hesse-Kassel, and the Archbishopric of Dorfen can count on an army which is inspired by the Bavarian one.
