Partition of Africa Conference

## **History**

The Prestige Wars from 1798 to 1812 had devastated Europe, and the ideas of Briayonish and Lindoncian republicanism and nationalism rapidly spread across Europe, even after the continent entered a period of peace once again after 1812. Yet peace would not last. With the rise of nationalism, new wars would arise in Eastern, Northern, and Southern Europe from 1815 to the 1840s. The restorationist monarchies in Briayon and Lindonce would be overthrown once again in 1836, and would once again shift the balance of power to Western Europe. In Central Europe, the Kingdom of Mrassia under Frederick I would begin to embrace the nationalist movement but for his own power gain and interests. His son, crowned Frederick II in 1853, would see Mrassia take a greater stand in European politics as a whole. Massively expanding its military power and strength. He would begin to assert Mrassian influence across the Northern Mrassianic states of Anara, Nannover, Makehover, Olesia, and many others.

In 1876, Frederick II would place pressure on the weakened Emasilian Republic in South America to enforce a debt payment, as Mrassia sent the republican loyalists supply aid during its civil war. This would see the Mrassian Royal Navy confront the Garecian Republican Navy in a tense standoff, and manage to get the Garecians to withdraw, allowing the Mrassians to further assert itself. This would be perceived as a threat by the Republic of Briayon and Republic of Lindonce, which considered South America to be in their sphere of influence, which would push the two of them closer into cooperation. Then came the question of influence of Africa, which over the centuries the various European powers established small spheres of influence but never made any major attempts of a land grab, yet now with tensions rising, many were beginning to eye up the unclaimed lands of the African landmass to the South.

To prevent war, the Briayonish president Jan Hamilton attempted to bring the European powers of Briayon, Lindonce, Mrassia, Destburg, Alesta, Stelegal, Conus, Matiland, Kaneto, and Jayassia to discuss what to do about the so-called African Question. Non-European participants would include the Republic of Laurada and the Garecian Republic.

It was agreed that the conference would take place in May 1880. There the major powers would gather in the Pendel, Briayon to decide what to do. It would be agreed that the African territories would be carved up based on two premises. Was the nation in question already present in their claimed territory, and was the nation in question able to assert its claims? The participants in the conference agreed on these notions. Yet things would come to a sudden deadlock when it came to the question of Port Abel, a strategic trade post controlled by Briayon at the time.

Port Abel, with its strategic military and economic significance, led to a majority of conference members wanting it. An idea was proposed by Lindoncian diplomat Jean-Philippe Clérico, that the port would be given to a neutral nation…which only left two candidates. Garecia and Laurada. Mrassia, Destburg, and to a lesser extent Jayassia refused to allow Laurada to have Port Abel, seeing it as too sympathetic towards Western Europe. Then when Garecian president Reuben Dixon offered to take it as well as surrounding lands, the members of the conference agreed due to Garecia holding no loyalty to any European or transcontinental alliance, and thus they would allow all nations regardless of alliance to access Port Abel without any problems.

Seeing all issues resolved, even if temporarily, the Treaty of Doncaster was signed in June 1880, finalizing the colonial borders in Africa, and began the European scramble for what resources could be found further inland as well as capitalizing on new economic opportunities.