Holy Rus (April-June, 1884)

Colonial orthodoxy program]

With the need for continued development of the colonies and their demographic expansion, Tsar Alezander III met with some excited volunteers, priests, and the Metropolitan of Moscow, laying down some guidelines to allow further proselytism in the colonies of the Russian Empire.

Something that would benefit the Russian Empire and potentially the Orthodox Church worldwide.

First:

1-The priests would have to keep in Cyrillic part of the 'immaterial' and material culture of the natives (language, oral legends, etc., and write about traditions, rituals, etc.).

2-The priests could not force or use force to convert the natives, the process is voluntary.

3-The state and the church will help missionaries, volunteers and other members of the Orthodoxy in proselytizing missions as long as there is charity and help with the quality of life of the natives.

The construction of churches, icons and others was in the hands of the church itself, naming positions, etc. A deal that obviously the Russian Orthodox Church started.

This sent a wave of migrants (missionaries, capable of forming families and increasing orthodoxy in native communities, priests, etc.) to the colonies of the Russian Empire, obviously following the guidelines of the government of Tsar Alexander III.

This would allow some kind of integration of the colonies within the Russian cultural sphere, without necessarily destroying everything the natives possessed (which were still protected by law).

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* Sagallo.

The first Orthodox missionaries and priests came to Sagallo for the construction of a formal church, allowing the Russian and Ethiopian Orthodox Church to interact (as equals).

The order was also received for the construction of the first New Moscow school, designed for Russian children and even for natives to join the community (using Russian as a common language).

Other infrastructure improvements also came, more farms, some livestock, fences and fences, warehouses for food, etc.

In the beginning, the Sagallo community remained 'pure' in terms of characteristics, but as the city grew, it would also change a bit.

The local tribes and kings could not do much about the Russians, who on the one hand had superior weaponry and on the other had the permission of the nearby Ethiopian emperor. And these local kings did not know what treaties the Russians and Ethiopians had.

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* Novaya Gvineya.

In Novaya Gvineya the government had to accept the colonial orthodoxy program, although Miklouho-Maclay was able to reorient the missionaries and priests towards the vision of the colony government.

The Papuans, although primitive in technology, had a culture and societies as complex as the Europeans. Faced with these thoughts, the orthodox decided to proselytize in a particular way.

The Papuan traditions and structures were 'translated' into the Orthodox language, using the own culture of the various tribes as something that could be unified and understood from the Russian Orthodoxy.

With the Russian language as the language of business, the priests were also able to conduct business and build various sites of use to the Papuans, beginning to gain adherents.

Of course this tactic also meant that the Papua New Guinea Orthodox Church would be somewhat different, some of the native beliefs would creep into the Papua New Guinea Russian Orthodox Church.

Certain ancestor worship or Papuan understanding of the soul, etc.

This also continued to create coastal towns along Novaya Gvineya, including the occasional church in the mountainous and jungle interiors, defended by local militias (where some would obviously convert to Orthodoxy).

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* New Krakow.

Orthodoxy's program towards New Krakow attracted the attention not only of Russians (and Russian Orthodox Slavs in fact) but also of Christian Poles who did not want to lose all competition with the Russians regarding Slavic Africa.

This involved a migration of young Poles who believed they could 'conquer' Africa, and families of Russians or Orthodox priests who believed they could 'civilize' Africa.

In New Krakow the Poles were well received by the other Poles, and the Russians by the other Russians.

Because Mandoleh is an island, the population was divided between the aforementioned island and the coast (the city of Kameruna or Krevetka), where there were many different tribes.

Many of them speak Bantu, but generally different from each other.

With so much division, it was relatively easy for the Russians to form their own coastal church-cities from north to south, as long as they offered something in return to the local tribes. Now not only alcohol, but also some objects from Russia (at the moment no weapons due to how dangerous it could be to arm one tribe against another ...).

As a solution, the Russians formed the first schools in Slavic Africa, where they offered to teach science to local native children, particularly the sons (and daughters) of local chiefs.

Something that the African natives accepted with some curiosity, without knowing that they would be forming a generation capable of integrating within the Russian colonies.

The young Poles on the other hand formed with some difficulty the first notable Catholic Church of Slavic Africa, there they began to interact with the Cossacks to be part of the defenses of the colony (although the Russians and Cossacks always had their impulses withheld).

The Poles would mainly become lookouts and workers on communal farms (alongside the Russians in the latter job, protecting livestock from potential pests or foreign invaders.

Also due to lack of women, some would take native women who would join the Catholic church in the cities of Slavic Africa, forming the first mestizos of the colony.

The Russians had more or less won the coast of Cameroon.

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* Other Pacific regions.

The orthodoxy program in Aceh and Bali (Lanfgang did not enter because it was 'unofficial') was somewhat different, Aceh and Bali were protectorates of Muslim and Hindu majority respectively, which had to be respected.

So the programs there were based more on charity, and on forming port churches for the increase of Russians who were in those regions.

Some converts came, but it was not so particular.

It served mainly for the increase of Russian presence and integration of the regions, but not such as to form a large percentage of non-Russian Orthodox.

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[Russian expedition to the North Pole]

On June 23, the (second) Russian Arctic Expedition begins, where the Russian Geographical Society intends to be the first to reach the North Pole.

The expedition departs from Murmansk to Khodlaya (OOC: Svalbard) and then heads to the North Pole.

For the expedition the Russians have prepared, learning from the De Long expedition and previous ones, the group has a pair of Baikal Icebreakers for the task, supplies, meteorological information, a member of international associations to carry out the registration, etc. .

In the beginning, nobody knows if they will arrive or not, or if the expedition will return alive or not.

Being the first to the North Pole is not the priority of Tsar Alexander III, but he has made Russia wish the second Russian Arctic expedition good luck.

A little more prestige and achievements never hurts.

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[Russia-Italy-Japan Relations: Shipbuilding (?)]

Despite the fact that Russia is perfectly capable of building (and developing) its own ships, Emperor Alexander III decided to make some attempts to continue deepening trade relations and ties with the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Japan (and possibly use the ships for something else).

Japan already received huge amounts of food, minerals, machinery and oil from Russia (or Korea, but that was a Russian pawn so ... Italian electrical machinery were based on the German, which in turn was closely related to Russian engineering).

Although historically and culturally there were some Russia-Italy ties (mainly in architecture and artistic influence).

Russia offered resources (and money obviously) to Italy and Japan, in exchange for them to start producing ships for Russia (mainly large ships, Russia could produce many small ships by itself but could not allocate all its yards to giant ships).

Umberto I's Kingdom of Italy and the Meiji Emperor's Empire of Japan accepted the task, that it seems that the northern Italians and Japanese (apprentices, in shipbuilding at least, of English and French) would succeed in such task.

It also showed something, how much Russia could offer, relatively close (geographically, especially with Japan) which attracted more Italian and Japanese investors to Russia.

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[Moscow metro]

The Moscow Metro completes its first expansion, which not only expands line 1 but also creates line 2 and line 3, which creates a "ring" for the expansion of subsequent lines.

Of course, none of the 'principles' under which Alexander III created the Moscow Metro are violated, the metro has to be punctual, without any delay, an artistic marvel and help the population of Moscow.

The expansion has brought in some of the first statues of the Moscow Metro, more works of art, etc.

International]

On April 20, Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical Humanum genus, denouncing the Freemasonry and liberal values that he sees associated with this practice.

On April 22, the Colchester earthquake occurs, the most destructive and deadly to date in the United Kingdom, causing the destruction or damage of more than 1000 buildings with damage of more than 10,000 pounds ... and curiously few people died of done.

May 1, in the United States the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions proclaims the eight-hour workday for the first time.

Over time in industrialized countries May 1 would be known as May Day or Labor Day.

May 16, on the one hand Angelo Moriondo patents the earliest espresso machine for coffee.

Ottoman-Kurdish hostilities are reactivated in a serious way, between the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Abdul Hamid II and Kurdish Sheikh Abdul-Kadir Ubeydullah.

An Ottoman supply line was cut off and looted by Kurdish cavalry forces.

On June 13, the first wave of migrants ... curious, to the United States, the limitation of Chinese migration and the US competition with Russia for European migrants has produced that more Catholic and Muslim immigrants go to the United States from America.

Mainly Turkish-Ottomans, some Moroccans and more Irish Catholics.

June 28, the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights is founded.

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[Tourism in Poland]

After some thought, Tsar Alexander III came up with the idea for a statue (and potentially statues, perhaps) and other tourist attractions that couldn't have many adverse results among Russians and Poles.

On one side was the construction of a gigantic statue of Jesus Christ, "Monument of Christ the King" (Russian: Pamyatnik Khristu Tsaryu, Памятник Христу Царю. Polish: Pomnik Chrystusa Króla) of 36 meters for Warsaw.

The largest statue of Christ in the world, which would take advantage of Catholic tourism to Russian Poland, and would not anger either the Russian Orthodox Church or the Catholic Church.

Perhaps even Tsar Alexander III could make statues of some of the apostles, but for the moment Christ the King would suffice.

On June 13, 1884, in an unrelated project, LaMarcus Adna Thompson "Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway" the world's first modern Roller Coaster, but which was already preceded by the Russian Mountains.

With these exciting new developments, Tsar Alexander III planned to build Russia's first modern roller coaster in Poland. Project associated with the construction of an amusement park.

Project that would impact urban tourism in Russian Poland.

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[Dynasty: 16 years]

The Russian imperial family celebrated, the Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich turned 16 years old, very close to being an adult already. Unlike his younger brother (Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich), the Tsesarevich was more like his cousins Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov (son of Mikhail Nikolayevich and Olga Feodorovna, being grandson of Nicholas I) and George de Saxe-Goburg-Gotha (son of King Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark).

At this party, Tsar Alexander III and Tsesarevich spoke a little, the Tsar commented on the duty of his eldest son: To work and get a wife.

Easy and standard within the time, but with all the complications of being heir to the largest absolute monarchy in Europe.

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"Ok ... That was kind of awkward, talking about marriage and all that with the tsar, my father.

I know that this is certainly not the Russia of this time or the image I had of the Russian Empire, there are too many changes, there are even changes outside of Russia that I do not know how to recognize if they have been the product of someone or something.

I myself must be an ... anomaly or something, but I also know that the tsar, or dad (or whoever) is also one. I hope that it is so at least, and that the tsar is not the product of previous anomalies.

At the moment it seems that early events in the 19th century did not change, but from at least 1866 (a little earlier actually ...) onwards they did.

... But I just can't walk around and ask the tsar something like that! I don't think he is simply going to answer me questions of this kind, we have lived together for years but it is still somewhat rare that he is my father (biologically, or the father of my body at least). Especially when he had to give me 'the talk' and all that ...

That means that at the moment I have to remain the heir, and possibly do certain actions myself under father. At least I think if I stand out and behave I could make some changes or actions myself. "

Tsesarevich Nicholas saw his letter for a few moments, before tearing it to pieces to dispose of, he and Tsar Alexander III had some things in common.

The Tsesarevich knew that he was not going to have any relationship with Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, but he did not know what opinions or ideas his parents might have, or if he would have a say in the first place. There were many potential wives, in Germany, in Russia itself, etc.

On the other hand about work, the Tsesarevich was potentially thinking of some work in the Ministry of Transport and Railways, or the Ministry of Finance, Commerce and Industry.