First Great War (1913-1918)

The First Great War (GW1) describes the first of two-world spanning wars that happened during the 20th Century. Originally called the Great War, or the War of the Empires, GW1 was characterized by the first use of airships as ground support in war and counts as the last war of the colonial era.

GW1 in the Western Hemisphere
Early in 1913, the Imperito Americana (IA), under [crazy (like a fox) ruler to be named later], made claims of an "American empire to fulfill the dream of Rome" that would span the continent. Hemmed in by the strength of Texas to the west and Terra Nova to the east, the IA pushed north into Wisconsin, taking the entire peninsula between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, formerly held by the Atlantic Kingdoms (AK), by summer 1913.

Kingdom of Lesser Britannia (KLB) (and their Greater New England, GNE) troops mobilized on the eastern side of the Great Lakes region in 1914 with the intent of holding off the IA advance and possibly claiming AK regions of their own, and battles raged in Wisconsin and Michigan over the following four years. Ultimately, IA soldiers and their allies overwhelmed the lower Michigan peninsula, and an armistice line was drawn along the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. The border city of Detroit was renamed [name] in honor of the American ruler.

GW1 in Europe
[TBD. Something about the rise of the Grand Transalpine Principalities?]

Lasting Impacts of GW1
GW1 had lasting impacts both regionally and internationally. In the Virginias, it marked the last push of imperial power into the heartland. It also marked the beginning of the end of the status of GNE and other Virginian nations as part of the KLB. In Europe, it marked the rise of the Grand Transalpine Principalities (GTP) to to check Italian ambitions to the south.

Disputes over the St. Lawrence Lowlands and Formation of the FCN
After the war ended in North Virginia, the KLB asserted greater control over the St. Lawrence Lowlands, the region extending from Spencer, across from Detroit, to Montreal. Hudson Bay Company claims to the area were reasserted and supported by the Crown, much to the displeasure of Laurentians who had their own claims to the area and had themselves fought to retain them in the war. The ongoing decades-long dispute led to the eventual proposal by GNE leader Giles Rucher to break with Britannia and form the Federated Commonwealth of Nations (FCN).