Fashoda-Wuxu War

Fashoda-Wuxu War is a timeline in which multiple points of divergences in 1898 lead to outbreak of a full world war in 1899. Fashoda refers to the Fashoda Incident of 18 September, which in OTL resolved peacefully; while Wuxu is the Chinese term for the year 1898, referring to the Wuxu coup of 21 September, which resulted in total victory of Cixi forces in OTL, but triggered the war in East Asia for the FWW timeline.

Secondary points of divergences include the Second Samoan Civil War (March 1899), where a United Kingdom, involved in a two-pronged war already, failed to mediate between an increasingly war-geared Germany and a rising United States over the succession in Samoa; and a heightened Austrian call of punishment against Italy, for the assassination of Empress Elizabeth of Austria.

The Continental Powers
The Continental Powers are composed of many groups, declaring wars on many reasons:

The Entente (with China)

 * Republic of France (Entered war on 18 October 1898, declared on the United Kingdom)
 * Empire of Russia (Entered war on 22 November 1898 against Japan; 28 November 1898 against the United Kingdom)
 * Empire of China (Beijing) (Entered war on 14 November 1898 against Japan)

Dual Alliance

 * Empire of Germany (Entered war 7 April 1899)
 * Empire of Austria-Hungary (Entered war 9 April 1899)

Other powers

 * Kingdom of Spain
 * Mahdist remnants, Sudan
 * Samoa (Mata'afa)

The Oceanic Powers
No obvious subgroups can be identified among the Oceanic powers.
 * the United Kingdom (Entered war on 18 October 1898)
 * Kingdom of Italy (Entered war 13 April 1899, declared upon by Austria-Hungary)
 * Empire of China (Wuchang) (Entered war upon declaration, 20 November 1898)
 * Chinese Republic (Guangzhou) (Entered war as soon as declared, 7 January 1899)
 * Khedivate of Egypt
 * United States of America (Entered war on 7 April 1899)
 * Samoa (Malietoa)

Pre-POD

 * 22 August 1898: Death of Malietoa Laupepa of Samoa.
 * 2 September 1898: Battle of Omdurman: Decisive Anglo-Egyptian victory against the Mahdi's forces.
 * 10 September 1898: Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni assassinates Austro-Hungarian Empress Elizabeth ("Sissi") in Geneva, Switzerland.
 * 18 September 1898: Sir Herbert Kitchener's forces arrive in Fashoda, starting the standoff at Fashoda.

The Coup

 * 21 September 1898
 * Dawn: Dowager Empress Cixi declares an emergency, orders troops to Zhongnanhai in order to place Emperor Guangxu under house arrest. Emperor Guangxu escapes Zhongnanhai, with help by a few eunuchs, to the Japanese embassy in Beijing.
 * Morning: Kang Youwei boards British passenger ship Chungking. Chungking sets sail.
 * The Nanhai Meeting Hall was searched; several reformists including Kang Guangren were arrested.


 * 22 September 1898: Ito Hirobumi and Liang Qichao smuggles Emperor Guangxu out of Beijing towards Daxing.
 * 23 September 1898: Ito leaves Beijing, leaving Hayashi Gonsuke in charge of asylum seekers in Beijing.
 * 24 September 1898: Chungking arrives in Shanghai. Kang informed by British consulate officials of the situation in Beijing, as well as that the Emperor is missing.


 * 25 September 1898:
 * Ito and Emperor Guangxu meet up in the British Concession in Tianjin
 * Liang Qichao leaves Beijing disguised as a hunter.
 * Tan Sitong arrested in Beijing.


 * 26 September 1898: Emperor Guangxu boards Japanese warship Oshima.


 * 27 September 1898: Liang Qichao boards Oshima.
 * 29 September 1898: Kang informed about whereabouts of the Emperor.
 * 5 October 1898: Through efforts by Ito Hirobumi, Oshima sets sail for Sasebo early.

The War

 * 6 October 1898: Protests in Paris over the Dreyfus affair and the perceived weakness over the Dreyfus affair.
 * 6-17 October 1898: Public opinion in both Britain and France flared over the affair.
 * 14 October 1898: Liang and Emperor Guangxu arrives in Sasebo.
 * Time unknown: officials in Shanghai start to contact sympathetic local officials such as Zhang Zhidong for an imperial restoration.
 * 18 October 1898:
 * France, bowing down to public pressure and seeking to divert the public opinion away from the Dreyfus affair, declare war on the United Kingdom.
 * France starts negotiation for Russia to join the war against the United Kingdom.


 * 19 October 1898: Marchand's forces, outnumbered and now facing a hostile force, withdraws towards Ethiopia.
 * 22 October 1898: Emperor Guangxu and Liang Qichao boards ship from Nagasaki towards Shanghai, intending to change towards Hangzhou.
 * 8 November 1898: Emperor Guangxu arrives in Hangzhou, preparing to announce a civil war against the Beijing government.
 * 12 November 1898: Emperor Guangxu declares the Cixi government in Beijing illegitimate. Zhang Zhidong, Viceroy of Huguang was named Minister of the Grand Council as a condition for his support. The provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Anhui declare support for the new government.
 * 14 November 1898: Japan recognizes the government of Emperor Guangxu as legitimate.
 * 19 November 1898: Russia issues an ultimatum against Japan, demanding the recantment fo the previous declaration.
 * 22 November 1898: Russia declares war on Japan, quoting the provisions of the Li-Lobanov Treaty (1896).