Australian War for Independence (Under The Southern Cross)

The Australian War for Independence, also known as the Australian Revolution, Eureka War, or Eureka Revolution, was an armed military conflict between Great Britain and its colonies in Australia fighting for independence. The conflict originated from a small miners' rebellion in, but when rebel troops defeated colonial forces sent to crush the rebellion, the movement gained attention from both Australian citizens, especially Irish Australians, and foreign countries.

Under the direction of the expansionist President Franklin Pierce, whose main goal in a war with Britain was to annex Canada, the United States declared war on Great Britain, throwing their support behind the Australian revolutionaries. The Russian Empire, which was fighting the against Britain, saw an opportunity to divide British resources away from Russia, and announced its diplomatic recognition of and support for Australia. The Netherlands, which had colonial interests in the region and sought to curb British influence there, also declared war in support of the Australians. Not wanting Britain to have to pull out too many resources from the war with Russia, France entered the war on the side of Great Britain.

Thanks to this newfound support from foreign countries, the independence movement continued to gain popularity amongst resident Australians. Australian revolutionary forces grew larger and larger, forcing the British to withdraw more and more troops from Russia to send to Australia. Additionally, British resources were spread even thinner when America opened up another front in Canada.

Eventually, the British and French were forced to sue for peace with Russia in 1858, to be able to devote more resources to the war in Australia. Russia agreed to an armistice with the, which would allow Russian expansion into Ottoman land for decades to come. Despite the armistice, the Treaty of Moscow did not state that Russia had to end support for Australia. Rather, to ensure that a weakened Britain would not oppose Russian expansion at Ottoman expense, Russia continued to support Australia via supplies, economic protections, and mercenaries. This ensured that Russia could continue to support Australia without having to fight against the British.

The final British army in Perth, along with the city of Perth, surrendered on May 14, 1860. Britain sued for peace, and peace talks began in Washington, DC. By the terms of the Treaty of Washington, Britain and France recognized the independence of the Federal Republic of Australia (which also includes New Zealand). Additionally, Australia would gain New Caledonia from France, and the United States would annex the Maritime colonies (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island). The end of the war would mark the end of British colonial interests in Australia or the Pacific, and instead began to focus on consolidating its territories in India.