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BEFORE
In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Sicily had lost most of its old land and the army was greatly reduced. Gone were the days of the highly feared Sicilian armies and navy. In 1822, Sicily was forced to secede its Calabrian territories to the Holy Roman Empire, then later in 1834 the Sicilian navy had been costing too much for the government, and 25% of the navy had to be sold off to other nations.
In 1849, King Giuseppe La Farina had taken office after the death of King Giuseppe Bensaja. La Farina was a shrewd diplomat and former merchant, who had many connections. Slowly, with the help of TinyTown's funding, Sicilian economy was growing, and the army was expected to expand to a larger number. By 1851 the army went from 45,000 to 150,000 in just 2 years, with the navy going from 4 ships to a shocking 35 war galleons and frigates.
However, England was not receptive of this at all, and issued an embargo on Sicily in August 1851. Sicily's economy tanked, but because of the economic reforms and booming industry, Sicily wasn't hit too hard. In 1853, the Royal Navy led by admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin, had encircled the island in a blockade. The Sicilian Navy responded quickly, and in 3 days the Royal Navy withdrew. War seemed all too near, and La Farina demanded the hostilities to cease, and England oddly agreed.
WAR
October 2nd, 1855 during a routine patrol in the Libyan colony, 4 Sicilian soldiers were ambushed and mysteriously died. After a short investigation, it was discovered England had done it. 4 days later, Sicily had formally declared war on England
On October 27th, the Sicilian Navy had London's ports completely blockaded, and all attempts to enter the city were met with cannon fire. However, the Royal Navy had arrived, bringing forth a massive naval battle. France quickly joined the side of Sicily and had sent 3 naval vessels and a small army to help in the war. By November 2nd, Sicilian forces had landed in the northeast, near London, but the 4 armies were surrounded by a larger English army. However, Sicily had 3 smaller armies' en route to flank the British, and shortly after 4 French armies had landed. On November 3rd, the British main army was surrounded, and 2 smaller Sicilian/French combined armies held the road and fended off British reinforcements.
The next day, Sicily managed to defeat the British armies and had London encircled. England sued for peace and shortly capitulated on the 6th, giving Sicily millions worth of gold, returned their ships they had stolen, and granted Sudan to Sicily. Sicily finally regained respect and the economy was fixed for a while. Things definitely were looking good.