Jack of Harts

The 1800s brought profound change to Continental Europe.  Thousands of small independent states had ruled as part of larger grand empires in 1800.  By 1900, nationalist tendencies had splintered the larger empires and united the independent states into the true nation states that we recognize today.  It is ironic that despite numerous wars of conquest, and peaceful merger attempts, the accepted borders of European nations have changed very little since then.