Created Equal - Jefferson in 1796
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One more U.S. one, and then it's back to Europe.
Part 12: The State of Some States – 1812-1820
Before getting back to Europe, and the cliffhanger we left it at, let’s look at the United States in the period leading up to the 1820 election.
Beginning of Abolition Activity
Controversy over the admission of states continued to exist, though it became less and less for two reasons. One was that Louisiana was admitted as a free state effective January 1, 1812, leaving free states with a two-state edge in the Senate. With Indiana and Illinois to be admitted by the end of the decade, even with three states entering in the Southwest, free states would continue to hold an edge, as they had since 1803 with Ohio’s admission. Hence, slave state leaders accepted that they would never have a balance in the Senate. Most agreed that slavery was still on its way out, though a few diehards felt it wasn’t declining as much as believed.
This made it a little easier for Delaware and Virginia to have preliminary discussions relating to slowly ending slavery like in New Jersey and New York. Indeed, Delaware had few enough states that they could do compensated emancipation. Therefore, abolitionists had begun to target it, though using native Delawareans so it didn’t seem like it was being forced from outside. The number of anti-slavery Quakers made that easy.
Monroe encouraged it as governor of Virginia, having learned through writing back and forth with Burr that free blacks were functioning well in New Orleans and elsewhere in Louisiana. Still, he greatly preferred that what would be a very large population of Virginia freemen instead be sent to Africa; he was in the process of organizing a Recolonization Society.
Even before Monroe became governor again in the middle of the decade, the urgings of Washington before his death and of Jefferson – though the latter hadn’t freed his slaves as he wished to because of his poverty – helped enough in Virginia that they began discussions. Tobacco was king in Virginia, unlike points south, and it hadn’t been as big of a money maker.
Such talk in Virginia and Delaware meant that a few Federalists, especially the Massachusetts men who supported abolition, jumped in and said that a National Bank would allow the Federal government to help pay for it, as 1811 drew to a close. D-R people balked at this, believing it to be a state decision; as did many Federalists.
Possible State Organization
There was still a desire on the part of settlers to make three states out of Mississippi, Alabama, and West Florida Territories. One young leader, John C. Calhoun, pointed out that the problem there was, admitting West Florida would mean the rest of Florida, which the U.S. had acquired from Spain in the war, might not be admitted for fifty years, it would take so long for enough settlers to go there, given the disease and the massive number of Indians. Any suggestion of making the Indians citizens and therefore countable as citizens was laughed at the couple times it was broached. As it was, Calhoun wondered if Florida would be admitted by 1840, unless all of West Florida was added to East Florida and admitted at the state of Florida now.
That brought cries from the territorial governors of Alabama and Mississippi Territories. They claimed that their economies would suffer if they didn’t each have a port along the Gulf. Not only that, but a large part of northern Alabama Territory was Crrek land. A few D-R members claimed that they should not try to grow that much bigger, but be happy with small, agrarian areas. However, as America prospered in the early 1810s, more and more people wanted to be part of that prosperity.
Louisiana – Hotbed of Liberalism?
Just across the river in Louisiana, though, things were different. Very different.
Speaker, then Governor, Aaron Burr’s love had been his home in New York. However, he’d been foiled by that pesky Hamilton in his attempts to retain power there.
Now, however, he had a sanctuary. It was a growing one, an estate that rivaled his Elmira, and even his son-in-law’s – former governor Joseph Alston - in South Carolina. As the decade wore on, and he was sworn in as governor in January of 1816, Louisiana was his playground, and he had a tgrue political dynasty. With his grandson having been away from home when the outbreak of disease hit a few years earlier, Burr was hearing of him being considered by a number of prominent families as a match for their daughters.
Burr might have seemed to have a lot in common with the growing plantation owners in Mississippi Territory. However, there were big differences, too.
For one, Burr had left his daughter Theodosia to tend to the New York estate before she wed and moved to South Carolina. Her husband died in 1816, and with things rather quiet that summer, Governor Burr went to help her ensure there was a good caretaker for the land and help for her son, by then fourteen years old. Having escaped the fever which might have killed him, thanks to travels during the time of that fever, Theodosia’s son, Aaron Burr Alston, was growing into a fine young man, but not ready to run the entire plantation.
Burr was incensed that some people felt Theodosia had to have a man tend to it, and brashly declared that things were different in Louisiana. “Women have power,” he declared truthfully. They didn’t have the power they would later – they didn’t yet have the right to vote, for instance. However, Burr had begun to consider it, and realized that this right was what would make women like Theodosia appear more powerful. Burr’s reputation and political wheeling and dealing had allowed him to build a group of friends who were willing to give those like Theodosia rights that seemed quite liberal for the 1810s. For instance, they could hold and sell property, even independent of their husbands. They also had the right to an education.
Burr encouraged Theodosia to come to Louisiana, where she could take part in helping to develop education for girls and ladies. He saw she wasn’t as respected as he’d hoped for in South Carolina, and didn’t want her to be thwarted by those who didn’t believe in her. Besides, selling this massive plantation would mean she was totally set financially.
However, it was while they discussed the plantation’s many slaves that he saw the real reason for some peoples’ disdain for her. She suggested that they could take all the slaves with them and free them, letting them serve as paid workers in Louisiana.
Burr was dumbfounded. He supposed that she could sell the estate without them; after all, it would be a very lucrative addition to any other estate in South Carolina. But, the freed slaves would require education. Had Hamilton been getting to her?
She said he had. And, that she was thinking of freeing them anyway. However, she also knew the politics of the area; South Carolinians would never accept so many hundreds of free blacks suddenly available to mingle with the landed gentry. They had a hard enough time accepting any. That was why her neighbors pressured Theodosia to send for Burr – they’d hoped a more sensible, prudent man would, in the words of one of her neighbors, “Talk her out of her hysterical ideas which are surely brought about by the death of her husband.”
Burr wasn’t an abolitionist. However, he was a political opportunist. The outlawing of slavery in the territory – which was then codified in the state’s constitution - meant there were few supporters of it in the state; all slaveholders had moved to West Florida or Mississippi. The territorial governor had been popular enough to win the first gubernatorial election, but Burr had won the second. He would serve as governor long enough to build a political dynasty, often by using opportunistic things like this to kill two birds with one stone.
Burr decided they would free all of the slaves and transport them to Louisiana. He would pay for it and be reimbursed through the plantation sale. However, he insisted that they be educated and then settled on the border of Louisiana and Texas – the ongoing Mexican War for Independence meant it was easier just to refer to the region at this point. Some militia would also go out there to settle things down, but the freedmen would keep out a lot of the riff raff themselves. They would actually form the first all-black city in the United States, Freedonia, which became capital of Burr Parish, a parish carved out of that area for the Freedmen.
The leaders of the area would be white at first, but eventually, the blacks would form Freedonia and demonstrate their ability to govern themselves as well as white people. The lawlessness of the area declined tremendously, and though part of it was American actions regarding the border, the long distances meant it was still hard for the American military to flex its muscle there. So, Freedonia citizens were educated in how to accomplish such things, though they were not accorded degrees on the same basis as whites for a few years.
Once the large Alston plantation was sold, Theodosia bought real estate with part of the money. She then donated some, near what would be Pineville, to start a college. It would be the first college granting degrees to woman in the world. An establishment for males was located near it, as ws the establishment where the Freedmen Burr had brought back were educated. The three would combine decades later as Louisiana State University.
By the time of the merger, in the 1840s, Oberlin College had begun to grant degrees to blacks on an equal footing with whites as well, something which slowly came to Louisiana. The state would be known, by the 1820s, as a “hotbed of radical ideas,” including womens’ suffrage.
Thomas Jefferson, in a response to a letter from John Adams in 1820, noted that, “The ideas upon which we based our Revolution seem to be expressed most clearly in Louisiana, and in some ways, they have risen above what I could have imagined. If the 18th century marked the end of tyranny and the beginning of government by Reason, perhaps the 19th will mark the emergence of political freedom for the masses, without the need to be dictated to and lorded over by some higher authority.”
“Nay,” John Adams wrote back, “there will always be the need for a Higher Authority because of the deceitfulness of the heart of man. Rather, I see in Louisiana the opportunity to show something my dearest Abigail often told me; namely, that womanhood does not automatically bar someone from being able to handle the many duties of civilized life. Abigail was thrilled in her last days to see what Theodosia was doing there, and I can understand if, as she says, there are some women as able to bear the burdens that men are. Therefore, I would amend your comment in this way, that the 19th century may be looked back upon as witnessing the emergence of political freedom for the masses without regard to their status, be it femininity or, if possible, race. But, with that Higher Authority still the backbone, providing a standard of decency which prevents man from engaging in wanton wickedness, for our system of government cannot be maintained without such a moral compass.”
Louisiana was at first mostly Catholic. In the time just after the Louisiana Purchase, Hamilton and others encouraged Protestants to migrate there to dilute Catholic influence. His rules about who could enter were only slowly lifted. Burr went along with those rules because in the early years, they helped him to build his political base.
Historians differ as to whether this was because Hamilton and Burr had renewed their friendship to some extent, or whether Hamilton was simply helping Burr so Democrat-Republicans like Burr would have what one of Hamilton’s supporters called, “Their own place, far away from the people who are best suited to run a nation.” To Hamilton and others, the settling of the region west of the Mississippi seemed like something which would only occur far into the future.
There were very few immigrants from Haiti – partly because of the restrictions, partly because during part of the time they could have come, the U.S. and Spain were at war, so it was very hard for boats to get there. However, some did come from Haiti, and in several states, they thought that perhaps – instead of Africa – it would be easier to ship freedmen to Louisiana, though for now, there would be no such movement.
Settling State Controversy
By the end of the decade, Indiana, Illinois, and – in 1819 – Missouri, which had a Southern border at the Arkansas River, had been admitted as free states. In the South, it was decided that three states would be carved out of the old Mississippi Territory and that of West Florida.
The state of Franklin would border Tennessee on the north, then the Mississippi River on the west. Its southern border would stretch eastward from just north of where the Mississippi jogs furthest to the east at that part of it (OTL Vicksburg) all the way to the Georgia border. (Placing Vicksburg, Mississippi and Montgomery, Alabama almost right on their borders with Franklin.)
On its south would be the states of Alabama, which included Mobile and a little bit west (as OTL) plus all the rest of West Florida east of Mobile. The state of Mississippi would include all of West Florida west of Mobile, except for parishes right on the German Coast across the river from New Orleans, as decided at the end of the German Coast War.
This compromise, worked out by the up and coming Henry Clay in 1815, gave each state something. Alabama and Mississippi would have their ports, and Mississippi the border with the river. Alabama would have a little more in ports and Tallahasseee, and slightly more size, to make up for Mississippi’s having the benefit of the Mississippi River traffic itself. Franklin would not have a port, but on the other hand, it would have a border on the Mississippi, plus a size advantage that could allow it to have more people eventually and have more people in the House of Representatives. It would also enter as a slave state in 1819 because, despite the majority of the territory’s populations being near the water, settlers had begun to move in on Creek land.
Clay’s “Southwest Compromise” was hailed as a victory for all, and propelled him into the national spotlight. The Democratic-Republicans liked it because there would be a rather large state with many of their “yeoman farmers” along with Alabama and Mississippi, instead of two states which could end up focusing totally on trade. Federalists liked it because they felt the Franklinites would be good candidates for their system of national roads, canals, and such. Men like Calhoun liked the idea that at least one more slave state would exist, and while this meant Florida wouldn’t get in for perhaps half a century, since most of the population resided in West Florida, most in the South still figured slavery would be gone by then.
Gradual Emancipation in Delaware, Expansion West
In fact, the same year Franklin was admitted as a state, a proposal to gradually emancipate slaves in Delaware was passed and signed by the governor. All children born after January 1, 1821 would be free, with slaves gradually emancipated till January 1, 1831, when the last salves would be freed in Delaware. It seemed clear to residents of that state that the Federalists would not try to end slavery, even as the party in power in Washington, and abolition movements weren’t yet so widespread as to make it appear that their politicians were being led from outside the state.
In fact, Virginia was seeing more and more of a push for it, too. In 1823, they would approve it, much to the delight of an elderly Jefferson.
Part 12: The State of Some States – 1812-1820
Before getting back to Europe, and the cliffhanger we left it at, let’s look at the United States in the period leading up to the 1820 election.
Beginning of Abolition Activity
Controversy over the admission of states continued to exist, though it became less and less for two reasons. One was that Louisiana was admitted as a free state effective January 1, 1812, leaving free states with a two-state edge in the Senate. With Indiana and Illinois to be admitted by the end of the decade, even with three states entering in the Southwest, free states would continue to hold an edge, as they had since 1803 with Ohio’s admission. Hence, slave state leaders accepted that they would never have a balance in the Senate. Most agreed that slavery was still on its way out, though a few diehards felt it wasn’t declining as much as believed.
This made it a little easier for Delaware and Virginia to have preliminary discussions relating to slowly ending slavery like in New Jersey and New York. Indeed, Delaware had few enough states that they could do compensated emancipation. Therefore, abolitionists had begun to target it, though using native Delawareans so it didn’t seem like it was being forced from outside. The number of anti-slavery Quakers made that easy.
Monroe encouraged it as governor of Virginia, having learned through writing back and forth with Burr that free blacks were functioning well in New Orleans and elsewhere in Louisiana. Still, he greatly preferred that what would be a very large population of Virginia freemen instead be sent to Africa; he was in the process of organizing a Recolonization Society.
Even before Monroe became governor again in the middle of the decade, the urgings of Washington before his death and of Jefferson – though the latter hadn’t freed his slaves as he wished to because of his poverty – helped enough in Virginia that they began discussions. Tobacco was king in Virginia, unlike points south, and it hadn’t been as big of a money maker.
Such talk in Virginia and Delaware meant that a few Federalists, especially the Massachusetts men who supported abolition, jumped in and said that a National Bank would allow the Federal government to help pay for it, as 1811 drew to a close. D-R people balked at this, believing it to be a state decision; as did many Federalists.
Possible State Organization
There was still a desire on the part of settlers to make three states out of Mississippi, Alabama, and West Florida Territories. One young leader, John C. Calhoun, pointed out that the problem there was, admitting West Florida would mean the rest of Florida, which the U.S. had acquired from Spain in the war, might not be admitted for fifty years, it would take so long for enough settlers to go there, given the disease and the massive number of Indians. Any suggestion of making the Indians citizens and therefore countable as citizens was laughed at the couple times it was broached. As it was, Calhoun wondered if Florida would be admitted by 1840, unless all of West Florida was added to East Florida and admitted at the state of Florida now.
That brought cries from the territorial governors of Alabama and Mississippi Territories. They claimed that their economies would suffer if they didn’t each have a port along the Gulf. Not only that, but a large part of northern Alabama Territory was Crrek land. A few D-R members claimed that they should not try to grow that much bigger, but be happy with small, agrarian areas. However, as America prospered in the early 1810s, more and more people wanted to be part of that prosperity.
Louisiana – Hotbed of Liberalism?
Just across the river in Louisiana, though, things were different. Very different.
Speaker, then Governor, Aaron Burr’s love had been his home in New York. However, he’d been foiled by that pesky Hamilton in his attempts to retain power there.
Now, however, he had a sanctuary. It was a growing one, an estate that rivaled his Elmira, and even his son-in-law’s – former governor Joseph Alston - in South Carolina. As the decade wore on, and he was sworn in as governor in January of 1816, Louisiana was his playground, and he had a tgrue political dynasty. With his grandson having been away from home when the outbreak of disease hit a few years earlier, Burr was hearing of him being considered by a number of prominent families as a match for their daughters.
Burr might have seemed to have a lot in common with the growing plantation owners in Mississippi Territory. However, there were big differences, too.
For one, Burr had left his daughter Theodosia to tend to the New York estate before she wed and moved to South Carolina. Her husband died in 1816, and with things rather quiet that summer, Governor Burr went to help her ensure there was a good caretaker for the land and help for her son, by then fourteen years old. Having escaped the fever which might have killed him, thanks to travels during the time of that fever, Theodosia’s son, Aaron Burr Alston, was growing into a fine young man, but not ready to run the entire plantation.
Burr was incensed that some people felt Theodosia had to have a man tend to it, and brashly declared that things were different in Louisiana. “Women have power,” he declared truthfully. They didn’t have the power they would later – they didn’t yet have the right to vote, for instance. However, Burr had begun to consider it, and realized that this right was what would make women like Theodosia appear more powerful. Burr’s reputation and political wheeling and dealing had allowed him to build a group of friends who were willing to give those like Theodosia rights that seemed quite liberal for the 1810s. For instance, they could hold and sell property, even independent of their husbands. They also had the right to an education.
Burr encouraged Theodosia to come to Louisiana, where she could take part in helping to develop education for girls and ladies. He saw she wasn’t as respected as he’d hoped for in South Carolina, and didn’t want her to be thwarted by those who didn’t believe in her. Besides, selling this massive plantation would mean she was totally set financially.
However, it was while they discussed the plantation’s many slaves that he saw the real reason for some peoples’ disdain for her. She suggested that they could take all the slaves with them and free them, letting them serve as paid workers in Louisiana.
Burr was dumbfounded. He supposed that she could sell the estate without them; after all, it would be a very lucrative addition to any other estate in South Carolina. But, the freed slaves would require education. Had Hamilton been getting to her?
She said he had. And, that she was thinking of freeing them anyway. However, she also knew the politics of the area; South Carolinians would never accept so many hundreds of free blacks suddenly available to mingle with the landed gentry. They had a hard enough time accepting any. That was why her neighbors pressured Theodosia to send for Burr – they’d hoped a more sensible, prudent man would, in the words of one of her neighbors, “Talk her out of her hysterical ideas which are surely brought about by the death of her husband.”
Burr wasn’t an abolitionist. However, he was a political opportunist. The outlawing of slavery in the territory – which was then codified in the state’s constitution - meant there were few supporters of it in the state; all slaveholders had moved to West Florida or Mississippi. The territorial governor had been popular enough to win the first gubernatorial election, but Burr had won the second. He would serve as governor long enough to build a political dynasty, often by using opportunistic things like this to kill two birds with one stone.
Burr decided they would free all of the slaves and transport them to Louisiana. He would pay for it and be reimbursed through the plantation sale. However, he insisted that they be educated and then settled on the border of Louisiana and Texas – the ongoing Mexican War for Independence meant it was easier just to refer to the region at this point. Some militia would also go out there to settle things down, but the freedmen would keep out a lot of the riff raff themselves. They would actually form the first all-black city in the United States, Freedonia, which became capital of Burr Parish, a parish carved out of that area for the Freedmen.
The leaders of the area would be white at first, but eventually, the blacks would form Freedonia and demonstrate their ability to govern themselves as well as white people. The lawlessness of the area declined tremendously, and though part of it was American actions regarding the border, the long distances meant it was still hard for the American military to flex its muscle there. So, Freedonia citizens were educated in how to accomplish such things, though they were not accorded degrees on the same basis as whites for a few years.
Once the large Alston plantation was sold, Theodosia bought real estate with part of the money. She then donated some, near what would be Pineville, to start a college. It would be the first college granting degrees to woman in the world. An establishment for males was located near it, as ws the establishment where the Freedmen Burr had brought back were educated. The three would combine decades later as Louisiana State University.
By the time of the merger, in the 1840s, Oberlin College had begun to grant degrees to blacks on an equal footing with whites as well, something which slowly came to Louisiana. The state would be known, by the 1820s, as a “hotbed of radical ideas,” including womens’ suffrage.
Thomas Jefferson, in a response to a letter from John Adams in 1820, noted that, “The ideas upon which we based our Revolution seem to be expressed most clearly in Louisiana, and in some ways, they have risen above what I could have imagined. If the 18th century marked the end of tyranny and the beginning of government by Reason, perhaps the 19th will mark the emergence of political freedom for the masses, without the need to be dictated to and lorded over by some higher authority.”
“Nay,” John Adams wrote back, “there will always be the need for a Higher Authority because of the deceitfulness of the heart of man. Rather, I see in Louisiana the opportunity to show something my dearest Abigail often told me; namely, that womanhood does not automatically bar someone from being able to handle the many duties of civilized life. Abigail was thrilled in her last days to see what Theodosia was doing there, and I can understand if, as she says, there are some women as able to bear the burdens that men are. Therefore, I would amend your comment in this way, that the 19th century may be looked back upon as witnessing the emergence of political freedom for the masses without regard to their status, be it femininity or, if possible, race. But, with that Higher Authority still the backbone, providing a standard of decency which prevents man from engaging in wanton wickedness, for our system of government cannot be maintained without such a moral compass.”
Louisiana was at first mostly Catholic. In the time just after the Louisiana Purchase, Hamilton and others encouraged Protestants to migrate there to dilute Catholic influence. His rules about who could enter were only slowly lifted. Burr went along with those rules because in the early years, they helped him to build his political base.
Historians differ as to whether this was because Hamilton and Burr had renewed their friendship to some extent, or whether Hamilton was simply helping Burr so Democrat-Republicans like Burr would have what one of Hamilton’s supporters called, “Their own place, far away from the people who are best suited to run a nation.” To Hamilton and others, the settling of the region west of the Mississippi seemed like something which would only occur far into the future.
There were very few immigrants from Haiti – partly because of the restrictions, partly because during part of the time they could have come, the U.S. and Spain were at war, so it was very hard for boats to get there. However, some did come from Haiti, and in several states, they thought that perhaps – instead of Africa – it would be easier to ship freedmen to Louisiana, though for now, there would be no such movement.
Settling State Controversy
By the end of the decade, Indiana, Illinois, and – in 1819 – Missouri, which had a Southern border at the Arkansas River, had been admitted as free states. In the South, it was decided that three states would be carved out of the old Mississippi Territory and that of West Florida.
The state of Franklin would border Tennessee on the north, then the Mississippi River on the west. Its southern border would stretch eastward from just north of where the Mississippi jogs furthest to the east at that part of it (OTL Vicksburg) all the way to the Georgia border. (Placing Vicksburg, Mississippi and Montgomery, Alabama almost right on their borders with Franklin.)
On its south would be the states of Alabama, which included Mobile and a little bit west (as OTL) plus all the rest of West Florida east of Mobile. The state of Mississippi would include all of West Florida west of Mobile, except for parishes right on the German Coast across the river from New Orleans, as decided at the end of the German Coast War.
This compromise, worked out by the up and coming Henry Clay in 1815, gave each state something. Alabama and Mississippi would have their ports, and Mississippi the border with the river. Alabama would have a little more in ports and Tallahasseee, and slightly more size, to make up for Mississippi’s having the benefit of the Mississippi River traffic itself. Franklin would not have a port, but on the other hand, it would have a border on the Mississippi, plus a size advantage that could allow it to have more people eventually and have more people in the House of Representatives. It would also enter as a slave state in 1819 because, despite the majority of the territory’s populations being near the water, settlers had begun to move in on Creek land.
Clay’s “Southwest Compromise” was hailed as a victory for all, and propelled him into the national spotlight. The Democratic-Republicans liked it because there would be a rather large state with many of their “yeoman farmers” along with Alabama and Mississippi, instead of two states which could end up focusing totally on trade. Federalists liked it because they felt the Franklinites would be good candidates for their system of national roads, canals, and such. Men like Calhoun liked the idea that at least one more slave state would exist, and while this meant Florida wouldn’t get in for perhaps half a century, since most of the population resided in West Florida, most in the South still figured slavery would be gone by then.
Gradual Emancipation in Delaware, Expansion West
In fact, the same year Franklin was admitted as a state, a proposal to gradually emancipate slaves in Delaware was passed and signed by the governor. All children born after January 1, 1821 would be free, with slaves gradually emancipated till January 1, 1831, when the last salves would be freed in Delaware. It seemed clear to residents of that state that the Federalists would not try to end slavery, even as the party in power in Washington, and abolition movements weren’t yet so widespread as to make it appear that their politicians were being led from outside the state.
In fact, Virginia was seeing more and more of a push for it, too. In 1823, they would approve it, much to the delight of an elderly Jefferson.
Finally, back to Europe. As I said, "resolved" might not be the right word for the cliffhanger.
Part 13: Now What Do We Do?!
When we left European affairs, Britain’s Wellesley had just arrived in South America with his 9,000 men. He quickly began to gain some victories as the Venezuelans became a cohesive force to fight the Spanish for independence. By training de Miranda and others, Wellesley and his men were able to help them achieve the military discipline that would hopefully free their land. The province around Caracas, which might have waited longer otherwise, decided it was safe to revolt itself late in 1808.(1)
Caracas had revolted upon hearing Napoleon had tricked the Spanish and was now fighting for control of their country. Some who revolted were loyal to the deposed king, of course, which made it trickier. The news made Wellesley wonder what his orders would be. Still, he was in Venezuela till ordered otherwise, and so he spent more time training the Venezuelans.
Sure enough, early in 1809 his orders changed. He and his men were to return to Britain immediately to plan for a landing in Europe. The extra months due to communications ags would help the Venezuelans to become the first Latin American country to gain independence.(2)
As he travelled back, the British debated where to invade to take pressure off the French - Antwerp or Jutland? Antwerp would be closer, but there was also a report of a massive outbreak of disease there. The delay in getting Wellesley back had given them enough time to pause and consider their options. Jutland would be further away, but with the massive navies which had been built up to protect Zealand, it could be done. The Iberian Peninsula would be just as far, and word was that the French were losing there anyway. This meant Napoleon might send his whole army down there. If that happened, the British and Austrians might have time to actually get together and do something. Austria had heard of Napoleon’s problems in Spain and Portugal, and this had emboldened them to field an army.
Britain just hoped that the Swedes and Russians would work something out so they could get back to the business of fighting Napoleon, and put pressure on them to do that.
With a final invasion attempt by the Russians stopped, the Russians and Swedes had settled down to a stalemate which would lead to a status quo ante bellum peace, with Sweden keeping Finland. Russia was also fighting the Ottomans, after all. However, Russia was still seen as a belligerent, on Napoleon’s side.
Not only was Russia deemed a belligerent, Prussia had been forced to be a French ally of sorts in their treaty with napoleon, and their ruler wasn’t interested in joining the Fifth Coalition. That would have negative repercussions later.
Upon Wellesley’s arrival in Britain, it was decided he would head the force that invaded Jutland; he’d done very well in organizing an orderly withdrawal late in 1807, after all, in coordination with the Danish and the navies. Plus, they could then liberate Hanover, which pleased George III. Finally, the peace with Russia was allowing Sweden to send at least a few thousand troops to support the British in their invasion of Northern Europe.
Wellesley and Sir John Moore invaded with 55,000 troops;(3) the latter had been in Portugal before the surrender. It was a coordinated effort to take Jutland. Sweden and Denmark-Norway added thousands of their own, and just as Tyrol was rebelling against Bavaria (and would be allowed to join Austria after the wars), a Northern German nation, Brunswick, had a leader, Frederick William, who was leading fighters against Napoleon, too.
This invasion occurred as Napoleon was getting rid of the Spanish resistance – or at least trying to - after the Spanish had almost pushed his troops out of Spain themselves.
Even without British help, Spain had managed key victories. Napoleon thought DuPont would “overthrow everyone” but he was instead badly defeated at Bailen. Napoleon eventually rushed with troops into Spain to subdue it. This gave Austria time to prepare to attack, fearing they might not have enough money to keep this large army mobilized for many months longer.(4)
Once Napoleon left Spain an intense guerilla campaign would drain the French a lot. However, he had more pressing issues, as the Austrians had begun to march before he knew it, as they were also emboldened by British success in Jutland. Though communication was not nearly as good as it would become, they tried to at least time their attacks to be relatively close to each other.(5)
Napoleon finally got his forces together and decided it was better strategically to attack the Austrians first. For one thing, he could destroy the Austrians, even take Vienna, and then sweep north rather than going north and doubling back; it was possible, though unlikely, that the Austrians and British could sandwich him otherwise. For another, he felt the Confederation of the Rhine, and his brothers, should be able to stop the British. He was worried about Louis a little, though, as he’d refused to join Napoleon’s Continental System; Napoleon wanted to incorporate the Netherlands into France if he had to, but that could wait.
Napoleon met the Austrians in a few key battles. He had some setbacks, though, including the fact that some of his men had gone to fight the British. Austria even won a few tactical victories, some much clearer than the Russian victory at Eylau earlier. Napoleon and the Austrians fought a number of large battles in 1809, as the British slowly made their way toward Hanover. Britain reached out to the Prussians to get them to join, but Prussia was too exhausted and too timid after their crushing losses last time
After fierce fighting and the bloodiest battle since Eylau, Austria managed to defeat Napoleon, partly because of problems on the Danube. Napoleon’s men fought back valiantly, however, and he urged them on himself, backed by tens of thousands from the Confederation of the Rhine, though the British were actively trying to urge members of the confederation to switch sides.
Then, fate reared its head. As the French pushed the Austrians back in Bavaria, and then made it across the Danube, a stray shot hit Napoleon in the leg at somewhat close range.(6) It was something that, in retrospect, given his insistence on leadership, was bound to happen.
Davout – and, to a lesser extent, Massena - rallied the troops spectacularly, as Lannes rushed to the emperor’s side. Napoleon made him pledge to take Vienna while he recovered, which he did. Lannes promised to do so.
Napoleon escaped a possible assassination attempt, as his triumphal ride into Vienna was not greeted with as much pomp as it might have been, with far more guards around the recovering emperor. He was also forced to cancel a meeting with Tsar Alexander to follow up on Tilsit.(7) Instead, he sent a note hoping that Alexander and he could meet to discuss things later. Alexander responded coolly but would not yet break off relations with France.
Despite his spent force and his own recovery, Napoleon demanded to accompany the army north and to fight the British. He was determined to “wipe the British out of Europe.” A major battle took place near the capital of Hanover, with results that sent shock waves across Europe.
Napoleon’s generals were able to see that he recovered well enough, and Wellesley, later known as Wellington, was defeated once. However, by avoiding open pitched battles, he held his own in withdrawing in a timely fashion. His forces were then able to lay at least a draw upon the tired French - many consider it a victory - though had Napoleon’s forces not been so exhausted he almost surely would have won, if not won decisively..
What matters, though, is that volunteers under Frederick William I of Brunswick came within firing range of Napoleon. Wellesley wouldn’t hear of firing at him, and some of his riflemen had a chance. However, rumor has it that – in his hatred of Napoleon for bringing war time and again to Germany the last few years – Frederick William had ordered his men to try to kill Napoleon if they saw him. He denied it, but it still caused a strain in his relationship with Britain.(8)
Not that it mattered. What mattered was that Napoleon was shot by one of the Brunswickians. He lingered for a few hours, his last words being, “Davout leads the army… Joseph reigns in France… Josephine has my love. May France’s glory never die.”
Davout led the army to retreat in good order and sought a truce. Both sides had much to consider so a temporary armistice was reached.
Lannes, one of the emperor’s closest friends, had been by his side. He quickly ordered a messenger to deliver the news, stating that Joseph was the new emperor. He then went to tell Davout and Messena the news, and reported that Davout had been given the command, mostly for his nearly pulling off a “victory he could not win” and on his capture of Vienna from a weakened Austrian army. He promised Davout his full co-operation; with that, the others agreed, seeing that at least two of the top ones were on the same page.
Still, they all wondered, just how were they going to do this? Did they continue to fight or await word from Joseph…which would take weeks longer to arrive? Did they try to seek peace?
Napoleon’s legacy, in the end, was one of a brilliant leader who had suffered several defeats, but also many overwhelming victories. Francophiles tend to feel he’d have overcome those and conquered all of Europe, while supporters of Wellington insist their man would have beaten Napoleon badly. In reality, the truth lies somewhere in between – Napoleon likely would have chased Wellington out of Jutland, and the man would have retreated in good order and lived to fight another day, with French forces being whittled away slowly; most agree the British could have won, especially if Napoleon invades Russia as some say he would have.
About the only thing certain now was the Denmark-Norway would stay together. The Danish had made the right choice. The French weren’t sure what the right choice for them would be.(9)
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(1) Revolted 1810 OTL
(2) It took longer OTL, but quite a few turned against the revolution because of an earthquake. Here, it has been going on over a year longer, and the symbolism – a Maundy Thursday quake 2 years after the Maundy Thursday revolt - is not present.
(3) 40,000 were landed at Antwerp, but added to this would be some that would have left Portugal rather than keep fighting, plus some from Zealand.
(4) In OTL, Napoleon’s troops take care of the Spanish a couple months before the Fifth Coalition begins to move, and the British tried to land in Antwerp in July when the Austrians were already nearing defeat. Here, events in Spain happen months later, and Napoleon doesn’t leave Spain itself till late spring. And yet, July is still a good time for an invasion, with May or June better yet since they weren’t in Iberia. Meanwhile, the Austrians would feel a little more confident, while still having to worry about keeping their army together. So, Napoleon’s army is more tired from the Spain fight, the Austrians a little further east, and the British coming down the peninsula to rescue Hanover in July.
(5) Another reason the Austrians are attacking while Napoleon is still clearing out Spain.
(6) Napoleon was hit in the ankle at Ratisbon in OTL as the French drove the Austrians out of Bavaria. Here, with the Austrians closer to France and Napoleon’s men a little more exhausted because they had just fought in Spain, the enemy can get closer and a stray shot can inflict a serious wound.
(7) An assassination attempt was thwarted OTL when someone approached Napoleon with a knife hidden inside a scroll; here the number of guards around the still recovering emperor would be far greater. The meeting OTL a year after Tilsit would also be out, of course.
(8) At one point in OTL, Wellesley reportedly learned that his artillery had Napoleon in their sites, but he said that it wasn’t proper for army leaders to shoot at each other on purpose. Frederick William could have had much more animosity toward Napoleon. However, as noted, these are rumors, like those of the British poisoning him in OTL. What matters is the fact that he was killed in battle. Which, given how he escaped possible death twice in OTL’s 1809, is quite possible.
I mentioned the SHWI-ISOT game – some members played a role-playing game called GURPS Alternate Earths, or something like that, and they rolled for Josephine to have a son, so there was a regent. Needless to say, then, while I mentioned that Denmark-Norway was in the Coalition in the game, this will be quite different from OTL and the SHWI-ISOT game.
As for the decision to have Napoleon die, I only have time to do the one timeline, and the idea of having him die won out in the poll I ran, as opposed to having things close to OTL and simply focusing on the U.S..
Part 13: Now What Do We Do?!
When we left European affairs, Britain’s Wellesley had just arrived in South America with his 9,000 men. He quickly began to gain some victories as the Venezuelans became a cohesive force to fight the Spanish for independence. By training de Miranda and others, Wellesley and his men were able to help them achieve the military discipline that would hopefully free their land. The province around Caracas, which might have waited longer otherwise, decided it was safe to revolt itself late in 1808.(1)
Caracas had revolted upon hearing Napoleon had tricked the Spanish and was now fighting for control of their country. Some who revolted were loyal to the deposed king, of course, which made it trickier. The news made Wellesley wonder what his orders would be. Still, he was in Venezuela till ordered otherwise, and so he spent more time training the Venezuelans.
Sure enough, early in 1809 his orders changed. He and his men were to return to Britain immediately to plan for a landing in Europe. The extra months due to communications ags would help the Venezuelans to become the first Latin American country to gain independence.(2)
As he travelled back, the British debated where to invade to take pressure off the French - Antwerp or Jutland? Antwerp would be closer, but there was also a report of a massive outbreak of disease there. The delay in getting Wellesley back had given them enough time to pause and consider their options. Jutland would be further away, but with the massive navies which had been built up to protect Zealand, it could be done. The Iberian Peninsula would be just as far, and word was that the French were losing there anyway. This meant Napoleon might send his whole army down there. If that happened, the British and Austrians might have time to actually get together and do something. Austria had heard of Napoleon’s problems in Spain and Portugal, and this had emboldened them to field an army.
Britain just hoped that the Swedes and Russians would work something out so they could get back to the business of fighting Napoleon, and put pressure on them to do that.
With a final invasion attempt by the Russians stopped, the Russians and Swedes had settled down to a stalemate which would lead to a status quo ante bellum peace, with Sweden keeping Finland. Russia was also fighting the Ottomans, after all. However, Russia was still seen as a belligerent, on Napoleon’s side.
Not only was Russia deemed a belligerent, Prussia had been forced to be a French ally of sorts in their treaty with napoleon, and their ruler wasn’t interested in joining the Fifth Coalition. That would have negative repercussions later.
Upon Wellesley’s arrival in Britain, it was decided he would head the force that invaded Jutland; he’d done very well in organizing an orderly withdrawal late in 1807, after all, in coordination with the Danish and the navies. Plus, they could then liberate Hanover, which pleased George III. Finally, the peace with Russia was allowing Sweden to send at least a few thousand troops to support the British in their invasion of Northern Europe.
Wellesley and Sir John Moore invaded with 55,000 troops;(3) the latter had been in Portugal before the surrender. It was a coordinated effort to take Jutland. Sweden and Denmark-Norway added thousands of their own, and just as Tyrol was rebelling against Bavaria (and would be allowed to join Austria after the wars), a Northern German nation, Brunswick, had a leader, Frederick William, who was leading fighters against Napoleon, too.
This invasion occurred as Napoleon was getting rid of the Spanish resistance – or at least trying to - after the Spanish had almost pushed his troops out of Spain themselves.
Even without British help, Spain had managed key victories. Napoleon thought DuPont would “overthrow everyone” but he was instead badly defeated at Bailen. Napoleon eventually rushed with troops into Spain to subdue it. This gave Austria time to prepare to attack, fearing they might not have enough money to keep this large army mobilized for many months longer.(4)
Once Napoleon left Spain an intense guerilla campaign would drain the French a lot. However, he had more pressing issues, as the Austrians had begun to march before he knew it, as they were also emboldened by British success in Jutland. Though communication was not nearly as good as it would become, they tried to at least time their attacks to be relatively close to each other.(5)
Napoleon finally got his forces together and decided it was better strategically to attack the Austrians first. For one thing, he could destroy the Austrians, even take Vienna, and then sweep north rather than going north and doubling back; it was possible, though unlikely, that the Austrians and British could sandwich him otherwise. For another, he felt the Confederation of the Rhine, and his brothers, should be able to stop the British. He was worried about Louis a little, though, as he’d refused to join Napoleon’s Continental System; Napoleon wanted to incorporate the Netherlands into France if he had to, but that could wait.
Napoleon met the Austrians in a few key battles. He had some setbacks, though, including the fact that some of his men had gone to fight the British. Austria even won a few tactical victories, some much clearer than the Russian victory at Eylau earlier. Napoleon and the Austrians fought a number of large battles in 1809, as the British slowly made their way toward Hanover. Britain reached out to the Prussians to get them to join, but Prussia was too exhausted and too timid after their crushing losses last time
After fierce fighting and the bloodiest battle since Eylau, Austria managed to defeat Napoleon, partly because of problems on the Danube. Napoleon’s men fought back valiantly, however, and he urged them on himself, backed by tens of thousands from the Confederation of the Rhine, though the British were actively trying to urge members of the confederation to switch sides.
Then, fate reared its head. As the French pushed the Austrians back in Bavaria, and then made it across the Danube, a stray shot hit Napoleon in the leg at somewhat close range.(6) It was something that, in retrospect, given his insistence on leadership, was bound to happen.
Davout – and, to a lesser extent, Massena - rallied the troops spectacularly, as Lannes rushed to the emperor’s side. Napoleon made him pledge to take Vienna while he recovered, which he did. Lannes promised to do so.
Napoleon escaped a possible assassination attempt, as his triumphal ride into Vienna was not greeted with as much pomp as it might have been, with far more guards around the recovering emperor. He was also forced to cancel a meeting with Tsar Alexander to follow up on Tilsit.(7) Instead, he sent a note hoping that Alexander and he could meet to discuss things later. Alexander responded coolly but would not yet break off relations with France.
Despite his spent force and his own recovery, Napoleon demanded to accompany the army north and to fight the British. He was determined to “wipe the British out of Europe.” A major battle took place near the capital of Hanover, with results that sent shock waves across Europe.
Napoleon’s generals were able to see that he recovered well enough, and Wellesley, later known as Wellington, was defeated once. However, by avoiding open pitched battles, he held his own in withdrawing in a timely fashion. His forces were then able to lay at least a draw upon the tired French - many consider it a victory - though had Napoleon’s forces not been so exhausted he almost surely would have won, if not won decisively..
What matters, though, is that volunteers under Frederick William I of Brunswick came within firing range of Napoleon. Wellesley wouldn’t hear of firing at him, and some of his riflemen had a chance. However, rumor has it that – in his hatred of Napoleon for bringing war time and again to Germany the last few years – Frederick William had ordered his men to try to kill Napoleon if they saw him. He denied it, but it still caused a strain in his relationship with Britain.(8)
Not that it mattered. What mattered was that Napoleon was shot by one of the Brunswickians. He lingered for a few hours, his last words being, “Davout leads the army… Joseph reigns in France… Josephine has my love. May France’s glory never die.”
Davout led the army to retreat in good order and sought a truce. Both sides had much to consider so a temporary armistice was reached.
Lannes, one of the emperor’s closest friends, had been by his side. He quickly ordered a messenger to deliver the news, stating that Joseph was the new emperor. He then went to tell Davout and Messena the news, and reported that Davout had been given the command, mostly for his nearly pulling off a “victory he could not win” and on his capture of Vienna from a weakened Austrian army. He promised Davout his full co-operation; with that, the others agreed, seeing that at least two of the top ones were on the same page.
Still, they all wondered, just how were they going to do this? Did they continue to fight or await word from Joseph…which would take weeks longer to arrive? Did they try to seek peace?
Napoleon’s legacy, in the end, was one of a brilliant leader who had suffered several defeats, but also many overwhelming victories. Francophiles tend to feel he’d have overcome those and conquered all of Europe, while supporters of Wellington insist their man would have beaten Napoleon badly. In reality, the truth lies somewhere in between – Napoleon likely would have chased Wellington out of Jutland, and the man would have retreated in good order and lived to fight another day, with French forces being whittled away slowly; most agree the British could have won, especially if Napoleon invades Russia as some say he would have.
About the only thing certain now was the Denmark-Norway would stay together. The Danish had made the right choice. The French weren’t sure what the right choice for them would be.(9)
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(1) Revolted 1810 OTL
(2) It took longer OTL, but quite a few turned against the revolution because of an earthquake. Here, it has been going on over a year longer, and the symbolism – a Maundy Thursday quake 2 years after the Maundy Thursday revolt - is not present.
(3) 40,000 were landed at Antwerp, but added to this would be some that would have left Portugal rather than keep fighting, plus some from Zealand.
(4) In OTL, Napoleon’s troops take care of the Spanish a couple months before the Fifth Coalition begins to move, and the British tried to land in Antwerp in July when the Austrians were already nearing defeat. Here, events in Spain happen months later, and Napoleon doesn’t leave Spain itself till late spring. And yet, July is still a good time for an invasion, with May or June better yet since they weren’t in Iberia. Meanwhile, the Austrians would feel a little more confident, while still having to worry about keeping their army together. So, Napoleon’s army is more tired from the Spain fight, the Austrians a little further east, and the British coming down the peninsula to rescue Hanover in July.
(5) Another reason the Austrians are attacking while Napoleon is still clearing out Spain.
(6) Napoleon was hit in the ankle at Ratisbon in OTL as the French drove the Austrians out of Bavaria. Here, with the Austrians closer to France and Napoleon’s men a little more exhausted because they had just fought in Spain, the enemy can get closer and a stray shot can inflict a serious wound.
(7) An assassination attempt was thwarted OTL when someone approached Napoleon with a knife hidden inside a scroll; here the number of guards around the still recovering emperor would be far greater. The meeting OTL a year after Tilsit would also be out, of course.
(8) At one point in OTL, Wellesley reportedly learned that his artillery had Napoleon in their sites, but he said that it wasn’t proper for army leaders to shoot at each other on purpose. Frederick William could have had much more animosity toward Napoleon. However, as noted, these are rumors, like those of the British poisoning him in OTL. What matters is the fact that he was killed in battle. Which, given how he escaped possible death twice in OTL’s 1809, is quite possible.
I mentioned the SHWI-ISOT game – some members played a role-playing game called GURPS Alternate Earths, or something like that, and they rolled for Josephine to have a son, so there was a regent. Needless to say, then, while I mentioned that Denmark-Norway was in the Coalition in the game, this will be quite different from OTL and the SHWI-ISOT game.
As for the decision to have Napoleon die, I only have time to do the one timeline, and the idea of having him die won out in the poll I ran, as opposed to having things close to OTL and simply focusing on the U.S..
So, what does happen int his situation? Without Napoleon's remarriage yet, there is a big mess, obviously. Here's on e idea - and of course it's not complete yet. Because, things are going to stay rather dismembered for a while.
Part 14: 1809 – Rather Dismembered That Crazy December
Rumors had swirled earlier in 1809 that Napoleon had been killed while fighting the Austrians weeks before he captured Vienna. Joseph Bonaparte had rushed to Paris to claim the imperial crown, only to have revolutionaries capture him – they were insisting that their man should be ruler, and that Napoleon had violated the spirit of the revolution.
Monarchists were also out in force, insisting that a Bourbon or an Orleanist candidate was the rightful ruler of France.
Then, after many days of confusion, word came back that Napoleon had not died, and had just taken Vienna – really his marshals had, but it was made to look like he had no injury whatsoever so there would be no doubt that Napoleon was fit to reign. A variety of people were ordered put to death and Joseph Bonaparte was released from custody.
However, rumors came in that Napoleon was injured and that Davout had taken Vienna, that Napoleon was uninjured but Davout had taken a bullet for him, that Napoleon was kicking the British out of Jutland, that everything up to Napoleon being a Martian was happening, and if science fiction had been big then, even that might have come up.
As it was, the rumors were so enormous that Joseph went back to try and fight, then saw how bad it was in Spain and chose to return to France for a while.
Once he’d been back for a little while, rumors came again that Napoleon had been killed – this time in Northern Germany. Nobody knew what to do, and many didn’t believe it. Joseph Bonaparte helped Foche to put down any and all revolts, just in case the rumors were true; however, some believed it was also to cement Joseph’s rightful place as emperor, or even that Foche was starting all the rumors to test others’ loyalty. These many rumors swirled as autumn, 1809 rolled on,(1) until something big came up.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the army came back, with Napoleon lying in state! The emperor really was dead after all, and enough people had become convinced he wasn’t that for a short time, nobody knew what to do. However, sparks started flying, even at the funeral.
Joseph stood something of a chance of becoming the rightful emperor. In fact, Lannes preferred him to Davout, because he’d been so close to Napoleon that he thought it was an outrage to not accept the late emperor’s choice as successor. However, Joseph had a problem. He had little support because he’d cracked down hard on dissidents, he had little military support because Davout had done so well, and even Foche was more interested in his own survival.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Spanish were revolting mightily against Joseph. If Joseph couldn’t keep them down, how was he supposed to lead the Grand Armee, or rule at all?
Davout therefore ordered Joseph arrested. He was incensed – he’d done so much to ensure that the monarchists were silenced.
“You are a terrible ruler in Spain, however,” Davout retorted. “Besides, it’s well known that you preferred being King of Naples.”
“I am the rightful emperor!” Joseph screamed.
“Yes, which is why we are giving you a choice between two options,” Davout said. “You may either once more become King of Naples…”
Joseph glared at the man and shouted in a rage, “Or?!”
“Shot,” Davout said simply.
Joseph fumed. He would accept Naples, only because he had very little army, and Davout was proving to be a great leader, at least of the military. However, Joseph would definitely try to get back what he felt to be his rightful position, with the help of Lannes.
Davout held the upper hand, though. In fact, a few people even accepted him not just because he was a great military man, but because he had enough nobility in his family that he had been removed once from the army early in the Revolution. As the weeks turned into months, he sent peace feelers to Britain, as well as letting Prussia and Austria know he would not seek to fight them anymore, and was simply concerned with keeping his holdings in Italy and Spain.
This was not because he was a man of peace, so much as because he could sense Spain becoming a major quagmire. This is why he recalled Murat from Naples. Murat would serve under Massena, who was remaining loyal to him, as the vast majority of the Grand Armee went in to subdue Spain at 1810 dawned. He hoped that the frenzied fighting would teach Murat a lesson; he’d clashed with the man quite a bit, and recalled how Napoleon had handled Bernadotte.
Davout tried to totally defeat Spain once and for all. He remarked to a British envoy, “Napoleon was great, but he didn’t know when to stop. However, we firmly believe that there is a logical stopping point. With our allies the Russians, who have also been approached, we could rule this continent, but we do not wish to continue the Continental System or any of the other problems which have marred Europe.”
Ah, yes, the Continental system. When they announced they were cancelling that, Alexander had all he’d wanted – freedom to be France’s ally without being ordered around. He pledged his commitment to France, which mightily perturbed the British. However, Saxony and even the Netherlands quickly jumped off the French bandwagon, and others began following; they wanted to see which way things would go in this possible peace before committing. Many states were making pledges of peace.
Spencer Percival had just officially come into power. With the aging former Prime Minister ill, though, much had been left to the cabinet and, in the military’s case, to the men in the field. Percival had run many things even before becoming Prime Minister. Britain was weary of war, but there was much to consider, though; he didn’t want to accept peace without at least knowing what Davout would want in return. He knew, however, that once Davout had decided to do away with the Continental System, this eliminated the main bone of contention which had Alexander considering opposing Napoleon. It was a clever ploy.
One monarch who also disliked the Continental System was Napoleon’s brother Louis. The King of the Netherlands since being placed there, Louis had done a very good job keeping the Dutch at peace and had responded well to their needs. He insisted, in fact, that he be allowed to stay, and promised a firm alliance with the British against Davout, whom he saw as usurping his brother’s throne. He would even grudgingly accept an alliance which was meant to place Louis XVIII on the throne instead of Joseph. However, he also told the British he really didn’t want the Dutch to have to fight at all.
Percival asked Louis if he would willingly, now and forever, relinquish all claims to the French throne for himself and his descendants. If he would, they could discuss something. However, they would have to discuss it in a conference of European nations early in 1810, as Davout marched into Spain with the full force of the French army, disregarding the monarchists and Bonapartists fighting his own reign; he would let Foche deal with them. Davout wanted as much territory as possible in Spain and/or Italy, which he would consider next, so if he did make peace with the British, he could have as much as possible in the treaty.
And, it was possible. Some said that Percival’s hatred of Catholics was enough that he was inclined to let them fight it out for a while, allowing the British economy to recover. Whether that was the reason for the British not getting involved too heavily in the matter, things would become worse soon after this, which would give Percival’s enemy George IV, the Prince Regent for George III in 1811, reason to select a new government, with Percival merely staying on in his position in Treasury, which he was good at.(2)
Not only that, but the conference which the British were hoping for was complicated by more than war. Prussia was demanding their Polish lands back. However, Saxony – whose king was in a personal union with Poland – protested. And, while he was unable to get support to keep Poland intact without some help, Austria still wanted Silesia, which the Prussians had claimed for themselves decades before. War seemed likely to break out between Prussia and Saxony, and either Austria or – because they feared Prussia becoming too powerful – the Confederation of the Rhine. He former would try to regain Silesia, the latter would try to stop Prussia, knowing that the Prussians also wanted some or all of Saxony.(3)
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(1) Since the Austrians started a little earlier, the rumors – which began earlier in the eyar – continue through a capturing of Vienna which is here perhaps a few weeks earlier than OTL, but the time is approximate. What matters is that by early December, his body is back in Paris and a number of places are breaking into peace or, in France, pieces.
(2) The “let them fight it out” bit is only speculation based on Percival’s anti-Catholic views noted by one poster in the only thread on AH.com about his survival. However, he was going to an inquiry at the time he was assassinated in OTL, so this would not be the only problem hat he had. While what has happened so far may not seem like enough to have him removed, what will happen next will be, though other butterflies would also exist.
(3) At the start of OTL’s Congress of Vienna, Prussia and Austria almost came to blows before cooler heads prevailed and they realized they still had a common enemy during the Hundred Days. Here, there is no such threat, and while there isn’t the need to trade something because of a loss of Poland to Russia as in OTL, there is the notion that Austria had fought Napoleon a lot more than the Prussians had; although that had to be countered with the fact that Austria had just lost very convincingly to Napoleon. All of Europe was “rather dismembered” by now.
Part 14: 1809 – Rather Dismembered That Crazy December
Rumors had swirled earlier in 1809 that Napoleon had been killed while fighting the Austrians weeks before he captured Vienna. Joseph Bonaparte had rushed to Paris to claim the imperial crown, only to have revolutionaries capture him – they were insisting that their man should be ruler, and that Napoleon had violated the spirit of the revolution.
Monarchists were also out in force, insisting that a Bourbon or an Orleanist candidate was the rightful ruler of France.
Then, after many days of confusion, word came back that Napoleon had not died, and had just taken Vienna – really his marshals had, but it was made to look like he had no injury whatsoever so there would be no doubt that Napoleon was fit to reign. A variety of people were ordered put to death and Joseph Bonaparte was released from custody.
However, rumors came in that Napoleon was injured and that Davout had taken Vienna, that Napoleon was uninjured but Davout had taken a bullet for him, that Napoleon was kicking the British out of Jutland, that everything up to Napoleon being a Martian was happening, and if science fiction had been big then, even that might have come up.
As it was, the rumors were so enormous that Joseph went back to try and fight, then saw how bad it was in Spain and chose to return to France for a while.
Once he’d been back for a little while, rumors came again that Napoleon had been killed – this time in Northern Germany. Nobody knew what to do, and many didn’t believe it. Joseph Bonaparte helped Foche to put down any and all revolts, just in case the rumors were true; however, some believed it was also to cement Joseph’s rightful place as emperor, or even that Foche was starting all the rumors to test others’ loyalty. These many rumors swirled as autumn, 1809 rolled on,(1) until something big came up.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the army came back, with Napoleon lying in state! The emperor really was dead after all, and enough people had become convinced he wasn’t that for a short time, nobody knew what to do. However, sparks started flying, even at the funeral.
Joseph stood something of a chance of becoming the rightful emperor. In fact, Lannes preferred him to Davout, because he’d been so close to Napoleon that he thought it was an outrage to not accept the late emperor’s choice as successor. However, Joseph had a problem. He had little support because he’d cracked down hard on dissidents, he had little military support because Davout had done so well, and even Foche was more interested in his own survival.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Spanish were revolting mightily against Joseph. If Joseph couldn’t keep them down, how was he supposed to lead the Grand Armee, or rule at all?
Davout therefore ordered Joseph arrested. He was incensed – he’d done so much to ensure that the monarchists were silenced.
“You are a terrible ruler in Spain, however,” Davout retorted. “Besides, it’s well known that you preferred being King of Naples.”
“I am the rightful emperor!” Joseph screamed.
“Yes, which is why we are giving you a choice between two options,” Davout said. “You may either once more become King of Naples…”
Joseph glared at the man and shouted in a rage, “Or?!”
“Shot,” Davout said simply.
Joseph fumed. He would accept Naples, only because he had very little army, and Davout was proving to be a great leader, at least of the military. However, Joseph would definitely try to get back what he felt to be his rightful position, with the help of Lannes.
Davout held the upper hand, though. In fact, a few people even accepted him not just because he was a great military man, but because he had enough nobility in his family that he had been removed once from the army early in the Revolution. As the weeks turned into months, he sent peace feelers to Britain, as well as letting Prussia and Austria know he would not seek to fight them anymore, and was simply concerned with keeping his holdings in Italy and Spain.
This was not because he was a man of peace, so much as because he could sense Spain becoming a major quagmire. This is why he recalled Murat from Naples. Murat would serve under Massena, who was remaining loyal to him, as the vast majority of the Grand Armee went in to subdue Spain at 1810 dawned. He hoped that the frenzied fighting would teach Murat a lesson; he’d clashed with the man quite a bit, and recalled how Napoleon had handled Bernadotte.
Davout tried to totally defeat Spain once and for all. He remarked to a British envoy, “Napoleon was great, but he didn’t know when to stop. However, we firmly believe that there is a logical stopping point. With our allies the Russians, who have also been approached, we could rule this continent, but we do not wish to continue the Continental System or any of the other problems which have marred Europe.”
Ah, yes, the Continental system. When they announced they were cancelling that, Alexander had all he’d wanted – freedom to be France’s ally without being ordered around. He pledged his commitment to France, which mightily perturbed the British. However, Saxony and even the Netherlands quickly jumped off the French bandwagon, and others began following; they wanted to see which way things would go in this possible peace before committing. Many states were making pledges of peace.
Spencer Percival had just officially come into power. With the aging former Prime Minister ill, though, much had been left to the cabinet and, in the military’s case, to the men in the field. Percival had run many things even before becoming Prime Minister. Britain was weary of war, but there was much to consider, though; he didn’t want to accept peace without at least knowing what Davout would want in return. He knew, however, that once Davout had decided to do away with the Continental System, this eliminated the main bone of contention which had Alexander considering opposing Napoleon. It was a clever ploy.
One monarch who also disliked the Continental System was Napoleon’s brother Louis. The King of the Netherlands since being placed there, Louis had done a very good job keeping the Dutch at peace and had responded well to their needs. He insisted, in fact, that he be allowed to stay, and promised a firm alliance with the British against Davout, whom he saw as usurping his brother’s throne. He would even grudgingly accept an alliance which was meant to place Louis XVIII on the throne instead of Joseph. However, he also told the British he really didn’t want the Dutch to have to fight at all.
Percival asked Louis if he would willingly, now and forever, relinquish all claims to the French throne for himself and his descendants. If he would, they could discuss something. However, they would have to discuss it in a conference of European nations early in 1810, as Davout marched into Spain with the full force of the French army, disregarding the monarchists and Bonapartists fighting his own reign; he would let Foche deal with them. Davout wanted as much territory as possible in Spain and/or Italy, which he would consider next, so if he did make peace with the British, he could have as much as possible in the treaty.
And, it was possible. Some said that Percival’s hatred of Catholics was enough that he was inclined to let them fight it out for a while, allowing the British economy to recover. Whether that was the reason for the British not getting involved too heavily in the matter, things would become worse soon after this, which would give Percival’s enemy George IV, the Prince Regent for George III in 1811, reason to select a new government, with Percival merely staying on in his position in Treasury, which he was good at.(2)
Not only that, but the conference which the British were hoping for was complicated by more than war. Prussia was demanding their Polish lands back. However, Saxony – whose king was in a personal union with Poland – protested. And, while he was unable to get support to keep Poland intact without some help, Austria still wanted Silesia, which the Prussians had claimed for themselves decades before. War seemed likely to break out between Prussia and Saxony, and either Austria or – because they feared Prussia becoming too powerful – the Confederation of the Rhine. He former would try to regain Silesia, the latter would try to stop Prussia, knowing that the Prussians also wanted some or all of Saxony.(3)
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(1) Since the Austrians started a little earlier, the rumors – which began earlier in the eyar – continue through a capturing of Vienna which is here perhaps a few weeks earlier than OTL, but the time is approximate. What matters is that by early December, his body is back in Paris and a number of places are breaking into peace or, in France, pieces.
(2) The “let them fight it out” bit is only speculation based on Percival’s anti-Catholic views noted by one poster in the only thread on AH.com about his survival. However, he was going to an inquiry at the time he was assassinated in OTL, so this would not be the only problem hat he had. While what has happened so far may not seem like enough to have him removed, what will happen next will be, though other butterflies would also exist.
(3) At the start of OTL’s Congress of Vienna, Prussia and Austria almost came to blows before cooler heads prevailed and they realized they still had a common enemy during the Hundred Days. Here, there is no such threat, and while there isn’t the need to trade something because of a loss of Poland to Russia as in OTL, there is the notion that Austria had fought Napoleon a lot more than the Prussians had; although that had to be countered with the fact that Austria had just lost very convincingly to Napoleon. All of Europe was “rather dismembered” by now.
Part 15: War, Peace, and Chaos
Part 15: War, Peace, and Chaos
As 1810 wore on, the British wanted some way to keep Davout out of Spain and punish the French while at the same time ensuring that the continent could be at peace – if this man was truly against fighting the rest of Europe, they would see just what he had to offer.
Davout didn’t move out of Spain, however. All of 1810 was spent trying to subdue Spain. Meanwhile, the British began a conference at London – Vienna was considered, but with Austria having just suffered a severe defeat, some worried such a Congress could bankrupt them. This Congress of London would hopefully begin a Congress system of Europe’s powers organizing things to keep everyone happy and to prevent one nation from dominating as the French had. In return for not hosting this one, Vienna was promised the next one when it was needed.
Despite France’s continued presence in Spain, they felt they should get something. After all, the French representative, Talleyrand, insisted that France hadn’t lost. He suggested that France have its way in Africa. The British knew that could include Egypt, and weren’t in the mood to let France off that easily; and were especially adamant that France not have Egypt.
Percival had a taker – the Dutch – for Guadeloupe and Martinique, which Britain had occupied. They could give the Dutch this in exchange for letting them annoy Davout if he was allowed to remain by putting someone else in charge of the French-speaking parts of the Netherlands. This seemed possible; there was great debate in Parliament about whether France giving up their conquering ways was enough. It would at the same time be a trade which would allow the Dutch to get the islands in return. And, if the area ended up incorporated into France proper, that was fine; it actually matched what Metternich of Austria suggested for Franc, giving them just a little crumb in exchange for getting them out of the rest of Europe with no huge army again.
“What do you think of Bonaparte and the Walloons?” is the start of a famous quip, likely apocryphal, around that time.
The punch line goes, “I think if you remove the first three letters ‘loons’ sounds quite right.”
In reality, Wallonia didn’t exist as a region the way it does now, but the French-speaking, mostly Catholic area of the Netherlands was what was meant. France could get that in the deal, and the Dutch would get those rich colonies in return. The Netherlands would also keep Antwerp, so an important port couldn’t be used by the French to attack Britain.
William of Orange, the King of the Netherlands, wanted the throne back, of course. So, what to do with Louis? That was the icing on the cake. Because he was well-beloved in the Netherlands, Louis Bonaparte could get Wallonia; some of it could be given to Luxembourg, of course, but that would allow him to retain a monarchy while giving William of Orange back the Dutch throne, since Louis had turned against Davout after Napoleon had died and would help to overthrow him eventually.
The British really wanted all Bonapartes to leave, but they knew that might be hard. The British knew if they attacked the Netherlands it could turn the Dutch against them, though Canning, Percival’s rival with the Tories, suggested it to get rid of the Bonapartist regime. Still, there really wasn’t reason - Louis continued to co-operate and not try to gain power in France. The British floated this idea because they wanted to see how serious Davout really was about peace. Would he leave Spain alone?
Louis Napoleon knew he could be forced out. Therefore, he accepted Wallonia. It had the desired effect of making the situation in France even more confused, as there was a Bonaparte just north in Wallonia, the new name of the kingdom.
However, William wasn’t satisfied. He had some Dutch West Indies colonies. He insisted that to accept Wallonia being separated from the Netherlands, he had to get back the Cape Colony; in return, he would keep his colonists out of Natal and other regions that had no European colonists. The British okayed this, and began sending colonists to Natal quickly after this. Guadeloup and Martinique would be returned to France, which let them have something, since the British had occupied them. As one said to Talleyrand, “We could keep these islands and you wouldn’t be able to stop us; so we are giving you something.”
As for Prussia, they had lost badly and then allied with Napoleon, while their rival in Germany, Austria, had been crushed twice but never allied with Napoleon. Yes both combined to defeat Davout, but once word spread the Davout had kicked Joseph out and was focused on Spain, every German state turned against Davout.
Prussia had lost some territory to the Duchy of Poland, though – which Austria, through the marriage to the future Queen of Poland – was already considering cementing as an ally. They couldn’t get Russian help in dissecting Poland as they had a few decades ago because Alexander I was too busy defeating the Ottomans. Prussia also wanted land in Saxony – but Saxony hadn’t lost and was now totally fighting against Davout, provided they be safe from his attacks. The Prussians felt defeated, and seemed to deserve land somewhere, just as the Austrians had recovered land they had been forced to cede to Bavaria, as well as possibly getting other concessions in Bavarian territory.
Prussia knew they couldn’t have it all – they just wanted more than Austria. So, they listened when it was suggested that – instead of some of Saxony and Poland – Prussia be given the Kingdom of Westphalia instead, and perhaps the Rhine and Ruhr valleys – which Austria wanted because they still held out hope that the outdated Holy Roman Empire would be reborn. Bavaria was considered, but these lands were generally Protestant and their kid ws Catholic. The Netherlands was even considered, but they didn’t seem strong enough to balance against French aggression. Britain would rather give them the Cape..
The Ottomans weren’t the only problem facing the Russians. Once they finally beat the Ottomans, the Russian royal family had every reason to wonder if they were jinxed.
First there was the murder of Paul I, totally altering history, some said. Now, something had happened which nobody could have anticipated.
One John Bellingham had his return pass from Russia revoked and he was imprisoned in 1804. After a year he managed to be released, and he went to Saint Petersburg, but he’d antagonized leaders and he was imprisoned again. In 1808, he was released onto the streets but was denied permission to leave Russia.
With nobody to turn to, he appealed to the Czar. However, while this might have won him release and allowed him to return to Britain, the animosity against Britain – technically still at war with Russia because they were helping the Swedish defense – combined with larger numbers of British ships around Jutland to make the Russians very skittish. Alexander was also too eager to go south and defeat the Ottomans. So, he refused to see him, and the Russians not hving any relations with Britain – refused to consider sending him back.(1)
The delay kept Bellingham in Saint Petersburg yet another winter. The Czar had been too busy, in the wake of Napoleon’s death, too, as he led an army down south to fight the Ottomans. He was finished trying to fight Sweden after so long with nothing to show, and needed a victory down there much more than he needed to try and soothe relations with Britain. And, even if he’d met with the man, he knew it might be hard to send him back.
Alexander I showed he was a quite capable military leader, and won a war which allowed the Russians to take Bessarabia and much Transcaucasus area in mid-1811.(2)
Bellingham had had plenty of time to stew; he’d given up on his attempt to return home, and instead had chosen different means; when the British wouldn’t help or provide compensation, he decided that the one who had turned his back on the British as allies was to blame, as he surely would have helped, in Bellingham’s mind, if they had been allies. Besides, if he was going to be treated like a criminal in Russia, why not have it be for a reason?
For this reason, Bellingham waited till Alexander was back in Moscow, and shot and killed him. This sent shock waves throughout Russia.
It also astounded the nobility. Constantine, Alexander’s brother, was heir apparent since Alexander had no issue. But, Constantine was known for not minding court protocol very much, and in war, he was positively lousy at times, though he’d exhibited bravery, too, at times. His lack of discipline made them wonder what kind of Czar he would be.
Another problem existed, too. Constantine was married, but his wife had fled back to Coburg after he’d been violent a number of times. He and her brother sent messages to her and he even planned to visit her personally to urge her back – after all, she would be Czarina now. She replied sharply the moment she heard of this, “I would not be Czarina of the world if it meant having to share a palace with you!”
Now, what was Constantine going to do? He needed a wife who would provide him issue; many worried that if he didn’t have issue - given the short life spans even of the Romanovs who weren’t assassinated - he might live another 30-35 years, outlive his brothers, and cause a major problem akin to the Time of Troubles – a problem which would be exacerbated if he were to show such laxness when it came to leading Russia.
On the other hand, he could at times be violent with his subordinates when at war, and some feared that trend might continue at Czar. If he showed such tendencies with his first wife who would marry him?
German princesses were very common. One of them was more likely to be willing to convert to Eastern Orthodox, it seemed. Gustav Adolphus of Sweden hated Russia’s guts yet for their attack on Sweden, and forbade any of his princesses from marrying him. Denmark had nobody suitable. Austria was already becoming an ally again and it was doubtful any of their princesses would be willing to convert to Orthodoxy. Spain and Portugal were in a mess, though a Spanish one was possible, if they were willing to convert. Others didn’t seem really likely.
Augusta was considered – the Prussian princess’ marriage was an unhappy one and about to be terminated. However, she was deemed a bit old to have children, although at 33 she could still have one or two more. She clearly had the guts to put up with Constantine, having stood up to Napoleon. However, she also didn’t want to trade one bad marriage for another.
Alexandra of Prussia was only 14; while she might have suited Nicholas, she didn’t seem very suitable to Constantine. He never cared much for court intrigue, and didn’t see a real need for the marriage to be political. Besides, he’d been a supporter of an alliance with France. Maybe, he suggested, a French noblewoman was available?
While the loss of their emperor wreaked havoc in Russia, the horrors of infighting in France would soon spread to Spain.
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(1) All before this is as in OTL, but in OTL he seems to have met with the Czar or at least got a favorable response. Here, the problems noted mean that Russia is much more skittish. Besides these and the Czar’s focus on the Ottomans, one wonders, too, if the Czar’s attention to this British subject, after one more rebuff by Napoleon, might have been his way of putting out the diplomatic feelers to see if he could rebuild his relationship with the British, something he’d have much less desire to do in this instance.
(2) Lack of focus on France means they can speed this up by up to a year.
Part 15: War, Peace, and Chaos
As 1810 wore on, the British wanted some way to keep Davout out of Spain and punish the French while at the same time ensuring that the continent could be at peace – if this man was truly against fighting the rest of Europe, they would see just what he had to offer.
Davout didn’t move out of Spain, however. All of 1810 was spent trying to subdue Spain. Meanwhile, the British began a conference at London – Vienna was considered, but with Austria having just suffered a severe defeat, some worried such a Congress could bankrupt them. This Congress of London would hopefully begin a Congress system of Europe’s powers organizing things to keep everyone happy and to prevent one nation from dominating as the French had. In return for not hosting this one, Vienna was promised the next one when it was needed.
Despite France’s continued presence in Spain, they felt they should get something. After all, the French representative, Talleyrand, insisted that France hadn’t lost. He suggested that France have its way in Africa. The British knew that could include Egypt, and weren’t in the mood to let France off that easily; and were especially adamant that France not have Egypt.
Percival had a taker – the Dutch – for Guadeloupe and Martinique, which Britain had occupied. They could give the Dutch this in exchange for letting them annoy Davout if he was allowed to remain by putting someone else in charge of the French-speaking parts of the Netherlands. This seemed possible; there was great debate in Parliament about whether France giving up their conquering ways was enough. It would at the same time be a trade which would allow the Dutch to get the islands in return. And, if the area ended up incorporated into France proper, that was fine; it actually matched what Metternich of Austria suggested for Franc, giving them just a little crumb in exchange for getting them out of the rest of Europe with no huge army again.
“What do you think of Bonaparte and the Walloons?” is the start of a famous quip, likely apocryphal, around that time.
The punch line goes, “I think if you remove the first three letters ‘loons’ sounds quite right.”
In reality, Wallonia didn’t exist as a region the way it does now, but the French-speaking, mostly Catholic area of the Netherlands was what was meant. France could get that in the deal, and the Dutch would get those rich colonies in return. The Netherlands would also keep Antwerp, so an important port couldn’t be used by the French to attack Britain.
William of Orange, the King of the Netherlands, wanted the throne back, of course. So, what to do with Louis? That was the icing on the cake. Because he was well-beloved in the Netherlands, Louis Bonaparte could get Wallonia; some of it could be given to Luxembourg, of course, but that would allow him to retain a monarchy while giving William of Orange back the Dutch throne, since Louis had turned against Davout after Napoleon had died and would help to overthrow him eventually.
The British really wanted all Bonapartes to leave, but they knew that might be hard. The British knew if they attacked the Netherlands it could turn the Dutch against them, though Canning, Percival’s rival with the Tories, suggested it to get rid of the Bonapartist regime. Still, there really wasn’t reason - Louis continued to co-operate and not try to gain power in France. The British floated this idea because they wanted to see how serious Davout really was about peace. Would he leave Spain alone?
Louis Napoleon knew he could be forced out. Therefore, he accepted Wallonia. It had the desired effect of making the situation in France even more confused, as there was a Bonaparte just north in Wallonia, the new name of the kingdom.
However, William wasn’t satisfied. He had some Dutch West Indies colonies. He insisted that to accept Wallonia being separated from the Netherlands, he had to get back the Cape Colony; in return, he would keep his colonists out of Natal and other regions that had no European colonists. The British okayed this, and began sending colonists to Natal quickly after this. Guadeloup and Martinique would be returned to France, which let them have something, since the British had occupied them. As one said to Talleyrand, “We could keep these islands and you wouldn’t be able to stop us; so we are giving you something.”
As for Prussia, they had lost badly and then allied with Napoleon, while their rival in Germany, Austria, had been crushed twice but never allied with Napoleon. Yes both combined to defeat Davout, but once word spread the Davout had kicked Joseph out and was focused on Spain, every German state turned against Davout.
Prussia had lost some territory to the Duchy of Poland, though – which Austria, through the marriage to the future Queen of Poland – was already considering cementing as an ally. They couldn’t get Russian help in dissecting Poland as they had a few decades ago because Alexander I was too busy defeating the Ottomans. Prussia also wanted land in Saxony – but Saxony hadn’t lost and was now totally fighting against Davout, provided they be safe from his attacks. The Prussians felt defeated, and seemed to deserve land somewhere, just as the Austrians had recovered land they had been forced to cede to Bavaria, as well as possibly getting other concessions in Bavarian territory.
Prussia knew they couldn’t have it all – they just wanted more than Austria. So, they listened when it was suggested that – instead of some of Saxony and Poland – Prussia be given the Kingdom of Westphalia instead, and perhaps the Rhine and Ruhr valleys – which Austria wanted because they still held out hope that the outdated Holy Roman Empire would be reborn. Bavaria was considered, but these lands were generally Protestant and their kid ws Catholic. The Netherlands was even considered, but they didn’t seem strong enough to balance against French aggression. Britain would rather give them the Cape..
The Ottomans weren’t the only problem facing the Russians. Once they finally beat the Ottomans, the Russian royal family had every reason to wonder if they were jinxed.
First there was the murder of Paul I, totally altering history, some said. Now, something had happened which nobody could have anticipated.
One John Bellingham had his return pass from Russia revoked and he was imprisoned in 1804. After a year he managed to be released, and he went to Saint Petersburg, but he’d antagonized leaders and he was imprisoned again. In 1808, he was released onto the streets but was denied permission to leave Russia.
With nobody to turn to, he appealed to the Czar. However, while this might have won him release and allowed him to return to Britain, the animosity against Britain – technically still at war with Russia because they were helping the Swedish defense – combined with larger numbers of British ships around Jutland to make the Russians very skittish. Alexander was also too eager to go south and defeat the Ottomans. So, he refused to see him, and the Russians not hving any relations with Britain – refused to consider sending him back.(1)
The delay kept Bellingham in Saint Petersburg yet another winter. The Czar had been too busy, in the wake of Napoleon’s death, too, as he led an army down south to fight the Ottomans. He was finished trying to fight Sweden after so long with nothing to show, and needed a victory down there much more than he needed to try and soothe relations with Britain. And, even if he’d met with the man, he knew it might be hard to send him back.
Alexander I showed he was a quite capable military leader, and won a war which allowed the Russians to take Bessarabia and much Transcaucasus area in mid-1811.(2)
Bellingham had had plenty of time to stew; he’d given up on his attempt to return home, and instead had chosen different means; when the British wouldn’t help or provide compensation, he decided that the one who had turned his back on the British as allies was to blame, as he surely would have helped, in Bellingham’s mind, if they had been allies. Besides, if he was going to be treated like a criminal in Russia, why not have it be for a reason?
For this reason, Bellingham waited till Alexander was back in Moscow, and shot and killed him. This sent shock waves throughout Russia.
It also astounded the nobility. Constantine, Alexander’s brother, was heir apparent since Alexander had no issue. But, Constantine was known for not minding court protocol very much, and in war, he was positively lousy at times, though he’d exhibited bravery, too, at times. His lack of discipline made them wonder what kind of Czar he would be.
Another problem existed, too. Constantine was married, but his wife had fled back to Coburg after he’d been violent a number of times. He and her brother sent messages to her and he even planned to visit her personally to urge her back – after all, she would be Czarina now. She replied sharply the moment she heard of this, “I would not be Czarina of the world if it meant having to share a palace with you!”
Now, what was Constantine going to do? He needed a wife who would provide him issue; many worried that if he didn’t have issue - given the short life spans even of the Romanovs who weren’t assassinated - he might live another 30-35 years, outlive his brothers, and cause a major problem akin to the Time of Troubles – a problem which would be exacerbated if he were to show such laxness when it came to leading Russia.
On the other hand, he could at times be violent with his subordinates when at war, and some feared that trend might continue at Czar. If he showed such tendencies with his first wife who would marry him?
German princesses were very common. One of them was more likely to be willing to convert to Eastern Orthodox, it seemed. Gustav Adolphus of Sweden hated Russia’s guts yet for their attack on Sweden, and forbade any of his princesses from marrying him. Denmark had nobody suitable. Austria was already becoming an ally again and it was doubtful any of their princesses would be willing to convert to Orthodoxy. Spain and Portugal were in a mess, though a Spanish one was possible, if they were willing to convert. Others didn’t seem really likely.
Augusta was considered – the Prussian princess’ marriage was an unhappy one and about to be terminated. However, she was deemed a bit old to have children, although at 33 she could still have one or two more. She clearly had the guts to put up with Constantine, having stood up to Napoleon. However, she also didn’t want to trade one bad marriage for another.
Alexandra of Prussia was only 14; while she might have suited Nicholas, she didn’t seem very suitable to Constantine. He never cared much for court intrigue, and didn’t see a real need for the marriage to be political. Besides, he’d been a supporter of an alliance with France. Maybe, he suggested, a French noblewoman was available?
While the loss of their emperor wreaked havoc in Russia, the horrors of infighting in France would soon spread to Spain.
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(1) All before this is as in OTL, but in OTL he seems to have met with the Czar or at least got a favorable response. Here, the problems noted mean that Russia is much more skittish. Besides these and the Czar’s focus on the Ottomans, one wonders, too, if the Czar’s attention to this British subject, after one more rebuff by Napoleon, might have been his way of putting out the diplomatic feelers to see if he could rebuild his relationship with the British, something he’d have much less desire to do in this instance.
(2) Lack of focus on France means they can speed this up by up to a year.
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Well, given constantine's actions in Poland, even though that doesn't necessarily translate intot he rest of Russia, I've decided he'll be pretty reactionary - there's also his violent temperment at times, after all. Anyway, here's the next part.
Part 16: The Reign in Spain is Plainly Raising Cain – Part 1
Spain had problems. Murat, Massena, and others were duking it out against the civilians, and doing well, but the people kept fighting back with vicious guerilla warfare, as it would become known. They clamored for the actual king of Spain to return. As 1810 wore on, Prussia and Austria were glad to be at peace for once, but they began to quarrel over what was rightfully theirs. Prussia also argued with Sweden over Pomerania. Sweden, meanwhile, was so upset at the Russians that they signed a defense pact with Poland, hoping to place a Swede potentially in charge. And in Spain, everyone knew the Spanish royal family was being held prisoner by the French, and they wanted to rescue them.
There had been confusion surrounding the handling of the Spanish royal family for quite some time. Some guerillas, at hearing of Napoleon’s death, hatched a scheme to sneak over into France, ostensibly to lend support to the French, but in actuality to break the Spanish royals out of Valencay, inciting those around the palace to riot in support of Spain, seeing if they could perhaps stir oup protests to get the new government to leave Spain.
It didn’t work, only partly because it was hard to figure out who the new government of France was for a while. This led to even tighter security, as some feared a riot in and around the palace at Valencay where the Spaniards were being held.
While Davout had quieted things down eventually in France itself, there were enough soldiers who believed in monarchism, and enough who believed in the Revolution the way it had been in the early 1790s, that more problems surfaced late in 1810 between members of the military.
This was compounded by the fact that Davout was a believer in absolute adherence to rules and orders. So, it was easy for someone to take something and run with it, believing it to please him, after he clamped downon the dissension in the ranks.
The activity began simply enough, as a small group of protesters – some supporting monarchists, some opposing – gathered and began demanding to see the Spanish royal family. However, activity surrounding this mob proved that this time was different.
Several of the soldiers had heard that one of the marshals fighting in Spain had been disgusted by the continued cries for Ferdinand VII. This marshal had supposedly promised to give a large reward to any who could rid them of those cries. And, several got it into their heads that the best way to do this was to do away with said royal family, not realizing that the ones held at Valencay were not the only members.
So it was that – while they wouldn’t just go in and kill them – soldiers who hd heard of this began to discuss how they might openly provide their nation’s leader-for-the-moment, Davout, with a present. Something they hoped would stop the guerillas. Instead, it made them worse.
Some say alcohol was involved, too, in addition to a desire to please Davout and gain his favor for following these “orders,” even though they were never given as such. Alcohol probably was involved, but it’s hard to tell in a mob.
What is known is this. The palace where Charles IV, Ferdinand VII, and others were being held was stormed. One person cried, “Fitting for the Revolution which has begun in France and will soon do away with royalists everywhere!” This one was almost surely drunk. Another cried, “Long live Davout, may he now rule Spain with equal glory!” Others, meanwhile, believed they would be rewarded by their superiors for getting rid of the other royal claimants.
Get rid they did; each member of the royal family being held at Valencay was killed, with the soldiers supposedly assisting the mob, though accounts differ. Not only was Charles IV dead, so was Ferdinand VII, who had conspired against his father and been king for a short time, though almost all of it in captivity. It was said of Ferdinand that, “Shakespeare would have loved using Ferdinand VII as a character.” Several others were also killed.
The British had been debating the prospect of peace, but upon hearing of this, Britain abruptly cancelled the Congress of London. Talleyrand himself was shocked, too. Whereas he’d been fighting what seemed to be a winning battle in trying to get the British to allow Guadeloupe, Martinique, or both to be returned to the French, suddenly he met hostility to this not because the French were still a danger, but because George III and others felt they must be punished for this extreme regicide. “Davout cared nothing for the honor of kings,” they claimed.
All the monarchies of Europe decided that if the French were going to allow the murder of the Spanish royals, they needed to get France stabilized, even if it meant a return to war.
The only good news was, France was now mired so heavily in Spain, had no allies, and had their own small civil war yet, though things there had been improving.
It was at this point that the newly-appointed regent for George III, the future George IV, pressured the Tories to cause Percival to step down, which he did after a while, remaining a member of Parliament and part of the government. There had been a number of inquisitions concerning the government since he took over, as well, and his departure from the Prime Minister’s position in 1811 was seen as confirmation of the speculation that his government wouldn’t last.
It was not just George IV’s desire for a different Prime Minister which doomed Percival, of course. As a royal family member noted, “We cannot allow these people to continue acting like brute beasts, and had we stepped in before, Catholic or no, this could have been avoided.”(1)
In 1811, forces were mustered to march into France. Hearing of this, Davout came out of Spain with an army to meet the Sixth Coalition. The coalition didn’t include Russia, but didn’t need to. Enough troops were still needed in Spain, and the forces Davout had were spent enough, that after some hard fought battles, Davout was defeated and forced to surrender. The Allies handed Davout his final defeat in November of 1811, forcing him to abdicate, arresting him as well as the other leading marshals who had supported him.(2)
France was in ruins, and Spain was so bad the ruins had their own ruins. Restoring the Bourbons in France – which was official on December 1, 1811 – would be easy. In Spain - not so much.
--------------------------------------------
(1) As noted, George IV didn’t like Percival much, but he was more concerned about possible Whigs entering the government, wanting a more reactionary man instead. However, here, while he may have supported, for a year or more, a Davout-led regime with major internal problems, the deaths of the Spanish royal family at Valencay would set off alarm bells which would force him to act. And, it is highly possible that, until that point, they would not act, partly because of a desire for peace with Davout, partly just because there would also be paralysis in the British government as concerns over George III’s need for a regent would dominate things.
(2) The mighty army had been whittled down, and Davout hadn’t taken the time to build a new one as might have been done by Napoleon to invade Russia; instead of a couple years to build an army, France has instead had a lot of civil infighting.
Part 16: The Reign in Spain is Plainly Raising Cain – Part 1
Spain had problems. Murat, Massena, and others were duking it out against the civilians, and doing well, but the people kept fighting back with vicious guerilla warfare, as it would become known. They clamored for the actual king of Spain to return. As 1810 wore on, Prussia and Austria were glad to be at peace for once, but they began to quarrel over what was rightfully theirs. Prussia also argued with Sweden over Pomerania. Sweden, meanwhile, was so upset at the Russians that they signed a defense pact with Poland, hoping to place a Swede potentially in charge. And in Spain, everyone knew the Spanish royal family was being held prisoner by the French, and they wanted to rescue them.
There had been confusion surrounding the handling of the Spanish royal family for quite some time. Some guerillas, at hearing of Napoleon’s death, hatched a scheme to sneak over into France, ostensibly to lend support to the French, but in actuality to break the Spanish royals out of Valencay, inciting those around the palace to riot in support of Spain, seeing if they could perhaps stir oup protests to get the new government to leave Spain.
It didn’t work, only partly because it was hard to figure out who the new government of France was for a while. This led to even tighter security, as some feared a riot in and around the palace at Valencay where the Spaniards were being held.
While Davout had quieted things down eventually in France itself, there were enough soldiers who believed in monarchism, and enough who believed in the Revolution the way it had been in the early 1790s, that more problems surfaced late in 1810 between members of the military.
This was compounded by the fact that Davout was a believer in absolute adherence to rules and orders. So, it was easy for someone to take something and run with it, believing it to please him, after he clamped downon the dissension in the ranks.
The activity began simply enough, as a small group of protesters – some supporting monarchists, some opposing – gathered and began demanding to see the Spanish royal family. However, activity surrounding this mob proved that this time was different.
Several of the soldiers had heard that one of the marshals fighting in Spain had been disgusted by the continued cries for Ferdinand VII. This marshal had supposedly promised to give a large reward to any who could rid them of those cries. And, several got it into their heads that the best way to do this was to do away with said royal family, not realizing that the ones held at Valencay were not the only members.
So it was that – while they wouldn’t just go in and kill them – soldiers who hd heard of this began to discuss how they might openly provide their nation’s leader-for-the-moment, Davout, with a present. Something they hoped would stop the guerillas. Instead, it made them worse.
Some say alcohol was involved, too, in addition to a desire to please Davout and gain his favor for following these “orders,” even though they were never given as such. Alcohol probably was involved, but it’s hard to tell in a mob.
What is known is this. The palace where Charles IV, Ferdinand VII, and others were being held was stormed. One person cried, “Fitting for the Revolution which has begun in France and will soon do away with royalists everywhere!” This one was almost surely drunk. Another cried, “Long live Davout, may he now rule Spain with equal glory!” Others, meanwhile, believed they would be rewarded by their superiors for getting rid of the other royal claimants.
Get rid they did; each member of the royal family being held at Valencay was killed, with the soldiers supposedly assisting the mob, though accounts differ. Not only was Charles IV dead, so was Ferdinand VII, who had conspired against his father and been king for a short time, though almost all of it in captivity. It was said of Ferdinand that, “Shakespeare would have loved using Ferdinand VII as a character.” Several others were also killed.
The British had been debating the prospect of peace, but upon hearing of this, Britain abruptly cancelled the Congress of London. Talleyrand himself was shocked, too. Whereas he’d been fighting what seemed to be a winning battle in trying to get the British to allow Guadeloupe, Martinique, or both to be returned to the French, suddenly he met hostility to this not because the French were still a danger, but because George III and others felt they must be punished for this extreme regicide. “Davout cared nothing for the honor of kings,” they claimed.
All the monarchies of Europe decided that if the French were going to allow the murder of the Spanish royals, they needed to get France stabilized, even if it meant a return to war.
The only good news was, France was now mired so heavily in Spain, had no allies, and had their own small civil war yet, though things there had been improving.
It was at this point that the newly-appointed regent for George III, the future George IV, pressured the Tories to cause Percival to step down, which he did after a while, remaining a member of Parliament and part of the government. There had been a number of inquisitions concerning the government since he took over, as well, and his departure from the Prime Minister’s position in 1811 was seen as confirmation of the speculation that his government wouldn’t last.
It was not just George IV’s desire for a different Prime Minister which doomed Percival, of course. As a royal family member noted, “We cannot allow these people to continue acting like brute beasts, and had we stepped in before, Catholic or no, this could have been avoided.”(1)
In 1811, forces were mustered to march into France. Hearing of this, Davout came out of Spain with an army to meet the Sixth Coalition. The coalition didn’t include Russia, but didn’t need to. Enough troops were still needed in Spain, and the forces Davout had were spent enough, that after some hard fought battles, Davout was defeated and forced to surrender. The Allies handed Davout his final defeat in November of 1811, forcing him to abdicate, arresting him as well as the other leading marshals who had supported him.(2)
France was in ruins, and Spain was so bad the ruins had their own ruins. Restoring the Bourbons in France – which was official on December 1, 1811 – would be easy. In Spain - not so much.
--------------------------------------------
(1) As noted, George IV didn’t like Percival much, but he was more concerned about possible Whigs entering the government, wanting a more reactionary man instead. However, here, while he may have supported, for a year or more, a Davout-led regime with major internal problems, the deaths of the Spanish royal family at Valencay would set off alarm bells which would force him to act. And, it is highly possible that, until that point, they would not act, partly because of a desire for peace with Davout, partly just because there would also be paralysis in the British government as concerns over George III’s need for a regent would dominate things.
(2) The mighty army had been whittled down, and Davout hadn’t taken the time to build a new one as might have been done by Napoleon to invade Russia; instead of a couple years to build an army, France has instead had a lot of civil infighting.
Now, the second part - just who will reign in Spain?
Part 17: The Reign in Spain is Plainly Raising Cain – Part 2 of 2
The Reign Was Slain, and Spain Was Rent in Twain (or more)
In Spain, French soldiers remaining left to try and fight the Allies and – mostly - to regain their lives and rebuild their homes Davout was excellent as a general, and the French were defending their homeland, but after months of skirmishes in France itself, he’d recognized that the people wanted peace, and so when he was captured, h by a coalition of Britain, Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Prussia, and Austria, and even some other German states, he gave up.
However, the damage had been done in Spain by his spent force. The Spanish had serious problems. Spain had three claimants to the throne – four if you count one possible name.
One was Ferdinand of Sicily and, now, Naples, who claimed that the treaty his father signed had no impact on him and that he could claim all three thrones.
Though the Cortes had little say, some of them supported the son of Ferdinand of Sicily and Naples, Francis. He was desired because Francis had expressed liberal ideals, though he was likely more conservative than they were he might accept a more liberal Constitution, which was not yet drawn up but had been discussed rather thoroughly. So, they privately wanted Francis, nephew of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette of France, and his wife - Charles IV’s daughter Maria Isabel – to come rule Spain,
The main opponent of Ferdinand of Sicily and Naples was Ferdinand VII’s oldest daughter, Carlota(Charlotte) Joaquina of Portugal, an arch-conservative who also sought to rule over all the Latin American colonies. She left her husband – the marriage was unhappy anyway – and returned to Portugal to begin a series of intrigues to allow herself to be the rightful queen of Spain, forming a new Iberian union.
Charlotte claimed that the treaty decades ago - which said that Charles III of Spain would not claim it and the thrones of Naples and Sicily – applied in perpetuity. She gained some support, especially among frustrated nobles who saw Spain’s power diminishing because of the rebellion in Venezuela – which was succeeding – and elsewhere. True, they hadn’t totally lost them, but Charlotte excited some with a union which would allow Spain and Portugal to pool their resources and dominate the Americas.
The Portuguese were somewhat supportive, but not in a position to do a lot about it. Britain was horrified, prompting this comical exchange in a TV series years later:
“Tell me,” the Portuguese ambassador is asking the Prime Minister, “Would you be so kndn as to support our queen in her attempt to rule Spain?”
“Well, Sir, let me ask you, has hell frozen over?”
The ambassador looked oddly at him. “Well, no, I don’t believe it has…”
“Then, no.”
“But, how would we ever know?”
The PM noted, “Our support of any Iberian union would be a good indicator.”
The British also were unsure of Ferdinand’s grab for power, though. It was confusing enough to make one member of Britain’s Parliament claim, “I almost wish we had Joseph (Bonaparte) back.” However, he had been exiled and was presently living in the United States, having been defeated by Ferdinand of Sicily and Naples in his attempt to seize control.
Opposition to Charlotte was immediate, and the war in Spain drained them even more. But, Ferdinand wouldn’t back down from his insistence on retaining the thrones of Naples and Sicily. As a sign of this, as well as his intending to merge the thrones, he formed the Kingdom of Two Sicilies out of Naples and Sicily. This prompted a Parliament member to quip, “We must act before he becomes King of the Three Spains.”
Britain didn’t like either option. They needed someone to propose in Ferdinand’s stead, however, before they could do this. As they dithered, those in Spain who were also opposed to the violation of the treaty – as well as some outsiders – were supporting Charlotte, and a civil war had broken out in the already very devastated nation.
Britain finally found him in early spring, 1812 in young Pedro Carlos, son of a prince of Spain (Gabriel) and princess of Portugal (Mariana Vitoria). He was a grandchild of Charles III of Spain and had been orphaned at age 2. After that happened, Pedro Carlos was sent away to live in Portugal and be raised by his grandmother Maria I of Portugal.
He was in Latin America at the time, but Charlotte had come, why not him? There was the problem of Peter Charles, as he was known in English, being married to Charlotte’s daughter. However, when informed of his opportunity, Peter Charles signed a treaty with the British representative there, promising never to unite the two crowns. It was likely a moot point – the heir apparent, John of Portugal, already had quite a few children who would come into the picture before Peter Charles would as Portuguese monarchs – but they were taking no chances.
Suddenly, as word got to Spain in June, 1812, Francis was in the picture. Ferdinand of Naples and Sicily could be forced to return there while Francis came to Spain, or vice versa. Since Ferdinand had another healthy son, he could then let the other son have one of the two kingdoms. And, if he had a chance at Spain, he told the British, he would never let their claimant, Peter Charles, control Spain.
The British weren’t buying it. They reminded Ferdinand that it would be far too easy, if one of his sons died without issue, for the three to be united, anyway. They supported Peter Charles.
However, it was an uphill struggle with the other two claimants entrenched, and they all kept vying for position, with Ferdinand VIII the official king to many, but with Charlotte having enough support, and other countries trying to encourage Peter Charles, that it was quite tenuous. The chaos continued into 1813, when the British envoy to the Two Sicilies, William Bentinck, entered the picture with a compromise idea.
Bentinck had hoped that the man who ruled the Two Sicilies would be willing to provide a constitution; he believed strongly in liberal government. He approached both men, hoping that some kind of resolution could be made. With Peter Charles having an outside chance, at least, to become Spanish monarch, he hatched an idea which went along the lines with the constitution that he’d drawn up for the Two Sixilies.
Peter Charles, he argued, didn’t really have much of a chance at Spain. The older claimant had actually gotten the Spanish throne once before, he contended, and besides, Peter Charles was lucky to be alive, let alone to be offered any kind of a crown. It would be very easy even now for Ferdinand to split the crowns between his sons and a too-war-weary Britain to agree. Instead of fighting a likely losing battle, why not take the Two Sicilies and make it his own?(1)
Pedro’s wife was more conservative, but he was at least willing to listen. He’d been influenced some by his time in Latin America. He’d heard about spreading illness in Latin America soon after he left, and felt his life had been spared for a reason. And, he wanted the support of the British, which Bentinck promised; indeed, he would also have the support of the people. There would be no need to grant a republic, he would just have to increase liberties and accept a Constitution which Bentinck would draw up.
The British were pleased with this, as long as Pedro Charles was willing to accept one of the crowns and keep it away from Ferdinand VIII. So, the man who had been called as a British alternative in Spain would isntead be called Pedro Carlo I of the Two Sicilies.
Finally, Ferdinand agreed to renounce his claim to the Kingdom of Two Sicilies and allow Peter Charles to claim it. “If I can’t have both kingdoms, I would certainly want to rule in Spain as Ferdinand VIII, and help it recover from the horrors of war, knowing that we have a bevy of riches to draw from,” he said. With British support and popular opinion in favor of the fellow, Ferdinand knew he likely faced a losing battle trying to regaint he Two Sicilies crown.
With Ferdinand VIII making this choice, the British and others finally withdrew. Charlotte was defeated a few months later in Spain, and Spain was left to pick up the pieces; she would resurface, however, in Mexico, hoping to continue the fight and perhaps become Queen there, her nearly having control of the Spanish throne getting to her head.
Ferdinand VIII reacted by persecuting, arresting, and ordering the execution of many liberals who had supported the French, Charlotte, or even Peter Charles. Constantine of Russia invited quite a few of the supporters of France to Russia, while many of the liberals – including members of the Cortes - fled to Latin America. Constantine was a supporter of France, but otherwise, he was becoming a very harsh ruler.
Feeling forced by the British, Pedro Carlo kept the Constitution. Sebastian would follow the same course. He married Archduchess Maria Carolina of Tuscany in 1835 - she was 13, he was 23 and already King of the Two Sicilies – and used this to build the Kingdom of Italy his father had been promised could be developed. Tuscany was one of the more liberal of the Italian principalities. With the Duke of Tuscany’s wife dying, he passed a Pragmatic Sanction allowing his kingdom to pass to a male heir of Sebastian and Maria Caroline; a couple would be born before her passing at a very young age.(2)
Of course, Austria wasn’t happy about that, but that would be settled later.
The Spanish were incensed about the death of their royal family and Ferdinand VIII quickly established an alliance with Austria, hoping to prevent liberalism from taking hold; even the small amount in the Two Sicilies was repugnant to him, and that was with Pedro Carlo still reigning as mostly absolute monarch.
France had earlier lost Switzerland and the Rhine area, and by the end of 1813, Western Europe was settled down. However, there were still issues left over from the Napoleonic Wars.
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(1) As OTL with Bentinck, except here he preveails over Peter Charles to grant at least some liberties since he’s in a fight for some realm, and needs British support; they’d originally asked him to rule Spain, after all, but he faced a more uphill struggle there, and would know that to hesitate meant possibly losing both. So, Bentinck won’t be recalled when a new king refuses a constitution. Peter Charles has the British and even Bentinck to thank, so he could be easily influenced to support a constitution, though as noted, he will still have a lot of power. He just won’t be as rigid as the Austrians, Ferdinand VIII, or Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia.
(2) Tuscany was a liberal Italian principality for its time, and the support of the Two Sicilies means that they stand a better chance in a war; plus he has a stronger ally on the peninsula. Further, while royal marriages tend to stay the same for a while longer, second marriages don’t necessarily, and with Peter Charles’ urging, it’s quite possible the Tuscan ruler simply allows a merging of the lands in a loose confederation if nothing else. Plus, it’s possible that he doesn’t meet his second wife – with whom he had his male heir OTL – in TTL.
Part 17: The Reign in Spain is Plainly Raising Cain – Part 2 of 2
The Reign Was Slain, and Spain Was Rent in Twain (or more)
In Spain, French soldiers remaining left to try and fight the Allies and – mostly - to regain their lives and rebuild their homes Davout was excellent as a general, and the French were defending their homeland, but after months of skirmishes in France itself, he’d recognized that the people wanted peace, and so when he was captured, h by a coalition of Britain, Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Prussia, and Austria, and even some other German states, he gave up.
However, the damage had been done in Spain by his spent force. The Spanish had serious problems. Spain had three claimants to the throne – four if you count one possible name.
One was Ferdinand of Sicily and, now, Naples, who claimed that the treaty his father signed had no impact on him and that he could claim all three thrones.
Though the Cortes had little say, some of them supported the son of Ferdinand of Sicily and Naples, Francis. He was desired because Francis had expressed liberal ideals, though he was likely more conservative than they were he might accept a more liberal Constitution, which was not yet drawn up but had been discussed rather thoroughly. So, they privately wanted Francis, nephew of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette of France, and his wife - Charles IV’s daughter Maria Isabel – to come rule Spain,
The main opponent of Ferdinand of Sicily and Naples was Ferdinand VII’s oldest daughter, Carlota(Charlotte) Joaquina of Portugal, an arch-conservative who also sought to rule over all the Latin American colonies. She left her husband – the marriage was unhappy anyway – and returned to Portugal to begin a series of intrigues to allow herself to be the rightful queen of Spain, forming a new Iberian union.
Charlotte claimed that the treaty decades ago - which said that Charles III of Spain would not claim it and the thrones of Naples and Sicily – applied in perpetuity. She gained some support, especially among frustrated nobles who saw Spain’s power diminishing because of the rebellion in Venezuela – which was succeeding – and elsewhere. True, they hadn’t totally lost them, but Charlotte excited some with a union which would allow Spain and Portugal to pool their resources and dominate the Americas.
The Portuguese were somewhat supportive, but not in a position to do a lot about it. Britain was horrified, prompting this comical exchange in a TV series years later:
“Tell me,” the Portuguese ambassador is asking the Prime Minister, “Would you be so kndn as to support our queen in her attempt to rule Spain?”
“Well, Sir, let me ask you, has hell frozen over?”
The ambassador looked oddly at him. “Well, no, I don’t believe it has…”
“Then, no.”
“But, how would we ever know?”
The PM noted, “Our support of any Iberian union would be a good indicator.”
The British also were unsure of Ferdinand’s grab for power, though. It was confusing enough to make one member of Britain’s Parliament claim, “I almost wish we had Joseph (Bonaparte) back.” However, he had been exiled and was presently living in the United States, having been defeated by Ferdinand of Sicily and Naples in his attempt to seize control.
Opposition to Charlotte was immediate, and the war in Spain drained them even more. But, Ferdinand wouldn’t back down from his insistence on retaining the thrones of Naples and Sicily. As a sign of this, as well as his intending to merge the thrones, he formed the Kingdom of Two Sicilies out of Naples and Sicily. This prompted a Parliament member to quip, “We must act before he becomes King of the Three Spains.”
Britain didn’t like either option. They needed someone to propose in Ferdinand’s stead, however, before they could do this. As they dithered, those in Spain who were also opposed to the violation of the treaty – as well as some outsiders – were supporting Charlotte, and a civil war had broken out in the already very devastated nation.
Britain finally found him in early spring, 1812 in young Pedro Carlos, son of a prince of Spain (Gabriel) and princess of Portugal (Mariana Vitoria). He was a grandchild of Charles III of Spain and had been orphaned at age 2. After that happened, Pedro Carlos was sent away to live in Portugal and be raised by his grandmother Maria I of Portugal.
He was in Latin America at the time, but Charlotte had come, why not him? There was the problem of Peter Charles, as he was known in English, being married to Charlotte’s daughter. However, when informed of his opportunity, Peter Charles signed a treaty with the British representative there, promising never to unite the two crowns. It was likely a moot point – the heir apparent, John of Portugal, already had quite a few children who would come into the picture before Peter Charles would as Portuguese monarchs – but they were taking no chances.
Suddenly, as word got to Spain in June, 1812, Francis was in the picture. Ferdinand of Naples and Sicily could be forced to return there while Francis came to Spain, or vice versa. Since Ferdinand had another healthy son, he could then let the other son have one of the two kingdoms. And, if he had a chance at Spain, he told the British, he would never let their claimant, Peter Charles, control Spain.
The British weren’t buying it. They reminded Ferdinand that it would be far too easy, if one of his sons died without issue, for the three to be united, anyway. They supported Peter Charles.
However, it was an uphill struggle with the other two claimants entrenched, and they all kept vying for position, with Ferdinand VIII the official king to many, but with Charlotte having enough support, and other countries trying to encourage Peter Charles, that it was quite tenuous. The chaos continued into 1813, when the British envoy to the Two Sicilies, William Bentinck, entered the picture with a compromise idea.
Bentinck had hoped that the man who ruled the Two Sicilies would be willing to provide a constitution; he believed strongly in liberal government. He approached both men, hoping that some kind of resolution could be made. With Peter Charles having an outside chance, at least, to become Spanish monarch, he hatched an idea which went along the lines with the constitution that he’d drawn up for the Two Sixilies.
Peter Charles, he argued, didn’t really have much of a chance at Spain. The older claimant had actually gotten the Spanish throne once before, he contended, and besides, Peter Charles was lucky to be alive, let alone to be offered any kind of a crown. It would be very easy even now for Ferdinand to split the crowns between his sons and a too-war-weary Britain to agree. Instead of fighting a likely losing battle, why not take the Two Sicilies and make it his own?(1)
Pedro’s wife was more conservative, but he was at least willing to listen. He’d been influenced some by his time in Latin America. He’d heard about spreading illness in Latin America soon after he left, and felt his life had been spared for a reason. And, he wanted the support of the British, which Bentinck promised; indeed, he would also have the support of the people. There would be no need to grant a republic, he would just have to increase liberties and accept a Constitution which Bentinck would draw up.
The British were pleased with this, as long as Pedro Charles was willing to accept one of the crowns and keep it away from Ferdinand VIII. So, the man who had been called as a British alternative in Spain would isntead be called Pedro Carlo I of the Two Sicilies.
Finally, Ferdinand agreed to renounce his claim to the Kingdom of Two Sicilies and allow Peter Charles to claim it. “If I can’t have both kingdoms, I would certainly want to rule in Spain as Ferdinand VIII, and help it recover from the horrors of war, knowing that we have a bevy of riches to draw from,” he said. With British support and popular opinion in favor of the fellow, Ferdinand knew he likely faced a losing battle trying to regaint he Two Sicilies crown.
With Ferdinand VIII making this choice, the British and others finally withdrew. Charlotte was defeated a few months later in Spain, and Spain was left to pick up the pieces; she would resurface, however, in Mexico, hoping to continue the fight and perhaps become Queen there, her nearly having control of the Spanish throne getting to her head.
Ferdinand VIII reacted by persecuting, arresting, and ordering the execution of many liberals who had supported the French, Charlotte, or even Peter Charles. Constantine of Russia invited quite a few of the supporters of France to Russia, while many of the liberals – including members of the Cortes - fled to Latin America. Constantine was a supporter of France, but otherwise, he was becoming a very harsh ruler.
Feeling forced by the British, Pedro Carlo kept the Constitution. Sebastian would follow the same course. He married Archduchess Maria Carolina of Tuscany in 1835 - she was 13, he was 23 and already King of the Two Sicilies – and used this to build the Kingdom of Italy his father had been promised could be developed. Tuscany was one of the more liberal of the Italian principalities. With the Duke of Tuscany’s wife dying, he passed a Pragmatic Sanction allowing his kingdom to pass to a male heir of Sebastian and Maria Caroline; a couple would be born before her passing at a very young age.(2)
Of course, Austria wasn’t happy about that, but that would be settled later.
The Spanish were incensed about the death of their royal family and Ferdinand VIII quickly established an alliance with Austria, hoping to prevent liberalism from taking hold; even the small amount in the Two Sicilies was repugnant to him, and that was with Pedro Carlo still reigning as mostly absolute monarch.
France had earlier lost Switzerland and the Rhine area, and by the end of 1813, Western Europe was settled down. However, there were still issues left over from the Napoleonic Wars.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) As OTL with Bentinck, except here he preveails over Peter Charles to grant at least some liberties since he’s in a fight for some realm, and needs British support; they’d originally asked him to rule Spain, after all, but he faced a more uphill struggle there, and would know that to hesitate meant possibly losing both. So, Bentinck won’t be recalled when a new king refuses a constitution. Peter Charles has the British and even Bentinck to thank, so he could be easily influenced to support a constitution, though as noted, he will still have a lot of power. He just won’t be as rigid as the Austrians, Ferdinand VIII, or Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia.
(2) Tuscany was a liberal Italian principality for its time, and the support of the Two Sicilies means that they stand a better chance in a war; plus he has a stronger ally on the peninsula. Further, while royal marriages tend to stay the same for a while longer, second marriages don’t necessarily, and with Peter Charles’ urging, it’s quite possible the Tuscan ruler simply allows a merging of the lands in a loose confederation if nothing else. Plus, it’s possible that he doesn’t meet his second wife – with whom he had his male heir OTL – in TTL.
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Part 18: What’s Creole For Divine Wind?(1)
Frederick Augustus II was King of Saxony and Poland. He had no male issue, so his younger brother would get the Saxon throne, while his daughter, Maria Auguste, would get the Polish one if he died, so that part was easy.
Prussia didn’t like having Poland carved out of itself, though, and vowed to change that. The Congress of London had tried to settle this issue, but upheaval in France had led to the Second War of Spanish Succession. European powers had to intervene to quiet France and then try to intervene in Spain. Still, Prussia eventually attacked Poland.
Saxony declared war. Prussia didn’t mind this too much – they wanted to grab Saxony as well. However, it was hoped that Russia would join Prussia in the attack. But, Constantine stunned Prussia by refusing.
He’d been courting Maria Auguste to unite the thrones. Not only this, but the Prussians had lost badly before, and Constantine wasn’t sure how good their reforms had been. Maria had been trying to fend off Russian attempts to join the crowns, and had sought help from the Austrians. Frederick Augustus actively tried to find others who would be willing to strengthen the Polish monarchy. Since she was now in her early 30s, he really wanted someone in a hurry.
With Austria wanting to get Silesia back, they declared war against Prussia as well, on the condition that Leopold’s son Rainer and Maria be joined. It would give the Hapsburgs a connection to the crown of Poland, which would increase prestige which had been greatly tarnished by the incredible losses suffered against the French. Sure, they got Tyrol back, but the emperor was interested in seeing that the family name continue in yet another country.
Prince Rainer Joseph of Austria was, as one person quipped, “So far down on the list of Leopold’s children we’ve lost count.” However, he was still considered important, and with Russia still seen by some as an outsider for having turned its back on the Coalition forces, it was worried that a strong buffer was needed against their possible aggression. An Austrian alliance with Poland and Saxony – and, hopefully, eventually Prussia – was seen as a good thing.(1).
Constantine fussed, but did nothing about it for the time being. Maria Auguste had rebuffed him, and he realized he had to calm his ways if he was to have issue at all; his first wife had spread such stories that now a few German princes were refusing to let their daughters marry him.
Louis XVIII had sent French troops in to fight Prussia in the short war which had ensued. Sure, Prussia had been beaten, but not incredibly badly; their military had greatly improved, and a status quo ante peace was agreed to, one which recognized Poland’s independence, at least for now. His mother having been from Saxony, he had been greatly disturbed by Prussia’s antagonism. He began to seek treaties to help in case Prussia should attempt to attack again. Indeed, now that it was certain that Poland would survive, he was willing to try to place a Bourbon connection there to counter the Hapsburg influence.
Meanwhile, he rebuilt his fleet, hoping for an easy victory and money to rebuild the treasury; the money would be even better than retaking the colony would be, it seemed.
It makes sense that he did what he did. The summer was so cold there were flurries in New England on July 4, for crying out loud. So if he’d known about how the eruption of Tambora impacted weather patterns, he might have guessed that the seas wouldn’t be warm enough to form a hurricane this early, anyway.
So, now that it’s settled that his ordering of the fleet to sail that summer made sense, let’s look at what happened with this colonial undertaking.
The French king, from the restored Bourbon line, chose to take Haiti back or at least demand an incredible payment in reparations. What those Haitians had done incensed him, and money from Haiti could help the sagging economy. They had overthrown the shackles of slavery and deprived France of quite a bit. If he were to send a large fleet into Port au Prince, he figured he could get enough money to pay for all they’d lost.
Much time, effort, and especially money was put into this fleet. They felt they had to have Haiti or at least a lot of money from it.
The fleet sailed into Port au Prince just before a hurricane, in August of 1816. There were somewhat choppy seas as they were entering the harbor, but the sailors thought little of it; they were used to stormy waters, after all. What mattered most was squeezing as much out of the Haitians as they could.
That was the threat. However, as tension increased, Haiti’s leaders were about to agree when another invader came, this one straight from Davey Jones’ locker, and it was determined to take the entire French fleet as booty, along with a good portion of Haiti itself.
A messenger early that autumn approached the throne with somber news. “So they want war?” Louis guessed when told it concerned Haiti.
“Your Highness,” the man said, “war against these forces is impossible.” He then went on to describe the carnage to the shaken king. “The fleet is lost, very few Frenchmen survive; those that have shall arrive back after helping the Haitians to rebuild some, via trading vessels.”
Louis was apoplectic at first, and then finally resigned to admit, “In sixty years, a mighty North American empire has disappeared, but for a few tiny possessions. We must look elsewhere.” He had been building a bond with Ferdinand XIII of Spain; perhaps their nations could go adventuring in Africa together? One of the largest hurricanes in history, it seemed, had destroyed the French fleet; there had to be a lesson in that, he considered.
Of course, to win in Africa, it would help if the ottomans were weakened. There was already a secret organization which had formed to discuss Greek independence from the Ottomans. If the French could persuade the Russians, who had a close friendship with them, to attack the Ottomans at the same time as Greece rebelled, perhaps they could claim Egyptian cotton and make money.
Another alternative was for them to try Haiti again; but he’d lost a lot of money, and reclaiming Haiti would have to be a lot more valuable than before for him to make up the lost ground. And, frankly, it wasn’t. Not only that, but there were diplomatic rumblings of a doctrine by the Americans which would establish the Western Hemisphere as free from European influence. Of course, the U.S. was unable to defend the whole area on its own, but with the British supporting them, well, he didn’t want trouble with the British.
So, later, Louis XVIII instructed his military to look into taking Algeria, as well as possibly Egypt. Constantine of Russia might just go along with it.
Meanwhile, the Spanish were losing ground in quite a few colonial wars, thanks to Venezuela’s independence encouraging them. Ferdinand VIII was using such losses to become more aggressive toward liberals at home in Spain, which led to more unrest at times, which weakened the Spanish even more. Ferdinand’s fear of a coup like in the French Revolution had dissipated, though his son would consistently fear being assassinated during his reign(3).
Spain had held some animosity against the French, too. Meanwhile, the French joined the Russians in considering opposing the Ottomans. Prussia had been defeated and somewhat marginzlied, and Austria was at least willing to maintain peace. However, it was an uneasy peace at best, with new rivalries threatening to form as the 1810s wound down.
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(1) Since I’m sure that, like me, someone will be curious, Bing translator says it’s “van divin.”
(2) In OTL, nobody was willing to guarantee Poland at Vienna. However, Napoleon hadn’t had time to take parts of Austria and give them to Poland, so that wasn’t a problem. Russia is eager for Poland but Prussia wants it back, too, so Austria can easily play the sides against each other. And, while Constantine was’t ready for war than, they realize they could be in the future; indeed, there may be some British string pulling, too, as they try to keep a balance against Russia.
(3) As Francis was OTL when ruling the Two Sicilies.
Frederick Augustus II was King of Saxony and Poland. He had no male issue, so his younger brother would get the Saxon throne, while his daughter, Maria Auguste, would get the Polish one if he died, so that part was easy.
Prussia didn’t like having Poland carved out of itself, though, and vowed to change that. The Congress of London had tried to settle this issue, but upheaval in France had led to the Second War of Spanish Succession. European powers had to intervene to quiet France and then try to intervene in Spain. Still, Prussia eventually attacked Poland.
Saxony declared war. Prussia didn’t mind this too much – they wanted to grab Saxony as well. However, it was hoped that Russia would join Prussia in the attack. But, Constantine stunned Prussia by refusing.
He’d been courting Maria Auguste to unite the thrones. Not only this, but the Prussians had lost badly before, and Constantine wasn’t sure how good their reforms had been. Maria had been trying to fend off Russian attempts to join the crowns, and had sought help from the Austrians. Frederick Augustus actively tried to find others who would be willing to strengthen the Polish monarchy. Since she was now in her early 30s, he really wanted someone in a hurry.
With Austria wanting to get Silesia back, they declared war against Prussia as well, on the condition that Leopold’s son Rainer and Maria be joined. It would give the Hapsburgs a connection to the crown of Poland, which would increase prestige which had been greatly tarnished by the incredible losses suffered against the French. Sure, they got Tyrol back, but the emperor was interested in seeing that the family name continue in yet another country.
Prince Rainer Joseph of Austria was, as one person quipped, “So far down on the list of Leopold’s children we’ve lost count.” However, he was still considered important, and with Russia still seen by some as an outsider for having turned its back on the Coalition forces, it was worried that a strong buffer was needed against their possible aggression. An Austrian alliance with Poland and Saxony – and, hopefully, eventually Prussia – was seen as a good thing.(1).
Constantine fussed, but did nothing about it for the time being. Maria Auguste had rebuffed him, and he realized he had to calm his ways if he was to have issue at all; his first wife had spread such stories that now a few German princes were refusing to let their daughters marry him.
Louis XVIII had sent French troops in to fight Prussia in the short war which had ensued. Sure, Prussia had been beaten, but not incredibly badly; their military had greatly improved, and a status quo ante peace was agreed to, one which recognized Poland’s independence, at least for now. His mother having been from Saxony, he had been greatly disturbed by Prussia’s antagonism. He began to seek treaties to help in case Prussia should attempt to attack again. Indeed, now that it was certain that Poland would survive, he was willing to try to place a Bourbon connection there to counter the Hapsburg influence.
Meanwhile, he rebuilt his fleet, hoping for an easy victory and money to rebuild the treasury; the money would be even better than retaking the colony would be, it seemed.
It makes sense that he did what he did. The summer was so cold there were flurries in New England on July 4, for crying out loud. So if he’d known about how the eruption of Tambora impacted weather patterns, he might have guessed that the seas wouldn’t be warm enough to form a hurricane this early, anyway.
So, now that it’s settled that his ordering of the fleet to sail that summer made sense, let’s look at what happened with this colonial undertaking.
The French king, from the restored Bourbon line, chose to take Haiti back or at least demand an incredible payment in reparations. What those Haitians had done incensed him, and money from Haiti could help the sagging economy. They had overthrown the shackles of slavery and deprived France of quite a bit. If he were to send a large fleet into Port au Prince, he figured he could get enough money to pay for all they’d lost.
Much time, effort, and especially money was put into this fleet. They felt they had to have Haiti or at least a lot of money from it.
The fleet sailed into Port au Prince just before a hurricane, in August of 1816. There were somewhat choppy seas as they were entering the harbor, but the sailors thought little of it; they were used to stormy waters, after all. What mattered most was squeezing as much out of the Haitians as they could.
That was the threat. However, as tension increased, Haiti’s leaders were about to agree when another invader came, this one straight from Davey Jones’ locker, and it was determined to take the entire French fleet as booty, along with a good portion of Haiti itself.
A messenger early that autumn approached the throne with somber news. “So they want war?” Louis guessed when told it concerned Haiti.
“Your Highness,” the man said, “war against these forces is impossible.” He then went on to describe the carnage to the shaken king. “The fleet is lost, very few Frenchmen survive; those that have shall arrive back after helping the Haitians to rebuild some, via trading vessels.”
Louis was apoplectic at first, and then finally resigned to admit, “In sixty years, a mighty North American empire has disappeared, but for a few tiny possessions. We must look elsewhere.” He had been building a bond with Ferdinand XIII of Spain; perhaps their nations could go adventuring in Africa together? One of the largest hurricanes in history, it seemed, had destroyed the French fleet; there had to be a lesson in that, he considered.
Of course, to win in Africa, it would help if the ottomans were weakened. There was already a secret organization which had formed to discuss Greek independence from the Ottomans. If the French could persuade the Russians, who had a close friendship with them, to attack the Ottomans at the same time as Greece rebelled, perhaps they could claim Egyptian cotton and make money.
Another alternative was for them to try Haiti again; but he’d lost a lot of money, and reclaiming Haiti would have to be a lot more valuable than before for him to make up the lost ground. And, frankly, it wasn’t. Not only that, but there were diplomatic rumblings of a doctrine by the Americans which would establish the Western Hemisphere as free from European influence. Of course, the U.S. was unable to defend the whole area on its own, but with the British supporting them, well, he didn’t want trouble with the British.
So, later, Louis XVIII instructed his military to look into taking Algeria, as well as possibly Egypt. Constantine of Russia might just go along with it.
Meanwhile, the Spanish were losing ground in quite a few colonial wars, thanks to Venezuela’s independence encouraging them. Ferdinand VIII was using such losses to become more aggressive toward liberals at home in Spain, which led to more unrest at times, which weakened the Spanish even more. Ferdinand’s fear of a coup like in the French Revolution had dissipated, though his son would consistently fear being assassinated during his reign(3).
Spain had held some animosity against the French, too. Meanwhile, the French joined the Russians in considering opposing the Ottomans. Prussia had been defeated and somewhat marginzlied, and Austria was at least willing to maintain peace. However, it was an uneasy peace at best, with new rivalries threatening to form as the 1810s wound down.
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(1) Since I’m sure that, like me, someone will be curious, Bing translator says it’s “van divin.”
(2) In OTL, nobody was willing to guarantee Poland at Vienna. However, Napoleon hadn’t had time to take parts of Austria and give them to Poland, so that wasn’t a problem. Russia is eager for Poland but Prussia wants it back, too, so Austria can easily play the sides against each other. And, while Constantine was’t ready for war than, they realize they could be in the future; indeed, there may be some British string pulling, too, as they try to keep a balance against Russia.
(3) As Francis was OTL when ruling the Two Sicilies.
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Looking for names, birthdates if possible
Does anyone know the names of DeWitt Clinton's daughters and birthd years if possible - just the ones by his first wife. I plan to have Aaron Burr Alston married to one of them and it would help to know which one.
I toyed with a number of different political families, but decided he'd want to stay in New York state if possible.
Unless someone has a better idea of who Burr could urge Aaron Burr Alston to marry (Theodosia would have some say but be sick; she had problems since her pregnancy and i figure she dies aroudn 1820 or so.)
Does anyone know the names of DeWitt Clinton's daughters and birthd years if possible - just the ones by his first wife. I plan to have Aaron Burr Alston married to one of them and it would help to know which one.
I toyed with a number of different political families, but decided he'd want to stay in New York state if possible.
Unless someone has a better idea of who Burr could urge Aaron Burr Alston to marry (Theodosia would have some say but be sick; she had problems since her pregnancy and i figure she dies aroudn 1820 or so.)
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Let's get Europe out of the way today
Part 19: A Time For Peace – and Alliances: Continental Europe in 1821
Constantine I of Russia had problems. His wife, Maria Isabel of Portugal, had been one thrust upon him after he divorced his first wife. He’d been told this would make the Bourbons happy, and that this was good because the Hapsburgs, their rivals, were now in Poland. The problem was that she’d died, some blaming his violent mannerisms for that death. She’d almost died after her fist birth, which was a breech, and did after her second, which was stillborn
After trying to find a suitor for Princess Caroline, since she was excluded from the Danish throne by Salic Law, the Danish monarch decided that the princess, in her late 20s, would marry Constantine.(1) The move would provide Constantine with a possible successor, but more importantly, it would help to establish peace between Denmark-Norway and one of the most powerful states in Europe. However, while it did help to bring peace, she was never happy there, and when she could not bear children after several years, Constantine let her return to to Denmark, where she was happiest, and granted her an annulment.(2)
In 1821, though, she was still his wife. Constantine often said, “If only I could find a worthy princess in France, but the Bourbon line is dying out.” He often went against the royal family’s wishes, including considering a Bonapartist spouse!
Sweden had seen quite a bit of war in the last decade, since King Gustav IV chose to join the Third Coalition. He’d managed to oversee a country that lost badly in that war, barely managed a status quo peace with Russia, and more recently had joined forces with Saxony in sending troops to defend against Prussia.
While it was true that Pomerania could have been threatened, he hadn’t been the most capable military leader. Then, there was all that stuff about Napoleon as the Antichrist. Some in the government feared that the king was not all there. It wouldn’t be the first time; Denmark had had their own difficulties, and King George III of Britain was still technically reigning but had a regent, as well. After the seeming needless support of Saxony, they began to talk of a regent for Gustav IV, too.
The problem was, unlike Frederick VI of Denmark and George IV of Britain, the Swedish king’s son, Gustav, was not yet of age to rule. In fact, he was very quiet, some said too quiet, but with Sweden at least not having lost any territory (hadn’t lost any yet, they all said), perhaps one day, he would be capable of leading and actually bring peace to Sweden.
So it was that, after Sweden’s entry into the war against Prussia, and Gustav IV’s talk of making Sweden a power again, they blew this into talk of it being a Great Power and claimed that the monarch was having delusions of grandeur. They were, in fact, concerned he might try to attack Russia; they had only beaten them in 1808-1809 because of British help. They went to Gustav IV and demanded a regency.
The king wanted to save his kingdom for his son. The coup leaders might have been concerned about the son avenging his father later(2) but two things stopped these concerns. First, they were willing to keep the king around, at least, just not have him actually reign; he’d been on the winning side, after all, he just wasn’t very competent himself in their eyes. Second, Gustav V, as he would be known, was malleable enough that he could be made to promise not to harm them; which he would, since he was more interested in peace.
So, a regency was set up for a couple years. He would eventually grow into a quiet, reserved monarch who would show concern for the people and for peace. While he married, the marriage would produce no offspring, and his sister’s issue would eventually rule Sweden.
Frederick Wilhelm III of Prussia was dissatisfied. He’d tried to claim what he thought was rightfully his, or reclaim Poland, or anything that would restore some dignity. It didn’t matter that he had all his forts back. The death of the queen just added to his sadness.
He felt like a king without allies, or at least with few potential ones. Another thing that dogged him was the King of Sweden’s actions. He hadn’t wanted to invade Pomerania, too. Perhaps Gustav IV had just wanted to seem aggressive because he, too, felt like he’d gotten short shrift, having to defend his nation against Russia for so long with nothing to show for it.
He sent an envoy to the new Gustav V; the lad was still quite young, but he hoped that they might develop a friendship. Prussia, he argued, was a fellow Protestant nation, potentially allied against the Russian menace like in centuries past. He had men who had greatly reformed Prussia’s military, perhaps he could help Sweden, too.
Pedro Carlo I of the Two Sicilies, meanwhile, was finding out that while he’d have had to deal with some insurgents if he’d accepted a role as Mexico’s king, which a few had postulated, he would still have a difficult time of it in his current realm. His reign was more liberal than that of Sardinia and Austria. Things like the first free (or at least rather free) press on the Italian peninsula were important, as were a few other things which Bentinck had suggested. The honeymoon was over, but he still loved being a king in Europe. He also approached a few different monarchs with hopes of alliances. He could promise to do much yet; he still needed a lot of help. He did, at least, have the British, but unless there was a serious threat to the balance of European power he felt he couldn’t count on them. However, for now, the Two Sicilies were at peace with other nations in Europe.
Poland felt a little like it was 1790 all over again. They were a very small country, and only their friendship with Saxony and Austria and Russia choosing not to support Prussia had saved them; and they didn’t know how much longer that would last. Constantine supported France, though, even with the Bourbon restoration, but what would they do in the future?
The Polish decided that the best option for right now was to befriend the Russians so Prussia and Russia wouldn’t attack them at the same time. They didn’t think the Austrians could help them if that happened.
Ferdinand VIII and Austria’s Metternich had become fast friends. Both were very committed to the extreme conservatism which had come in the wake of Napoleon’s defeat, and which was added to by the riot which had ended up killing the Spanish royals imprisoned t Valencay. They had also befriended Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia, to help protect against any liberalism on the Italian peninsula. Pedro Carlo wasn’t too bad, but he showed some liberal tendencies. And, they were also wary of the British, who seemed to be supporting that trend.
Denmark-Norway had been through a lot, with the French having taken Jutland. With Jutland back, they were now recovering slowly and making sure they stayed out of any major conflicts for a long while. Similarly, the Dutch were glad that Europe was at peace for now.
And, the Danish and Dutch were finding that – with the Danish having their fleet intact and the Dutch having those former French islands, and the Danish having the Virgin Islands, they could develop a friendship as trading partners and small-time colonizers. Denmark even thought about something in Africa, if they could stop the slave trade with British help that would be great. But, that would be for later; they didn’t want to push too hard.
Wallonia, which had been formed for Louis Bonaparte partly for fighting Davout and not antagonizing the Coalition when they went into put a Bourbon back on the throne, was slowly industrializing under Louis the Good. He made no attempts to restore the Bonaparte to power, nor did his older son (his first born had died in early childhood.) However, his youngest son, Charles, showed signs of considering trying to become Napoleon II.(4) For now, the teenage son of Louis I of Wallonia waited.
The Greeks were beginning to plot their rebellion. With the French never having actually entered Russia, the Russians were quite strong. Constantine I was interested in proving his own worth as Czar – the last two and three of the last four had been assassinated, and he had enough detractors that he really wondered what would happen. However, the Russians had defeated the Ottomans enough times in the past, he figured they could do so again. He just had to coordinate things with the French and, if possible, the Greeks.
So, as 1821 dawned, and the United States was about to undergo a peaceful transition in government, Europe was on the verge of yet another war.
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(1) OTL she didn’t marry till 1829. Given what is mentioned later, she could possibly still marry the same relative she did in OTL.
(2) She was very loyal to Denmark and proclaimed that she would never want to go abroad, so it’s likely that this wouldn’t last long, but the seemingly freewheeling Constantine would try.
(3) As they worried in OTL
(4) he would be considered this because Napoleon didn’t live long enough to marry and produce a son, who in OTL was considered Napoleon II.
Part 19: A Time For Peace – and Alliances: Continental Europe in 1821
Constantine I of Russia had problems. His wife, Maria Isabel of Portugal, had been one thrust upon him after he divorced his first wife. He’d been told this would make the Bourbons happy, and that this was good because the Hapsburgs, their rivals, were now in Poland. The problem was that she’d died, some blaming his violent mannerisms for that death. She’d almost died after her fist birth, which was a breech, and did after her second, which was stillborn
After trying to find a suitor for Princess Caroline, since she was excluded from the Danish throne by Salic Law, the Danish monarch decided that the princess, in her late 20s, would marry Constantine.(1) The move would provide Constantine with a possible successor, but more importantly, it would help to establish peace between Denmark-Norway and one of the most powerful states in Europe. However, while it did help to bring peace, she was never happy there, and when she could not bear children after several years, Constantine let her return to to Denmark, where she was happiest, and granted her an annulment.(2)
In 1821, though, she was still his wife. Constantine often said, “If only I could find a worthy princess in France, but the Bourbon line is dying out.” He often went against the royal family’s wishes, including considering a Bonapartist spouse!
Sweden had seen quite a bit of war in the last decade, since King Gustav IV chose to join the Third Coalition. He’d managed to oversee a country that lost badly in that war, barely managed a status quo peace with Russia, and more recently had joined forces with Saxony in sending troops to defend against Prussia.
While it was true that Pomerania could have been threatened, he hadn’t been the most capable military leader. Then, there was all that stuff about Napoleon as the Antichrist. Some in the government feared that the king was not all there. It wouldn’t be the first time; Denmark had had their own difficulties, and King George III of Britain was still technically reigning but had a regent, as well. After the seeming needless support of Saxony, they began to talk of a regent for Gustav IV, too.
The problem was, unlike Frederick VI of Denmark and George IV of Britain, the Swedish king’s son, Gustav, was not yet of age to rule. In fact, he was very quiet, some said too quiet, but with Sweden at least not having lost any territory (hadn’t lost any yet, they all said), perhaps one day, he would be capable of leading and actually bring peace to Sweden.
So it was that, after Sweden’s entry into the war against Prussia, and Gustav IV’s talk of making Sweden a power again, they blew this into talk of it being a Great Power and claimed that the monarch was having delusions of grandeur. They were, in fact, concerned he might try to attack Russia; they had only beaten them in 1808-1809 because of British help. They went to Gustav IV and demanded a regency.
The king wanted to save his kingdom for his son. The coup leaders might have been concerned about the son avenging his father later(2) but two things stopped these concerns. First, they were willing to keep the king around, at least, just not have him actually reign; he’d been on the winning side, after all, he just wasn’t very competent himself in their eyes. Second, Gustav V, as he would be known, was malleable enough that he could be made to promise not to harm them; which he would, since he was more interested in peace.
So, a regency was set up for a couple years. He would eventually grow into a quiet, reserved monarch who would show concern for the people and for peace. While he married, the marriage would produce no offspring, and his sister’s issue would eventually rule Sweden.
Frederick Wilhelm III of Prussia was dissatisfied. He’d tried to claim what he thought was rightfully his, or reclaim Poland, or anything that would restore some dignity. It didn’t matter that he had all his forts back. The death of the queen just added to his sadness.
He felt like a king without allies, or at least with few potential ones. Another thing that dogged him was the King of Sweden’s actions. He hadn’t wanted to invade Pomerania, too. Perhaps Gustav IV had just wanted to seem aggressive because he, too, felt like he’d gotten short shrift, having to defend his nation against Russia for so long with nothing to show for it.
He sent an envoy to the new Gustav V; the lad was still quite young, but he hoped that they might develop a friendship. Prussia, he argued, was a fellow Protestant nation, potentially allied against the Russian menace like in centuries past. He had men who had greatly reformed Prussia’s military, perhaps he could help Sweden, too.
Pedro Carlo I of the Two Sicilies, meanwhile, was finding out that while he’d have had to deal with some insurgents if he’d accepted a role as Mexico’s king, which a few had postulated, he would still have a difficult time of it in his current realm. His reign was more liberal than that of Sardinia and Austria. Things like the first free (or at least rather free) press on the Italian peninsula were important, as were a few other things which Bentinck had suggested. The honeymoon was over, but he still loved being a king in Europe. He also approached a few different monarchs with hopes of alliances. He could promise to do much yet; he still needed a lot of help. He did, at least, have the British, but unless there was a serious threat to the balance of European power he felt he couldn’t count on them. However, for now, the Two Sicilies were at peace with other nations in Europe.
Poland felt a little like it was 1790 all over again. They were a very small country, and only their friendship with Saxony and Austria and Russia choosing not to support Prussia had saved them; and they didn’t know how much longer that would last. Constantine supported France, though, even with the Bourbon restoration, but what would they do in the future?
The Polish decided that the best option for right now was to befriend the Russians so Prussia and Russia wouldn’t attack them at the same time. They didn’t think the Austrians could help them if that happened.
Ferdinand VIII and Austria’s Metternich had become fast friends. Both were very committed to the extreme conservatism which had come in the wake of Napoleon’s defeat, and which was added to by the riot which had ended up killing the Spanish royals imprisoned t Valencay. They had also befriended Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia, to help protect against any liberalism on the Italian peninsula. Pedro Carlo wasn’t too bad, but he showed some liberal tendencies. And, they were also wary of the British, who seemed to be supporting that trend.
Denmark-Norway had been through a lot, with the French having taken Jutland. With Jutland back, they were now recovering slowly and making sure they stayed out of any major conflicts for a long while. Similarly, the Dutch were glad that Europe was at peace for now.
And, the Danish and Dutch were finding that – with the Danish having their fleet intact and the Dutch having those former French islands, and the Danish having the Virgin Islands, they could develop a friendship as trading partners and small-time colonizers. Denmark even thought about something in Africa, if they could stop the slave trade with British help that would be great. But, that would be for later; they didn’t want to push too hard.
Wallonia, which had been formed for Louis Bonaparte partly for fighting Davout and not antagonizing the Coalition when they went into put a Bourbon back on the throne, was slowly industrializing under Louis the Good. He made no attempts to restore the Bonaparte to power, nor did his older son (his first born had died in early childhood.) However, his youngest son, Charles, showed signs of considering trying to become Napoleon II.(4) For now, the teenage son of Louis I of Wallonia waited.
The Greeks were beginning to plot their rebellion. With the French never having actually entered Russia, the Russians were quite strong. Constantine I was interested in proving his own worth as Czar – the last two and three of the last four had been assassinated, and he had enough detractors that he really wondered what would happen. However, the Russians had defeated the Ottomans enough times in the past, he figured they could do so again. He just had to coordinate things with the French and, if possible, the Greeks.
So, as 1821 dawned, and the United States was about to undergo a peaceful transition in government, Europe was on the verge of yet another war.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) OTL she didn’t marry till 1829. Given what is mentioned later, she could possibly still marry the same relative she did in OTL.
(2) She was very loyal to Denmark and proclaimed that she would never want to go abroad, so it’s likely that this wouldn’t last long, but the seemingly freewheeling Constantine would try.
(3) As they worried in OTL
(4) he would be considered this because Napoleon didn’t live long enough to marry and produce a son, who in OTL was considered Napoleon II.
Part 20: Britain in 1821 – How Long, O Lord, How Long?:
The British royals in 1821 had so much trouble, they kicked the Crown Princess out of the country for the coronation, out of fear she’d be more popular.
Here’s how it happened.
George III had died in 1820. George IV was crowned king – but not without incident – well over a year later, as he prepared for an incredibly lavish “official coronation.”.
Theodosia Burr Alston, among others, had written to encourage Princess Charlotte, heir presumptive, to encourage her in her spat over marriage; she’d refused to marry William of Orange. Charlotte had Whiggish tendencies, so the encouragement from Theodosia - to take a stand against the “incredibly archaic notions” of George IV - had some influence; yes, she herself had been married in a somewhat arranged one, but she’d also loved her husband, who would soon die himself, as has been noted.
So, when the Prussian she was interested in became engaged, Charlotte was willing to settle for Leopold; however, her father continued to cause problems, insisting that she marry William of Orange. He finally relented, but then, came the last straw.
His “physician,” actually a male midwife named Croft - was insisting that she be bled and doing all sorts of things that Leopold’s doctor, Stockmar, considered outdated. Harlotte’s letters back and forth with Theodosia had convinced her to force a compromise, including no bleeding. When she faced a difficult birth – ending ina stillbirth – and was weak for days afterward, rumors were that she’d complained that if she’d followed her father’s doctor’s advice, she’d have been killed. Whether or not the statement was true is uncertain, but she could have died.
She continued to support the Whigs in Parliament, frustrating her father to no end. She continued to be George III’s only surviving grandchild, as while William married, his two children died in infancy, and a couple other br5others refused to marry, instead continuing witht heir mistresses as George IV seemed to want to do. When the time came for his coronation, he forbade his wife from coming.
Though she’d been calmed down some by her husband Liopols, this still unnerved Charlotte enough that Charlotte insisted that if she didn’t come, neither would Charlotte! The row between father and daughter could be heard throughout the palace, it was said. An agreement was finally reached that Queen Caroline could come as long as the new king’s longtime mistress was prominently displayed. Charlotte is said to have spouted, “That would do the kingdom very well, to see your miserable state.”
As the weeks wore on, though, and became months, Charlotte sensed that her father really didn’t want anything to do with the queen. The attempt to divorce her led to rumors of many mistresses. Finally, after she had given birth to one healthy offspring early in 1820 – after some rest to get over the previous stillbirth and weakness – George IV sensed the incredible popularity of charlotte and, afraid of being upstaged, insisted that she go to the United States on a “goodwill tour of the former colonies.”
She didn’t mind this. The way her father was planning, she might be back for the coronation, anyway. Besides, she wanted to meet Theodosia in person.
The idea that she might die in New Orleans never approached George IV, it’s almost certain. Yes, there was now a living prince to succeed him should she predecease, but he really didn’t know much about the mosquito-infested area. Nonetheless, Theodosia suggested a trip take place in June of 1820, and that they meet in New York.
This was more conducive to the health of both. Theodosia looked quite frail; she didn’t have many more months to live. Charlotte and Leopold found her quite flattering, as they did her son Aaron Burr Alston, who was being introduced to a daughter of Governor DeWitt Clinton by Theodosia, at Aaron Burr’s insistence.
Leopold further pleased Theodosia when he spoke of laws regulating child and female labor.(1) Theodosia had been pushing her father to push for the same in Louisiana in this, the start of his second term as Governor of Louisiana. Charlotte was somewhat stunned at the idea of female suffrage, but listened politely as Theodosia and others, including Daniel Cady, a judge and former U. S. Representative, spoke about numerous topics of concern to them.
Charlotte wrote, “My friend, Theodosia, whom I do not know if I will see alive later this year, introduced me to many interesting people. Leopold and I have experienced quite the extremes in Whiggish politics already, and we have not even left New York. America has become so very different from us, and I wonder if – were it not for the madness of my late grandfather and of my very own father – we might have been able to achieve the same level of success. I shall be interested to see what lies ahead.”
What lay ahead was her seeing a government trying to help the poor, but where unemployment of 75% in Philadelphia at one point had greatly hurt. People wanted answers, and she saw in the great efforts to care for the poor in the birth of the Second Great Awakening a lot of people stepping forth to help. However, she also saw a need for something to be done by the rulers, too – including herself.
She’d come with a fairly large entourage, partly because of her infant son being along for the ride. Leopold Frederick William Richard was a healthy baby with quite a bit of energy.
As she went further, and considered the vast plains of Ohio and Indiana – and this wasn’t even touching the “Great American Plain” which had been purchased – she commented, “I foresee that one day, a great multitude of foreigners may come here to live, if we do not do something about Europe and its staunchly concervative men.” At the same time, she praised Aaron Burr. “I only wish I’d had a father near as loving as Theodosia reports he was. My family is filled with selfishness, and I worry I will never be able to be the mother I should be.” She would leave plenty of day to day things to governesses, but part of her longed for something more normal, like Theodosia had described. She might not be totally understanding the poor, but at least she could try to come close to the middle classes.
In the end, her tour over, she received the sad news that – while the princess was en route back to New York – Theodosia had died. She had been very sickly since giving birth to Aaron, somethignw hich had prompted Chrlotte, too, to avoid being bled.
“I return to Britain,” she wrote, “with one less friend in the world. And yet, I also return having seen a nation – a nation which had thrown off the shackles of tyranny and begun to thrive. I makes me wonder, when we throw off the excesses of my father, what can we accomplish? Why, I believe we can become the grandest on the planet, if we would simply reform our ways and consider that there are people who need a good Queen in Britain, people who I shall lead some years hence, people who must be as tired of the excesses of my father and his father before him as I am.”
Needless to say, when Caroline died soon after the coronation – which Charlotte did make it back for - the nation mourned, and it simply reminded people how they longed for Queen Charlotte to take the throne.
--------------------------------------
(1) He tried to get such laws passed for Belgium in the early 1840s.
The British royals in 1821 had so much trouble, they kicked the Crown Princess out of the country for the coronation, out of fear she’d be more popular.
Here’s how it happened.
George III had died in 1820. George IV was crowned king – but not without incident – well over a year later, as he prepared for an incredibly lavish “official coronation.”.
Theodosia Burr Alston, among others, had written to encourage Princess Charlotte, heir presumptive, to encourage her in her spat over marriage; she’d refused to marry William of Orange. Charlotte had Whiggish tendencies, so the encouragement from Theodosia - to take a stand against the “incredibly archaic notions” of George IV - had some influence; yes, she herself had been married in a somewhat arranged one, but she’d also loved her husband, who would soon die himself, as has been noted.
So, when the Prussian she was interested in became engaged, Charlotte was willing to settle for Leopold; however, her father continued to cause problems, insisting that she marry William of Orange. He finally relented, but then, came the last straw.
His “physician,” actually a male midwife named Croft - was insisting that she be bled and doing all sorts of things that Leopold’s doctor, Stockmar, considered outdated. Harlotte’s letters back and forth with Theodosia had convinced her to force a compromise, including no bleeding. When she faced a difficult birth – ending ina stillbirth – and was weak for days afterward, rumors were that she’d complained that if she’d followed her father’s doctor’s advice, she’d have been killed. Whether or not the statement was true is uncertain, but she could have died.
She continued to support the Whigs in Parliament, frustrating her father to no end. She continued to be George III’s only surviving grandchild, as while William married, his two children died in infancy, and a couple other br5others refused to marry, instead continuing witht heir mistresses as George IV seemed to want to do. When the time came for his coronation, he forbade his wife from coming.
Though she’d been calmed down some by her husband Liopols, this still unnerved Charlotte enough that Charlotte insisted that if she didn’t come, neither would Charlotte! The row between father and daughter could be heard throughout the palace, it was said. An agreement was finally reached that Queen Caroline could come as long as the new king’s longtime mistress was prominently displayed. Charlotte is said to have spouted, “That would do the kingdom very well, to see your miserable state.”
As the weeks wore on, though, and became months, Charlotte sensed that her father really didn’t want anything to do with the queen. The attempt to divorce her led to rumors of many mistresses. Finally, after she had given birth to one healthy offspring early in 1820 – after some rest to get over the previous stillbirth and weakness – George IV sensed the incredible popularity of charlotte and, afraid of being upstaged, insisted that she go to the United States on a “goodwill tour of the former colonies.”
She didn’t mind this. The way her father was planning, she might be back for the coronation, anyway. Besides, she wanted to meet Theodosia in person.
The idea that she might die in New Orleans never approached George IV, it’s almost certain. Yes, there was now a living prince to succeed him should she predecease, but he really didn’t know much about the mosquito-infested area. Nonetheless, Theodosia suggested a trip take place in June of 1820, and that they meet in New York.
This was more conducive to the health of both. Theodosia looked quite frail; she didn’t have many more months to live. Charlotte and Leopold found her quite flattering, as they did her son Aaron Burr Alston, who was being introduced to a daughter of Governor DeWitt Clinton by Theodosia, at Aaron Burr’s insistence.
Leopold further pleased Theodosia when he spoke of laws regulating child and female labor.(1) Theodosia had been pushing her father to push for the same in Louisiana in this, the start of his second term as Governor of Louisiana. Charlotte was somewhat stunned at the idea of female suffrage, but listened politely as Theodosia and others, including Daniel Cady, a judge and former U. S. Representative, spoke about numerous topics of concern to them.
Charlotte wrote, “My friend, Theodosia, whom I do not know if I will see alive later this year, introduced me to many interesting people. Leopold and I have experienced quite the extremes in Whiggish politics already, and we have not even left New York. America has become so very different from us, and I wonder if – were it not for the madness of my late grandfather and of my very own father – we might have been able to achieve the same level of success. I shall be interested to see what lies ahead.”
What lay ahead was her seeing a government trying to help the poor, but where unemployment of 75% in Philadelphia at one point had greatly hurt. People wanted answers, and she saw in the great efforts to care for the poor in the birth of the Second Great Awakening a lot of people stepping forth to help. However, she also saw a need for something to be done by the rulers, too – including herself.
She’d come with a fairly large entourage, partly because of her infant son being along for the ride. Leopold Frederick William Richard was a healthy baby with quite a bit of energy.
As she went further, and considered the vast plains of Ohio and Indiana – and this wasn’t even touching the “Great American Plain” which had been purchased – she commented, “I foresee that one day, a great multitude of foreigners may come here to live, if we do not do something about Europe and its staunchly concervative men.” At the same time, she praised Aaron Burr. “I only wish I’d had a father near as loving as Theodosia reports he was. My family is filled with selfishness, and I worry I will never be able to be the mother I should be.” She would leave plenty of day to day things to governesses, but part of her longed for something more normal, like Theodosia had described. She might not be totally understanding the poor, but at least she could try to come close to the middle classes.
In the end, her tour over, she received the sad news that – while the princess was en route back to New York – Theodosia had died. She had been very sickly since giving birth to Aaron, somethignw hich had prompted Chrlotte, too, to avoid being bled.
“I return to Britain,” she wrote, “with one less friend in the world. And yet, I also return having seen a nation – a nation which had thrown off the shackles of tyranny and begun to thrive. I makes me wonder, when we throw off the excesses of my father, what can we accomplish? Why, I believe we can become the grandest on the planet, if we would simply reform our ways and consider that there are people who need a good Queen in Britain, people who I shall lead some years hence, people who must be as tired of the excesses of my father and his father before him as I am.”
Needless to say, when Caroline died soon after the coronation – which Charlotte did make it back for - the nation mourned, and it simply reminded people how they longed for Queen Charlotte to take the throne.
--------------------------------------
(1) He tried to get such laws passed for Belgium in the early 1840s.
As I've said, the U.S. won't get too big; maybe n bigger than this, as it's peaked rather early. Plus theere will be problems around 1840, as mentioned.
Part 21: From Sea To Shining Sea
The era of 1796-1820 had been a time of growth for the U.S.. The act which marked the end of this era occurred a couple years earlier, and amazed the surviving Founding Fathers. John Quincy Adams negotiated the purchase of parts of Texas and the northernmost parts of Alta California and New Mexico Territories, including San Francisco Bay.
The final border of this purchase had not been settled when John Adams wrote, “My son has surpassed me in brilliance. Whatever Charles may have done in Mexico, John Quincy’s work with Mexico has allowed this nation to expand to points which I know you did not dream possible, and even I look at our forefathers blazing a trail through what was the wilderness of Massachusetts and consider that they would have thought someone to be insane to make such a suggestion as we have now seen come to pass. Yes, my son has outdone me, having won a second term and now this. It is something every father should be ready and eager to say that they have been outshone in some area. I see this as part of my heritage.”
Jefferson wrote back concerning the purhcase, “I suspected that we might be able to reach the West Coast of this great continent between 1850 and 2000; that is a wide gap, but I confess that I am unsure what means of transportation, communication, and other scientific knowledge may aid us. Some have said it could take us 500 years to settle all of this; they may be right. I hope that our size does not detract from our need to keep the government small and non-intrusive. On the other hand, this can be a great benefit. As we expand westward, imagine thousands of communities of small size, groups of yeoman farmers who meet together and govern themselves in the small town hall meetings which you have spoken so highly of in New England.”
As to who this purchase was made from and why, that requires some explaining.
The Mexican War for Independence had begun in 1810. Charles Adams had met with potential rebel leaders before this, enough so he was known to Hidalgo, who used him to help the troops. Hidalgo ended up choosing to use the more hit-and-run tactics of the Americans, and decided not to attack Mexico City, and also retreated from Guadalajarra instead of staying to fight; their leaving also meant his men didn’t antagonize the citizens as much.(1)
Despite his caution, Hidalgo knew he had to fight sometime. His troops weren’t as well-trained as the Spaniards’, but with 100,000 troops at the Battle of Calderon Bridge, attempts to train them at least allowed them to fight to a draw, preventing the group from being too heavily demoralized and allowing them to whittle Spanish forces down even more later.(2).
Allende did poorly, though, and was soon replaced by Jose Morelos. Morelos seemed more capable. He won a variety of battles in the period from 1811-1813. He had a few near-run victories late in 1813 which might have been total disasters were it not for extra training and, more, the chaos in Spain, as there was confusion as to who the real viceroys were.(3)
Indeed, the fighting over who to support in the wake of Ferdinand VII’s death was quite brutal among the Royalists at times, especially thanks to the brutality of one of the leaders.(4) Even after the new king was on the throne of Spain, aswas noted before, Queen Carota – called so to distinguish her from the British princess Charlotte – fled back to Latin America, and tried to become Queen of Mexico; if her husband could try to do it from Brazil, she could, too. This had some Royalists swearing loyalty to her, others to Ferdinand VIII. By the time Carlota was captured and sent back to Spain – where she lived the rest of her life in prison under orders of Ferdinand VIII – previous months had been wasted and opportunities squashed. The rebels had the upper hand and would continue to do so the rest of the way.
All this chaos allowed Morelos to score enough wins that by 1817, he was able to be seen as one of the nation’s likely first leaders, although others below him were much more Republicans than he was. However, he wasn’t as keen on being a king, and deliberated about whether or not he should accept the post established of a rather weak Chief Executive.(5)
At any rate, the Spanish also had to deal with the fact that some Americans supported Morelos. Without the problems of war, Catholics were moving into Texas – though some were miffed by Morelos’ abolition of slavery – and some in the South again began to call for the U.S. to help the Mexican rebels outright.
Cooler heads prevailed, because of Adams’ election. Raised as a diplomat to some extent, he became close friends with Luis de Onis, the consul from Spain appointed in the wake of the Spanish-American War. As new of the War for Independence ebbed and flowed in 1813 and 1814, Adams and Onis quietly began to discuss how Spain might want to sell more of Texas and even parts of New Mexico and Alta California, to prevent it from being lost entirely, as it was feared Mexico could claim these lands. At the same time, Adams kept his eye on Mexican rebels who he knew could claim the land; then, the United States could buy it for enough money to paying off many of Mexico’s debts. Many historians would later compliment Adams for walking a diplomatic tightrope in this area, as did his Secretary of State.
Onis, for his part, was concerned about America’s quasi-support if the Mexican rebels. As the government continued to be unwieldy (to put it mildly) in Spain, and then extremely reactionary, he marveled at President Adams’ easy re-election over William Crawford (Monroe was too busy in Virginia, and looking more toward 1820).
The Bank of the United States had grown enough that – with some D-R members of Congress scoffing at Adams’ ideas of massive internal improvements – purchase of territory seemed much better as a way to deal with the surplus. Why not use it to fuel more land speculation in addition to internal improvements? After all, they wouldn’t even have to spend money on the Erie Canal now; DeWitt Clinton had insisted on paying for it with state funds.(6)
Another concern for Spain was that, with its other territories in peril, Texas, New Mexico, and Alta California were something of a drain on their resources. Adams pointed this out, stating that Spain would likely lose some of these areas themselves.
In 1817, after years of fighting, Morelos drew enough Spanish forces out of Mexico City and defeat them, and then took it. The Spanish recognized they were no closer to defeated Morelos than they had been, and lose the whole of Mexico anyway, with the other parts also being claimed. They decided to cut their losses. Their own resources were nearly exhausted. Morelos had won enough victories that nearly the whole southern half of Mexico was in rebel hands.
With the problems elsewhere, a compromise was negotiated by the Spanish and Mexicans. It was actually brokered by the British, whom Adams had brought in to help, as he would when establishing the Adams Doctrine concerning the rights of American states to independence, one supported by the British, whom the Adamses had long seen as friends. It provided some money to Spain and some to Mexico, though the money would be to pay off any Mexican debts.
It would take several months to iron out the map. The purchase wasn’t official till 1818; a purchase which included, again, a promise of no slavery in the new region.
The United States had, in the end, purchased Alta California from the northern border south the 35th parallel. The border extended eastward to the Colorado River, then followed the Colorado north to where the San Juan River became the border. It is followed east till a point where a straight line is drawn to the Pecos River, allowing Mexico to keep Santa Fe, though the U.S. has the option of purchasing more of the Lower Basin of the Colorado River later if it chooses. (The border is obviously somewhat up in the air yet, as exploration is still needed to be certain.) The Pecos is then followed down till it intersects with the Rio Grande, which is followed to the Gulf of Mexico. So it is the American can claim that it has reached the Pacific.(7)
Adams also settles the Northern border of the Louisiana Purchase with Britain, gaining land up to a parallel just north of the Coos Bay region. American had expended a lot of money, however, which would, in the end, cause problems.
The overspending of the Bank of the United States, combined with other matters, led to a financial panic in 1819 that led to a backlash; one which sent the dynamic Andrew Jackson to the White House in 1820 over DeWitt Clinton and James Monroe in the D-R Party. The Federalists, in return, will move more toward the D-R camp on many issues, enough so that Clinton would begin to feel like more of a Federalist, as would Henry Clay, in a number of years.
Jackson was not alone in his support of universal white male suffrage, of course, He’d chosen a signer of the Constitution for Vice President, Senator Charles Pinckney, a man who also had heavily supported the Constitution’s Fugitive Slave Clause. This troubled a few Northerners, who had been happier with the Federal government’s earlier winking at the clause, not heavily enforcing it. Would that change?
There would be deeper Constitutional questions for Jackson in his term, even as Pinckney became ill and later died in office. For now, though, the era of Jackson was beginning. It would, however, come to an abrupt end, as the ebb and flow of politics occurred much like that which had thrust Jefferson into the Presidency in 1796, until things settled down into a government closer to Jefferson’s ideas than those of John Adams.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) In OTL they stayed and suffered defeat; some of the troops also antagonized the townspeople more because of their staying, whereas here the townspeople don’t turn against them at much. The fact that he chose not to attack Mexico City means there is also a plausible chance for him to avoid a costly defeat which greatly harms the Mexicans’ morale.
(2) OTL’s Battle of Calderon Bridge was a major disaster, but part was because of a lucky shot that a Royalist had at a bunch of ammo which blew up. Here the troops are somewhat better trained, and able to avoid this. It’s still rough battle, but the Mexcians can win.
(3) They were major disasters, but considering he’d done a good job overall and that they could be seen as being in a better position, it’s just a slump, not a disaster. Plus, in OTL Spain at least had only one ruler, but here, there are several claimants to the Spanish throne, and confusion as to who to give loyalty to.
(4) A man who ruled from 1813 to 1816 OTL..
(5) OTL he suffered disasters from 1813 to his arrest and execution in 1815, but he did very well before then, and butterflies make this a time of more confidence for the Mexicans, and the ability to take and keep the upper hand in battles..
(6) Though an internal improvements bill is passed and signed, unlike OTL’s veto, it is still likely DeWitt Clinton refuses the Federal help, being close to a D-R in how he viewed the role of the Federal government, and more importantly, having the funds to do so.
(7) There may, of course, be some negotiating later for parts of the Basin or for Los Angeles, like with OTL’s Gadsden Purchase. I lost the original thread but the map in another discussion here https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=121862&highlight=%22calderon+bridge%22 is also quite plausible for later. However, for now people in the U.S. are satisfied, because nobody can imagine settling all of this quickly. Plus, some, well, disagreements will overshadow that anyway. You can probably guess what.
Part 21: From Sea To Shining Sea
The era of 1796-1820 had been a time of growth for the U.S.. The act which marked the end of this era occurred a couple years earlier, and amazed the surviving Founding Fathers. John Quincy Adams negotiated the purchase of parts of Texas and the northernmost parts of Alta California and New Mexico Territories, including San Francisco Bay.
The final border of this purchase had not been settled when John Adams wrote, “My son has surpassed me in brilliance. Whatever Charles may have done in Mexico, John Quincy’s work with Mexico has allowed this nation to expand to points which I know you did not dream possible, and even I look at our forefathers blazing a trail through what was the wilderness of Massachusetts and consider that they would have thought someone to be insane to make such a suggestion as we have now seen come to pass. Yes, my son has outdone me, having won a second term and now this. It is something every father should be ready and eager to say that they have been outshone in some area. I see this as part of my heritage.”
Jefferson wrote back concerning the purhcase, “I suspected that we might be able to reach the West Coast of this great continent between 1850 and 2000; that is a wide gap, but I confess that I am unsure what means of transportation, communication, and other scientific knowledge may aid us. Some have said it could take us 500 years to settle all of this; they may be right. I hope that our size does not detract from our need to keep the government small and non-intrusive. On the other hand, this can be a great benefit. As we expand westward, imagine thousands of communities of small size, groups of yeoman farmers who meet together and govern themselves in the small town hall meetings which you have spoken so highly of in New England.”
As to who this purchase was made from and why, that requires some explaining.
The Mexican War for Independence had begun in 1810. Charles Adams had met with potential rebel leaders before this, enough so he was known to Hidalgo, who used him to help the troops. Hidalgo ended up choosing to use the more hit-and-run tactics of the Americans, and decided not to attack Mexico City, and also retreated from Guadalajarra instead of staying to fight; their leaving also meant his men didn’t antagonize the citizens as much.(1)
Despite his caution, Hidalgo knew he had to fight sometime. His troops weren’t as well-trained as the Spaniards’, but with 100,000 troops at the Battle of Calderon Bridge, attempts to train them at least allowed them to fight to a draw, preventing the group from being too heavily demoralized and allowing them to whittle Spanish forces down even more later.(2).
Allende did poorly, though, and was soon replaced by Jose Morelos. Morelos seemed more capable. He won a variety of battles in the period from 1811-1813. He had a few near-run victories late in 1813 which might have been total disasters were it not for extra training and, more, the chaos in Spain, as there was confusion as to who the real viceroys were.(3)
Indeed, the fighting over who to support in the wake of Ferdinand VII’s death was quite brutal among the Royalists at times, especially thanks to the brutality of one of the leaders.(4) Even after the new king was on the throne of Spain, aswas noted before, Queen Carota – called so to distinguish her from the British princess Charlotte – fled back to Latin America, and tried to become Queen of Mexico; if her husband could try to do it from Brazil, she could, too. This had some Royalists swearing loyalty to her, others to Ferdinand VIII. By the time Carlota was captured and sent back to Spain – where she lived the rest of her life in prison under orders of Ferdinand VIII – previous months had been wasted and opportunities squashed. The rebels had the upper hand and would continue to do so the rest of the way.
All this chaos allowed Morelos to score enough wins that by 1817, he was able to be seen as one of the nation’s likely first leaders, although others below him were much more Republicans than he was. However, he wasn’t as keen on being a king, and deliberated about whether or not he should accept the post established of a rather weak Chief Executive.(5)
At any rate, the Spanish also had to deal with the fact that some Americans supported Morelos. Without the problems of war, Catholics were moving into Texas – though some were miffed by Morelos’ abolition of slavery – and some in the South again began to call for the U.S. to help the Mexican rebels outright.
Cooler heads prevailed, because of Adams’ election. Raised as a diplomat to some extent, he became close friends with Luis de Onis, the consul from Spain appointed in the wake of the Spanish-American War. As new of the War for Independence ebbed and flowed in 1813 and 1814, Adams and Onis quietly began to discuss how Spain might want to sell more of Texas and even parts of New Mexico and Alta California, to prevent it from being lost entirely, as it was feared Mexico could claim these lands. At the same time, Adams kept his eye on Mexican rebels who he knew could claim the land; then, the United States could buy it for enough money to paying off many of Mexico’s debts. Many historians would later compliment Adams for walking a diplomatic tightrope in this area, as did his Secretary of State.
Onis, for his part, was concerned about America’s quasi-support if the Mexican rebels. As the government continued to be unwieldy (to put it mildly) in Spain, and then extremely reactionary, he marveled at President Adams’ easy re-election over William Crawford (Monroe was too busy in Virginia, and looking more toward 1820).
The Bank of the United States had grown enough that – with some D-R members of Congress scoffing at Adams’ ideas of massive internal improvements – purchase of territory seemed much better as a way to deal with the surplus. Why not use it to fuel more land speculation in addition to internal improvements? After all, they wouldn’t even have to spend money on the Erie Canal now; DeWitt Clinton had insisted on paying for it with state funds.(6)
Another concern for Spain was that, with its other territories in peril, Texas, New Mexico, and Alta California were something of a drain on their resources. Adams pointed this out, stating that Spain would likely lose some of these areas themselves.
In 1817, after years of fighting, Morelos drew enough Spanish forces out of Mexico City and defeat them, and then took it. The Spanish recognized they were no closer to defeated Morelos than they had been, and lose the whole of Mexico anyway, with the other parts also being claimed. They decided to cut their losses. Their own resources were nearly exhausted. Morelos had won enough victories that nearly the whole southern half of Mexico was in rebel hands.
With the problems elsewhere, a compromise was negotiated by the Spanish and Mexicans. It was actually brokered by the British, whom Adams had brought in to help, as he would when establishing the Adams Doctrine concerning the rights of American states to independence, one supported by the British, whom the Adamses had long seen as friends. It provided some money to Spain and some to Mexico, though the money would be to pay off any Mexican debts.
It would take several months to iron out the map. The purchase wasn’t official till 1818; a purchase which included, again, a promise of no slavery in the new region.
The United States had, in the end, purchased Alta California from the northern border south the 35th parallel. The border extended eastward to the Colorado River, then followed the Colorado north to where the San Juan River became the border. It is followed east till a point where a straight line is drawn to the Pecos River, allowing Mexico to keep Santa Fe, though the U.S. has the option of purchasing more of the Lower Basin of the Colorado River later if it chooses. (The border is obviously somewhat up in the air yet, as exploration is still needed to be certain.) The Pecos is then followed down till it intersects with the Rio Grande, which is followed to the Gulf of Mexico. So it is the American can claim that it has reached the Pacific.(7)
Adams also settles the Northern border of the Louisiana Purchase with Britain, gaining land up to a parallel just north of the Coos Bay region. American had expended a lot of money, however, which would, in the end, cause problems.
The overspending of the Bank of the United States, combined with other matters, led to a financial panic in 1819 that led to a backlash; one which sent the dynamic Andrew Jackson to the White House in 1820 over DeWitt Clinton and James Monroe in the D-R Party. The Federalists, in return, will move more toward the D-R camp on many issues, enough so that Clinton would begin to feel like more of a Federalist, as would Henry Clay, in a number of years.
Jackson was not alone in his support of universal white male suffrage, of course, He’d chosen a signer of the Constitution for Vice President, Senator Charles Pinckney, a man who also had heavily supported the Constitution’s Fugitive Slave Clause. This troubled a few Northerners, who had been happier with the Federal government’s earlier winking at the clause, not heavily enforcing it. Would that change?
There would be deeper Constitutional questions for Jackson in his term, even as Pinckney became ill and later died in office. For now, though, the era of Jackson was beginning. It would, however, come to an abrupt end, as the ebb and flow of politics occurred much like that which had thrust Jefferson into the Presidency in 1796, until things settled down into a government closer to Jefferson’s ideas than those of John Adams.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) In OTL they stayed and suffered defeat; some of the troops also antagonized the townspeople more because of their staying, whereas here the townspeople don’t turn against them at much. The fact that he chose not to attack Mexico City means there is also a plausible chance for him to avoid a costly defeat which greatly harms the Mexicans’ morale.
(2) OTL’s Battle of Calderon Bridge was a major disaster, but part was because of a lucky shot that a Royalist had at a bunch of ammo which blew up. Here the troops are somewhat better trained, and able to avoid this. It’s still rough battle, but the Mexcians can win.
(3) They were major disasters, but considering he’d done a good job overall and that they could be seen as being in a better position, it’s just a slump, not a disaster. Plus, in OTL Spain at least had only one ruler, but here, there are several claimants to the Spanish throne, and confusion as to who to give loyalty to.
(4) A man who ruled from 1813 to 1816 OTL..
(5) OTL he suffered disasters from 1813 to his arrest and execution in 1815, but he did very well before then, and butterflies make this a time of more confidence for the Mexicans, and the ability to take and keep the upper hand in battles..
(6) Though an internal improvements bill is passed and signed, unlike OTL’s veto, it is still likely DeWitt Clinton refuses the Federal help, being close to a D-R in how he viewed the role of the Federal government, and more importantly, having the funds to do so.
(7) There may, of course, be some negotiating later for parts of the Basin or for Los Angeles, like with OTL’s Gadsden Purchase. I lost the original thread but the map in another discussion here https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=121862&highlight=%22calderon+bridge%22 is also quite plausible for later. However, for now people in the U.S. are satisfied, because nobody can imagine settling all of this quickly. Plus, some, well, disagreements will overshadow that anyway. You can probably guess what.
And, because it's Mother's Day...
Okay, things will slow down soon, though I have a few more sections written. However, this is going up now becasue, while she doesn't live to see the whole thing, one could say that Aaron Burr is honoring a mother here, his grandson's mother Theodosia.
Part 22: Burr’s Louisiana
Aaron Burr Alston and his wife, one of the daughters of DeWitt Clinton, kissed passionately as they returned from their honeymoon having stepped over the threshold of their new home in Louisiana. The young lady looked at her twenty-year-old husband and then at his grandfather. It seemed he was everywhere. Well, he hadn’t been at Niagra Falls with them, but it had seemed that way. A political dynasty was forming, and she was aprt of it.
“it is so splendid,” she said, still in awe somewhat.
“I know. To think I could have been just antoher Southern gentleman. Instead, I am here,” Aaron said. He turned to the governor, Aaron Burr. “Mother would be proud.”
“Indeed she would. I recall that Governor Clinton’s first wife was from the family of a very prominent merchant. So, we have the best of many worlds – politics, landholders, merchants, a group which can run this country,” Burr remarked.
The lady blushed slightly. “My father said he was always concerned about the possible corruption; just as in Tammany Hall. I feel so foolish for speaking out about this, it is a political matter,” she added. ‘And yet, from all I have heard, including the short time I met your mother,” she told Aaron Alston, “it is encouraged for women to speak out here.”
“Indeed, I only do what I do so that I can put together the coalitions which will ensure that women like my late Theodosia have the rights which all men have now,” Governor Burr proclaimed. “And, I am rapidly learning that this can be applied to black men as well, such as the many which inhabit New Orleans.” The lady noted that he didn’t say what he did, but she chose not to ask. She only knew that her grandfather-in-law could really help her father if, as was supposed, he was supported by former president John Quincy Adams in 1824.
There was one more important factor, too – she truly loved Aaron Burr Alston. She couldn’t stand to think of the problems Princess Charlotte had had; how amazing that she’d even gotten to meet her. Sure, British royalty was not normally a thing which Americans liked, but this woman was at least trying to understand what she must do when she becomes Queen; none of the tyranny of her oppressive father and grandfather, but instead liberal and just actions. Actions which would help the common people. Just as her father’s Erie Canal would soon help all New York residents.
“President Jackson is destroying the Bank – he has removed all of the money from it,” Governor Burr was saying to the young couple. She was still stunned that he was including her in the conversation; of course, he had a couple years earlier when they’d met, too. “What do you think should be done?”
“You are asking me?” She pointed at herself. “Why, I suppose that since he has removed all the money in an effort to pay off our debt…but money is so scarce, and the economy is in such turmoil… it will require quite a bit of thought.”
“As long as you don’t say that you are incapable,” Governor Burr remarked. “You must never consider yourself incapable just because you are female. Italk to people of other races about these things, too, to educate them,” Aaron Burr said. “Thomas Jefferson said education was a key for any self-governing people. Well, I am educating the people, male and female. I am educating former slaves, as well.”
The lady agreed. “I remember worries that Federalists would use the bank of the Untied States to pay for freedom of all slaves; I don’t believe that can happen. Our current economic situation shows that it is not viable.”
“Good point; still on a state level, in Delaware and Virginia, emancipation is either going on or will son,” Burr said, referring to Virginia’s gradual emancipation bill to be passed in 1823. “That is more Mr. Hamilton’s and others’ worry. I, for one, simply wish Mr. Jackson to become an ex-President. I’m actually considering running, thought I don’t think I could win. It has been too long,” Burr acknowledge. “Besides, I have too much fun here.”
“Where there is no two-term tradition, Granfather?” Alston asked. Burr simply grinned, a twinkle in his eye. He understood why such a limit existed, so a President didn’t become too powerful. That was good for the country. However, it was not as necessary on a state level.
So, Burr simply said, “I intend to stick around until you are ready to begin ruling yourself, my grandson. Who knows? Someday, you may become President.”
“My father-in-law may yet,’ Alston noted. “President Jackson’s actions are not helping the economy. And then, there are the natives…” He sighed.
Burr nodded glumly. The Georgia militia were wiping them out months before Jackson took office; and their militia is larger than the Federal Army. Since slavery is not allowed West of the Mississippi, and especially since the discovery of gold there early in 1819(1), the number of settlers invading their territory has grown substantially. Jackson thinks he is doing the right thing by shifting them to Florida, but Congress and now the Supreme Court declared that the Indians had a right to that land. The only good thing is, his ‘party’ isn’t as strong as it might have been had he been organizing it for another decade. He may have a dizeable wing of that party, but he doesn’t control all of it.”
“I have to admit,” Alston told his grandfather, Governor Clinton is still uneasy about how his daughter might get involved in… well, electoral tomfoolery. His uncle reportedly stated that rigging elections was proper under the right circumstances, and he doesn’t want to get involved in anything like that. Nor do I.”
“me, neither. Calling in favors isn’t the same thing as rigging elections. But, if you want to stay out of my end completely,t hat’s fine,” Burr commented. “You’ve got a woman who’ll keep you honest; that’s a great thing to have. I’ve often said women should have the same rights as men, and as I get older, I think even voting in national electiosn may be viable. We’ve got it in the unicipal ones now.” Burr placed a hand on his should and sid, “I hope you always remember what your mother meant to me. I didn’t just set all this up for myself. I did it for her.”
“I understand, Grandfather. So, will you oppose Jackson yourself?” Alston asked.
Burr frowned. “I might have to. The man was a friend. But, he’s just got off his rocker. I’ll wait, though, and see if your father-in-law has a shot first. This is my turf. And, it has been for so long, I don’t know if I’d want to give it up. But, if I think my country really needs me, I’ll do it. Remember that, Aaron. Sometimes, you hve to be willing to step out and sacrifice for your country. The same way we did when we fought the War for Independence.”
-------------------------------------------------
(1) It wasn’t discovered till almost a decade later OTL, However, not only are Louisiana and Missouri off limits for slaveholding settlers wishing land, those who did own slaves in Louisiana would be moving East. Yes, as noted, many of the latter would be going into West Florida or Mississippi, but few of the former would if the other lands were closer.
Okay, things will slow down soon, though I have a few more sections written. However, this is going up now becasue, while she doesn't live to see the whole thing, one could say that Aaron Burr is honoring a mother here, his grandson's mother Theodosia.
Part 22: Burr’s Louisiana
Aaron Burr Alston and his wife, one of the daughters of DeWitt Clinton, kissed passionately as they returned from their honeymoon having stepped over the threshold of their new home in Louisiana. The young lady looked at her twenty-year-old husband and then at his grandfather. It seemed he was everywhere. Well, he hadn’t been at Niagra Falls with them, but it had seemed that way. A political dynasty was forming, and she was aprt of it.
“it is so splendid,” she said, still in awe somewhat.
“I know. To think I could have been just antoher Southern gentleman. Instead, I am here,” Aaron said. He turned to the governor, Aaron Burr. “Mother would be proud.”
“Indeed she would. I recall that Governor Clinton’s first wife was from the family of a very prominent merchant. So, we have the best of many worlds – politics, landholders, merchants, a group which can run this country,” Burr remarked.
The lady blushed slightly. “My father said he was always concerned about the possible corruption; just as in Tammany Hall. I feel so foolish for speaking out about this, it is a political matter,” she added. ‘And yet, from all I have heard, including the short time I met your mother,” she told Aaron Alston, “it is encouraged for women to speak out here.”
“Indeed, I only do what I do so that I can put together the coalitions which will ensure that women like my late Theodosia have the rights which all men have now,” Governor Burr proclaimed. “And, I am rapidly learning that this can be applied to black men as well, such as the many which inhabit New Orleans.” The lady noted that he didn’t say what he did, but she chose not to ask. She only knew that her grandfather-in-law could really help her father if, as was supposed, he was supported by former president John Quincy Adams in 1824.
There was one more important factor, too – she truly loved Aaron Burr Alston. She couldn’t stand to think of the problems Princess Charlotte had had; how amazing that she’d even gotten to meet her. Sure, British royalty was not normally a thing which Americans liked, but this woman was at least trying to understand what she must do when she becomes Queen; none of the tyranny of her oppressive father and grandfather, but instead liberal and just actions. Actions which would help the common people. Just as her father’s Erie Canal would soon help all New York residents.
“President Jackson is destroying the Bank – he has removed all of the money from it,” Governor Burr was saying to the young couple. She was still stunned that he was including her in the conversation; of course, he had a couple years earlier when they’d met, too. “What do you think should be done?”
“You are asking me?” She pointed at herself. “Why, I suppose that since he has removed all the money in an effort to pay off our debt…but money is so scarce, and the economy is in such turmoil… it will require quite a bit of thought.”
“As long as you don’t say that you are incapable,” Governor Burr remarked. “You must never consider yourself incapable just because you are female. Italk to people of other races about these things, too, to educate them,” Aaron Burr said. “Thomas Jefferson said education was a key for any self-governing people. Well, I am educating the people, male and female. I am educating former slaves, as well.”
The lady agreed. “I remember worries that Federalists would use the bank of the Untied States to pay for freedom of all slaves; I don’t believe that can happen. Our current economic situation shows that it is not viable.”
“Good point; still on a state level, in Delaware and Virginia, emancipation is either going on or will son,” Burr said, referring to Virginia’s gradual emancipation bill to be passed in 1823. “That is more Mr. Hamilton’s and others’ worry. I, for one, simply wish Mr. Jackson to become an ex-President. I’m actually considering running, thought I don’t think I could win. It has been too long,” Burr acknowledge. “Besides, I have too much fun here.”
“Where there is no two-term tradition, Granfather?” Alston asked. Burr simply grinned, a twinkle in his eye. He understood why such a limit existed, so a President didn’t become too powerful. That was good for the country. However, it was not as necessary on a state level.
So, Burr simply said, “I intend to stick around until you are ready to begin ruling yourself, my grandson. Who knows? Someday, you may become President.”
“My father-in-law may yet,’ Alston noted. “President Jackson’s actions are not helping the economy. And then, there are the natives…” He sighed.
Burr nodded glumly. The Georgia militia were wiping them out months before Jackson took office; and their militia is larger than the Federal Army. Since slavery is not allowed West of the Mississippi, and especially since the discovery of gold there early in 1819(1), the number of settlers invading their territory has grown substantially. Jackson thinks he is doing the right thing by shifting them to Florida, but Congress and now the Supreme Court declared that the Indians had a right to that land. The only good thing is, his ‘party’ isn’t as strong as it might have been had he been organizing it for another decade. He may have a dizeable wing of that party, but he doesn’t control all of it.”
“I have to admit,” Alston told his grandfather, Governor Clinton is still uneasy about how his daughter might get involved in… well, electoral tomfoolery. His uncle reportedly stated that rigging elections was proper under the right circumstances, and he doesn’t want to get involved in anything like that. Nor do I.”
“me, neither. Calling in favors isn’t the same thing as rigging elections. But, if you want to stay out of my end completely,t hat’s fine,” Burr commented. “You’ve got a woman who’ll keep you honest; that’s a great thing to have. I’ve often said women should have the same rights as men, and as I get older, I think even voting in national electiosn may be viable. We’ve got it in the unicipal ones now.” Burr placed a hand on his should and sid, “I hope you always remember what your mother meant to me. I didn’t just set all this up for myself. I did it for her.”
“I understand, Grandfather. So, will you oppose Jackson yourself?” Alston asked.
Burr frowned. “I might have to. The man was a friend. But, he’s just got off his rocker. I’ll wait, though, and see if your father-in-law has a shot first. This is my turf. And, it has been for so long, I don’t know if I’d want to give it up. But, if I think my country really needs me, I’ll do it. Remember that, Aaron. Sometimes, you hve to be willing to step out and sacrifice for your country. The same way we did when we fought the War for Independence.”
-------------------------------------------------
(1) It wasn’t discovered till almost a decade later OTL, However, not only are Louisiana and Missouri off limits for slaveholding settlers wishing land, those who did own slaves in Louisiana would be moving East. Yes, as noted, many of the latter would be going into West Florida or Mississippi, but few of the former would if the other lands were closer.
Getting America out of the way with the next 2
As noted, I've got a few more ideas up to the 1840s but they're more vague; then I don't know exactly where to take Europe. I know who I plan to win the Great War, but i don't know if I'll cover it as much in depth as the U.S. Civil War, and even that might not come to fruition too much.
I don't know how you all do it with TLs that go on for many months real time. You certainly have some amazings kills.
Part 23: The 1824 Election and People Power
Obviously, some way was needed for people to get out West – even getting to Ohio was something of a stretch at times. Internal Improvements were a hot topic. When John C. Calhoun sponsored the Bonus Bill he got opposition from quite a few who were worried about too many people going out west but also just about the Constitutionality of using the Bank of the Untied States’ money on internal improvements. Though John Quincy Adams signed the law in early 1817, it prompted a very well-reasoned response from former President Madison, who stated that while he agreed with the overall aim of the bill, he did not see it as Constitutional.
This view was shared by a number of others. Most notably, DeWitt Clinton had been elected Governor of New York in 1816, replacing Daniel Tompkins, who had run unsuccessfully for Vice President. He’d been enthusiastic about the idea of the Erie Canal since it was first proposed to him. Now, as governor, he promised to pay for it entirely free from the federal government’s involvement. This caused him to be hailed as a hero among some D-R members, although others complained that the canal was totally unworkable, calling it Clinton’s Folly. Still, he was considered a possible candidate for President in 1820 as 1818 grew into 1819, along with James Monroe, the 1816 loser, William Crawford, and Andrew Jackson.
Adams was in his second term, and agreed with Madison on one thing, at least – eight years was enough. As noted, his Vice President from 1812, a D-R member, had returned to North Carolina government after serving one term, so he now had a different Vice President. It wasn’t likely that the man would run in 1820, but it seemed that the Federalists would easily win the 1820 election.
Then, the Panic of 1819 hit.
It was caused in part by the Bank of the United States’ poor loans, which caused one man to rise to the forefront among D-Rs – Andrew Jackson. He consistently blasted the large, centralized government. He had as one of his supporters Charles Pinckney, a member of the Constitutional Convention who believed, like Jackson, in universal white male suffrage. Calhoun was considered as a possible V.P, but he was only 38 in 1820. Pinckney could serve just one term and then Calhoun run; Adams was on his second V.P., after all. Except for John Adams, only John Langdon had served 2 terms as V.P..
Others challenged for a while, but Jackson was a war hero, with added fame because of his duel with General Wilkinson. In addition, he promised to be very tough on natives, which endeared him to quite a few in bordering states. Monroe and Crawford each favored a policy of working with the tribes to help them become part of the culture. However, D-R party leaders, even with the Panic of 1819, felt he was the best choice to beat a still rather popular Adams. Yes, thanks to the Bonus Bill there were some Federal works projects, but there were only so many jobs, and there were some people who felt like taking one of those jobs was like getting a handout.
Georgia, as noted before,, had been fighting the natives on their own. They and the new Southern states favored Jackson’s plan – remove the natives to Louisiana if they got rid of their slaves, or Florida if they didn’t. People were even starting to warm to the idea of universal white male suffrage. And, Pinckney was a name which hit home with some Federalists who remembered their own Pinckneys and thought, “Maybe things won’t be so bad.” After all, there was a major financial problem, and the Federalist base was kind of lackluster in comparison to Jackson’s political base, which he’d been organizing for a decade; 1812 had been just a spark, with Jackson getting his feet wet. And, he wasn’t anywhere near the war hero Jackson was.
Besides, hadn’t Madison, one of the most respected Presidents there had been, and a Father of the Constitution to boot, said the Bonus Bill was unconstitutional?
Well, he had, but Jackson soon began to rub a lot of people the wrong way. As Madison himself stated late in 1821, “Universal suffrage(1), while extreme, may be viable. However, let us never mistake the universal right to vote for the universal right to hold office. I do not mind a man of [Jackson’s] manners, however uncouth at times, having one vote, if that man’s vote is countered by a more responsible person. However, that does not mean that he is fit to hold the office of President.”
Jackson’s removing of funds from the Bank of the United States and providing it to states led to problems, of course; especially since some of those funds were needed to help with Federal relief for those suffering from the Depression.
Then, there were the Indians. President Jackson started removing the tribes - to Florida mostly –with the help of generals such as William Henry Harrison. Even when the Supreme Court ruled that he couldn’t do that, he challenged the Chief Justice to enforce the decision.
This put many of his Northern supporters against him because quite a few were against the Fugitive Slave provision in the Constitution, and liked the fact it wasn’t heavily enforced before Jackson came into office. However, Pinckney, his Vice President, had drafted that provision, and and Jackson had promised some that he would support it, leading to calls of hypocrisy and cries that the administration was amoral, if not immoral. Especially since Pinckney, who had fallen ill soon after taking office and who would die early in 1824, had claimed to be much younger to improve his stature among other founders.
Alexander Hamilton, now growing old – though still in his late 60s – used these facts to pound Jackson mercilessly as his administration wore on. There were rumors that he would make one final run for President in 1824 – he had tried but failed to win nomination in 1820. While he had mellowed a little, he was not seen as quite as viable, but John Quincy Adams was another story.
Adams shunned the idea. He had re-entered politics, and was now in the House of Representatives. He admitted that it was tempting, but he had an old political debt to pay, and besides, eight years in that office was a long time. And, he was still rather unpopular because of the Depression of 1819 starting under his watch.
Not so Madison, though. It was whispered by some that he might actually be asked to run in Jackson’s place, as the only man who could possibly get what was now simply called the Democratic base back from Jackson; he had left as a very popular President after all. Oh, sure, he was in his early 70s, but not much older than John Adams.
Speaking of which, John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson around this time that, “Even you would be favored more than that man; and I dare say that despite our differences I feel you would be an improvement.” Jefferson wrote back that perhaps Adams should seek that second term he declined in 1804, as he was sure that Adams had mellowed some now, and was at least at the level of his son in beliefs.
The two old friends would die on the same day, July 4, 1826, having seen a resolution to this crisis. But, it would not be the election of either man to the White House. Nor would it be that of James Madison; that only happens in strange threads on alternate history sites.(2)
Instead, John Quincy Adams, by now the senior leader of his party, went to DeWitt Clinton. He had a great amount of prestige for having gotten the Erie Canal nearly finished with no Federal help. And yet, he did believe in internal improvements to some extent. He would be an excellent candidate. With Jackson dubbing his party the Democrats now, Adams suggested that perhaps Clinton could run on a unified ticket and call his the “Republicans.”
Clinton thought that was a good idea. He tried hard to stay away from the trash talking that Hamilton and Jackson engaged in. Jackson tried to claim Hamilton would be the “power behind the President” and would “create a tyranny.” However, given the way Jackson had run the Presidency at times, that more often than not created a call of, “It takes one to know one.” And, as noted, Clinton distanced himself from Hamilton for the most part, and came out staunchly against corruption. This would be the last election in which Hamilton would play a major role, though he would live into the 1830s he would be in ill health; his views had moderated some by now, but he had come to realize that his political stock wasn’t enough for him to be President anymore, though some say he might have won.(3)
Clinton instead spoke to the issues. Jackson hadn’t done a very good job in relieving the economic downturn, and in some ways had made it worse. He was a rash man, whereas Clinton had taken was some had called his folly at the start and turned it into his greatest work.
DeWitt Clinton was only in his mid-50s. As Adams had saidback in early 1813, he had the chance again. It would behoove him, of course, to find a true Federalist as Vice President, but Adams even had an idea there.
Duncan McArthur was from Ohio, so the West was covered. He was son of Scottish immigrants, so there was the “poor, Protestant immigrant working his way up” thing. He’d worked on Indian treaties as a member of Congress, including meeting with tribe members in his native Ohio and points west, showing diplomatic skill. He’d fought in the Spanish-American War, so there was the hero thing. He was a very good balance to the ticket. In fact, he’d openly stated, after being elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1812, that if he’d been at war at the time he could not have taken the seat in good conscience.(4)
He hadn’t distinguished himself much, and had enjoyed serving in state politics more; he’d left Congress and gotten back to the Ohio Senate, and then won a narrow election for governor in 1822.(5) However, he decided, like Langdon earlier, one final trip to Washington wouldn’t be bad, and after that maybe he could go to the House like Adams or something .
In the end, the election was close, but DeWitt Clinton defeated Andrew Jackson in the Election of 1824, to become the nation’s seventh President. Kentucky was the furthest South he’d gotten, thanks to Henry Clay – though he’d gathered in a couple Louisiana electors and one Missouri one. However, he’d have won a majority even without his very bitter win in Pennsylvani, which Jackson tried to contest but in the end realized he’d lost. He promised to come back for 1828, but many in the Democratic Party felt the need to look elsewhere.(6)
-----------------------------
(1) Meaning what his generation meant, obviously
(2) Can’t you just see TTL’s AH.com?
“User1 – What if Madison wins a third term in 1824?”
“User2 – That’s ASB; he was 73 and had been out of office for 12 years!”
“User3 – Well, it’s barely possible, he was well respected as the Father of the Constitution and left office very popular; he’s one man that, if he embraces universal suffrage, could have possibly unseated Jackson from his perch while Jackson was President.”
“User2 – Maybe, but you’d need lots of peculiar things to happen; I think Adams comes back first.”
“Noob1 – Jefferson and Adams did think about running. And they each had only 1 term, unlike Madison’s 2, so they wouldn’t be breaking tradition.”
“User2 – Dude, I meant John *Quincy* Adams – that other was friends joking. They were *past 80* and *almost 90*!”
“User3 – Better watch, he’ll bring Washington back from the dead next.”
(3) Given a son who lived to be 90 and a couple nearly so, having him live into his late 70s or early 80s seems plausible, though he would likely be ill; this seems like a good last campaign where he’d pull out the stops to stop Jackson. AS for whether I thought of having Hamilton *win* in 1824, a little, but after his losses in ’04 and especially ’12, he’d be seen more as just an elder statesman, like Clay in ’48.
(4) True in OTL with the War of 1812, which is why his career gets a later start.
(5) A Federalist narrowly lost OTL, and here there is a more experienced, older man running at a time when there is backlash against Jackson’s Democrats.
(6) Unlike OTL, here he merely took the lead of an existing party; enough to give him the win in what would be a very good year for the Democrats, not enough to cause them to see him as the founder of the party.
As noted, I've got a few more ideas up to the 1840s but they're more vague; then I don't know exactly where to take Europe. I know who I plan to win the Great War, but i don't know if I'll cover it as much in depth as the U.S. Civil War, and even that might not come to fruition too much.
I don't know how you all do it with TLs that go on for many months real time. You certainly have some amazings kills.
Part 23: The 1824 Election and People Power
Obviously, some way was needed for people to get out West – even getting to Ohio was something of a stretch at times. Internal Improvements were a hot topic. When John C. Calhoun sponsored the Bonus Bill he got opposition from quite a few who were worried about too many people going out west but also just about the Constitutionality of using the Bank of the Untied States’ money on internal improvements. Though John Quincy Adams signed the law in early 1817, it prompted a very well-reasoned response from former President Madison, who stated that while he agreed with the overall aim of the bill, he did not see it as Constitutional.
This view was shared by a number of others. Most notably, DeWitt Clinton had been elected Governor of New York in 1816, replacing Daniel Tompkins, who had run unsuccessfully for Vice President. He’d been enthusiastic about the idea of the Erie Canal since it was first proposed to him. Now, as governor, he promised to pay for it entirely free from the federal government’s involvement. This caused him to be hailed as a hero among some D-R members, although others complained that the canal was totally unworkable, calling it Clinton’s Folly. Still, he was considered a possible candidate for President in 1820 as 1818 grew into 1819, along with James Monroe, the 1816 loser, William Crawford, and Andrew Jackson.
Adams was in his second term, and agreed with Madison on one thing, at least – eight years was enough. As noted, his Vice President from 1812, a D-R member, had returned to North Carolina government after serving one term, so he now had a different Vice President. It wasn’t likely that the man would run in 1820, but it seemed that the Federalists would easily win the 1820 election.
Then, the Panic of 1819 hit.
It was caused in part by the Bank of the United States’ poor loans, which caused one man to rise to the forefront among D-Rs – Andrew Jackson. He consistently blasted the large, centralized government. He had as one of his supporters Charles Pinckney, a member of the Constitutional Convention who believed, like Jackson, in universal white male suffrage. Calhoun was considered as a possible V.P, but he was only 38 in 1820. Pinckney could serve just one term and then Calhoun run; Adams was on his second V.P., after all. Except for John Adams, only John Langdon had served 2 terms as V.P..
Others challenged for a while, but Jackson was a war hero, with added fame because of his duel with General Wilkinson. In addition, he promised to be very tough on natives, which endeared him to quite a few in bordering states. Monroe and Crawford each favored a policy of working with the tribes to help them become part of the culture. However, D-R party leaders, even with the Panic of 1819, felt he was the best choice to beat a still rather popular Adams. Yes, thanks to the Bonus Bill there were some Federal works projects, but there were only so many jobs, and there were some people who felt like taking one of those jobs was like getting a handout.
Georgia, as noted before,, had been fighting the natives on their own. They and the new Southern states favored Jackson’s plan – remove the natives to Louisiana if they got rid of their slaves, or Florida if they didn’t. People were even starting to warm to the idea of universal white male suffrage. And, Pinckney was a name which hit home with some Federalists who remembered their own Pinckneys and thought, “Maybe things won’t be so bad.” After all, there was a major financial problem, and the Federalist base was kind of lackluster in comparison to Jackson’s political base, which he’d been organizing for a decade; 1812 had been just a spark, with Jackson getting his feet wet. And, he wasn’t anywhere near the war hero Jackson was.
Besides, hadn’t Madison, one of the most respected Presidents there had been, and a Father of the Constitution to boot, said the Bonus Bill was unconstitutional?
Well, he had, but Jackson soon began to rub a lot of people the wrong way. As Madison himself stated late in 1821, “Universal suffrage(1), while extreme, may be viable. However, let us never mistake the universal right to vote for the universal right to hold office. I do not mind a man of [Jackson’s] manners, however uncouth at times, having one vote, if that man’s vote is countered by a more responsible person. However, that does not mean that he is fit to hold the office of President.”
Jackson’s removing of funds from the Bank of the United States and providing it to states led to problems, of course; especially since some of those funds were needed to help with Federal relief for those suffering from the Depression.
Then, there were the Indians. President Jackson started removing the tribes - to Florida mostly –with the help of generals such as William Henry Harrison. Even when the Supreme Court ruled that he couldn’t do that, he challenged the Chief Justice to enforce the decision.
This put many of his Northern supporters against him because quite a few were against the Fugitive Slave provision in the Constitution, and liked the fact it wasn’t heavily enforced before Jackson came into office. However, Pinckney, his Vice President, had drafted that provision, and and Jackson had promised some that he would support it, leading to calls of hypocrisy and cries that the administration was amoral, if not immoral. Especially since Pinckney, who had fallen ill soon after taking office and who would die early in 1824, had claimed to be much younger to improve his stature among other founders.
Alexander Hamilton, now growing old – though still in his late 60s – used these facts to pound Jackson mercilessly as his administration wore on. There were rumors that he would make one final run for President in 1824 – he had tried but failed to win nomination in 1820. While he had mellowed a little, he was not seen as quite as viable, but John Quincy Adams was another story.
Adams shunned the idea. He had re-entered politics, and was now in the House of Representatives. He admitted that it was tempting, but he had an old political debt to pay, and besides, eight years in that office was a long time. And, he was still rather unpopular because of the Depression of 1819 starting under his watch.
Not so Madison, though. It was whispered by some that he might actually be asked to run in Jackson’s place, as the only man who could possibly get what was now simply called the Democratic base back from Jackson; he had left as a very popular President after all. Oh, sure, he was in his early 70s, but not much older than John Adams.
Speaking of which, John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson around this time that, “Even you would be favored more than that man; and I dare say that despite our differences I feel you would be an improvement.” Jefferson wrote back that perhaps Adams should seek that second term he declined in 1804, as he was sure that Adams had mellowed some now, and was at least at the level of his son in beliefs.
The two old friends would die on the same day, July 4, 1826, having seen a resolution to this crisis. But, it would not be the election of either man to the White House. Nor would it be that of James Madison; that only happens in strange threads on alternate history sites.(2)
Instead, John Quincy Adams, by now the senior leader of his party, went to DeWitt Clinton. He had a great amount of prestige for having gotten the Erie Canal nearly finished with no Federal help. And yet, he did believe in internal improvements to some extent. He would be an excellent candidate. With Jackson dubbing his party the Democrats now, Adams suggested that perhaps Clinton could run on a unified ticket and call his the “Republicans.”
Clinton thought that was a good idea. He tried hard to stay away from the trash talking that Hamilton and Jackson engaged in. Jackson tried to claim Hamilton would be the “power behind the President” and would “create a tyranny.” However, given the way Jackson had run the Presidency at times, that more often than not created a call of, “It takes one to know one.” And, as noted, Clinton distanced himself from Hamilton for the most part, and came out staunchly against corruption. This would be the last election in which Hamilton would play a major role, though he would live into the 1830s he would be in ill health; his views had moderated some by now, but he had come to realize that his political stock wasn’t enough for him to be President anymore, though some say he might have won.(3)
Clinton instead spoke to the issues. Jackson hadn’t done a very good job in relieving the economic downturn, and in some ways had made it worse. He was a rash man, whereas Clinton had taken was some had called his folly at the start and turned it into his greatest work.
DeWitt Clinton was only in his mid-50s. As Adams had saidback in early 1813, he had the chance again. It would behoove him, of course, to find a true Federalist as Vice President, but Adams even had an idea there.
Duncan McArthur was from Ohio, so the West was covered. He was son of Scottish immigrants, so there was the “poor, Protestant immigrant working his way up” thing. He’d worked on Indian treaties as a member of Congress, including meeting with tribe members in his native Ohio and points west, showing diplomatic skill. He’d fought in the Spanish-American War, so there was the hero thing. He was a very good balance to the ticket. In fact, he’d openly stated, after being elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1812, that if he’d been at war at the time he could not have taken the seat in good conscience.(4)
He hadn’t distinguished himself much, and had enjoyed serving in state politics more; he’d left Congress and gotten back to the Ohio Senate, and then won a narrow election for governor in 1822.(5) However, he decided, like Langdon earlier, one final trip to Washington wouldn’t be bad, and after that maybe he could go to the House like Adams or something .
In the end, the election was close, but DeWitt Clinton defeated Andrew Jackson in the Election of 1824, to become the nation’s seventh President. Kentucky was the furthest South he’d gotten, thanks to Henry Clay – though he’d gathered in a couple Louisiana electors and one Missouri one. However, he’d have won a majority even without his very bitter win in Pennsylvani, which Jackson tried to contest but in the end realized he’d lost. He promised to come back for 1828, but many in the Democratic Party felt the need to look elsewhere.(6)
-----------------------------
(1) Meaning what his generation meant, obviously
(2) Can’t you just see TTL’s AH.com?
“User1 – What if Madison wins a third term in 1824?”
“User2 – That’s ASB; he was 73 and had been out of office for 12 years!”
“User3 – Well, it’s barely possible, he was well respected as the Father of the Constitution and left office very popular; he’s one man that, if he embraces universal suffrage, could have possibly unseated Jackson from his perch while Jackson was President.”
“User2 – Maybe, but you’d need lots of peculiar things to happen; I think Adams comes back first.”
“Noob1 – Jefferson and Adams did think about running. And they each had only 1 term, unlike Madison’s 2, so they wouldn’t be breaking tradition.”
“User2 – Dude, I meant John *Quincy* Adams – that other was friends joking. They were *past 80* and *almost 90*!”
“User3 – Better watch, he’ll bring Washington back from the dead next.”
(3) Given a son who lived to be 90 and a couple nearly so, having him live into his late 70s or early 80s seems plausible, though he would likely be ill; this seems like a good last campaign where he’d pull out the stops to stop Jackson. AS for whether I thought of having Hamilton *win* in 1824, a little, but after his losses in ’04 and especially ’12, he’d be seen more as just an elder statesman, like Clay in ’48.
(4) True in OTL with the War of 1812, which is why his career gets a later start.
(5) A Federalist narrowly lost OTL, and here there is a more experienced, older man running at a time when there is backlash against Jackson’s Democrats.
(6) Unlike OTL, here he merely took the lead of an existing party; enough to give him the win in what would be a very good year for the Democrats, not enough to cause them to see him as the founder of the party.
Part 24: More Traditions Begun and a President Mourned
The son of Scottish immigrants, Duncan McArthur had worked his way up to being a wealthy landholder and one of the most prominent Federalists in a growing state, Ohio. He’d served in Congress as well as Ohio Governor, but hadn’t sought national prestige. Still, he’d wanted to serve with the coalition DeWitt Clinton had formed. Now, he prepared for another session of Congress in a couple weeks, and debated on whether he would seek another term as Vice President when Clinton ran again. Presiding over the Senate was nice, but he felt it his duty to get back to his own constituents in Ohio, too.
The look on the messenger rushing frantically toward him told him something was up. “Wat is it?” he asked, not alarmed so much as confused.
“Sir, come right away; the president has collapsed,” the messenger ordered.
McArthur’s mind swirled as he rushed to the White Hosue, where a doctor was tending to the man, who was clearly in much pain. He knew that transition was easy in most European countries, if there was a surviving legitimate claimant. In the U.S., offices changed hands through elections. If a president died, it was a little bit of both and quite a bit of neither.
He waited for several hours as DeWitt Clinton’s second wife – the first had died over a decade earlier – and a few of his children gathered. A few Congress members who happened to already be in town were also there. McArthur absently turned to John Quincy Adams, unsure of how to say what he wanted to say, and asked, “Your father, I mean, he was not at the convention which drew up the Constitution, but…”
After a pause, the younger Adams noted, “My father once said of your office, ‘Today, I am nothing, but tomorrow, I may be everything.”
“Meaning, by Acting President, he took it to mean President?” Adams shrugged, and McArthur wondered if he might write to James Madison.
But, what would the man say that hadn’t been said in that tumultuous election of 1812, when he refused to say much except that the Constitution worked? Perhaps that, too, was a signal, though. A signal that the people in power were trusted to act according to what they believed was proper, as long as it was within the scope of the Constitution.
The thoughts lingered as the president did, till on November 23, 1827,(1) he heard the words he’d dreaded, and yet expected. “Mr. President,” the messenger said. “The Chief Justice is here to administer the oath.”
“And, I suppose I shall now be President.” McArthur was stunned. Far from going back to Ohio or not, now he had to consider whether he wanted to run again or not?
But, was it really his decision?
He pondered these things for a couple weeks. Though since Madison’s administration Presidents had not addressed Congress with their State of the Union messages, he decided that he should. If only to lament the passing of the President. It would be a tradition that would continue, just as his decision that one had the freedom to run again if one wanted. And, that he was, indeed, President, not just an acting one.
Although, as he acknowledged in his State of the Union address a couple weeks later, in a way it didn’t feel like his decision.
“Congressmen, Senators,” he began solemnly, “a couple weeks ago, we lost a wonder man. DeWitt Clinton had been raised to the office of President by the American people, in a manner befitting our democracy, in a fre and fair election. I was honored to be his running mate.
“Now, we stand as a nation in mourning, wondering what the next steps would be.” He outlined the president’s accomplishments – trying to get the nation back on track financially; internal improvements in some areas, though the government hadn’t had much to do with that, given the debt that had to be paid on the purchases from Mexico; making agreements with the westernmost of the Civilized Tribes, though many of even those had been chased to Florida or scattered out west, their slaves taken by state militias if Jackson didn’t intervene; and so on.
“Though I was not chosen to be President by the people, as part of this ticket, in the last couple weeks, I have wondered what is my role? I remember the late President John Adams said ‘Tomorrow, I may be everything,’ for instance…
“But, it is not just statements like that which lead me to believe I am to be the President in Mr. Clinton’s sted. No, it is Divine Providence, that same Providence to which our forefathers pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. That same Providence that deemed that we should a nation, which had a role for us and a duty for us or he would not hve placed us here t this time to be the great United States of America.
“And so, I do hereby reaffirm that oath I took two weeks ago in front of you now, that I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect,a nd defend the Constitution. And, if the people deem me qualified to rule in the coming election, or any after that, I shall accept. Because, as the prophet Daniel says, He put in and removes Kings – and Presidents – for his reasons. It’s just up to us to do what He wants. Sadly, we aren’t perfect. But, DeWitt Clinton did much that was good. For some reason, John Adams received 90 years on this earth, and he got less than 60. We don’t know why. But, as part of my life, I have been entrusted with the office of President. And, I would not want to do anything to dishonor that sacred trust.”
He served as President for a little over 15 months. He wasn’t re-nominated; Daniel Webster took the Federalist nomination, while Henry Clay, who was much more willing to talk about a compromise on the Bank than the rascally Jackson, won for the D-R. However, though nothing of significance happened during McArthur’s time in office, neither did he make any mistakes, either. He is generally considered an average President.
Clay, meanwhile, won the Election of 1828 as a man of “sound fiscal policy who will not allow the corruption and big government feel of the Bank,” nor would he wreck it the way Jackson did. Instead, he would work out a series of compromises to let the Bank’s charter – which would be up in late 1833 – continue another ten more years while its role was slowly given to the states. While this didn’t suit Webster – who was an elitist – it suited enough D-R members that he got the nod over Jackson and Monroe, the latter of whom was seen as too old and too willing to keep the Bank regardless. Clay, at least, was good at drawing compromises from all sides, and knew that there was something too oligarchical about the Bank as it had become, something he wanted to work at eliminating. And yet, his system was Federalist enough he drew support there, too; he was, in efect, a "comrpomise candidate" like Clinton in 1824.
Still, it continued some, to the dismay of those in the Jackson camp. By the election of 1832, though, David Crockett had risen through the ranks to the point where he had a plan to slowly abolish the Bank of the United States.
However, whoever won then would also face a much more serious threat, one that Clay had “kicked down the road” with his work as President. The problem of slavery would be coming to a head.
First, however, the events in Europe in those years.
------------------------------------------------
(1) OTL he died in mid-February of 1828. Given a few years of the Presidency, and the fact that in OTL he died suddenly, a heart attack over two months earlier that has him linger for a day or two is quite plausible.
____________________________________________________
Now, as I've said, a fbit of time for Europe, and it might go slower while I flesh out he war there which I am considering.
Anyone else have ideas on how Clay felt about unviersal white male suffrage? I don't think he'd be quite as much of an elitist as Hamilton or even Webster, so I'm thinking things won't really take a step back in that area fromt h4 Jacksonian wing of the D-R. Since I don't say Crockett becomes President, I could alwys go for Van Buren, but with is party not in power in 1829-37, I'm not that sure he rises to national prominence enough; I'm thinking of him more as a V.P in '36. But, I'm not sure.
I do know that with Jackson taking office only controlling one wing of a party, the Spoils System takes much less of a hold, although there will always be candidates who support putting their people into positions of importance. It won't be near as much, though.
The son of Scottish immigrants, Duncan McArthur had worked his way up to being a wealthy landholder and one of the most prominent Federalists in a growing state, Ohio. He’d served in Congress as well as Ohio Governor, but hadn’t sought national prestige. Still, he’d wanted to serve with the coalition DeWitt Clinton had formed. Now, he prepared for another session of Congress in a couple weeks, and debated on whether he would seek another term as Vice President when Clinton ran again. Presiding over the Senate was nice, but he felt it his duty to get back to his own constituents in Ohio, too.
The look on the messenger rushing frantically toward him told him something was up. “Wat is it?” he asked, not alarmed so much as confused.
“Sir, come right away; the president has collapsed,” the messenger ordered.
McArthur’s mind swirled as he rushed to the White Hosue, where a doctor was tending to the man, who was clearly in much pain. He knew that transition was easy in most European countries, if there was a surviving legitimate claimant. In the U.S., offices changed hands through elections. If a president died, it was a little bit of both and quite a bit of neither.
He waited for several hours as DeWitt Clinton’s second wife – the first had died over a decade earlier – and a few of his children gathered. A few Congress members who happened to already be in town were also there. McArthur absently turned to John Quincy Adams, unsure of how to say what he wanted to say, and asked, “Your father, I mean, he was not at the convention which drew up the Constitution, but…”
After a pause, the younger Adams noted, “My father once said of your office, ‘Today, I am nothing, but tomorrow, I may be everything.”
“Meaning, by Acting President, he took it to mean President?” Adams shrugged, and McArthur wondered if he might write to James Madison.
But, what would the man say that hadn’t been said in that tumultuous election of 1812, when he refused to say much except that the Constitution worked? Perhaps that, too, was a signal, though. A signal that the people in power were trusted to act according to what they believed was proper, as long as it was within the scope of the Constitution.
The thoughts lingered as the president did, till on November 23, 1827,(1) he heard the words he’d dreaded, and yet expected. “Mr. President,” the messenger said. “The Chief Justice is here to administer the oath.”
“And, I suppose I shall now be President.” McArthur was stunned. Far from going back to Ohio or not, now he had to consider whether he wanted to run again or not?
But, was it really his decision?
He pondered these things for a couple weeks. Though since Madison’s administration Presidents had not addressed Congress with their State of the Union messages, he decided that he should. If only to lament the passing of the President. It would be a tradition that would continue, just as his decision that one had the freedom to run again if one wanted. And, that he was, indeed, President, not just an acting one.
Although, as he acknowledged in his State of the Union address a couple weeks later, in a way it didn’t feel like his decision.
“Congressmen, Senators,” he began solemnly, “a couple weeks ago, we lost a wonder man. DeWitt Clinton had been raised to the office of President by the American people, in a manner befitting our democracy, in a fre and fair election. I was honored to be his running mate.
“Now, we stand as a nation in mourning, wondering what the next steps would be.” He outlined the president’s accomplishments – trying to get the nation back on track financially; internal improvements in some areas, though the government hadn’t had much to do with that, given the debt that had to be paid on the purchases from Mexico; making agreements with the westernmost of the Civilized Tribes, though many of even those had been chased to Florida or scattered out west, their slaves taken by state militias if Jackson didn’t intervene; and so on.
“Though I was not chosen to be President by the people, as part of this ticket, in the last couple weeks, I have wondered what is my role? I remember the late President John Adams said ‘Tomorrow, I may be everything,’ for instance…
“But, it is not just statements like that which lead me to believe I am to be the President in Mr. Clinton’s sted. No, it is Divine Providence, that same Providence to which our forefathers pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. That same Providence that deemed that we should a nation, which had a role for us and a duty for us or he would not hve placed us here t this time to be the great United States of America.
“And so, I do hereby reaffirm that oath I took two weeks ago in front of you now, that I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect,a nd defend the Constitution. And, if the people deem me qualified to rule in the coming election, or any after that, I shall accept. Because, as the prophet Daniel says, He put in and removes Kings – and Presidents – for his reasons. It’s just up to us to do what He wants. Sadly, we aren’t perfect. But, DeWitt Clinton did much that was good. For some reason, John Adams received 90 years on this earth, and he got less than 60. We don’t know why. But, as part of my life, I have been entrusted with the office of President. And, I would not want to do anything to dishonor that sacred trust.”
He served as President for a little over 15 months. He wasn’t re-nominated; Daniel Webster took the Federalist nomination, while Henry Clay, who was much more willing to talk about a compromise on the Bank than the rascally Jackson, won for the D-R. However, though nothing of significance happened during McArthur’s time in office, neither did he make any mistakes, either. He is generally considered an average President.
Clay, meanwhile, won the Election of 1828 as a man of “sound fiscal policy who will not allow the corruption and big government feel of the Bank,” nor would he wreck it the way Jackson did. Instead, he would work out a series of compromises to let the Bank’s charter – which would be up in late 1833 – continue another ten more years while its role was slowly given to the states. While this didn’t suit Webster – who was an elitist – it suited enough D-R members that he got the nod over Jackson and Monroe, the latter of whom was seen as too old and too willing to keep the Bank regardless. Clay, at least, was good at drawing compromises from all sides, and knew that there was something too oligarchical about the Bank as it had become, something he wanted to work at eliminating. And yet, his system was Federalist enough he drew support there, too; he was, in efect, a "comrpomise candidate" like Clinton in 1824.
Still, it continued some, to the dismay of those in the Jackson camp. By the election of 1832, though, David Crockett had risen through the ranks to the point where he had a plan to slowly abolish the Bank of the United States.
However, whoever won then would also face a much more serious threat, one that Clay had “kicked down the road” with his work as President. The problem of slavery would be coming to a head.
First, however, the events in Europe in those years.
------------------------------------------------
(1) OTL he died in mid-February of 1828. Given a few years of the Presidency, and the fact that in OTL he died suddenly, a heart attack over two months earlier that has him linger for a day or two is quite plausible.
____________________________________________________
Now, as I've said, a fbit of time for Europe, and it might go slower while I flesh out he war there which I am considering.
Anyone else have ideas on how Clay felt about unviersal white male suffrage? I don't think he'd be quite as much of an elitist as Hamilton or even Webster, so I'm thinking things won't really take a step back in that area fromt h4 Jacksonian wing of the D-R. Since I don't say Crockett becomes President, I could alwys go for Van Buren, but with is party not in power in 1829-37, I'm not that sure he rises to national prominence enough; I'm thinking of him more as a V.P in '36. But, I'm not sure.
I do know that with Jackson taking office only controlling one wing of a party, the Spoils System takes much less of a hold, although there will always be candidates who support putting their people into positions of importance. It won't be near as much, though.
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Some other business to tend to, first; one side looks to be pulling away in the poll, but the other is strong enough, and then there's Eugene...well, I'll figure something out.
Part 25: Greek Independence and Seeds of Rivalry
In 1821, anxious to prove his worth in the military – “unlucky in love, lucky in war,” one ambassador quipped to a member of his court – Constantine I of Russia ordered an invasion of the Ottoman Empire. Nicholas, his younger brother, had been pushing him to expand the empire, and so he did, trying to push into Central Asia and – as some believed – preparing to possibly threaten India someday, though not soon.
Russia had a great advantage. They hadn’t faced any warfare ont heir home soil in decades, though some had worried that Napoleon might eventually try to invade. The increasing strength of the Russians worried Britain and France.
So it was that the British and French tried to get the Russians and Ottomans to the negotiating table for another Congress. The British supported the Greek rebels to some extent, though George IV was adamant about placing a monarch on the throne, not allowing a democratic form of government. The Prime Minister was more concerned about the Dardanelles – he would not allow the thought of Russian ships being allowed to sail through them.
As it turned out, Constantine was not that great at military matters; Nicholas was proving to be superior. As Constantine’s third wife returned to Denmark, some wondered if Nicholas might eventually be Tsar, anyway.
The Russians did better at sea, demolishing the Ottoman fleet and therefore helping the Greeks to continue their advantage at sea; one fo the few things stopping the Greeks from winning was their own civil war as rivals debated what the final goal should be.
In 1825, France had fully recovered from the loss of fourteen ships and thousands of troops in the incredible Haitian Hurricane of 1816. King Charles X was more intent on throwing his weight around Europe and Africa, and trying to mend fences with Ferdinand VIII of Spain’s successor, Francis. Unfortunately, the king would soon find that his own regime was in serious danger of falling to revolutionaries.
For now, his new fleet was able to totally destroy the Egyptian fleet which had tried to help stop the Greeks. Greek independence would be achieved in the late 1820s,(1) thanks to negotiations which had gone on for years.
The question was who would get the throne? Otto of Bavaria was just a minor. Charlotte, Crown Princess of Britain, and her husband Leopold pushed for a Saxe-Coburg member, Leopold’s line. However, they were rebuffed by the Tories and King George IV. Eventually, Otto was chosen, but the Saxe-Coburgs would be very popular princes to marry, though.
This highlighted the tension between Charlotte and her father, tension which would spill over very soon. George IV’s continued obstinancy was causing him to draw closer to the French, but while the British, French, and Russians were going well as Great Powers organizing things in Europe, all three were experiencing problems related to staunch traditionalism.
The French, in fact, were close to a revolution of their own, especially with Bonapartists somewhat active.(2) Britain was witnessing the Crown Princess becoming more and more vocal about Whig causes even as the Tories tried to hold onto power; some even feared another Glorious Revolution, though Charlotte took great pains to refute that at every turn. “We must have an orderly transfer of power,” she often said. “it is what separates us from the brute beasts of uncivilized nations.” Either way, Charlotte was far more popular than her father. This would cause serious problems as the 1820s drew to a close.
As for Russia, Constantine I had several rows with his brother, Nicholas, over strategy and also over treatment of subjects; he was less reactionary than his brother, though some would say his physical roughness showed that he had less scruples than Nicholas.
One thing he recognized was that, in his words, “Russia can make or break one of the sides in Europe.” This was, of course, a view also held by Britain; in fact, some in the British government feared that Russia could become what France had been a couple decades earlier – the dominant land force while Britain ruled the seas.
As Prussia slowly accepted the presence of Poland, they saw it as a good safeguard against Russian attacks. Not only this, but the Austrian friendship with Saxony continued to grow, to the point where Prussia worried that it might not be kingpin of all the German states; even the Protestant ones. Austria was very close to Bavaria now, and also befriended Spain, where King Francis I and Maria Isabel had so many children, it was joked that, “They may themselves end up repopulating European dynasties with Bourbons.”
France had also maintained her friendship with the countries, but it was actually drawing closer to the British. With Wellington a more moderate Tory as Prime Minister in after Liverpool(3), there was definitely an attempt to heal the rifts which had developed betweent he ntions, a rift which had begun to heal as they worked together on Greece. It was also an attempt by some to ease tensions between the increasingly belligerent George IV and his daughter, Crown Princess Charlotte, and her Whig supporters.
However, it wouldn’t totally work. Events of 1829 and 1830 would lead to much chaos, and start the puzzle pieces to be put into place for another large European war.
--------------------------------------------
(1) Among butterflies pushing it a few years earlier are the increased strength of the Great Powers involved and France’s concentration on that rather than the OTL attempt to retake Haiti. While in the long run it wouldn’t help the French treasury not to have the indemnity, it is pretty much balanced out for right now.
(2) Pretty much the same reasons as OTL July Revolution. But, there will be twists, because in TTL, Bonapartists start out more powerful because Davout, not Napoleon, is the one who caused the French to lose to the last Coalition forces.
(3) Earlier victory over Napoleon places him in Parliament a bit earlier, even with having to remove Davout – which places antoher feather in his cap. Canning wasn’t PM for very long, and with a bit more tenure he might even make it instead of Canning to begin with.
Part 25: Greek Independence and Seeds of Rivalry
In 1821, anxious to prove his worth in the military – “unlucky in love, lucky in war,” one ambassador quipped to a member of his court – Constantine I of Russia ordered an invasion of the Ottoman Empire. Nicholas, his younger brother, had been pushing him to expand the empire, and so he did, trying to push into Central Asia and – as some believed – preparing to possibly threaten India someday, though not soon.
Russia had a great advantage. They hadn’t faced any warfare ont heir home soil in decades, though some had worried that Napoleon might eventually try to invade. The increasing strength of the Russians worried Britain and France.
So it was that the British and French tried to get the Russians and Ottomans to the negotiating table for another Congress. The British supported the Greek rebels to some extent, though George IV was adamant about placing a monarch on the throne, not allowing a democratic form of government. The Prime Minister was more concerned about the Dardanelles – he would not allow the thought of Russian ships being allowed to sail through them.
As it turned out, Constantine was not that great at military matters; Nicholas was proving to be superior. As Constantine’s third wife returned to Denmark, some wondered if Nicholas might eventually be Tsar, anyway.
The Russians did better at sea, demolishing the Ottoman fleet and therefore helping the Greeks to continue their advantage at sea; one fo the few things stopping the Greeks from winning was their own civil war as rivals debated what the final goal should be.
In 1825, France had fully recovered from the loss of fourteen ships and thousands of troops in the incredible Haitian Hurricane of 1816. King Charles X was more intent on throwing his weight around Europe and Africa, and trying to mend fences with Ferdinand VIII of Spain’s successor, Francis. Unfortunately, the king would soon find that his own regime was in serious danger of falling to revolutionaries.
For now, his new fleet was able to totally destroy the Egyptian fleet which had tried to help stop the Greeks. Greek independence would be achieved in the late 1820s,(1) thanks to negotiations which had gone on for years.
The question was who would get the throne? Otto of Bavaria was just a minor. Charlotte, Crown Princess of Britain, and her husband Leopold pushed for a Saxe-Coburg member, Leopold’s line. However, they were rebuffed by the Tories and King George IV. Eventually, Otto was chosen, but the Saxe-Coburgs would be very popular princes to marry, though.
This highlighted the tension between Charlotte and her father, tension which would spill over very soon. George IV’s continued obstinancy was causing him to draw closer to the French, but while the British, French, and Russians were going well as Great Powers organizing things in Europe, all three were experiencing problems related to staunch traditionalism.
The French, in fact, were close to a revolution of their own, especially with Bonapartists somewhat active.(2) Britain was witnessing the Crown Princess becoming more and more vocal about Whig causes even as the Tories tried to hold onto power; some even feared another Glorious Revolution, though Charlotte took great pains to refute that at every turn. “We must have an orderly transfer of power,” she often said. “it is what separates us from the brute beasts of uncivilized nations.” Either way, Charlotte was far more popular than her father. This would cause serious problems as the 1820s drew to a close.
As for Russia, Constantine I had several rows with his brother, Nicholas, over strategy and also over treatment of subjects; he was less reactionary than his brother, though some would say his physical roughness showed that he had less scruples than Nicholas.
One thing he recognized was that, in his words, “Russia can make or break one of the sides in Europe.” This was, of course, a view also held by Britain; in fact, some in the British government feared that Russia could become what France had been a couple decades earlier – the dominant land force while Britain ruled the seas.
As Prussia slowly accepted the presence of Poland, they saw it as a good safeguard against Russian attacks. Not only this, but the Austrian friendship with Saxony continued to grow, to the point where Prussia worried that it might not be kingpin of all the German states; even the Protestant ones. Austria was very close to Bavaria now, and also befriended Spain, where King Francis I and Maria Isabel had so many children, it was joked that, “They may themselves end up repopulating European dynasties with Bourbons.”
France had also maintained her friendship with the countries, but it was actually drawing closer to the British. With Wellington a more moderate Tory as Prime Minister in after Liverpool(3), there was definitely an attempt to heal the rifts which had developed betweent he ntions, a rift which had begun to heal as they worked together on Greece. It was also an attempt by some to ease tensions between the increasingly belligerent George IV and his daughter, Crown Princess Charlotte, and her Whig supporters.
However, it wouldn’t totally work. Events of 1829 and 1830 would lead to much chaos, and start the puzzle pieces to be put into place for another large European war.
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(1) Among butterflies pushing it a few years earlier are the increased strength of the Great Powers involved and France’s concentration on that rather than the OTL attempt to retake Haiti. While in the long run it wouldn’t help the French treasury not to have the indemnity, it is pretty much balanced out for right now.
(2) Pretty much the same reasons as OTL July Revolution. But, there will be twists, because in TTL, Bonapartists start out more powerful because Davout, not Napoleon, is the one who caused the French to lose to the last Coalition forces.
(3) Earlier victory over Napoleon places him in Parliament a bit earlier, even with having to remove Davout – which places antoher feather in his cap. Canning wasn’t PM for very long, and with a bit more tenure he might even make it instead of Canning to begin with.