What if Napoleon's French Empire was able to defeat its enemies and last through the 19th century.. and beyond..? This alternate history will show what might have happened.
1806: British Dominance of the Seas
The year 1805 was both a good year and a bad year for Imperial France. Napoleon Bonaparte, now Emperor of the French, trounced the traditional armies of Austria and Russia. The words "Ulm" and "Austerlitz" haunted and laughed at the Austrians and Russians, while they sang praise to the French. However, Napoleon's great victories over his continental counterparts were not the only things fresh in the minds of the French people. On October 21, 1805, the great British admiral, Lord Horatio Nelson, took his fleet of 33 ships and decisively defeated 41 French/Spanish ships under Admiral Villeneuve of France and Admiral Gravina of Spain. In a true display of the Royal Navy's might, Nelson tore apart the Franco-Spanish fleet, with Gravina dying of wounds and Villeneuve being taken prisoner. A bullet almost hit Nelson during the battle, but it missed and flew by his head instead. Aware of the danger, Nelson moved to a different position on his ship and led his fleet to victory. It was one of the worst, if not the worst, French naval disaster in all of history. Nelson returned home after the battle, becoming a national hero.
With the French and Spanish navies demoralized by the humiliating defeat at Trafalgar, the Royal Navy continued to smash and defeat French fleets time and time again. Inexperienced French officers, marines and sailors coupled with their much better British counterparts led to the near-destruction of the French Navy. By mid 1806, the French Navy was only a collection of small privateer warships and sloops. The British were truly masters of the sea now.
At the same time, France had won its war against Austria and Russia. Austria and France signed the Treaty of Pressburg, taking Austria out of the war. After the Battle of Austerlitz, the Russians returned home and were pretty much out of the war as well. On July 12 of 1806, Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine, a collection of scattered German states. A month later, the Holy Roman Empire dissolved and became Austria only. Napoleon, knowing that the Austrian/Russian resolve to fight was not yet totally broken, predicted another war. Napoleon decided that he would not want another front in a future war, so on August 21, France and Prussia signed a treaty of non-aggression. This worked out to the benefit of both nations. France, with it's troops experienced yet exhausted from fighting, would have one less front to worry about in a future war. Meanwhile, Prussia would not have to worry about an invasion coming directly from Napoleon's newly created Confederation of the Rhine, meaning they could sit back and grow stronger and watch as the Russians and Austrians were weakened by France.
When the news of the non-aggression pact reached Britain, Russia and Austria, the respective nations were furious. However, they finally decided to stop pestering Prussia to join them. The Russians and Austrians had hoped for Prussia to join the Coalition, but seeing as how the Prussians signed a pact, the two nations decided to gear up and prepare for another war more slowly.
1807-1809: Rebuilding the French Navy
By now, Great Britain was the only major nation still at war with France. The British enjoyed a period of uninterrupted naval superiority over France and her allies, blockading many French ports. Napoleon and his armies returned home to France, and Napoleon finally decided to reform the French Navy. The Emperor and his men went over the main weak spots of the French Navy: inexperienced sailors and inferior tactics. So, France began to train new sailors and officers, hoping they would prove to be more competent crews. Veteran Spanish admirals and officers were hired to train the French, since the Spanish Navy was one of the strongest years before. In February of the year 1807, Emperor Napoleon launched and sponsored a massive wave of pro-French and pro-Napoleon propaganda through France, Spain and the Confederation of the Rhine. This propaganda shifted the allegiances of hundreds of French royalists hiding in France and Spain. Former royalist-French admirals, officers, generals and veteran soldiers joined the imperial cause and decided to proudly serve under the tricolor of blue, white and red. Royalist France had a strong navy, that had given the British a run for their money in the days of pre-revolutionary France. The officers and admirals of that navy now willingly and proudly began training France's latest generation of seamen. French naval academies opened up throughout the nation, despite the British blockade of several ports. During March of 1807, Napoleon commissioned the building of several new French warships in the ports that were free from blockade.
By the spring of 1809, the French Navy was reformed and revolutionized, much like the French Army was revolutionized following the creation of Republican France. With several brand new ship of the lines and fresh, competent sailors, the remodeled French Navy was ready for it's first real test.
The French port of Toulon had been blockaded by Horatio Nelson's fleet for years, with the blockade starting in 1803. However, in 1805, Nelson left Toulon and sailed to Trafalgar. Now, Toulon was blockaded by a relatively small fleet of 14 British ships commanded by a mediocre admiral, Admiral Morgan. Seeing this as an opportunity to test the new power of the French Navy, Admiral Louis Cartier took his fleet of 18 ships and sailed to Toulon, where he engaged the British on April 17, 1809.
The two opposing sides at the Battle of Toulon, 1809:
Great Britain
8 British ship of the lines
6 British frigates
versus
France
9 French ship of the lines
9 French frigates
Admiral Morgan was alarmed to see such a large force of French warships, thinking the French only had a few privateer ships. Nonetheless, the disastrous French defeat at Trafalgar was still fresh in the minds of the crews of the Royal Navy. Admiral Morgan famously wrote a letter to the king of Great Britain, saying "I have been approached by a large force of French warships. I shall be back at Portsmouth with 18 extra ships by July."
Unfortunately for Morgan, his promise to the King was not to be fulfilled. On that fateful day, Morgan's fleet was defeated, albeit rather narrowly. The French captured two British ship of the lines, while losing 3 of their own. Cartier's fleet sank another two ships, as well as a frigate. By the end of the battle, Morgan only had 3 frigates and 4 of his warships intact, while the French had 5 frigates and 7 warships intact. Morgan's damaged fleet scattered, alleviating the blockade of Toulon. Cartier sailed back into the port and made repairs to his ships. When he got off his ship, he was hailed as a hero by the people of Toulon. There were several reasons as to why the French won that battle.
First off, the new French crews were much more competent than their predecessors. They had a good grasp of naval warfare, and knew exactly what to do. Another contributing factor was the tactics the French used. Traditionally, French ships always aimed for the sails and masts of their enemies to demobilize their opponents, so the French could sail away and fulfill their missions. The British had always aimed for the hulls and crews of their enemies, preferring to sink their opponents to ensure naval dominance. Admiral Cartier decided to follow the British example and used the same tactic, resulting in more damage to the British ships and more casualties when compared to previous battles between the two traditional rivals. Finally, the third contributing factor to the French victory was the arrogance of the British. The British thought they would score an easy victory, and fought half-heartedly against their counterparts. The combination of these three factors ultimately led to the French victory at Toulon.
The outcome of Toulon shocked the people of the British Isles. Some Brits were very surprised at the victory, but most calmed down after a while and called it luck. Meanwhile, the French celebrated, but realized the navy still needed new ships and better crews, seeing as how it was a close victory. Still, to many in France, this was a sign of a new era for the French Navy.
1806: British Dominance of the Seas
The year 1805 was both a good year and a bad year for Imperial France. Napoleon Bonaparte, now Emperor of the French, trounced the traditional armies of Austria and Russia. The words "Ulm" and "Austerlitz" haunted and laughed at the Austrians and Russians, while they sang praise to the French. However, Napoleon's great victories over his continental counterparts were not the only things fresh in the minds of the French people. On October 21, 1805, the great British admiral, Lord Horatio Nelson, took his fleet of 33 ships and decisively defeated 41 French/Spanish ships under Admiral Villeneuve of France and Admiral Gravina of Spain. In a true display of the Royal Navy's might, Nelson tore apart the Franco-Spanish fleet, with Gravina dying of wounds and Villeneuve being taken prisoner. A bullet almost hit Nelson during the battle, but it missed and flew by his head instead. Aware of the danger, Nelson moved to a different position on his ship and led his fleet to victory. It was one of the worst, if not the worst, French naval disaster in all of history. Nelson returned home after the battle, becoming a national hero.
With the French and Spanish navies demoralized by the humiliating defeat at Trafalgar, the Royal Navy continued to smash and defeat French fleets time and time again. Inexperienced French officers, marines and sailors coupled with their much better British counterparts led to the near-destruction of the French Navy. By mid 1806, the French Navy was only a collection of small privateer warships and sloops. The British were truly masters of the sea now.
At the same time, France had won its war against Austria and Russia. Austria and France signed the Treaty of Pressburg, taking Austria out of the war. After the Battle of Austerlitz, the Russians returned home and were pretty much out of the war as well. On July 12 of 1806, Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine, a collection of scattered German states. A month later, the Holy Roman Empire dissolved and became Austria only. Napoleon, knowing that the Austrian/Russian resolve to fight was not yet totally broken, predicted another war. Napoleon decided that he would not want another front in a future war, so on August 21, France and Prussia signed a treaty of non-aggression. This worked out to the benefit of both nations. France, with it's troops experienced yet exhausted from fighting, would have one less front to worry about in a future war. Meanwhile, Prussia would not have to worry about an invasion coming directly from Napoleon's newly created Confederation of the Rhine, meaning they could sit back and grow stronger and watch as the Russians and Austrians were weakened by France.
When the news of the non-aggression pact reached Britain, Russia and Austria, the respective nations were furious. However, they finally decided to stop pestering Prussia to join them. The Russians and Austrians had hoped for Prussia to join the Coalition, but seeing as how the Prussians signed a pact, the two nations decided to gear up and prepare for another war more slowly.
1807-1809: Rebuilding the French Navy
By now, Great Britain was the only major nation still at war with France. The British enjoyed a period of uninterrupted naval superiority over France and her allies, blockading many French ports. Napoleon and his armies returned home to France, and Napoleon finally decided to reform the French Navy. The Emperor and his men went over the main weak spots of the French Navy: inexperienced sailors and inferior tactics. So, France began to train new sailors and officers, hoping they would prove to be more competent crews. Veteran Spanish admirals and officers were hired to train the French, since the Spanish Navy was one of the strongest years before. In February of the year 1807, Emperor Napoleon launched and sponsored a massive wave of pro-French and pro-Napoleon propaganda through France, Spain and the Confederation of the Rhine. This propaganda shifted the allegiances of hundreds of French royalists hiding in France and Spain. Former royalist-French admirals, officers, generals and veteran soldiers joined the imperial cause and decided to proudly serve under the tricolor of blue, white and red. Royalist France had a strong navy, that had given the British a run for their money in the days of pre-revolutionary France. The officers and admirals of that navy now willingly and proudly began training France's latest generation of seamen. French naval academies opened up throughout the nation, despite the British blockade of several ports. During March of 1807, Napoleon commissioned the building of several new French warships in the ports that were free from blockade.
By the spring of 1809, the French Navy was reformed and revolutionized, much like the French Army was revolutionized following the creation of Republican France. With several brand new ship of the lines and fresh, competent sailors, the remodeled French Navy was ready for it's first real test.
The French port of Toulon had been blockaded by Horatio Nelson's fleet for years, with the blockade starting in 1803. However, in 1805, Nelson left Toulon and sailed to Trafalgar. Now, Toulon was blockaded by a relatively small fleet of 14 British ships commanded by a mediocre admiral, Admiral Morgan. Seeing this as an opportunity to test the new power of the French Navy, Admiral Louis Cartier took his fleet of 18 ships and sailed to Toulon, where he engaged the British on April 17, 1809.
The two opposing sides at the Battle of Toulon, 1809:
Great Britain
8 British ship of the lines
6 British frigates
versus
France
9 French ship of the lines
9 French frigates
Admiral Morgan was alarmed to see such a large force of French warships, thinking the French only had a few privateer ships. Nonetheless, the disastrous French defeat at Trafalgar was still fresh in the minds of the crews of the Royal Navy. Admiral Morgan famously wrote a letter to the king of Great Britain, saying "I have been approached by a large force of French warships. I shall be back at Portsmouth with 18 extra ships by July."
Unfortunately for Morgan, his promise to the King was not to be fulfilled. On that fateful day, Morgan's fleet was defeated, albeit rather narrowly. The French captured two British ship of the lines, while losing 3 of their own. Cartier's fleet sank another two ships, as well as a frigate. By the end of the battle, Morgan only had 3 frigates and 4 of his warships intact, while the French had 5 frigates and 7 warships intact. Morgan's damaged fleet scattered, alleviating the blockade of Toulon. Cartier sailed back into the port and made repairs to his ships. When he got off his ship, he was hailed as a hero by the people of Toulon. There were several reasons as to why the French won that battle.
First off, the new French crews were much more competent than their predecessors. They had a good grasp of naval warfare, and knew exactly what to do. Another contributing factor was the tactics the French used. Traditionally, French ships always aimed for the sails and masts of their enemies to demobilize their opponents, so the French could sail away and fulfill their missions. The British had always aimed for the hulls and crews of their enemies, preferring to sink their opponents to ensure naval dominance. Admiral Cartier decided to follow the British example and used the same tactic, resulting in more damage to the British ships and more casualties when compared to previous battles between the two traditional rivals. Finally, the third contributing factor to the French victory was the arrogance of the British. The British thought they would score an easy victory, and fought half-heartedly against their counterparts. The combination of these three factors ultimately led to the French victory at Toulon.
The outcome of Toulon shocked the people of the British Isles. Some Brits were very surprised at the victory, but most calmed down after a while and called it luck. Meanwhile, the French celebrated, but realized the navy still needed new ships and better crews, seeing as how it was a close victory. Still, to many in France, this was a sign of a new era for the French Navy.