Chapter 1: 1756 (with Summary)
A Different Roll of the Dice
In our study of multi-verse physics today, we will consider how the narrowing down to a single event causes a branching of the timelines into parallel universes of two different paths of; diverging at a single point of departure. While the quantum physicists will go on at length about specific particles blinking in and out of existing or spinning one way or another as the true PODs of a branching event, we time-stream observing historians prefer to narrow it down into a more concrete and tangible event.
Individual time-stream researchers often enjoy fixating on a particular event, such as the death or survival of a famous figure. Others come down to a far more mundane POD such as the thing that caused the death or survival of some person or another. These include things like a projectile landing in a different spot due to the chaotic component of wind pattern formuli, or simply some individual making a different choice, or even down to the example of a random coin toss landing a different way. Not so surprisingly these more random events tend to propagate a more random pathing from the POD, than ones based on one individual’s choice, which are theorized to be more bound. We are not sure why this is yet, hence our continued study of these time streams.
One such case study that I present for your perusal, has had its POD narrowed down to one such random event, though not a coin toss, but the outcome of a roll of dice, which had a drastic effect on the forthcoming branching time-stream paths.
Meet Gerard Lafontaine. He was a French gunner seaman assigned to a Ship of the Line in the port of Toulon. Time-stream observations against the original timeline has revealed he was robbed and murdered in an ally one night during May, 1756, after having won a fair amount of money on a game of craps and then getting rather drunk in celebration. The dice outcome of this game of craps is the determined POD.
So in this case-study of an alternate timeline, Gerard, in fact lost, which was actually a good thing for him. Without any winnings he did not get himself and his fellow sailor friends drunk and then get stabbed by a cut-purse in a back ally while relieving himself. This means no group of drunken French sailors returning from leave the following morning, and an intact, Gerard was among them.
Well if Gerard lost, then who won? Meet Pieter Zolensky, a Russian sailor crewed to a merchant ship which was also at anchor in the city. Pieter was a much larger, and more well-built man than Gerard, and didn’t have the drinking problem that Gerard did. A strong sober Russian merchant sailor, who didn’t wander drunkenly into a dark alley to relieve himself was deemed too risky of a target for our would-be cut-purse. Furthermore, Pieter opted to save his winnings rather that spend them on several round of drinks for it enabled him to have enough money to voyage back towards the Black Sea so he could return home. Time-stream observations on the original timeline, reveal that Pieter never made it home, but instead died of a fever about a six months later in an Egyptian port.
What of our would-be cut-purse? Meet Jean Lefeuvre. In our original timeline, he was caught and hanged for the murder of Gerard Lafontaine one month later. In this time-stream, it was determined that he stuck around Toulon for a few more months before he finally fled the city after committing some other crime and headed toward Paris.
Those none of these men were notable in the annals of history, the ripples produced from them on the eve of the Seven Years war, all set in motion from the outcome of a different roll of the dice, would have a dramatic impact on the outcome of a history to come. Join me as I trace these patterns and review a history that could have been.
May 20th, 1756.
The Battle of Minorca
In only a short time, the most dramatic change of events occurred regarding the forthcoming war. Gerard, a gunner aboard a French vessel involved in the conflict, was in fact, rather talented at his job, whose actions shined during the battle. The two fleets faced off in a line, 12 ships of the line and 5 frigates for the English led by Admiral John Byng and 12 ships of the line and 7 frigates for the French led by Marquis de la Galissonnière.
The fleets line up against each other much like in our own history. Though a combination of luck and skill, a well-placed shot by Gunner Gerard during the first few initial exchanges of volleys into the powder store resulted in the destruction of the HMS Buckingham and the deaths of all hands on board, including rear admiral Temple West. Debris from the Buckingham’s destruction, caused additional damage to the already damaged HMS Lancaster and HMS Captain.
Emboldened by this early stroke of luck the French pressed the attack harder, resulting in a heavier amount of damage inflicted, and by the end of the next set of volleys, nearly 3/4ths of the English ships were damaged, with one outright sunk, compared to less than 1/4th of the French fleet damaged. Admiral Byng, whose rear ships were still out of cannon range, and seeing no hope of relieving the Minorca garrison, began a retreat with the French in pursuit.
In an attempt to render aid to some of the crippled British ships, the HMS Dolphin herself became crippled from heavy French fire, though she bought some time that was needed for the rest of the English fleet to retreat. Too crippled to keep up with the retreating English ships and at risk of sinking, Admiral Byng was forced to abandon the rescue attempt of the HMS Dolphin as the French were closing in pursuit, despite several English souls still being on board or in the water, as to be testified to later by other British officers.
Other British captains noticed however that the French were in fact faltering in their pursuit. Perhaps this was out of a desire to not take on too much more damage, nor wishing to pursue the English all the way to Gibraltar. The French also knew they still had to lend support to the capture of Ft. St. Phillip on the island of Minorca, which finally fell on July 1st, 1756.
The Fate of the Dolphin thus became unknown to the retreating English fleet at the time. Its last reported sighting in Admiral Byng’s logs was that it was still afloat, but presumed sinking, with French ships in the vicinity. The actual fate of the HMS Dolphin was its capture by the French forces, where it was kept afloat long enough to be towed back to Toulon for repairs, destined to play another role later in the war.
Battle Results:
Fall of Minorca to the French.
British Fleet:
Loss of HMS Buckingham, and HMS Dolphin
Three-quarters of the fleet damaged.
875 killed, 333 wounded, 55 taken prisoner (from the Dolphin).
Notable deaths included, Rear Admiral Temple West, Commander Benjamin Marlow, and a young Arthur Phillip, all KIA.
French Fleet:
Capture of HMS Dolphin
Less than One-quarter of Fleet damaged.
98 killed, 232 wounded.
Siege of Fort Saint Philip and the 2nd Battle of Minorca
Repair of British ship at Gibraltar had delayed Sir Edward Hawke, who had replaced Admiral Byng, from departing for a second attempt to relieve Minorca. In haste however, Sir Edward too had left with ships that were serviceable, but still damaged from the previous battle. He arrived too late however as the fort had surrendered on July 1st. However the French fleet had not yet fully retreated to Toulon and he engaged the French in open waters, for the 2nd Battle of Minorca, on the morning of July 2nd, 1756.
The weather, while at first favoring neither side, began to disfavor the British fleet. The French, however did not want to be caught in another engagement, and had intended to retreat to Toulon, but could not do so before an exchange of fire was had between the fleets.
Sir Edward kept the ships that were still damaged from the previous battle toward the rear. The French too had kept their damaged ships protected, so the exchange occurred between fresher ships, the French however had more undamaged ships than the British.
Sir Edward took damage to two of his lead ships during the offensive exchange for only one of the French, when the weather began to turn against him. As a result of this Sir Edward adopted a more defensive stance. The French, rather than press their advantage, opted to retreat back to Toulon.
Sir Edward noted in his logs that there was no sign of the HMS Dolphin flying under a French flag. (Because the French had towed it to Toulon already) He turned his attentions toward Minorca, but upon arriving and being shot at by Fort Saint Phillips cannons, now under French control, he concluded he did not have enough troops available to retake the island. The additional damage suffered in the engagement with the French, and a desire to finish the incomplete repairs from the prior battle, caused Sir Edward to decide to turn back toward Gibraltar. He later gave evidence against Byng regarding Minorca, and was himself criticized himself for not blockading Minorca or Toulon.
Siege of Fort St. Phillip, Battle Results:
15,000 French troops besieged 2800 British troops.
French capture of the fort. 750 dead, 2600 wounded.
British surrender, 450 dead. Survivors allowed to be shipped home back to Britain.
2nd Battle of Minorca, Battle Results:
Indecisive
British Fleet:
Two ships damaged
47 dead, 75 wounded.
French Fleet:
One ship damaged
15 dead, 38 wounded.
Some Things Still Stay the Same
The ripples in time can be strange things. In many cases they tend to self-correct among agents of change (we humans) as we tend to stick to routines and often make the same decisions for the same reasons, when no strongly obvious parameters have been altered. While bumps and missteps might have the drastic effect on small nudges on things like sperm meeting egg, these are things that take years to notice as deviations from the original. In the near-term it is the presence or absence of persons in their paths of life where the greatest ripples can often be found.
So now, our three initial agents of change Gerard, Pieter, and Jean, produce ripples through out where they travel. Gerard’s presence has already had his first effect on the French Mediterranean Fleet and even up the command structures as battle reports make their way to Paris. Pieter’s presence and ripples through over the next few months are mostly confined to the merchant ship he is working on as it travels to the black sea, but makes small ripples at each port visited on the way. Jean’s presence for the next five months generates ripples all about southern France, more so once past the date of his original hanging had the dice roll not been different.
Invasion of Saxony
Despite several months having gone by, none of these major ripples however had yet made it to the place that in our timeline would become known as Germany, so one Fredrick II, King of Prussia, continues on with his plans for invading Saxony and kicks off the opening land battle of what we had called the Seven Years War, at the same time and place as we are familiar with.
Fredrick invaded Saxony on 29 August 1756, and besieged Pima, after fighting off Austrian forces at the Battle of Lobositz and preventing them from reinforcing Saxony resulting in the surrender of 18,000 troops and the capitulation of Saxony on October 14, 1756.
As the year of 1756 drew to a close, and the year 1757 began; the ripples had well permeated most of Southwestern and South Central Europe, the Mediterranean and was continuing to expand outward. Furthermore, larger ripples from our three initial agents of change were soon to make even larger impacts on the timeline.
Pieter had finally reaches the port of Azov, and was home before the winter. His specific role in this tale comes to an end. He lived the harsh life of a dockworker, if you cared to know. It is a better outcome than dying young from a fever. He did still die of a fever, but not until many years later after he married and fathered children. What is important though, later in this tale, is not him per-say, but the indirect ripples that began to permeate across Russia and the surrounding areas originating from Azov, from his continued existence.
Our agent of change, Jean, meanwhile had reached Paris by winter, bringing his ripples through time with him, for a dramatic change to the heart of the French court at the start of the new year.
TL Summary 1756:
January 16 – Treaty of Westminster signed between Great Britain and Prussia guaranteeing the neutrality of the German province of Hanover controlled by King George II of Great Britain. Despite British attempts to convince them otherwise, the Dutch Republic declares its neutrality.
March 11, Nine Years' War: HMS Warwick Captured by France
April 12 – Nine Years' War: The French invade Minorca, at this time under British control.
May 8, Nine Years' War – French and Indian War: Raid on Lunenburg
Sometime in Mid-May - A game of craps has a different outcome [POD]
May 18 – Nine Years' War: The Nine Years' War formally begins when Great Britain declares war on France.
May 20 – Nine Years' War – Battle of Minorca: The British fleet under John Byng is defeated by the French under Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière. HMS Buckingham is sunk with all hands, and HMS Dolphin is captured by the French.
June 12 – Nine Years’ War: British capture the French ship Arc-En-Ciel off Nova Scotia
June 20 – A garrison of the British Army in India is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta.
June 25 – The Marine Society is founded in London, the world's oldest seafarers' charity.
July 1st – Nine Years' War – Siege of Fort St Philip at Port Mahon: The British garrison in Minorca surrenders to the French after two months, 2 days' siege by Armand de Vignerot du Plessis.
July 2nd – Nine Years War – 2nd Battle of Minorca British Fleet under Sir Edward Hawke fights an indecisive battle with the French under Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière. The French Fleet flee to Toulon while the British fleet returns to Gibraltar. Minorca remains under French control.
July 30 – Bartolomeo Rastrelli presents the newly built Catherine Palace to Empress Elizabeth and her courtiers.
August 14 – Nine Years' War – French and Indian War: Fort Oswego falls to the French.
August 29 – Frederick II of Prussia invades Saxony, beginning the Nine Years' War on the continent.
October 1 – Nine Years' War – Battle of Lobositz: Frederick defeats an Austrian army under Marshal Maximilian Ulysses Count Browne.
October 14 – An Agreement of Friendship and Trade is signed by the Sultan Osman III and the King Frederick V. Denmark has appointed an extraordinary representative to the Ottoman Empire.
December – Nine Years' War – French and Indian War: Militias of the Royal Colony of North Carolina build a fort on the province's western frontier to protect it against natives allied with the French. The fort is named Fort Dobbs
Occurred mostly just like OTL
Occurred differently from OTL
Completely New Event for TTL
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