The Hero of Saratoga: The Presidency of Benedict Arnold

[IchBinDieKaiser]

Originally Posted by Sean Mulligan

Citizen Genet was recalled by the French Government in 1794 and he asked for asylum in the United States. Their is not reason why Jefferson's death would have changed that. Also, the slave revolt in Haiti started in 1791. The freed blacks defeated Napoleon's best troops so they shouldn't have much trouble defeating the Americans.

ITTL Citizen Genet was not recalled. Jefferson's death was not the PoD, it was Horatio Gates dying at Saratoga and Arnold not betraying the US. The slave revolt was put down during Washington's presidency. It re-ignited when the Americans invaded.

[lord caedus]

Hey Kaiser, would you want me to make a world map of the TL?

[IchBinDieKaiser]

Originally Posted by lord caedus

Hey Kaiser, would you want me to make a world map of the TL?

Go for it.

[lord caedus]

Originally Posted by IchBinDieKaiser

Go for it.

What year should I make it for? 1804?

[Darth_Kiryan]

Because the Federalists have been so successful, is Alexander Hamilton going to be your next President?

[IchBinDieKaiser]

Originally Posted by lord caedus

What year should I make it for? 1804?

Actually, wait until post an update on Europe.

Originally Posted by Adûnakhôr

Because the Federalists have been so successful, is Alexander Hamilton going to be your next President?

It's looking so.

[lord caedus]

Originally Posted by IchBinDieKaiser

Actually, wait until post an update on Europe.

Will do. Bump

[IchBinDieKaiser]

Revolution gripped France in the summer of 1789 with the Storming of the Bastille. The events of that day would lead to the abolishment of the Monarchy, and the execution of the former monarch. This set off a period of violence and terror not just in France but throughout Europe. In 1799, a year into the war of the second coalition, the young Corsican general, Napoleon Bonaparte, took control of France as the 1st Consul. After the War of the Second Coalition France lost much of her empire in the Americas, with just a few small islands remaining. With the loss of Saint Dominique, the National Assembly would finally abolish slavery completely in France and her colonies. In Saint Dominique the local French colonials had initially been anti-American. Many of them had planned to immigrate back to France after the loss, and take their slaves with them. However when Napoleon and the National Assembly announced the abolition of slavery in France and all her possessions, alongside with the US government declaring that slavery would be allowed in the newly acquired territories, most of the French colonials decided to stay.

Near the end of the war of the second coalition, Napoleon had been planning an invasion of Britain, preparing a base of operations at Boulogne-sur Mer. However with the treaty of Amiens ending the war in Europe, the plans were scratched, and the materials being used for the invasion would be used elsewhere. To the rest of Europe Napoleon looked as though he would be able to return order to France. Under his rule the Roman Catholic Church was restored to most of its pre-revolutionary status, along with allowing the return of the nobility from the ancien’ regime. Most of Europe was awaiting him to restore the monarch, however he would surprise them in December of 1804 by crowning himself not king, but Emperor of the French.

Shortly before being crowned emperor he divorced his wife Josephine. This was done for several reasons; there had been infidelity between the two during Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt. Josephine first had an affair, and then Napoleon responded with several of his own. There love was forever changed. He also divorced Josephine in order to establish better ties with the royalists in France who favored the restoration of the Bourbons. In February of 1805, after crowning himself as emperor, he would marry Marie Theresa [1], the eldest daughter of King Louis XVI. This was done in order to tie himself to the ancient regime. So now as emperor of France with a strong tie to the previous regime, he felt more secure in his position within the realm of Europe. But his troubles were not over.

[1] Marie Thersa does not marry her cousin ITTL

[lord caedus]

Originally Posted by IchBinDieKaiser

Near the end of the war of the second coalition, Napoleon had been planning an invasion of France, preparing a base of operations at Boulogne-sur Mer.

I think you meant somewhere else

But, wow. Napoleon makes nice with the Ancien Régime nobility? Damn. A united France under Emperor Napoleon does not sound good for any of the rest of Europe.

[Darth_Kiryan]

Well, i guess that was coming sooner or later. Can't have an 18th century TL without Napoleon.

[IchBinDieKaiser]

Originally Posted by lord caedus

I think you meant somewhere else

But, wow. Napoleon makes nice with the Ancien Régime nobility? Damn. A united France under Emperor Napoleon does not sound good for any of the rest of Europe.

You are probably right.

Originally Posted by Adûnakhôr

Well, i guess that was coming sooner or later. Can't have an 18th century TL without Napoleon.

Exactly, just like you can't have a late 19th early 20th century TL without Teddy.

[IchBinDieKaiser]

A question for everyone here: How would the rest of Europe respond to this marriage, it being an alliance between the new and ancien' regimes? Would this appease the rest of Europe, or would they be even more bent on taking out the little emperor?

[IchBinDieKaiser]

Anybody? I'm afraid 18th Century European politics is not my specialty.

[lord caedus]

Originally Posted by IchBinDieKaiser

Anybody? I'm afraid 18th Century European politics is not my specialty.

Mine neither, old chap. Sorry for not being able to help

[Deckhand]

I am kind of wondering how likely Marie Therese is to stick something pointy in Nappy while he is sleeping. Pretty likely i would think. What with all the death of her family and what not.


And how exactly does napoleon marry her when she ls in exile, and was sent there 8 years previously, well before napoleon assumed power. I can't see her coming back voluntarily, especially after Napoleon had her cousin the Duke of Enghien murdered the year previous. So what, kidnapped from Germany and a forced Marriage?

Yeah, something pointy in the middle of the night is how i see this ending.

[IchBinDieKaiser]

Originally Posted by Deckhand

I am kind of wondering how likely Marie Therese is to stick something pointy in Nappy while he is sleeping. Pretty likely i would think. What with all the death of her family and what not.


And how exactly does napoleon marry her when she ls in exile, and was sent there 8 years previously, well before napoleon assumed power. I can't see her coming back voluntarily, especially after Napoleon had her cousin the Duke of Enghien murdered the year previous. So what, kidnapped from Germany and a forced Marriage?

Yeah, something pointy in the middle of the night is how i see this ending.

I'm not saying something like that won't happen, but stuff is going to happen before it may or may not.

She was in exile, but when Napoleon took power he invited the nobility of the old regime to return to France, as he did IOTL. Marie Theresa was also enticed to return to France. I'm not saying for sure this happened, but perhaps she may have been persuaded to return to France and marry Napoleon so she could have the opportunity to stick something pointy into him in the middle of the night.

[IchBinDieKaiser]

It was shock enough when the young Corsican upstart had himself crowned emperor, but his marriage to the eldest daughter of the former king really through the whole world off. There was a pause in Europe that seemed unexplainable. The monarchs of Europe were not sure how to respond to this new development. To the British it did not matter that a Bourbon was in power, because nothing could remove the stench of the young Bonaparte. Austria had a similar reaction, however they were more likely to be forgiving of Bonaparte with his wife being a relative of the Hapsburgs. However they were still on edge. The Spanish had been pro-French during the revolution, and now that France was a monarchy again with a Bourbon in a position of power. The German states, regardless of who was in power, were angry at the French for waging war across their land. Despite all of these reactions peace would be fulfilled. Bonaparte’s biggest reason for marrying the Bourbon princess was to tie himself to the ancien’ regime, and create an alliance with the new regime.

Bonaparte would institute many reforms in France. He would reform the tax code and higher education, and build new road and sewer systems. He restored much of the Catholic Church’s pre-revolution status. He would also introduce a code of civil law which would become known as the Napoleonic Code. He would also emancipate the Jews of France, removing the restrictions of their living areas, property, and business.

Despite reforms and the alliance between the royalists and the revolutionaries, war would ignite once again. In 1805 the war of the third coalition expanded. The British and French had been at hostilities toward each other since 1803, but the fighting had been done mostly abroad. In 1805 Britain convinced Russia to join the coalition, but was unable to get Austria to join. Because of the lack of geographic positioning, the French would be victorious over the Third Coalition. The war would end with the treaty of Copenhagen. The treaty of Copenhagen, more or less, created a white peace, although recognizing it as a French victory. The most important part of the treaty however was the other nations of Europe being forced to recognize Napoleon as the undisputable ruler of France.

[IchBinDieKaiser]

During the war of the Third Coalition, the German states in central Europe managed to evade fighting largely thanks to Austria remaining neutral. During this time efforts began taking place within Holy Roman Empire in order to centralize. Small steps were taken at first. The armies of the HRE would go to war under a single commander, although all the individual units would retain their own banners and uniforms. It wasn’t much, but the introduction of a single commander allowed for a unified strategy against the French. The war of the third coalition gave the HRE time to unify, however it would be several decades before the process was complete. With the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II also being the Emperor of Austria and the King of Hungary, the HRE enjoyed similar relations with France that Austria did. The HRE would not go to war unless Austria did as well. There were those who wanted to unify all the lands under the Hapsburgs into a single empire, but such an attempt would most certainly cause war with Napoleon, so it would not be done.

It was not long after the war of the third coalition that a fourth coalition was formed, consisting of Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, Sicily, and the United Kingdom against France and her allies/puppets. Emperor Francis II would allow Napoleon to march through the HRE in order to reach Prussia. This war would be a quick one as well, with Prussia being occupied by the French and Berlin being captured. Towards the end of 1806 the French entered Poland and created the Duchy of Warsaw to be ruled by the new French ally, the King of Saxony. The war would end with the treaty of Tilsit. The Duchy of Warsaw would be recognized as a holding of the King of Saxony, along with Swedish Pomerania. A White Peace would be made between Britain and France, and for the first time peace would be maintained in Europe. With Peace achieved in Europe, Napoleon would begin focusing on solidifying his control. But unbeknownst to him, a new war is on the horizon, one that could unite Europe against a common foe that had done so before long ago.

[Darth_Kiryan]

So the HRE will still continue to exist.

[SpazzReflex]

Originally Posted by Adûnakhôr

So the HRE will still continue to exist.

And If/When Nappy's regime receds, so will the HRE.