TLIAW: Dieu, Patrie, Liberté

What's this? A New Timeline? Shouldn't you be working on Renovation?

No shame in taking breaks and exploring ideas.

So…. TLIAW?

Yeah, ‘in a while’. Because there’s no way I’ll do this in a week.

Mhm. So What’s this about?

A French Dominican Republic.

I thought you hated when people wantonly annex colonies.

I do. But then I thought to myself how fun it would be to give France a forwarding base in the Western Hemisphere during the height of European interventions.

You’re evil.

People like when bad things happen for some reason. Hate the game, not the player.

1. Coalescence

In the waning years of the 18th century, the Kingdom of France had undergone a series of transformations that had nearly shattered the Old Order of Europe. Where the kingdom had once arguably been the leading defender of conservatism and the Ancien Regime, had mutated into a Revolutionary State ready and eager to export its radical values outward. Despite initially stumbling in her efforts, Revolutionary France had eventually succeeded in achieving a series of sweeping victories against her opponents, cementing her credibility as a world power. Territories were obtained client states were made and hegemony enforced throughout Europe.

Among these successes had been the acquisition of the entirety of Hispaniola from the Spanish (given in exchange for a return of Guipúzcoa), completing the conquest that had begun all the way back in the aftermath of 1604 and confirmed in the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697. Hastily organized into the French Republic, the former Captaincy-General of Santo Domingo was divided into the two departments of Cibao and Ozama, respectively in the north and in the south. The Capital as always remained Santo Domingo. It is here, in this quirk of history that France received its largest overseas region in the Western Hemisphere.

Initially used as a launch pad to recapture Haiti, Santo Domingo and its populace were largely seen as little more than a source of tribute to the French soldiers, initially embittering them to the population. Taxation and abuse were rampant. Fortunately for the French, these idiotic policies were equally as transient as Napoleon’s desire to restart a French Empire in the New World.

Despite the abysmal failure of the Haitian Expedition, it is with the loss and shake-up of establishment that ironically began the steps to preserve French Rule on Eastern Hispaniola. The Death of Brigadier General Kerversau early in 1803 during the initial offense had meant the island passed to his second in command: Jean Louis Ferrand. [1] Unlike his predecessor, Ferrand had been a shrewd, diplomatic man that understood the reality on the ground. The Imperial troops might have been the best in the world, but that meant little if said soldiers were deeply outnumbered and were disliked by the people they were ruling.

And he was correct. French presence in Santo Domingo barely numbered 6,000 men largely clustered to the major cities. They had alienated the main elites of Quisqueyan society: the powerful cattle barons of Santo Domingo (nicknamed Caciques as their power rivaled the Taino chieftains before the colonial era), the resourceful merchants of the El Cibao coast and the clergy. Much would be needed to merely keep the French position on the island.

Therefore, with every ounce of his diplomatic clout, Ferrand worked to reverse the barely tenable French position on the island by currying favor with the people (read: regional elites and yeoman farmers). Debt was cancelled, patronage was expended to important regional landowners, citizenship expanded to the population in practice instead of on paper (Santo Domingo was *technically* part of the French Empire and so legally speaking, not a colony but you know who cared that?), public works undertaken and despite Napoleon saying otherwise- slavery was unequivocally banned.

At the same time, the esteemed general successfully managed to obtain reinforcements from the metropole. Freshly supplied with an additional 20,000 troops to aid in the garrisoning the French were able to quell outlying resistance far easier. Combined with the changes in policy and the reintegration of many important interests groups within the French system, and France’s rule became absolute. A reconquest of Haiti was out of the question, but Santo Domingo was a good enough compensation for now.

Which leaves the final challenge in establishing a permanent French presence: Outside intervention. Aside from the obvious threat on the far side of the island, France’s enemies in Europe had a vested interest in curbing any presence of Napoleon’s empire leading to period attacks over the decade. But the combination of extra forces, better management, growing domestic support and some luck allowed Ferrand and his troops to weather the barrage of strikes from sea and by land. Attrition was high on the part of the French, yet the key centers of the east remained under their control even after the empire had fallen. Eventually, the Spanish and British grudgingly gave up, instead being content to seize the more lightly defended (and profitable) sugar islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Upon the fall of the First French Empire, the Conservative parties of Europe had attempted to undo every gain France obtained since the turbulent years of the Revolution, to restore every facet of the Old Order before 1798. Yet France had managed to keep one small victory in all of this during the negotiations: Santo Domingo.

[1] POD here. Kerversau dies a year earlier before he’s able to attempt to reestablish slavery on the island. The more sensible Ferrand is able to reverse the damage earlier and before the straw can break the camel’s back.

As I've said elsewhere, this is a great idea and well-written. Looking forward to more, and the further evolution of Domingan society.

c'mon more plox

El Yanqui said:

As I've said elsewhere, this is a great idea and well-written. Looking forward to more, and the further evolution of Domingan society.

Click to expand...

My thanks!

BgKnight said:

c'mon more plox

Click to expand...

Here you go.

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2. Normalcy

Metternich’s New Order in Europe once more reshaped the borders of the World. A new balance of power had been drawn to keep France in check. Her borders were stripped, her treasury emptied in indemnity payments and her military curtailed. But France had survived, and she looked to the future with hope. As the restored Kingdom was in the process of reforming herself to meet these new, uncertain times, France was left in a curious position in the West. Her crown jewel of Haiti had been lost, but she was compensated with Haiti’s neighbor: Santo Domingo.

The former colony of Santo Domingo was in a curious position. The land was naturally fertile and rich in productivity, yet its economy was in tatters and its people were amongst the poorest in all of the Western Hemisphere. Its position in the center of the Caribbean was strategic, and yet it had been neglected. Its people were colonists and yet at the same time they had been granted citizenship in a fit of Revolutionary Fervor by the French Republic upon annexation. (Not that this prevented any abuse by French soldiers) And of course, the island was naturally mountainous and easy to fortify, yet a hostile neighbor was within range of gripping the throat of Quisqueya.

Therefore, the kingdom was unsure of what to do with her new territories. The potential gains were obvious, but the financially strapped and conservative regime was at an impasse on what options could be undertaken. To make matters worse, experienced soldiers and administrators sent off on Napoleon’s expedition- General Ferrand included- had to be recalled and downsized to save costs, further weakening the French position. France was walking a tightrope on the island.

In true French fashion, it was decided then to take the path of least resistance. Following the lead of General Ferrand, the French continued the policies of co-opting the local elites, ensuring their rights and clergy were respected and granting them voting rights in local elections. In turn, the kingdom would equip local militias with army surplus and send off whatever troops were possible to aid in garrisoning major cities. The numbers of French troops were small, never numbering more than numbering 1,000 men in one place, but it was sufficient. The island was exhausted, and in no mood for rebellion nor renewed warfare.

Economically the island was left alone. With little funds to spare for the investment of the departments, there wasn’t much that could be spared for rebuilding. Or so it was thought. As it turns out, it would be the Quisqueyans who would rebuild themselves. As the 1810s passed, the eastern half of the island would experience steady economic growth despite (or perhaps because of) no intervention by the metropole. But this was due more to factors outside their control. For one, France provided a larger market than Spain ever could, with the kingdom having over double the population of the former motherland, critically in the case of the urban middle class, allowing ranchers and loggers to expand their operations, filling the coffers. And secondly, France provided stability, a vital necessity for investors, sustenance farmers and small businessmen alike.

By 1821, the economy had recovered, both for Santo Domingo, and for France, who had finished paying off reparations to allied forces. This would herald a new era for France, one where the restored kingdom would go on to flex her muscles on the world stage once more. Opportunity was everywhere; Spain’s empire had crumbled and paved the way for fresh, new nations to form; the Qing grew ever more stagnant; the Ottomans were retching; and the Fulani had greatest upheaval in Western Africa since the collapse of the Songhai centuries before.

Quisqueya would be at the forefront of this, being France’s door to the West.

Muh Domingan bourgeoisie... they shall have markets!

Always nice to see some good old explanation going on (re: economics/politics).