America - Albion's Orphan - A history of the conquest of Britain - 1760

[Alt History Buff]

1778

Adrianople, Eastern Thrace, Southeastern Bulgaria, Russian Empire

Once dominated by Turkish Muslims, the city of Adrianople had barely recovered from the expulsion of their Turkish population to have the former city's grandeur. While many Greeks and Bulgars rejoiced in the casting of the Ottoman invaders back across the Dardanelles into Asia, the economic chaos of the previous years hardly made up for it. Settlers were encouraged to migrate from Bulgaria, Russia and other regions with the intent to ensure that Greeks didn't dominate Eastern Thrace demographically (not that Greeks would be a threat to Russia). Prior to the war, Greeks and Turks were roughly equal in population in Eastern Thrace, roughly 40-45% each. Now, fifty thousand Bulgarians, 75,000 Russians and 30,000 Jews had moved in with the intent of gaining a majority....as well as 56,000 Anatolian Greeks fleeing the Ottoman remnant. Still, the Greeks refugees would resuscitate the region's economy in less than a decade as the Anatolian Greeks had been the business class of Anatolia.

By 1780, most of the Turkish and Balkan Muslims of the Eastern Balkans had been evicted. A similar transfer had taken place between the north, central and south regions of Albania. Only in Bosnia were the Muslim population largely left to their own devices, provided they were "loyal" to the new order under the aging Dowager-Empress Maria Theresa. Her son Francis, the Emperor, had advocated conquering Greece as well as Bosnia, Serbia, Dalmatia and northern Albania but his mother feared that would spur direct opposition from the Russians. Maria Theresa had not waged the war to gain a bunch of Orthodox or Muslim subjects as much to eliminate a long-time threat from her southern flank. This had been accomplished. It would not do to create an even more dangerous enemy in Russia.

Russia and Austria seldom cooperated on much but also seldom directly warred upon one another over the centuries. Maria Theresa and Paul I both believed that the two Empires could coexist. Did they not cooperate in destroying Ottoman power in Europe? And before that the House of Hohenzollern?

If the diplomats could keep the two Empires' respective interests from conflicting, then there would be room enough for two in the world.

One of the key points of concern (if not really contention) was the anarchic and chaotic Polish Commonwealth. Usually a Russian puppet, the Czars and Czarinas of the past were content to allow the vast region to muddle through. Without a strong central government, the Poles were no threat to anyone. Maria Theresa, as a Catholic, occasionally thought that the Polish people would be better off under her care but dared not make a move north for fear of Russian (and, once, Prussian) opposition. The Czar, ruling a Slavic nation, would see the Poles as ethnic relations.

There were the occasional rumors that Russian intended to seize Anatolia or perhaps the Holy Lands to "protect Christians" but nothing had come of it. Maria Theresa may have been amenable provided that she receive an offset...perhaps Greece or Poland or Italy....to match the Russian expansion.

But with the expenses of previous wars unpaid, neither nation was inclined to bother the other. Maria Theresa was broke and Paul more interested in internal matters.

Other regions of Europe slumbered as well.

Spain was intent on reforms under Carlos III while France was dealing with a massive deficit and debt. The Protestants of the north didn't matter much.

However, Italy was proving quite interesting.

Northern Italy

Over the course of the past decade, the new borders of Northern Italy had shifted. What was unexpected was that it was a relatively peaceful shift. The Papal States absorbed the Grand Duchy of Tuscany with modest fanfare. The Papacy was not known for capable government, instead soaking the locals for all their tax dollars. Of course, Tuscany was not known to have better administrators.

The Kingdom of Corsica (Piedmont), formerly Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) had been augmented a great deal as well.

Venice, once a great power, had declined so much that it couldn't even contest the loss of Dalmatia or the small Greek islands which represented the last of its Empire (taken by Austria and Greece).

Now, four middling powers ruled Italy, Savoyard Piedmont, Venice, the Papal States and Naples-Sicily (held in personal union with the Kingdom of Spain).

Ironically, this would make for a certain level of peace on the Italian Peninsula. Of roughly equal size, no power seemed likely to conquer the others. Though Piedmont may be ambitious, any attacks against the Papal States would probably not go well with Spain, France or Austria.

What WAS more dangerous was the fact that borders of the great powers of Europe seemed to crawl ever closer to Italy. With fewer lands to conquer, it seemed likely that SOMEONE was destined to cast a covetous eye upon Italy. France had long desired parts of Piedmont to gain the powerful mountain passes to defend the nation (though it was looking less and less likely that any power was going to invade France anytime soon) while Austria was rethinking their disinterest in naval affairs. To become a power at sea, more ports would be necessary and Venice and Greece seemed the most likely options.

 

[Alt History Buff]

1778

Ankara

Sultan Abdul Hamid came to the throne in the aftermath of the disastrous quarter century which saw most of the old Ottoman Empire lost. North Africa, Rumelia, Greece, Syria, Armenia and Mesopotamia were lost. An honest man brought up in ignorance, the Sultan would be swayed by advisors. Even before he set up a new capital in Ankara, he was challenged by two rebellions among the Janissaries whom sought their own candidate for the throne. Abdul Hamid would be forced to call upon the youth of Anatolia to maintain his throne.

While fighting ravaged the peninsula, the majority of the Turks and no-so-small number of Balkan Muslims were expelled from Europe upon Anatolian shores. Outraged, the Turks would turn upon the assorted minorities of the Peninsula, most notably the Greeks but also the Armenians, Assyrians, Shia, Georgians, etc. Just as the Muslim Europeans were cast out, so were the Christian Asiatics. Most would end up in Greece or the newly "liberated" areas under Russian influence like Eastern Thrace (Bulgaria), Armenia, Assyria, Georgia, the Crimea and other Black Sea regions.

Not a decisive man, the Sultan hoped to appeal to his people's reason but the humiliating loss of an Empire stretching back 400 years was too much and a dozen contenders for power would rise up. Abdul Hamid would be assassinated by one of his own guards, leaving room for numerous men to claim the throne.

Madras

For the past decade and a half, the British East India Company would struggle to maintain trade in the face of Britain's surrender. For several years, they did quite well. In one case, the Company Navy would even defeat a French Navy squadron poking about eastern India. With several key trading ports in India and the East India, the Company held out by maintaining links to key local powers like the Maratha Confederacy of the North. Eventually relations cooled with the Sultanate of Mysore and the Muslim-lead Kingdom would cast its eyes upon Madras and other British factories. Using the wealth of the East Indies and the subcontinent gleaned from trade, the Company was able to forge an alliance with the Nizam of Golconda and the Maratha Confederacy in 1775 which would leading Haider Ali's defeat in 1778.

Though almost bankrupt in the war, the Company managed to quickly find its feet due to the concessions received from the Marathas. This would keep the Company liquid for the time being.

Oddly, the Company relations with the Dutch and French East India Companies were proving oddly friendly. Moderating its own ambition, the Company directors would seek out cooperative agreement with their French counterparts and even the Dutch, whom still smarted from the loss of the East Indies (just as the British hated losing their influence in Bengal to the Dutch). But people in Europe still wanted East Indies spices while the BEIC was finding a market for opium in China.

Thus a new quadrangle trade commenced as gold from Europe purchased spices from Jakarta, which was traded for Bengali opium, which was traded for Chinese silks.

One downside of the South Asian economy was the lack of demand for tea. Britain had long been a large consumer, really they could not get enough of the stuff. However, Britain lacked the ability to purchase the product in such quantities and demand in Europe dropped. Spanish gold, which was the foundation of how the old Britain bought Asian tea, was no longer available in quantity, thus the King of England was forced to impose huge tariffs on the tea to stifle demand which would wipe out the nation's currency reserves.

Instead, the King's government recommended local product like Gin which would keep the currency in circulation in England.

New Holland

Years before, the French had landed several colonies upon New Holland (ignoring the Dutch complaints). Most of these failed to pay off but eventually the French would found colonies on the east coast which were more promising. Wool and other products were produced in abundance while the huge island served as a port for southern Pacific whaling ships.

New York

Upon the gleaming floor of the North American Parliament Building, Treasury Minister Dickinson would cunningly redirect the debate towards his own ends. With the French West Indian slaves proving to be more trouble than they were worth, the French African ports hardly shipping any slaves at all and the Spanish (formerly Portuguese) ports effectively closed down, the slave trade to America was somewhere between dying and dead.

Several Parliamentarians including Henry Laurens of South Carolina made a radical proposal: seize their own slave trading factory in Africa in order to ensure the steady flow of slaves to America. While the economic problems of the West Indies (declining due to constant slave rebellions) was putting a damper on American exports, did it not make sense to address this balance of trade issue by skipping the middle man (the French West Indies getting rid of their "problem" slaves) and just trade for the slaves directly with the African chiefs?

Dickinson was an abolitionist but knew he could not summarily decry it as a sin on the Parliamentary floor and demand its abolition. That would divide the country and it was feared that France, once it was solvent and no longer embroiled in the West Indies quagmire, would eventually turn to North America for expansion. Even an invasion from Spain was widely expected and several rumors had resulted in outright panics throughout the past ten years.

Instead, Dickinson sought to frame the debate as one of limitation...for the internal peace of America. The slave uprising in South Carolina had caused enormous problems for all of America and several Dominions had already taken steps to abolish the practice. The issue kept coming up in Parliament and would plainly divide the nation.

Dickinson, while weary of any imports, would offer a compromise: a 20 year monopoly granted to a single North American trading concern. This, by necessity, would ban any further imports from the West Indies (which were dying down anyway as France reasserted control over what was left of the colonies). This seemed a good compromise to the "slave" Dominions (meaning those whom used a great deal of slave labor like South Carolina, Virginia or Maryland). The leader of the faction in Parliament was even granted perhaps the greatest honor post in the nation: Henry Laurens was made Ambassador to France.

Once the wily South Carolinian was out of the way, Dickinson would make every effort to hamper the selection and then business of the new North American Slave Trading Company.

 

[generalurist]

Britain had long been a large producer, really they could not get enough of the stuff.

Shouldn't this be "A large consumer"?

 

[Alt History Buff]

Shouldn't this be "A large consumer"?

Good point, I'll correct.

 

[Colonel flagg]

How strong is American navy?

 

[Alt History Buff]

1778

West Florida Territory

For the past decade, the North Americans had desperately attempted to maintain some semblance of peace with the tribesmen of the western territories. In an attempt to buy peace, the King approved generous (in the minds of the Americans) to those Indian tribes which could be brought to terms. These included the "5 Civilized Tribes" of the south as well as north-western tribes like the Miami. The Iroquois Confederacy had long ago reached an alliance to the Crown.

The Southern Creeks (Seminoles) received a large reservation in West Florida near Fort Biloxi (the site of a massive Casino built two centuries later). Though some prime land went to the Indians by statute, such agreements also allowed large-scale settlement of the west from Chicago to Hanover (New Orleans).

Fort Detroit

Initially created as a trading post for furs, Fort Detroit would expand to include a large French district comprised of Frenchmen whom fled west from New France as well as large quantities of Scotch-Irish traders. Among them were the Macomb brothers. These men would partake of a large portion of the fur trade and, more profitably, supply those whom did.

These were the men that followed in the footsteps of the pioneers. More people flooded into Ohio and other Western Territories as America's population exceeded 3.5 million in 1778. A steady flow of migration from England would ensure a steady stream of people west into the former Indian Territories.

As America had long feared that the lightly populated Mississippi River basin would be easily retaken by the French (or Spanish) whom possessed the wealth and navy to take it. Only America's isolation and no clear avenue to profitability for the colony would prevent France or Spain from doing so.

Santo Domingo

While the 2/3rd's of the Island of Hispaniola known as Santo Domingo had long languished in the shadow of Saint Domingue. The efficient French administration would create a slave state with over 85% to 90% in bondage. This would lead to a series of massive slave rebellions.

By this time, the populations of the two colonies had reversed. The Spanish side was also predominantly European and not depended upon slaves. This allowed the Spanish to repulse the slave army which crossed their border and even help France reestablish their hold on Saint Domingue.

At least until the French army mutinied and refused to fight any further...well, EVER...as they wanted to go home.

 

[Alt History Buff]

How strong is American navy?

Not very.

 

[Alt History Buff]

1778

Paris

Benjamin Franklin had long since departed America for the lures of France. Naturally, as a former Treasury Minister, assorted French (and other nationalities) would probe the old man for information on the American mindset. He found this all amusing and enjoying the verbal and intellectual jousting.

More importantly, Franklin enjoyed the salons where he was considered an oddity with his homespun wisdom and coonskin caps. In the over-the-top fashion of France, the deliberately modest Franklin became a celebrity. Franklin would never miss an opportunity to witness a scientific exercise, oversee an autopsy (technically illegal) or attend one of the innumerable cultural events of Paris, for over a century the center of European greatness.

He took particular pleasure in attending the abolitionist meetings and many fashionable Parisians would follow him as descriptions of the horrors of slavery abounded. Men of power whom normally cared little about such matters suddenly took up the cause. Franklin even got to know the Dauphin and Dauphine and got the chance to congratulate them on the birth of their first child in 1778. He also impressed upon them the evils of the Transcontinental Slave Trade by bring to his audience (by permission, of course) several former slaves whom suffered the Passage.

Rumor had it the aged King was ecstatic as another of his grandson's proved capable of bedding a woman (the middle one continued to have trouble with his Savoyard wife due to his weight and her lack of hygiene).

Moscow

The Dauphin was not the only royal to commence breeding. Czar Paul I of Russia would similarly welcome his first child recently and would see another on the way. For the first time in generations, it appeared that the Russian Romanov Dynasty was looking stable.

Indeed, many Dynasties appeared stronger than in the past as the Houses of Hanover (England and North America), France, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Prussia (House of Biron now, separate from the House of Hohenzollern which still ruled Brandenburg), Brandenburg and others seemed to have adequate heirs and spares to go around. It seemed unlikely that the apparently endless stream of extinct dynasties of the early 18th century would continue. There would be no wars of Spanish, Austria, Bavarian, Tuscan, Courland, Ansbach-Bayrouthe, Sweden and other Succession (much to the relief of the common people). Having suffered terribly for the lack of procreation, the Continent was looking forward to some stability in the next few decades.

 

[frustrated progressive]

This seems like foreshadowing...

 

[Alt History Buff]

1778

County of Bentheim-Bentheim, Holy Roman Empire, near Dutch border

Count Frederick Charles was the last of his line. Nearing fifty with no heirs, his County was deeply in debt. Like many regions of the Holy Roman Empire, Bentheim had been split up many times over the centuries. A number of these subdivisions had seen their ruling dynasties go extinct, at which they went to the nearest relative.

By 1778, there were only two subdivisions of Bentheim: Bentheim-Bentheim and Bentheim-Stettin.

Frederick Charles knew that, upon his death, Bentheim-Bentheim would go to his distant kinsman in Stettin. If he could pay off the debts. The Count had effectively mortgaged his patrimony to the only source of currency available: the Dutch Republic.

Still a young man (young-ish), the Count may have expected another decade or two in his reign. Instead, he fell ill with smallpox and expired with barely another word, his immediate dynasty extinct.

The Count of Bentheim-Stettin would immediately claim the other half of Bentheim only to find the Dutch creditors demanding their due. Both appealed to the Emperor, Joseph II. The Dutch Republic, becoming more and more a client state to France due to the vulnerable border, would similarly demand that France support their case to the Emperor. In hopes of keeping the peace, Louis XV requested that Bentheim-Stettin pay the debts or cede Bentheim-Bentheim to the Dutch.

As part of the Holy Roman Empire, the little County could hardly be expected be integrated into the Dutch Republic. The Emperor would not allow the Empire to shrink. Fortunately, a compromise was reached and the little county would be property of the Dutch Republic...in the Empire and subject to its rules. A precedent had been set in the previous war when East Frisia had been given to the Dutch. East Frisia was part of the Empire and remained so though, like most of the Princes and Counts and Dukes of the Empire, the Dutch were able to rule independently enough to find a workable compromise.

Balkans

With the "liberation" of the Balkans, Austria gained title to the lands of the Serbs, Bosniaks and what Croats had not already been under Maria Theresa's umbrella (Dalmatia).

Oddly, Montenegro and the little Republic of Ragusa were not taken. In later years, the maritime Republic based around Dubrovnic would pass on a legend that the Republic was not conquered (or "Liberated") with her larger neighbors due to vague orders to a literal-minded Habsburg General by the Empress. She said conquer Serbia, Dalmatia and Bosnia...but nothing about Montenegro and Ragusa. Therefore the latter two were left alone, surrounded by a great power.

In hopes of consolidating Habsburg power, the assorted Southern Slavic peoples generally known as Serbs and Bosniaks were reorganized into a single entity (the Croat-majority lands were separate).

The language term "Serbo-Croat" would come into being but eventually subsumed under the term Yugoslavic.

The Bosnian, Serbian and Croat languages were mutually intelligible to the point that many linguists viewed them as the same language. In truth, the difference among the languages and people were more religious-cultural than linguistic-genetic.

The three peoples were divided into Catholic (Croat), Orthodox (Serb) and Muslim (Bosniak). This was the identity and they referred to their languages as separate even as impartial observers thought this nonsense. The Habsburgs didn't care and would, as mandatory schooling expanded in the region, order that a unified Yugoslavic grammar and vocabulary be utilized and schools be open to all three "peoples".

This would naturally cause resentment at the high-handedness but also a great deal of efficiency. Literacy would increase exponentially in the region as barriers to trade dropped.

The new "Yugoslavia" province would be approximately 70% Orthodox, 24% Muslim and 4% Catholic and 2% assorted "other".

Transylvania

While the Southern Slavs were being "unified" by the House of Habsburg, others longed for the same. Seeing their Romanian brethren in Wallachia and Moldavia freed from the Ottoman oppression had been exhilarating. However, seeing them promptly placed under the Russian boot would be equally disheartening. Still, Wallachia and Moldavia quietly began to prosper under the Russian Empire. The Czar made pains to open up trade and remove the onerous taxes imposed by the Porte and his Greek governors.

Soon, the Transylvanians of Romanian extraction (as opposed to the large numbers of Hungarians in Transylvania) would begin to agitate for unification though no clear idea of whether that meant Transylvania also entering the Russian orbit. Instead, a vague, angry nationalism was brewing, no doubt stoked by the Wallachians and Moldavians.

This would prove another tension point between Austria and Russia over the coming years.

 

[Lost the game]

I would laugh so hard if there was a royal residence set up at some point in the future in the western part of Virginia... a place called Greenbrier Palace

 

[Alt History Buff]

1779

Jever, small city between Oldenburg and the Dutch Republic, property of Anhalt-Zerbst.

The Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst was one of several subdivisions of Saxony. When their ruler died in 1779 (much like the Count of Bentheim-Bentheim), he left behind no children. His distant relatives controlling other regions of Anhalt would gobble of his Saxon territories.

However, the northern city of Jever was inherited via semi-salic law and was well separated by hundreds of miles and dozens of petty and mid-sized German states from the other possession of Anhalt-Zerbst. Thus, it fell to the greater powers of Germany to determine distribution of the city.

Both the Duchy of Oldenburg and the Dutch Republic would seek the city due to proximity. Others suggested that the Emperor, Joseph II, choose one of his younger siblings (though none leapt at the opportunity). One fellow actually recommended that the city be put up for auction to the highest bidder.

Odder things had happened.

The Papal States - Central Italy

Pope Pius VI was proving to be a diligent administrator to the recently enlarged Papal States. He would oversee a review of the finances (found in be in poor shape) and ordered sweeping reforms. A patron of art and culture, he sponsored many luminaries.

Tuscany, which had not been blessed with competent rulers over the years, had not been eager to find itself under Papal Rule. But Pope Pius would actively seek to improve agriculture, expand ports, extend trade, drain swamps which brought upon frequent Yellow Fever epidemics and generally act in the best interests of his people.

His pressing concern, of course, was the rapid alteration of European borders. Should France, Austria or others of these great powers come to blows....

The Pope also quietly continued the methodical process of dissolving the Jesuits, though he was less heavy-handed than his predecessors in that regard. In truth, the common European ruling class perception that "national" Catholic Churches should replace his own authority. This had been ongoing for centuries, even AFTER the rise of Protestantism and the Pope despaired for the future of the Church.

New York

The Howe family was once a wealthy, powerful clan of nobles whom had rubbed elbows with the House of Hanover for decades. Like so many whom had resisted the French occupation, they had lost their patrimonies (and assorted lands) in England and eventually expelled. In truth, they were fortunate to avoid St. Vincent's prison plantations.

George Howe, the eldest brother, had served for half a decade as Minister of War, one of the few non-American born high-level administrators in North America. This was acceptable to the locals as Howe was considered a hero for his actions in the previous war against the French in Quebec.

His four Brigadier Generals in the North American Army - George Washington of Virginia, Phineus Lyman of Connecticut, Hugh Waddell of North Carolina and Artemis Ward of Massachusetts - controlled the various major posts around the country.

Washington was currently administrator of Fort Hanover (New Orleans).
Phineus Lyman was commander of the southern-most post in East Florida.
Hugh Waddell controlled the Upper Mississippi Basin.
Artemis Ward protected Quebec.

Though there were former British officers in American service, these were few and far between. This was due to American distrust of former British officers (after the humorously botched attempted coup of a few years before), low pay, low esteem of the American service in remote locations (rather than hanging out in London at parties) and the recent move towards most commissions in the North American Army given to those whom graduated from West Point.

Previous British tradition had the connected and wealthy purchasing commissions (like a commodity). There were few real schools of warfare and few British officers had attended them. On-the-job training was paramount, not actual education. The graduates from West Point would be treated almost with contempt by the former British officers whom deemed studying the art of war was somehow less "gentlemanly". In Britain, usually only military engineers studied to such an extent and were deemed not-quite-gentlemen by their colleagues.

The Americans would resent any British officer seeking a commission in their "colonial" military and happily pushed any initiative that prevented British participation.

 

[Alt History Buff]

I would laugh so hard if there was a royal residence set up at some point in the future in the western part of Virginia... a place called Greenbrier Palace

Sounds like it would be similar to the Queen's secluded home in Scotland (Balmoral).

Every King needs a country estate to get away from it all.

 

[Alt History Buff]

1779

Paris

Despite a decade and a half of peace, the French budget had barely come close to being balanced, much less paying off the state's massive debt. The occupation of Britain was a constant drain. More so, the endless occupation of the West Indies, once so central to French economic theory, had only siphoned money away at a rate several times higher than any taxation gleaned from the region.

Once Saint Domingue provided 40% of Europe's sugar (over 100,000,000 lbs per year of raw or refined sugar) and 60% of its coffee. This didn't even include 1,000,000 lbs of indigo and 2,000,000 lbs of cotton shipped annually east. Given the small size of Saint Domingue and the fact that the supply line could be so easily regulated by France, this was an ideal good for taxation.

Britain taxed sugar at 2 pence per pound and French taxes were similar. On the sugar alone, this would reach approximately 10-11,000,000 livres per year plus several million more livres for the other commodities. And that didn't even include what was once made on the similarly rich (though smaller scale) Guadeloupe and Martinique.

At the rate that the revenues were increasing prior to the war, it would not be unexpected for France to receive 20,000,000 livres in taxation alone each year from the West Indies. Even if one accounted for the French government paying for the costs of naval and army protection as well as administrative costs, this was considerable.

Instead, military and administrative costs in dealing with the constant rebellions would prove exhausting even as product shipments plummeted from 1755 to 1780 by roughly 75%. Some of this was made up by increasing the taxation on the colonies but this still barely exceeded the costs of administration and suppression incurred by the crown. The most profitable and wealthy lands on earth (for the plantations owners, of course) was now a sinkhole for French money and only broke even on a good year.

There were few good years.

This was troubling as the scale of the war debt was enormous and France desperately needed any source of revenue. 3,000,000,000 livres in debt at 7% annual interest was 210,000,000 livres each year in interest payments alone. Even if the nation had maintained a constant flow of taxation on the West Indies, this would barely put a dent in the French economic problems. The 26,000,000 Livres gleaned from the King of England (2,000,000 pounds sterling) in "reparations" similarly only had so much effect on the French finances.

Still, under Louis XV's ministers, the nation had made strides in several key areas:

1. The integration of the former Austrian Netherlands and Duchy of Lorraine increased the tax base.
2. The new "French" Netherlands had seen a boom in economic activity partially due to entry into the French Market and in exports as the city of Antwerp had been reopened to the world (the Dutch dare not try to cut off the River Scheldt as they had in the past).
3. The subordination of the regional Parliaments to the central government continued as tax reforms increased revenues by raising taxes on the wealthy and clergy, eliminating the inefficient and hated "tax farming" middlemen and other changes.
4. New trade agreements with former allies like Spain (Naples, the Spanish Empire, etc) and enemies (the Dutch Republic, Kingdom of England, Scottish Republic, Irish Kingdom and Cornish and Welsh Principalities) would see additional gains to the treasury.

Thus by 1780, total French tax revenues of 600,000,000 livres (including the English "contribution") would actually exceed the 210,000 in debt payments plus 390,000,000 in regular expenses to maintain the Kingdom.

Perhaps more importantly, several of the King's advisors had encouraged Louis XV to take credit among the people for raising revenues on the wealthy and clergy while simultaneously lowering taxes on the poor by removing the hated wartime tax of the "vingtieme" or "one-twentieth". All church priests were ordered to repeat to the people that the debts were being paid by the wealthy and not the poor. Similarly, town mayors were ordered to put up fliers throughout every square in France.

As the clergy and the gentry whom controlled the countryside had opposed these measures, actual compliance was low to mediocre at best but the King's advisors knew something was better than nothing.

The government would win some battles against the clergy and regional Parliaments and be forced to retreat on other issues. But the power of the King (and his Ministers) would strengthen day by day even as high level nobles grumbled and resisted.

 

[Deleted member 67076]

When are the French going to put in a national bank and bonds?

 

[Alt History Buff]

1779

Cleves

Prince Henry of Cleves would die in 1779. The younger brother of the Elector of Brandenburg, he had been given little western possession of the Hohenzollern lands as his own fief (under the Emperor, of course).

There was an addendum to the inheritance which prevented his realm from being added to his nephew Henry's realm of Linden, Minden and Ravensburg or his nephew Augustus' Principality of Mark. The last thing the Emperor (Joseph II) or the King of France wanted was the dynastic reformation of Hohenzollern power.

Thus, Cleves was left to the two great powers to determine.

For over a year, the distribution of the city of Jever along the North Sea had been up in the air. It had been claimed by both Oldenburg and the Dutch Stadtholder. Cleves would simplify the issue.

Cleves would be given in fief to the Stadtholder while Jever would be given to Oldenburg. It seemed an equitable arrangement which offended no one (except the Hohenzollerns and nobody cared about them anymore).

The Dutch Republic, which in recent years, had acquired title to the Holy Roman Empire regions of East Frisia and Bentheim. As these counties remained in the Empire, they were not officially part of the Dutch Republic (which had long been liberated of the Empire) and still required the Stadtholder to bow to the Emperor.

Cleves would not even unofficially be part of the Republic. It was given entirely to Stadtholder William, whom was proving extremely unpopular throughout the Republic and many felt that William "stole" Cleves from them.

North America - Hanover Territory (New Orleans)

Brigadier George Washington would look up in shock and see his old friend, Thomas Gage. A former British officer, son of a Viscount, and generally well connected in the old Britain, Gage had suffered the loss of his family fortune in Britain and was forced to rely upon his American's wife's inheritance.

Like many British officers, Gage refused to serve in the new North American Army. They found the pay lacking and the general resentment to their presence off-putting. Unlike many of these former British officers, Gage had set himself to good use managing his wife's estates in New York and New Jersey. His eldest son Henry was reportedly already matriculated at the University of New Jersey (at Princeton).

In hopes of finding additional business opportunities, Gage went west to see if any of the lands up the Mississippi showed promise.

The two soldiers had served together for years in Quebec and enjoyed one another's company (though Gage always treated his rustic compatriot with the slight ting of condescension all British officers gave the colonials).

Washington, whom had agreed to a three year governorship in Hanover, had naturally investigated business opportunities himself with his customary industry without any dereliction of duty. He was happy to pass on his views of the region, namely that a lack of labor would make any form of intensive farming impossible without slavery, which was technically legal but actual slaves difficult to come by.

However, there was room for profit as middlemen in the timber, grain and other industries. More importantly, the General had personally discovered what appeared to be a potential iron-rich minor well up the river. Quietly, Washington was looking to buy this himself but was happy to involve his old friend, Gage.

Mysore

Having defeated the Sultan of Mysore in numerous battles, General William Howe of the British East India Company Army would march inland, defeating Hyder Ali and putting the puppet Wodeyar Maharajas back on the throne with the help of the Maratha Empire.

This would be the greatest company victory in decades and the Maharajas would be granted many boons (of cash and future trading rights) in Mysore in gratitude of their services.

Howe was another former British soldier whom had been forced to seek employment abroad. Like Gage, Howe was the scion of nobility but the loss of his patrimony led him to the BEIC where he could command an army even as his brother Richard commanded a BEIC naval squadron and his youngest brother was engaged by the Company as a factor and merchant captain in Jakarta.

 

[Odinson]

What happened to John Pitcairn after the fall of the United Kingdom?

 

[fluttersky]

For over a year, the distribution of the city of Jeven along the North Sea had been up in the air. It had been claimed by both Oldenburg and the Dutch Stadtholder. Cleves would simplify the issue.

Cleves would be given in fief to the Stadtholder while Jeven would be given to Oldenburg.

minor correction: Jever, not Jeven.

 

[Alt History Buff]

minor correction: Jever, not Jeven.

Thanks, I've corrected.

 

[Alt History Buff]

When are the French going to put in a national bank and bonds?

Good point, I'll integrate that in.