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Chapter 30 Vive le Revolution
Chapter 30 Vive le Revolution
"Insurrection is the most sacred of rights and most indispensable of duties."- Marquis de Lafayette 1783
"Charles was a fool in the manner he ruled. I would never lose my rule to a bunch of revolutionary upstarts."- King Louise Phillipe I 1830
"It's times like these that I'm glad we listened to Washington when it came to non-interference."- President William Harrison 1846
All of human history can be said to be a series of conflicts over a large amount of time. From the stone age where man waged war with sticks and stones, to the modern era with mechanized warfare and nuclear weaponry, people have been fighting against each other for various beliefs and ideologies. Chief among these being the conflict of revolution which has become increasingly prominent in world affairs in the later centuries. All of these conflicts have had profound effects on mankind such as the French Revolution, American war of independence, Haitian Revolution, White Winter, Rise of Britannia, Chinese Revolution, and the Italian/German unification movements. The most principal of revolutions that most non-historians tend to easily forget is the 1846 revolutions. These series of events, which initially happened with little coordination between the rebel parties, would come to affect geopolitics for the rest of the century by laying the groundwork of conflict that would lead up to the Great War. For the last thirty years before Europe had been enjoying a fragile peace since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, one that was held by a coalition of European nations who all despised each other and were only united in their common hatred and fear of liberalism. As was the case before the powder keg that would light the grand spark of revolution would take place on the streets of Paris, France.
To say that France from 1789-1846 was one of the more unstable nations in Europe is quite the understatement. Little more than 50 years before one of the oldest dynasties in Europe had been overthrown in an instant by the common people. Europe had experienced several regime changes before but it was always done by plotting nobles, clergymen, or individuals with claims to the throne. Never had they experienced the execution of a monarch by the hands of the lower class. Once the first Republic was founded revolutionary ideals spread across Europe like wildfire, even the ascension of Emperor Napoleon I did nothing to quell this epidemic as Napoleon only sought to encourage the spread of revolution through his Napoleonic Code. After the Battle of Waterloo the Great Powers sought to stabilize the situation in France by putting the Bourbons back in power under the rule of Louis XVIII, younger brother to Louis XVI. Louis XVIII sought to only rule as a constitutional monarch and relented to the demands of the French masses in order to prevent his death by guillotine. His rule only lasted one decade before he died in 1824. After that his younger brother Charles X came to power. Charles, in mirror practice of the eldest Louis, sought to restore the ancien regime and ruled in the manner of an autocrat by giving support only to the conservative and absolutist factions of government. When Charles enacted censure of the press and dissolved the Chamber of Deputies, the French people rose in revolt and ousted him from power to be replaced with the head of the Orleans branch of the Bourbons, Louis Phillipe. Louis Phillipe wisely chose to hold the current constitutional monarchy and did not openly pursue policies that supported the absolutist or conservative factions of government. The main issue was that while the July Monarchy was liberal in its governance, it relied heavily on support from the bourgeoisie aristocracy. This consisted of rich men such as the bankers, railroad magnates, factory owners, capitalists, estates-men, etc. Louis tended to support the bourgeoisie and under his rule the rich gained increasing power with a rising procurement of land from the lower class, increasing the income gap and severely lowering the enfranchisement of the French people. The situation got so bad that by 1846 only 1% of French men had the right to vote. The situation wasn't any better inside of parliament as Louis refused to negotiate with the reform movement or give greater powers to the legislative branch. Perhaps Louis's only saving grace that prevented the revolution from occurring sooner was France's large success in foreign policy such as the Algerian conquests and the Texas intervention. The situation was inevitable though when an economic crisis hit France in 1844, followed by a depression the following year in 1845. This combined with bad harvests caused unemployment rates to skyrocket and massive peasant rebellions to prop up among the countryside. Socialists and Republicans banded together with calls for the establishment of right to work and protection of property by the government. The one final factor though that would launch all of Paris into revolt would not be all of these factors, but rather closing of a banquet by government orders.
Liberty Leading the People (1830). Symbol of the July revolution(Right) Louis Phillipe giving the flags to the national guard (Center) French Chamber of Deputies (Left)
During the July Monarchy all political demonstrations and gatherings had been banned under the pretense of a revolution. The right of free press was still protected but the people had no outlet unto which to gather and rally against the government. The nobles and middle class came up with a solution by creating fund raising banquets, where opponents of the monarchy could safely gather and vent their frustrations against the current regime. The French government was powerless to stop them as the banquets gave the alibi of a private gathering with their purpose being non-political. Over several months in 1845 the commoners and middle class would gather at these banquets in open defiance to the July Monarchy. One notable patron of the banquets was German philosopher Friedrich Engels, who would later be known for co-writing the communist manifesto with Karl Marx. Engels was inspired by the people gathering in unity against the proletariat that he wrote a series of essays called "The Reform Movement in France," detailing the ideals and politics of the banquets. The largest known banquet occurred on New Years 1846 where thousands of middle class, nobles, and members of parliament gathered together to celebrate freedom and criticize the government. When Louis learned of this he became enraged and issued a decree that outlawed all banquets within Paris on January 2nd, 1846. The people of Paris were outraged at the decree and on January 4th the streets of Paris were filled with millions of Parisians who were determined to overthrow the monarchy once and for all. Barricades were set up all throughout the neighborhoods and anarchists openly clashed with the capitol guard. Crowds gathered outside the palace were chants filled the air with calls for Louis's abdication and the resignation of Prime Minister Guillaume Guizot. Guizot not wanting to suffer his reputation further submitted his resignation on the 5th. After word spread of the resignation a mob was set upon the gates of the Office of the Foreign ministry. In order to scare the crowds off the captain of the guard ordered for his men to fix bayonets and keep them off the gates. Like so many other historical events where this phenomenon happens for some reason, a guard misfired his rifle and killed a protestor on sight. The rest of the soldiers took this as an order and fired into the rest of the crowd, killing 54 people. The protests which until then had been somewhat stable, erupted into largescale riots where millions of francs worth of property were destroyed and many sections of Paris were on fire. Not wanting for his family to be executed, Louis Phillipe abdicated as the last King of France in favor of his grandson Phillipe of Comte, Louis then fled France in exile. Due to his aggressive foreign campaigns over the years Louis was not welcomed in London soon after he arrived, with no friendly relations among the other European dynasty, Louis and his family fled to the one nation that still had a positive opinion of the Bourbons, Texas. In the aftermath of the January revolution several weeks of anarchy occurred in Paris until a coalition of Liberals came together for a constitutional convention. Founding what would later become the Second French Republic, only to be dissolved four years later with the rise of Emperor Napoleon III and the Second French Empire. The situation in France would be stabilized but the fires of revolution would soon spread throughout Europe, engulfing the continent in a flame of war and nationalism.
"Lamartine, before the Hotel de Ville Paris,rejects the Red Flag on January 6th, 1840" by Henri Felix Emmanuel Philippoteaux
Before we conclude this chapter the author feels it necessary to include the reaction of Texas to the January Revolution. Back then it took about one month for news of Europe to spread to Texas, so when Austin finally received word of the regime change, reactions within the Republic were quite mixed. A majority of the population were saddened but largely indifferent to the matter as it had no immediate impact on their daily lives. The Germans had celebrations over the matter due to the downfall of another French monarch. The Republicans (not the party) and ultranationalists were filled with glee that Texas would no longer be a "puppet" of a European power and that democracy had taken route once again. The worst situation came with the French colonists who entered a near state of Civil War between patriotic supporters of the monarchy and revolutionary republicans. The situation got so bad that President Lamar had to deploy 150 Texas Rangers in order to quell the riots within East Texas. The overall unrest which came to be called "French Spring" resulted in 14 deaths, 48 wounded, and over $15,000 redbacks in property damage. Within Austin an immense panic was spreading among the government. France, Texas's main benefactor and protector against foreign powers, had undergone a regime change where the new rulers could easily annul Texas's agreement due to it have been created under the Bourbons. Fear spread among Texas, Rio Grande, and Yucatan, that an Mexican invasion would happen any day now. Indeed the loyalist portion of the French forces stationed in Texas had deserted during the French Spring and decided to become citizens of Texas instead of serving the revolutionary regime, while others chose to defect directly to the Texan Army. In his time of desperation, President Lamar had called upon Sam Houston to once again take the post of head of the army and offered him a temporary rank of Major General until the crisis settled. While Houston did not like working under Lamar he knew that the safety of the Republic came first before any petty grudges. So Houston would accept the offer and mobilize the Texan regular army, Rangers, and militia to the frontier borders to defend the Republic. Troops were also sent to the Rio Grande with the Texan Navy deploying in the gulf to deflect any deployment of the Mexican Navy. What followed came to be known as the Border Wars, as opportunistic Mexican governors launched attacks with state militia against the Independent Republics in order to claim the territory for Mexico. The only reason a full scale war wasn't escalated with the Mexican War starting 15 years early, was due to the fact that President Filisola did not wish to mobilize Mexico as the nation was still undergoing large economic and social conflict in the aftermath of the Civil War. A fully detailed analysis of the Border Wars will occur in a later chapter as the 1846 revolutions still need to be established first in order to get a sense of the wider conflict that was about to engulf the Western world.
View attachment 291530
Texas Rangers before deployment to quell the French Spring Riots (Right) The Border Wars (Left)
On one final note to conclude this chapter is the fate of the Bourbons. After being denied from entry into England, the family set sail to Galveston in order to find refuge within the French colonies that had been set up in Texas. They had arrived in May 24th, 1846; with their arrival marking the official end of the French Spring as the loyalist French immigrants had welcomed the exiled family and began peace negotiations with the Republican faction. The Bourbon family would soon settle within the now French city of Nacogdoches and would thrive in their new residence, becoming the unofficial heads of the city as they brought Parisian culture to the settlement and attracted large amounts of French immigrants to the city, making Nacogdoches and by extension East Texas the center of Western French culture. The now deposed King Louis Phillipe would gain much power and influence in Texas as he had brought the families wealth with him and became the richest man in the country, if not all of the Americas. Louis became a member of the Western Union Party and used much of his wealth to fund several business, founding of settlements, and infrastructure projects in Texas, with Louis later becoming instrumental in the 1848 California Gold Rush. The man soon became a rival/friend to Prince Carl and Louis would become immortalized in the Republic as a Founding Father of Texas for his role in creating the national economy, introduction of French culture to Texas, and protection of the Republic during the Revolution. Many Texans though would associate the name of Louis Phillipe with his grandson the Count of Paris, as Prince Phillipe would one day become a President of the Republic.
President Louis Phillipe of the Republic of Texas
A/N: The Revolutions are ago people. We are now crossing the point of no return with the entire history of the Lone Star Republic changing from this point on. For those of you wondering when I will post the "Border Wars" chapter it will be during the middle of the revolutions and after the start of the Oregon War. Thanks for reading and tell me in the comments below your thoughts and predictions of these new developments. Long live the Republic!
"Insurrection is the most sacred of rights and most indispensable of duties."- Marquis de Lafayette 1783
"Charles was a fool in the manner he ruled. I would never lose my rule to a bunch of revolutionary upstarts."- King Louise Phillipe I 1830
"It's times like these that I'm glad we listened to Washington when it came to non-interference."- President William Harrison 1846
All of human history can be said to be a series of conflicts over a large amount of time. From the stone age where man waged war with sticks and stones, to the modern era with mechanized warfare and nuclear weaponry, people have been fighting against each other for various beliefs and ideologies. Chief among these being the conflict of revolution which has become increasingly prominent in world affairs in the later centuries. All of these conflicts have had profound effects on mankind such as the French Revolution, American war of independence, Haitian Revolution, White Winter, Rise of Britannia, Chinese Revolution, and the Italian/German unification movements. The most principal of revolutions that most non-historians tend to easily forget is the 1846 revolutions. These series of events, which initially happened with little coordination between the rebel parties, would come to affect geopolitics for the rest of the century by laying the groundwork of conflict that would lead up to the Great War. For the last thirty years before Europe had been enjoying a fragile peace since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, one that was held by a coalition of European nations who all despised each other and were only united in their common hatred and fear of liberalism. As was the case before the powder keg that would light the grand spark of revolution would take place on the streets of Paris, France.
To say that France from 1789-1846 was one of the more unstable nations in Europe is quite the understatement. Little more than 50 years before one of the oldest dynasties in Europe had been overthrown in an instant by the common people. Europe had experienced several regime changes before but it was always done by plotting nobles, clergymen, or individuals with claims to the throne. Never had they experienced the execution of a monarch by the hands of the lower class. Once the first Republic was founded revolutionary ideals spread across Europe like wildfire, even the ascension of Emperor Napoleon I did nothing to quell this epidemic as Napoleon only sought to encourage the spread of revolution through his Napoleonic Code. After the Battle of Waterloo the Great Powers sought to stabilize the situation in France by putting the Bourbons back in power under the rule of Louis XVIII, younger brother to Louis XVI. Louis XVIII sought to only rule as a constitutional monarch and relented to the demands of the French masses in order to prevent his death by guillotine. His rule only lasted one decade before he died in 1824. After that his younger brother Charles X came to power. Charles, in mirror practice of the eldest Louis, sought to restore the ancien regime and ruled in the manner of an autocrat by giving support only to the conservative and absolutist factions of government. When Charles enacted censure of the press and dissolved the Chamber of Deputies, the French people rose in revolt and ousted him from power to be replaced with the head of the Orleans branch of the Bourbons, Louis Phillipe. Louis Phillipe wisely chose to hold the current constitutional monarchy and did not openly pursue policies that supported the absolutist or conservative factions of government. The main issue was that while the July Monarchy was liberal in its governance, it relied heavily on support from the bourgeoisie aristocracy. This consisted of rich men such as the bankers, railroad magnates, factory owners, capitalists, estates-men, etc. Louis tended to support the bourgeoisie and under his rule the rich gained increasing power with a rising procurement of land from the lower class, increasing the income gap and severely lowering the enfranchisement of the French people. The situation got so bad that by 1846 only 1% of French men had the right to vote. The situation wasn't any better inside of parliament as Louis refused to negotiate with the reform movement or give greater powers to the legislative branch. Perhaps Louis's only saving grace that prevented the revolution from occurring sooner was France's large success in foreign policy such as the Algerian conquests and the Texas intervention. The situation was inevitable though when an economic crisis hit France in 1844, followed by a depression the following year in 1845. This combined with bad harvests caused unemployment rates to skyrocket and massive peasant rebellions to prop up among the countryside. Socialists and Republicans banded together with calls for the establishment of right to work and protection of property by the government. The one final factor though that would launch all of Paris into revolt would not be all of these factors, but rather closing of a banquet by government orders.
Liberty Leading the People (1830). Symbol of the July revolution(Right) Louis Phillipe giving the flags to the national guard (Center) French Chamber of Deputies (Left)
During the July Monarchy all political demonstrations and gatherings had been banned under the pretense of a revolution. The right of free press was still protected but the people had no outlet unto which to gather and rally against the government. The nobles and middle class came up with a solution by creating fund raising banquets, where opponents of the monarchy could safely gather and vent their frustrations against the current regime. The French government was powerless to stop them as the banquets gave the alibi of a private gathering with their purpose being non-political. Over several months in 1845 the commoners and middle class would gather at these banquets in open defiance to the July Monarchy. One notable patron of the banquets was German philosopher Friedrich Engels, who would later be known for co-writing the communist manifesto with Karl Marx. Engels was inspired by the people gathering in unity against the proletariat that he wrote a series of essays called "The Reform Movement in France," detailing the ideals and politics of the banquets. The largest known banquet occurred on New Years 1846 where thousands of middle class, nobles, and members of parliament gathered together to celebrate freedom and criticize the government. When Louis learned of this he became enraged and issued a decree that outlawed all banquets within Paris on January 2nd, 1846. The people of Paris were outraged at the decree and on January 4th the streets of Paris were filled with millions of Parisians who were determined to overthrow the monarchy once and for all. Barricades were set up all throughout the neighborhoods and anarchists openly clashed with the capitol guard. Crowds gathered outside the palace were chants filled the air with calls for Louis's abdication and the resignation of Prime Minister Guillaume Guizot. Guizot not wanting to suffer his reputation further submitted his resignation on the 5th. After word spread of the resignation a mob was set upon the gates of the Office of the Foreign ministry. In order to scare the crowds off the captain of the guard ordered for his men to fix bayonets and keep them off the gates. Like so many other historical events where this phenomenon happens for some reason, a guard misfired his rifle and killed a protestor on sight. The rest of the soldiers took this as an order and fired into the rest of the crowd, killing 54 people. The protests which until then had been somewhat stable, erupted into largescale riots where millions of francs worth of property were destroyed and many sections of Paris were on fire. Not wanting for his family to be executed, Louis Phillipe abdicated as the last King of France in favor of his grandson Phillipe of Comte, Louis then fled France in exile. Due to his aggressive foreign campaigns over the years Louis was not welcomed in London soon after he arrived, with no friendly relations among the other European dynasty, Louis and his family fled to the one nation that still had a positive opinion of the Bourbons, Texas. In the aftermath of the January revolution several weeks of anarchy occurred in Paris until a coalition of Liberals came together for a constitutional convention. Founding what would later become the Second French Republic, only to be dissolved four years later with the rise of Emperor Napoleon III and the Second French Empire. The situation in France would be stabilized but the fires of revolution would soon spread throughout Europe, engulfing the continent in a flame of war and nationalism.
"Lamartine, before the Hotel de Ville Paris,rejects the Red Flag on January 6th, 1840" by Henri Felix Emmanuel Philippoteaux
Before we conclude this chapter the author feels it necessary to include the reaction of Texas to the January Revolution. Back then it took about one month for news of Europe to spread to Texas, so when Austin finally received word of the regime change, reactions within the Republic were quite mixed. A majority of the population were saddened but largely indifferent to the matter as it had no immediate impact on their daily lives. The Germans had celebrations over the matter due to the downfall of another French monarch. The Republicans (not the party) and ultranationalists were filled with glee that Texas would no longer be a "puppet" of a European power and that democracy had taken route once again. The worst situation came with the French colonists who entered a near state of Civil War between patriotic supporters of the monarchy and revolutionary republicans. The situation got so bad that President Lamar had to deploy 150 Texas Rangers in order to quell the riots within East Texas. The overall unrest which came to be called "French Spring" resulted in 14 deaths, 48 wounded, and over $15,000 redbacks in property damage. Within Austin an immense panic was spreading among the government. France, Texas's main benefactor and protector against foreign powers, had undergone a regime change where the new rulers could easily annul Texas's agreement due to it have been created under the Bourbons. Fear spread among Texas, Rio Grande, and Yucatan, that an Mexican invasion would happen any day now. Indeed the loyalist portion of the French forces stationed in Texas had deserted during the French Spring and decided to become citizens of Texas instead of serving the revolutionary regime, while others chose to defect directly to the Texan Army. In his time of desperation, President Lamar had called upon Sam Houston to once again take the post of head of the army and offered him a temporary rank of Major General until the crisis settled. While Houston did not like working under Lamar he knew that the safety of the Republic came first before any petty grudges. So Houston would accept the offer and mobilize the Texan regular army, Rangers, and militia to the frontier borders to defend the Republic. Troops were also sent to the Rio Grande with the Texan Navy deploying in the gulf to deflect any deployment of the Mexican Navy. What followed came to be known as the Border Wars, as opportunistic Mexican governors launched attacks with state militia against the Independent Republics in order to claim the territory for Mexico. The only reason a full scale war wasn't escalated with the Mexican War starting 15 years early, was due to the fact that President Filisola did not wish to mobilize Mexico as the nation was still undergoing large economic and social conflict in the aftermath of the Civil War. A fully detailed analysis of the Border Wars will occur in a later chapter as the 1846 revolutions still need to be established first in order to get a sense of the wider conflict that was about to engulf the Western world.
View attachment 291530
Texas Rangers before deployment to quell the French Spring Riots (Right) The Border Wars (Left)
On one final note to conclude this chapter is the fate of the Bourbons. After being denied from entry into England, the family set sail to Galveston in order to find refuge within the French colonies that had been set up in Texas. They had arrived in May 24th, 1846; with their arrival marking the official end of the French Spring as the loyalist French immigrants had welcomed the exiled family and began peace negotiations with the Republican faction. The Bourbon family would soon settle within the now French city of Nacogdoches and would thrive in their new residence, becoming the unofficial heads of the city as they brought Parisian culture to the settlement and attracted large amounts of French immigrants to the city, making Nacogdoches and by extension East Texas the center of Western French culture. The now deposed King Louis Phillipe would gain much power and influence in Texas as he had brought the families wealth with him and became the richest man in the country, if not all of the Americas. Louis became a member of the Western Union Party and used much of his wealth to fund several business, founding of settlements, and infrastructure projects in Texas, with Louis later becoming instrumental in the 1848 California Gold Rush. The man soon became a rival/friend to Prince Carl and Louis would become immortalized in the Republic as a Founding Father of Texas for his role in creating the national economy, introduction of French culture to Texas, and protection of the Republic during the Revolution. Many Texans though would associate the name of Louis Phillipe with his grandson the Count of Paris, as Prince Phillipe would one day become a President of the Republic.
President Louis Phillipe of the Republic of Texas
A/N: The Revolutions are ago people. We are now crossing the point of no return with the entire history of the Lone Star Republic changing from this point on. For those of you wondering when I will post the "Border Wars" chapter it will be during the middle of the revolutions and after the start of the Oregon War. Thanks for reading and tell me in the comments below your thoughts and predictions of these new developments. Long live the Republic!
- Kaiser Chris
- Word Count: 2.4k