alternatehistory.com

After the Treaty of Amiens was signed, peace was supposed to reign over Europe. But, Napoleon had other plans. Having taken opportunity of the peace to reinforce Haiti and to incorporate Switzerland and parts of Italy into France, it was time for war. On 18 May 1804 [one year later than otl], Britain declared war on France and blockaded Haiti, resulting in its surrender on 30 November 1804. Napoleon [having not crowned himself Emperor unlike otl on 2 December 1804, Hyeres having diminished his mood for coronation and diverted money to fund the war against Britain] prepared to invade Britain, but this would be met with a belligerent response.

To defeat Britain, Napoleon contemplated an invasion of Britain. This would be done by selling Louisiana to the United States for money and requisitioning more Spanish ships from Spain, even if the best Spanish ships of the line were lost at Hyeres. However, the French, despite their defeat at Hyeres, were still prepared to invade Britain. Britain had to be invaded by Napoleon at all costs despite potential defeat.

Nevertheless, the French had to wait until March 1806 before starting their invasion campaign. This would be done with Spanish support. The French Navy at Toulon would sail to rendezvous with Spanish ships at Cartagena and Cadiz, raid the West Indies and return to Europe to collect the Rochefort and Ferrol squadrons before meeting Gantueme at Brest and invading Britain. The campaign started with departure on 20 March from Toulon of the French Mediterranean Fleet, still decimated by 1793 to 1802, followed by the Spanish and French from Cadiz. After three months spent raiding the Caribbean, evading Horatio Nelson and capturing only meaningless islands and merchant ships, the combined fleet would be intercepted off Ferrol and forced into battle on 25 July 1806 before reaching Ferrol, losing 3 elderly Spanish ships of the line amidst confusion.

The Royal Navy, at this version of Cape Finisterre, had 20 ships of the line to the French and Spanish 20. Demoralised at losing ships again, the French and Spanish were in panic and fled. On 21 October 1806 [a year later than reality], most of the French and Spanish ships which survived Cape Finisterre would be destroyed at Trafalgar and 2 weeks later, the rear of the defeated fleets would be lost off Cape Ortegal, having been destroyed to the fullest unlike Hyeres, all British ships of the line captured by France in the Mediterranean over 1795 to 1801 being recaptured or destroyed by Trafalgar.

By 1 January 1807, the French had about 25 ships of the line in operation, reflecting the defeats of previous years. Spain had 20 ships of the line left in operation. At Trafalgar, the entire combined fleet 's Spanish ships of the rear guard were destroyed although obsolete in age. 2 months later, a squadron of the Brest fleet was destroyed in the Caribbean, costing France another 5 ships of the line, and the Atlantic Campaign that year would cost France 5 more ships of the line. This would be concluded by the Cadiz combined fleet being destroyed in battle in 1808 and the lost that year of the Portuguese and Danish fleets to the Napoleonic cause.

From this point onwards, apart from pushing back the course of this timeline's Napoleonic Wars by a year backwards and various Napoleonic War scenarios on this website that could be used to continue the timeline with necessary modifications and approximately one year's pushback in certain events, the timeline is done now.