A Different Republic

I'm fairly new here, so be gentle when pointing out my mistakes.

1787-Louis XVI introduces sweeping reforms and transforms the country into a constitutional monarchy. He becomes greatly loved by the people and Louis XVI breaks the power of the bitter aristocracy.

1790-Other monarchies in Europe become very distrustful of Loius and the new France, but by maintaining excellent diplomacy, Loius avoids war.

1793-The people of the Holy Roman Empire look over into France and desire what every Frenchman has-freedom. The aristocracy ais largely blind to the struggles of the hardworking commoners. Leopold II wants to instigate reforms like that in France but is murdered by the aristocracy. The rest of the monarchy flee to France.

1795-All out revolution explodes in the Empire. The Hungarians, Czechs and others suceed but in the chaos they are brought back under Austrian control. Most members of the aristocracy except for those that escaped into Britain and a few aristocrats who were smart enough to show republican sentiments before the Revolution.

1796-The Austrian Republic is born, bursting with vitality and new ideas. The other European nations become fearful and attack. France stays outof thhe conflict. Austria is stunningly succesful in most of its efforts and defeats the Monarchist powers of Prussia, Britain and Russia. The war ends with the Treaty of Munich.

1798-The Monarchist powers gather to war once again but are defeated even more quickly under the great leadership of a number of great Austrian generals such as Archduke Charles whos family avoided execution during the Revolution by fleeing to France. Once he returned, his victories made him the most popular general in the Republic. Charles begins to reform the army making it much more efficient.

1800-The nations of Russia, Britain, Prussia and the Netherlands are defeated once again. The Treaty of Vienna is signed and so ends the Austrian Revolutionary Wars.

More to come. This is just a rough outline, I'll post info on battles and other specifics later.

Comments, criticisms, suggestions?
 
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Interesting... A more competent Louis XVI and an Austrian revolution instead of a French one.
But, wouldn't we end up with several republics rather than one? Or is this a federal republic, like the US?

Also, the Netherlands have very few interests in attacking the Austrian republic. On the contrary, if the Empire collapses, the better for them as the Empire won't try to retake the Netherlands.
 
Interesting indeed. I think it can be said that Louis XVI understood the problems in his country and he understood what were the most likely solutions but what was in his heart to help his people and the ability of his brain and backbone did not match. He simply could not stand up against the aristocracy that kept the Old Order in order for years. Louis XVI needed to be a Peter the Great. Or perhaps a strong personality like his brother Charles X but then again, Charles X would never have become a "liberal" and he lost his throne and the dynasty as a result.
 
Thank you all for the support.

Yes, this Austrian Republic is a federal one.

The Netherlands is involved in the war they are worried that the Austrians want to retake their land. The Netherlands aims to make sure that the Empire collapses sooner rather than later.

Several Important Battles of the Austrian Revolutionary Wars

Battle of Krakow (June 1796)-General Jozsef Alvinczi's first major victory where the combined armies of Prussia and Russia under the leadership of Count von Bennnigsen were defeated. The Russians held the highground, but were outmanoeuvred by the rapid Austrian forces who managed to defeat the Russians and Prussians seperately.

Battle of Prague (May 1799)-British, Prussian and Hannoverian troops under the Leadership of Major General Picton, Count von Gneisenau and David Hendrik Chasse are decisevely defeated by Archduke Charles who relied on rapid manoeuvre to quickly gain the upper hand. This battle was the first in which massed artillery gave the Austrians victory despite being outnumbered.


timeline continued . . .

1801-The Austrians, confident in their successes turn their attention to the Ottoman Empire. Charles rapidly advances deep into the Balkans despite the intense geurilla warfare. His overwhelming victories at Belgrade and Bucharest make his men hero-worship him. Charles reforms to the army continue to be implemented. Multi-lingual officers are chosen, tactics are updated and merit becomes the deciding factor in promotions, not connections. Charles' loyal veterans become known as the best soldiers in Europe.

1803-Greece is liberated by Charles, much to the shock of Europe and the East. The young Republic of Greece is unstable and civil strife remains a problem for many years. However, it becomes a valuable client state of Austria which gives the Austrians the means to get a large share of Mediterranean trade. Charles 'Greek Ulcer' never completely goes away but dies down to a manageable level.


More to come . . .
 
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1804-The British station a significant part of their navy on the island of Crete. This greatly hampers Austrian trade. The British also send military advisors to the Ottomans to assist with modernising the Turkish army. Charles raises a number of Greek volunteer units such as the Spartan Brigade to encourage the Greeks by emphasing the Greeks glorious past. The Ottomans build up a very large defensive force with British help in front of Constantinople. Charles realises that it is beyond his reach and so invades Egypt with the aim of allying with the Persians. Charles captures the Suez canal much to the dismay of the British. At the Battle of Crete, Austrian naval forces are defeated by the defending British forces. Austrian General Karl von Radetz turns traitor and flees to Italy where he plans to unify the peninsular and become a new power against Austria.

1805-Sultan Selim III abolishes the Janissary corps after a failed attempt to depose him. The Ottoman New Army is trained and equiped by the British and is a match for European forces. Despite this, Charles gets as far as Palestine, but then his advance eventually stalls. Russia starts pressuring the Austrian Republic on its northeastern border where the first windbeusches, or air-rifles are tested in the field. These quiet guns have no muzzle flash and are perfect for ambushes. Their 'invisible' lethality demoralise Russian troops but prove to be delicate. The Austrian Republic devotes much resources to the development of a sturdier air-rifle.

1806-Charles realises that dealing with Russian ambitions are a higher priority than conquering the middle east and so leave for home. The men he leaves behind manage to hold onto most territory in Egypt but Palestine and the Suez are retaken by British and Ottoman forces. Austrian forces push the Russians back and Moldovia is liberated, becoming a client state of Austria. Rogue general von Radetz has gained many followers but still, many are opposed to unification. Under Venetian command, he wages war successfully against Piedmont-Sardinia and Tuscany. He unifies the northern half of Italy and declares himself king.

1807-Charles great military successes make him increasingly ambitious. He is declared First Marshal for life and only six months later he is declared emperor. The Monarchist powers scramble to gather into a new alliance to declare war on the upstart emperor, Charles. The Monarchist powers initially gain the upper hand. The Kingdom of Italy declares war on Austria but is unable to advance far. The Austrians try to invade Italy but do not succeed. British, Russian and Prussian forces strike at Austria. Meanwhile, Ottoman forces successfully attack Austrian territory in Egypt, but cannot fully drive them out. Many Danish, Swedish, Spanish and Portuguese volunteers fight in this 'crusade' against republicanism. Many predict that the Republic will fall.

comments?
 
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I was thinking that the Austrians have among many things, one weak point the French didn't have. France had a better economy, but besides this, most of the population was French. This doesn't happen to the Austrians. They have Germans, Hungarians, Croats, Romanians, Slovaks, Czechs, Slovenians, Poles, Ukrainians, etc. It won't be so easy to make them stay united. I believe that the Monarchist powers will try to divide them using this.
 
For Louis XVI to actually do something, I think you'd need a 'power behind the throne' or at least an influential advisor somewhere to be guiding him. Talleyrand would work pretty well in this role; he hated his aristocratic family, was a non-believer, and served a decent role in OTL French Revolution.

On the other hand, Leopold II was actually one of the more liberal (in the vein of enlightened absolutism) rulers in Europe*, and I'd think less likely to be the victim of a revolution. Actually, I would picture Leopold II as more likely to be doing the "For King against Aristocracy" thing than Louis XIV.

Interesting enough, from Robin Hood down through A Knight's Tale, the monarchy has been portrayed as a savior to the common man oppressed by the nobility.

EDIT: Ended capital punishment, opposed Papal supremacy, freed serfs, he also had plenty of issues holding down the nobles in his own country, esp. in Hungary and Bohemia, so such an absolute monarchical revolution would look even more enticing to Leopold II.
 
It would have to be assumed that Leopold II would live longer than the 2 year reign he had when he succeeded his brother the enlightened Joseph II. Leopold II's reign (1790-1792).
 
A power behind the throne in France is a very good idea, I will use this. Talleyrand seems ideal.

I didn't know that about Leopold II, thanks for pointing that out, I'll change it so that Leopold tries to do what Loius XVI does and then is killed, thus angering the serfs and igniting the revolution.

By seizing Greece, Austria's economy is greatly strengthened as it gains access to Mediterreanean trade.

The various nationalities of the Austrian republic stick together becuase they know that their republican government would be destroyed one by one if they didn't unite. It is this ideology that holds them together, but it may not be enough to act as a unifying force in the long term.


Timeline continued . . .

1808-Charles instigates economic reforms and modifies the structure of the federal Republic by giving each ethnic group a greater degree of autonomy. The war with Russia, Prussia and Britain is on a scale larger than any previous war, it is total war. Mass conscription is introduced and propaganda posters can be seen all over the Republic (de facto Empire). The war in northern Germany stagnates thanks to the efforts of Prussia and Britain. The war against Russia however, takes a very different path and rapid advances are made. The Russians adapt by destroying supplies, the exhausted Austrians are forced to pull back. The Austrian economy is struggling under the war effort and so Charles must win this war quickly. The British decide to radically change their approach to winning this war. Britain sends secret agents into Greece by way of Crete to foster ethnic tension.

1809-Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord, one of Loius XVI's most influential advisors and also partially responsible for the restructuring of the French government, convinces Loius XVI to send economic aid and also volunteers to fight alongside the Austrians. Talleyrand also convinces the French king to assist von Radetz's Kingdom of Italy, hoping that Italy could serve as a buffer between France and Austria. The Austrians intensify their efforts in the war and they gradually push back the Monarchists. The Austrians try to capture Crete again but are defeated at the Second Battle of Crete.

1810-The French volunteers fight extremely well alongside the Austrians and have many victories under their belt. The British agents in the Empire have mixed success. Guerilla warfare greatly intensifies in Greece and in the eastern parts of the Republic which become overrun by the Russians. The Austrians once again push them out and crush them at the Battle of Minsk and the Battle of Smolensk. With the Russians out of the war, Prussia looses its determination and fights for a while before admiting defeat. Despite winning the Third War of the Monarchist Alliance, Austria finds itself unable to hold onto its eastern territories. Austria is puts in more effort to hold onto Greece due to its greater economic worth. The many small states that appear in what was the far eastern territory of the Republic fall back under the influence of Austria as they all hate Russia for invading. Despite this, Charles in unable to get them to cooperate as subservient allies and Austria needs to recover first before trying to regain control. The great success of the British agents in the south and east is contrastes with the failure in western territories.
 
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Convincing Louis XVI to send aide to the Austrians after the assassination of Leopold II makes sense. After all, Leopold II, a like thinking fellow monarch also happened to be the brother-in-law of Louis XVI and was close to his sister the French Queen Marie Antoinette.

Perhaps Talleyrand convinces the king to send his liberal thinking cousin the Philippe, Duke of Orleans to advise his nephew the Austrian Emperor Francis I in order to continue the political reforms begun by Leopold II.
 
Dear Author,
I have a few remarks to make to your otherwise interesting TL

1) The french coffins were empty.
That was the most fundamental reason for the Revolution to break out.
You must solve the matter if you want the lid to be kept on the French powder kettle

2) While the national idea was beginning to emerge in France, it was an alien and strange unknown thing in th HRE.
Please do not make the Austrian Republik too much similar to OTL Francoise Republique.

3) France was the cultural gotha of europe. The very idea that a revolution could happen is strongly linked to that.
HRE did not have a cultural class comparable to the french philosphes
 
Interesting points there.

When Loius XVI introduces reforms, they are political and also economic in nature. Since the coffers are empty, France is probably deep in debt and this may cause problems later.

The concept of the republic is adopted by the HRE from France because despite the fact that the idea is alien in the HRE, the people are desperate for a change of government and are furious at Leopold II's death.

Political Structure of the Austrian Republik and Empire

1795-Time period known as 'the chaos'.

1796 to 1798-The Austrian Confederation is established. It is highly decentralised and the executive branch is weak.

1798 to 1807-The Triumvirate establishes the Federal Republik. Power is centralised as the various semi-autonomous states defer some of their power to the central government in response to the threat posed by various surrounding nations. A customs union, the Zollverein is established and expensive tariffs are introduced. A parliament is introduced that drafts and dicusses bills but does not vote on them. Rather, the people vote.

1807 onwards-The Empire is in power, but is mostly the same in structure to the Federal Republik. Archduke Charles is appointed First Marshal, and being very popular amongst the people, he becomes head of state. He abolishes the tariffs, but also centralises power even more. The parliament is kept intact, but Charles makes himself First Executive and he can draft bills.


Some Distinguished Units of the Austrian Wars

3rd Welch Dragoons
These excellent medium cavalrymen distinguished themselves in Germany and were instrumental in retaking Palestine.

21st Romanian Regiment
These superb light infantry are very skilled marksmen. They were formed after the Battle of Bucharest and have seen action in Moldovia, Wallachia and the Ukraine.

Hungarian Black Legion
Named in honour of Matthias Corvinus professional army, these men are dressed all in black. They are hussars, the best in Europe, but grenadier and fusilier regiments also exist.

1st Guard Uhlans
Skilled horsemen, they fight as lancers and are the best in the Austrian army. They have fought in Russia, Prussia and southern Germany.

3rd West Prussian Grenadier Battalion
These men are some of the biggest and the strongest in the Prussian army and have fought in a huge number of engagements.

Lifeguard Cossacks
These warrior people fight as part of various standard and elite Russian units. The best of them are part of the Russian Lifeguard. These Cossacks fight mainly as light lancers, but light infantry regiments also exist.

3rd Cuirassiers
These Frenchmen have won many battles alogside the Austrians. They are a magnificent sight to behold in their blue, white, gold and red uniforms.


Update to timeline coming soon . . .

Is the Political structure of Austria that I have outlined here plausible? Any suggested changes?
 
I must say that I find it unlikely that Dutch troops are involved fighting against a republic, especially volunteers. The Netherlands was a republic in those days after all. Ok, there was a hereditary stadholder, but his function was far from the same as a king, he had a lot less power. The Netherlands was basicly ruled by an upper merchant class. Although I must admit the situation was a little more complicated in the late 18th century.

Basicly, a lot of people were unhappy with the way the Dutch republic was governed and a new faction arose that opposed both the stadholder and rich merchants: the patriots. They even got into power and banished the stadholder to Nijmegen (a city in the east of the Netherlands). The stadholder only managed to get back into power with the help of his brother in law the king of/in Prussia. Those patriots would probably support an Austrian republic (although the stadholder probably wouldn't). So I doubt you would see many Dutch volunteers fighting for the monarchists, although Dutch volunteers fighting for the republicans (hoping to change their country) is more likely. I must admit that the Netherlands fighting the republicans is possible, maybe even likely, but they would do it because of pressure from the stadholder and Prussia, not because of some monarchistic idealism.

Also I don't think there was a lot of danger for the Dutch republic that Austria would try to (re)conquer them. The Netherlands hadn't been Austrian since well basicly ever. The Austrians didn't care about the Netherlands, they barely cared about the southern Netherlands. Speaking of the southern Netherlands, a interesting situatians could arise there, as they had a little revolution of their own these OTL. They wanted to get rid of their Austrian rulers and start a republic of their own (or rejoin the northern Netherlands, assuming they were willing to accept them and give them equal rights to the protestants), it succeeded for a couple of months and then they were crushed by the Austrians.
 
You write about the Suez Canal being taken, even though it won't be built for several decades yet.

Furthermore, France's constitutional monarchy (which makes a lot of sense btw good job) would definitely decalre war on Republican Austria. Louis and his constitutional advisors would look with fear towards Austria-he is still a monarch. Think about it-Britain had been a constitutional monarchy since 688 yet it repeatedly decalred war on the French Republi, so Farnce's new and probably unstable constitutional monarchy would almost certainly be hostile to Austria.

Furthermore, they would definitely intervene if Northern Italy was unified by some rogue general-they considered Italy their back garden and their own little sphere of influence, and so having a hostile power on their doorstep would certainly cause them to intervene.
 
Thanks for that interesting information regarding the Netherlands. The intention was that the monarchists fear republicanism, but the Dutch fear Austrian expansionism. Since you pointed out that this is unlikely and you put forward a good argument, I'll remove that.

The rogue General von Radatz is not loyal to the Austrians at all, the intention was that the situation in northern Italy was being manipulated by Talleyrand. By having an ally that has intimate knowledge of a potential enemy, France could gain an advantage. France also wants a stronger buffer state in northern Italy. France is also unwilling to fight alongside the Prussians, British and Russians. France is much more liberal than Britain and French interests are not threatened by Austria. In contrast, British interests in the Mediterranean and the middle east are threatened by Austria.

I meant to say Suez, not the Suez canal. *facepalm* I am somewhat surprised that nobody else noticed that.


Small Update


timeline continued . . .

1811-Opposition to the Dutch government grows due to incompetence. The Dutch Patriotic War begins as a large movement called the Patriots attempts to overthrow the government. The Stadholder is convinced that the Austrians are behind this and wants to declare war, but is unable to due to the civil war. The southern Netherlands attempts to gain independance as the Republic of Flanders although this is shortlived. The United Principalities of Moldovia and Wallachia is established and is confident that it can hold off the Russians after defeating them when part of Austria. Swedish volunteers become dissillusioned with their lack of success against Austria and the populace becomes unhappy due to the weak economy. The people of Sweden come to believe that if they become a republic they could fight the Russians as an ally of Austria. King von Radetz losses support in Italy due to his lack of success against Austria, France tries to prop up their puppet ally, but it is unknown for how long they will be able to do this. It becomes apparent that France is deep in debt and this causes concern amongst the populace who lose some of their trust in their king.
 
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1812-As France's economy weakens, The Patriotic movement also becomes more easily contained as the rebels find it harder to get access to funds and weapons. The Dutch government then begins to suspect that France is funding the Dutch Patriotic movement due to the similiar timing. The Netherlands calls to Britain for help who then lend assistance, but not as much as expected.

1813-Loius XVI dies and is remembered as a great monarch. The people of France hope that their new king Loius XVII is capable of correcting France's debt problem. Loius XVI begins to correct come of the economic difficulties, but the positive effects are not as great as they hoped. The Austrians continue to try to hold onto Greece as their economy would suffer a heavy blow without Mediterranean trade. British efforts in Greece intensify.

1814-War begins again, but Austria defeats the Monarchist League even quicker than the last war. Victory is reached it only 8 months. This is achieved by routing the main forces that Prussia, Britain and Russia have deployed. This was acheived at the battle of Frankfurt, the Battle of Breslau and the second battle of Smolensk. However, the Austrians have suffered very heavy casualties and their fleet is crushed by the British at the battle of Majorea. Charles, former Archduke and Emperor is loved by his people, but they grow tired of war.

1815-The High Guard of Austria which consists of Charles most loyal and skilled veterans is depleted and it's manpower is restored with gifted recruits which somewhat reduces their quality. Greece finally gains independance with British help and the Kingdom of Greece is established.

1816-Although freshly defeated, Prussia, Russia and Britain gather again to destroy Austria. Their generals are increasingly more skilled at copying and countering the tactics. They declare war again and it immediately becomes noticeable that Austria's army is greatly reduced in strength.

1817-Charles does what he has done in all his previous wars, he attacks the Monarchist armies that have mobilised before they can meet up. At the second battle of Breslau, Russian, British and Prussian forces finally defeat Charles. Kutuzov tricks Charles by retreating his infantry behind a hill out of sight of the Austrians where they form up into square formation. Without infantry or cavalry support, General Kark von Schwarzenberg's heavy cavalry charge home. The heavy cavalry is wasted in melee against Russian infanntry in square. The exhausted cuirassiers are rear-charged by Prussian Life Hussars and almost wiped out. Against overwhelming numbers and firepower, Charles High Guard retreats for the first and only time. Charles surrenders and is exiled to the Faroe Islands. The British build him an impressive and luxurious estate for their so very worthy but beaten opponent. This angers the Russians who desire to kill him for their humiliations. Some of Charles veterans of the High Guard go into exile with him.

1818-The monarchy is restored to Austria, but the tension indicates that this will not remain for long. The Republic of Hungary, the Serbian Republic and the Kingdom of Bulgaria are established against the wishes of the monarchists. Failed coups intended to put monarchs on the thrones of these nations fail. Chaos continues on Greece and Britain, Prussia and Russia are powerless to force the governments of these new nations to align themselves along monarchist lines. Russia attacks the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldovia, but is defeated. Conspiracies abound in Austria to restore Charles to the throne. Ethnic tension mounts throughout the Balkans.
 
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