All Hail to Massachusetts: A TL

I think it's pretty good. Is massachusetts separate from the rest of new england. also whos the bay stater king?
 
I think it's pretty good. Is massachusetts separate from the rest of new england. also whos the bay stater king?

Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are seperate provinces. The king hasn't been chosen yet; that's in the next update.
 
I'm kind of skeptical that New England, a hotbed of Republican sentiment in both the ECW and the Revolution, would appoint a Catholic pretender as king.
 
I'm kind of skeptical that New England, a hotbed of Republican sentiment in both the ECW and the Revolution, would appoint a Catholic pretender as king.

Firstly, there's a lot more Catholics in New England than in OTL, and that religiousness has been going downhill without a Great Awakening to renew religious fervor. A sizable chunk of the ruling elite is deist, and there are some prominent gaelic men as well. The demographics have changed, and New England along with it.

Secondly, Charles was never the most pious Catholic. He took Anglican communion at least once, and I suspect he'd be willing to make the jump to Anglicanism in order to secure himself a country to run. Even with that and the fact that Charles has a large army loyal to him, he'll be nowhere near the first choice for monarch.
 
So now that Massachusetts had secured its independence and is about to choose its King and form of government, I wonder what lies next for the people of Massachusetts? Excellent update, Rex. I've enjoyed it and await to read more from you soon.
 
So now that Massachusetts had secured its independence and is about to choose its King and form of government, I wonder what lies next for the people of Massachusetts? Excellent update, Rex. I've enjoyed it and await to read more from you soon.

The next chapter is both the formation of the Charters and a quick civics lesson, along with some European noble intrigue.
 
Chapter 7: The Formation of the Kingdom

We, the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the goodness of the great Legislator of the universe, in affording us, in the course of His providence, an opportunity, deliberately and peaceably, without fraud, violence or surprise, of entering into an original, explicit, and solemn compact with each other; and of forming a new constitution of civil government, for ourselves and posterity; and devoutly imploring His direction in so interesting a design, do agree upon, ordain and establish the following Declaration of Rights, and Frame of Government, as the Charters of Governance of the Kingdom of Massachusetts.

-Preamble of the Charters of Governance

The Marblehead Convention​

By the end of the War of National Independence, the Four Colonies knew that they would have to unite in order to survive in the face of a hostile Britain. To such an end, 23 men gathered in Marblehead after the signing of the Treaty of Copenhagen, in order to set about creating a new government. These delegates represented Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Jersey, but were soon joined by 9 more delegates representing New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, and Nova Hibernia, all of which wished to be separate from Massachusetts Bay within the new nation. Governor Mordaunt of Massachusetts Bay was elected head of the Convention, which began with a series of debates on the nature of the new government.

The delegates chose to first name the new nation, which they felt would be suitably unheated. The delegations from New Jersey, Nova Scotia, and Nova Hibernia were all opposed to the first name proposed, New England. Massachusetts Bay pushed for the nation to be called Massachusetts, while the other colonies proposed naming it the Northeast, as in Kingdom of the Northeast. The unsuitability of the name quickly became apparent, and a compromise was established: the nation would be named Massachusetts, but Massachusetts Bay would be renamed Plymouth and the colonies of New Hampshire, Nova Hibernia, and Nova Scotia would be separate regions. The District of Maine, isolated from Plymouth, would be divided between New Hampshire and Nova Hibernia, with a border in the middle of the Kennebec River. In exchange, the capital of Massachusetts would be Boston, and the other colonies would assist in the rebuilding of the new capital.

The most divisive debate was on whether the new nation would a republic or a monarchy; which in practice was a debate between a British-style Parliament or a Classically-inspired democracy. The pro-republic faction, led by General-Governor Skinner of New Jersey, believed that government established in the name of the people, and with a popularly elected legislature and executive, would be strong enough to keep Massachusetts independent. The pro-monarchists, led by James Wentworth of New Hampshire, argued that a strong executive unbound to the mob rule of democracy was necessary in order to ensure the security of the nation from the British threats in Newfoundland and across the Hudson. The delegations of the north agreed with the pro-monarchists, as did Rhode Island-now known as the Principality of Rhodes-Providence, after a string of military dictators convinced the locals to proclaim Bonnie Prince Charlie. The pro-republicans of New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, while less numerous than their rivals, had more influence, and the Convention broke down for over a week. It was General-Governor Mordaunt who composed the Great Compromise that was finally accepted by both parties. It would establish a monarchy, but the monarch's powers would be highly limited, and the Legislature would hold the power to choose the king should they deem the heir apparent unsuitable for the post. The final clause of the compromise would ensure that slavery would not be banned before 1800, which proved enough to convince Massachusetts to accept the Great Compromise. After the shift in power, New Jersey and Connecticut reluctantly joined the majority and approved the Great Compromise. That done, they were ready to write the Charters.

The Charter Elective​

Two elected offices exist in the Kingdom, that of Member of the Great and General Court, and that of the Mayor of the Realm.

The Mayor of the Realm, named in honor of the Frankish Mayors of the Palace who ruled France for several hundred years, is the head of government of Massachusetts. The Charter Elective grants him the power to wage war, to sign laws into effect and to veto the same, and to enforce the laws passed by the Parliament. He is elected by means of a national vote, with the winner of the majority of the popular vote being elected to the office. If no majority is achieved, the two most successful candidates run against each other again, with the winner of a majority being elected. He serves for five years, and has no term limits. He must be at least 35 years of age, and a citizen of Massachusetts. The Mayor is obligated to inform Parliament of national occurrences, to uphold the Charters and the Acts of Parliament, and to ensure that the national honor is not impugned. The last duty is often a matter of contention, but most Mayors interpret it as mandating that violations of the border and rebellions be prevented or put down.

The Great and General Court is the lower body of Parliament, elected by the populace at large. Each province is divided into Districts, which elect a Member of the GGC for that district every three years. The districts cover 10,000 citizens each, and each MGGC must be of 30 years of age, a citizen of Massachusetts, and a resident in the district. The Great and General Court is the originator of all Acts of Parliament. Every law is composed in the GGC, sent to the House of Lords for modification and approval, returned to the GGC for the same process, before being once again sent to the House of Lords. It is only after this process that the Act can be signed by the Mayor, and thus made into law.

The Great and General Court was also given the one-time authority to pass the Acts of Royalty and Nobility, which would choose the first monarch and first House of Lords for the new nation.

The Charter Hereditary

The Kingdom has only two hereditary offices as well, the King and nobles of the House of Lords.

The King has the authority to sign treaties that had been approved by the Parliament, to raise troops for the national defense so long as Parliament agreed to fund them, and to call elections early "in the event that the elected officers should be acting in a manner that prevents governance, but does not constitute the crimes necessary for impeachment." The king is be chosen through male primogeniture, and approved by Parliament. Parliament can also, by an Act, chose to bypass primogeniture in favor of a more desirable monarch. The king is required to rule from Boston, and is banned from any present member of the Roman Catholic Church. The Charter described him as "a symbol of the present civilization by which we define ourselves, and a moderator of rash decisions by Parliament."

The House of Lords is the higher house of Parliament, and approves laws, as detailed in the entry on the Great and General Court. It also had the authority to declare wars, a power the Marblehead Convention felt was too important to be left to the mob rule of the elected offices. However, no declaration of war has ever been passed without the approval of the Mayor. The House of Lords was created to be a moderating influence on the government, preventing democratic tyranny from overcoming the nation. As such, it is limited in power, but highly involved in the legislative process.

The Charter Appointive​

The most numerous offices are the appointed ones: Judge, Minister, and Military Officer.

Judges are appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the GGC to one of three courts: the High Court, the Royal Court of Appeals, and the Royal Justiciary Court. The three courts form a chain of appeals that begins with the highest court in each province and continued upward. In addition, the Royal Justiciary Court has authority to hold trials on the request of the defense or prosecution, and the High Court possesses the power of Judicial Review. Judicial review is the power to strike down Acts of Parliament should they conflict with the Charters of Governance. Judges serve until appointed to another post or their impeachment.

The Ministers are a select group of experts appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Great and General Court to form the Council of the Ministers. Each minister has their own area of concern, such as war or agriculture, and heads the relevant government department. They serve as advisors and assistants to the Mayor is his duty to execute the laws passed by Parliament, and serve for the same term as the Mayor.

Military officers are appointed by the King on the recommendation of the civilian head of the relevant military branch to lead the Royal Armed Forces. Their length of service are determined by the military rather than by the Charters.

The Charter Restrictive​

This charter, unlike the other three, does not outline offices and their powers. Instead, it outlines the rights of the provinces and citizens that the government may not under any conditions violate.

The Provinces:

1) The borders of the provinces shall not be altered without the approval of all the involved provinces.
2) The provinces shall have the right to appoint a government and court system as they chose, so long as the popular will supports them.
The provinces shall be be defined as following: Nova Scotia whose border shall sit on the Isthmus of Chignecto and which shall contain St. John's Island; Nova Hibernia, whose borders shall be the above Isthmus and the Kennebec River; New Hampshire, which shall have the above river, the southern border granted to it by its first Royal Charter, and the western edge of the Green Mountains as its borders; Rhode Island, which shall have the borders of its last Royal Charter; Connecticut, which shall have the borders of its last Royal Charter and of Long Island; Taconia, which shall have its borders on the Hudson River, the west edge of the Green Mountains, and on the last border agreed upon by Massachusetts Bay and New York; and Plymouth, which shall contain all unaccounted for territories.
3) New provinces may be admitted by a vote of a Council of Provincial Governors, which is to say, a majority vote of the rulers of each province, so long as the territory to be admitted is under de facto[1] rule of the Kingdom.
4) The provinces will have the sole authority to limit or ban slavery, and no province may ban slavery until the year 1800 A.D.

The People:

1)The government may not dictate matters of religion to the people, nor favor one over the other, except in those cases that the religion in question is unambiguously harmful as unanimously ruled by the High Court.
2) The people shall have the right to maintain arms to facilitate the defense of the Kingdom, its citizens, and its monarch.
3) The people shall have the right to, via mediums including the press and public speech, expression, except in those cases where such speech would be libelous or is an immediate threat to the public safety.
4) The people shall have the rights of due process, of protection from unwarranted search and seizure, of being considered innocent until proven guilty, and of an expectation of privacy.
5) The people shall have a right to their rightful property, which shall not be interpreted as to include taxes and tariffs, which Parliament may lawfully enact.
6) No male citizen possessing land shall be denied the right to vote in their district.
7) The people, as used in this Charter, shall not be made to refer to those in slavery, who shall not possess the rights above, or any rights.

The Acts of Royalty and Nobility​


The first Parliament was charged with the appointing of the king and nobility, as provided for in the Charter. When the Parliament sat in 1763, their first (and only significant) order of business was to write and pass the acts. They chose to first receive a monarch, then enlist his aid to create a nobility.

They chose to create a list of four monarchs in descending order, with the highest candidate on the list to accept the throne as king. These candidates were, in order, HH Prince Henry of Prussia, HH Prince Frederick of Denmark, HH Ernest of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, and "General Charles Stuart" (HH Charles, Prince of Wales). This list was a group of German protestants, with the exception of Charles, who was added at the bottom of the list as a concession to the Catholic districts.

Prince Henry turned down the throne, as he felt that he would soon be able to secure the Polish throne (he never did). Prince Frederick turned down the throne so that he could assist his brother the Crown Prince, who was known to have psychological troubles. Ernest initially planned to accept the throne, but backed down after visitations by envoys from France and Austria. King Louis XV and Empress Maria Theresa sought to see Charles on the throne, both to weaken Great Britain and to shore up the southern border of New France. Thus, Charles converted to the Anglican Church and was reluctantly declared king and his son prince. In full:

His Majesty Charles I and III, by the Grace of God, of Massachusetts, of England, of Scotland, of Ireland, of France, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Normandy

His Royal Highness Robert, Prince of Rhodes-Providence

-Royal Naming Act, 1767​

With King Charles on the throne, Parliament set about creating a system of nobility for Massachusetts. On Charles' advice, they created six ranks[2]: Baron, Count, Viscount, Marquis, Duke, and Prince. The First Creation consisted of 106 individuals of high standing, including James Wentworth (Duke of Portsmouth), Michael Adams (Duke of Marblehead), Daniel Skinner (Marquis of Brooklyn), and George Mackenzie (Prince Mackenzie). The full creation strongly favored the old Puritan elite, which had been strongly displeased by the Charters. This appeasement bought peace from the old guard, and enabled the young Kingdom to develop without the worry of a revolt against its rule. With this peace would come decades of development, and the creation of a true Massachusettsian nation.
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[1] Named for the Taconic Mountains.
[2] His European upbringing shows through a bit here.
As always, comments, questions, criticisms, and concerns are quite welcome.

And so, with a little nudge from France, Bonnie Prince Charlie is on the throne and the Puritans have a legislative house to appease them. Tune in next time for culture, language, and politics.
 
Chapter 7: Unsteady Beginnings

"Charles may be a Catholic in Protestant clothing, but Robert will be a Protestant through and through."

-William Atherton, Brooklyn Merchant, on Prince Robert, Aged 14.

The early years of the Kingdom where shaky at best, and it was only through skillful politicians and copious appeasement that peace was maintained in the new nation. Perhaps the most important factor in preventing a major rebellion was the Great and General Court, which permitted the main factions of Massachusetts society to channel their outrage and disappointment into (mostly) nondestructive outlets.

The Election of 1763​

The divisions in Massachusetts society became evident even in the first national election, even if political parties hadn't yet developed. The elections were dominated by four main groups: republicans, Catholics, pro-monarchist Protestants, and pro-slavery Protestants. The revelation that the latter two were largely separate concerned both groups, but the pro-slavery contingent the most.

"It has become clear to me that this King the Catholics have forced upon us has sympathies not for us who encourage the development of the negroes through servitude, but rather for the brash and ungodly individuals who would see the negroes given the freedom to sin."

-Michael Adams, Duke of Marblehead and pro-slavery member of the House of Lords​

The results of the elections showed a clear regional split in politics:

The largest group, the pro-monarchist Protestants, had support from Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Western Plymouth, and Eastern Connecticut.

The second group, the Catholics, had support from Nova Hibernia, Nova Scotia, and parts of Central Plymouth.

The third group, republicans, held support in Taconia and Western Connecticut.

The smallest group, the pro-slavery Protestants, were localized to Eastern Plymouth.

The elections and their aftermath were characterized by massive amounts of political activity on all sides. Many men, seeking to participate in the often cruel and slanderous campaigns, founded electoral associations, the predecessors to the first political parties. These electoral associations would produce posters and newspaper ads decrying their opponents as cowards and criminals, and would often print outright lies in order to stir up what they called a "healthy election spirit". This helped to develop a sort of tribal approach to politics, which in turn lead to them adopting their own symbols, often worn on the hat. Monarchists would, predictably, wear the Royal Stewart tartan, whether as a cockade, waistcoat, or kilt; republicans would wear the Vindictan club; Catholics would wear a prominent crucifix; pro-slavery individuals would wear a paper mayflower. These groups would prove to be the backbone of the coming political structure.

The other major election was for the Mayor of the Realm. Fortunately for the young nation, this election was uncontested, with John Mordaunt the only candidate on the ballot. His administration would prove unambitious, as Mordaunt had little interest in governing and the people had little interest in being governed. His single term as Mayor would be marred by only a single consideration: the Winter Rebellion.

The Winter Rebellion

In the January of 1765, a small coalition of slavers, pro-British merchants, and die-hard Protestants hatched a treasonous scheme. They quietly organized a group of anti-government ex-soldiers, armed a handful of slave ships, and launched an attempt to seize Boston and stage a coup d'état. The traitors numbered at over a thousand men, and their cannon fire and numbers were enough to force Royal forces out of the city. Perhaps the most important reason for this early success was the fact that Boston had been nearly burned to the ground, and few Royal troops were overseeing the rebuilding process.

Within a week, King Charles I had ordered troops sent from his temporary capital in Portsmouth to retake Boston. The 3,000 strong force under the direct command of Mayor Mordaunt engaged the rebel troops on the 29th of January, in the Battle of Beacon Hill. The Royal forces sustained 381 casualties while inflicting an estimated 500 casualties on the rebel force. The remainder were captured or dispersed, except for the three armed vessels the ringleaders had devised. Royal forces engaged the vessels with artillery batteries, but the ships fled the harbor and began sailing for Portsmouth in the hopes of killing the King.

The arrival of the rebel ships was a matter of great concern for the fledgling Royal New England Navy. The slave ships were designed to carry heavy cargo, and had been modified to carry 30 guns each, though the ships in fact carried only 12 each. The presence of the extra gun ports led to the ships being reported as large frigates to Admiral Cooke, the commanding naval officer in Portsmouth. The Royal Navy, composed of four 24-gun ships, decided to try and trap the rebel fleet between their vessels and Fort Mary[1], and to this end withdrew to Fort McClary.

The confrontation came on the night of February 2, when the three rebel ships attempted to enter Portsmouth Harbor. At first, the ships slipped by the forts undetected, but the rebels quickly engaged the city with cannon fire in the hopes of quickly killing King Charles. Their cannons proved unable to reach Charles' residence, and the two forts and the Navy were able to sink all three vessels before they maneuvered into position. The City of Portsmouth sustained a total of 23 casualties in the attack.

The Winter Rebellion's Impact​

It is difficult to overstate the impact the Winter Rebellion had upon Massachusetts' development and stability. The rebellion, especially the attack on Portsmouth, disillusioned many from the idea of armed rebellion, and even converted some to the monarchist factions. This was aided by King Charles himself, who remained in the city during the attack, and donated personal funds to help rebuild the predominantly Gaelic dockyard neighborhoods. The attack did, however, have some supporters:

"This naval uprising is the first speck of reason I've laid eyes upon in this affront to the name Kingdom. It is with the deepest regret that I inform you that the British forces in Bergen, New York were unable to respond with the speed necessary to relieve the Loyalists in Boston, and the city has once again fallen to the Jacobites."

-John Roberts of Marblehead, in a letter to his father Harold Roberts of London​

For most citizens, the Winter Rebellion painted a stark portrait of armed uprisings against the throne. Many realized that the National War was won by France and Austria, not by New England, and that attempted to recreate the rebellion would be ill-advised. The Winter Rebellion seemed to be the dying gasps of the anti-monarchists, as between its utter failure and the rebel's disregard for civilian casualties, being publicly anti-monarchist led to accusations of being associated with the Winter Rebellion, which in turn lead to social ostracism. This gave the monarchy the support, or at least lack of loud dissent, it needed to fully establish itself.

The other major effect of the Winter Rebellion was military in nature. Worried that their ally on the continent might not be able to defend against British attack, France sold the Royal Navy five frigates and a 50-gun flagship extremely cheaply. While the sale would have no major effect on following events, the knowledge that the 50-gun HMS Prince of Rhodes[2] would respond to any uprisings was enough to prevent any further revolts along the coast.

The Election of 1766​

The election of 1766 is most notable for the emergence of political parties. The electoral associations of the previous elections had, in the intervening three years, merged into a handful of massive groups. From these groups emerged the political parties. The results in 1766 were much the same as in 1763, only the republicans declined severely in votes.

Party: Tory Jacobite Republican Morality
1763: 40% 38% 15% 07%
1766: 52% 38% 03% 07%

The electoral failure of the Republican Party would put in place the Parliament necessary for the reign of Massachusetts' second Mayor, and the beginning of the National Emergence.

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[1] Fort William and Mary was renamed for obvious reasons.
[2] Presuming I remember, British will be referred to as HBMS, for His Britannic Majesty's Ship.

Firstly, I apologise for that kind-of a graph. I had some formatting issues.

Secondly, I apologise for that seven-month break between updates. I've had school, and time got away from me.

Thirdly, comments, questions, and concerns are welcome. I might actually step away from this format at some point in the near future in order to discuss events in Europe. After all, there's been a massive upheaval there; something interesting is bound to happen.
 
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