Chapter 63: Tension
1774 - Fall
Oxford
Long a bastion of British elitism (now restricted to English), the assorted colleges associated with Oxford would find student unrest was the order of the day. No longer reserved for the wealthy or the nobility, many of the ancient universities of England (those which remained open) would admit middle and lower class students. These youths would study law, medicine, engineering, theology and a dozen of other disciplines. They were unified by a near-obsessive objection to the presence of the French occupation army.
This was somewhat ironic as, without this army and the political changes wrought by its presence, the ascension of the middle classes economically may have been impossible as well as their presence at the University. Still, no one liked a conqueror in their midst.
Protests, rallies and assorted acts of vandalism would be repressed first by the police forces of King William IV and, if necessary, the French regulars would march in from their assorted strongholds. The Isle of Wight held a large garrison and, exhausted by the troubles, the bureaucrats of King William whom ran the country would be forced to call in a regiment of French regulars to forcibly close down Oxford for the year and arrest any of the students that attempted to resist.
Over a dozen Oxford students and assorted hangers-on would be killed by the violent reprisal. This sort of reaction would be common now that there was so little avenue for the English people to protest the political situation.
Granted, much good had been done by the administration. The lower classes had seen a softening of the penal system (except when the charges involved treason or opposition to the Crown), the English country landlords were taxed in way that they never had before lessening the burden on the poor, lowered corn tariffs resulted in cheap food and many people enjoyed seeing their former betters falling upon hard times. A large portion of the aristocracy had been sustained by lucrative government posts over years, effectively do-nothing positions or pensions on the public ratepayer. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of great families had gone bankrupt now that they could no longer pull the levers of power for their own benefit. There was a certain level of amusement at their struggles.
But that didn't mean that corruption ended. Under Henry Fox, the number of parasitic oligarchs were considerably lower as many of these patronage offices formerly used to help maintain support in Parliament were summarily cancelled. That also meant that Fox would simply steal more for himself.
His two eldest sons, Stephen (30) and Charles (25), amassed gambling debts at a such a ruinous rate that Henry sent them to France as part of the Ambassadorial staff. This would prove a disaster as the young men would find ways to lose even more money. Henry Fox was forced to divert several of the remaining lucrative patronage posts to them just to keep them out of debt, much to the defacto Prime Minister's detriment with the public. The youngest son, Henry (20), would enter the small British Army.
With the repudiation of Britain's war debt and the defacto elimination of the British Army and Navy (of any scale), the governmental finances were in moderately good shape. Yes, the recession brought upon by lack of trade had hurt but trade picked up again with America and much of Europe (even, astoundingly, France who proved to be a large trading partner).
Still, the nation was accustomed to annual stipends from their colonies (particularly West Indian sugar taxes), from the British East India Company and from their mercantile relationship with America. The economy was not necessary "worse" but certainly very, very different. Paternalistic landowners no longer made a huge profit from the English farmsteads. Instead, the new economic leaders were manufacturers in the cities, something many Englishmen found abhorrent. Land ownership was the currency of power and wealth throughout English history. Now any common mechanic looked ancient scions of ancient land barons in the eye.
This tension between classes, between rural and urban areas and between regions was every bit as dangerous as the palpable hatred of the French and resentment at the Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Irish and Americans whom had betrayed their nation by callously coming to terms with the French.
In truth, the Scots, Welsh and Cornish peoples had only become independent in order to prevent their own occupation. At the time, only a minority desired permanent separation. But after over a decade of local government (and enduring huge growing pains and economic problems), the sense of national identity was being restored and more and more of these peoples would see the separation as a positive.
Ireland was an entirely different animal as the 80% Catholic majority would joyfully repress the long-hated Protestant minority. By 1775, the number of Protestants had dropped by 50% in just ten years as Anglican and Presbyterian Irish would be run off the island. Some 300,000 would journey directly to America and another 200,000 would return to the isle of Britain. Many of these, finding their welcome cold and prospects little better, would be among those "Britons" whom would later move on to America. Indeed, it would later be estimated that a third of the immigrants to America from 1762 to 1775 had been born in Ireland.
As for America, the fact that the colonials apparently hadn't suffered one iota at the hand of French only prompted resentment. Many English would blame poor economic conditions upon the Americans as they no longer tolerated the merchantilist policies which subordinated them to England. They were somehow viewed as "traitors" in their own way as they hadn't shared the pain of their Metropolis kin.
This attitude didn't endear the Americans to the English and would drive a wedge between the two nations which France would continue to exploit.
Oxford
Long a bastion of British elitism (now restricted to English), the assorted colleges associated with Oxford would find student unrest was the order of the day. No longer reserved for the wealthy or the nobility, many of the ancient universities of England (those which remained open) would admit middle and lower class students. These youths would study law, medicine, engineering, theology and a dozen of other disciplines. They were unified by a near-obsessive objection to the presence of the French occupation army.
This was somewhat ironic as, without this army and the political changes wrought by its presence, the ascension of the middle classes economically may have been impossible as well as their presence at the University. Still, no one liked a conqueror in their midst.
Protests, rallies and assorted acts of vandalism would be repressed first by the police forces of King William IV and, if necessary, the French regulars would march in from their assorted strongholds. The Isle of Wight held a large garrison and, exhausted by the troubles, the bureaucrats of King William whom ran the country would be forced to call in a regiment of French regulars to forcibly close down Oxford for the year and arrest any of the students that attempted to resist.
Over a dozen Oxford students and assorted hangers-on would be killed by the violent reprisal. This sort of reaction would be common now that there was so little avenue for the English people to protest the political situation.
Granted, much good had been done by the administration. The lower classes had seen a softening of the penal system (except when the charges involved treason or opposition to the Crown), the English country landlords were taxed in way that they never had before lessening the burden on the poor, lowered corn tariffs resulted in cheap food and many people enjoyed seeing their former betters falling upon hard times. A large portion of the aristocracy had been sustained by lucrative government posts over years, effectively do-nothing positions or pensions on the public ratepayer. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of great families had gone bankrupt now that they could no longer pull the levers of power for their own benefit. There was a certain level of amusement at their struggles.
But that didn't mean that corruption ended. Under Henry Fox, the number of parasitic oligarchs were considerably lower as many of these patronage offices formerly used to help maintain support in Parliament were summarily cancelled. That also meant that Fox would simply steal more for himself.
His two eldest sons, Stephen (30) and Charles (25), amassed gambling debts at a such a ruinous rate that Henry sent them to France as part of the Ambassadorial staff. This would prove a disaster as the young men would find ways to lose even more money. Henry Fox was forced to divert several of the remaining lucrative patronage posts to them just to keep them out of debt, much to the defacto Prime Minister's detriment with the public. The youngest son, Henry (20), would enter the small British Army.
With the repudiation of Britain's war debt and the defacto elimination of the British Army and Navy (of any scale), the governmental finances were in moderately good shape. Yes, the recession brought upon by lack of trade had hurt but trade picked up again with America and much of Europe (even, astoundingly, France who proved to be a large trading partner).
Still, the nation was accustomed to annual stipends from their colonies (particularly West Indian sugar taxes), from the British East India Company and from their mercantile relationship with America. The economy was not necessary "worse" but certainly very, very different. Paternalistic landowners no longer made a huge profit from the English farmsteads. Instead, the new economic leaders were manufacturers in the cities, something many Englishmen found abhorrent. Land ownership was the currency of power and wealth throughout English history. Now any common mechanic looked ancient scions of ancient land barons in the eye.
This tension between classes, between rural and urban areas and between regions was every bit as dangerous as the palpable hatred of the French and resentment at the Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Irish and Americans whom had betrayed their nation by callously coming to terms with the French.
In truth, the Scots, Welsh and Cornish peoples had only become independent in order to prevent their own occupation. At the time, only a minority desired permanent separation. But after over a decade of local government (and enduring huge growing pains and economic problems), the sense of national identity was being restored and more and more of these peoples would see the separation as a positive.
Ireland was an entirely different animal as the 80% Catholic majority would joyfully repress the long-hated Protestant minority. By 1775, the number of Protestants had dropped by 50% in just ten years as Anglican and Presbyterian Irish would be run off the island. Some 300,000 would journey directly to America and another 200,000 would return to the isle of Britain. Many of these, finding their welcome cold and prospects little better, would be among those "Britons" whom would later move on to America. Indeed, it would later be estimated that a third of the immigrants to America from 1762 to 1775 had been born in Ireland.
As for America, the fact that the colonials apparently hadn't suffered one iota at the hand of French only prompted resentment. Many English would blame poor economic conditions upon the Americans as they no longer tolerated the merchantilist policies which subordinated them to England. They were somehow viewed as "traitors" in their own way as they hadn't shared the pain of their Metropolis kin.
This attitude didn't endear the Americans to the English and would drive a wedge between the two nations which France would continue to exploit.
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