America - Albion's Orphan - A history of the conquest of Britain - 1760
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- Start date
Chapter 122: Scavengers
1793 Summer
The Habsburg Empire
By summer of 1793, the Habsburgs had largely managed to regain control over Bohemia and Hungary. However, Serbia remained quite rebellious though perhaps with little direction. By fall, the beleaguered Habsburg forces were redirecting south towards the region.
However, Serbia was not the only concern for the Habsburgs in the region.
The King of Corsica-Piedmont had marched across northern Italy like a madman, conquering Genoa, Lucca and Venice. Given her problems, the Habsburg Empire was not included to interfere. However, learning of the French "spoils" of Savoy and Nice, it was immediately apparent that the Habsburgs could not sit quietly and do nothing.
In exchange for the Habsburg agreement to the new status quo, the region of Istria (the furthest east of the Republic of Venice and a good port region) would be ceded to Vienna by the King of Corsica...or else.
Knowing that France would do nothing to help should war come with the Habsburgs, the King quite wisely opted to cede the small portion of Venice as the price of peace.
This allowed the Habsburg Empire to focus upon Serbia. There was a fear that the Russian Czar would attempt to intervene in their Balkan co-religionists. However, this did not seem to be Czar Paul's intent.
China
For yet another year, the British East India Company fleets would plague the coast of China as the Chinese Navy vainly attempted to fight back. Hundreds of vessels would be seized, often carrying valuable cargos by the BEIC. Condemned as pirates and drug peddlers, the BEIC would be forced to prey upon the greatest Kingdom on Earth rather than trade legally with it.
Slowly, the Chinese Empire would build up her navy by utilizing moderns weapons and ship designs purchased from the Dutch. The Chinese Ministers didn't care if they had to build a thousand ships only to see them sunk with all hands. The damned BEIC must be crushed.
For the first time in centuries, the Middle Kingdom would take the greater world under consideration...much to the apprehension of neighbors whom preferred to let the giant sleep.
The Habsburg Empire
By summer of 1793, the Habsburgs had largely managed to regain control over Bohemia and Hungary. However, Serbia remained quite rebellious though perhaps with little direction. By fall, the beleaguered Habsburg forces were redirecting south towards the region.
However, Serbia was not the only concern for the Habsburgs in the region.
The King of Corsica-Piedmont had marched across northern Italy like a madman, conquering Genoa, Lucca and Venice. Given her problems, the Habsburg Empire was not included to interfere. However, learning of the French "spoils" of Savoy and Nice, it was immediately apparent that the Habsburgs could not sit quietly and do nothing.
In exchange for the Habsburg agreement to the new status quo, the region of Istria (the furthest east of the Republic of Venice and a good port region) would be ceded to Vienna by the King of Corsica...or else.
Knowing that France would do nothing to help should war come with the Habsburgs, the King quite wisely opted to cede the small portion of Venice as the price of peace.
This allowed the Habsburg Empire to focus upon Serbia. There was a fear that the Russian Czar would attempt to intervene in their Balkan co-religionists. However, this did not seem to be Czar Paul's intent.
China
For yet another year, the British East India Company fleets would plague the coast of China as the Chinese Navy vainly attempted to fight back. Hundreds of vessels would be seized, often carrying valuable cargos by the BEIC. Condemned as pirates and drug peddlers, the BEIC would be forced to prey upon the greatest Kingdom on Earth rather than trade legally with it.
Slowly, the Chinese Empire would build up her navy by utilizing moderns weapons and ship designs purchased from the Dutch. The Chinese Ministers didn't care if they had to build a thousand ships only to see them sunk with all hands. The damned BEIC must be crushed.
For the first time in centuries, the Middle Kingdom would take the greater world under consideration...much to the apprehension of neighbors whom preferred to let the giant sleep.
The question is if France, Austria and/or Spain-Naples would tolerate this.
I haven't figured out how this will go but Napoleon will be part of the TL going forward.
I think you meant glorious
(unironically as an Asia more able to resist colonialism is a good thing tm)
Precisely. While no one cared about Venice, the Papal States are entirely another matter. However, I guess Victor Amadeus is not done yet, and unless he attacks the Hapsburg lands (highly unlikely) or takes part to a partition of Switzerland (where both Austria and France have their piece of cake), Tuscany and the Legazioni are the only routes he can take for territorial expansion. But then of course, he could not face alone a possible three-way attack from France, Austria and Naples. Or Napoleon could?
I mean someone has to cut down that Russian giant eventually.
What would also be awesome to see is an earlier Ausgleich.
Chapter 123: Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows
Summer, 1793
Paulgrad, Russian America
The summer of 1793 would see a milestone in Russian America. A six-ship convoy from St. Petersburg would convey another 180 settlers (survivors of the 243 which departed) would arrive along the coast of Russian America within a week of a smaller 3 ship convoy from Siberia bearing another 82 settlers. This would bring the town of Paulgrad to above 1000 souls, a first for Russian America. More importantly, women made up almost 40% of the human cargo, ensuring a future for the colony which remained predominantly male (73%).
The transport was subsidized by the Russian crown but the intent was to allow the Russian America Company adequate cargo room to return with a bounty of furs and other regional goods. Unfortunately, the fur trade was dying due to overhunting. Mink, beaver, sable, seal, bear, fox and other animals were being hunted out in the accessible regions (and poor relations with the inland tribes hindered that trade greatly), thus significantly reducing Russian America’s profitability. However, great distances would prevent this communication for years and the mother country would continue to press more and more Russians to settle in North America’s western coast.
1793
Kingdom of Serbia
The rebellion in Serbia would prove difficult to put down. For the past two years, the Habsburgs had concentrated most forces upon Hungary and Bohemia’s revolts and left the Serbia rebellion to “loyalists” like Muslim Bosniaks, Albanian Catholics, Croats, Slovenes and other locals. Perhaps what aided the Habsburgs the most was lack of unity among the Serbian Orthodox whom failed to gravitate beyond their cities, regions and assorted powerful men. Three or four Serbian nobles declared themselves King, others Princes and some even sent emissaries to Russia. One foolish fellow even suggested offering Serbia’s loyalty back to the latest Ottoman Sultan (no one knew who, if anyone, was in charge of the remnant of the Ottoman these days as it was as splintered as Serbia). The latter nobleman’s suggestion was met with a long stunned silence before his soldiers tore him apart with their bare hands and put his head on a pike.
Thus, when the belated Austrian reinvasion in force arrived, it was not met with a powerful army but civilian militia whom harried the Germans from their mountain hideouts. Still, Belgrade fell quickly as did several major cities. Serbian nobles whom instigated the rebellion began to realize it was likely to fail and, as large landowners, they had a great deal to lose. Many opted to seek terms with the Emperor in return for amnesty, guarantee of their property and a measure of local autonomy.
The Emperor, though furious, would accept these terms. Vienna’s finances were a wreck and the nation had already defaulted on a great deal of her debt. Bankruptcy was threatened despite the assorted Kingdoms having been in moderately good financial shape just two years prior.
The submission of the Serbian nobles took the air out of the rebellion’s sales and most insurgent groups would accept the amnesty and go home. Others would flee to the hills and be hunted by the same Serbian nobles whom had initially led them in rebellion.
Rome, the Papal States
Pope Pius had his own hands full. Having watched powerlessly as King Victor of Corsica marched across Northern Italy like a madman conquering the northern Republics (to the secret amusement of the continent’s monarchies whom applauded the death of such governments). However, the creation nof a powerful state to the north did not bode well for the Papal States. The Pope considered threatening to excommunicate King Victor but that had not worked well for previous Popes. If anything, that was more likely to encourage the King of Corsica to march on Rome, perhaps putting in place another Pope more to his liking.
Lacking the military power to stop Victor and failing to encourage any of the Catholic powers to pry their attention to their own problems (Austria) or ambitious acquisitions (France) or just plain stagnation (Spain), Pius could do little but hope that an actual invasion of the Papal State would bring at least ONE of the Catholic powers to his aide. Even the mere open threat would likely be enough to stay Victor’s avarice.
In truth, the Pope wondered is the Catholic rulers would PREFER that Rome fall. Despite his best attempts to reform the corruption of the global church and better administer the engorged Papal States, the attacks on the Vatican’s authority remained unceasing and Pope Pius was canny enough to understand why.
The great powers’ rejection of his authority was not based on religious concerns but purely political and economic. The Church had once dominated the economics of Europe, owning vast segments of the continent and gathering huge outlays of tithes and taxes. First the Orthodox, then the Protestants had stepped away from the Church partially to gain access to the enormous wealth (Henry VIII’s rupture with the Catholic Church was perhaps the most devious and underhanded example of confiscation).
By the 18th century, most of the remaining Catholic Monarchs were avidly pursuing such paths “in the name of anti-corruption”. In reality, the Kings were consolidating their own power and wealth. Monestaries and Convents were shut down and the lands sold by the crown. Tithes were turned over to the government coffers instead of the church. Even the appointment of Bishops were being claimed by the King’s, not the Vatican.
Much of this was done in the name of nationalizing the Church. In Germany, it was called Febronianism, in France Gallicism and in Austria Josephinism. All were intended to withdraw any political or economic power from the Church and put it under their absolute monarchs.
Pius had fought this hard. He even endured a humiliating and almost unprecedented trek to Vienna to reason with the late Joseph II. But the steady erosion of Vatican power continued unabated. The Pope knew he couldn’t just threaten to excommunicate every King in Europe, not with the majority of the Catholic gentry supported this craven opportunism as well.
Nothing seemed likely to stem this tide. Fortunately, crass dynastic politics may save the Papal States as it was doubtful that any of the three great Catholic powers wanted a powerful northern Italian state on their borders.
Paulgrad, Russian America
The summer of 1793 would see a milestone in Russian America. A six-ship convoy from St. Petersburg would convey another 180 settlers (survivors of the 243 which departed) would arrive along the coast of Russian America within a week of a smaller 3 ship convoy from Siberia bearing another 82 settlers. This would bring the town of Paulgrad to above 1000 souls, a first for Russian America. More importantly, women made up almost 40% of the human cargo, ensuring a future for the colony which remained predominantly male (73%).
The transport was subsidized by the Russian crown but the intent was to allow the Russian America Company adequate cargo room to return with a bounty of furs and other regional goods. Unfortunately, the fur trade was dying due to overhunting. Mink, beaver, sable, seal, bear, fox and other animals were being hunted out in the accessible regions (and poor relations with the inland tribes hindered that trade greatly), thus significantly reducing Russian America’s profitability. However, great distances would prevent this communication for years and the mother country would continue to press more and more Russians to settle in North America’s western coast.
1793
Kingdom of Serbia
The rebellion in Serbia would prove difficult to put down. For the past two years, the Habsburgs had concentrated most forces upon Hungary and Bohemia’s revolts and left the Serbia rebellion to “loyalists” like Muslim Bosniaks, Albanian Catholics, Croats, Slovenes and other locals. Perhaps what aided the Habsburgs the most was lack of unity among the Serbian Orthodox whom failed to gravitate beyond their cities, regions and assorted powerful men. Three or four Serbian nobles declared themselves King, others Princes and some even sent emissaries to Russia. One foolish fellow even suggested offering Serbia’s loyalty back to the latest Ottoman Sultan (no one knew who, if anyone, was in charge of the remnant of the Ottoman these days as it was as splintered as Serbia). The latter nobleman’s suggestion was met with a long stunned silence before his soldiers tore him apart with their bare hands and put his head on a pike.
Thus, when the belated Austrian reinvasion in force arrived, it was not met with a powerful army but civilian militia whom harried the Germans from their mountain hideouts. Still, Belgrade fell quickly as did several major cities. Serbian nobles whom instigated the rebellion began to realize it was likely to fail and, as large landowners, they had a great deal to lose. Many opted to seek terms with the Emperor in return for amnesty, guarantee of their property and a measure of local autonomy.
The Emperor, though furious, would accept these terms. Vienna’s finances were a wreck and the nation had already defaulted on a great deal of her debt. Bankruptcy was threatened despite the assorted Kingdoms having been in moderately good financial shape just two years prior.
The submission of the Serbian nobles took the air out of the rebellion’s sales and most insurgent groups would accept the amnesty and go home. Others would flee to the hills and be hunted by the same Serbian nobles whom had initially led them in rebellion.
Rome, the Papal States
Pope Pius had his own hands full. Having watched powerlessly as King Victor of Corsica marched across Northern Italy like a madman conquering the northern Republics (to the secret amusement of the continent’s monarchies whom applauded the death of such governments). However, the creation nof a powerful state to the north did not bode well for the Papal States. The Pope considered threatening to excommunicate King Victor but that had not worked well for previous Popes. If anything, that was more likely to encourage the King of Corsica to march on Rome, perhaps putting in place another Pope more to his liking.
Lacking the military power to stop Victor and failing to encourage any of the Catholic powers to pry their attention to their own problems (Austria) or ambitious acquisitions (France) or just plain stagnation (Spain), Pius could do little but hope that an actual invasion of the Papal State would bring at least ONE of the Catholic powers to his aide. Even the mere open threat would likely be enough to stay Victor’s avarice.
In truth, the Pope wondered is the Catholic rulers would PREFER that Rome fall. Despite his best attempts to reform the corruption of the global church and better administer the engorged Papal States, the attacks on the Vatican’s authority remained unceasing and Pope Pius was canny enough to understand why.
The great powers’ rejection of his authority was not based on religious concerns but purely political and economic. The Church had once dominated the economics of Europe, owning vast segments of the continent and gathering huge outlays of tithes and taxes. First the Orthodox, then the Protestants had stepped away from the Church partially to gain access to the enormous wealth (Henry VIII’s rupture with the Catholic Church was perhaps the most devious and underhanded example of confiscation).
By the 18th century, most of the remaining Catholic Monarchs were avidly pursuing such paths “in the name of anti-corruption”. In reality, the Kings were consolidating their own power and wealth. Monestaries and Convents were shut down and the lands sold by the crown. Tithes were turned over to the government coffers instead of the church. Even the appointment of Bishops were being claimed by the King’s, not the Vatican.
Much of this was done in the name of nationalizing the Church. In Germany, it was called Febronianism, in France Gallicism and in Austria Josephinism. All were intended to withdraw any political or economic power from the Church and put it under their absolute monarchs.
Pius had fought this hard. He even endured a humiliating and almost unprecedented trek to Vienna to reason with the late Joseph II. But the steady erosion of Vatican power continued unabated. The Pope knew he couldn’t just threaten to excommunicate every King in Europe, not with the majority of the Catholic gentry supported this craven opportunism as well.
Nothing seemed likely to stem this tide. Fortunately, crass dynastic politics may save the Papal States as it was doubtful that any of the three great Catholic powers wanted a powerful northern Italian state on their borders.
Chapter 124: Britainization
1793 - Fall
Versailles, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Isle of Man (or Mann)
The Comte de Vergennes would finally get the damned King to act. Throughout the past few years, the assorted factions of Britain (some nominally allied with France) had splintered into over half a dozen polities. Truly, this was the best conceivable outcome for France. Many had questioned the wisdom of withdrawing French forces from Britain. However, the loathsome King of England had managed to turn his own people against him and England splintered.
Now, it was Vergennes' intent to keep this situation from changing for the better (from the English point of view). Thus Vergennes would manage to convince the King to "aid the peace effort" by dispatching the French Navy to the ports of the warring states. The threat was the same. Should the assorted new polities fail to make an immediate armistice, France would soon get involved.
In truth, this was a bluff. King Louis XVI had not in any way agreed to dispatching more men to Britain beyond the 2000 already in Cornwall and Devon. This French threat was an elaborate hoax. Yet London, Southampton, Yarmouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and other coastal cities would see French warships stationed offshore. They did not immediately act to block commerce. Indeed, their orders were vague at best.
But the threat seemed adequate.
It helped that the four petty states formed out of England seemed largely equal. William IV, whom had been France's puppet for over two decades, would gripe that his "sponsors" would not take his part.
Eventually, the factions were forced to the bargaining table by the French. The negotiations would take all winter and active warfare did not stop. However, the large-scale battles were already degrading by necessity and lack of resources to pillaging and raids rather than active warfare with the intent to seek victory.
To ensure that all parties engaged in the "negotiations", the French "offered" to host the peace negotiations on the Isle of Man. To add to the French position of relative power, Vergennes would demand that Scotland's new government (whoever ran it these days, something few knew including the Scots), Wales and Cornwall-Devon.
It became immediately obvious that the King of Northumbria (also called Northumberland) would be the most pliable towards the peace as "King" George had not inclination to conquer any further land. He just wanted to rule the English northlands. The other three remnants of England - the ERA-controlled west, the Parliamentary east and the Royalist south - would each claim to be the real England.
Only once the Conference began would it be learned that both the ERA and the Parliamentary forces had each summoned their own German Kings to Britain, cousins in fact of each other and the King of Northumbria . When Vergennes heard of this weeks later in Paris, he nearly doubled over laughing. The King of France's representative was, oddly, a priest. The young Father Charles-Maurice, the Bishop of Autun, was a scion of the prestigious but impoverished Tallyrand family. He was pushed into the priesthood by his family in hopes that the wealth of the Bishopric would return his family to prosperity.
Tallyrand would soon become a favorite of the new King whom trusted his advise. Better yet, Tallyrand made himself useful to Vergennes, the Minister of State. Rumor had it that Tallyrand wanted out of the priesthood sooner rather than later but knew he must follow his father's wishes for the moment and make himself indispensable to the Crown and the nation.
On the Isle of Man, which had been taken by France in the previous war, Father Tallyrand would do his best to encourage peace...but in a manner that would prevent any faction or region of gaining ascendancy over the others.
Here the young priest-diplomat would encounter another surprise. Scotland had chosen a King as well. After a full year and a half of civil war, the remnants of the Scottish nobility would seek an accommodation with the clans chieftains. Most Scots had long desired the return of the monarchy. By 1793, they would almost be ready to accept anyone provided that they protected them from the landowning elite. The selection could not have been more bizarre.
The Dukedom of Atholl had nearly been extinguished in 1746 after the failed invasion of the Young Pretender as the Duke of Atholl had been one of the House of Stuart's strongest supporters. Both that old Duke and his younger son were attainted and the peerage nearly voided. Eventually, the title was handed to a loyal member of the Murray line, the 2nd Duke's son. However, the grandson of the 2nd Duke would and son-in-law of the third Duke would inherit the old title in 1774 via marriage (the 3rd Duke would have no male heirs and the title passed through his daughter).
John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, would never forget his own father's disgrace or the fact that George Murray died in exile. When the chance for Scotland to break free of the damnable House of Hanover came, the Duke acted in concert with the other great land-barons of Scotland to form an oligarchy. However, they had failed to recognize how unpopular the regime had gotten. Several high-ranking Dukes, Marquises and Earls had been butchered by the mobs and only the control over the modest regular forces had prevented the cities from falling. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Atholl would recognize that Scotland would not tolerate this state of affairs any longer. He was willing to cooperate with the assorted factions of the country, something his rivals in the Scottish government had failed to do.
Making a large number of promises, the Duke of Atholl would gather his allies in Edinburgh and throw open the city gates, allowing the Highlander and Lowlander rebellions in. He gave a speech before the assorted rabble which guaranteed a new Scottish Parliament with a commoner voice and, to his own surprise, didn't even need his strategically-placed supporters in the crowd to press it to grant him a spontaneous acclimation as the new King.
By summer of 1793, only Glasgow would not be under control of the King John Murray and his new "allies". Reformers like the Duke of Lennox would also begrudgingly support Atholl in the name of peace. This odd collection of Scots would march on the city of Glasgow in July. Here, the Duke of Argyll and his allies would make a stand.
However, the mob of 50,000 men women and children would arrive at the gates to find that John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, had been taken ill. A long-time British soldier, the Duke was now seventy and was rapidly losing his memory. His sons were somewhat unimpressive and could not be expected to take their esteemed father's place on the battlefield.
For his own part, Atholl would have Ralph Abercromby, a skilled soldier, commanding his army. In short order, the ragtag mob would manage to break into Glasgow's walls. By this point, most of the Glasgow residents were tired of the occupation and welcomed the invaders.
The Duke of Argyll, his sons and greatest supporters were placed in prison until someone decided what to do with them. Not desiring to create martyrs, the new King would opt to simply exile the House of Argyll by forcing them on a ship to America. In accordance to his promises, the new King actually did proclaim a new Parliament based upon popular sovereignty.
Whether or not he would ever take this Parliament's advice was another matter. Either way, the new King of Scotland (a native one unlike the Germans the rest of the island apparently were embracing) would dispatch his own envoys to the Isle of Man. It was obvious that the French King intended to keep Britain permanently split.
As it so happened, this was more than acceptable to King John I of Scotland (there had been another King John briefly in the 13th century but he had been forced to abdicate. No one considered him a real King, thus John Murray opted for John I of Scotland) whom did not seek any English territorial gains, merely protection from southern encroachment.
By astonishing coincidence, the Isle of Man had been held in feudal suzerainty under the King of England by...the Dukes of Atholl prior to the conquest by France.
Versailles, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Isle of Man (or Mann)
The Comte de Vergennes would finally get the damned King to act. Throughout the past few years, the assorted factions of Britain (some nominally allied with France) had splintered into over half a dozen polities. Truly, this was the best conceivable outcome for France. Many had questioned the wisdom of withdrawing French forces from Britain. However, the loathsome King of England had managed to turn his own people against him and England splintered.
Now, it was Vergennes' intent to keep this situation from changing for the better (from the English point of view). Thus Vergennes would manage to convince the King to "aid the peace effort" by dispatching the French Navy to the ports of the warring states. The threat was the same. Should the assorted new polities fail to make an immediate armistice, France would soon get involved.
In truth, this was a bluff. King Louis XVI had not in any way agreed to dispatching more men to Britain beyond the 2000 already in Cornwall and Devon. This French threat was an elaborate hoax. Yet London, Southampton, Yarmouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and other coastal cities would see French warships stationed offshore. They did not immediately act to block commerce. Indeed, their orders were vague at best.
But the threat seemed adequate.
It helped that the four petty states formed out of England seemed largely equal. William IV, whom had been France's puppet for over two decades, would gripe that his "sponsors" would not take his part.
Eventually, the factions were forced to the bargaining table by the French. The negotiations would take all winter and active warfare did not stop. However, the large-scale battles were already degrading by necessity and lack of resources to pillaging and raids rather than active warfare with the intent to seek victory.
To ensure that all parties engaged in the "negotiations", the French "offered" to host the peace negotiations on the Isle of Man. To add to the French position of relative power, Vergennes would demand that Scotland's new government (whoever ran it these days, something few knew including the Scots), Wales and Cornwall-Devon.
It became immediately obvious that the King of Northumbria (also called Northumberland) would be the most pliable towards the peace as "King" George had not inclination to conquer any further land. He just wanted to rule the English northlands. The other three remnants of England - the ERA-controlled west, the Parliamentary east and the Royalist south - would each claim to be the real England.
Only once the Conference began would it be learned that both the ERA and the Parliamentary forces had each summoned their own German Kings to Britain, cousins in fact of each other and the King of Northumbria . When Vergennes heard of this weeks later in Paris, he nearly doubled over laughing. The King of France's representative was, oddly, a priest. The young Father Charles-Maurice, the Bishop of Autun, was a scion of the prestigious but impoverished Tallyrand family. He was pushed into the priesthood by his family in hopes that the wealth of the Bishopric would return his family to prosperity.
Tallyrand would soon become a favorite of the new King whom trusted his advise. Better yet, Tallyrand made himself useful to Vergennes, the Minister of State. Rumor had it that Tallyrand wanted out of the priesthood sooner rather than later but knew he must follow his father's wishes for the moment and make himself indispensable to the Crown and the nation.
On the Isle of Man, which had been taken by France in the previous war, Father Tallyrand would do his best to encourage peace...but in a manner that would prevent any faction or region of gaining ascendancy over the others.
Here the young priest-diplomat would encounter another surprise. Scotland had chosen a King as well. After a full year and a half of civil war, the remnants of the Scottish nobility would seek an accommodation with the clans chieftains. Most Scots had long desired the return of the monarchy. By 1793, they would almost be ready to accept anyone provided that they protected them from the landowning elite. The selection could not have been more bizarre.
The Dukedom of Atholl had nearly been extinguished in 1746 after the failed invasion of the Young Pretender as the Duke of Atholl had been one of the House of Stuart's strongest supporters. Both that old Duke and his younger son were attainted and the peerage nearly voided. Eventually, the title was handed to a loyal member of the Murray line, the 2nd Duke's son. However, the grandson of the 2nd Duke would and son-in-law of the third Duke would inherit the old title in 1774 via marriage (the 3rd Duke would have no male heirs and the title passed through his daughter).
John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, would never forget his own father's disgrace or the fact that George Murray died in exile. When the chance for Scotland to break free of the damnable House of Hanover came, the Duke acted in concert with the other great land-barons of Scotland to form an oligarchy. However, they had failed to recognize how unpopular the regime had gotten. Several high-ranking Dukes, Marquises and Earls had been butchered by the mobs and only the control over the modest regular forces had prevented the cities from falling. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Atholl would recognize that Scotland would not tolerate this state of affairs any longer. He was willing to cooperate with the assorted factions of the country, something his rivals in the Scottish government had failed to do.
Making a large number of promises, the Duke of Atholl would gather his allies in Edinburgh and throw open the city gates, allowing the Highlander and Lowlander rebellions in. He gave a speech before the assorted rabble which guaranteed a new Scottish Parliament with a commoner voice and, to his own surprise, didn't even need his strategically-placed supporters in the crowd to press it to grant him a spontaneous acclimation as the new King.
By summer of 1793, only Glasgow would not be under control of the King John Murray and his new "allies". Reformers like the Duke of Lennox would also begrudgingly support Atholl in the name of peace. This odd collection of Scots would march on the city of Glasgow in July. Here, the Duke of Argyll and his allies would make a stand.
However, the mob of 50,000 men women and children would arrive at the gates to find that John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, had been taken ill. A long-time British soldier, the Duke was now seventy and was rapidly losing his memory. His sons were somewhat unimpressive and could not be expected to take their esteemed father's place on the battlefield.
For his own part, Atholl would have Ralph Abercromby, a skilled soldier, commanding his army. In short order, the ragtag mob would manage to break into Glasgow's walls. By this point, most of the Glasgow residents were tired of the occupation and welcomed the invaders.
The Duke of Argyll, his sons and greatest supporters were placed in prison until someone decided what to do with them. Not desiring to create martyrs, the new King would opt to simply exile the House of Argyll by forcing them on a ship to America. In accordance to his promises, the new King actually did proclaim a new Parliament based upon popular sovereignty.
Whether or not he would ever take this Parliament's advice was another matter. Either way, the new King of Scotland (a native one unlike the Germans the rest of the island apparently were embracing) would dispatch his own envoys to the Isle of Man. It was obvious that the French King intended to keep Britain permanently split.
As it so happened, this was more than acceptable to King John I of Scotland (there had been another King John briefly in the 13th century but he had been forced to abdicate. No one considered him a real King, thus John Murray opted for John I of Scotland) whom did not seek any English territorial gains, merely protection from southern encroachment.
By astonishing coincidence, the Isle of Man had been held in feudal suzerainty under the King of England by...the Dukes of Atholl prior to the conquest by France.
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Unlikely to be a permanent split given the trends in the OTL Germany, USA and Italy in the C19th. But actually not the best news for either the French or the HRE. Likely to be two or three more major European wars than OTL without a British counterweight likely to weigh in on one side or the other.
Hecatee
Donor
Well France is now very close to its optimal borders, with little more needs for expansion : its border rests on the Rhine in the North and East (but with a gap to fill : Cologne area, with Trier, Maienz and Cologne as main targets) (but is Mulhouse already French ? OTL taken during the revolutionary wars) , the Alps in the SE, the Pyrenees in the SW, , it only has to focus on internal improvements and riding the wave of social change and industrialization while helping the HRE to explode if possible by getting the Habsbourg in more troubles, beside they have the precedent of Liege to show they can take a HRE territory... (although not an Elector as would be Cologne)
Italy is friendly (and could get friendlier yet if they agree to let France take Avignon and associated lands in exchange for the Papal States without Rome), the HRE/Habsbourg is weakened, so let's ride the good times
I believe the northern border does not run along the Rhine as the bishopric of Liege is firmly in modern day Belgium which does not quite extend east enough in order to reach the Rhine. I might be wrong though and in any case the southern border regions are looking like France's"natural borders".
I love the convoluted nature of how the new Scottish king was detrmined -really just like the mess that would have occurred 1000 year before. If my calculations are right I think it's this fellow? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Murray,_4th_Duke_of_Atholl If he married the same person, he's got quite a few heirs to work with. Who knows, his House might unite Britain in 200 years with enough intermarriage, though united isles will still lag far behind, like POrtugal maybe in OTL's Europe, so whether the really inconsequential house becomes powerful or not, the French will simply say "doesn't matter, Atholl."
(Yes, that entire post was because I thought of that pun.
)
(Yes, that entire post was because I thought of that pun.
)
Election?I love the convoluted nature of how the new Scottish king was detrmined -really just like the mess that would have occurred 1000 year before. If my calculations are right I think it's this fellow? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Murray,_4th_Duke_of_Atholl If he married the same person, he's got quite a few heirs to work with. Who knows, his House might unite Britain in 200 years with enough intermarriage, though united isles will still lag far behind, like POrtugal maybe in OTL's Europe, so whether the really inconsequential house becomes powerful or not, the French will simply say "doesn't matter, Atholl."
(Yes, that entire post was because I thought of that pun.
It's not about the destination - it's about the journey.
The election was the easy part. In American terms, it's like the wildest of the dark hourse nominee scenarios, though he was at least a bit known. But, Kingship is so much higher than a dukedom or earldom.
I recall years back an ASB scenario that took some really low ranking person in each election and gave them the win - now I'm tempted to think about that for each US politcal party nomination, though I doubt I'd ever have time for it.
The election was the easy part. In American terms, it's like the wildest of the dark hourse nominee scenarios, though he was at least a bit known. But, Kingship is so much higher than a dukedom or earldom.
I recall years back an ASB scenario that took some really low ranking person in each election and gave them the win - now I'm tempted to think about that for each US politcal party nomination, though I doubt I'd ever have time for it.
Got a couple of questions about Wales.
1) I see the current Duke can't speak much Welsh; does he have a child/heir who was brought up in Wales and is fluent in Welsh? That could be good for long-term stability.
2) I see Wales took over some of the border regions with England. Did they take Liverpool? Liverpool historically had a sizeable Welsh population IOTL and was even known as the "capital of North Wales".
1) I see the current Duke can't speak much Welsh; does he have a child/heir who was brought up in Wales and is fluent in Welsh? That could be good for long-term stability.
2) I see Wales took over some of the border regions with England. Did they take Liverpool? Liverpool historically had a sizeable Welsh population IOTL and was even known as the "capital of North Wales".