"Better Than One" - Fragmented USA and Napoleonic Weirdness

This is a VERY basic first draft of a TL I'm working on at CF.net - criticisms are appreciated. The first few years might be a bit handwavey, and I apologise for this.

1787: The Convention fails. Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey's delegates vote to incorporate into a United States of America, while the other states choose to reject the Constitution in favour of independence. There are various small border conflicts around this time, but nothing that spirals into war, and the majority are sorted within this time. Except the Ohio country, that is.

1789-93: France is overrun by revolution. Among those sympathetic is Jefferson, one of the leading politicians of Virginia, who writes vociferously for Virginian support of the nascent Republic. Other states are not so keen to extend the hand of friendship, especially when the extent of the Reign of Terror is made clear - the New England states, in particular, choose to declare a British-leaning neutrality, and are later joined by New York (under the advice of Secretary of State John Jay). The United States refuse to involve themselves in the matter.

~1795-1800: The Quasi-Wars. Various shipping concerns involving France and the "Jay States" lead to direct conflict between vessels of American navies - mostly Virginian against New York in terms of intra-American conflict, though these do not account for a great deal of the conflict. The majority of clashes are between Britain and France/Virginia, though the Jays also see their share of action.

The issue is eventually resolved, with the ascendency of Ney to the helm of the French state and the consequent cooling of relations between Virginia and France - Jefferson sees Ney as having coopted the Revolution, and agrees to President [Cyrus] Griffin's position of strict neutrality in the conflict. The Wars prompt a stronger sense of New England identity, and New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts form a loose-binding trading and military alliance. Connecticut and Vermont would later join, and over time this will evolve into a New England confederation. Not soon, though.

It is over the course of the Quasi-Wars that Anglo-Georgian relations are rekindled, and President Baldwin would later become the first serving American head of state to be welcomed at the Court of St. James (in 1799).

~1800-10: Settlements of the Ohio country begin. The conflicting nature of the claims become an issue, with Virginia and Britain claiming the entirety, much to the chagrin of the other claimants. Adding to the contradictions are the claims of the native Indians of the area, who have formed an alliance under Tenskwatawa, their Prophet, and his brother Tecumseh. They eventually settle on the western shores of Lake Michigan, forming their "Indian Confederation". The Ohio question will not be settled for some years, leading to tension between the various claimants.


In Europe, Ney seizes power instead of Napoleon (a secondary POD):

BATAVIAN REPUBLIC covers the Netherlands.

HELVETIC REPUBLIC covers Switzerland.

CISALPINE REPUBLIC covers OTL Cisalpinia, Venetia, Parma, northern Tuscany, eastern Papal States, "Liguria".

ROMAN REPUBLIC covers southern Tuscany, western Papal States.

PARTHENOPEAN REPUBLIC covers the Kingdom of Naples.

Ney's France is a benevolent autocracy: Ney is theoretically responsible to an elected Assembly, but in practice his control over the Army limits their power to limit his power. He is content with his Empire as of the Peace of Geneva, in 1804, which essentially recognises France's conquests and client states on the continent in exchange for recognising Britain's colonial seizures. This marks the beginning of the Six Years' Peace, ending in 1810 with the Maltan disputes and the Second Wars of Republic.

Louisiana - Ney does not sell Louisiana, seeing it as far too useful for disposing of annoying rivals - someone being sent to Louisiana is jokingly referred to as being "dispatched to Bastille".



- George III loathes Ney even more than he hated Napoleon, and the news of peace sends him over the edge into madness six years early. George IV is created Regent, and a Foxite Ministry takes control.

During the Six Years' Peace, Fox manages to push through various Parliamentary reforms, including the long-awaited Catholic Emancipation (approved by the Prince Regent in exchange for Parliament recognising the engagement between Princess Charlotte and Prince William).

- Ney's title is that of "First Citizen". His government, while absolute, is extremely protective of civil liberties - as long as you aren't in the government. Civil servants are routinely monitored, however, leading to the adage that "One must lose freedom to truly serve its cause".

- The Republics (France, Batavia, Helvetia, Cisalpinia, Rome, Parthenope) form a customs union, the Continental System.


- 1809: the Indian Confederation leads an attack on the Virginian settlement at Dearborn. This worries the various other Ohio claimants, who openly and loudly wonder who the savages will attack next. Britain offers Tecumseh a deal: stay west of Dearborn and south of Green Bay, and we will spare you. Tecumseh rejects the deal, and the Confederation War begins. It lasts three years, by the end of which nearly half of the native population has been killed. General Madison (the Virginian chief of staff for the duration of the war) is remembered by history as a ruthless maniac.

The Indian Confederation is officially Not Recognised by the American states, and the remaining Indians flee to northern Louisiana.


- Prussia, Austria and Spain attempt to form a Third Coalition to drive Ney from Naples, but fail due to bitchiness and infighting.

- In 1810, after an increase in Barbary attacks, Britain reoccupies Malta as a base to fight them off - in direct opposition to the Peace of Geneva. Ney protests, and the Third Coalition is formed between Britain, Prussia, Portugal and Spain (Austria and Russia remaining neutral).

- Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales is pledged to Prince William of Orange, in an attempt to unite the "thrones" and sort out colonial disputes. Due to this, Britain and Prussia launch a united assault on the Batavian Republic, under the auspices of Lord Nelson and Blucher. Amsterdam is burnt to the ground, but ultimately the offensive is unsuccessful.

- Frances Nelson drinks herself to death in 1808, allowing Lord Nelson to marry Emma Hamilton and formally adopt her child (his love-child) Horatia. This is not approved of by the British public, who see Frances as the wronged victim of a heartless and callous gold-digger [I take no side in the matter]. The burning of Amsterdam (on his orders) in 1810 does little to assuage his reputation, and he becomes known by the various Dutchmen in the Court (following Prince William) as the Butcher of Holland.


- After the outbreak of war in 1810, Fox's ministry quickly collapses, to be replaced by Spencer Perceval's Tories. Trade with the Continental System is quickly brought to a halt with the Commerce in Wartime Act, banning trade with any declared enemies of the Crown; this leads to the Americas becoming a haven of trade between British and French, particularly New York.

- In Louisiana, the Royalists revolt against the recent influx of republican administrators, which is perhaps justified, as Ney used Louisiana as a handy dumping ground for anybody who was too loud and annoying for him to simply arrest: hence, the colony gets poor government. The rebellion is surprising successful, in part due to covert aid from Britain (and Georgia), and the colony declares itself the Kingdom of France (or France-outre-mer, as it refers to itself). The Republicans flee, some to France (where they are met by Ney's Peace Enforcers), some to Florida, but most to Texas.

Louis XVIII of France moves to Outre-mer in 1815, where he establishes a capital in New Orleans.

- The Siege of Malta: Admiral Savary leads a blockade of the islands of Malta, hoping to force the British occupiers into submission. This is foiled by the timely arrival of Admiral Collingwood and twenty ships-of-the-line, though Collingwood is killed in battle. He is remembered as a tragic British hero, and publicly commemorated by his friend Lord Nelson. [Collingwood is essentially TTL's Nelson in terms of posthumous popularity]

1811

- Britain and Spain convince King Frederick of Sicily to launch an attack on the Parthenopean Republic, as part of an effort to reconquer the Italian peninsula from Ney's France. The Peninsular War, as it is called, would become "a festering boil on the Coalition, a never-ending source of misery and setbacks" (as Arthur Wellesley put it). The conflict, led on the Continental side by Soult, would prove ultimately unsuccessful after two years, with the Coalition troops being driven back to Messina by 1813.

- The Helvetian Republic declares neutrality in the war, to Ney's fury and the Coalition's consternation: Hohenlohe had been planning an Prussian invasion. The troops are instead sent back to the Batavian Republic, where it is hoped that the second offensive will work rather better than the first. Admiral Keith is placed in charge of the British delegation for this, to prevent Lord Nelson from settling any personal scores. The invasion is largely successful, with the Batavians falling within six months - Huguet, the French "ambassador" (viceroy) is captured and executed.

William VI of Orange arrives at the ruins of Amsterdam after the city is captured, and his son (the Prince of Wales and Orange) personally begins work on the reconstruction of the Town Hall (later to become the Royal Palace).

- Georgia purchases West Florida from Spain, ending a long-running dispute: Georgia is granted the land between East Florida and France-outre-mer. This upsets Outremer (currently administered to by Pierre Clement de Laussat "on behalf of" King Louis), as Laussat does not care to set precedent for surrendering colonial territory to expansionist American republics; consequently, Outremer refuses to recognise the Georgian annexation of the territory, prompting a cold period between the two nations.

- Admiral de Villenvue begins to build up a fleet presence in Boulogne.

1812

- Lady Emma Nelson dies of a chest infection, after giving birth to Edmund Nelson, Horatio's son and heir.

- As the Confederation War draws to a close, the cooperative between Britain and Virginia breaks down, largely due to President Jefferson's insistence that Virginia be granted all Northwestern territory up to Green Bay. The British response - backed by Sir Isaac Brock - is "Over your dead body".

- The settlement of Franklin is founded on the shores of Lake Erie by Unionist colonists [on the site of OTL Cleveland, which was never founded due to butterflies].

- Wellesley is attempting to plough through Flanders and around Paris, in an attempt to encircle the capital and cut off supplies. However, he is thwarted in his scheme by a surprising amount of resistance from Davout, and Wellington gets no farther than Waterloo before he is forced back to Batavia.

- Marshal Bonaparte leads an expedition to Egypt, hoping to influence the Khedive to ally with France, providing Ney a shortcut to the British colonies in the Indies. He manages to conquer the country almost by accident, mainly because the British fleets are distracted by the ongoing mess of the Peninsular War, and is proclaimed Wali by permission of Ney (who is just glad to be rid of a charismatic rival).


[The last part might seem slightly odd, but it appears to be roughly what happened IOTL, minus Nelson's intervention. Well, an intervention hasn't occurred yet, anyway.]


~~~~~~~~~~

Apologies for the notes-y form - once I get the thing worked out I might come back and rework it into a more TLesque format.

Please explain what I've got utterly wrong.
 
1787: The Convention fails. Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey's delegates vote to incorporate into a United States of America, while the other states choose to reject the Constitution in favour of independence. There are various small border conflicts around this time, but nothing that spirals into war, and the majority are sorted within this time. Except the Ohio country, that is.

Hrmm. I guess we can handwave this; it's not clear to me why the Articles failing leads to the nation breaking up all the time, but alright.

~1795-1800: The Quasi-Wars. Various shipping concerns involving France and the "Jay States" lead to direct conflict between vessels of American navies

A caveat, I think. Jeffersonian Virginia will not have a navy.

I also think the New England states would band together remarkably quickly; they are obviously too small to survive on their own piecemeal.

[quoe]
Ney's France is a benevolent autocracy: Ney is theoretically responsible to an elected Assembly, but in practice his control over the Army limits their power to limit his power. He is content with his Empire as of the Peace of Geneva, in 1804, which essentially recognises France's conquests and client states on the continent in exchange for recognising Britain's colonial seizures. [/quote]

What of Haiti, and does France have the Rhineland?

Hrmm. Who controls the transappalachian southeast? I'm thinking Kentucky, Alabama, and the like.

I like it.
 
Hrmm. I guess we can handwave this; it's not clear to me why the Articles failing leads to the nation breaking up all the time, but alright.

It was originally Highlander's idea, if that helps - I was just expanding on the original conceit. Like you said, handwave.

A caveat, I think. Jeffersonian Virginia will not have a navy.
Jefferson isn't yet President of Virginia - he's just Secretary of State, tarred by association with the failed Constitution as a Pan-Unionist. Cyrus Griffin is the current President.

That may not make a difference, I guess... I'll retcon it if necessary.

I also think the New England states would band together remarkably quickly; they are obviously too small to survive on their own piecemeal.
They're certainly very friendly at this point - the only thing that's keeping them out of a full Confederation is the threat of being overwhelmed by Massachusetts (economically, politically, culturally, demographically, and especially geographically).

What of Haiti, and does France have the Rhineland?
Haiti is independent. France has the Rhineland. I have a handy map of the French republics during the Six Years' Peace that I'll post later.

Hrmm. Who controls the transappalachian southeast? I'm thinking Kentucky, Alabama, and the like.
Virginia controls Kentucky, while Georgia and Louisiana are contesting Alabama and Mississippi ("West Florida").

I like it.
Thanks!
 
I have a question and a comment

The question is how does Ney gets Louisiana from Spain?

The comment is that I think the coalition is winning too easily against Ney. The army available to Ney is the one which got Napoleon his most famous victories and a BIG part of that was the quality of the army, forged from Royal artillerie and volunteers in the fire of invasion and civil war.
 
I have a question and a comment

The question is how does Ney gets Louisiana from Spain?

...Fuuuuck. It was Napoleon's brother who negotiated it IOTL, wasn't it? >.< Well, no matter, I'm sure we can retcon it so a different diplomat is in charge.

If that's not what you meant, then probably the same way Napoleon got it IOTL.

The comment is that I think the coalition is winning too easily against Ney. The army available to Ney is the one which got Napoleon his most famous victories and a BIG part of that was the quality of the army, forged from Royal artillerie and volunteers in the fire of invasion and civil war.

Fair enough - I'll have another look at the war, if you don't think I'm being reasonable. I just want to avoid further growth of the Continental System - if it expands too much beyond its current frontiers, it'll just collapse in on itself in a few years.
 
I like this alot.

It's also nice to see Britain not giving up on some of her Old North West claims, since that always seems to happen in other fragmented USA timelines.

Also, fuck yes for Brock. Over their dead bodies indeed.:D
 
Flags of the Continental System, with annotations. These are all based on OTL flags for the republics in question.

Better Than One Flags.png
 
I like this alot.

It's also nice to see Britain not giving up on some of her Old North West claims, since that always seems to happen in other fragmented USA timelines.

Also, fuck yes for Brock. Over their dead bodies indeed.:D

Must admit that made me laugh as well. Good twist to the old saying and a lot more natural under the circumstances.

Steve
 
...Fuuuuck. It was Napoleon's brother who negotiated it IOTL, wasn't it? >.< Well, no matter, I'm sure we can retcon it so a different diplomat is in charge.

If that's not what you meant, then probably the same way Napoleon got it IOTL..

Napoleon got it OTL by putting military pressure on Spain and promising to transfer Italian land to Spain - grand duchy of Tuscany, IIRC -. ( Third treaty of San idelfonso in 1800 ).

That doesn't really seem to weld so well with your TL.

I'm not saying there's no way for Ney to get Louisiana back, but it doesn't seem likely he will use the same way, if he still favors sister republ;ic rather than creation of small kingdoms to put his familly on throne and defence and negociation to military pressure.


...
Fair enough - I'll have another look at the war, if you don't think I'm being reasonable. I just want to avoid further growth of the Continental System - if it expands too much beyond its current frontiers, it'll just collapse in on itself in a few years.

Understandable. The easiest way is to avoid Invasion, as the first rounds of french expensions came after foreign invasion. I see you already did that with the 6 year peace. Then, you can have coalition more on a defensive basis, after a few defeats on invasion, and maybe get more effective draws.

But as I said, the french armies of the early 1800s were really supperb and superior to any other european one ( at least any other major one ). Who is in overall command is not going to change that for long. And a commander more cautious than Napoleon may avoid some of the more flamboyant victories but will also avoid the big casualties, which is what really reduced french superiority.
 
As the Confederation War draws to a close, the cooperative between Britain and Virginia breaks down, largely due to President Jefferson's insistence that Virginia be granted all Northwestern territory up to Green Bay. The British response - backed by Sir Isaac Brock - is "Over your dead body".

Brock = awesome. However he was knighted for his victory at Detroit in the War of 1812, and as such would probably not yet have his knighthood in your timeline.
 
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