Oudtshoorn, Republic of South Africa
Mount Rainier/Tacoma, Columbia, Commonwealth of America
Montagnes Brumeuses, La Floride
English Canada/French Carolina: A Timeline
- Thread starter Gabingston
- Start date
Oudtshoorn, Republic of South Africa
Mount Rainier/Tacoma, Columbia, Commonwealth of America
Montagnes Brumeuses, La Floride
Part 52: The Global War Part 3: South America
Part 52: The Global War Part 3: South America
While South America hadn’t seen as many international conflicts as Europe or North America over the years, conflict would not escape the continent during the Global War. Spain sided with their Bourbon allies of France and Naples on the side of Russia in the war, while Portugal honored their age-old alliance with Britain, thus dragging their colonies in South America into the war as well.
The war wasn’t just due to geopolitical obligations, though, there were more practical reasons as well. Britain’s colony in Patagonia lacked adequate farmland, as most of it was cold, dry steppe only useful for light grazing, not something that could support a burgeoning population, and the Pampas to the north were a perfect breadbasket for the Patagonians. Portugal and Spain had long disputed whose territory was whose (Uruguay in particular), and the Portuguese/Brazilians wanted to conquer the French colony in Guiana. With all those territorial disputes, the colonial powers jumped on the opportunity to duke it out on the battlefield and see who comes out on top.
Alas, the war in South America was now officially underway in the Fall and Winter of 1877 (the Northern Hemisphere’s Spring and Summer). The Spanish Army in Rio De La Plata and the Portuguese Brazilian Army clashed in the plains of Uruguay, while the British pushed up from Patagonia (although their Patagonian army and local militia was quite small). The Royal Navy and the combined naval force of the Spanish and French empires clashed in both the Caribbean and the Southern Seas, putting the previously mentioned Bourbon Naval Buildup to the test. Meanwhile, Britain sought to turn the discontent of the Indigenous and Mestizo populations of New Granada and Peru into a liability for the Spanish Crown, while the Spaniards sought to incite slave rebellions in Portuguese Brazil (which had already proven to work against the French in North America, so why not turn it around on Portuguese Brazil, who had over a million angry and discontented slaves).
Despite the recent buildup, the strength of the Royal Navy (plus the respectable Portuguese/Brazilian navy) proved to be too much for the Spanish and French, as while they put up a strong fight and even won some notable battles, the British were still clearly their superiors in the naval department, as they were able to capture Buenos Aires (as they did in OTL’s Napoleonic Wars) and Montevideo. Portugal/Brazil gained and kept control over the Parana and Uruguay Rivers, and a Brazilian force captured Cayenne/Caiena in French Guiana. Combined with the British supporting the Mapuches in Chile and the Andean Natives protesting conscription into the Spanish army, it was clear that the Alliance had won in both theatres of the Americas.
South America: Alliance Victory
Treaty of Buenos Aires
Treaty of Buenos Aires
- Portugal-Brazil is to annex all Spanish lands North and East of the Parana River.
- Portugal-Brazil is to annex all disputed lands in the Amazon Basin, as well as French Guiana.
- The boundary between Spanish La Plata and British Patagonia is to be set at the Salado/Salt River, 35th Parallel South, Crest of the Andes and Bio Bio River.
- The British are to give the Mapuche an autonomous buffer region between Patagonia and Chile.
- The Spanish are to give indigenous tribes immunity from conscription in future wars.
- Land between the Rio De La Plata and Salado River is to remain under Spanish control.
South America after the First Global War.
- Green = Portugal-Brazil
- Yellow = Spain
- Red = Britain
- Orange = Netherlands
Blogspot
You can now read reposts of this TL on my BlogSpot page, which I will be posting this TL on along with this site. The reason I'm reposting all my updates on BlogSpot is so I can continue this TL if I ever get banned from this website, so if I'm ever sent off to Coventry, you know where to find me. https://gabingstonalthist.blogspot.com/
So, Britain's gonna lose the war in India, huh? Well, here's how I think it could happen.
Britain had a tendency to inadvertently cause famines (or make existing famines worse) in India due to bad policies, especially during wartime. Perhaps a famine occurs during the war, the Indians rebel and the British lose in India that way (I'm sure that famines would occur in French India as well, but perhaps not to the same extent, and not during this war, they're going to win, after all).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Famines_in_British_India
Britain had a tendency to inadvertently cause famines (or make existing famines worse) in India due to bad policies, especially during wartime. Perhaps a famine occurs during the war, the Indians rebel and the British lose in India that way (I'm sure that famines would occur in French India as well, but perhaps not to the same extent, and not during this war, they're going to win, after all).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Famines_in_British_India
Aside from the famine thing, I'm really struggling to find a way that France would beat Britain in India. The best I can think of is that the French simply hold the British off, and it ends up pretty much status quo, but considering how heavily the British would be favored, it may as well be a French victory.
Part 53: Global War Part 4: The War In The East
Part 53: Global War Part 4: The War In The East
Alright, we’re now moving on from the South American theatre of the Global War to the various theatres across Asia. Asia had seen some amount of European colonialism since Vasco Da Gama’s wildly successful expedition to India in 1497, and the Age of Exploration had kicked off because of the European desire to acquire Oriental spices. Starting from a few small trading ports on the coast, the European powers of Britain, France, The Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark had since established control and influence over nearly the entire Indian subcontinent (Nepal and Bhutan being the exceptions, but even then they were British protectorates). There had long been competition between the different powers in India, such as the various wars that had been fought between the colonizers, and even in the 1860s, there was still beef between the Europeans. Britain resented having the Deccan Plateau under French influence, and France was upset about not having a base on the Ganges anymore. So, when war broke out in Europe, the British and French went at it in the Subcontinent.
On the surface, you would think that the British had the advantage in India. After all, they did control the Ganges and Indus rivers, and had a far larger population than the French did in the Deccan Plateau. The British East India Company had folded after a major revolt in the Late 1850s, and the new British Raj was just getting its footing. There was also a tendency for the British to either inadvertently cause famines or make existing famines worse through ineffective policies. While the French had these problems too, they didn’t have them as badly as the Brits did.
Now, let’s get to the war itself. The war was largely a stalemate. Despite the manpower and resource advantage, the British had a hard time getting up onto the Deccan plateau, and famines and revolts in British Indian territory certainly didn’t help. The French strategy was largely defensive, not making a lot of advances into British held territory. The French did advance against Portugal, though, capturing most of the Portuguese colony on India’s west coast. Now, let’s take our eyes off of India for a second and go to the other parts of Asia.
As mentioned in an earlier update, the British conquered the Philippines from the Spanish, and the British Australians occupied the French colony of Terre-Bourbon (although they would return it after the war), as well as the French islands of Île Bourbon and Maurice. Other than that, there isn’t a ton that I can talk about with Asia. I’ll ask you guys for some ideas for the peace treaty, and then we’ll finally move on to Europe.
Treaty of Bombay
Treaty of Bombay
- France is to acquire the Portuguese Indian colonies, except for Goa and Diu.
- The border between British and French India will remain the status quo.
You sure can!
North America after the First Global War
- Red = Britain/Commonwealth of America
- Light Red = Areas conquered by Britain during the war
- Pink = Unorganized British/Commonwealth territories
- Yellow = Spain
- Blue = France
- Orange = Netherlands
- Purple = Denmark
- Light Blue = Sweden (Saint Barthelemy)
I've been playing quite a bit of EU4 lately, gonna start on the European War update (I might do more than one).
Part 54: The Global War In Europe, Introduction
Part 54: The Global War In Europe, Introduction
After covering the First Global War in The Americas and Asia, we finally get to the main battleground of the war, Europe. As mentioned in a previous update, Europe was overdue for a major war, and with the Polish-Russian War, the bubble burst into the biggest European war in a century. The armies of Europe were activated, clashing in the fields of Central Europe and Iberia. The industrial behemoths of Britain (plus the Commonwealth of America), France and Prussia shifted into total war mode, and the sleeping Russian bear awoke, raising one of the largest armies the world had ever seen. (Breaking the fourth wall here for a second) While I have no idea what the two sides in the war would’ve actually called themselves, I’m going to dub them The Alliance and The Coalition.
The Alliance consisted of Poland-Lithuania, Austria-Hungary, Britain, Portugal, Bavaria (basically South Germany) and the Ottoman Empire. They had a large advantage in the Americas (as covered in previous posts), but were at a slight disadvantage in Europe. They didn’t have the massive manpower of Russia, and their industrial powerhouse of Britain was separated from the continent by the English Channel (while the Royal Navy was the strongest in the world, the French and Prussian navies put together could go toe to toe with the British). The British would transport troops to Portugal in order to fight the Spanish, while attempting to break the Coalition’s naval control over the Baltic, while the Austrians and Poles would hold fight a two front war to fend off the Russians and French. The Alliance also attempted to encourage ethnic minorities in Coalition countries to revolt, in order to cause disturbances at home, such as the Basques in Spain and France and the various ethnic minorities in the Russian Empire.
The Coalition, which consisted of Russia, France, Prussia, Spain, Naples, Greece and Sardinia-Piedmont had the advantage in Continental Europe. They could use the immense manpower of Russia, the industrial might of Prussia and the tactical prowess of France (who, despite the stereotypes have had a quite successful military history) to win a solid victory. The Alliance was also squeezed in between the Russians to the East and the French and Prussians to the West and North respectively, and the Coalition was more than willing to use that to their advantage. Remember how I mentioned the Alliance encouraging ethnic revolts in Coalition countries? Well, two can play at that game, and considering that the Habsburg Empire was a hodgepodge of different ethnic groups all clamoring for independence (not to mention the Irish in the British Empire), the Coalition had quite a few options to choose from.
The four major theatres/fronts of the war were the Western Theatre, Eastern Theatre, Iberian Theatre and Greek Theatre.
The Western Theatre was largely fought between the French (plus their allied states in Italy) and Prussians on one side and the Poles, Bavarians and Habsburgs on the other. The French and Prussians were connected by a narrow corridor between the Bavarians on one side and the neutral Netherlands on the other, making it vitally important for The Coalition to keep and for The Alliance to seize. The Prussians also wanted to seize Poland-Lithuania’s coastline, for obvious reasons.
The Eastern Theatre was fought between the Russians on one side and the Poles, Habsburgs and Ottomans on the other. 3 vs 1 doesn’t seem like a balanced matchup, but the Russian Empire had such vast manpower and the advantage that none of those countries had significant industrialization (The Habsburgs had some, but they were also fighting the French and Prussians. Unlike the control of a narrow choke point being one of the main targets of the war as it was on the Western Front, the Eastern Front was spread out over 1,000 miles, making mobility key to winning the war, especially considering that much of the front was frozen over for much of the year.
Finally, we have the two minor theatres of the war: Greece and Iberia. The Greek theatre was just that: fought between Greece (with Russian aid) on one side and the Ottomans on the other. Greece had their own ambitions to reclaim ethnically Greek lands in the Ottoman Empire, which the Russians were more than keen on supporting, along with Slavic nationalism in the Balkans. Meanwhile, the Iberian theatre was contested between Spain (who was allied with the French) and Portugal (who were age-old British allies). The British were heavily involved in the Iberian theatre, as they possessed the exclave of Gibraltar and were able to send troops to Portugal more easily than they could to Central Europe (which had strong competition from the French and Prussian navies, while the Spanish navy was more manageable). I'll do another part going into more detail, but I just had to get this one out, so stay tuned for more.
- Iberia
- Germany and Poland
- Riga to Odessa
- Greece
- Caucasus
Map of army advances during the First Global War
- Blue - Alliance
- Red - Coalition
Part 55: Global War In Europe, In Depth
Part 55: Global War In Europe, In Depth
In this update, I will go over each of the fronts in the European theatre of the First Global War (there will be a second later on in the TL). The five major fronts of the war were the following: Western, Eastern, Iberian, Greek and Caucasian fronts. I will cover the Western and Eastern fronts individually, and go over a brief overview of the other three. Without further ado, let’s a go!
First, we have the Western Front. Fought across Central Germany and Poland, the main belligerents on this front were the Prussians and French (with smaller contributions from their allies) on one side and the Bavarians, Poles and Habsburgs on the other side. The Prussians and French had the advantage of a larger industrial capacity and more manpower (Prussia had 32 Million people and France had 44 Million), while the Bavarians, Habsburgs and Poles were fighting on their home turf. When it comes to disadvantages, though, the Habsburgs were quite susceptible. They had strong regional and ethnic divisions, and only about ¼ of the Habsburg Empire’s population was ethnically German. The Prussians and French also had a slight technological advantage, although industrialization was underway in Bavaria and Poland. So, with all that in mind, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Prussians and French were able to win a decisive victory on the Western Front, capturing Munich and Warsaw and coming close to Vienna, while also supporting a major revolt in Hungary.
Now, we move east, where the Russians were duking it out with the Poles, Habsburgs and Ottos. Now, you’d think that Three vs. One would be an uneven matchup, but it was actually quite the opposite. The Poles were already busy fighting the Prussians and French, so having to deal with the Russian Bear was the last thing they needed. The Habsburgs were pretty much in the same predicament as the Poles, so let’s move on to the Ottos. The Ottoman Empire had once been the most powerful empire in the World (although you could make a case for China being stronger overall, they didn’t really flex that power outside of their own region), but that was long gone by the Mid-Late 19th Century. Instead, the Ottomans were a middle power that, while still geopolitically influential, was falling behind The West in terms of industry, tactics and technology. In addition, the Ottomans had to deal with revolts in Serbia and Romania during the war, both of which were supported by the Russians. With all that said, the Russian army was able to win a decisive victory in the east, as the Poles had to fight a two front war, the Austrians had to deal with the Hungarians revolting and the Ottomans had their own set of problems.
Now, there were three minor theatres in the war: Iberia, Greece and the Caucasus. The Iberian theatre was fought between Spain on one side and a combined Portuguese/British force on the other. The British had strategic interests to protect Gibraltar and to honor their centuries-old alliance with Portugal, while Spain was called into the war by fellow Bourbon ally France. Fighting took place around the Spanish-Portuguese border that had remained in place for hundreds of years, as well as in and around the aforementioned British exclave of Gibraltar. With the nearby coast of the Channel and North Sea being French and Prussian respectively (thus making it very dangerous to send troops to Poland), the British focused their troops onto aiding Portugal and defending Gibraltar, as hundreds of thousands of British troops were sent to Iberia. This greatly evened the playing field in Iberia, as the Anglo-Portuguese force could now hold back Spanish attacks, but really couldn’t advance a whole lot into Spain itself. However, they could cause some added trouble for the Spanish. In the middle part of the war, the Basques protested conscription into the Spanish army, later turning into a full-on revolt in the Basque country of Spain and France. This distraction gave the British and Portuguese enough time to advance into Galicia and Andalusia, capturing Malaga and Santiago De Compostela in the process. Overall, this could be considered the only front in the European theatre where the Alliance won an overall victory.
Next up, we have Greece. While the Greeks had won there independence a decade or two previously, they still wanted more. You see, there was still a large chunk of ethnically Greek lands that was under Turkish rule, and the Greeks had an irredentist ambition to gain control over all of said territory. The Russian army connected with the Greeks once they had advanced far enough down the Black Sea coast, once again coming close to recapturing Constantinople, as well as conquering the ethnically Greek islands of the Aegean Sea and Cyprus.
Finally, we get to the Caucasus. In this mountainous and diverse region, inciting any ethnic rebellion (Armenians for example) in your opponent’s territory would likely also result in that rebellion spreading into your own territory. Fighting in the mountains was a long grind, and eventually the front turned into a stalemate. In the end, it pretty much remained the status quo from before the war.
Next time, I will go over the peace treaty, and then get back to more peacetime updates, so stay tuned!
Treaty of Basel
Treaty of Basel
13 April 1874
13 April 1874
- The Holy Roman Empire is to be disbanded (R.I.P. HRE)
- Hungary, Carpathia, Illyria, Albania, Ireland and Dacia are to become independent nations.
- Poland is to cede Lithuania and Byelorussia to the Russian Empire and the region of Posen to Prussia.
- Bavaria is to release the Rhineland as an independent state.
- Greece is to acquire the entirety of Western Thrace, Crete, Cyprus and the Islands of the Aegean.