Europe's Hope & Britain's Glory - A Georgian Alternate History

1848 affecting Britain more than OTL would be interesting...

but for an interesting butterfly, why not have 1830 be bigger in scope?

1830 may be bigger in scope, especially in Italy and the like. It could definitely set the continent ablaze, and perhaps push the Reform Act up.
 
Such as? The only thing I can think of is to get someone from the continent, likely from Hanover itself, to be elected or popularly acclaimed King, e.g Ernest Augustus, or Prince Adolphus.

Prince Adolphus would probably be the most popular choice is the main ruling branch became conservative, or maybe the Dukes of Gloucester who were also a cadet line descending from George II's brother. But Gloucester was married to the Princess Mary in 1816, and they had no children (no surprise given George III's spinster daughters did not marry until late in life, so there would be no one to continue the line. Gloucester's sister likewise, was childless and unmarried.

But otherwise it's an issue given that the Regent and (most) of his brothers were all popularly disliked, and even some of his sisters were unpopular too.
 
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Minature portrait of Princess Charlotte in the middle of her pregnancy, commissioned by her husband Friedrich.

Chapter VI. A Most Perfect Child
“Pregnancy does not suit me at all. I feel so awfully fat; I have terrible sickness in the morning, and I can no longer dance and I am limited to playing the hostess at home and even then Fritz makes sure I do not over exert myself. I am so dreadfully bored and I hope the ordeal this over sooner rather than later. I wish I could say I was excited about the prospect of a darling child of my own, but it is so early… I have scarcely been married and already I feel like a broodmare. Everyone is so excited and I feel miserable… Grandmama is constantly showering me with advice, telling me that the first birth is always the hardest but it soon becomes easier. Easier! Does she think I plan to have fifteen children like she? Certainly not!”
— Excerpt of a letter written by Charlotte during her pregnancy to her companion, Miss Knight.

The news of Charlotte’s pregnancy was greeted with great acclaim in Britain. The Prince Regent hosted a magnificent party on the eve of the news. It was a dawning event, for it would be the first royal birth within the British Royal Family for nearly twenty years—since the birth of Charlotte herself. Within the public, there was intense speculation over the pregnancy, and betting shops even set up bookings to bet on the sex of the child. Economists declared that a birth of a princess would raise the stock market by 2.5%, while a prince would raise it by 6%. Prince Friedrich was greatly overjoyed at the possibility of his first child, writing to his uncle that “You will be pleased to learn that Britain shall soon have a little Prussian of its own.”

Charlotte was less pleased about the impending child. Although she was known to enjoy the company little children and loved to lavish attentions upon them, these were often the children of her friends and other women that she knew. The prospect of giving birth somewhat frightened her—and after having finally tasted the social scene, she bitterly resented that her activities were restricted now that she was enceinte. Yet despite the change in her circumstances, the adoration of her husband had not waned. While she hoped that their honeymoon period would’ve continued far longer than it did (perhaps for a year or two, before she began to settle and think of children), she did not despise him for her condition. Indeed, Fritz as she so lovingly called him showered her with attentions, and knowing her love for the social whirl, made sure that she continued to entertain. Whilst she was no longer living a heavy social schedule of balls, operas, and soirées, she held twice weekly salons attended by notable personalities such as Sarah Villiers, the Countess of Jersey (daughter of her father’s notorious mistress some twenty years before), the Duke of Devonshire, Priscilla Bertie and the Duchess of Cumberland (who also became pregnant in 1816, and as Charlotte’s aunt and mother-in-law by marriage became a source of comfort given the Duchess’ numerous other pregnancies).

At the time of her collapse it was determined that Charlotte was about three months pregnant, and Friedrich took great care to organize a medical team to care for his wife. Both Queen Charlotte and the Prince Regent suggested the services of an accoucher, or a midwife, but Friedrich almost immediately dismissed the idea, supposedly telling off the Regent and stating that “I would not dare risk the life of the future Queen of England, let alone that of the future heir in her womb by using the services of some quack!” When the news of Charlotte’s condition was broke to the King of Prussia and the row that had developed over her care, the King of Prussia was keen to suggest the services of his own royal physician: Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland, who soon traveled over to Britain and was made the head of her medical team, causing a great furor. The Times wrote that “Out of all the skilled physicians-in-ordinary and midwives within this great nation, Prince Friedrich has decided that his wife shall be attended upon by a German, and it is a foreigner who shall deliver our future Prince of Wales or Princess Royal.”

The remark of The Times was unnecessarily harsh, for while Hufeland had been named Charlotte’s head physician, her team also included Englishmen, such as her own personal physician Matthew Baillie and a noted obstetrician, John Sims. The scandal died down as an accoucher was in the end added to the medical team as well, Sir William Knighton, a man of great eminence who was suggested by Charlotte’s intimate friend Lady Ashworth. Yet Fritz was adamant that Hufeland would be in charge of Charlotte’s care during her pregnancy and would handle her day to day needs. Hufeland concerned himself primarily with ensuring that Charlotte kept herself well, ate healthily, and received plenty of fresh air. It was under his care that the months of Charlotte’s pregnancy progressed smoothly, taking walks in the both the morning and the evening in the gardens either with Prince Friedrich himself or with her lady companion, Lady Coventry. Another aspect of Hufeland’s care involved the refusal to bleed Charlotte; while bloodletting was a fairly common treatment for a variety of ailments, especially during the course of pregnancy, Hufeland forbade it, stating: “These Britons are in a craze that if a mother becomes too large she should be bled to reduce the size of the child—what nonsense! A mother is supposed to become large if she is pregnant!”

Thus under Hufeland’s care, Charlotte’s pregnancy progressed. While she was at first sullen in regards to the restrictions on her social life, Friedrich in conjunction with Lady Coventry went great strides to provide amusements for Charlotte within their home. Aside from her weekly salons, Charlotte also made visits to her father at Carlton House, who was in high spirits over the prospect of his first grandchild, and in May Princess Charlotte, nearly five months pregnant paid a visit to her grandmother at Windsor where the pair had a heart to heart. Charlotte wrote in her diary: “Visited Grandmama at Windsor for two hours. She was very kind to me & is quite excited at the idea. She has given me so much advise [sic] and has been so much kinder than I thought her before.”

It was during this time that there were discussions regarding the London residence of the prince and princess. Camelford was considered quite small and as it was desirous that Charlotte’s confinement occur within London. Negotiations began as early as May for the lease of Marlborough House located in Pall Mall just some distance from St. James Palace. Despite the fact it would cost nearly £10,000 to repair and beautify the home, the Duke of Marlborough offered the palace at a mere £3,000 per annum. By that August, the Prussias, as they were so popularly known in London, had settled into Marlborough House, deciding to make it their permanent residence as they found it much preferable to Camelford. Preparations were now being carried out for the expected date for Charlotte’s confinement; Hufeland estimated that she would probably go into labor in mid to late September, and the whole house began to prepare, with the nursery underway.

Charlotte’s last weeks of her pregnancy was idyllic. Under the care of Hufeland, she ceased to socialize widely as she did early in her pregnancy, but she did continue to receive callers about once a week. She happily showed off baby clothes she had prepared for the child and a wet nurse was ultimately settled upon as well. Her diet remained rich and she continued to take walks as well as rides around the nearby park. Charlotte had grown quite large over the course of nine months, and complained terribly that “I have turned into a fat and ugly thing and it does not suit me at all.” She was sullen over her size until comforted by Friedrich that he would love her no matter how large she was. As September rolled through, Charlotte at around 3:00am on September 16th awoke to the beginning of her doleurs, or labor pains began. Prince Friedrich was alerted firstly, who sent messengers to Carlton House to fetch the Prince Regent and even to Windsor, where Queen Charlotte and Princess Elizabeth were waiting in the wings to hear the news of the labor.

The Prince Regent arrived at around 4:30, where Charlotte was well and still able to move around, even being able to have a light breakfast at around 6:30 when the Queen and Princess Elizabeth made their arrival. At 10:00am Charlotte was no longer able to walk, and finally took to her delivery bed, decorated completely in white. Charlotte was surrounded by her husband, along with her father, her grandmother, and her aunt. Other dignitaries, such as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, along the Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor were also eventually present at Marlborough House, before Charlotte took to her bed, not but within the actual chamber. Although Hufeland had headed Charlotte’s medical establishment through her pregnancy and made many important decisions, he knew it was time to delegate authority to the other skilled hands within the medical team, such as William Knighton, the accoucher and John Sims, the obstetrician. Together, Charlotte was guided through her labor through the care of both her skilled medical team and the love of her assembled family.

At around 1:20PM, after a labor of about three hours, Charlotte delivered a healthy baby boy. The child, quite resembling the royal family, was remarked to be quite handsome. “He is a quiet and beautiful baby,” Charlotte wrote to a friend a few days after the birth. “I admit perhaps at first I did not want him so soon, but now I am glad he is here. He is a most perfect child.” The Prince was christened in the great drawing room of St. James Palace on October 14th. With the baby’s godparents being the Prince Regent, Friedrich Wilhelm III, the King of Prussia, Charlotte, the Queen of Württemberg, and the heavily pregnant Duchess of Cumberland. It was in the drawing room that the baby was formally christened as George Frederick William. Known solely as George, he was the first child born to the British Royal Family in twenty years, and the first great-grandchild of a sovereign born since 1776. The day after his birth, the Prince Regent issued letters patent granting his grandson the rank of Royal Highness (as a great-grandson of the sovereign, he was only entitled to rank of Highness). The patent was also issued in such a way in that it could cover in any further issue by Princess Charlotte.
 

Stolengood

Banned
We'll definitely see no Victorian Era and no Victorian Morality. Victoria and Albert were priggish and set the tone for a monarchy the middle classes could admire. Charlotte and Friedrich are popular but will form a part of the young set of the Regency Ton.
I have to ask... would Leopold have been such an "idealized" consort? I think his wordly charm might've had a better effect on Charlotte, if we stretch thing out past their "domesticity" in the country... :)
 
I have to ask... would Leopold have been such an "idealized" consort? I think his wordly charm might've had a better effect on Charlotte, if we stretch thing out past their "domesticity" in the country... :)

I don't know, he was definitely a smart fellow, but I imagine their domestic life in the country would've stretched out if Charlotte hadn't died -- they probably would've happily raised their family at Claremont until Charlotte was finally called to the throne. Given the fact her education was sorely neglected, she probably would've leaned heavily on him. Even once Queen I imagine they would've still enjoyed the country, much as Victoria and Albert did. Of course, I'm sure they would've moved within Whiggish circles especially in the 1820s when troubles over Catholic Emancipation and the Reforms began.

I don't know if the British would've liked the idea of Leopold meddling in politics, though, even if it was merely just giving advice. They definitely disliked Albert for doing the same thing, but he was a newcomer, in many aspects. Charlotte would've become Queen c. 1830 and her and Leopold would've been fixtures in the country for a long time.

He definitely had a positive effect on her from the short time they were married, he calmed her. She was kind of vulgar in her manners and prone to tantrums (see: the Orange fiasco) before she married.

Frederick has calmed Charlotte in his own ways, but instead of living away from society they'll be an active part of it. They'll also be getting involved in Whiggish causes when the time come.
 
And soon Britain will coo over its youngest Prince. I wonder what his prospects at the throne are, being third in line.

He's essentially now the Victoria of this TL given his date of birth, but he's also an Edward VII of sorts. His great-grandfather is still king (even if insane). It's going to be a long, long time before he's King of Great Britain. In fact, it's going to be some time before he's even Prince of Wales.
 
He's essentially now the Victoria of this TL given his date of birth, but he's also an Edward VII of sorts. His great-grandfather is still king (even if insane). It's going to be a long, long time before he's King of Great Britain. In fact, it's going to be some time before he's even Prince of Wales.

So basically an early version of current Prince Charles, 60 years old and still not king?
 
So basically an early version of current Prince Charles, 60 years old and still not king?

Yes, exactly. And given life expectancy, it's possible he could marry and have children but end up dying before his mother. Or at the very least, have a short reign like Edward VII did. The Hannoverians did have very good life expectancy though... George III lived to be 81, as did Victoria; William IV died at 71. The Hohenzollerns had awfully long lives too, such as the Emperor Wilhelm I who lived to be about 90. He died in 1888 and was probably one of the last living people who had fought the in the Napoleonic Wars at the time. He was actually a year younger than Charlotte.
 
Yes, exactly. And given life expectancy, it's possible he could marry and have children but end up dying before his mother. Or at the very least, have a short reign like Edward VII did. The Hannoverians did have very good life expectancy though... George III lived to be 81, as did Victoria; William IV died at 71. The Hohenzollerns had awfully long lives too, such as the Emperor Wilhelm I who lived to be about 90. He died in 1888 and was probably one of the last living people who had fought the in the Napoleonic Wars at the time. He was actually a year younger than Charlotte.

Frederick the Great also lived to be 74, outlasting even Maria Theresa.
 
Frederick the Great also lived to be 74, outlasting even Maria Theresa.

Indeed, so we some quite possibly long lived children of Charlotte and Frederick. I was considering the style of their children, as they are Prince(sses) of Prussia as well as Prince(cesses) of Great Britain. But British Princes were never styled as search; it was just HRH, Prince X, and later HRH, Duke X. Charlotte, previously Princess Charlotte of Wales is now Charlotte, Princess Frederick of Prussia. Their children bear these princely titles but I suspect they will be ignored compared to their British titles. None of Victoria's children used their German title of Duke/Duchess in Saxony. Just their British style.

And to my readers, I am working on a wrap-up, or rather a brief covering of countries of interest for the 1815-1816 period before closing up this cycle of chapters, or Book One as I call it. I have France and Spain on the line, with Portugal and Latin America coming as well. Any specific countries which you may wish to be know about? Just keep in mind butterflies; there haven't been any major effects yet, and beyond Britain and France are rather superficial.
 
Wrap Up: Europe, 1815-1817.

Napoleon’s defeat following Waterloo and the subsequent Treaty of Vienna reestablished peace as well as the old order of things, or rather, tried to reestablish the old order to the best of their ability, unknowing the ideas of change had already been implanted into the hearts and minds of the people. While in Britain Charlotte dealt with her own trials and triumphs, from spurning Prince Willem of Orange and winning her Prussian, to bearing the future King of Great Britain, Europe continued on it’s own course of both interesting events and great calamities.

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The Return of the Bourbons, an allegorical painting ushering in the return of the Bourbons from their exile in 1814.

In France, Louis XVIII found himself finally firmly established upon his throne, feeling a bit more secure with Napoleon’s exile to distant St. Helena, rather than Elba. Having see how quickly the French people turned against him, he was determined not to repeat the same mistakes of his first Restoration. Voluntarily stepping back from politics, he transformed the Conseil du Roi into a tighter knit Privy Council, with the expulsion of his brother and nephews from it, intending not to allow his family to influence the policy of his government. The French King’s government had to deal with the aftermath of Waterloo, including the White Terror, and elections brought the reactionary party into power, forcing Louis XVIII to depart with his beloved Talleyrand, and the Duke of Richelieu was appointed to the post of Prime Minister. A further crisis developed in 1816, when the severe Year Without a Summer blighted crops and reduced many to great hunger, causing Louis XVIII to relax tariffs, much to ire of the great landowners who were the bulwark of the Bourbon regime. 1816 also saw the reactionary Chamber of Deputies dissolved and a more malleable one elected.

On the domestic front, the Duke of Berry saw his marriage to the Englishwoman Amy Brown annulled on the grounds that it had never received consent from king, and leaving Berry free to remarry a proper, royal, catholic, princess. It was not just the fact it hadn’t been an advantageous marriage, but the fact that Berry had sired two illegitimate children proved his fertility in lieu of his impotent brother, the Duke of Angoulême. Yet despite this alleged impotence, in early 1816 the Duchess of Angoulême was happy to announce to the King and the Count d’Artois that she finally believed herself with child. Wide-eyed and amazed, given the Angoulême’s had been childless for nearly twenty years, the news was greeted with great joy, with all the boasting of the divinity of the Bourbon blood and that it was truly a miracle. For the time being, the king chose to put the Duke of Berry’s future marriage plans on the backburner, specifically requesting that the Count of Blancas cease making inquiries about Carolina of the Two Sicilies until more was known as the Duchess of Angoulême’s condition.

Yet as the months rolled by, despite some of the obvious symptoms that she might actually be pregnant, it was soon learned that the Duchess of Angoulême was not actually pregnant—her symptoms actually represented the onset of menopause[1]. Now, not even the divine intervention from above could hope to give neither the Duchess nor the Duke of Angoulême a son. This complicated matters in regards to Berry’s marriage, as the King of Two Sicilies had grown weary waiting on s response in regards to the match with his eldest daughter. With the match broken off, Louis XVIII quickly found a bride through the House of Saxony to Princess Amalie[2], a beautiful young woman greatly interested in music. The pair married first by proxy in Dresden and finally in person in September of 1816. The Duke is quite enchanted with her looks and it is not long before he carries her off to the marriage bed. The Princess soon lives up to her Saxon fertility, giving birth to a daughter named Élisabeth-Charlotte in the autumn of 1817, a few short days before her nine month anniversary to the Duke of Berry. It is a girl, but it is a reminder that the Bourbon line can continue on, and that Berry will be the one to do so.

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Ferdinand VII upon his release and restoration in Spain, being greeted in Valencia, 1814.

In Spain, Ferdinand VII is finally restored upon his throne in 1814. His first act of business? To abrogate the liberal 1812 Spanish Constitution, claiming that he never consented to its creation. As such, it is an illegal document. His abolition of the constitution provokes great ire amongst liberals and the general public. Ferdinand is no Louis XVIII; he cannot understand that the clock cannot be turned back. As such, he signs agreements with the clergy and the nobility to restore the old state affairs even before the fall of Napoleon. Ferdinand is in a tenuous position; the Juntas that once supported him against Joseph Bonaparte are worried over his actions and liberals are greatly dismayed. Even the army with its liberal leanings has made the King of Spain’s position tenuous. Yet despite the tensions, the Congress of Vienna cemented international support for the absolutist regime in Spain.

Yet Ferdinand VII would soon be in for a rude awakening. In the New World, the Juntas who had supported him throughout the Napoleonic Wars were now cautious of his intentions. Caracas and Buenos Aires, both who had declared independence in 1810 and had sent ambassadors to the United Kingdom were also worried over his exact intentions. Years of warfare had separated the colonies from the metropole and had also disrupted traditional trade with Spain, to the benefit of Britain, who by 1814 had extensive trade contacts with the Spanish American colonies. And so, backed up by the Holy Alliance despite calls from the sword to be tempered, Ferdinand VII plotted to restore things to the way they were, totally and completely. This included his empire in the Americas.

In his private life, Ferdinand VII was suspicious and unstable man. His autocracy was run on a whim, and he shifted his ministers without a care, often entering the houses of these men himself before handing them over to his cruel enemies. Childless and unmarried, having lost his first wife in 1806, Ferdinand’s heir was his brother, the Charles, the Count of Molina. Although the Bourbon line was certainly not on terrible footing given the brood of his children his grandfather had born, with branches of the Spanish family reigning in both the Duchy of Lucca and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinand was determined to remarry and sire a son to inherit his crown. Thus in September of 1816 the king was duly married to the Portuguese Infanta, Maria Isabel de Bragança, who also happened to be his niece. The marriage was not the only to occur within that month, however, as days before the king’s marriage his brother was married to another Portuguese Infanta (who quite happened to be his niece as well), Maria Francisca. So two marriages cemented the ties between Portugal as well as Spain, with hopes of progeny for both.

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Destitution of the Captain-General of Venezuela, 1810.

In Latin America, Ferdinand VII began his plans to reassert control over his rebellious colonies. Just as he declared the Constitution of 1812 invalid as it had been done without his consent, he immediately alienated the juntas of South America by declaring that they were invalid as well. News of Ferdinand’s reaction began to sink into the Spanish Americas over the course of three weeks to nine months, provoking outrage amongst those who had initially declared in Ferdinand’s name.

Ferdinand’s action created the first distinctive split between two groups that could’ve been allies of Ferdinand—the autonomous governments that had not yet declared independence from Spain, as well as Spanish liberals who intended to create a fully representative government that would include the Spanish colonies as well, a definite alternative to many territories that did not wish to fully break from Spain. By reacting against the clock, Ferdinand alienated those elements that would’ve been potential allies. So began the split between the Royalists—supporters of the Spanish monarchy, and the Patriots, who favored independence.

Through 1814 and 1815, Ferdinand began to constitute expeditionary forces to reestablish Spanish control of the Spanish colonies. Chile was reconquered in 1814, whilst New Granada fell within 1816. Even in Mexico, the independence movement had lost steam with the execution of leading revolutionaries in 1811. So the forces of reaction began to swarm back into the colonies. Yet despite setbacks and even the reestablishment of royal control in many areas, the patriots remained commited to ousting Ferdinand and his swarm of Jesuits and cupreous nobility from their countries.

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Acclamation of João VI of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves

In Portugal and Brazil, the pre-war status quo remained. The Prince-Regent, João remained in Rio de Janeiro, effectively ruling the Portuguese Empire from Brazil. With the fall of Napoleon in 1815 there were calls for the royal family to return to Portugal, but Joâo was reluctant to leave. The royal family was far more popular in Brazil, he had more freedom, and he thus remained unwilling to return to Europe. So Portugal remained under British military rule and was effectively a Brazilian colony: a reversal from the centuries before.

Many Portuguese asserted the return of the royal family as Brazil was merely a colony; it was not right for the metropole to be governed from the colony. All while the Brazilian courtiers pressed the Prince-Regent that Brazil ought to raised to a proper status, that of a kingdom, so it could enjoy the equal rights that Portugal enjoyed. In 1815 the Prince-Regent issued an act raising Brazil to the status of a kingdom and by the same law the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves was born. It 1816, the insane Queen Maria finally passed away, and the Prince-Regent succeeded his mother as Joâo VI. Despite the new status of Brazil, the sovereigns maintained the Portuguese regnal numbering. By 1817 things were tense, but neither side had moved yet. The Portuguese continued to chafe under English military rule and economic domination, and the humiliation that their king remained tied to Rio de Janeiro and refused to return to Portugal.

The domestic front of the Portuguese family was rather calm in the face of these constitutional changes. The Prince of Brazil, Pedro, was married to Leopoldina of Austria, following the urging of the king who wished to see his son marry a Habsburg princess and Metternich chiding that it was now her turn to become a wife. She finally arrived in the country in 1817, awe struck by her husband. But what she saw and what he really was would soon change her opinion of him.

[1] This actually happened IOTL. I’ve heard stories of her becoming pregnant in 1816 and miscarrying, but it was ultimately menopause, occurring in 1820, though I’ve heard 1816 as well. This minor event continues for some months further than OTL, manifesting it’s self much like a phantom pregnancy and negatively impacts the marriage negotiations with Berry’s OTL wife, causing them to be dropped.

[2]As Berry’s negotiations were abruptly cut off over the Angoulême’s “miracle conception,” the King of Two Sicilies was greatly angry and refused to consider the match further. Louis XVIII decides on a Saxon Princess, given his connections through his own mother. Princess Amalie and Berry are third cousins.

End Book One.
 
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Well, there lives the Bourbon line. I'm wondering if they'll last past 1830 TTL though...

And Ferdinand VII continues to be his shooting-himself-in-the-foot self, unlike his distant relative Louis.
 
Well, there lives the Bourbon line. I'm wondering if they'll last past 1830 TTL though...

And Ferdinand VII continues to be his shooting-himself-in-the-foot self, unlike his distant relative Louis.

Yeah, definitely have to see about that. The Duchess of Berry won't truly prove herself until she bears an heir; and that son will still be behind the Count of Artois and Angoulême and his own father in the succession.

And yep... I don't feel too sorry for him. Unfortunately I don't think there's anyway to mitigate the upcoming conflict in the Americas with such a POD as I chose, and I really wouldn't want too either. ;)
 
Hmm, if John is sticking with Brazil, might there not be a common cause between Portuguese Republicans (or at least Portuguese who now hate their king) and Spanish Republicans? 1820 Revolution leading to a United Iberian Republic? Ha, I can dream.
 
Hmm, if John is sticking with Brazil, might there not be a common cause between Portuguese Republicans (or at least Portuguese who now hate their king) and Spanish Republicans? 1820 Revolution leading to a United Iberian Republic? Ha, I can dream.

That'd be cool and considering Portugal didn't end up as damaged as Spain did IOTL, perhaps it's be very benefitial, though I doubt Britian would like a natural ally to be eaten up by a traditional French ally.
 
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