For Our King, Liberty and Laws

I expect that Bavaria is not going to be well treated during the peace treaty, if the Coalition wins.

Similarly, I don't expect Britain will be well disposed towards France.
 
I don't think Napoleon occupied Germany and Berlin like he did after defeating Prussia in OTL.
Correct - Prussia, recognising that it could not assemble an army to efficiently oppose the French in the time it would take Napoleon to march north from Austria, simply requested an armistice with France, thereby preventing the Prussians suffering an invasion like Austria.

It seems that Prussia knew its situation and signed a treaty before it reached that point, so Napoleon and his forces haven't marched across the entirety of northern Germany. A massive amount of wealth was taken in OTL, and lacking the position of actually occupying Berlin makes it likely Prussia received a less harsh deal despite still having clearly lost. After all, the 50,000 men lost in France is still but a small potion of the entire Prussian military. In canon Napoleon managed to take 100,000 muskets from the stockpile in Berlin, even after he won at Jena-Auerstedt, and had either killed or incapacitated 200,000 Prussian soldiers in the entire campaign. He also had his entire grandee armee, several hundred thousand troops, right in or by Germany at the time. Massive victory or not, Prussia's position is much better than OTL during the Fourth Coalition. It's likely Prussia will be able to recover to a degree within two or three years and afterwards the harsh treaty will only work against Napoleon. Without beating Prussia down as much as OTL, imposing the same type of harsh treaty will only ensure future Prussian renunciation of it once in a decent position to do it. Assuming it is the same treaty, I'd assume Prussia only agreed to have a year or two to reorganize and recover, with Napoleon only agreeing because despite everything he only has 65,000 troops and needs to recover as well. He did after all just defeat an Austro-Prussian army at his absolute lowest point, so I doubt he'll be very intimidated at the thought of fighting Prussia again in a few years.

Regardless of his successes, Napoleon still can't simply replace all the men lost in Britain. That probably means he isn't in a position to force Russia to declare war with Britain, and I'm also not sure if he'd feel confident enough to invade Portugal to start the Peninsula War like OTL. Napoleon might actually be forced to do nothing for the next few years in order to recover, hoping the Continental System harms Britain in the meanwhile.

I think another League of Armed Neutrality about now would actually have more weight than before. Britain just decimated any chance of a French invasion of Britain for at least a decade. Denmark's fleet is not so important now. Russia wasn't part of the Coalition, and so hasn't lost its armies and is probably outside Napoleon's ability to attack for several years. So Sweden and Russia likely aren't likely to lock tusks, and would instead make the League a more cohesive block. Britain probably wouldn't alienate neutral forces when France is so weakened, and Napoleon doesn't have the strength to make more enemies. Or at least, he shouldn't.
All interesting points, I'll take them on board when continuing the timeline!

Another thing I'm skeptical on is the entire lack of warning in Paris or Austria of Napoleon's victory and advance. Armies were simply too large to capture in full, unless an entire second army appeared at their rear, and armies still moved rather slowly. Especially as Brunswick hadn't yet ordered a cavalry charge, which meant that at his death the cavalry was not engaged. That not even a single rider among thousands wasn't sent to Paris once the battle turned seems unrealistic to the extreme. I'd suggest instead having Napoleon having specifically drawn the overconfident enemy west from Paris, with reinforcements from other areas of northern France came from the south or north to surround the enemy. It both makes him seem more competent than getting lucky with the enemy general getting hit from the back of the army, and means the enemy was already largely surrounded when the battle turned. Paris too would have probably received notice of Napoleon's advance with at least enough time to send a cavalry detachment home as warning. His advance into the HRE/Austria afterwards doesn't have to have so much surprise on his side. Sheer morale at this point from having their victory snatched from them would greatly hinder any Austrian defense.
Good point - I have duly amended the update to reduce the total number of Austrians and Prussians captured at Evreux, thereby allowing a larger proportion of the army to escape. Yet, as you said, this would not make any difference to the final outcome.

Regardless of my thoughts. Good chapter.
Thank you!
 
A little? Bitch, even for Sun Tzu, that'd be unlikely.

It is (Especially when we consider that a great deal of Napoleon's strategic genius, especially this early on, came from his ability to concentrate forces and move them around with simultaneous swiftness and organization... hard to do when you're scraping an army together from fresh recruits/demoralized forces and with smaller numbers), but I'm willing to give the Great Gambler a single boxcars.
 
I'm honestly shocked nobody's tried taking a shot at him.

He's now abandoned TWO armies to their fates. If I was in the army and had buddies this dipshit left to die, I'd be out for revenge.
 
Chapter X: The State of Britain in 1805
After the final beleaguered French troops were forced to surrender in Chatham and the Great Patriotic War had come to an end, people across the British Isles entered a state of celebration. In the streets of London, having only recently had the siege surrounding it lifted, Londoners raised Union Jacks from their windows, and, from Christmas Day to Boxing Day, there was a consistent, jubilant and triumphant cry of:

‘Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves!
Britons never, never, never shall be slaves!’

On the 28th, a victory parade occurred along the Mall, as the numerous soldiers and seamen who participated in the battle, from the Yeomanry Regiments to the most senior officers in the British Army, marched along the road to Buckingham Palace, with grateful citizens on each side applauding their military men. Cheers rose to particularly high levels when the generals who had won Britain some of its greatest victories during the campaign – in particular Wellesley and Nelson, the victors of Watlington and Hurd’s Deep respectively, who, when they marched across the Mall individually, received cheers and applauses from the crowds which lasted for several hours. Other individuals who received a large applause included Pitt, who was rightly recognised as being the man who had ensured Britain had the strong defences necessary to defeat Napoleon, and for being a firm head of government throughout the campaign (as well as serving on the frontline himself under George III at the Battle of Stock), and York, the man who had overseen the defence of London and the overall command of the British Army. Yet the largest applause came when King George III marched across the Mall, to be greeted with large cheers and, when the King and his Family arrived at Buckingham Palace to wave to the crowds from the balcony, there was a consistent cry of ‘God Save the King! Long Live the King!’. This reflected not only Britain’s adoration for her Monarch, yet also a snub at the failed Republics which Napoleon had attempted to set up during his failed invasion.

Other than the march across the Mall, later referred to as the ‘Victory March’, which would be re-enacted every time a significant anniversary of the Great Patriotic War arrived (first the fifty-year anniversary, then the centenary, etc.), Britons also celebrated through different means. For example, James Gillray, Britain’s famed political satirist, published a cartoon shortly after the end of the war depicting a triumphant John Bull kicking Napoleon back across the Channel, with the caption ‘Sorry Boney, but you’re not wanted here!’ – a particularly famous cartoon, and perhaps one of Gillray’s best and most well-known. In the decades following the conclusion of the Revolutionary Wars, further tributes would be made to Britain’s victory in the Great Patriotic War, and the men who brought about such a victory – between 1840 and 1843, a major tribute to Nelson was constructed in the form of Admiralty Square, a public square next to the Mall, which features, in its centre, Nelson’s Column, a monument featuring the victorious Admiralty himself [1]. Meanwhile, Wellesley (or, the Earl, and then Duke, of Wellington as he became known shortly after the conclusion of the Great Patriotic War) would receive a tribute in the form of the Duke’s Mound, a large artificial hill constructed at the site of the Battle of Watlington, which featured a column at the top with a statue of Wellesley, while, at the bottom of the hill, a monument was built with an inscription which reads: ‘HERE, SIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY DEFEATED NAPOLEON BONAPARTE ON DECEMBER THE 18TH 1804, PAVING THE WAY FOR BRITAIN’S TOTAL VICTORY IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR’. Both of these sites have become major tourist attractions in Britain, and are one of the first thoughts that might come to mind when one thinks of a famous British tourist attraction.

Another famous tribute to Britain’s victory in the Great Patriotic War came from the famous musician Sir Hubert Parry, who, in 1880, composed an overture known as The Year of 1804, or, as it is better known, the 1804 Overture, to commemorate Britain’s victory over France during the Great Patriotic War [2].

***​

Although the Austro-Prussian defeat on the Continent in February 1805 came as a shock to many Britons, it did not dampen British pride at their own victory in the Great Patriotic War – yet it did force Pitt and the British Government to re-assess their wartime strategy, and where Britain would confront France next, for any action in Continental Europe would be out of the question for the time being, as Austria and Prussia had been forced into the French sphere through the adoption of the Continental System, while Russia was certainly in no mood to agree to establish a Fourth Coalition after witnessing how quickly Austria and Prussia had collapsed.

Fortunately for the British Army, any French threat to the British Isles had been quickly dispelled by the Great Patriotic War – Napoleon, in spite of securing victory over Austria and Prussia, still commanded an army vastly depleted, having essentially lost 200,000 of its finest soldiers, and would therefore take several years to threaten a Continental Power such as Russia and at least a decade to stage another amphibious assault on Britain. Meanwhile, the French Emperor also had to concern himself with internal dissent within France for the time being, for the French defeat of the Austro-Prussian army and the enlargement of the French Empire did not distract Napoleon’s detractors from his disastrous attack across the Channel, and therefore, between 1805 and 1807, Napoleon faced three separate assassination attempts – first from a disgruntled Bourbon Royalist, then from a military officer enraged by the losses sustained by France during the campaign in Britain, and finally from a radical Jacobin, who believed that assassinating Napoleon could lead to the restoration of the Republic. Consequently, Napoleon was far too distracted by internal matters and solidifying his now uncertain rule to launch a strike against Britain, or indeed against Russia or any other nation on the Continent. Therefore, for several years, now major military action occurred in Europe.

Meanwhile, the economic threat which Napoleon had sought to impose on Britain also proved to be ineffective – the Continental System, as would become clear over several years, was unable to harm the British economy [3], as the Industrial Revolution (which emerged in Britain during the mid to late 18th century, and had now led to the advent of factories in British cities and canals across the country) ensured that Britain was more or less self-sufficient, for any loss in imports from the Continent could be made up for through home-made goods or, if necessary, trade with the colonies [4].

Consequently, with any threat France posed to Britain, both militarily and economically, being neutered, Pitt and the British Government determined that the next move for Britain would be to secure complete dominance of the colonial theatre. In order to achieve this, it was planned that the 45,000 soldiers who had been planned to land in Brittany prior to the Austro-Prussian defeat would be used for several expeditions against Spain, France’s key ally and the member of the Continental System most dependent on its colonies. The first expedition, set to take place in June 1805, would occur in South America and would feature 22,900 British soldiers who would land at the Rio de la Plata and seize Buenos Aires, Montevideo and other key population centres in the area, thereby allowing Britain to establish a new colony around the River Plate. The second expedition, set to take place in October 1805, would occur at the Isthmus of Panama, which 9,600 British soldiers intended to seize in order to examine the prospect of a canal over the isthmus which would greatly assist British access to her territory in India and trade with China. The third and final expedition, set to also take place in October 1805, would take place in Asia – or, to be specific, the Philippines, where a British force of 12,500 men would land at Manila and capture the city, thereby providing Britain with a new, valuable port in the East Indies. In addition to these expeditions, Britain also planned to support a revolt against Spanish rule in Venezuela, which would be carried out by Francisco de Miranda, a South American Revolutionary who was, in 1805, based in London and had secured the support of Pitt and the British Government to carry out his plans.

And so, the plans for these grand expeditions, which would both expand Britain’s maritime empire and deal a significant blow to one of France’s crucial allies, were set – now all that could be done was to see if they would succeed.

***​

[1] Essentially, this is the alternate timeline equivalent of Trafalgar Square in all but name.

[2] This is the same as Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture from our timeline.

[3] As in our timeline.

[4] It is worth pointing out at this point that the Napoleonic invasion had a negligible impact on Britain’s industry – most factories, and the machinery and equipment inside them, were left undamaged by the invading French forces, as did the numerous canals. Therefore, the Industrial Revolution is continuing at the same pace in Britain in this timeline as it did in our timeline.
 
I am curious as to how the United States will react to Britains actions in the Americas.
Suspicious as shit. There was still a fair bit of dislike for Britain, and now..... Combined with how the British keep refusing to leave forts they are supposed to be leaving and arming the natives....
 
Suspicious as shit. There was still a fair bit of dislike for Britain, and now..... Combined with how the British keep refusing to leave forts they are supposed to be leaving and arming the natives....

Reason for the forts is the Americans not abiding their terms in the treaty.
 
Reason for the forts is the Americans not abiding their terms in the treaty.

And as far as the Americans are concerned they're just responding to the British not respecting their sovereignty and upholding their end of the treaty. Its a game of both sides feeling cheated and trying to maintain leverage against the others. Though...

Suspicious as shit. There was still a fair bit of dislike for Britain, and now..... Combined with how the British keep refusing to leave forts they are supposed to be leaving and arming the natives....

A move on Panama and the River Plate seems unlikely to inflame tensions much more than already exist. Especially since... well, I'm pretty sure most people in England would know the basic geography of the Istamus means the construction of a canal isen't very viable (Mountains and all). The Nicaragua Canal is the only realistic route in a world before we even have dynamite. Now, a landing in New Orleans, THAT'D spook some Americans.

I'm personally more curious as to how the other powers on the Continent are reacting to Prussia and Austria's defeat though, since there's alot of uncertainty over just how much capability France has right now vs. Great Britain. If Nappy isen't looking like he's an undefeatable force bent on establishing hegemony, in certain ways aligning with him might be even more attractive, since his allies would be able to jocky into a large place in the resulting new European order.
 

Md139115

Banned
The only choice left is Air balloons, or a gigantic tunnel.:p:p:p

english-channel-optimistic-engraving-showing-how-napoleon-would-reach-BG1T0J.jpg

Out of curiosity, would a balloon invasion of England be possible? I know that hydrogen had been discovered by this point, and the French were the world leaders in balloons, so how many men could a fleet of balloons theoretically carry across the Channel?
 
Out of curiosity, would a balloon invasion of England be possible? I know that hydrogen had been discovered by this point, and the French were the world leaders in balloons, so how many men could a fleet of balloons theoretically carry across the Channel?
As far as I am aware, it would be possible for the men to cross the Channel in hot air balloons, but if they attempted to take their weaponry with them, the balloons would be weighed down and wouldn't be able to cross without sinking.

To tell you the truth, in the early stages of planning this timeline, I did plan to have a French hot air balloon regiment attempt to capture the Isle of Wight, yet I decided to scrap it later on.
 
A Balloon regiment? Countering that with a Royal Air Navy with some good old airships would be awesome. Impractical, but awesome.

As an aside I am enjoying this immensely and hope to see more of this very Soon!
 

Kaze

Banned
The problem is ballooning was still in its infancy. Carrying troops or arms would be impractical. However there is another better option - Pryoscape, the world's first viable steamship. If it is even a little faster than the mercy-of-the-winds Royal Navy ships it could in theory carry troops there a back before Nelson could roll out his cannons.
 
Hi everyone, just to let you all know, this timeline isn't dead, and the next update should be out soon, although I have been pre-occupied with other things over the past few weeks, so progress on the next update as been somewhat slower than what I would have hoped for. Yet it is coming, so no one need worry!

In the meantime, I have a question for everyone: When Pitt passes away (at the same time as in our timeline), would it be plausible for George III to call upon Horatio Nelson to form a Government?
 

Kaze

Banned
Wouldn't Nelson be dead? The best hope for a French victory is to have Nelson dead - say at the Nile. Then there is none of his command at Trafalgar - French victory at Trafalgar by sheer margin, then... Invasion starts.
 
Wouldn't Nelson be dead? The best hope for a French victory is to have Nelson dead - say at the Nile. Then there is none of his command at Trafalgar - French victory at Trafalgar by sheer margin, then... Invasion starts.
In this timeline, the French invasion takes place prior to Trafalgar, and during the invasion, Nelson is able to defeat the Combined Fleet at an alt-Trafalgar, the Battle of Helm's Deep, which he survives. I thought that, in similar vein to the Duke of Wellington after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Nelson could perhaps, being a war hero and an expert on the conflict Britain is engaged in, be invited to assume the mantle of Prime Minister.
 
Top