I don't have anything concrete planned yet but the next chapter will most likely focus on developments in Europe.
Galloway and the Plan of Union: A Saga of a British America
- Thread starter PGSBHurricane
- Start date
I will be simultaneously updating this TL with another one I just created: La Floride: A French Huguenot Colony In North America. I hope you guys check it out. Here is the link.
Chapter Twenty-Four: New World Problems, Old World Solutions
Chapter Twenty-Four: New World Problems, Old World Solutions
The Union of American Commonwealths was barely the only one affected by the aftermath of the Saint-Domingue Uprising. Britain, Spain, and especially France were all hard hit. As previously discussed, Britain was hit with a casualty rate much higher than expected and did not anticipate that the slave majority in Saint-Domingue would be able to put up a fight, let alone push the Europeans to nearly their breaking point. Before any intervention in Saint-Domingue, the Tories had taken back power in the British Parliament in 1807 as the Ten Years War had ended, headed by 3rd Duke of Portland, William Cavendish-Bentinck, and succeeded by Spencer Percival in 1809 following the death of the former. By the next elections in 1812, the country was still reeling from the economic recession following the Ten Years War. In an unexpected upset, the Whigs won the House of Commons and Lord Grenville was Prime Minister once more. The next election was in 1818, just after Britain had begun its intervention in Saint-Domingue. Ironically, despite his previous attempts to end the Ten Years War, what kept him as Prime Minister was his declaration of war on the French Caribbean colony and his vow to restore order, as the idea of a potentially successful black-majority colony terrified most of the public. The Whigs under Grenville prevailed. Then came 1820, which would become one of the most contested elections in British history.
Earlier that year, dissatisfaction with the Progress of the War led to the ousting of Grenville as Prime Minister and the Tories regained control of the House of Commons. Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, became the New Prime Minister. The Earl of Liverpool announced a Great Push to gain Saint-Domingue and the rest of the French West Indies in order to guarantee the preservation of slavery (with the condition of the Slave Trade itself being abolished), aiming to send out sending out the largest British expedition in its history, with a force of about 30,000 men on 200 ships. By then, it was known that serving in the West Indies was a death sentence. The reaction was overwhelmingly negative, but nowhere was it more hostile than Ireland. Troops in Cork and Dublin rioted when they found out they were going to be sent to the West Indies en masse. Ireland, Wales, and Scotland had already suffered due to the Year without a Summer causing widespread famine and disease in the British Isles, but Ireland had not yet fully recovered. Leaving Portsmouth in November 1820, the fleet arrived in March 1821 at Barbados. By June, most British troops were concentrated at Port-au-Prince and other coastal enclaves, with 10,000 dying from yellow fever. It was an all-around disaster. The British human and economic toll by 1822, when they withdrew and the war had officially ended, reached 4 million pounds and 100,000 casualties.
On August 31, 1823, a peace deal was signed following the British and Spanish withdrawal the previous year and the French surrendered soon after. Saint-Domingue would be allowed to reunite into one entity instead of two separate domains, and the abolition of the slave trade went into immediate effect. Slaves born after January 1, 1825 would be free upon their 21st birthday, including children who had arrived after their birth. In exchange, the white population (mostly from France) would be allowed to stay, with limited white immigration, and have control of its external and non-slavery-related internal affairs. Freedmen, or affranchis, would gain some limited freedoms; and slaves freed during the Saint-Domingue uprising would not be enslaved. While this was not ideal for either side, neither wanted to risk another war that would ravage the economy of the island again. The abolition of the slave trade would be gradually implemented in the other French colonies through 1826. While the approach taken with Saint-Domingue ruffled the feathers of some within the elite, the working class majority was not overly concerned with such overseas affairs. Thus, there were few complaints about this to the King outside of some members of the First and Second Estate members of the Estates-General. Louis XVIII remained on the throne of France until his death in September 1824 when he was succeeded by his brother, Charles Philippe (Charles X).
Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal was dealing with Brazil in the light of the creation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves. In 1820, a military insurrection took place in Porto and spread through the rest of the country in the form of a political revolution. The Liberal Revolution resulted in the return in 1821 of the Portuguese Court to Lisbon, Portugal from Brazil, where the 1822 Constitution was ratified and implemented by the Cortes (Parliament). The draft was mostly composed by Portuguese delegates since the Liberal Revolution was Portuguese in origin. Only later was a Brazilian delegation chosen. Brazilians were drastically underrepresented in the Cortes and even persecuted on the streets by Portuguese citizens. The draft of the Constitution was seen as offensive to Brazilians, including proposals to dissolve the Brazilian-based central government in Rio de Janeiro. Another provision allowed the Legislature to exclude Brazilian provinces from the jurisdiction of the Regency. There was even draft legislation proposed to sever the ties between the central devolved Government of the Kingdom of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro and some provinces in Northeastern Brazil. Several Portuguese politicians wanted the return of a mercantilist system in which Brazilians could only export products to Portugal and only import them from Portugal. The Regent Crown prince, Pedro, had a tough decision to make.
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Here is the upcoming timetable for the TL:
In order (following the update of my other TL: the Affairs of Central and Eastern Europe circa 1820, the general whereabouts of the Americas outside the UAC, and finally back to the UAC itself.
The thing is that there's no reason why the UAC needs to own all of the OTL Continental United States. Especially when they could easily expand through OTL Canada instead.
Minor point Peers ie Liverpool are referred to by title not family name So it wpuld be The Liverpool or Lord liverpool Government never Jenkinson'
I think you quoted the wrong post. I also corrected it by the way.
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Don’t worry, I will ensure it will not. Mexico will likely get a better deal for instance than OTL.
Given Britain’s anti slavery attitude combined with the Northern states, likely the UAC expands into Louisiana and Canada while Mexico keeps most of its land.
I don't want to give more away right now, so no more spoilers.
I will post another chapter of my newest TL first (likely later this week) so I can guide it in a good direction, then I will update this.
I am about 75% done with the new chapter so it should be ready by the end of the week.