Thanks! I'm planning to share some more maps after the next update.interesting stories, but I hope more map especially for India, but otherwise I'm happy with the resurrection of this story, and look forward to see the next
God is a Frenchman - a Timeline (Seven Yrs War POD)
- Thread starter George_Apley
- Start date
Looks like Marie Antoinette is taking this round. 2nd place goes to Hidalgo. I like that two of you independently added Toussaint Louverture... great suggestion! I'll keep the survey open if readers still want to vote. Here is the link: God is a Frenchman: Personal Profiles Survey. I'll try to get to both in the next few weeks.
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1817-1819
Wrapping up the 1810s.
1817
1818
1819
God is a Frenchman: 1817-1819
1817
| 1817-1843 | Reign of Willem I of the Netherlands Inheriting a devastated country, the twenty-five year old King Willem busies the early years of his reign rebuilding from the the war and famine. He cuts many of the leading politicians of the late-Republic out of his circle of advisers, blaming them for instigating the 1814 War for no reason other than their own mercantile profits. The Netherlands experiences major industrial development during Willem's reign, benefitting from becoming an integral trade partner with France. He avoids foreign intrigues, keeping his country firmly in France's orbit through the succession crisis after King Louis XVII's death. His rule is cut short by an aggressive cancer that claims his life at forty-one. |
| February, 1817 | "Nebuchadnezzar" Poem Published In the midst of the 1814 War and the Year with no Summer, a number of literary movements based on German romanticism burst into popular culture with major publications. In Britain, the Enlightened Mythos movement takes root after a series of works by several young writers who spent the Year with no Summer convalescing together in the Scottish Highlands. In poetry, the seminal work of the genre is credited to Henry "Fox" Fitzcharles, the illegitimate son of Whig politician Charles Fox. He insists on being called "Fox" by his peers, a permanent dig at his late father, who largely left his bastard son to his own devices. Highly gifted with language, Fox writes a series of poems in the cold wet summer of 1816. The most famous, published the following year is a sonnet called "Nebuchadnezzar" about the Babylonian king of antiquity. With beautiful and innovative language in iambic pentameter Fox's poem is interpreted as an allegory against the venality and aggression of unchecked kings. Many view it variably as a dig against France or against the Prince of Wales, regent of Great Britain. The poem sets a stylistic standard for several decades in English poetry. |
| March-August, 1817 | Polish Uprising of 1817 Rumblings of discontent begin in the Polish Commonwealth during 1816 as government mismanagement exacerbated the climate difficulties and affected food availability. This intensifies in the late-winter as Commonwealth officials begin a conscription drive for a planned action with Russia to seize Silesia and Galicia from Austria. The campaign never occurs but the resentment towards the pro-Russian Commonwealth is strong in many corners of Polish society. In late-March 1817 a number of militias in central Poland refuse mustering orders and elect their own officers. This disobedience spreads across the commonwealth and the countryside rapidly falls out of the government's control. Tax revenue falls and desertion rates in loyal militia forces is high. By May the situation teeters on the edge of violence as pro-Commonwealth officers begin accompanying state agents to collect taxes and demand pledges of loyalty to the Sejm. The Russians cast a wary and interested eye towards Poland during their negotiations with Austria, which is the last domino of major signatories to the Warsaw Treaty of 1793 to fall. Unrest in Poland will do wonders to legitimize Russian action. In June, a congress of elected militia officers meets in Poznan and drafts demands to the Commonwealth government in Warsaw. The demands include increased representation in the Sejm and more democracy in its selection and independence from Russian interference in Polish foreign policy and military policy. On 9 July Commonwealth agents attempt to arrest the "illegally appointed captains" of the militia, which leads to shots fired between factions. Poznan's local government is quickly that week and militias rise up throughout Poland, throwing Commonwealth officials out of office in towns and cities. An militia army of over 30,000 moves to converge on Warsaw in late-July and the Sejm formally requests Russian assistance. Russian forces, expecting this outcome for weeks rapidly pour over the eastern Polish border. Russian soldiers clash with the militia at Brest, Lublin, and Siedlce; all three bloody engagements that force the militiamen to retreat. As Russian troops march into Warsaw, officials from the Commonwealth greet General Petrov with a parade and shower his officers with banquets and gratitude. Petrov gives a speech to the Sejm on 26 July effectively disbanding the body, saying that the Commonwealth has continuously proven itself unable to govern the restive provinces of Poland and therefore has lost the privilege. Stunned officials listen in horror as Petrov announces that the Polish Commonwealth will be annexed into the Russian Empire. The annexation announcement inspires more Poles to rally to the militias consolidating around Poznan. The appointed militia commander Bogdan Zuraw calls on the signatories of the Treaty of Warsaw to defend Poland's sovereignty, but Russian and Commonwealth envoys in European capitals deflect the pleas and it becomes clear that Russia has neutralized the old Treaty's terms. The militia form themselves into the Sovereign Polish Army and prepare to do battle against General Petrov's Russians. The Battle of Konin on 10 August is as large as any fought in Talleyrand's War and even more devastating. Over 58,000 casualties result from the battle of about 120,000 combatants. The Polish casualties are nearly 35,000–particularly those recent recruits not experienced in modern war tactics. In addition to the casualties, there are numerous reports of mass executions of captured men by the Russians. Thousands of Poles flee into Prussia and Silesia, some of whom remain, while others make their way to France. Nearly 8,000 Polish refugees emigrate to Quebec by 1821. Poland itself is completely annexed by the Russian Empire by the end of August. Russian administrators are installed in Warsaw to oversee the transition and Russian troops continue to occupy Poland into the 1820s. |
| March-September, 1817 | New Spain Uprisings An important policy impact of the famine conditions in Europe is the redirection of crops from New Spain and other Spanish American colonies to Europe, inadvertently leading to food shortages in Spanish colonies. These food shortages exacerbate simmering discontent in certain sections of society in Spanish America. The food shortage impacts are mostly felt by the peasant mestizo and native classes of people in Spanish America. The largest uprising begins as bread riots in March, 1817 in Guanajuato, New Spain. A number of liberal Catholic priests have been preaching among the lower classes in the countryside of New Spain for nearly a decade seeding beliefs on justice in God's kingdom on Earth. In May, the bread riots organize around the priest Don Armando Castellano, a Criollo advocate for peasant elevation and rights. The local garrison in Guanajuato is overwhelmed by the end of the month, with more people joining the uprising after a number of peasants are shot by soldiers on 24 May. Over 20 soldiers are killed by the mob in subsequent days. Viceroy Venegas dispatches royal troops from Mexico to quell the revolt and has the full support of the criollo elites in the capital. The Spanish soldiers show little mercy to the uprising, and over 600 are killed in Guanajuato from 1-3 June. The Guanajuato Massacre counterproductively inspires uprisings in other regions of New Spain, all of which are brutally put down by the colonial government. |
| April, 1817 | "With the Lotus Eaters" Poem Published A close personal friend of Fox Fitzcharles, Sir Hugh Palliser is the nonconformist heir to a line of Royal Navy officers. He bucks the family tradition and joins his friends on a writing retreat and holiday in the Scottish Highlands in 1816. Influenced by his surroundings, company, and library, he pens a foundational work of English Enlightened Mythic literature: "With the Lotus Eaters," a lengthy, lyric poem inspired by Homer's Odyssey. The poem captures the pleasurable doldrums of the British upper classes while criticizing its vapid nature. It brings Sir Hugh popular acclaim alongside the frequent intrigue and scandal of his personal life. "With the Lotus Eaters" remains a staple of English literature for well over a century. |
| May, 1817 | La Grâce de Dieu Published As romanticism in Britain reaches into the "enlightened mythos," in France it takes on other forms driven by displays of optimism and power. In 1817 writer Armand Barre publishes The Grace of God, a collection of poems & short stories about life, faith, love, and country. The book is widely distributed and favored by people across France's stratified class structure. It is viewed as a foundational example of the triomphaliste (triumphant) and émerveillement (wonderment) traditions of 19th Century French literature. |
| June, 1817-May, 1818 | Second Paris Parlement Crisis Following the conclusion of Talleyrand's War, Premier Malreaux controversially extends the tax reforms indefinitely with Louis XVII's support. Conservative nobles are aghast by the decision and resist implementing the ruling, using their influence in their locales to avoid the levy. The reaction is stronger than anticipated due to previously apolitical nobles joining the conservative reactionaries in anger. The Paris Parliament forms again in June, 1817 and by July announces a return to their positive certification for royal laws and decrees to be implemented. Such a move is a direct challenge to the power of the throne and causes great political drama in the aftermath of France's triumph in the recent war. The relaxation of press regulations gives the public a broad swath of opinions reacting to the intrigue in Paris. Most of the French people fall on the side of the King and his government, both of which enjoy high popularity in the late 1810s. The people recognize how Talleyrand and Lafayette expertly navigated the war while Malreaux and Chambray made strides towards making France a more balanced society. This is contrasted with the conservative Parlement, which is viewed as old-fashioned and out-of-touch. Despite their relative unpopularity, the Parliamentarians resolutely use their power and influence in French society to impede Malreaux's reform agenda. The King's instinct is to send in marshals to arrest the offending nobles in the Parliament, but the Marquis de Chambray, the head of the Maison de Roi domestic policy portfolios, advocates leveraging popular opinion to take care of the situation. Reformist groups such as the Tricolor Society write pamphlets and articles ridiculing the "Parliament of Fools" holding court in Paris. In winter of 1818 crowds begin to form outside the Parliament as well as outside the estates of many conservative nobles. The crowds are almost universally peaceful with slogans such as "pas de taxes? Pas de chateau," and "un pour tous, tous pour un," chanted by the crowds and waved on signs. The royal flag is waved alongside the tricolor banner that had come to represent the liberal movement in Paris. The Parliament denounces the protests and demands action to arrest or disperse them. The government is unmoved by the conservative pleas and when several nobles attempt to use private forces to assault the protests, government troops step in to defend the people. Delighted shouts of "le roi Louis du peuple!" echo through the streets of Paris. The conservatives in the self-appointed Parliament are increasingly backed into a corner as the masses fall firmly onto the side of reform and the government prevents any state sanctioned violence against the raucous crowds. They need to force their way through the shouting throngs to enter the Palais de la Cité. Even the famously conservative Church refuses to speak out in support of the Parliament. The actions of the Parliament are seen as ridiculously self-indulgent. Sufficiently mocked, several members of the Parliament quit by late summer. Chambray's plan to use the voice of the people to neuter the Parlement has worked–and not a moment too soon as King Louis's patience has long since waned since the Marquis de l'Arc scandal. The holdout conservatives who continue to refuse to pay their tax levy are ultimately arrested by mid-May. The government has survived its first direct political combat with the reactionaries delivering another victory to King Louis. |
1818
| 17 January, 1818 | Queen Marie Joachime of France Dies After the birth of Dauphin Louis-Henri, Queen Marie Joachime of France suffers a series of miscarriages between 1813 and 1816. She successfully carries a child to term in January 1818, much to the excitement of King Louis. Princess Marie Zéphyrine is born on 16 January. After the birth the Queen begins to hemorrhage and the King is removed from the room by the royal physicians. Despite their efforts into the night, the Queen succumbs and passes away in the early morning on 17 January. Louis and the young Dauphin are both devastated by the loss, which throws the King into a months long depression. During this time the Dauphin is sent to live in Madrid in his grandfather's household while the King dotes on his infant daughter, who he sees as his living connection to her mother. In subsequent years, Louis faces pressure to remarry from different quarters but he never does, remaining loyal to Marie Joachime for the rest of his life. |
| February-April, 1818 | Trial of the Marquis du l'Arc After Talleyrand's War, the Marquis du l'Arc is one of the many conservative nobles who disputes Royal prerogative and attempts to stop enforcement of tax provisions against the nobility. L'Arc becomes a leading reactionary voice at the Paris Parliament, known for his strong rhetoric against Premier Malreaux and other liberals in the King's government. He founds a newspaper in mid-1817 called "le Défenseur de la France" that espouses conservative thought and rehashes recent decades in French politics, blaming enlightenment liberals and reforms for alleged "societal decay." L'Arc takes full advantage of new press freedoms in France to launch attacks against the government that previously would have been persecuted. He continues to push the limits and in November, 1817 he releases "la Tragédie du Tsar." The pamphlet is ostensibly a retelling and analysis of the reign and downfall of Tsar Paul I of Russia, however a comparison to Louis XVII is only thinly veiled. The pamphlet clearly suggests that a monarch who moves against his own class will suffer and that coup or assassination are not illegitimate means of handling such disagreements over governance. L'Arc's writing throws French popular culture into a frenzy. Even among the conservatives in the Paris Parliament the pamphlet proves greatly controversial. The question on everyone's mind is whether the recent press freedom law shields the Marquis du l'Arc's allegedly anti-Bourbon rhetoric from prosecution. For weeks, Louis instructs his Minister of Justice Donatien Robespierre to demure from making any official moves against l'Arc, believing as his ministers do that such rhetoric is a consequence of allowing increased freedom of expression. However, as the Queen's health deteriorates in her pregnancy, ending in her death, l'Arc's attacks cross a line. In his "Pleurer notre Reine" (Mourning our Queen) letter, he flippantly questions if her untimely demise is divine retribution for upsetting the ordained social order. It sends Louis XVII into a rage and l'Arc is finally arrested and charged with lèse-majesté. His trial is considered a major test of new speech freedoms in France and testimony is wide-ranging. The Marquis speaks on his own behalf and it is not without irony that he leans into the liberal reforms of Malreaux's administration as his primary defense. The prosecutors pull from much of l'Arc's writings since the Défenseur started publication. The outcome of the case is understood to determine the future of France's revolutionary speech protections. Ultimately the panel of judge in the case navigates the politics by finding l'Arc guilty of lèse-majesté only for his writings in his letter on the Queen and dismissing the other charges. The verdict preserves the long legal tradition of preventing personal attacks against the monarchy, while supporting the general thread of the new laws protecting expression. |
| March, 1818 | Swedish Parliamentary Revolution of 1818 After Sweden's poor showing in the Prusso-Swedish War, elements of the military work with Members of Parliament to impose a new Constitution of Government onto King Gustaf Adolf restoring the legislative prerogative on most matters to Parliament. |
| June, 1818 | Grendel's Father Published Claire Godwin Fitzcharles is the daughter of political philosopher William Godwin and novelist Elizabeth Austen and the wife of poet Fox Fitzcharles. An accomplished writer in her own right Claire Fitzcharles finishes the draft of her first novel, which fits the Enlightened Mythic and Gothic Wonderment genres. The novel, Grendel's Father is initially set in the Scottish Highlands and revolves around a man discovering his monstrous heritage and actualizing his latent qualities as he navigates modern British society, and raises a very peculiar son of his own. The book astounds and disturbs audiences in Britain and it's banned in much of Catholic Europe, though it's rumored to be a favorite of King Louis XVII. The story of Grendel's Father has staying power in British literature far beyond Claire Fitzcharles's lifetime, being republished multiple times and adapted to the stage as well as other media as the entertainment industry develops in the future. |
| September, 1818-May, 1819 | Renard War Tensions in the Illinois Country of Quebec Sud du Lac intensify between the Meskwaki, or Lenard, people and the increasingly Métis cultures developing among the adjacent Illinois and Potawatomie peoples. The Meskwaki are highly resistant to assimilation and adaptation into French society. Ten his tension ignites into war in late-summer 1818 when Épervier, a Meskwaki chieftain, has a confrontation with Jean Piedfroid Fontaine, the Métis leader of the Potawatomi from Pimiteoui. The dispute is over control of farmland and hunting grounds and Épervier kills one of Fontaine's cows. This sparks a series of skirmishes between the Potawatomie and Meskwaki that gradually escalates to real violence. This leads to soldiers from the local garrison to be called for in the early winter of 1819. A snowy campaign is conducted against the Meskwaki with Quebecois troops and local militias tracking the Meskwaki as far as the Mississippi River. There are no major battles during the "Renard War," but the non-conformist Meskwaki ultimately relocate to Louisiana, on the west side of the river. |
1819
| 1819-1823 | Russian Kazakh Wars Tsar Alexander, frustrated and bored with the news about the dealings of Russian-occupied Poland, turns his gaze to the steppes. In 1819 Russia embarks on a war to conquer the vast Kazakh Khanate northeast of the Caspian Sea. The Kazakhs do not roll over easily and the war drags on for four years before the bulk of Kazakh territory is under Russian control and the Khan relents to the onslaught of Russia. The region is mostly left as Russia found it with the addition of trading posts and garrisons to keep the Kazakh's in line. |
| 1819-1821 | Mysore Civil War Tipu Sultan of Mysore dies in early 1819. Since the 1790s, Sultan had effectively replaced the Wadiyar Maharajas, and planned to establish his own dynastic rule. Upon his death his wishes are for his son Shezada Ali to take his place. The long-sidelined Hindu Wadiyar family, hopes to take the death of Tipu Sultan as an opportunity to reclaim power for themselves. The young Chamarajendra Wadiyar, a cousin of the last Maharaja who was suspiciously killed in 1810, asserts his claim to the throne of Mysore and denies the Muslim "usurper" Shezada Ali. Soldiers loyal to Ali move to arrest Wadiyar sparking a fight that builds into outright civil war. Forces from Maratha move to support Wadiyar while the French administration in Pondicherry supports Ali. He bases his administration in Covai and Wadiyar occupies the main capital of the kingdom at Bangalore. The countryside is savaged in the course of the fighting. Apart from French support, Ali receives treasure and supplies from the Ottomans once his forces secure control of Mangalore on the western coast. The foreign support and Ali's loyal contingent of elite soldiers ultimately secures victory for Shezada Ali. Chamarajendra Wadiyar is exiled to Oudh in the north where he's kept under house arrest by the Mughals. The conflict further ties the French in east India together with the Ali dynasty in Mysore. |
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Maps c. 1820
Here are a few maps from 1820. Questions/comments are encouraged!
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The Marquis du l'Arc trial feels like a pyrrhic victory for the conservative nobles - the minute he attacked the dead queen I can see a LOT of them being aghast not just on a pragmatic level but personal level, since noble ideals of chivalry would see the dismissing the tragedy of a highborn woman's death as not even nothing short of, but flat-out horrifying in terms of character.
Yeah, l'Arc was not guilty, good for the rule of law... and once all that was said and done I see almost no one, not even many of the nobles, willing to support the Parlement and conservative nobles' views ever again. What a way to shoot themselves in the foot.
Yeah, l'Arc was not guilty, good for the rule of law... and once all that was said and done I see almost no one, not even many of the nobles, willing to support the Parlement and conservative nobles' views ever again. What a way to shoot themselves in the foot.
Under the terms of the Heidelberg Treaty, the electors (who now number as the major heads of the consolidated German states) can vote to recall the Emperor, Franz II of Habsburg Austria. They do so that year and replace him with Friedrich August I of Saxony. By this point the imperial seat is mostly ceremonial and each of the German states forge their own paths in the shadow of either France, Austria, or Russia. By 1820 the Habsburgs are at the nadir of their power in Europe since their rise to prominence.
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Yeah, l'Arc is a shitty person and bites his whole movement in the ass. One of those bomb-throwers who gets too caught up in his own shenanigans to realize he's jumped the shark. He was guilty of a single charge, but yes the French justice system is certainly moving towards something more recognizable from our modern liberal perspective. The conservatives aren't going to be hand-waved away so easily, but they're definitely on their back foot at the moment.
Thanks! I believe you requested the India map. Let me know if you have any questions about what it's showing.
The cultural developments in French 19th century litterature are certainly interesting. For one, that there is a "triomphalist" genre in romantic literature is very telling when iotl the trope of the glorious losers was in full swing at the time. I also wonder what kind of culture will emerge from French-Canadians ittl : without the pressure of the British and English-Canadians, without their nationalism of survival, what kind of artistic expression would become dominant?
Politically, this update was nice : it makes a lot of sense. I feel sad for the Poles, though. Good luck to the Russians (and Prussians and Austrians), they are going to need it with the number of uprisings they will have to face.
Politically, this update was nice : it makes a lot of sense. I feel sad for the Poles, though. Good luck to the Russians (and Prussians and Austrians), they are going to need it with the number of uprisings they will have to face.
can be the names of each country of India especially the one that is not in blue otherwise look forward to the next update
Yes, the mood in France in the early-19th Century is really different from OTL and it's definitely captured in the artistic expression.
This is a great question that raises some others about how New France has been developing. I haven't said much about its organization since the 1790s when Louisiana and Quebec were split into distinct governorates-general. I think I'll make a post addressing this and try to answer your question.
The poor Poles weren't going to be able to keep their independence forever. This time, Russia gets to grab more of western Poland contra Prussia, and it's currently the strongest power in Eastern Europe, with Austria being spanked thrice now by France in 40 years, and Prussia only just starting to assert itself more regionally.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/attachments/new-france-1740-png.237465/
my own idea about the administration of the new France
(map not updated)
my own idea about the administration of the new France
(map not updated)
I would like to know if there is a lot a french emigration to the americas ? what is the population of french america , white and native ?
India Map Detail c. 1820
Certainly. Here's the 1820 India map again and I'll give some annotations.
Dark Blue territories are either directly controlled by France or are so strongly controlled that they are not functionally independent in a meaningful way. This area is known as Inde Française. This includes the entire eastern coast as well as interior Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. France has the most direct control over the southeastern coast including their colonial capital at Pondicherry. French India also include the port enclaves at Bombay and Suratte.
Light Blue territories are strongly connected with France through alliances or punitive treaties and are heavily involved in trade with Inde Française.
- In the southwest is the Kingdom of Mysore, which is the oldest French ally in India and has maintained its independence while being a strong supporter of French expansion elsewhere in India as long as Mysore sees the benefits as well.
- North of Mysore is the State of Hyderabad, which had previously been a member of the Maratha, but was wrested away during the Second Maratha War in 1806.
- In the northeast is the small State of Manipur which has grown larger than OTL, consolidating lands north and south due to France's desire to have a strong neighbor between French India and the Kingdom of Burma, which has recently become more hostile towards France.
- Similarly, the larger northeastern Kingdom of Ahom is an ally and trade partner of France.
- In the north, the Mughals still exist due to being propped up by France. While the Mughal Emperor is essentially a French puppet, France has no direct administrative control of the region. Technically, the Emperor remains sovereign over even French India, but it's mostly ceremonial and used as a political tool by the French to maintain their own power. The alliance between the Mughals and France was cemented in the Third Maratha War, which saw the Maratha try to place their own power over the Emperor. France successfully defeated that plan and took their place in the Emperor's court.
- Ceylon is mostly controlled by the French-allied Kandy Kingdom, which was instrumental to aiding the French victory over the Dutch on the island.
Purple territory is Portuguese Goa, which mainly serves as a trade outpost. Portugal's presence in the Indian Ocean is relatively minor and non-threatening to France, so it's left alone.
Dark Grey territory is Bhutan, which has had a roughly similar history since the POD as OTL. France gained the loyalty of regional Bengali leaders in the late-18th Century by pushing back the expansion of the theocratic Bhutan, but thus far that's all I've got for it. France-aligned Ahom might lead to more tensions in the future.
Green territory is the Gorkha Kingdom of Nepal. It's a fair bit larger than OTL due to France's differing behavior compared with the BEIC. While France has worked to prevent the Gorkha from invading Mughal territory in the late-18th Century, relations have warmed into the 19th Century, particularly after the growing power of the Sikhs leads them to take most of the Punjab from Persian Afghanistan. While not formally allied, France has used Nepal as a distractor against the Sikhs, hoping to keep them preoccupied in the mountains and push off any direct confrontation in Mughal territory.
Dark Yellow territory is the Sikh Empire, which recently rose to prominence in the Kashmir and Punjab regions and is viewed as a growing regional power. France has little formal relations with the Sikhs, but does not want to lose their access in western India, so views them as a threat.
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I wonder if it's going to have a noticeable impact on French demography. Admittedly, there are a lot of other factors that are far more important to explain french demographic decline (relative to its peers) during this century, but plenty of space to settle, a happy, hopeful populace and greater industralisation (with Belgium ressources) might actually disminish this process somewhat.
Thanks ! I shall wait for this eagerly.
You're right that this Russia be very scary, indeed. It will probably be bogged down by internal problems, but still. The situation in the East is fascinating.
New France circa 1820 - Quebec
Okay, let's dive into New France. The last time I mentioned organization ITTL was when Québec and Louisiane were split into two colonies. I also gave this bit of info around 1810:
By 1810 the population of New France is still smaller and more diffuse than British-America, but there's a very strong military presence and higher rates of natural population increase than in British-America, which is facing some population pressures as land for new farms becomes scarce, leading to smaller families in the recent generation. The Dominion of America is urbanizing more rapidly and maritime trade is increasingly important. There is some flow of settlers from the Dominion to New France, but it's not supported by the government and there's the potential for arrest or worse. There's even some flow of settlers from British-America to West Australia. Not a ton, but such settlers exists. You can count on immigration being much more strict in 19th century (British) America than OTL.
Much of New France's interior is still largely controlled by natives, but there's an increasing amount of mixing between French settlers and natives and Metis cultures are becoming increasingly prominent in native regions. Down the Ohio River, there are prospering communities of Huguenots who, thus far, have managed to live mostly without much interference from colonial officials. Most of the British-Americans who do venture to New France settle in the Huguenot areas.
Much of New France's interior is still largely controlled by natives, but there's an increasing amount of mixing between French settlers and natives and Metis cultures are becoming increasingly prominent in native regions. Down the Ohio River, there are prospering communities of Huguenots who, thus far, have managed to live mostly without much interference from colonial officials. Most of the British-Americans who do venture to New France settle in the Huguenot areas.
New France circa 1820 - Québec
French Canada is starting to develop quite differently in different pockets. Let's start with Québec.
By 1820 the overall colony of Québec (points east of the Mississippi River and north of the Tennessee River, plus the Canadian Shield) has been subdivided into several Départements, which you can see defined on the attached map.
- Québec au Nord du Lacs
- Québec au Sud du Lacs
- Pays Iroquois
- Acadie
- Pays d'en Haut Canada
In most interior areas of Sud du Lacs west of the city of Montcalm culture is developing quite differently. The overall population of Sud du Lacs is close to two million in 1820. It has a lot more diversity between the type of settlers and native peoples than does Nord du Lacs. There are several anchors of civilization in the Sud du Lacs interior, centered around the river networks that drain into the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, including:
- Montcalm (~OTL Cincinnati) is a growing community in Sud du Lacs and is the westernmost interior cultural outpost of the Governor-General and Archdiocese. It anchors the southern Ohio Country and has become a crossroads of different developing cultures (Quebecois, Huguenot, native/Métis). Montcalm is the seat of one of several Intendants in Sud du Lacs who administer on behalf the Superintendent (Intendant-Général) in Detroit. The Superintendent in turn reports to the Governor-General in Quebec. Montcalm is the center of Catholic French settlement on the Ohio River and the lands to the northeast that are opened to settlement have developed a combination of family farms, small towns, and manor-tenant farms. Goods are brought to market either at Montcalm to be shipped downriver to the Mississippi, or to Sandoské (~OTL Sandusky) or Maumie (~OTL Toledo) for shipment northeast into Québec au Nord du Lacs. The Diocese of Montcalm covers much of the Ohio Country north and east of the town and in 1818 the Bishop authorizes the construction of a stone cathedral, which is well underway by 1820.
- Kequiongué: (OTL Fort Wayne, IN) The largest settlement and center of the Grande Miaumie people who are christianized and by 1820 are highly mixed with French trappers, soldiers, and settlers. Culture has gradually become more sedentary, though communal use of resources and hunting parties remain a staple. Many growing Miaumie-Métis communities like Kequiongué exist, particularly up and down the Wabash River. They maintain mostly positive relations with the more culturally European settlements to the south. Artistic traditions blend native material arts with those of Europe. Other native peoples to the north and west such as the Potawatomi and Odawa have their own population centers, but trends are largely similar to those at Kequiongué.
- Nouvelle-Lyons: (~OTL Louisville, KY) The largest settlement and center of Huguenot culture in New France. Since its founding in the 1760s, more than 16,000 Huguenots have immigrated to the lower Ohio River Valley and birth rates are high. Huguenot towns are largely autonomous from the government in Quebec so long as they pay their taxes and organize and drill their militias according to instructions from the administrative Surveillant in Montcalm. A number of other protestant settlers arrive in Huguenot Country from Germany and the British Dominion. Upwards of 60,000, mostly Anglo-Americans live mostly southwest of Nouvelle-Lyons by 1820. The largest Anglo settlement is New Richmond. Culturally, this region is distinct from others in New France, with local democratic traditions. Little in terms of art and literature is produced so far, but folk art is common. A number of vineyards are established by 1820 to the east of the town, which have some conflict with vineyards set up by Catholic gentry from Montcalm.
- Cahokia: Standing opposite the Mississippi from Vainqueur (OTL St. Louis), Cahokia is the largest settlement on the eastern side of the Mississippi in the Illinois Country. Despite officially being in Quebec, Cahokia's economic life is centered around the Mississippi Trade in Louisiana. Heavily Catholic Illinois-Métis and soldiery live in Cahokia, which anchors southwestern Quebec. In an effort to integrate southern Illinois Country into greater-Quebec, by 1820 a canal is completed connecting the Illinois River with Lake Michigan. This eases Quebec market access for resources and produce from the Mississippi Valley and encourages further growth on both sides of the Mississippi.
Acadie is the oldest and most fraught of the French-American settlements. With the deportation and resettlement of original families from 1755-1780, the slow influx of new migrants (particularly from Normandy), and the close integration of the Micmac people, Acadia sports a distinctive culture compared with the rest of New France. Acadian French, Catholicism, food, and literature are all unique in French America. The economy is highly maritime, with fishing, shellfishing, and whaling being major drivers. Small subsistence farms do the best they can, while logging is prevalent in the interior. The population is relatively small compared to the rest of Quebec, with less than 150,000 by 1820. The largest population centers in Acadia are LaFayette (OTL Halifax), Louisbourg, LeLoutre (OTL Saint-Jean), Port-Royal, and Sainte-Anne (OTL Fredericton). The island of Terre-Neuve is an outpost of Acadian culture, with most settlements on the southern coast of the island being founded by Acadians. The Atlantic coast of Labrador to the north is also organized in the Acadian department, with fishing villages on the coast predominating.
Pays d'en Haut Canada makes up the vast, remote interior of the Canadian Shield to the Baie de Bourbon (OTL Hudson's Bay). While much of the northern interior was already claimed by France via a system of trading posts, the remainder was claimed from the Hudson's Bay Company after King Louis' War. The region is largely controlled by the Compagnie Pays d'en Haut, based in Montréal. The Surveillant-Général of Pays d'en Haut is also the Director of the Company. The fur trade with the Cris people drives the economy in the region, which sees negligible settlement.
Overall, the population of Quebec by 1820 is over five million.
I'm gonna tackle Louisiana in a separate post, since this one's gotten a bit long.
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