God is a Frenchman - a Timeline (Seven Yrs War POD)

[George_Apley]

New France circa 1820 - Louisiane
​

Moving on to Louisiana...

By 1820 Louisiana has been divided into two Départements only.

Basse Louisiane is governed from Nouvelle-Orléans, the largest city in French America. It is dominated by a French gentry who manage plantations of cotton and sugar, most of which is shipped to France and Quebec for manufacture. There is a large bourgeois colored population in New Orleans that lives in theoretical equality of the law, but discrimination is common. Outside of New Orleans, the lowlands are used for plantations and the uplands are shared between small settlements and native reserved land, mainly Choctaw and Muscogee. By 1820 a number of natives have begun to grow cash crops themselves, integrating into the colonial economy. While there is a landed gentry in Quebec, particularly in the upper Ohio Valley and along the Ottawa River, the Louisiana gentry dominates culture similarly to their strength as patrons in provincial France. The large population of enslaved black workers have been Christianized and given religious rites, as ordered by the Crown and enforced by agents from Rome. Matrilineal slavery being banned, as the population of slaves procreates, the children are legally free, though abuse of free-blacks and manipulation back into slavery is common and new slaves continue to arrive from Africa. There are several sizable communities of formerly enslaved blacks living among the Muscogee and Choctaw. Upriver at Vainqueur (OTL St. Louis, MO), the seat of the Governor-General, a large and growing population of German immigrants alongside French settlers set up farms in the countryside. Culturally, the region around Vainqueur is more similar to Québec au Sud du Lacs, with populations of European migrants, Métis and natives, soldiers, and government administrators. It is also the gateway to Haute Louisiane. The department's population is nearly three million.

Haute Louisiane is governed from Fort Oumohon (OTL Omaha, NE), a garrison and trading post on the Missouri River, upriver from Vainqueur. The vast plains make the majority of the land of Haute Louisiane, and very little is practically controlled by the French. The interior is dominated by various native peoples, most of whom are friendly or cordial to French fur trappers and scouts who traverse it. Farther north, where the lands of Louisiana and Quebec blur, administration of French posts is increasingly personalized, with each fort's commander like a king in his post, with little oversight unless a crisis draws attention from downriver. Fighting between native groups is common and often mediated by French. Tensions begin to rise as France attempts to establish more permanent postings to the west along the Missouri River and other tributaries of the Mississippi. Population count is not well known, but French authorities estimate that over 125,000 natives live in the plains.

 

[Harshavardhana]

I do have to ask, with Napoleon not as much of a military genius like OTL, does any of his military tactics got developed by other French marshalls?

Other than that, I am pretty happy about your France timeline .

 

[Maedrin]

By 1820 Louisiana has been divided into two Départments only.

I'm reasonably sure you mean Départements. Which reminds me : in the Sieur de la Mer "chapter", you say "nomme de guerre" but shouldn't it be "nom de guerre"?

There is a large bourgeois colored population in New Orleans that lives in theoretical equality of the law, bu discrimination is common.

Small typo but you missed the "t" in "but".

Anyway, thank you for your work ! The speed at which you write these and their quality is certainly impressive. It answers a lot of questions indeed.
Now, I'm really glad that the King is an enlightened despot. I hope slavery will be stopped soon and that it will not be replaced by some kind of apartheid establishment. (I don't think it would happen, but with no French Revolution, the universalism of French messianic liberalism would be less present ittl and this makes me less certain that I would otherwise be. ).

 

[George_Apley]

I do have to ask, with Napoleon not as much of a military genius like OTL, does any of his military tactics got developed by other French marshalls?

Other than that, I am pretty happy about your France timeline .

Thank you! This TL's "not Napoleon" Napoleon does contribute some of OTL Napoleon's rapid advance strategy, and other generals utilize tactical formation maneuvers similar to his. The use of divisions/corps and independent artillery is happening. So by 1816 army warfare in Europe has moved more in the direction that it did OTL than stayed in the late-18th Century. What hasn't happened yet is the same level of mass conscriptions and 100,000s of men in the field. Big armies, sure. But not Napoleonic War big.

I'm reasonably sure you mean Départements. Which reminds me : in the Sieur de la Mer "chapter", you say "nomme de guerre" but shouldn't it be "nom de guerre"?

Small typo but you missed the "t" in "but".

Thanks. I'm sure this TL is loaded with little typos like that. I confess I probably should have picked a timeline centered around a language that I've actually studied. Expect plenty more little errors in my very rudimentary French

Anyway, thank you for your work ! The speed at which you write these and their quality is certainly impressive. It answers a lot of questions indeed.

Hah I hope it all makes sense when I word vomit this stuff out of my head and onto the page. I can hyperfocus for an hour or so to do it at speed, but sometimes the quality goes down.

Now, I'm really glad that the King is an enlightened despot. I hope slavery will be stopped soon and that it will not be replaced by some kind of apartheid establishment. (I don't think it would happen, but with no French Revolution, the universalism of French messianic liberalism would be less present ittl and this makes me less certain that I would otherwise be. ).

Louis XVII certainly is committed to his vision of liberalism and will ironically use his depotic powers to sweep the conservatives aside. So far he's been clever about it. The question remains if this can continue until the end of his reign and beyond.

On slavery, since matrilineal status is outlawed, the biggest thing towards ending official slavery in Louisiana and the Caribbean is ending the trade. If transAtlantic trade were to end, then slavery itself would mostly phase out within a few decades. With so many other matters on the agenda, doing more with slavery has been low priority, but perhaps something will happen soon that gets the King to react.

 

[Maedrin]

Thanks. I'm sure this TL is loaded with little typos like that. I confess I probably should have picked a timeline centered around a language that I've actually studied. Expect plenty more little errors in my very rudimentary French

As a French person, I don't recall anything that really bothered me. By that metric, I think you're doing great.

Louis XVII certainly is committed to his vision of liberalism and will ironically use his depotic powers to sweep the conservatives aside. So far he's been clever about it. The question remains if this can continue until the end of his reign and beyond.

Indeed. I think his odds are decent enough. We, readers, shall have to wait and see, though.

 

[Harshavardhana]

What hasn't happened yet is the same level of mass conscriptions and 100,000s of men in the field. Big armies, sure. But not Napoleonic War big.

Ah, so Levee en Masse has not been developed yet, hmm.

Another thing I wanted to ask. Did France get the special Mysore rockets from Tipu sultan? Those were extremely good in cutting down line formations when they are bunched up.

 

[George_Apley]

Ah, so Levee en Masse has not been developed yet, hmm.

Another thing I wanted to ask. Did France get the special Mysore rockets from Tipu sultan? Those were extremely good in cutting down line formations when they are bunched up.

Indeed they did! That alliance has paid off in spades in India and now Europe as well.

 

[George_Apley]

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.

The OTL demographic decline has successfully reversed between the 1790s and 1820s for a number of reasons as you mentioned. The lack of revolution and endless war, the relative and increasing prosperity of the third estate, land reforms that impact availability of food plus regular imports from New France, etc. The culture of optimism is definitely a factor in that and birth rates in France are high. This helps seed colonial development as well, as inheritance laws encourage emigration. By the 1820s, it's relatively common for young married couples or even whole families to decamp from Europe for New France, or even Australia. Indentures in the colonies also remain an option for petty criminals, and crime does remain common despite the good economy. Europe in general is more populous in 1820 than OTL since the wars that have been fought were not as devastating as the Napoleonic Wars.

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.

Russia has desperately wanted to become a larger player on the European stage. Without the Napoleonic Wars to thrust them to the forefront, they've remained more of a shadow over the horizon. Claiming Poland as far west as Posen suddenly places them in the heart of central Europe. Tsar Alexander, for better or worse, is not Louis XVII and has perhaps learned the wrong lesson from his father's demise: that liberalism is a ticket to downfall.

 

[Amon34]

The OTL demographic decline has successfully reversed between the 1890s and 1820s

there seems to be a problem with the date

 

[George_Apley]

1790s. Fixed. Thanks!

 

[George_Apley]

Updated the Bougainville Voyage (1784) entry with much more detail. Original post is updated.

May, 1784-1786

Bougainville Voyage King Louis XVI sends another mission of exploration and botanical discovery to Oceania. Admiral Bougainville is to take his squadron and expand on Pérouse's success. The two naturalists who attend the expeditions are Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the keeper of the Jardin du Roi in Paris and the young German Casimir von Storm of Oldenburg. For over three years, Bougainville's expedition of four ships trolls the Indian and Pacific oceans. Encountering pirates off of Madagascar's east coast in early July of 1784, Bougainville successfully fights off the pirates and opts to send a landing party of marines to Île Sainte-Marie, the pirate stronghold. The marines drive off the pirates and Lamarck and Storm spend a week collecting specimens of plant and animal life, including several species of orchid, a cuckoo bird, and two types of lemur. The marines burn the pirate town before the expedition departs for Australia. The expedition arrives on the southeast coast of Australia in mid-September, exploring two well sheltered deepwater harbors that Bougainville names for the Comte de Vergennes and the Comte de la Pérouse respectively and claims them for France. At Baie la Pérouse Casimir von Storm discovers a fascinating creature with a duck-like bill and feet with a beaver-like body. He calls it ornithorynque or "bird nose" and it becomes a sensation back in Europe, with many decrying the beast as a hoax. Lamarck marvels at the variety of marsupials, which he had read of in reports on Cook's and Pérouse's expeditions. He catalogues more than a dozen species in Australia and Tasmania, which Bougainville renames Corse du Sud. They spend the southern summer at la Baie Botanique and set up a small settlement, which is planned to be permanently populated by colonists from the Compagnie de l'Australie française in 1787. By April of 1785, the holds of the ships are filling with all sorts of biological specimens and oddities. Their next stop is New Zealand, when they spend most of the winter exploring the coasts and coves of both the north and south islands. By October of 1785, the squadron heads for Viti (Fiji), re-establishing relations with the the kingdom there and picking up navigators before moving to chart more of Polynesia for King Louis XVI. Numerous islands and archipelagos are mapped and visited before the long journey to Lima in Spanish Perú. They layover in Lima for several months, time which Lamarck and Storm use to more closely examine and catalogue their wide array of specimens. Lamarck is astonished to find that an animal local to Perú features the same marsupial traits as those in Australia, a finding that both intrigues and baffles his scientific sensibilities. His writings on the converging traits will be important sources for later thinkers in the fields of geology and biology. Storm, meanwhile, produces innumerable sketches and detailed descriptions of more than 800 plant specimens, which will eventually be published in his 1791 Kompendium der Pflanzen Australiens und der Pazifischen Inseln, published in German and French. In June of 1786, Bougainville departs Lima and sails south, laden with valable alpaca woolens and other Peruvian specialties. They stop at Valdivia in late-June before making the run for the Strait of Magellan, rounding South America and heading for Dutch Cape Town. Upon their arrival in early-September, they resupply and trade several hanks of alpaca wool before moving up the Africa coast, stopping at Gorée in Senegal and then making for France. The expedition is wildly successful not just for its national and political implications, but the great scientific importance of Lamarck's and Storm's discoveries. Lamarck would go on to theorize on the development of biology over time, while Storm travels throughout Europe and influences a number of major names in the next generation of science. Bougainville is held up with Pérouse as a man of discovery of great importance for the pride and glory of France.

 

[Amon34]

vey good but it seems to me that France discovered and claimed New Zealand first so it should not have a French name?

 

[George_Apley]

vey good but it seems to me that France discovered and claimed New Zealand first so it should not have a French name?

The Dutch discovered it in the 1600s. The French (either Pérouse or Bougainville) could have renamed it, as they did Tasmania, but for whatever reason they just chose to translate the name as Nouvelle-Zélande.

 

[Maedrin]

Updated the Bougainville Voyage (1784) entry with much more detail. Original post is updated.

May, 1784-1786

They spend the southern summer at la Baie Botanique and set up a small settlement, which is planned to be permanently populated by colonists from the Compagnie Australie Française in 1787.

I think it should be the Compagnie de l'Australie française here ; the Compagnie d'Australie française or simply the Compagnie d'Australie are also possible but less likely imho.
Good update. Always a pleasure to read about such topics !

 

[George_Apley]

Thanks for the language tip! Always welcome. I’ll update it.

 

[Ukron]

@Gillan1220 this one should interested you.

 

[George_Apley]

God is a Frenchman: 1820-1823​

1820

1820-1838	Reign of King George IV King George III has been sequestered with dementia for nearly a decade by the time he dies in February, 1820. George Augustus, the Prince of Wales, has served as regent in his father's stead. The Prince is controversial in Britain and had a very public rift with Prime Minister Pitt as his father descended into madness over the terms of his regency. Pitt's popularity prevents the Prince of Wales from dismissing him; he is advised that to do so when his own popularity is middling would do permanent damage to the Crown. The public tends to view him as an envious and petty man, jealous of other men of national affairs such as Pitt and Lord Nelson. Prince George finds opportunity to turn the tables on the Prime Minister in the 1814 War, in which he vocally questions Britain's involvement before fighting begins. As anti-war and isolationist sentiments take hold in Britain, Prince George rides the wave politically maneuvering the Prime Minister to take the fall. Though not traditionally friendly with the Whigs, he finds himself aligned with their isolationist wing upon the election of Lord Bedford as Prime Minister. His reign is marked by Britain's moves away from continental affairs and competition with France, shifting towards internal developments and building on their relationships with existing colonial possessions.
February, 1820	L'Ère des Grandes Bêtes Reptiliennes Published Georges Piaget, a student of biology and ancient fossils, publishes this catalogue of findings about ancient reptiles of ancient eras in Earth's history. The Era of Great Reptilian Beasts produces much chatter in the both the scientific community and the public at large. Piaget refers to controversial theories by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck on the gradual change and adaptation of animal forms into others, which sees him targeted with some conservative rhetoric accusing him of blasphemy.
March-November, 1820	Arochukwu War By the 1820s the British have begun sending some number of permanent settlers West Africa, particularly the mouth of the Niger River. 12,000 live in the region in 1820 and this creates tensions with the Arochukwu people. Already burdened by the closure of the slave trade, the encroachment of British settlers throws the native people into anger. The British garrison and militiamen of the main settlement at Kitsontown defend against several attacks by the Arochukwu and send punitive missions inland to deter future raids. By November the British are able to extract a treaty confirming settlement rights at Kitsontown and settlement increases into the 1820s. Kitsontown=~OTL Port Harcourt, Nigeria
20 April, 1820	"On British Distinctiveness" Speech Delivered in Parliament David Campbell, a Whig MP and political philosopher, delivers this speech in Parliament later reprinted as a pamphlet entitled “On British Distinctiveness.” The speech argues that, in light of the losses against France and due to Britain’s geographic isolation, the country should adopt a foreign policy turning away from Europe that concerns mainly with trade and industrial development. Numerous references to the Scottish Enlightenment philosophers are scattered throughout the speech. Britain, Campbell argues, need not bother itself with quarrels on the Continent so long as Britain's sovereignty is respected and defended. Campbell is careful to reference Hanover multiple times as "essential to British sovereign interests" to placate the Hanoverians, who also rule over the German country. Campbell argues that Hanover ought to become closely tied with Britain and serve as as Britain's link to Europe, while allowing Britain itself to "turn her gaze away from the petty destruction that so easily takes hold" on the Continent. The speech is viewed as the unofficial beginning of a decades-long shift in foreign policy away from belligerence with France.
June-December, 1820	Spanish Reform Crisis Spanish reformists are emboldened by the recent successes in France and many in the bourgeoisie and some liberal nobles begin agitating for similar reforms in Spain as well. Similar strategies are utilized as in France, including publications and protests. The Valencia Petition is sent to the Crown in June, 1820, highlighting the successes of reform in France and listing desired changes to Spanish governance, including equitable taxation, abolition of serfdom, and relaxation of censorship. Unlike in France, King Carlos VI is neither liberal nor interested in the policy aspects of governance. Since the early 1810s, Carlos's advisers have been almost exclusively from a more reactionary school of thought, seeking out the Spanish king's favor in light of the growing disfavor of the French king towards the nobility. The government in Spain acts swiftly to squash the nascent reform movement. Publishing houses are shuttered, crowds are beaten, and petitioners are arrested. In October, an assassin is caught attempting to infiltrate the Madrid apartments of the Duke of Bivona, the Prime Minister to the King. Following this incident, government crackdowns on reformers only become more harsh. Many liberals who avoid arrest flee to France or Britain. The young Infante Luis-Enrique (Louis-Henri), living in Madrid after his mother's death in Versailles, bears witness to the crisis and is guided through it by the conservatives in Spanish government. The assassination plot against Bivona leaves Enrique shaken and the Duke weaves tales of terror in the prince's mind about the violent nature of the people, who can only be held back through strong guidance and leadership with a firm hand. The events of the failed reform movement in 1820 Spain prove to be formative for Luis-Enrique.
July, 1820-1823	Nubia War The Sultan's brother Samir has governed Egypt for a decade when he makes his first major move, which proves to challenge the hierarchy of the Ottoman Empire. Exiled Mamluks residing upriver continue to be a problem for agriculture and trade for the Ottomans, just as native groups create similar headaches for the administration in Cairo. Samir is intent on dealing with the matter himself, avoiding the need to request troops from his brother in Constantinople, particularly the ambitious and free-minded officers of Albania who are beginning to dominate the Ottoman military in light of the Empire's ambitious military reforms. Samir arranges mass conscription of the peasant class for a large expedition south to stamp out resistance to Ottoman suzerainty in Nubia. He embarks on this mission without consulting Constantinople, which infuriates his brother, Sultan Mahmud. The anger is difficult to maintain as reports from the war front arrive in the capital; Samir's Egyptian army bests the Mamluk remnants and mounts several successful campaigns against regional players. By 1823, Samir's generals have conquered or gained suzerainty over vast areas of Nubian Sudan and are establishing extensive inland trade networks as far south as the lake country. While the success is presented to Constantinople as a gift in honor of the Sultan, Mahmud and his advisers are fearful of the power play by Samir. Concerns are voiced in court that the Sultan's brother means to claim the throne for himself using his African armies. The Sultan's armies in Anatolia, Syria, and Rumelia begin preparations for a potential conflict within the empire itself.

1821

16 February, 1821	Manteaurouj's Speech "Concernant le Grand Esprit et Dieu" The great Seneca orator and leader known best as Manteaurouj delivers an address to the French Intendant and Bishop in Duquesne in early 1821. His speech is entitled "Concerning the Great Spirit and God," and it is a plea for increased and continued tolerance towards the Haudenosaunee religion in their traditional lands. Manteaurouj determines the need for such an overture after increasing missionary expeditions into Pays Iroquois, discouraging traditional religious practices in favor of conversation to Roman Catholicism. The nations of the Haudenosaunee greatly fear losing their cultures as the French presence continues to increase and Manteaurouj's address lays out their grievances. He expounds on the universal themes of their respective faith traditions and how the Christian God and Jesus fit within the narrative of the Great Spirit. While his words do not exactly move the conservative French officials in Duquesne, they serve the purpose of disarming gradually rising tensions between his people and the Quebecois.
May, 1821	Monfrère Iroquois Writing System Developed An Onondaga oral poet and educator named Blaise Monfrère develops a writing system for the Iroquois languages based on the latin alphabet in 1820. He borrows characters from both traditional and Cyrillic alphabets and repurposes accent marks from French. The Système Monfrère is quickly adopted by Haudenosaunee leadership, who have sought a usable method to write their language without translating into French. Over the coming years, it will also be picked up by the Cherokee to the south who speak a similar tongue, as well as by Algonquian-speaking peoples who adapt it for their own languages.
August, 1821	Castillon Proclamations of 1821 In 1821, the Marquis de Castillon, Governor-General of Quebec, changes decades of French policy on settlers and government organization. Ever since the first large-scale settlement of Huguenots from France arrived in Quebec the policy was to turn a blind eye so long as they settled in the hinterlands away from main population centers. By the 1820s the Huguenot Country down the Ohio River has grown and become prosperous, necessitating a more formal policy than that used in previous decades. Quebec's Departments are organized into Provinces by Castillon, with the colony itself being denoted as le Grande Québec. Three of the new provinces are specifically designated pays de culte libre, where non-Catholic churches are officially permitted; these provinces are Kentaké, Ouabache, and Illinois. Each province is entitled its own governor (intendant) and three delegates to the Conseil du Québec, which formally advises the Governor-General. Castillon also grants protection to native religious practices of Affiliated Indians on their preserved land, including all of Pays Iroquois, as well as Shawnee and Cherokee lands, which, thus far, are the least impacted by European settlement and cultural blending. These protections come with the condition that Catholic missionaries must be allowed into the territories to complete their work. Affiliated Indians are also entitled to delegates, as their lands are officially considered as outside the control of the provincial system. Castillon also turns his attention to the growing presence of Anglo-Americans in southern Quebec. Ever since King Louis's War, Anglo-American settlement has been officially illegal, with settlers at the mercy of native chieftains and local French commanders. By the 1820s this policy is seen as an overall failure that has led to frequent violence and disorder in French territory, raised tensions between French and British provinces, and straining relations with the natives. After correspondence with King Louis XVII and consulting with advisors, Castillon orders that settlers from the British Dominion of America may come to Quebec. To manage this, French commanders of forts on the Anglo-American frontier must process settlers with clear record-keeping. Settlers from British America will be required to answer a French-language questionnaire, pledge allegiance to the King of France, and either convert to Catholicism or settle in pays de culte libre. Available plots of land in various sectors of the French realm can be purchased at French points of entry. As with French colonists, settlers from British America are under strict instructions to respect Affiliated Indian territorial claims.
October, 1821	Hausmärchen für die Moderne Published German romanticism continues to develop following the Sturm und Drang movement popularized by Goethe and Schiller. One acquaintance of both great writers is Andreas Schedel, a linguist and editor from Frankfurt. Schedel is fascinated by fairy tales, old wives tales, and other oral tradition. He spends much of his time from 1805 to 1820 researching stories from the German, French, British, Polish, and Scandinavian traditions, and in 1822 releases the first volume of his magnum opus, "Fairytales for the Modern Age." Schedel compiles and retells dozens of stories steeped in moral lessons and emotional impact. In the Catholic world the book is greatly criticized as a glorification of witchcraft, sexual deviancy, and violence. But it is translated into more than eight different languages by 1840 and becomes a fixture on many family bookshelves across Europe and the Americas. Subsequent volumes are released in 1825, 1827, and 1832.

1822

22 March, 1822-1826	Algerian War As France enters the 1820s, Talleyrand retires for the last time. He is ably replaced by his young protege Fabrice le Vicomte de Marçeau, and French foreign policy largely mirrors that of the old "roi des diplomates." Louis XVII has internalized Talleyrand's old advice about distracting conservative elements with foreign adventures. With Europe back at peace and little desire for further war on the continent, Marçeau advises looking across the Mediterranean. With the Ottoman's focused on the Egyptian campaign in Nubia they neglect the quasi-independent regimes in Algiers and Tunis. Louis is eager to give French soldiers another outlet to showcase their prowess and directs his military to prepare an invasion of North Africa. French forces invade the Algerian coast on 22 March, 1822. The war is launched ostensibly due to increasing piracy from Algiers and Tunis. The goal of France is to be able to colonize coastal North Africa, while having enough control over the nomadic Berbers in the desert to keep them in line and hold back the Turks. For the Ottoman's part, loud protests are lodged against France's invasion of a tributary state, but the Sublime Porte is concerned with Egyptian developments and knows that the French Navy vastly outmatches the forces Constantinople can muster, so they do little. France ultimately will pay the Sultan a sum of thirteen million livres in recompense. After conquering the population centers on the coast, France spends several years fighting the Berbers and other nomads in the interior.
22-28 March, 1822	Battle of Algiers Algerian War: The French invasion force departs from Marseilles in late-March, 1822 for the North African coast, targeting Algiers. The massed French Navy makes short work of Algerian corsairs and the modern French cannons prove capable of breaching the city's fortifications. French soldiers land amid surprisingly heavy fire and the Algerians fight with extreme tenacity. Irregular warfare through the streets of Algiers ensues for several days even after the Dey is captured. The French advantages in technology and tactics ultimately prevail on 28 March and Algiers becomes the base of French operations in North Africa.
September, 1822	Pest Reforms After the recent wars, Austria faces something of an identity crisis. Having lost the imperial seat to Saxony and with Russia looming to the north and east, Archduke Franz sees the importance of consolidating the Habsburg realm and preventing the Russians from fomenting a pan-Slavic movement against Habsburg rule. As the Archduke ponders his options, a number of peasant rebellions are sparked in Hungary, due to increasingly poor conditions that essentially maintains them in serfdom despite the official abolition of the practice decades before. Liberals in Vienna, Krakau, Pressburg, Breslau, Buda, and other cities in the Habsburg realm also begin agitating for reforms akin to those of France. Franz sees an opportunity to gain the favor of the Slav and Hungarian peasants as well as the liberal bourgeoisie by making some mild reforms, certainly of the sort that would have Austria compare positively with Russia. With the advice of his main counselor, Ulrich von Neuhaus, Franz convenes a diet of noble representatives at Pest on the Danube in Hungary. He announces increased integration of the Habsburg realm and that regional councils will advise the Habsburg monarch. He orders a series of land reforms that will gradually end the conditions of ex-serfs, particularly in Hungarian lands. The nobility will no longer be exempt from tax levies and some forms of censorship will be relaxed. Hungarian nobles, the group most negatively impacted by the reforms, are promised increased representation in the Habsburg court. Importantly, Poles in Silesia and Galicia are pleased with the reforms, which are far more permissive than the harsh rule of the Russians in the heart of old Poland.
16 April, 1822	Occupation of Tunis Algerian War: The city of Tunis had been under the control of the Dey of Algiers since the mid-18th Century, but the populace is restive, with several rebellions after the Dey's use of the city as a pirate base draws the ire of the Neapolitan fleet in 1810. When the Dey capitulates in late March, the people of Tunis rise up against the Algiers-appointed Bey. French ships arrive at Tunis in mid-April and marines land bringing order to the city. The Bey is arrested and brought to Algiers for detention and local officials welcome the French, expressing an interest in entering the legitimate Mediterranean trade.

1823

1823

Rhineland Guild Uprisings As industrialists in the Rhineland attempt to catch up with their counterparts in France and Britain, the old guilds aim to protect their interests, greatly affecting the ability to find labor sources. Unlike in France, where in the early-1800s the guilds still had ample power to force negotiation, the German guilds are mostly broken up in Cologne, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. Many guildsmen are enticed away with well-compensated positions as trainers and managers of new factory sites. As time goes on into the mid-19th Century, trade barriers between the German states frustrate growth and business profits. Some states in the Rhineland have free trade with France, while others ease trade with Hanover, Saxony, or Austria.

July, 1823

La Sublime Histoire des Gaulois Published French historian Trophime Florentine releases this important historical study called The Sublime History of the Gauls. The multi-volume work relies on numerous sources from Roman antiquity on forward and is considered a comprehensive academic telling of the history of the people of France. From their Celtic and pre-Celtic origins to the Romans, to the Franks, and into the modern era. The history is celebrated in France as an achievement of research and analysis. Florentine anchors Gallic culture as one that "founded the western world from antiquity to Christendom, to modernity."

 

[Maedrin]

french help : " with the colony itself being denoted as le Grande Québec" = le Grand Québec.
"Each province is entitled its own governor (surveillant)" : surveillant is a bit of an odd translation, usually it translates as gouverneur.

La Sublime Histoire des Galois

Gaulois is the word you're seeking ; Galois is french for Welsh.

Thanks for the update !
Alas it seems like the 19th century might still be complicated for our Spanish friends (admittedly, it can hardly be worse so there is that). Also, I doubt that Franz would declare himself emperor of Austria without the HRE being dismantled entirely (as in otl). That seems strange to me, too early for such a development to occur, but perhaps I'm simply wrong. How long have the Habsburg been kept from the emperorship of the HRE ittl?

 

[Amon34]

very good

 

[George_Apley]

french help : " with the colony itself being denoted as le Grande Québec" = le Grand Québec.
"Each province is entitled its own governor (surveillant)" : surveillant is a bit of an odd translation, usually it translates as gouverneur.

I didn't want to directly translate governor, it's more like an intendant who is below the regional superintendent (surveillant-général). I might change it if it makes no sense though.

La Sublime Histoire des Galois

Gaulois is the word you're seeking ; Galois is french for Welsh.

Fixed!

Thanks for the update !
Alas it seems like the 19th century might still be complicated for our Spanish friends (admittedly, it can hardly be worse so there is that). Also, I doubt that Franz would declare himself emperor of Austria without the HRE being dismantled entirely (as in otl). That seems strange to me, too early for such a development to occur, but perhaps I'm simply wrong. How long have the Habsburg been kept from the emperorship of the HRE ittl?

Yes, Spain will get complicated. And as France may be linked with Spain... well... we'll see what happens.

Regarding Austria, basically the Habsburg's lost the imperial seat in 1817 and the HRE is hanging on by a thread of ceremony. Austria isn't exactly cutting its losses in Germany, but the Habsburgs have twice suffered major blows to their prestige with the German Reorganization in 1808 and the loss of the imperial throne in 1817. They don't want to get left behind by the other continental powers, as France is dominant in the west and Russia's claiming more power in the east. The Habsburgs are looking to consolidate their remaining holdings in Hungary, Transylvania, Bohemia, Silesia, and Galicia. Without the OTL French Revolution and Napoleon, the hyper-conservative, Klemens von Metternich-style backlash doesn't occur and Austria is more open to piecemeal reforms, especially as a selling point to its people as a contrast to Russia, which is hardly liberalizing at all and harshly occupying Poland.