The Six Years War (POD-1762)
What if France and Austria were victorious in the Seven Years War? Many years back there was a TL in development here centered around the French winning the Seven Years War. That timeline has been defunct for a long time and the author long-since banned. It really grabbed me, though and I've spent a while adapting, expanding, and detailing it into my own timeline stretching to the modern era. I have pretty fleshed-out details through the 1880s and outlined events through 2025.
This update takes us through the alternative ending to the OT Seven Years War. Enjoy!
1759
1760
1761
1762
[1] Our Lafayette's dad. This is just for fun so I can use him later. OTL he dies from an artillery blast during the Battle of Minden. ITTL it falls a bit further to the left.
[2] OTL Wolfe was concerned that his health would fail before capturing Quebec and also that weather would preclude a successful attack. ITTL the slight delay enables the French to discover the cliffside path that allows the British to flank the fortress.
[3] OTL Conflans sails for the bay, setting up his fleet for the devastating engagement against Hawke'.
[4] OTL France had these debates before Quiberon Bay ruins any possibility of invasion or reinforcement. With the success ITTL, the argument runs its course until it's decided to aid the colonial campaigns.
[5] OTL as ITTL the British borrow heavily to pay for the 7YW. With a reduced Royal Navy they need to make difficult financial choices. In this case, abandoning the Prussians in their fight against Austria.
[6] I know, I know... too many PODs... but it's pretty difficult to give the French/Austrian side a comprehensive victory. Bear with.
[7] OTL the Austrians charge because their powder stores are hit. ITTL it escapes and is pulled back allowing the Austrians to hold on and force a Prussian charge.
[8] The circumstances are different, but Catherine still deposes Peter. No way that doesn't happen.
This update takes us through the alternative ending to the OT Seven Years War. Enjoy!
God is a Frenchman: Six Years War Post-POD (1759-1762)
~~ "With faithful winds, strong men, and a bit of luck, the stables have outlasted the conflagration" ~~
The Marquis de Montcalm
1759
May 1756-Jun 1761 | Six Years War Beginning in North America and spreading across the globe due to competing alliances, territorial interests, and colonial ambitions, the French, Austrians, Saxons, Swedes, and Russians battle against the British, Hanoverians, and Prussians. |
9 July, 1759 | Point of Departure 1: Battle of Minden |
10 August, 1759 | Death of King Fernando of Spain |
1759-1788 | Reign of Carlos III of Spain Reign marked by sweeping modernization reforms in Spain and its colonial empire. Alliance with an ascendant France also reaps great benefits. |
18 October, 1759 | Point of Departure 2: Battle of the Plains of Abraham Bad weather forces delays to a planned British attack against the citadel of Quebec. French scouts discover several cliffside vertical trails and place them under watch. British General Wolfe launches a risky attack to beat anticipated cold weather after his own scouts report the cliff trail. Wolfe gambles that he will be able to take the French by surprise and defeat the poorly staffed and equipped French colonial garrison. The French scouts are able to warn the citadel and troops and cannon are roused to box the British in on their beachhead and prevent them from establishing battle formations. British advance forces are thoroughly defeated by the French garrison under the Marquis de Montcalm and Wolfe orders the retreat of the remaining army attack. Colonel William Howe, in command of the ascent and actions at the top of the cliff is greatly affected by the defeat and resolves to never put his troops in the position of facing a bottleneck. The sickly General Wolfe dies in camp two weeks later and the British withdraw to Halifax for winter, unable to push the French out of their Quebec stronghold. [2] |
19-20 November, 1759 | Point of Departure 3: Battle of Quiberon Bay In the midst of intense gales from the west, the French home fleet under the Comte de Conflans attempts to take advantage of gaps in the British blockade of Brittany to run for the open ocean to regroup. They're spotted by elements of the British fleet that took shelter from the winds in Quiberon Bay and word is sent to the main British blockade fleet under Admiral Sir Edward Hawke, who has taken refuge on the Cornwall coast. After consulting with his captains, Conflans makes the unorthodox decision not to give chase to the British squadron or find shelter in Quiberon and rather make haste to the southwest before tacking north, passing behind Hawke's fleet and turning east as the wind shifts from the north. [3] Conflans move, and Hawke's failure to react to it with sufficient speed has flipped the field on the British; the 27 ship French fleet placed upwind of the 29 ship British fleet. Hawke is unable to maneuver sufficiently for a fleet action and decides to make for Quiberon Bay where he can join with the five ship squadron already posted there. Conflans however is able to run on Hawke's southern flank, harassing his screen with volleys and forcing the British close to the dangerous shoals around the bay. As darkness falls, two British frigates and four ships-of-the-line are dashed and lose nearly all hands. Hawke makes a bold move to turn downwind and run south toward Conflans' lines in the fading light. By morning, the British fleet regroups south of Quiberon, battered and having lost three more ships and severe damage to four more. The French have suffered two ships lost and three with significant damage. Continued gales discourage the continued prosecution of the action and Hawke's fleet withdraws to the southwest, leaving Conflans fleet freedom of movement. The French victory effectively breaks the British blockade, allowing for relief missions to Quebec and India and keeping the potential for a 1760 invasion of Great Britain open. The victory also helps the French with recruitment into the Royale, easing the shortages in crew numbers. Over the winter, there is a ferocious debate in French war councils about whether to attack the British Isles directly or to take advantage of the break in the British blockade to reinforce the American and Indian theaters of war. Ultimately it is decided that strengthening other theaters will force the British to continue draining their resources and benefit France's aims more than a high-stakes confrontation off the coast of Britain itself. The possibility of invasion will be emphasized for the benefit of heightening British fears, but plans are made to embark on strong new campaigns in India and North America in 1760. [4] On the British side, the loss greatly hampers their plans. The Admiralty hurriedly takes stock of their naval assets and redistributes their forces to defensive positions in home ports, while still attempting to maintain a semblance of blockade against France. They also find themselves needing to replenish over a dozen ships-of-the-line, an expensive endeavor which requires the government to make difficult financial choices. After a heated debate, King George II assents to the proposition that shoring up the Royal Navy will take priority over maintaining subsidies to their Prussian allies on the mainland. The Prussians are outraged and warn that such a move could lead to the collapse of the continental effort. Frederick II interprets the cuts , but the British have become hyper-focused on maintaining their naval strength, and subsidies to Prussia are cut in 1760. [5] |
1760
12 February, 1760 | Battle of Wandiwash Six Years War: At Wandiwash, a French allied army under the Comte de Lally, freshly reinforced from France, smashes a British force under General Sir Eyre Coote. The outcome cements French control over southern India. |
April-June 1760 | Second Siege of Louisbourg Six Years War: Admiral Conflans' fleet departs France for America in March with a goal of replenishing Quebec and recapturing British-occupied Louisbourg in Acadia. The British have only a small force of seven ships-of-the-line and a 3,000 strong garrison at Louisbourg, allowing Conflans larger force to replicate the British actions two years prior. In an action in April, three British ships are sunk and two are captured, forcing the remaining three to retreat to Halifax. French troop ships are then able to embark up the Saint-Lawrence River to Quebec, where they will be placed under the command of Montcalm and used to hold back the British from advancing into the heart of New France. Despite two British efforts from Halifax to break the siege at Louisbourg, the French are able to recapture the fortress by early-Summer, ensuring that the fortress of Quebec will be safe from another British assault for the foreseeable future. |
16 June, 1760 | Battle of Lake Champlain Six Years War: A British-American army under General Amherst, aiming to capture Montreal is defeated at the southern end of Lake Champlain by reinforced French, Canadian and allied forces under the Marquis de Montcalm. Amherst's shattered forces retreat south to Ticonderoga, hoping for reinforcements. The French opt not to pursue, preserving their North American forces in a defensive posture. Montcalm has instructions from Paris to hold remaining territories and leverage alliances with native tribes to harass British occupiers, in the hopes that a favorable treaty settlement will see tracts and outposts returned to French control. |
15 August, 1760 | Point of Departure 4: Battle of Liegnitz [6] After years of attritional warfare in central Europe, the Austrians aim to finally land a crushing blow against the Prussians in Silesia. Although the siege of Breslau is broken by Prince Heinrich, Austrian command of the Silesian countryside leads King Friedrich to finally commit to an engagement. Near the town of Liebnitz, the Austrian attempt to encircle the wily Prussian king fails, and the two sides fall into an artillery duel, with the Prussians holding the high ground. A near-miss at the Austrian powder cart leads Austrian commander von Lauden to move his stores further to the rear. Frustrated by the Austrian's, Frederick II orders a charge down the heights against enemy's flanks, which is savaged by Lauden's well-placed batteries. When Austrian reinforcements under General von Daun arrive, Frederick orders his forces to retreat, but thousands are captures in the Austrian pincer. The defeat at Liegnitz is a devastating blow to the Prussian King's confidence on the battlefield and he agonizes over his decision-making, falling into a deep malaise that is highlighted by his commanders. As the Austrians increase their hold on Silesia, Frederick's increased caution is noted and his army continues to cede ground as they retreat north to defend Berlin, effectively abandoning offensive campaigning. By the end of the 1760 campaign Frederick is also becoming increasingly embittered against his British allies for the abandonment of their continental allies and is considering making his own peace with Austria, France, and Russia. [7] |
25 October, 1760 | Death of King George of Great Britain |
1760-1820 | Reign of George III of Great Britain Reign marked by multiple wars with France, which on-balance go very poorly for Britain. Political and economic strife is a frequent problem. Mental illness disrupts later years. Often seen as successfully steering Britain through a very challenging time. |
1761
2 March, 1761 | Battle of Ganjam Six Years War: In their last major offensive in the Indian theater of the war, the British attempt a landing at Ganjam on the eastern coast of India. While the initial naval bombardment and troop landing, commanded by Robert Clive, is successful, the tide quickly turns against the British due to the smart tactical response of the Marquis de Bussy. As redcoats are driven back towards the water, British aspirations to expand in India beyond Bengal fade. |
3 July, 1761 | Battle of Gibraltar Six Years War: The Royal Navy successfully engages the Spanish fleet off of Gibraltar, preemptively dashing Spanish hopes of successfully blockading the British enclave. |
23 July, 1761 | Battle of la Gallette Six Years War: British-American forces under General Gage head a thrust towards Montreal along the St. Lawrence River, capitalizing on British captured forts along Lake Ontario. The offensive is decisively halted by the French, again under the Marquis de Montcalm just west of Fort la Gallette. When France's native allies cut off the British to the rear, Gage is forced to surrender his forces to capture. The battle removes the largest remaining professional British force from the field in North America, crippling their ability to launch continued campaigns without further reinforcements from Britain or the colonies. For their part, the colonial assemblies are hurting financially and resistant to call for more volunteers to fight in the frontier. The French are able to reoccupy postings at Frontenac, Oswego, and Niagara with little difficulty through the fall of 1761. |
September, 1761 | Treaty of Prague (1761) Six Years War: Prussia exits the war due to a loss of British subsidies and dwindling fighting forces. A string of defeats dashes the confidence of Prussian King Frederick II and he breaks his alliance with Britain to make a separate peace with Austria and France. The Treaty of Prague is signed between Austria, Prussia, France, Saxony, Russia, and Sweden. The treaty states that:
|
1762
March, 1762 | Death of Tsarina Elizabeth of Russia |
March-September, 1762 | Reign of Peter III of Russia Reign marked by perceived disinterest and frivolity. Deposed by wife in a plot. |
14, August, 1762 | Treaty of Paris Six Years War: The Treaty of Paris restores peace between Britain and France.
|
31 August, 1762 | Emperor Momozono of Japan Dies |
1762-1771 | Reign of Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan Reign marked by an aborted attempt to restore imperial powers and displace the shōgun. The plot is unsuccessful but signals changes in the future. |
September, 1762 | Peter of Russia Deposed A conspiracy is hatched by the Tsar's wife and members of the court, who are distrustful and disdainful of Peter's strongly pro-Prussian bend. The Tsar vacillates between riotous parties and exchanging despairing letters with Prussian King Frederick over the loss in the Six Years War. Peter writes that, had he come to the throne earlier, he would have backed Prussia against Austria and avoided Frederick's humiliation. This letter, read by his wife is used as justification to remove Peter from power, which occurs in September of 1762. [8] |
1762-1796 | Reign of Catherine II of Russia Reign marked by major expansion of Russian power on all frontiers as well as mixed results of attempted reforms. |
[1] Our Lafayette's dad. This is just for fun so I can use him later. OTL he dies from an artillery blast during the Battle of Minden. ITTL it falls a bit further to the left.
[2] OTL Wolfe was concerned that his health would fail before capturing Quebec and also that weather would preclude a successful attack. ITTL the slight delay enables the French to discover the cliffside path that allows the British to flank the fortress.
[3] OTL Conflans sails for the bay, setting up his fleet for the devastating engagement against Hawke'.
[4] OTL France had these debates before Quiberon Bay ruins any possibility of invasion or reinforcement. With the success ITTL, the argument runs its course until it's decided to aid the colonial campaigns.
[5] OTL as ITTL the British borrow heavily to pay for the 7YW. With a reduced Royal Navy they need to make difficult financial choices. In this case, abandoning the Prussians in their fight against Austria.
[6] I know, I know... too many PODs... but it's pretty difficult to give the French/Austrian side a comprehensive victory. Bear with.
[7] OTL the Austrians charge because their powder stores are hit. ITTL it escapes and is pulled back allowing the Austrians to hold on and force a Prussian charge.
[8] The circumstances are different, but Catherine still deposes Peter. No way that doesn't happen.
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