King Theodore's Corsica

[Carp]

FWIW, I really, really like it when this TL has chapters detailedly covering its alt-versions of the Cabinet Wars; as such, while I realize covering events on the other side of the Atlantic might be a bridge too far from where you were looking to focus on, I do really hope we see future chapters giving us all the juicy diplomatic and military developments on this TL's unique European conflict... and towards that end, maybe a couple of paragraphs covering TTL's version of the start and earlier phases of Britain's colonial conflict might be helpful for context. Just enough to give us a perspective of a European court observer, mind you -- to give France and Spain's joint decision to recognize the new country some in-universe perspective.

In the near future I will be taking a step back to talk a bit about the diplomatic and military strategy of the powers, especially as it relates to Corsica, the rights of neutrals, and so on. Some paragraphs on how the powers got to this point are probably in order, and once the war starts I will definitely be discussing the general naval campaign in the Mediterranean (and sieges of Minorca and Gibraltar).

I will not, however, be diving in anywhere near as deeply as I did in the WAS (or the SYW, for that matter). The simple reason for that is that most of what I wrote on WAS/SYW diplomacy was not alt-history, it was just history - although some changes were made along the way, most of my work in that regard was summary, not invention. At this point, however, we are 44 years past the POD. I have an idea what the belligerents want and what their strategies will be, but to give you chapters on par with the WAS/SYW chapters I would have to start making up alt-historical statesmen and diplomats and writing up a diplomatic narrative essentially from whole cloth. Given that we are probably in the last decade of this TL, I don't think the payoff is equal to the work that would be required.

 

[Sieje]

Always a pleasure to see this time line updated. Just wondering, since it's been a while since I did a full reread, is Bonifacio still controlled by the Genoese at this point? If so, is there ever any sabre rattling given the continued animosity between Corsica and Genoa?

 

[Carp]

Always a pleasure to see this time line updated. Just wondering, since it's been a while since I did a full rereaf, is Bonifacio still controlled by the Genoese at this point? If so, is there ever any sabre rattling given the continued animosity between Corsica and Genoa?

Yes, it is. The last saber-rattling was in 1773, when Federico sent some men to occupy one of the Maddalenas and made some angry noises, but it went nowhere - mostly because he got told off by Sardinia and Austria, but also because he really didn't have the money to sustain any sort of serious military action. Since then the Corsican government has been distracted by other matters, including a succession, but another confrontation is coming soon. It has occurred to some Corsican statesmen that a major war in which the Bourbon fleets are fully occupied with the British might actually be a very good time to make a play - that is, assuming Corsica is not dragged into that same war against its will.

 

[Icedaemon]

So there might be a small Corsican-Genoan war happening amidst the wider Anglo-Bourbon war which also includes the American revolution?

 

[John Fredrick Parker]

I will not, however, be diving in anywhere near as deeply as I did in the WAS (or the SYW, for that matter). The simple reason for that is that most of what I wrote on WAS/SYW diplomacy was not alt-history, it was just history - although some changes were made along the way, most of my work in that regard was summary, not invention. At this point, however, we are 44 years past the POD. I have an idea what the belligerents want and what their strategies will be, but to give you chapters on par with the WAS/SYW chapters I would have to start making up alt-historical statesmen and diplomats and writing up a diplomatic narrative essentially from whole cloth. Given that we are probably in the last decade of this TL, I don't think the payoff is equal to the work that would be required.

Ah well... I suppose that can't be helped. I was just so excited, because covering European Conflicts was our insight into how (regardless of what you might have been hoping on the start), King Theodore's success really has changed World History TTL. The European Cabinet Wars of OTL really were of such incredible global significance, in how the Long 19th Century played out, that it was really fun seeing how they might have gone differently, and getting excited to see how these changes would snowball off each other.

 

[Carp]

Speaking of changes snowballing off each other, the next chapter will probably take some time owing to the necessity of figuring out how I'm going to kick off this alt-AWI thing.

TTL's Treaty of Paris was more favorable to France, because the war ended earlier and thus limited French losses in the colonies. They still have Louisiana, Senegal, and Guadalupe, and thus their list of "things we want back" is a lot shorter. It probably doesn't even include Canada - the consensus seems to have been that the "few acres of snow" weren't really worth it, although reclaiming Newfoundland to secure control of its fisheries was considered desirable. Nevertheless, I decided it was likely that they would still go to war for the cause of American independence, because they viewed it as a great opportunity to break Britain's mercantilist system in North America and believed the free colonies would become lucrative trade partners.

The changes to the situation of Spain are potentially more important. ITTL, Spain didn't get involved in the "SYW" at all - Carlos ascended the throne too late to join. Thus, Spain did not suffer any defeat or lose any territory, and Carlos has probably convinced himself that France would have won the previous war if only his timid half-brother had honored the Family Pact instead of leaving Louis to twist in the wind. IOTL, Spain was rather reluctant to jump into the AWI because, unlike France, they saw American independence as potentially undesirable; weakening the British was good, but a successful independence movement in North America might give Spain's own colonial subjects ideas (a completely valid concern, as it turned out). Spain mainly joined because they wanted Gibraltar and Minorca, and indeed they compelled France to promise that they would not make peace until Gibraltar was reclaimed. ITTL, the Spanish presumably have the same concerns about the effects of American independence, but they are probably more confident in victory against Britain because they haven't yet been defeated. The whole Corsican debacle during the "SYW" may also have impacted Spanish thinking, as Concador was a really great demonstration of how Gibraltar and Minorca allow the Brits to project power in the Mediterranean. If Spain needed any more reasons to take those bases back, well, there you go.

Historically, the fact that France wanted this war much more than Spain did meant that Spain got to call the shots in terms of initial strategy. Spain wanted to avoid a prolonged American war that would interrupt their trade and endanger their colonies, so as the price for joining the war they demanded that the allied powers immediately launch an invasion of England just to try and wrap this whole thing up in one swift strike. The French absolutely did not want to do this - for one thing, it had always failed whenever they'd tried it before, but the French were also afraid that an invasion of England would be seen as a dangerous presumption by the other powers and might prompt an anti-French intervention. Interestingly, the French tried to convince Spain to accept a "compromise" plan of invading Ireland instead, as they felt this would be less internationally provocative but would still scare Britain enough to force them to the peace table. But the Spanish drove a hard bargain because they knew the French needed them, and the French folded, leading to the "Armada of 1779." ITTL Spain probably still demands a coup de main against England, but if Carlos is more eager to go to war and France is less desperate to have him (they're not at war with the UK yet), perhaps the plan is scuttled or the Spanish prove just flexible enough to agree to the "compromise" invasion of Ireland instead.

Also notable is the fact that Spain still has Florida ITTL, meaning that they are directly adjacent to the colonies. That probably makes smuggling weapons to the Americans even easier, and it may mean actual Spanish forces end up operating in the colonies. I can't imagine the Spanish would send an army over from Spain just to help the Americans, but the Spanish garrison in Florida could potentially get involved in the event of a British landing in Georgia or the Carolinas.

 

[Thomas Lloyd]

I have spent most of my waking hours in the past few weeks rereading this epic. Ive been reading it regularly since I was in high school, and I've have finished college and moved between several different countries since.

Its incredible how through this silly forum you've become the foremost expert on the history of Corsica in the world.

Just have to compliment the quality of your research, your writing (which is an enormous pleasure to read), and your concentration in moving it forward across all these years.

 

[Carp]

Thank you!

Its incredible how through this silly forum you've become the foremost expert on the history of Corsica in the world.

Eh... at best, I'm the foremost non-professional expert on the history of 18th century Corsica in the English-speaking world. I guarantee you that this timeline would have been better (or at least more "accurate") if I was a native Italian and/or French speaker and was able to give a more critical and thorough reading to non-English sources. Google Translate has been extremely helpful - vital, actually - in writing this timeline, but it can only go so far.

Actually, this seems like as good a time as any to mention that KTC is being reposted, right now, over at Sufficient Velocity, at a rate of about 2-3 updates per week. Someone suggested that I should cross-post KTC elsewhere, so I did. I know more about Corsica and this period than I did when I started KTC back in 2017 (and I'd like to think I'm a better writer now than I was then), so I've been using the opportunity of posting old updates to fix typos, make story modifications, fix consistency issues, and do a bit of minor retconning here and there (nothing that changes the general arc of the story). As of this moment, that thread has reached late 1738 - Boissieux just got a bloody nose at Madonna della Serra and he's not happy about it.

For the sake of preserving the "original" TL and the discussions around it I won't be revising the updates in this thread, but eventually I think I'll post the full revised version in Finished Timelines.

So, to recap, my plan is as follows:
1. Finish writing "Original KTC" (posted here)
2. Finish editing "Revised KTC" (posted at SV)
3. Post "Revised KTC" to the Finished Timelines forum (here)

...and then I'll be done. Finally.

 

[Thomas Lloyd]

Have you thought about constituting this work in the form of an E-Book novel as well? Its an excellent story, with a great setting, a bizzare cast of characters, a tense storyline with tumultuous ups and downs, a climax in the form of kingship and independence, and of course (presumably) a happy ending. While the alternate history genre is a bit obscure, I'm sure King Theodore's Corsica could be very popular even outside our tiny community. After all, wasnt "The Man in the High Castle" just made into a Netflix series?

 

[Meshakhad]

Have you thought about constituting this work in the form of an E-Book novel as well? Its an excellent story, with a great setting, a bizzare cast of characters, a tense storyline with tumultuous ups and downs, a climax in the form of kingship and independence, and of course (presumably) a happy ending. While the alternate history genre is a bit obscure, I'm sure King Theodore's Corsica could be very popular even outside our tiny community. After all, wasnt "The Man in the High Castle" just made into a Netflix series?

At the very least it's worthy of Sea Lion Press.

 

[LordVorKon]

...and then I'll be done. Finally.

So another 5 or 6 years, then?

 

[Qwertius]

Will there be a jump to TTL's present once you get to the 1800s?

 

[Carp]

Have you thought about constituting this work in the form of an E-Book novel as well? Its an excellent story, with a great setting, a bizzare cast of characters, a tense storyline with tumultuous ups and downs, a climax in the form of kingship and independence, and of course (presumably) a happy ending. While the alternate history genre is a bit obscure, I'm sure King Theodore's Corsica could be very popular even outside our tiny community. After all, wasnt "The Man in the High Castle" just made into a Netflix series?

I appreciate the thought, but novels need, like... dialogue. The Man in the High Castle is a novel. KTC is a history book.

Will there be a jump to TTL's present once you get to the 1800s?

No. I will, however, probably make a big "post-TL" post in which I speculate, out-of-character, on the future of the state in the 19th century.

 

[da Racontor]

I appreciate the thought, but novels need, like... dialogue. The Man in the High Castle is a novel. KTC is a history book.

Sea Lion Press has done stuff like that in the past because crazy people like us will buy it.

I'm not sure what their specifics are though, I've only done short stories with them.

 

[Meshakhad]

I appreciate the thought, but novels need, like... dialogue. The Man in the High Castle is a novel. KTC is a history book.



No. I will, however, probably make a big "post-TL" post in which I speculate, out-of-character, on the future of the state in the 19th century.

Sea Lion Press has done stuff like that in the past because crazy people like us will buy it.

I'm not sure what their specifics are though, I've only done short stories with them.

I haven't approached them yet (still editing) but KTC is quite similar in style to Look to the West, Lands of Red and Gold, Fight and Be Right, or Reds!. It's exactly the sort of thing Sea Lion Press publishes.

 

[Gonzaga]

Thank you!



Eh... at best, I'm the foremost non-professional expert on the history of 18th century Corsica in the English-speaking world. I guarantee you that this timeline would have been better (or at least more "accurate") if I was a native Italian and/or French speaker and was able to give a more critical and thorough reading to non-English sources. Google Translate has been extremely helpful - vital, actually - in writing this timeline, but it can only go so far.

Actually, this seems like as good a time as any to mention that KTC is being reposted, right now, over at Sufficient Velocity, at a rate of about 2-3 updates per week. Someone suggested that I should cross-post KTC elsewhere, so I did. I know more about Corsica and this period than I did when I started KTC back in 2017 (and I'd like to think I'm a better writer now than I was then), so I've been using the opportunity of posting old updates to fix typos, make story modifications, fix consistency issues, and do a bit of minor retconning here and there (nothing that changes the general arc of the story). As of this moment, that thread has reached late 1738 - Boissieux just got a bloody nose at Madonna della Serra and he's not happy about it.

For the sake of preserving the "original" TL and the discussions around it I won't be revising the updates in this thread, but eventually I think I'll post the full revised version in Finished Timelines.

So, to recap, my plan is as follows:
1. Finish writing "Original KTC" (posted here)
2. Finish editing "Revised KTC" (posted at SV)
3. Post "Revised KTC" to the Finished Timelines forum (here)

...and then I'll be done. Finally.

So, what's the next project after KTC? 😅

 

[GoukaRyuu]

Honestly, throw in some more maps and public domain, or commissioned, artwork and it could really read as an AH monograph.

 

[Planita13]

I'll buy a King Theodore's Corsica book unironically

 

[Carp]

Sea Lion Press has done stuff like that in the past because crazy people like us will buy it.

Honestly, throw in some more maps and public domain, or commissioned, artwork and it could really read as an AH monograph.

I'll buy a King Theodore's Corsica book unironically

I'll keep that in mind. For now, though, I still need to finish it!

So, what's the next project after KTC? 😅

Spoiler

 

[Ricard (i.e. Rdffigueira)]

I'll keep that in mind. For now, though, I still need to finish it!

Spoiler

Amazing!!! Sons of the Harlot Empress is by far one of the best TLs of this forum. I'm beyond thrilled.