corourke
Donor
Articles of Confederation Persist
1788
• New Hampshire, Virginia, and New York fail to ratify the constitution. For now, the Articles of Confederation will persist. OTL these were all fairly close calls, for whatever reason, the votes fall in the opposite way.
o http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ah_073800_ratification.htm
• Charles IV of Spain ascends to the throne. Unlike OTL, he is even more set on reformation than his father. On the top of his list is the corruption and decentralization that plagues the Spanish Empire; he sees it as the reason for Spain’s recent weakness. To further this goal, he announces that the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon would be merged ‘in perpetuity’ into a single kingdom of Spain. This would allow Charles IV to have much greater control over the provinces and potentially extract more taxes. This move is extremely unpopular, but it remains to be seen whether or not Charles IV will attempt to enforce it. OTL Charles IV was more conservative than his father.
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IV_of_Spain
1789
• Since the Constitution didn’t receive all the votes it needed to, a new Constitutional Convention is held, this time in Boston. The Boston Convention seems to be leaning in favor of a constitution resembling the New Jersey Plan. In response to this, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina convene in Richmond, which favors large states. New York refuses to attend either convention.
• French Revolution a few months earlier than in OTL.
1790
• Charles IV, noticing that the provincial authorities in Spain are ignoring his proclamations, sends troops into Barcelona, Cadiz, and Seville. Catalonia, urged by the French revolutionaries, erupts in rebellion. Rumbles of discontent are heard even within Castile.
• The Boston Convention and the Richmond Convention both end in failure, mostly due to the other’s existence, but also to the increasingly prevalent view that a compromise will never come.
1791
• Galicia rises in rebellion in response to provocations of Spanish troops as well as French revolutionary activities. Galician rebels tend to retreat across the Portuguese border to escape Spanish troops.
• Vermont rebels crushed by New York
1792
• French-supplied Catalonian revolutionaries burn the port facilities of Cadiz, Seville, and Bilbao. Similar plots are discovered and prevented in Santander and Lisbon. Prompted by this, and the increasing number of revolutionaries taking refuge across the Portuguese border, Portugal pledges assistance to Charles IV in stopping the spread of revolution. Most of Spanish shipping ability is destroyed. OTL, almost 80% of Spanish commerce to the Americas went through Cadiz during this time period.
• Spain and Portugal declare war on France, citing French assistance to rebels.
• Communication concerning a new Constitution between the states has mostly broken down, though some states are closely aligned within the confederation (Like OTL France and Germany within the EU). Territorial disputes between the states often result in posturing by state militias, though none have resulted in violence as of yet. Few states find it within their budgets to give much money to the Federal Government, which is increasingly powerless.
1793
• French forces from Hispaniola, who have remained loyal throughout the revolution, occupy Havana. The Spanish Americas fleet is caught completely unawares, and captured. This, along with the destruction of the port facilities the previous year, causes a complete breakdown in Spanish maritime power and shipping capacity, especially in the western hemisphere. Its colonies in the Americas are largely left to their own devices.
• French forces cross into Navarre, and the almost nonexistent Spanish Army retreats before them. Galicia, which had refrained from declaring its independence, now does so. The French Fleet blockades Lisbon.
• British forces from Canada quietly begin reoccupying forts in the Northwest Territories, while the Iroquois Confederation is quietly organizing itself into a more centralized state.
1794
• Collapse of Spanish colonies in America. Virtually the entire Spanish Empire is without authority. Small areas of order exist in southern Mexico, the areas around Santa Fe, Buenos Aires and its hinterland, Lima, and the island of Cuba except Havana, which is still occupied by French forces.
• Georgian citizens being settling the northern part of the virtually uncolonized Florida peninsula.
• Lisbon and northern Castile occupied by French armies. Galician forces have made some headway into northern Portugal and Catalonian soldiers have conquered all the way down to Grenada.
• The French Republicans, united by the war against Spain and Portugal, manage to stay united. France remains, for the time being, a functioning republic.
• French troops occupy New Orleans.
North America in 1794
1795
• After the Spanish Army is crushed by the combined French and Catalonian armies outside of Bilbao, Charles IV abdicates. He is succeeded by his son, Ferdinand VII.
• The Netherlands volunteers to arbitrate peace talks, which the Spanish and Portuguese authorities eagerly agree to. The Treaty of Rotterdam is drawn up and signed by French, Spanish, and Portuguese delegates. Catalonia and Galicia are granted independence. France annexes Navarre, Cuba, Puerto Rico, some regions of northern Brazil, New Orleans and its hinterland, and Buenos Aires and its hinterland. Castile cedes Venezuela to Catalonia. Originally, the treaty called for the entire of the Viceroyalty of La Plata and the whole territory of Louisiana to be ceded to France, but Britain refused to recognize such a treaty and the French relented.
• Civil war erupts in Castile and Portugal.
• Castilian control in the western hemisphere is severely weakened. However, there are areas that managed to survive being cut off from Europe for two years and still swear allegiance to Castile, though their autonomy is almost complete. The exception to this is the new Kingdom of Peru, which declared its independence after the Treaty of Rotterdam was signed. It is recognized by France, Catalonia, and Galicia, though none of them have any important influence on its behavior.
• Russia, taking advantage of Castile's weakness, continues constructing forts on the west coast of North America.
The Peace of Rotterdam
Light blue is the former colonies still weakly tied together by the Articles of Confederation (perhaps The Disunited States of America? )
Light green is the Kingdom of Peru
Teal is Portugal and its colonies
This map is meant to show the actual status of settlement and control by Europeans at the time, not what is claimed.
The title is just provisional. My goal with this timeline is to get a western hemisphere populated by diverse groups of European immigrants with standard of living that is competitive with that of Europe. This means no Spanish domination of South America and no Monroe Doctrine.
1788
• New Hampshire, Virginia, and New York fail to ratify the constitution. For now, the Articles of Confederation will persist. OTL these were all fairly close calls, for whatever reason, the votes fall in the opposite way.
o http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ah_073800_ratification.htm
• Charles IV of Spain ascends to the throne. Unlike OTL, he is even more set on reformation than his father. On the top of his list is the corruption and decentralization that plagues the Spanish Empire; he sees it as the reason for Spain’s recent weakness. To further this goal, he announces that the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon would be merged ‘in perpetuity’ into a single kingdom of Spain. This would allow Charles IV to have much greater control over the provinces and potentially extract more taxes. This move is extremely unpopular, but it remains to be seen whether or not Charles IV will attempt to enforce it. OTL Charles IV was more conservative than his father.
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IV_of_Spain
1789
• Since the Constitution didn’t receive all the votes it needed to, a new Constitutional Convention is held, this time in Boston. The Boston Convention seems to be leaning in favor of a constitution resembling the New Jersey Plan. In response to this, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina convene in Richmond, which favors large states. New York refuses to attend either convention.
• French Revolution a few months earlier than in OTL.
1790
• Charles IV, noticing that the provincial authorities in Spain are ignoring his proclamations, sends troops into Barcelona, Cadiz, and Seville. Catalonia, urged by the French revolutionaries, erupts in rebellion. Rumbles of discontent are heard even within Castile.
• The Boston Convention and the Richmond Convention both end in failure, mostly due to the other’s existence, but also to the increasingly prevalent view that a compromise will never come.
1791
• Galicia rises in rebellion in response to provocations of Spanish troops as well as French revolutionary activities. Galician rebels tend to retreat across the Portuguese border to escape Spanish troops.
• Vermont rebels crushed by New York
1792
• French-supplied Catalonian revolutionaries burn the port facilities of Cadiz, Seville, and Bilbao. Similar plots are discovered and prevented in Santander and Lisbon. Prompted by this, and the increasing number of revolutionaries taking refuge across the Portuguese border, Portugal pledges assistance to Charles IV in stopping the spread of revolution. Most of Spanish shipping ability is destroyed. OTL, almost 80% of Spanish commerce to the Americas went through Cadiz during this time period.
• Spain and Portugal declare war on France, citing French assistance to rebels.
• Communication concerning a new Constitution between the states has mostly broken down, though some states are closely aligned within the confederation (Like OTL France and Germany within the EU). Territorial disputes between the states often result in posturing by state militias, though none have resulted in violence as of yet. Few states find it within their budgets to give much money to the Federal Government, which is increasingly powerless.
1793
• French forces from Hispaniola, who have remained loyal throughout the revolution, occupy Havana. The Spanish Americas fleet is caught completely unawares, and captured. This, along with the destruction of the port facilities the previous year, causes a complete breakdown in Spanish maritime power and shipping capacity, especially in the western hemisphere. Its colonies in the Americas are largely left to their own devices.
• French forces cross into Navarre, and the almost nonexistent Spanish Army retreats before them. Galicia, which had refrained from declaring its independence, now does so. The French Fleet blockades Lisbon.
• British forces from Canada quietly begin reoccupying forts in the Northwest Territories, while the Iroquois Confederation is quietly organizing itself into a more centralized state.
1794
• Collapse of Spanish colonies in America. Virtually the entire Spanish Empire is without authority. Small areas of order exist in southern Mexico, the areas around Santa Fe, Buenos Aires and its hinterland, Lima, and the island of Cuba except Havana, which is still occupied by French forces.
• Georgian citizens being settling the northern part of the virtually uncolonized Florida peninsula.
• Lisbon and northern Castile occupied by French armies. Galician forces have made some headway into northern Portugal and Catalonian soldiers have conquered all the way down to Grenada.
• The French Republicans, united by the war against Spain and Portugal, manage to stay united. France remains, for the time being, a functioning republic.
• French troops occupy New Orleans.
North America in 1794
1795
• After the Spanish Army is crushed by the combined French and Catalonian armies outside of Bilbao, Charles IV abdicates. He is succeeded by his son, Ferdinand VII.
• The Netherlands volunteers to arbitrate peace talks, which the Spanish and Portuguese authorities eagerly agree to. The Treaty of Rotterdam is drawn up and signed by French, Spanish, and Portuguese delegates. Catalonia and Galicia are granted independence. France annexes Navarre, Cuba, Puerto Rico, some regions of northern Brazil, New Orleans and its hinterland, and Buenos Aires and its hinterland. Castile cedes Venezuela to Catalonia. Originally, the treaty called for the entire of the Viceroyalty of La Plata and the whole territory of Louisiana to be ceded to France, but Britain refused to recognize such a treaty and the French relented.
• Civil war erupts in Castile and Portugal.
• Castilian control in the western hemisphere is severely weakened. However, there are areas that managed to survive being cut off from Europe for two years and still swear allegiance to Castile, though their autonomy is almost complete. The exception to this is the new Kingdom of Peru, which declared its independence after the Treaty of Rotterdam was signed. It is recognized by France, Catalonia, and Galicia, though none of them have any important influence on its behavior.
• Russia, taking advantage of Castile's weakness, continues constructing forts on the west coast of North America.
The Peace of Rotterdam
Light blue is the former colonies still weakly tied together by the Articles of Confederation (perhaps The Disunited States of America? )
Light green is the Kingdom of Peru
Teal is Portugal and its colonies
This map is meant to show the actual status of settlement and control by Europeans at the time, not what is claimed.
The title is just provisional. My goal with this timeline is to get a western hemisphere populated by diverse groups of European immigrants with standard of living that is competitive with that of Europe. This means no Spanish domination of South America and no Monroe Doctrine.
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