Lone Star Republic
- Thread starter Kaiser Chris
- Start date
Oh Victoria, both how right and how wrong you are. Unfortunately for you and Britain even if you win the coming war Oregon shall not long remain in your empire.
Anywho good updates, and I am glad to see Harrison making the military reforms needed to win the coming war. If they'll pay off remains to be seen, but if Europe is about to go up in flames in the coming revolutions I'd give us a good chance. Better still if we can get Quebec to rise up against the British. No matter what the post war situation is going to be interesting, especially with the South looking at Cuba and other lands in the Caribbean. North south tensions may stop the US from getting into another war (although attempting to buy Cuba might not be out of the question), but I expect men like William Walker and other filibusters won't be out of work in TTL.
With regards to Jack and Rose, thanks for the follow up with them. Also I expect big things out of Fabrizio new Italian dish.
Finally, a question of the morbid curiosity type. You brought up Liberia in the update so I'm inclined to ask, is the colony on track for independence like OTL or are we going to see something different happen?
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Diez Mil Cantos: I mistyped in the second paragraph and it was Wisconsin that became a state, not Iowa. Iowa will be the 29th state to enter the Union during Harrison's second term.
Pieman: Ah good ol Queen Vicky. I can only imagine how the British public will react once they find out that they're fighting a war over "trees and beavers".
Harrison is a military man so it only makes since that he would figure out that the United States can't beat the British Empire on patriotism and murican badassery alone. All of the events of the Oregon war, including Quebec, will be revealed in due time. The North/South divide is only going to get deeper here on out and the expansion of slavery will be interesting in the 1850's with southerners starting to take a Ostend Manifesto more seriously. I do have one route of action for the south though that I don't even think you'll see coming.
Thanks for the positive reviews for the titanic epilogue. It's nice to see most of the characters get a somewhat happy ending this run around. Personally i think James Cameron would be Jack and Rose's grandson or great grandson TTL and would want to make TTL's Titanic based on their memories. For the most part though the Dawsons have a happy life and live out the rest of their days in peace in California. Also any situation where Brooklyn Pizza is invented three decades early is a win for everybody.
Once again I'd like to thank you for being the one person in the whole thread who notices the little foreshadowed details that I add in each post. When it comes to Liberia I don't plan to have her become independent in 1847. Rather she will become a protectorate and the beginning of American Africa. More details will be revealed once we reach the Scramble for Africa in the 1870's/1880's.
Terranova: I'm not going to post a map of Texas in 1900 as there will be so many changes in the borders of both Texas and North America that it's going to be a HUGE amount of spoilers for everything I have planned for the rest of the century. Fear not though as I will post a map of Texas in the 1850's with the addition of the Commonwealths and one that would probably show Senatorial districts.
Next post will be Chapter 29, afterwords is the last Titanic post and the beginning of the 1846 Revolutions arc. One question that I have to ask you readers though is of a narrative post that I plan to do in the future. It's going to be one that's focused on Pope Pius IX and includes a scene where Pius stands at the gates of heaven in a vision of communication with Jesus. The reason I'm writing this is because I am Catholic and this narrative post will actually tie in to the Italian Unification part of the 1846 revolutions. i wanted to know if you readers would be okay with this as I presume most of the people following the timeline are of different faiths and I don't want to offend any readers. For the rest of Lone Star Republic, while I do plan to have the Catholic Church gain more power than OTL, they're not going to become the state religion of the world or receive any major wanking. In addition I'll do my best to portray other faiths and religions fairly within the story and share equal coverage on each of them. Please let me know your response in the comments below.
Chapter 29 Foreign Events 1836-1846
Chapter 29 Foreign Events 1836-1846
"Being the Secretary of State is quite the fun job. Not only do you avoid the petty politics of congress and directly serve your nation, you also get to act as an observer to the grand squabbles of Europe."- Secretary of State Stephan F. Austin 1840
"I have managed to achieve a good 20 years of peace for the Reich. I fear one day though that my efforts will one day be for naught and beloved Austria may soon find herself in the danger of extinction once more."- Chancellor Klemens von Metternich 1836
"One thing I absolutely loathe about foreigners is their grand fantasies of the British Empire. Before the 19th century Britain had manged to achieve greatness by building true colonies for the motherland and achieving dominance in trade and the high seas. Then the new era began and everything changed. We lost our sacred colonies because of the actions of a mad tyrant and became too involved in European affairs after Napoleon. The correct course of action would've been to continue Splendid Isolation and dominate the world with our grand industry and economic hegemony. Instead the nobles became obsessed with conquering backwaters and lands of savagery, we couldn't back away from Europe and had to get involved in every single political conflict on the damned Continent. We were stretched too thin and Britain was not British, but rather the center of a global empire that served the needs of the crown and the aristocracy first and foremost. Pax Britannica is what they call it, the so called glorious golden age of Great Britain. For while our people deluded themselves with dreams of grandeur and conquest, the seeds of decay began to wrought. The day that bitch Victoria crowned herself 100 years ago, was the day that Britain truly began its descent into noble darkness."- Lord Protector Oliver Mosley 1937
The following is a list of events that took place around the world from the years 1836 to the beginning of 1846:
October 2, 1836: Charles Darwin returns to England from his two month journey aboard the HMS Beagle. His findings later lead to him posting his famous Theory of Evolution.
December 28, 1836: South Australia is made an official colony of the British Empire.
December 28th,1836-August 28th, 1839: The War of the Confederation begins between the newly formed Peru-Bolivian Confederation and the countries of Argentina and Chile. The War began over the rise of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, which was seen as a threat to neighboring countries for the potential power projection of the nation and its economic monopolies on trade routes in the Pacific. War was declared on December 28th by Chilean President Jose Pierto due to the manipulations of Chilean statesman Diego Portales, Argentina soon joined after on the next month. The war was seen as deeply unpopular in Chile due to the nation's aggression (Bolivian Marshal Santa Cruz had been willing to compromise on several points except disollusionment), and the reason behind it due to the scheming of Portales, who was highly unpopular at the time. While Chile managed to maintain naval superiority, the lost the land campaign as the combined Chilean-Argentinean forces were decimated by disease and low support by the local peasentry deep in Peruvian territory. The first expedition was soundly defeated by Marshal Santa Cruz at Paurcapata with a second one being defeated after the Confederation forces lifted a siege of Lima and then proceeded to decimate the retreating Chilean-Argentinian army at Yungay. The total defeats on land caused both leading administrations of Argentina and Chile to be overthrown with a peace signed in favor of the Confederation in 1838. The war continued for the next year as a rebel faction under General Gamarra tried to declare Peru's independence from the Confederation. The rebels found little support due to the Confederation's success in the Pacific campaign and they were promptly defeated by the highly popular Marshal Santa Cruz within a year. For now the Confederation would stand.
Flag of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation
June 20th, 1837: Queen Victoria is crowned beginning the era of Pax Britannica for the British Empire.
October 13th, 1837: French forces capture Constatine, Algeria.
November 1837-December 1838: The Canadian rebellions commence. Both rebellions arise from the population of Canada's dissatisfaction with the current rule of the British from London. In Lower Canada the rebellion is made up of patriots who wish to for secession in the form of an independent Quebec. While the cause for Upper Canada was a quest for reform against the government in Ontario. Due to high disorganization among the two sides as well as superior tactics and training of the British regulars and the Canadian millitia. Both sides failed in their objectives and by December of next year resistance was quelled entirely. The aftermath caused both Canada's to merge under the Union Act of 1840. But many in Canada would remember the causes and struggle of the rebellions once the Oregon War began eight years later.
Battle of Montgomery's Tavern in Upper Canada. Flag of the Quebec Patriotes
December 15th, 1838: With the Yucatan emerging victorious from the Guatemala war, the nations of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica sign the Central American Pact. A defensive treaty stating that any war that would be declared on one was a declaration against all. The treaty was signed due to fears of further Yucatan conquest as well as potential aggresion from Colombia, which was prevented due to extensive pressure from Venezuela to not conquer the remainder of Central America.
March 19th- August 29th, 1842. The First Opium War is waged between Great Britain and the Chinese Empire. The causes of the war lie within trading rights in China as well as the sale and distribution of the drug Opium within Chinese borders. The war is waged for three years with the British gaining near absolute victory due to their capture of the coast and rivers due to advanced steamboats, as well as superior tactics and weaponry on land. The war ends in the Treaty of Nanking with China ceding Hong Kong to Britain for a 150 year lease, millions of silver in reparations, and finally the opening of trade in five port cities as well as extraterritoriality. The war is the beginning of the Century of Shame for the Chinese.
Capture of Hong Kong (Left) Battle of Amoy (Right)
April 19th, 1839: The Treaty of London formally recognizes the independence of Belgium and its protection of sovereignty and neutrality by the Great Powers of Europe.
August 31st, 1839: The First Carlist War comes to an end with a clear victory for the liberal forces and regent Maria Christina for Isabel II. The war was a conflict of succession for the Spanish throne between the Carlists a conservative/reactionary faction led by Carlos V that wished for a return to the old regime with the reign of Carlos V. And the liberals fighting for the future Isabel II who wanted for the modernization and increased democracy of the Spanish Kingdom. The war at first went well for the Carlist rebels who captured the Basque and Valencian regions of the North. The tide turned in favor of the liberals with the intervention of the Portuguese, British, and French on their side. While the fighting ended in August two more wars would be fought in the future with the third and final Carlist War taking place in 1878.
Carlist Flag
July 18th, 1841: The coronation of Pedro II as Emperor of Brazil takes place.
June 18th, 1842: In a mirror practice of the Republic of Texas, Sweden becomes the second nation in the world to install a primary education system.
February 27th, 1844: The Dominican War of Independence is launched by the revolutionaries of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic was a former Spanish colony that was conquered by Haiti in 1822 in an effort to unite Hispaniola. The conquest backfired as the Dominicans grew increasingly agitated under Haitian rule and sought for their own self rule and preservation of liberty. The war would last for 12 years with the conflict finally ending in 1856 with Independence for the Dominican Republic.
Flag of the Dominican Republic
A/N: Okay everyone, next official story post is the beginning of the 1846 revolutions. Most of the developments of this chapter were OTL with a few notable exceptions such as the result of the War of the Confederation. Stay tuned for more!
"Being the Secretary of State is quite the fun job. Not only do you avoid the petty politics of congress and directly serve your nation, you also get to act as an observer to the grand squabbles of Europe."- Secretary of State Stephan F. Austin 1840
"I have managed to achieve a good 20 years of peace for the Reich. I fear one day though that my efforts will one day be for naught and beloved Austria may soon find herself in the danger of extinction once more."- Chancellor Klemens von Metternich 1836
"One thing I absolutely loathe about foreigners is their grand fantasies of the British Empire. Before the 19th century Britain had manged to achieve greatness by building true colonies for the motherland and achieving dominance in trade and the high seas. Then the new era began and everything changed. We lost our sacred colonies because of the actions of a mad tyrant and became too involved in European affairs after Napoleon. The correct course of action would've been to continue Splendid Isolation and dominate the world with our grand industry and economic hegemony. Instead the nobles became obsessed with conquering backwaters and lands of savagery, we couldn't back away from Europe and had to get involved in every single political conflict on the damned Continent. We were stretched too thin and Britain was not British, but rather the center of a global empire that served the needs of the crown and the aristocracy first and foremost. Pax Britannica is what they call it, the so called glorious golden age of Great Britain. For while our people deluded themselves with dreams of grandeur and conquest, the seeds of decay began to wrought. The day that bitch Victoria crowned herself 100 years ago, was the day that Britain truly began its descent into noble darkness."- Lord Protector Oliver Mosley 1937
The following is a list of events that took place around the world from the years 1836 to the beginning of 1846:
October 2, 1836: Charles Darwin returns to England from his two month journey aboard the HMS Beagle. His findings later lead to him posting his famous Theory of Evolution.
December 28, 1836: South Australia is made an official colony of the British Empire.
December 28th,1836-August 28th, 1839: The War of the Confederation begins between the newly formed Peru-Bolivian Confederation and the countries of Argentina and Chile. The War began over the rise of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, which was seen as a threat to neighboring countries for the potential power projection of the nation and its economic monopolies on trade routes in the Pacific. War was declared on December 28th by Chilean President Jose Pierto due to the manipulations of Chilean statesman Diego Portales, Argentina soon joined after on the next month. The war was seen as deeply unpopular in Chile due to the nation's aggression (Bolivian Marshal Santa Cruz had been willing to compromise on several points except disollusionment), and the reason behind it due to the scheming of Portales, who was highly unpopular at the time. While Chile managed to maintain naval superiority, the lost the land campaign as the combined Chilean-Argentinean forces were decimated by disease and low support by the local peasentry deep in Peruvian territory. The first expedition was soundly defeated by Marshal Santa Cruz at Paurcapata with a second one being defeated after the Confederation forces lifted a siege of Lima and then proceeded to decimate the retreating Chilean-Argentinian army at Yungay. The total defeats on land caused both leading administrations of Argentina and Chile to be overthrown with a peace signed in favor of the Confederation in 1838. The war continued for the next year as a rebel faction under General Gamarra tried to declare Peru's independence from the Confederation. The rebels found little support due to the Confederation's success in the Pacific campaign and they were promptly defeated by the highly popular Marshal Santa Cruz within a year. For now the Confederation would stand.
Flag of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation
June 20th, 1837: Queen Victoria is crowned beginning the era of Pax Britannica for the British Empire.
October 13th, 1837: French forces capture Constatine, Algeria.
November 1837-December 1838: The Canadian rebellions commence. Both rebellions arise from the population of Canada's dissatisfaction with the current rule of the British from London. In Lower Canada the rebellion is made up of patriots who wish to for secession in the form of an independent Quebec. While the cause for Upper Canada was a quest for reform against the government in Ontario. Due to high disorganization among the two sides as well as superior tactics and training of the British regulars and the Canadian millitia. Both sides failed in their objectives and by December of next year resistance was quelled entirely. The aftermath caused both Canada's to merge under the Union Act of 1840. But many in Canada would remember the causes and struggle of the rebellions once the Oregon War began eight years later.
Battle of Montgomery's Tavern in Upper Canada. Flag of the Quebec Patriotes
December 15th, 1838: With the Yucatan emerging victorious from the Guatemala war, the nations of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica sign the Central American Pact. A defensive treaty stating that any war that would be declared on one was a declaration against all. The treaty was signed due to fears of further Yucatan conquest as well as potential aggresion from Colombia, which was prevented due to extensive pressure from Venezuela to not conquer the remainder of Central America.
March 19th- August 29th, 1842. The First Opium War is waged between Great Britain and the Chinese Empire. The causes of the war lie within trading rights in China as well as the sale and distribution of the drug Opium within Chinese borders. The war is waged for three years with the British gaining near absolute victory due to their capture of the coast and rivers due to advanced steamboats, as well as superior tactics and weaponry on land. The war ends in the Treaty of Nanking with China ceding Hong Kong to Britain for a 150 year lease, millions of silver in reparations, and finally the opening of trade in five port cities as well as extraterritoriality. The war is the beginning of the Century of Shame for the Chinese.
Capture of Hong Kong (Left) Battle of Amoy (Right)
April 19th, 1839: The Treaty of London formally recognizes the independence of Belgium and its protection of sovereignty and neutrality by the Great Powers of Europe.
August 31st, 1839: The First Carlist War comes to an end with a clear victory for the liberal forces and regent Maria Christina for Isabel II. The war was a conflict of succession for the Spanish throne between the Carlists a conservative/reactionary faction led by Carlos V that wished for a return to the old regime with the reign of Carlos V. And the liberals fighting for the future Isabel II who wanted for the modernization and increased democracy of the Spanish Kingdom. The war at first went well for the Carlist rebels who captured the Basque and Valencian regions of the North. The tide turned in favor of the liberals with the intervention of the Portuguese, British, and French on their side. While the fighting ended in August two more wars would be fought in the future with the third and final Carlist War taking place in 1878.
Carlist Flag
July 18th, 1841: The coronation of Pedro II as Emperor of Brazil takes place.
June 18th, 1842: In a mirror practice of the Republic of Texas, Sweden becomes the second nation in the world to install a primary education system.
February 27th, 1844: The Dominican War of Independence is launched by the revolutionaries of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic was a former Spanish colony that was conquered by Haiti in 1822 in an effort to unite Hispaniola. The conquest backfired as the Dominicans grew increasingly agitated under Haitian rule and sought for their own self rule and preservation of liberty. The war would last for 12 years with the conflict finally ending in 1856 with Independence for the Dominican Republic.
Flag of the Dominican Republic
A/N: Okay everyone, next official story post is the beginning of the 1846 revolutions. Most of the developments of this chapter were OTL with a few notable exceptions such as the result of the War of the Confederation. Stay tuned for more!
Depends on how it is sold to the British public, although I'd imagine there would be more than a few who view it as the most pointless war in British history thus far ("We could have had fifty million dollars and no war, but no, we had to have a war.").
Harrison has a point, but American badassery always helps. What also will help is your hint in the new update that the Canadians haven't forgotten their rebellion in 1837/8. Alone neither of those is enough to win, together and with the new 30,000 man army I feel my confidence growing. Not much to say about the post war (Need to see the Oregon war to judge that), but I am intrigued by this Southern course of action other than the Ostend Manifesto you speak of. I guess I'll need to keep reading to see what that one is because the only idea I have (splitting states in two) just doesn't seem likely.
American Africa you say. That isn't something you see often, so props to you for doing it.
Lord Protector Oliver Mosley; 1937... two things I gather from this at the moment. First Britain might have slipped into some type of authoritarianism, possibly of an isolationist verity. I'd guess this is after losing the world war that came shortly after the sinking of the Titanic. And second the monarchy is probably gone, with the current regime laying much of the blame on the Victorian era nobility (with a little going to George III).
Canada will play a role in the Oregon War but exactly what she'll do will be revealed in due time. In reference to your idea of states splitting up, not even close though good try. I guess this will make the reveal later even more good.
American Africa is an idea I received from playing USA in Victoria II and basically colonizing 85% of Subsaharan Africa in game. Lots of other timelines have crazy American expansion. "Diaries of a Doofus Kings" has American Austraulia, while "America: A TL Retold" also has the US expand into Central America and West Africa.
Oliver is my personal creation and will become a VERY MAJOR part of modern British history. He is different from most dictators so he's not a Hitler insert. More will be revealed in due time but the phrase God save the King will never be so literal than the 20th century.
Currently working on Chapter 30. Will post today or tomorrow.
Chapter 30 Vive le Revolution
Chapter 30 Vive le Revolution
"Insurrection is the most sacred of rights and most indispensable of duties."- Marquis de Lafayette 1783
"Charles was a fool in the manner he ruled. I would never lose my rule to a bunch of revolutionary upstarts."- King Louise Phillipe I 1830
"It's times like these that I'm glad we listened to Washington when it came to non-interference."- President William Harrison 1846
All of human history can be said to be a series of conflicts over a large amount of time. From the stone age where man waged war with sticks and stones, to the modern era with mechanized warfare and nuclear weaponry, people have been fighting against each other for various beliefs and ideologies. Chief among these being the conflict of revolution which has become increasingly prominent in world affairs in the later centuries. All of these conflicts have had profound effects on mankind such as the French Revolution, American war of independence, Haitian Revolution, White Winter, Rise of Britannia, Chinese Revolution, and the Italian/German unification movements. The most principal of revolutions that most non-historians tend to easily forget is the 1846 revolutions. These series of events, which initially happened with little coordination between the rebel parties, would come to affect geopolitics for the rest of the century by laying the groundwork of conflict that would lead up to the Great War. For the last thirty years before Europe had been enjoying a fragile peace since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, one that was held by a coalition of European nations who all despised each other and were only united in their common hatred and fear of liberalism. As was the case before the powder keg that would light the grand spark of revolution would take place on the streets of Paris, France.
To say that France from 1789-1846 was one of the more unstable nations in Europe is quite the understatement. Little more than 50 years before one of the oldest dynasties in Europe had been overthrown in an instant by the common people. Europe had experienced several regime changes before but it was always done by plotting nobles, clergymen, or individuals with claims to the throne. Never had they experienced the execution of a monarch by the hands of the lower class. Once the first Republic was founded revolutionary ideals spread across Europe like wildfire, even the ascension of Emperor Napoleon I did nothing to quell this epidemic as Napoleon only sought to encourage the spread of revolution through his Napoleonic Code. After the Battle of Waterloo the Great Powers sought to stabilize the situation in France by putting the Bourbons back in power under the rule of Louis XVIII, younger brother to Louis XVI. Louis XVIII sought to only rule as a constitutional monarch and relented to the demands of the French masses in order to prevent his death by guillotine. His rule only lasted one decade before he died in 1824. After that his younger brother Charles X came to power. Charles, in mirror practice of the eldest Louis, sought to restore the ancien regime and ruled in the manner of an autocrat by giving support only to the conservative and absolutist factions of government. When Charles enacted censure of the press and dissolved the Chamber of Deputies, the French people rose in revolt and ousted him from power to be replaced with the head of the Orleans branch of the Bourbons, Louis Phillipe. Louis Phillipe wisely chose to hold the current constitutional monarchy and did not openly pursue policies that supported the absolutist or conservative factions of government. The main issue was that while the July Monarchy was liberal in its governance, it relied heavily on support from the bourgeoisie aristocracy. This consisted of rich men such as the bankers, railroad magnates, factory owners, capitalists, estates-men, etc. Louis tended to support the bourgeoisie and under his rule the rich gained increasing power with a rising procurement of land from the lower class, increasing the income gap and severely lowering the enfranchisement of the French people. The situation got so bad that by 1846 only 1% of French men had the right to vote. The situation wasn't any better inside of parliament as Louis refused to negotiate with the reform movement or give greater powers to the legislative branch. Perhaps Louis's only saving grace that prevented the revolution from occurring sooner was France's large success in foreign policy such as the Algerian conquests and the Texas intervention. The situation was inevitable though when an economic crisis hit France in 1844, followed by a depression the following year in 1845. This combined with bad harvests caused unemployment rates to skyrocket and massive peasant rebellions to prop up among the countryside. Socialists and Republicans banded together with calls for the establishment of right to work and protection of property by the government. The one final factor though that would launch all of Paris into revolt would not be all of these factors, but rather closing of a banquet by government orders.
Liberty Leading the People (1830). Symbol of the July revolution(Right) Louis Phillipe giving the flags to the national guard (Center) French Chamber of Deputies (Left)
During the July Monarchy all political demonstrations and gatherings had been banned under the pretense of a revolution. The right of free press was still protected but the people had no outlet unto which to gather and rally against the government. The nobles and middle class came up with a solution by creating fund raising banquets, where opponents of the monarchy could safely gather and vent their frustrations against the current regime. The French government was powerless to stop them as the banquets gave the alibi of a private gathering with their purpose being non-political. Over several months in 1845 the commoners and middle class would gather at these banquets in open defiance to the July Monarchy. One notable patron of the banquets was German philosopher Friedrich Engels, who would later be known for co-writing the communist manifesto with Karl Marx. Engels was inspired by the people gathering in unity against the proletariat that he wrote a series of essays called "The Reform Movement in France," detailing the ideals and politics of the banquets. The largest known banquet occurred on New Years 1846 where thousands of middle class, nobles, and members of parliament gathered together to celebrate freedom and criticize the government. When Louis learned of this he became enraged and issued a decree that outlawed all banquets within Paris on January 2nd, 1846. The people of Paris were outraged at the decree and on January 4th the streets of Paris were filled with millions of Parisians who were determined to overthrow the monarchy once and for all. Barricades were set up all throughout the neighborhoods and anarchists openly clashed with the capitol guard. Crowds gathered outside the palace were chants filled the air with calls for Louis's abdication and the resignation of Prime Minister Guillaume Guizot. Guizot not wanting to suffer his reputation further submitted his resignation on the 5th. After word spread of the resignation a mob was set upon the gates of the Office of the Foreign ministry. In order to scare the crowds off the captain of the guard ordered for his men to fix bayonets and keep them off the gates. Like so many other historical events where this phenomenon happens for some reason, a guard misfired his rifle and killed a protestor on sight. The rest of the soldiers took this as an order and fired into the rest of the crowd, killing 54 people. The protests which until then had been somewhat stable, erupted into largescale riots where millions of francs worth of property were destroyed and many sections of Paris were on fire. Not wanting for his family to be executed, Louis Phillipe abdicated as the last King of France in favor of his grandson Phillipe of Comte, Louis then fled France in exile. Due to his aggressive foreign campaigns over the years Louis was not welcomed in London soon after he arrived, with no friendly relations among the other European dynasty, Louis and his family fled to the one nation that still had a positive opinion of the Bourbons, Texas. In the aftermath of the January revolution several weeks of anarchy occurred in Paris until a coalition of Liberals came together for a constitutional convention. Founding what would later become the Second French Republic, only to be dissolved four years later with the rise of Emperor Napoleon III and the Second French Empire. The situation in France would be stabilized but the fires of revolution would soon spread throughout Europe, engulfing the continent in a flame of war and nationalism.
"Lamartine, before the Hotel de Ville Paris,rejects the Red Flag on January 6th, 1840" by Henri Felix Emmanuel Philippoteaux
Before we conclude this chapter the author feels it necessary to include the reaction of Texas to the January Revolution. Back then it took about one month for news of Europe to spread to Texas, so when Austin finally received word of the regime change, reactions within the Republic were quite mixed. A majority of the population were saddened but largely indifferent to the matter as it had no immediate impact on their daily lives. The Germans had celebrations over the matter due to the downfall of another French monarch. The Republicans (not the party) and ultranationalists were filled with glee that Texas would no longer be a "puppet" of a European power and that democracy had taken route once again. The worst situation came with the French colonists who entered a near state of Civil War between patriotic supporters of the monarchy and revolutionary republicans. The situation got so bad that President Lamar had to deploy 150 Texas Rangers in order to quell the riots within East Texas. The overall unrest which came to be called "French Spring" resulted in 14 deaths, 48 wounded, and over $15,000 redbacks in property damage. Within Austin an immense panic was spreading among the government. France, Texas's main benefactor and protector against foreign powers, had undergone a regime change where the new rulers could easily annul Texas's agreement due to it have been created under the Bourbons. Fear spread among Texas, Rio Grande, and Yucatan, that an Mexican invasion would happen any day now. Indeed the loyalist portion of the French forces stationed in Texas had deserted during the French Spring and decided to become citizens of Texas instead of serving the revolutionary regime, while others chose to defect directly to the Texan Army. In his time of desperation, President Lamar had called upon Sam Houston to once again take the post of head of the army and offered him a temporary rank of Major General until the crisis settled. While Houston did not like working under Lamar he knew that the safety of the Republic came first before any petty grudges. So Houston would accept the offer and mobilize the Texan regular army, Rangers, and militia to the frontier borders to defend the Republic. Troops were also sent to the Rio Grande with the Texan Navy deploying in the gulf to deflect any deployment of the Mexican Navy. What followed came to be known as the Border Wars, as opportunistic Mexican governors launched attacks with state militia against the Independent Republics in order to claim the territory for Mexico. The only reason a full scale war wasn't escalated with the Mexican War starting 15 years early, was due to the fact that President Filisola did not wish to mobilize Mexico as the nation was still undergoing large economic and social conflict in the aftermath of the Civil War. A fully detailed analysis of the Border Wars will occur in a later chapter as the 1846 revolutions still need to be established first in order to get a sense of the wider conflict that was about to engulf the Western world.
Texas Rangers before deployment to quell the French Spring Riots (Right) The Border Wars (Left)
On one final note to conclude this chapter is the fate of the Bourbons. After being denied from entry into England, the family set sail to Galveston in order to find refuge within the French colonies that had been set up in Texas. They had arrived in May 24th, 1846; with their arrival marking the official end of the French Spring as the loyalist French immigrants had welcomed the exiled family and began peace negotiations with the Republican faction. The Bourbon family would soon settle within the now French city of Nacogdoches and would thrive in their new residence, becoming the unofficial heads of the city as they brought Parisian culture to the settlement and attracted large amounts of French immigrants to the city, making Nacogdoches and by extension East Texas the center of Western French culture. The now deposed King Louis Phillipe would gain much power and influence in Texas as he had brought the families wealth with him and became the richest man in the country, if not all of the Americas. Louis became a member of the Western Union Party and used much of his wealth to fund several business, founding of settlements, and infrastructure projects in Texas, with Louis later becoming instrumental in the 1848 California Gold Rush. The man soon became a rival/friend to Prince Carl and Louis would become immortalized in the Republic as a Founding Father of Texas for his role in creating the national economy, introduction of French culture to Texas, and protection of the Republic during the Revolution. Many Texans though would associate the name of Louis Phillipe with his grandson the Count of Paris, as Prince Phillipe would one day become a President of the Republic.
President Louis Phillipe of the Republic of Texas
A/N: The Revolutions are ago people. We are now crossing the point of no return with the entire history of the Lone Star Republic changing from this point on. For those of you wondering when I will post the "Border Wars" chapter it will be during the middle of the revolutions and after the start of the Oregon War. Thanks for reading and tell me in the comments below your thoughts and predictions of these new developments. Long live the Republic!
"Insurrection is the most sacred of rights and most indispensable of duties."- Marquis de Lafayette 1783
"Charles was a fool in the manner he ruled. I would never lose my rule to a bunch of revolutionary upstarts."- King Louise Phillipe I 1830
"It's times like these that I'm glad we listened to Washington when it came to non-interference."- President William Harrison 1846
All of human history can be said to be a series of conflicts over a large amount of time. From the stone age where man waged war with sticks and stones, to the modern era with mechanized warfare and nuclear weaponry, people have been fighting against each other for various beliefs and ideologies. Chief among these being the conflict of revolution which has become increasingly prominent in world affairs in the later centuries. All of these conflicts have had profound effects on mankind such as the French Revolution, American war of independence, Haitian Revolution, White Winter, Rise of Britannia, Chinese Revolution, and the Italian/German unification movements. The most principal of revolutions that most non-historians tend to easily forget is the 1846 revolutions. These series of events, which initially happened with little coordination between the rebel parties, would come to affect geopolitics for the rest of the century by laying the groundwork of conflict that would lead up to the Great War. For the last thirty years before Europe had been enjoying a fragile peace since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, one that was held by a coalition of European nations who all despised each other and were only united in their common hatred and fear of liberalism. As was the case before the powder keg that would light the grand spark of revolution would take place on the streets of Paris, France.
To say that France from 1789-1846 was one of the more unstable nations in Europe is quite the understatement. Little more than 50 years before one of the oldest dynasties in Europe had been overthrown in an instant by the common people. Europe had experienced several regime changes before but it was always done by plotting nobles, clergymen, or individuals with claims to the throne. Never had they experienced the execution of a monarch by the hands of the lower class. Once the first Republic was founded revolutionary ideals spread across Europe like wildfire, even the ascension of Emperor Napoleon I did nothing to quell this epidemic as Napoleon only sought to encourage the spread of revolution through his Napoleonic Code. After the Battle of Waterloo the Great Powers sought to stabilize the situation in France by putting the Bourbons back in power under the rule of Louis XVIII, younger brother to Louis XVI. Louis XVIII sought to only rule as a constitutional monarch and relented to the demands of the French masses in order to prevent his death by guillotine. His rule only lasted one decade before he died in 1824. After that his younger brother Charles X came to power. Charles, in mirror practice of the eldest Louis, sought to restore the ancien regime and ruled in the manner of an autocrat by giving support only to the conservative and absolutist factions of government. When Charles enacted censure of the press and dissolved the Chamber of Deputies, the French people rose in revolt and ousted him from power to be replaced with the head of the Orleans branch of the Bourbons, Louis Phillipe. Louis Phillipe wisely chose to hold the current constitutional monarchy and did not openly pursue policies that supported the absolutist or conservative factions of government. The main issue was that while the July Monarchy was liberal in its governance, it relied heavily on support from the bourgeoisie aristocracy. This consisted of rich men such as the bankers, railroad magnates, factory owners, capitalists, estates-men, etc. Louis tended to support the bourgeoisie and under his rule the rich gained increasing power with a rising procurement of land from the lower class, increasing the income gap and severely lowering the enfranchisement of the French people. The situation got so bad that by 1846 only 1% of French men had the right to vote. The situation wasn't any better inside of parliament as Louis refused to negotiate with the reform movement or give greater powers to the legislative branch. Perhaps Louis's only saving grace that prevented the revolution from occurring sooner was France's large success in foreign policy such as the Algerian conquests and the Texas intervention. The situation was inevitable though when an economic crisis hit France in 1844, followed by a depression the following year in 1845. This combined with bad harvests caused unemployment rates to skyrocket and massive peasant rebellions to prop up among the countryside. Socialists and Republicans banded together with calls for the establishment of right to work and protection of property by the government. The one final factor though that would launch all of Paris into revolt would not be all of these factors, but rather closing of a banquet by government orders.
Liberty Leading the People (1830). Symbol of the July revolution(Right) Louis Phillipe giving the flags to the national guard (Center) French Chamber of Deputies (Left)
During the July Monarchy all political demonstrations and gatherings had been banned under the pretense of a revolution. The right of free press was still protected but the people had no outlet unto which to gather and rally against the government. The nobles and middle class came up with a solution by creating fund raising banquets, where opponents of the monarchy could safely gather and vent their frustrations against the current regime. The French government was powerless to stop them as the banquets gave the alibi of a private gathering with their purpose being non-political. Over several months in 1845 the commoners and middle class would gather at these banquets in open defiance to the July Monarchy. One notable patron of the banquets was German philosopher Friedrich Engels, who would later be known for co-writing the communist manifesto with Karl Marx. Engels was inspired by the people gathering in unity against the proletariat that he wrote a series of essays called "The Reform Movement in France," detailing the ideals and politics of the banquets. The largest known banquet occurred on New Years 1846 where thousands of middle class, nobles, and members of parliament gathered together to celebrate freedom and criticize the government. When Louis learned of this he became enraged and issued a decree that outlawed all banquets within Paris on January 2nd, 1846. The people of Paris were outraged at the decree and on January 4th the streets of Paris were filled with millions of Parisians who were determined to overthrow the monarchy once and for all. Barricades were set up all throughout the neighborhoods and anarchists openly clashed with the capitol guard. Crowds gathered outside the palace were chants filled the air with calls for Louis's abdication and the resignation of Prime Minister Guillaume Guizot. Guizot not wanting to suffer his reputation further submitted his resignation on the 5th. After word spread of the resignation a mob was set upon the gates of the Office of the Foreign ministry. In order to scare the crowds off the captain of the guard ordered for his men to fix bayonets and keep them off the gates. Like so many other historical events where this phenomenon happens for some reason, a guard misfired his rifle and killed a protestor on sight. The rest of the soldiers took this as an order and fired into the rest of the crowd, killing 54 people. The protests which until then had been somewhat stable, erupted into largescale riots where millions of francs worth of property were destroyed and many sections of Paris were on fire. Not wanting for his family to be executed, Louis Phillipe abdicated as the last King of France in favor of his grandson Phillipe of Comte, Louis then fled France in exile. Due to his aggressive foreign campaigns over the years Louis was not welcomed in London soon after he arrived, with no friendly relations among the other European dynasty, Louis and his family fled to the one nation that still had a positive opinion of the Bourbons, Texas. In the aftermath of the January revolution several weeks of anarchy occurred in Paris until a coalition of Liberals came together for a constitutional convention. Founding what would later become the Second French Republic, only to be dissolved four years later with the rise of Emperor Napoleon III and the Second French Empire. The situation in France would be stabilized but the fires of revolution would soon spread throughout Europe, engulfing the continent in a flame of war and nationalism.
"Lamartine, before the Hotel de Ville Paris,rejects the Red Flag on January 6th, 1840" by Henri Felix Emmanuel Philippoteaux
Before we conclude this chapter the author feels it necessary to include the reaction of Texas to the January Revolution. Back then it took about one month for news of Europe to spread to Texas, so when Austin finally received word of the regime change, reactions within the Republic were quite mixed. A majority of the population were saddened but largely indifferent to the matter as it had no immediate impact on their daily lives. The Germans had celebrations over the matter due to the downfall of another French monarch. The Republicans (not the party) and ultranationalists were filled with glee that Texas would no longer be a "puppet" of a European power and that democracy had taken route once again. The worst situation came with the French colonists who entered a near state of Civil War between patriotic supporters of the monarchy and revolutionary republicans. The situation got so bad that President Lamar had to deploy 150 Texas Rangers in order to quell the riots within East Texas. The overall unrest which came to be called "French Spring" resulted in 14 deaths, 48 wounded, and over $15,000 redbacks in property damage. Within Austin an immense panic was spreading among the government. France, Texas's main benefactor and protector against foreign powers, had undergone a regime change where the new rulers could easily annul Texas's agreement due to it have been created under the Bourbons. Fear spread among Texas, Rio Grande, and Yucatan, that an Mexican invasion would happen any day now. Indeed the loyalist portion of the French forces stationed in Texas had deserted during the French Spring and decided to become citizens of Texas instead of serving the revolutionary regime, while others chose to defect directly to the Texan Army. In his time of desperation, President Lamar had called upon Sam Houston to once again take the post of head of the army and offered him a temporary rank of Major General until the crisis settled. While Houston did not like working under Lamar he knew that the safety of the Republic came first before any petty grudges. So Houston would accept the offer and mobilize the Texan regular army, Rangers, and militia to the frontier borders to defend the Republic. Troops were also sent to the Rio Grande with the Texan Navy deploying in the gulf to deflect any deployment of the Mexican Navy. What followed came to be known as the Border Wars, as opportunistic Mexican governors launched attacks with state militia against the Independent Republics in order to claim the territory for Mexico. The only reason a full scale war wasn't escalated with the Mexican War starting 15 years early, was due to the fact that President Filisola did not wish to mobilize Mexico as the nation was still undergoing large economic and social conflict in the aftermath of the Civil War. A fully detailed analysis of the Border Wars will occur in a later chapter as the 1846 revolutions still need to be established first in order to get a sense of the wider conflict that was about to engulf the Western world.
Texas Rangers before deployment to quell the French Spring Riots (Right) The Border Wars (Left)
On one final note to conclude this chapter is the fate of the Bourbons. After being denied from entry into England, the family set sail to Galveston in order to find refuge within the French colonies that had been set up in Texas. They had arrived in May 24th, 1846; with their arrival marking the official end of the French Spring as the loyalist French immigrants had welcomed the exiled family and began peace negotiations with the Republican faction. The Bourbon family would soon settle within the now French city of Nacogdoches and would thrive in their new residence, becoming the unofficial heads of the city as they brought Parisian culture to the settlement and attracted large amounts of French immigrants to the city, making Nacogdoches and by extension East Texas the center of Western French culture. The now deposed King Louis Phillipe would gain much power and influence in Texas as he had brought the families wealth with him and became the richest man in the country, if not all of the Americas. Louis became a member of the Western Union Party and used much of his wealth to fund several business, founding of settlements, and infrastructure projects in Texas, with Louis later becoming instrumental in the 1848 California Gold Rush. The man soon became a rival/friend to Prince Carl and Louis would become immortalized in the Republic as a Founding Father of Texas for his role in creating the national economy, introduction of French culture to Texas, and protection of the Republic during the Revolution. Many Texans though would associate the name of Louis Phillipe with his grandson the Count of Paris, as Prince Phillipe would one day become a President of the Republic.
President Louis Phillipe of the Republic of Texas
A/N: The Revolutions are ago people. We are now crossing the point of no return with the entire history of the Lone Star Republic changing from this point on. For those of you wondering when I will post the "Border Wars" chapter it will be during the middle of the revolutions and after the start of the Oregon War. Thanks for reading and tell me in the comments below your thoughts and predictions of these new developments. Long live the Republic!
Long live the King... err... President! Glad to see another French family isn't being killed off, but sad to see the Second French Republic will still be falling. A shame, it be nice for France not to have to prove the old axion "third times a charm." Of course I'm assuming the Second French Empire will fall. For all I know the Bonaparte dynasty will rule into the 21st century in TTL. Anywho, looking forward to seeing the revolutions and the Oregon war.
Wow if you thought propaganda could be bad, literally electing an actual prince of a royal family...
You really you don't need to explain how much cannon fodder you've given the journalist...
You really you don't need to explain how much cannon fodder you've given the journalist...
Pieman: Since the causes of the French revolution and politics within Paris are the same as OTL then that means that the Second French Republic is going to fall TTL. Napoleon III is still alive in TTL and the butterflies changed relative little within France, the only major difference being the foreign policy which might cause a greater case for the rise of the Second French Empire. Much of France's population still remember the Napoleonic Wars fondly and are active Bonapartist supporters, conservatives will take over the Second Republic and due to the failures of the liberal July Monarchy and conservative reign of Charles, they will through their lot with Napoleon. I have plans for the Second French Empire but the outcome of the German revolutions will decide its path.
Thanks for your commentary on the Bourbons. Since Texas benefited the most from Louis, I think he would be most welcomed in the Republic. Also I came up with the idea of President Louis the other day as I have vacancies in my plans for presidents between 1870-1900 and I was always intrigued by the concept of a royal being elected to office. Louis II's rise to the presidency will be explored with the start of his exploits in the later Mexican War.
Alienspacebats: Propaganda? Journalists? What exactly are you talking about?
Next section of the revolutions will cover Italy. We're going to have a narrative chapter with the Pope and then Chapter 31 with the outbreak of revolts in Sicily.
Really don't you pretend understand, People Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt as kings to bash and slander them
Okay first of all while I hate Andrew Jackson, I have nothing but the highest respect for Theodore Roosevelt, one of our greatest Presidents. Second, there is absolutely no political message I'm trying to promote. Just a story decision to make a French prince the President of Texas. It's just an alternate timeline so you need to chill. I only even mentioned Jackson in one or two chapters in a neutral viewpoint. There's nothing related to OTL politics so no need to freak out.
What? You don' think understand what saying? I'm basically say People in ATL Louis is going bash for royal roots is all.... I just examples from OTL show that people did this
Where are you getting this strange ideas that I'm pro-something... Please explain what you think I'm saying because have I have no clue why you replying like this
I would think a lot of the wealthier French families may have 'vacation homes' in Texas in case things get too hot. As for a member of former royal family being elected President that is a century into the future.
Terranova: Like I've stated before, Texas hasn't fully developed California so their is very limited interaction with Asia. Relations will start to begin with Chinese Immigration in the California Gold Rush and the opening of Japan in the 1850's. This will be covered along with culture once the revolutions are done.
Next update will be the Papal story post which will be today or tomorrow. Chapter 31 will be posted on tomorrow on Friday.
Lone Star Special: Revelations and Revolutions
Revelations and Revolutions
January 11th, 1846 11:00 P.M. Vatican, Rome.
Pope Pius IX let out a large yawn as he made his way toward his bedroom within the Papal apartments. He had just concluded a 9:00 mass and had spent some time staying in St. Peter's talking with the bishops and many of the lay Catholics who had traveled great distances to attend a roman mass conducted by the pope. While his job was sometimes tiring Pius never complained as he saw it as his God given duty to lead the church and its people to salvation. Still the last few centuries had not been entirely kind to the Catholic Church. While the numbers of faithful had been increasing across the world, the Church's temporal power had been slowly diminishing every decade with the rise of nationalism and the great rising powers of the world such as Great Britain and France. It had saddened Pius that the glory days of the past such as the Crusades and the age of exploration were over, unlike his predecessors Pius at least knew that the Church had to undergo new reforms if it was to continue its unity and spread the word of God. Clinging to the old ways had lead to the Reformation and the conquest of Rome during the French Revolution, something Pius hoped to prevent from happening again with his latest liberal reforms that he was trying to implement for the states. Speaking of, Pius had just received disturbing reports from the clergy within Paris that the Bourbons had abdicated the crown and fled the country, leaving the French capitol in a state of anarchy and chaos. Pius had given explicit instructions for all of the churches in the area to give shelter to victims of the riots and stay out of any politics going on in the revolution. Pius earlier had received advice to do so from Father Pascale, a French priest who was an librarian in the Vatican archives and was a survivor of the first French Revolution. Pascale experienced firsthand the evils of atheism under Robespierre and how that man tried to make himself as the anti-Christ incarnate by trying to destroy the Church within France. Luckily the local parishes so far had experienced minimal damage with the source being from rouge vagabonds of anarchists. Still even if the Revolution ended in the Church being secure in France it did not mean they were in the clear yet. The people of the Papal States were getting restless every day with growing calls for unification of Italy, a foolish idea in Pius's mind as there was little that Italy shared in unity besides its states residing on the same peninsula. Luckily most people looked towards Pius as the primary candidate for unification, as he was the most liberal Pope elected in possibly centuries. While Pius wasn't entirely against the idea of Italy under Rome, any means of unification meant going against Catholic Austria, an historical defender of the Church. However if Pius went against the movement or stalled for time, then Garibaldi and his band of Republicans would hijack the movement and try to turn Rome into a republic, something that may have happened historically but would not happen under Pius's watch. 'Sometimes I just wish I could let go of my temporal responsibilities', Pius thought. Still he would continue his duties and make sure that he did his best as leader of Rome and the greater Church. Pius than entered his bedroom, changed into his night robe, and went to sleep reflecting on the day's events
'Good Lord this light is too bright, I thought I told Rodrigo to get thick curtains for the windows. In fact why hasn't he waken me up yet?' Pius opened his eyes to only find shockingly that he was no longer within his Papal apartment, or within the walls of Rome for that manner. Rather Pius was right in the middle of a green field of grass with the sun shining directly above and several clouds forming overhead. Pius panicked as he though that he was the victim of a kidnapping but then he realized several factors that disproved his theory. Firstly, the Pope's was under the protection of the Swiss Guards at all times, so any attempt at kidnapping would result in the elite guardsmen coming to his rescue, which would surely have waken the Pontiff in his sleep. Second, while Pius was no expert in the crime of kidnapping he knew that the perpetrators would never be idiotic enough to leave the Pope in the middle of an open field where he could travel for help. Finally when Pius looked at himself he noticed that he had been changed out of his night attire and into his Papal garment, something that men of ill intent surely would not have done. When Pius sat up he noticed that there was a large group of housing that was created in Roman architecture near his location, so Pius got up and walked to the village in hopes of finding answers to his predicament. What Pius found was rather strange to him, not in a bad way but still strange. As he walked through the village he noticed that the inhabitants were of a very diverse lot, all around there were men and women of various different races and ethnicities who were all walking around in white garments in what could be described as a state of pure bliss. Everyone was interacting with one another in pure happiness as if there were no cares in the world, individuals of different races and genders who would usually be in conflict were conversing with one another as friends and equals. While it made Pius happy he knew that there were few places like this were such a thing as this would happen, the closest he could think of would be the United States but even their people would not act in a manner such as this. Strangely when Pius looked at all the other people they all spoke in different tongues and yet they could understand one another, a miracle that was only possible in the time of Jesus. What was even more confusing was how when people saw him they gave Pius a warm greeting and welcomed him as the holy father, while Pius could deduct that this would be a Catholic town he did not think that all of its inhabitants would be Catholics such as the Chinese and Africans. Wanting to find a sense of direction Pius walked up to a little Italian looking boy who was playing with a ball with some other children.
"Excuse me my son, I'm afraid I do not know where on Earth I currently am. Could you please tell me where I am located and which road I can use to return to Rome?"
"You're not on Earth silly, your in the happiest place ever. Though if you do want to know where you are Mr. Ferretti you should go to the church that is at the end of the town."
"Thank you my son, God bless you for your kindness."
"I already am blessed though, all of us are." With those words the boy went back to play with his friends. The conversation that he had just had was rather strange. The boy had somehow knew his given family name of Ferreti, something which was accessible knowledge to the public but would not be known by a mere child. Then there were his two strange claims, that Pius was not on Earth and that everyone located in this town was blessed. 'But then that would mean that I am in...no it couldn't be, probably just random words of a child's mind.' Still the idea was stuck in Pius's mind as he made his way towards the church in order to gain information from the local priest.
When Pius arrived at the church he saw that it was a small compact building that was based off of the architecture from the parishes in Jerusalem, whose image he knew off from paintings he had bought from a pilgrim artist. Pius made his way inside of the church to only find that there was nobody currently inside of it.
"Hello is anybody here? I am the holy father Pope Pius IX and I seek refuge and information for where I am currently am." Pius was greeted with silence in the church which confirmed his suspicions that nobody was currently occupying it. Tired from his travels Pius made his way to the pews and knelt down in prayer, hoping to find the answers that he sought from God. 'Oh Lord almighty, please I ask of you that you may enlighten me of my predicament and may show me the path I must take.'
"If you truly do wish to seek answers than look no further for I am here."
Pius looked backwards to the new voice when he was filled with awe and pure shock. Standing at the entrance of the church was the man who was the center of his faith, the son of God and messiah of humanity, Jesus Christ himself. Pius trembled as he made his way towards the Lord and knelt in adoration in front of Jesus. 'Is this really happening? Is this miracle real and I am in direct contact with God himself?'
"Oh almighty Lord Jesus Christ, I am eternally blessed and humbled that you would appear before such as lowly man as myself. I ask of you what I am doing here and if I may be so honest, why you would chose to appear before me."
Jesus smiled and knelt down so that he would come face to face with Pius. "Do not think so lowly of yourself Giovanni, you have spent a lifetime in service of my father and for that we are eternally grateful to have such a faithful bishop such as yourself. Truly you have made even Peter proud in your actions. As for where you are currently right now, you are within the glory of Heaven among the angels and saints."
When Pius heard this revelation he had cried immensely both tears of joy and sorrow. Joy that after death he had gone immediately into Heaven and that his soul would be forever protected under the watchful guise of the heavenly father. Yet he felt immense sadness that he had left Earth so early in his pontificate, he had so many plans for the Church and none of them would come to fruition now that he had passed on. When Jesus saw this he held Pius in an embrace and comforted him.
"Do not worry my son, you have not died and pass from the world yet. You are merely here in spirit in direct contact with myself."
After hearing this Pius became immensely confused, "Jesus, if my body is on Earth then why is my soul in heaven? I know that as the son of God anything is in your power but what would be the purpose of my current state?"
"Sit down my son, many events have transpired and we have alot to discuss if we are to protect the Church." Pius followed Jesus as they made their way to the front pew and sat down directly in front of the altar. It was kind of ironic he thought since he was sitting with Jesus directly across a large crucifix that bore his image from the passion.
"You see Giovanni, the state of Earth is on the verge of entering a new age where science and technology will take man to new limits never before thought possible. Yet as mankind moves forward the world will come into greater conflict as the descendants of Adam and Eve engage in greater conflicts that had not been previously capable. The Church will come under a great amount of pressure from both within and without as new ideas shall emerge that will change current doctrine and the world shall fall under greater darkness."
"What kind of darkness my lord?"
"I shall show you images of what may take place in the future if man is not careful, be forewarned though, while these events may not have happened yet their likelihood of developing is still very much possible." Jesus then took a hand to Pius's head and showed him in his mind the events that could take place in the future. What Pius saw truly shocked him to his core. He saw various atrocities and scenes that he thought could only happen in his worst nightmares. A sequence of events shifted before Pius as he truly saw how far man could go below. He saw images of armies waging great bloody wars with machines and guns that were fare advanced beyond the current time, giant metal boxes made their way across the battlefield and brought hellfire on the enemy with great destruction. He saw churches being raided and destroyed as men who spoke Russian and were wearing some sort of red star were making their way into the holy places of worship and kidnapping priests while destroying everything sacred in sight. There was a camp where people were herded in as cattle. Various men, women, and even children were being led to their deaths by a group of black uniformed soldiers who spoke German, strangely most of the victims were Jews, who while they might have rejected the Lord did not deserve to undergo this treatment at all. Great sadness filled Pius as he saw a rural African village that was filled with people who were inflicted by disease and immense poverty. What was the worst image at all for him was the sight of a coastal city that became engulfed in an explosion that was even brighter than the sun, wiping out all life in sight. When Pius opened his eyes he cried immensely, shocked at the horrid images of the future.
"Is this what man is truly destined for Lord? Is this how far we will turn away from God?"
"These were images of the darkness that is to come. But fear not for mankind will also reach new heights of greatness too." Jesus once again reached out to Pius and filled him with images of the future, this time though Pius was filled with hope as he saw the greatness of mankind. Before him stood a different Pope that spoke Polish before an immense crowd of possibly a million worshipers who were all gathered around in awe and praise of the holy father. The scene shifted to a large crowd of mixed races that were gathered in what appeared to be a future version of Washington D.C. where an African man spoke with a fiery passion of a dream. There was a city in the aftermath of a battle, where its inhabitants walked out in pride and joy at the sight of what appeared to be American and British liberators who had come to rescue them. A wall was being torn down where crowds of Germans gathered from both sides and embraced each other in love and unity. The last scene had shocked Pius as it had not taken place on Earth at all. Rather it appeared to be on the moon of all places where a white clad man had jumped out of a ship onto the surface of Luna. Upon seeing these images Pius knew that while mankind would face many challenges that they were safe for now.
"I now understand lord that while the future is dark and perilous that there will be many bright spots that still give mankind hope. Yet my primary question is still not answered. What is my purpose for being here?"
"For now Giovanni many of these events will not come to pass as the rise of a new nation has caused a divergence upon which paths we will go towards. There will be many atrocities and dark times ahead lying ahead but in order to limit their impact and make sure that the path of salvation is open towards all the Church will need to stand strong as a beacon of hope for all. You see, in the future I showed you the Catholic Church still existed and was very strong, yet due to a series of events that are about to take place in your time with the rise of revolutions in Italy, the Vatican lost its temporal power and focused on spiritual matters. While I still want you and your successors to focus on the faith first and foremost, in order to protect the Church and take a more active stance in the world, Italy shall need to be united under your influence. Romam ut Resurgat." The last words Jesus had said were in Latin and meant Rome must rise again.
"Are you saying Lord that the Papal States must unite Italy under its banner?"
"That is exactly it. When I send you back you will awaken to find that the people of Sicily have risen in revolt. Rome will be met under revolutionary fire later but all will be well, just remember to continue your current path of reform and support the will of the people by doing what is right." An angel then appeared within the Church whom Jesus ordered to guide Pius's soul safely back to Earth. "We have faith in you Pius, continue to do the father's work and you shall always be protected."
Pius thanked Jesus for his revelations and made a solemn vow to do as he was commanded once he was back in Rome. Before he left Pius turned back to Jesus and asked him one final question. "Lord Jesus, before I am to return to Earth there is one thing that I must know, my mother and father, are they in Heaven?" Jesus smiled and replied, "Do not worry, for your parents have kept their faith and are here awaiting you eventual arrival, though your mother has expressed that she does not wish for you to come too soon. Go and peace my son and serve the Lord."
"Thanks be to God."
Pius then awoke to suddenly find himself in his Papal apartments in Rome, it was morning and Saint Peter's was being filled with clergy and pilgrims. Pius arose up and wondered what had happened. 'It could not have possibly been a dream, it must have been a direct vision with God I know.' Pius found his doubts thankfully put down as he saw a map of Italy on his night stand that had not been there the previous night. He saw that bright red ink was written on it with the words Romam ut Resurgat, the borders being united in one nation under the coat of arms of St. Peter. Pius then called out for his aide, "Rodrigo come in here!"
"Yes your holiness is there anything that you require?"
"What's currently on my agenda today?"
"Well your holiness you have a mass that will be conducted later at 10 followed by a meeting with the Foreign minister over establishing relations with the Republic of Texas."
"Tell the Cardinal that the meeting will be extended for another 3 hours and that we will also discuss the issue of the Italian unification movement. In the meantime get me as many maps of Italy and books over the various Italian cultures and people as you can find. Italy is going to be united soon and I want Rome as its center, after all Deus Vult."
A/N: Well now you know which direction I am going for with Italy. Tell me your thoughts in the comments below and I'm curious to see who got all the references. Chapter 31: Rise of Italia will come out later today or Saturday. Long live the Republic of Texas!
January 11th, 1846 11:00 P.M. Vatican, Rome.
Pope Pius IX let out a large yawn as he made his way toward his bedroom within the Papal apartments. He had just concluded a 9:00 mass and had spent some time staying in St. Peter's talking with the bishops and many of the lay Catholics who had traveled great distances to attend a roman mass conducted by the pope. While his job was sometimes tiring Pius never complained as he saw it as his God given duty to lead the church and its people to salvation. Still the last few centuries had not been entirely kind to the Catholic Church. While the numbers of faithful had been increasing across the world, the Church's temporal power had been slowly diminishing every decade with the rise of nationalism and the great rising powers of the world such as Great Britain and France. It had saddened Pius that the glory days of the past such as the Crusades and the age of exploration were over, unlike his predecessors Pius at least knew that the Church had to undergo new reforms if it was to continue its unity and spread the word of God. Clinging to the old ways had lead to the Reformation and the conquest of Rome during the French Revolution, something Pius hoped to prevent from happening again with his latest liberal reforms that he was trying to implement for the states. Speaking of, Pius had just received disturbing reports from the clergy within Paris that the Bourbons had abdicated the crown and fled the country, leaving the French capitol in a state of anarchy and chaos. Pius had given explicit instructions for all of the churches in the area to give shelter to victims of the riots and stay out of any politics going on in the revolution. Pius earlier had received advice to do so from Father Pascale, a French priest who was an librarian in the Vatican archives and was a survivor of the first French Revolution. Pascale experienced firsthand the evils of atheism under Robespierre and how that man tried to make himself as the anti-Christ incarnate by trying to destroy the Church within France. Luckily the local parishes so far had experienced minimal damage with the source being from rouge vagabonds of anarchists. Still even if the Revolution ended in the Church being secure in France it did not mean they were in the clear yet. The people of the Papal States were getting restless every day with growing calls for unification of Italy, a foolish idea in Pius's mind as there was little that Italy shared in unity besides its states residing on the same peninsula. Luckily most people looked towards Pius as the primary candidate for unification, as he was the most liberal Pope elected in possibly centuries. While Pius wasn't entirely against the idea of Italy under Rome, any means of unification meant going against Catholic Austria, an historical defender of the Church. However if Pius went against the movement or stalled for time, then Garibaldi and his band of Republicans would hijack the movement and try to turn Rome into a republic, something that may have happened historically but would not happen under Pius's watch. 'Sometimes I just wish I could let go of my temporal responsibilities', Pius thought. Still he would continue his duties and make sure that he did his best as leader of Rome and the greater Church. Pius than entered his bedroom, changed into his night robe, and went to sleep reflecting on the day's events
'Good Lord this light is too bright, I thought I told Rodrigo to get thick curtains for the windows. In fact why hasn't he waken me up yet?' Pius opened his eyes to only find shockingly that he was no longer within his Papal apartment, or within the walls of Rome for that manner. Rather Pius was right in the middle of a green field of grass with the sun shining directly above and several clouds forming overhead. Pius panicked as he though that he was the victim of a kidnapping but then he realized several factors that disproved his theory. Firstly, the Pope's was under the protection of the Swiss Guards at all times, so any attempt at kidnapping would result in the elite guardsmen coming to his rescue, which would surely have waken the Pontiff in his sleep. Second, while Pius was no expert in the crime of kidnapping he knew that the perpetrators would never be idiotic enough to leave the Pope in the middle of an open field where he could travel for help. Finally when Pius looked at himself he noticed that he had been changed out of his night attire and into his Papal garment, something that men of ill intent surely would not have done. When Pius sat up he noticed that there was a large group of housing that was created in Roman architecture near his location, so Pius got up and walked to the village in hopes of finding answers to his predicament. What Pius found was rather strange to him, not in a bad way but still strange. As he walked through the village he noticed that the inhabitants were of a very diverse lot, all around there were men and women of various different races and ethnicities who were all walking around in white garments in what could be described as a state of pure bliss. Everyone was interacting with one another in pure happiness as if there were no cares in the world, individuals of different races and genders who would usually be in conflict were conversing with one another as friends and equals. While it made Pius happy he knew that there were few places like this were such a thing as this would happen, the closest he could think of would be the United States but even their people would not act in a manner such as this. Strangely when Pius looked at all the other people they all spoke in different tongues and yet they could understand one another, a miracle that was only possible in the time of Jesus. What was even more confusing was how when people saw him they gave Pius a warm greeting and welcomed him as the holy father, while Pius could deduct that this would be a Catholic town he did not think that all of its inhabitants would be Catholics such as the Chinese and Africans. Wanting to find a sense of direction Pius walked up to a little Italian looking boy who was playing with a ball with some other children.
"Excuse me my son, I'm afraid I do not know where on Earth I currently am. Could you please tell me where I am located and which road I can use to return to Rome?"
"You're not on Earth silly, your in the happiest place ever. Though if you do want to know where you are Mr. Ferretti you should go to the church that is at the end of the town."
"Thank you my son, God bless you for your kindness."
"I already am blessed though, all of us are." With those words the boy went back to play with his friends. The conversation that he had just had was rather strange. The boy had somehow knew his given family name of Ferreti, something which was accessible knowledge to the public but would not be known by a mere child. Then there were his two strange claims, that Pius was not on Earth and that everyone located in this town was blessed. 'But then that would mean that I am in...no it couldn't be, probably just random words of a child's mind.' Still the idea was stuck in Pius's mind as he made his way towards the church in order to gain information from the local priest.
When Pius arrived at the church he saw that it was a small compact building that was based off of the architecture from the parishes in Jerusalem, whose image he knew off from paintings he had bought from a pilgrim artist. Pius made his way inside of the church to only find that there was nobody currently inside of it.
"Hello is anybody here? I am the holy father Pope Pius IX and I seek refuge and information for where I am currently am." Pius was greeted with silence in the church which confirmed his suspicions that nobody was currently occupying it. Tired from his travels Pius made his way to the pews and knelt down in prayer, hoping to find the answers that he sought from God. 'Oh Lord almighty, please I ask of you that you may enlighten me of my predicament and may show me the path I must take.'
"If you truly do wish to seek answers than look no further for I am here."
Pius looked backwards to the new voice when he was filled with awe and pure shock. Standing at the entrance of the church was the man who was the center of his faith, the son of God and messiah of humanity, Jesus Christ himself. Pius trembled as he made his way towards the Lord and knelt in adoration in front of Jesus. 'Is this really happening? Is this miracle real and I am in direct contact with God himself?'
"Oh almighty Lord Jesus Christ, I am eternally blessed and humbled that you would appear before such as lowly man as myself. I ask of you what I am doing here and if I may be so honest, why you would chose to appear before me."
Jesus smiled and knelt down so that he would come face to face with Pius. "Do not think so lowly of yourself Giovanni, you have spent a lifetime in service of my father and for that we are eternally grateful to have such a faithful bishop such as yourself. Truly you have made even Peter proud in your actions. As for where you are currently right now, you are within the glory of Heaven among the angels and saints."
When Pius heard this revelation he had cried immensely both tears of joy and sorrow. Joy that after death he had gone immediately into Heaven and that his soul would be forever protected under the watchful guise of the heavenly father. Yet he felt immense sadness that he had left Earth so early in his pontificate, he had so many plans for the Church and none of them would come to fruition now that he had passed on. When Jesus saw this he held Pius in an embrace and comforted him.
"Do not worry my son, you have not died and pass from the world yet. You are merely here in spirit in direct contact with myself."
After hearing this Pius became immensely confused, "Jesus, if my body is on Earth then why is my soul in heaven? I know that as the son of God anything is in your power but what would be the purpose of my current state?"
"Sit down my son, many events have transpired and we have alot to discuss if we are to protect the Church." Pius followed Jesus as they made their way to the front pew and sat down directly in front of the altar. It was kind of ironic he thought since he was sitting with Jesus directly across a large crucifix that bore his image from the passion.
"You see Giovanni, the state of Earth is on the verge of entering a new age where science and technology will take man to new limits never before thought possible. Yet as mankind moves forward the world will come into greater conflict as the descendants of Adam and Eve engage in greater conflicts that had not been previously capable. The Church will come under a great amount of pressure from both within and without as new ideas shall emerge that will change current doctrine and the world shall fall under greater darkness."
"What kind of darkness my lord?"
"I shall show you images of what may take place in the future if man is not careful, be forewarned though, while these events may not have happened yet their likelihood of developing is still very much possible." Jesus then took a hand to Pius's head and showed him in his mind the events that could take place in the future. What Pius saw truly shocked him to his core. He saw various atrocities and scenes that he thought could only happen in his worst nightmares. A sequence of events shifted before Pius as he truly saw how far man could go below. He saw images of armies waging great bloody wars with machines and guns that were fare advanced beyond the current time, giant metal boxes made their way across the battlefield and brought hellfire on the enemy with great destruction. He saw churches being raided and destroyed as men who spoke Russian and were wearing some sort of red star were making their way into the holy places of worship and kidnapping priests while destroying everything sacred in sight. There was a camp where people were herded in as cattle. Various men, women, and even children were being led to their deaths by a group of black uniformed soldiers who spoke German, strangely most of the victims were Jews, who while they might have rejected the Lord did not deserve to undergo this treatment at all. Great sadness filled Pius as he saw a rural African village that was filled with people who were inflicted by disease and immense poverty. What was the worst image at all for him was the sight of a coastal city that became engulfed in an explosion that was even brighter than the sun, wiping out all life in sight. When Pius opened his eyes he cried immensely, shocked at the horrid images of the future.
"Is this what man is truly destined for Lord? Is this how far we will turn away from God?"
"These were images of the darkness that is to come. But fear not for mankind will also reach new heights of greatness too." Jesus once again reached out to Pius and filled him with images of the future, this time though Pius was filled with hope as he saw the greatness of mankind. Before him stood a different Pope that spoke Polish before an immense crowd of possibly a million worshipers who were all gathered around in awe and praise of the holy father. The scene shifted to a large crowd of mixed races that were gathered in what appeared to be a future version of Washington D.C. where an African man spoke with a fiery passion of a dream. There was a city in the aftermath of a battle, where its inhabitants walked out in pride and joy at the sight of what appeared to be American and British liberators who had come to rescue them. A wall was being torn down where crowds of Germans gathered from both sides and embraced each other in love and unity. The last scene had shocked Pius as it had not taken place on Earth at all. Rather it appeared to be on the moon of all places where a white clad man had jumped out of a ship onto the surface of Luna. Upon seeing these images Pius knew that while mankind would face many challenges that they were safe for now.
"I now understand lord that while the future is dark and perilous that there will be many bright spots that still give mankind hope. Yet my primary question is still not answered. What is my purpose for being here?"
"For now Giovanni many of these events will not come to pass as the rise of a new nation has caused a divergence upon which paths we will go towards. There will be many atrocities and dark times ahead lying ahead but in order to limit their impact and make sure that the path of salvation is open towards all the Church will need to stand strong as a beacon of hope for all. You see, in the future I showed you the Catholic Church still existed and was very strong, yet due to a series of events that are about to take place in your time with the rise of revolutions in Italy, the Vatican lost its temporal power and focused on spiritual matters. While I still want you and your successors to focus on the faith first and foremost, in order to protect the Church and take a more active stance in the world, Italy shall need to be united under your influence. Romam ut Resurgat." The last words Jesus had said were in Latin and meant Rome must rise again.
"Are you saying Lord that the Papal States must unite Italy under its banner?"
"That is exactly it. When I send you back you will awaken to find that the people of Sicily have risen in revolt. Rome will be met under revolutionary fire later but all will be well, just remember to continue your current path of reform and support the will of the people by doing what is right." An angel then appeared within the Church whom Jesus ordered to guide Pius's soul safely back to Earth. "We have faith in you Pius, continue to do the father's work and you shall always be protected."
Pius thanked Jesus for his revelations and made a solemn vow to do as he was commanded once he was back in Rome. Before he left Pius turned back to Jesus and asked him one final question. "Lord Jesus, before I am to return to Earth there is one thing that I must know, my mother and father, are they in Heaven?" Jesus smiled and replied, "Do not worry, for your parents have kept their faith and are here awaiting you eventual arrival, though your mother has expressed that she does not wish for you to come too soon. Go and peace my son and serve the Lord."
"Thanks be to God."
Pius then awoke to suddenly find himself in his Papal apartments in Rome, it was morning and Saint Peter's was being filled with clergy and pilgrims. Pius arose up and wondered what had happened. 'It could not have possibly been a dream, it must have been a direct vision with God I know.' Pius found his doubts thankfully put down as he saw a map of Italy on his night stand that had not been there the previous night. He saw that bright red ink was written on it with the words Romam ut Resurgat, the borders being united in one nation under the coat of arms of St. Peter. Pius then called out for his aide, "Rodrigo come in here!"
"Yes your holiness is there anything that you require?"
"What's currently on my agenda today?"
"Well your holiness you have a mass that will be conducted later at 10 followed by a meeting with the Foreign minister over establishing relations with the Republic of Texas."
"Tell the Cardinal that the meeting will be extended for another 3 hours and that we will also discuss the issue of the Italian unification movement. In the meantime get me as many maps of Italy and books over the various Italian cultures and people as you can find. Italy is going to be united soon and I want Rome as its center, after all Deus Vult."
A/N: Well now you know which direction I am going for with Italy. Tell me your thoughts in the comments below and I'm curious to see who got all the references. Chapter 31: Rise of Italia will come out later today or Saturday. Long live the Republic of Texas!