Napoleon's Ambition

The title should hopefully explain everything. This is a TL about a possible Napoleonic victory in Russia in 1812. Hopefully, when it's completed it will stretch from 1812 to the present day.

Part I: The Late Napoleonic Wars (1812 to 1816)

1812:
In response to Russia's refusal to submit to the Continental system, Napoleon launches a massive invasion of the country supported by Austria, Prussia, Naples and his other allies. Russian forces are brushed aside and Napoleon captures Moscow. However the Russians burn down their own capital and leave the French army without any supplies or shelter. Realizing that he will not be able to defeat the Russians this year, Napoleon orders the Grand Army to withdraw to Vilnius. This will protect it from the full fury of the Russian army and it's winter...

Meanwhile, the USA and Britain become involved in a war over the British seizing American ships in the Atlantic and forcing it's sailors into the Royal Navy. The US invasion of Canada quickly bogs down and the war settles into a stalemate that neither are able to break.

1813:
Regrouping in Vilnius Napoleon relaunches his invasion in May 1813, having now allied with Sweden. The Allied and Russian armies collide at Smolensk, triggering the largest battle in Europe in history up to that point. Although inflicting massive casulaties on the French, the Russians are eventually routed. Tsar Alexander I flees and is presumed to have been killed. In fact he has actually fled to a remote monastry to live out his days in peace.

Napoleon enters St. Petersburg in triumph to be recieved by Grand Duke Constantine. A few days later, Constantine is crowned Tsar of Russia by Napoleon, who proceeds to dictate terms to Constantine. A Duchy of the Baltic (consisting of Latvia, Lithuinia and Estonia, as well as parts of Poland and Prussia) is created. Sweden gains Finland and the Karelian pennisula. An independent Kingdom of Poland and Ukraine are created. Russia is forced to pay reperations and to subscribe to the continental system.

In North America, US troops advance up lower Ontario. The British launch an invasion of Maine, but this is beaten back. The British forces in Canada are low on reinforcements because they are being increasingly stripped to reinforce the Iberian front, which will meet the full force of Napoleon's grand army in the following year.

1814:
Allied forces flood into Spain, overwhelming the British, Spanish and Portugese by sheer weight of numbers. Dissent against the war is growing in Britain and Ireland and there is talk in the British Parliament of seeing an armistice with the French.This is compounded by the American capture of Toronto in the spring and then the defeat of a major British army in New Brunswick.

1815:
Desperate to even the playing field, Arthur Welsley withdraws his troops to dug-in positions around Guadalajara to bleed the French and their Allies out. The tactic almost works, with French casulaties running into thousands. Desperate to breakthrough, Napoleon sends his Imperial Guard, who quickly find a weak spot in the British lines and cut through it. Welsley's troops in Guadalajara* are cut off and although Welsley is able to smash through the French lines, only 12000 British and Portugese troops are able to escape the pocket.

Using cavalry to move quickly behind British lines, Napoleon's liutenient Ney isolates a large British force at Operto in Portugal. Welsley scrapes together what remains of his armies and orders those that can to retreat towards Gibraltar, where hopefully they can be evacuated. The war in Spain has degenerated into a slogging match which leads to spiralling casulaties.

Montreal falls to the Americans. The last British troops in Canada surrender. Although skirmishes countinue at sea until the Treaty of Paris, the war between Britain and America is effectively over.

1816:
While on route to Spain to evacuate the British troops still fighting there, the Royal Navy runs into the rebuilt French fleet, which is strengthened by the addition of the Spanish and Dutch fleet. Both sides suffer heavy casulaties, but for once the British come off worse and are forced to turn back. Lord Liverpool calls a halt of the evacuation of British troops in Spain so the Royal Navy can be preserved to hold off a French invasion.

The British armies holding at Gibraltar and Operto surrender. On August 10th 1816, Britain asks France for an armistice. Napoleon, exhausted by years of war agrees, knowing that he will not be able to invade the British Isles.

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*Yes, Guadalajara was the battle of the Nations but with the British as the French.

-Next: The Treaty of Paris and the postwar settlement.

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The North American theatre is a particuarly poor spot for me, as I know so little about the War of 1812, so advice there would be very useful. I'm thinking that the British will withdraw most of their forces from America (or not send them at all) during 1813 and this allows the Americans to become much more succesful than they would otherwise have been.

Here are some other questions:

-What terms should Napoleon offer the British in the upcoming Treaty of Paris?

-Is the campaign in Iberia between 1814 and 1816 plausiable? If not, should I rectify the timeline so the British and French come to an armistice directly after the end of the Russian campaign?
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Please leave feedback.
 
Great. As a Napoleonic buff, I'm looking forward to more.:D

I think the terms on Britain should involve huge reparations and the reducing of their navy and army. Perhaps surrendering some of their ships to the French?

The campaign in Iberia is plausible, as Napoleon managed to virtually conquer the Peninsula in a few months. However, as soon as he left to fight the Austrians in 1809, his marshals at Spain were quickly beaten and pushed back by Spanish partisans and British troops. So, if Napoleon were to return to Spain with his allies, it is very plausible for him to annihilate the British.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
Allied forces flood into Spain, overwhelming the British, Spanish and Portugese by sheer weight of numbers.


How are these troops to be supplied? Spain is not Central Europe, and the countryside could not support large armies nearly as well.

While on route to Spain to evacuate the British troops still fighting there, the Royal Navy runs into the rebuilt French fleet, which is strengthened by the addition of the Spanish and Dutch fleet.

With a POD of 1812, I see no plausible way for the French Navy to be reborn.
 
While on route to Spain to evacuate the British troops still fighting there, the Royal Navy runs into the rebuilt French fleet, which is strengthened by the addition of the Spanish and Dutch fleet.
With a POD of 1812, I see no plausible way for the French Navy to be reborn.
Agree, ?And didn't most of the Spanish Fleet Evacuate with the Spanish King [Ferdinand ??] in 1807? And the Dutch Fleet was already integrated under french control.

Please don't give away Gibraltar.


I expect Ferdinand to leave England, and reestablish his capital in Havana.
 
I'm a big fan of Napoleonic Victory Timelines, so I'll watch this one with interest.

What bothers me is that the French fleet recovers way too fast... Even if Napoleon had kept building ships from 1805 up until 1816, I doubt the French navy could have been a match to the Royal Navy.
For me, the British would be more likely to seek peace because of the economic troubles caused by the Continental system rather than a defeat of the Royal Navy.

Now that this is done, I have a few questions

teg said:
A Duchy of the Baltic (consisting of Latvia, Lithuinia and Estonia, as well as parts of Poland and Prussia) is created.


Who becomes the Duke? And why would Napoleon create this duchy?

teg said:
An independent Kingdom of Poland and Ukraine are created.


Are Poland and Ukraine in Personnal Union? Or do you mean that there are two kingdoms created : one in Poland and one in Ukraine? If so, you should rephrase this sentence.

Also, who ends up with the Polish crown?
 
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