Pax Francorum

[Indicus]

Chapter One

The Battle of Trafalgar was a pivotal battle in the Napoleonic Wars. On October 21, 1805, Napoleon sent his best naval commander Pierre Charles Villeneuve, while the British sent the legendary commander Horatio Nelson. Spanish ships came to support the French. In total, this combined fleet was greater than that of the British. However, both sides had an approximately equal chance of victory. The British ships were greater and better than the Franco-Spanish ones. However, Nelson was planning some revolutionary new tactics.

Nelson's plan was to divide the Franco-Spanish fleet into three. In addition, he organized his fleet into several lines. These revolutionary ideas could very well play out into a British victory if successfully carried out. However, if his technique failed, the French under Villeneuve would almost certainly win.

At Trafalgar, Nelson could see many French and Spanish ships. His people were set up in their lines. However, the Franco-Spanish fleet was refusing to break up. Nelson brought his fleet into a melee formation. However, ships were being destroyed. The British were losing the battle. France at last was defeating the British at sea.

The British were being annihilated. The remains of their fleet was forced to return to Britain. Nelson himself was killed in the battle. An invasion of Britain was now imminent. At the least, Britain would be knocked out of the war. They could only hope that Napoleon would offer the olive branch.

 

[Matteo]

Rather than Villeneuve, you should have Latouche-Tréville live longer. He was a very good d'amiral, contrary to Villeneuve.

 

[Neirdak]

Rather than Villeneuve, you should have Latouche-Tréville live longer. He was a very good d'amiral, contrary to Villeneuve.

I think he could have won.

Villeneuve initially put his fleet into three/two columns in order to defeat a perpendicular attack, what Nelson did. Nelson's move was already used at the battle of Cap Vincent, Aboukir Bay and Copenhagen. It wasn't new. Villeneuve's older and bigger vessels, like the Santísima Trinidad, were put in the front line, while newer and more mobile vessels were kept behind it. The light vessels were under the command of Admiral Gravina. Those ships included Le Pluton, L'Algésiras, San Juan Nepumuceno, Churruca, l'Argonauta, Montanes, Principe des Asturias (Admiral Gravina's flagship). The idea was to use the light ships to reinforce the place where the initial shock would occur and to outnumber the english ships.

What did happen?

The spanish-french fleet was unable to keep the formation, while moving. It set sail in three columns for the Straits of Gibraltar to the southeast. At 8 a.m., Villeneuve ordered the fleet to wear together (turn about) and return to Cádiz. But unable to keep cohesion due to ocean waves, the result was a sprawling and uneven formation. This also reversed the order of the allied line. The wind became contrary at this point, often shifting direction. The very light wind rendered manoeuvring virtually impossible for all but the most expert seamen. The inexperienced crews had difficulty with the changing conditions. The French and Spanish fleet now formed an uneven, angular crescent, with the slower ships generally to leeward and closer to the shore. Nelson attacked !!!

Possible POD :

If Villeneuve hadn't given orders to wear together to Cadìz, his fleet would have kept the three or two columns formation and been able to encounter the british fleet in a better condition. His ships wouldn't have been so close to the shore, especially the slower ships. The three/two columns formation would have helped to lower the effects of Nelson's perpendicular attack and more importantly no move means no virtually impossible manoeuvring due to light wind. Another interesting trivia fact, during the assault Nelson had difficulties to identify the french flagship. It's why he engaged the 74-gun Redoutable, instead of the Bucentaure.

So, what if the french-spanish fleet kept the formation and if Nelson still engaged the 74-gun Redoutable, instead of the Bucentaure?

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

NB: OTL, it's Pax Britannica, not Pax Britannorum
so TTL, it'll be Pax Gallica or some such, I'd imagine.

French Peace is, presumably what you want, not Peace of the French, which is what you have, and is more likely to be peace within various 'French' states - if France never unified, for instance.

Just my 2 sous worth.

 

[assasin]

so TTL, it'll be Pax Gallica or some such, I'd imagine

I'd go with pax frankia myself.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

I'd go with pax frankia myself.

'Frankia' isnt a latin adjectival form.

The Latin language Wiki article on France uses the adjective 'francogallicus' FWIW, which would make 'Pax Francogallica' with feminine 'pax'. But that LOOKS like modern Latin form...

 

[Indicus]

Expansion of Napoleon's Influence

Chapter Two

Napoleon was debating whether or not to invade Britain. The National Assembly was divided over the issue. Many, mostly on the left side of the Assembly, feared the nation, which still had a powerful navy even after their disaster at Trafalgar. Others, on the right side, believed that the "nation of shopkeepers" would fall easily. This deadlock to decide meant that Napoleon would have to choose himself. The debate was stuck in his head. Should he invade Britain or not?

Napoleon decided that the only reason they became so great was because of luck. Now, his Empire of the French took away the luck. He decided to offer the olive branch. He quickly organized a delegation to Britain for establishing a treaty.

At Christiania, French and British delegates met for the creation and signing of a treaty of peace between the two. Here are its terms:

•The English Channel shall be free of warships and tools of war which are owned by France and the United Kingdom.

•The United Kingdom shall exit the coalition against France

•The two may trade peacefully and in a respectful manner.

•France gains freedom of passage through Egypt.

Despite the terms of the Treaty of Christiania, France supported Tipu Sultan and Mysore to avoid British expansion into India. However, France still had enemies in Europe. One enemy was a French enemy since the Seven Years War.

The French already invaded Austria. Back when Napoleon was just a republican general, he invaded Austria. Without Britain, he could now focus all of his attention to the Austrian threat. The Emperor thought of the nation as the greatest threat other than Britain to France. A massive offensive took Vienna in June 1806, cutting up the nation into Austria, Hungary, and Illyria. The emperor of Austria was now the king of an Austrian rump state.

The Holy Roman Empire was part of the War of the Third Coalition. It suffered immensely from the collapse of Austria. However, as a decentralized state, it did not suffer too much. Napoleon was establishing a series of client states from German states in between Prussia and France. At the Battle of Austerlitz, Russians came to the aid of the Holy Romans. However, the battle was a French victory, leading to the dissolution of the confederation and letting Napoleon establish the Confederation of the Rhine. The Holy Roman Empire was no more.

All of Poland's partitioners were enemies of France. Many Polish independence fighters fled to Rome. However, the destruction of the Austrian Empire led to Poland being given to Hungary. This region was established in 1806 as the Duchy of Poland. In a series of French-supported wars with Prussia, it was expanded to include Prussian Poland. However, the growth ceased soon after this victory.

 

[Circonflexe]

NB: OTL, it's Pax Britannica, not Pax Britannorum
so TTL, it'll be Pax Gallica or some such, I'd imagine.

French Peace is, presumably what you want, not Peace of the French, which is what you have, and is more likely to be peace within various 'French' states - if France never unified, for instance.

Just my 2 sous worth.

You are right about Pax Britannica, but post-Revolution, the titulature goes "des Français" and not "de France". (Louis XVI, XVIII and Charles X where "rois de France"; Louis-Philippe was "roi des Français", whereas Bonaparte was "premier consul des Français" and Napoléon Ier was "empereur des Français"). So in this way, Pax Francorum fits completely.

About Francogallia: it sounds like a complete anachronism. In the XIXth century it would be either Francia or Gallia. Francia is more traditional, but post-Revolution it starts losing points, Franks being associated with the monarchy/nobility, and Gauls with the people (see: Boulainvilliers). But OTL Vercingetorix was not turned into a national hero until about 1870, so I think Francia keeps a slight lead.