Struggle for World Supremacy - An Alternative History Story

This is Azure, author of Empires Arising. I decided to create a second story that focuses not only on the French but also other nations in Europe. This story will take priority over EA. This one will also have much more detail and start before 1789. It will also be slightly more historical. I hope you like it!

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Introduction

Europe was engulfed in flames! The American Revolution was going on. On one side, Great Britain. On the other side, the American rebels, France, and Spain. The war was at a stalemate. Both sides needed a great victory to gain the upper hand. But who will win that battle? The rebel alliance or the British?

Great Britain was a powerful country. Perhaps the most powerful in the world at the time. She boasted a large colonial empire, with the strongest navy in the world. Her triumph over France in the French and Indian War made the British people strong. They had a strong sense of nationalism.

Russia was a sleeping giant. She had vast resources and strong men. Father Tsar was the icon of the country. Mother Russia was the source of strength. The Russians were unstoppable. That is, if they had better technology. Though rich, the Russians were still used to medieval combat and had a small number of firearms compared to other Europeans.

Spain was a proud nation. Despite the destruction of her Spanish Armada a few centuries ago, she was still a strong empire. The Spanish Empire controlled Mexico, western North America, most of the Caribbean, and the Philippines. Spain was a force to be reckoned with.

France, despite being overshadowed by her British rival, was the second strongest nation in the world. The Kingdom of France had a large portion of land in North America, and a relatively large portion of India. France was bitter for their defeat in the French and Indian War, and she was determined to get revenge against the Redcoats.

Prussia was a very young kingdom, united by the various states of northern Germany. Her army was strong and had great technology, and her navy was beginning to grow. The one thing she lacked was numbers. However, should she triumph and conquer lands in Europe with more population, Prussia would indeed be a formidable fighting force.

America was a new country. Though the British would not have her independence, she was determined to gain it. The Americans had a unifying sense of nationalism that surged throughout the country. America, with the help of France and Spain, was ready to put the British in their place!

This would be a war that would determine the fate of the world for the next hundred years!

1780

Seventeen eighty. Continental troops under General George Washington rallied outside of Albany, New York, ready to take back the city. George commanded a total of 13,500 men. For the past six months, they had been vigorously training to take back Albany. Now was their chance. Now was Washington's chance to redeem his honor.

In April 23, 1780, George Washington and his Continentals laid siege to Albany. The Continental Army carried with her a collection of 17 guns. Seventeen 9-pounder guns pounded Albany for days. Finally, on April 26, the British garrison under Colonel William Cullingworth - 5,000 men, charged out and fought the Patriots. For four straight hours, the men fought. Eventually, numbers defeated the British. Losing 4,600 men, the British retreated and Albany fell into Patriot hands.

This was a major victory for the Americans. Albany was an important city to the British, and now that they lost it, the Americans turned the tables.

By the end of November of 1780, 24,000 British troops under General John Burgoyne were marching from Canada to Pennsylvania. This would prove to be Britain's worst mistake, for these 24,000 troops would be decisively crushed by a Franco-Spanish-American army.
 
1781

John Burgoyne and his army were ambushed on January 15th, 1781. The British Army was marching through the woods. As they neared the clearing of the forest, a cannon suddenly roared and hit a tree. The tree fell and knocked out several Redcoats. More cannons were fired, and the Redcoats found themselves in a sticky situation.

That day, 24,000 British infantrymen fought off 6,000 Frenchmen, 8,000 Patriots, and 7,500 Spaniards. A total of 19,500 soldiers of the rebel alliance were able to crush and rout the highly prestigious Redcoats. This was Britain's most humiliating defeat in the war. Over 7,000 men were captured. In the brutal fight, around 5,000 Redcoats were killed, and the rest fled in disarray and panic. In contrast, only around 1,000 allied soldiers were killed in combat.

Following Burgoyne's disastrous defeat at the Battle of Clear Creek, the British Empire sent representatives to Madrid and Paris to work out a peace treaty. The allies presented Great Britain with a treaty: Great Britain had to recognize American independence. They also had to pay the French and Spanish with a total of 22,000 francs each. Great Britain also had to cede Florida back to Spain, and Quebec, Acadia and Newfoundland back to France. Great Britain refused.

In mid-June, a British fleet of 32 ship-of-the-lines met a combined Franco-American fleet of 19 French ship-of-the-lines and 14 American ship-of-the-lines, gifted to them by Spain. Together, the French and the Americans defeated Admiral Gate's British force. A total of 21 British ships were sunk, and the rest were captured. 8 American ships sunk, and 10 French ships sunk.

With another horrible blow to the reputation of the "Empire on which the Sun never Sets", the British were willing to engage in peace talks again. The previous treaty was offered, but the sum of 44,000 francs was changed to 46,000. King William III of Great Britain was urged not to accept, but he did. On June 27th, Great Britain officially recognized American independence.

On that day, throughout America, France, and Spain, people cheered as they said that God had finally delivered liberty to America.

What people did not cheer for, however, was the new King of the American Dominion, King Thomas I.
 
1782

King Thomas I of the American Dominion was crowned by the people of Jamestown on February 3rd. The southern Thirteen Colonies had never really been fighting for a republic, but a constitutional monarchy that was not ruled from across the ocean. Although the north did not like it, 72% of the southern states had voted they wanted a King.

The crowning of an American king shocked all of Great Britain, France and Spain. People thought that the Americans wanted a Republic, but it seems that a new Kingdom had arisen from the ashes across the pond.

Over in Spain, the Spanish were able to pay off their debts easily with the gold and silver flowing in from their American empire. With the income, the Spanish Army and Navy remained the size it was. For now, Spain had no problems.

In Great Britain, women and children cried for their lost husbands and fathers. The men of Great Britain felt great sorrow for the men who lost their lives in the war. The British Empire was in a state of mourning, for they had lost a war and their most valuable colony yet. The reputation of the Royal Navy had also been tarnished by their defeat at the hands of the Franco-American fleet. Great Britain however, was in a better state than France.

Back in France, people were cheering for their victory against the British. However, everyone was ignoring the problem: France was almost bankrupt, even with the 23,000 francs Great Britain had given them. France had a large national debt and building the French Navy back up and sending thousands of troops to America had cost France the little money it had left. France was poor, and thousands of troops had to be decommissioned so that France could keep a bit of money. Many ships were also scuttled to lower the upkeep of the navy. King Louis XVI was faced with complaints and requests daily due to the bankruptcy of France. France was slowly but surely heading into chaos.

The American Dominion had been strengthening its power for a year now. On October 28, 1782 the Dominion began a war with the allied Native tribes. The Cherokee and the Iroquois had teamed up to destroy the Americans. The war would eventually double the Dominion's size and strength.

1783

The Battle of Cayuga saw an American army of 5,000 defeat a numerically superior Iroquois army of 7,500. The Americans used the element of surprise and with their gunpowder weapons, effectively routed the whole of the Iroquois army. A total of 3,000 Iroquois lay dead after the battle, which was on February 24th.

Further south, the Battle of Tellico saw the Cherokee tribe triumph over the Americans. A force of 4,500 American infantrymen were defeated by 7,200 Cherokee warriors. The warriors had been able to slaughter most of the Americans in melee combat, forcing the Americans to retreat. Only a little over a thousand Americans escaped the battle alive, and made it back to Savannah, Georgia on March 5th.

For the rest of the year, the Americans saw increased victories over the Iroquois Confederacy in the North. After losing a few more battles to the Cherokee, a larger American army under General Hugh was transported to the south. The Americans won three major victories in a row against the Cherokee. On July 12th, the Iroquois were defeated for the final time at the Battle of Detroit.

The Cherokee, in contrast, fiercely held on to their territories. In the war against the Cherokee, over 13,500 American soldiers had fallen. On the other hand, only 8,500 Cherokees were killed by the Americans. However, with more and more Americans coming in due to the high population of the Dominion, eventually the Cherokee were defeated. On August 7th, 1783, the Cherokee were defeated at the Battle of Chicasa. 6,000 Cherokee warriors were killed. 2,500 Americans fell, out of the 17,000 that attacked.

The victory at Chicasa formally ended the war. The American Dominion was now about two times larger in size, and the American military strength had grown considerably.

Back in Europe, a fourteen year old Napoleon Bonaparte was dusting the streets of his hometown Ajaccio, Corsica.
 
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