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The Bald and the Royal Eagle can fly together!

A Italo-American joint TL

So, inspired from this thread (https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=183222) i came with this TL where a newborn Kingdom of Italy and an USA recently divided in two joins their forces in an attempt of reach their manifest destinies. The TL will be written in chronological style so in the end it doesn't become so long; also, it will be an attempt to exercise my writing skill.​

As always, i will be glad to read your comments and suggestions.​

Also, you will expect here wank countries, Marxist revolts, Imperialism races, bastions of Democracy and ruthless dictaturies... so let's start!​

1861

7th Febraury - The Southern states of the USA proclaimed their indipendence from the Union. The Confederation was born.​

4th March - Abraham Lincoln swore as 16th President of the USA at Washington.​

17th March - Ufficialproclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. The USA were one of the first ( legends says they were the first) nations to recognize it. The prime minister Camillo Benso conte di Cavour sent his regards to President Lincoln while refused to met the Confederate envoy. That diplomatic move was very apreciated in Washington.​

18th March - Pope Pious IX expelled the Italian envoys from Rome, refusing any tentative of negotiation. Papal-Italian relations, already low, plummered even more.​

23th March - Also for retaliation for the Papal move, the Italian Parliament proclaimed Rome as rightful capital of the Kingdom.​

27th March - Noticing a growing dissent within the Catholics, Napoleon III of France sent an ufficial note of protest to Cavour. France didn't recognize yet Italy and proclaimed to sent more "volunteers" to reinforce the French garrison in Rome. Turin protested for that decision.​

12th April - Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in Unionist hands and seized it the next day: it was the start of the war of American Secession.​

15th April - Lincoln made two speechs in the Congress: in the first, he requested the permission to raise a volunteer army to quell the Southern insurretion; in the second, he requested to sent a formal note of protest to France about the decision to increase the Roman garrison. The President wanted to make that move to show Europe despite the civil war the Union will be able to intervene to the foreign questions.​

19th April - Also Britain sent a similar request to France; two days later, it was the turn of Prussia.​

24th April - Pressed by international hostility, Napoleon decided to not increase the Roman Garrison but however the also declared the French will stayed in Rome until Italy and Papacy reached an agreement. The relations between France and Italy normalized but were icy; otherwise, the ties between Italy and USA risen.​

8th May - The " Hero of two Worlds ", the general Giuseppe Garibaldi, made a speech in the Italian Parliament in favor of Lincoln and wanted to raise a volunteer army to help the Unionists against the slave drive Confederation. Cavour approved this project, in order to keep away Garibaldi the most possible; also, he approached the American ambassador to sent in their aid an Italian expedition formed by regular soldiers, ufficially recognized as "volunteers" under the order of Garibaldi.​

14th May - Garibaldi started to gather his "volunteers" in Genua.​

22th May - Lincoln accepted to let partecipate the Italian corp in the war at the side of the Unionist, despite some internal oppositions worried about the political views of Garibaldi, too near to Marxist ideals for them.​

6th June - Cavour recovered from an illness which seemed mortal. Lincoln sent his congratulations for the recover.​

15th June - Cavour obtained full powers for general Enrico Cialdini to quell the banditry in South Italy. The phenomenon was supported mostly by the Pope, but for now the first minister decided to remain silent about the matter. Meanwhile, France finally recognized Italy.​

25th June - After gathering about 6,000 men, Garibaldi and the volunteer corp sailed from Genoa.​

7th July - The Italian volunteers arrived in New York, where they were welcomed with great honours. Garibaldi managed to gathering in the city other 1,000 volunteers from Italian immigrants. The US High command sent them to the Virginian front to support the local army located on the Bull Run river.​

21th July - Battle of Bull Run. The Confederates tried to caught by surprise the Unionists crossing the river north of Manassas, but they encountered the Italian volunteer corp. Garibaldi managed to hold the position until the arrival of Unionist reinforcements; however, the Conferderate numerical superiority forced the Unionist-Italian army to retreat towards a more defensive position.​

22th July - "I nostri coraggiosi amici Italiani (Our brave Italian friends)", titled the New York Post to comment the performance of the volunteers at Bull Run, leading to an increase of enlistments in the city.​

24th August - Constating the high popularity of Italy in the USA, Cavour organized a diplomatic mission composed by politicians, capitalists, militars and intellectuals to sent in America in order to strenght more the ties between the two nations.​

6th September - The diplomatic mission arrived in Washington. It was well accepted.​

7th September - Italy and USA signed a trade cooperation pact: the Union will sold at price of favor material resources in exchange of refined products, essentially textiles. In few months, the Italian textile industry received a considerable boost.​

9th September - Italian and American intellectuals met in Harvard, starting a three-day convention.​

11th September - Italian militars were interested by the American breech-loaded rifles and revolvers, buying several of them. Later, Italian engineers studied them to develop their national versions.​

14th September - The New York Authorities sold to several Italian companies lands in Brooklin in order to let them build their warehouses and offices; the merchantile company Rubattino started to build its own wharf. Also, the Authorities agreed to the construction of a great church dedicated to St. Francis in the Manhattan quartier of the Italian immigrants, " Little Italy". The building, ufficially financiated by the Italian government, will be a little more great of that of St. Patrick, started in 1858 but soon stopped to build at the start of the civil war. However, these measures in favor of the Italians create some resentment with the other minorities, specially that Irish...​

4th November - The church of St. Francis, at presence of Lincoln, was ufficially inaugurated. Some Irish, wanting to ask the President to restart of the works of St. Patrick, were stopped and arrested from the NY police.​

5th November - An immigrated Italian priest from Marche, Giovanni Rosati (1), was put in charge over the site of St. Francis.

7th November - The Italian mission sailed to New York to return in Italy.

(1) OC.​
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