The Course of Human Events

[Lord Grattan]

Two attempts by the army in the summer 1793 to initiate peace talks with the Indians met with disaster. In both cases, the soldiers who were sent and their aides were killed. In response to these acts, Generals St. Clair and Anthony Wayne were ordered to form a well trained force to restore peace to the territory, to end the threat to that peace posed by Blue Jacket and Little Turtle, and tolk establish a permanent military presence in the region. In August 1794, St. Clair left Marietta with 1,500 men and marched toward the site of his 1793 defeat. At that place, his men built Fort Recovery. Twice, Little Turtle led attacks upon the soldiers as the fort was being built, and twice they were repulsed. At the time that St. Clair left Marietta, Wayne and 2,100 men departed, marching toward the Indian settlements along the Maumee River. As they neared what is today Findlay, Ohio, they were intercepted by Blue Jacket and a force of 1, 700 warriors. During a fierce battle on October 12, Blue Jacket was killed along with 650 of his men By the end of the following day, the remaining warriors had all surrendered. After the battle, they built Fort Resurgence upon that site.

The next summer, June 3, 1795, Little Turtle and 60 other Indian leaders signed the Greenville Treaty. St. Clair and Wayne signed on behalf of the Albion government. The treaty required the tribes to cede all of present day Ohio and portions of present day Wabash, Illinois and Michigan to Albion, to recognize that Albion was the ruling power in the region called Augusta Territory by the Albion government, to cease all hostilities and attacks on soldiers and settlers and to return all White prisoners. In return, the government of Albion pledged to respect the Indians’ right to live on the land, to a general amnesty and pardon to all warriors, to give the Indians $20,000 worth of goods (food, utensils, blankets and cattle), and to provide medical assistance during future epedemic outbreaks.

In the aftermath of the Blue Jacket Rebellion, the federal government initiated treaty talks with the two Indian confederations within the St. Lawrence Territory concerning their status and future within the realm. Both sets of talks bore fruit in 1797. Thankfully there was no violence or bloodshed.

On September 11, 1797, the Treaty of Ticonderoga was signed by Timothy Pickering on behalf of the Albion government and 50 representatives of the Grand Council of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (including the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora tribes). In the treaty, the tribes each recognized Albion’s sovereignty over them and settled all land claims with the royal government. Afterwards, on June 9, 1798, Congress established the Haudenosaunee Territory from the southern half of St. Lawrence Territory (south of the Kamouraska Line).

On October 5, 1797, the Treaty of Burlington was signed by Andrew Mason and Benedict Arnold on behalf the Albion government and 47 representatives of the Waponahki Confederation (including the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mikmaq, Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes). In the treaty, the tribes each recognized Albion’s sovereignty over them and settled all land claims with the royal government. Afterwards, on June 9, 1798, Congress established the Waponahki Territory from the northern half of St. Lawrence Territory (north of the Kamouraska Line).

 

[Lord Grattan]

Monarchs of Albion
1. Edward I 1789-1817 (succession: new title / grandson) House of York
2. Edward II 1817-66 (succession: grandfather / son) House of York
3. Augustus I 1866-93 (sucession: father / son) House of York
4. Augustus II 1893-1910 (succession: father / daughter) House of York
5. Catherine 1910-49 (succession: father / son) House of York
6. David 1949-73 (succession: mother / son) House of Hodge
7. Edward III 1973-2008 (succession: father / son) House of Hodge
8. Michael 2008- (succession: father / current) House of Hodge


I have posted the royal standard of King Edward I on the flag thread -
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=1672343&postcount=4916

 

[Nicomacheus]

Monarchs of Albion
1. Edward I 1789-1817 (succession: new title / grandson) House of York
2. Edward II 1817-66 (succession: grandfather / son) House of York
3. Augustus I 1866-93 (sucession: father / son) House of York
4. Augustus II 1893-1910 (succession: father / daughter) House of York
5. Catherine 1910-49 (succession: father / son) House of York
6. David 1949-73 (succession: mother / son) House of Hodge
7. Edward III 1973-2008 (succession: father / son) House of Hodge
8. Michael 2008- (succession: father / current) House of Hodge


I have posted the royal standard of King Edward I on the flag thread -
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=1672343&postcount=4916

Interesting. So Edward names his line the House of York to distinguish it from the Hanoverian line in England. I have to imagine there are jokes about the Wars of the Roses and a Lancastrian resurgence!

I like the royal standard, but I'm surprised that there's no hint on any English heraldry in Albion's arms or Edward's. It seems to me like relations with the mother country are still quite cordial.

If trends play out as OTL, it looks like Albion's first Queen will preside over women's suffrage! Also, I like how the names seem different from typical ones in the English line (George, for example). Here we've got an Augustus and a David and a Michael!

And Benedict Arnold is alive and kicking and hasn't betrayed anybody. Interesting.

 

[Lord Grattan]

The surname York is sort of like how today in OTL Princes William and Harry use Wales when they need a last name. Edward and his wife Elizabeth needed to use something on their childrens' birth certificates in Maryland, and York seemed most appropriate (more so then Hanover, Guelph, Brunswick, Albany or even Wales).

I designed the nation's CoA and Royal Standard early in the drafting of this TL, before the close, intertwined nature of the Ambish-British relationship evolved. I guess we have here a case of a younger brother (Edward) and a younger sister (Albion) wanting to set their own style and have some sence of individualism and separateness from their close, much loved and highly respected sibling.

RE: Augustus ... Edward's middle name just sounds too appropriate for OTL 19th Century America for it not to be a perfect name for 19th Century Albion as well.

 

[Lord Grattan]

By the time of the 3rd general congressional election, November, 1796, two political parties, Federalist and Populist, had emerged. Federalists favored a stronger national government, espoused a loose interpretation of the Constitution’s limitations on federal power, promoted mercantile (rather than agricultural) economic interests, promoted personal morality and piety, and advocated for Albion to be actively involved in world affairs. Populists favored a weaker national government, espoused a strict interpretation of the Constitution’s limitations on federal power, promoted agricultural (rather than mercantile) economic interests, championed individual liberty and freedom, and advocated for Albion to avoid becoming involved in world affairs unless necessary or required by treaty. The Federalist Party won 14 Senate seats and 65 House seats. The Populist Party won 10 Senate seats and 61 House seats. George Washington did not run for reelection to the House of Representatives that fall. Following the election, John Adams (Federalist) was selected as the nation’s 2nd Chancellor.

As the 1787 Constitution was being written, the subject of slavery was one of the issues which caused debate and division. Prince Edward believed that eventually society would move away from this “indecent institution.” Prior to the convention, he urged Washington to “leave the hands of a future government unbound with regards to it.” In the end it was decided that the document would be silent on the subject, thus permitting the provinces and the federal Congress to pass laws later on as they saw fit. By the turn of the century, every province north of the Mason-Dixon Line had abolished slavery. The last, New Jersey, decreed in 1802 that beginning in 1804, all Blacks born in New Jersey were born free, and that all women born before that year would be considered freed at age 21 and all men at age 25. The New Jersey Emancipation Act also gave freed Black men over age 21 the right to vote beginning in 1807, but the state’s Supreme Court ruled that part of the act to be unconstitutional. It was not until the Federal Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Douglass v. Kentucky* that Black males received the right to vote throughout the kingdom.
(* – In 1847 the Court ruled that Blacks born in Albion are citizens of the realm, and as such, the 2nd Amendment’s guarantee that “the right of citizens to vote shall not be denied on account of heritage, religious beliefs, or previous condition of servitude, except those convicted of capital or otherwise infamous crimes as prescribed by statute”, applies to them and protects their right to vote.)

The 1st federal law concerning slavery was enacted in 1792. That law outlawed the importation of slaves to the provinces and territories of Albion. A hotly debated 1799 federal law established strict regulations for the sale of slaves and prohibited the transportation of slaves between the provinces or territories of the realm. The following year, Congress established regulations and procedures regarding the pursuit, capture and return of fugitive slaves.

 

[sonicwind123]

The surname York is sort of like how today in OTL Princes William and Harry use Wales when they need a last name. Edward and his wife Elizabeth needed to use something on their childrens' birth certificates in Maryland, and York seemed most appropriate (more so then Hanover, Guelph, Brunswick, Albany or even Wales).

I designed the nation's CoA and Royal Standard early in the drafting of this TL, before the close, intertwined nature of the Ambish-British relationship evolved. I guess we have here a case of a younger brother (Edward) and a younger sister (Albion) wanting to set their own style and have some sence of individualism and separateness from their close, much loved and highly respected sibling.

RE: Augustus ... Edward's middle name just sounds too appropriate for OTL 19th Century America for it not to be a perfect name for 19th Century Albion as well.

Actually, Edward was part of the house of Hanover. The house of York died of with the death of Richard III. The reference to York is just a reference to the title he carries, like Wales, refers to the Prince of Wales. William and Henry are actually both members of the house Windsor, which goes back to right after the death of Victoria, the last of the house of Hanover.

 

[Nicomacheus]

I like the developing politics but I have one question: why are the analogues to the Democratic - Republicans called Populists?

It seems obvious why they can't easily by Democratic - Republicans in a monarchy, but if Jefferson and Madison are at the core of the party, then Populist seems a bit off. Madison spends pages in OTL Federalist talking about how a good government would prevent any man being able to say he spoke for "the people". This wasn't just a passing remark tooled to support the Constitution, but a fairly strong principle with Madison, evident in his lackluster enthusiasm for campaigning.

I could see them going with the name like Patriot or Whig: since the former term won't be associated with "the good guys" of the American revolution, it might retain more of its original meaning of some one who identifies with the land. The later term is a bit harder, but I could easily see this group also resisting the power of the King himself -- since his power will be synonmous with that of the Federal executive.

I suppose though that Jefferson might have liked "Populist."

Also, where do OTL loyalists end up politically? Do they boost the strength of the Federalists? Do they form their own party?

 

[Lord Grattan]

Actually, Edward was part of the house of Hanover. The house of York died of with the death of Richard III. The reference to York is just a reference to the title he carries, like Wales, refers to the Prince of Wales. William and Henry are actually both members of the house Windsor, which goes back to right after the death of Victoria, the last of the house of Hanover.

Thanks Sonicwind123, you are correct. Perhaps I should have used Hanover or Guelph (Welf) instead.


Thanks for the input Nicomacheus. Most OTL loyalists will be Federalists (some might wish to form a Britannic Union Party). I like the idea of a Patriot Party.

 

[Lord Grattan]

Throughout the 1790’s merchant ships flying the Albion flag were harassed by France naval ships and by pirates from the Barbary Coast of Africa, most notably Algiers. This had not been a problem when Albion’s provinces were colonies of Great Britain, but after independence many foreign powers felt they could harass her merchant ships with impunity. Twenty ships were seized by France and eleven by pirates during the 1790’s. Despite the lodging of numerous protests with the French government, the attacks continued. During one such seizure, that of the merchant ship Hanson in July 1796, near the French Island of St. Pierre off the coast of Newfoundland, a British frigate, the HMS St. Austell, was fired upon and severely damaged. In retaliation, the British sent ships and soldiers to occupy the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. The 759 French inhabitants were informed that the British Navy was seizing the islands in the name of King George III. The three French naval vessels in St. Pierre’s harbor were seized as well. The two main islands in the archipelago were renamed Prince William and Princess Charlotte, after the infant twins of George, Prince of Wales. Some in Congress, like Ontario Senator Aaron Jacobs and New Hampshire Representative Alexander Polk, called for war to be declared on France. The Royal Cabinet chose a diplomatic approach over going to war. Two years later, in the spring of 1798, the French government reined in its navy and the harassment ceased. That fall, a similar agreement was reached with the government of Algiers.

It was during this time that the newly coined word “Albish” began to replace Albionese when folks wrote and spoke about people and things from Albion. Some of the finest Ships in the Line and frigates of the day were built in Boston, Charleston, Halifax, and Portsmouth along the Atlantic coast for both the Albish and British navies. In fact, Albish ship design and craftsmanship was proving superior to British. Most ships built in Albion were used along North America’s Atlantic and Caribbean coasts, though a few were being used in the Mediterranean and the East Indies. White Pine trunks from the Northern provinces proved to be especially durable as ship masts. Pines and pine tar from the Carolinas were also highly valued by ship builders. Many Albion made frigates made were of the Humphreys style. Ships designed by Josiah Humphreys were long on keel, narrow of beam, and mounted with very heavy guns. They used a diagonal scantling (rib) scheme that was intended to restrict sagging of the ship at the ends from the middle while giving them extremely heavy planking. This gave the hulls a strength that other more lightly built frigates simply couldn't match. North American timber was in especially high demand during the European embargo. One of these 1st frigates, the Constitution, is still officially commissioned. It is the oldest commissioned ship in the world still afloat.

 

[Nicomacheus]

Oooh, an Albish navy! Very fun. John Paul Jones could have some Nelson-esque escapades, perhaps?

Also, the harasment from France in the 1790s -- this comes from Bourbon France? So the pot hasn't boiled over yet, I see.

I'm surprised that European countries consider Albion truly independent from Great Britain. The Treaty that GB required of the Continental Congress as a condiditon of Independence bound Albion and Britain in a military alliance, right? I suppose perhaps that France is testing the confines of this relationship: how plucky are the colonists now they're on their own and how far will Britain go to defend them?

It was during this time that the newly coined word “Albish” began to replace Albionese when folks wrote and spoke about people and things from Albion.

It does occur to me: does Great Britain make the change as well? OTL American before the 1770s conjured up notions of the ultimate rustic. I could see Albish merchents eager to convince their "cousins" of their sophistication by the adoption of the new moniker. I imagine in Britain American connotes colonial rube, but Albish has the sense of dreamy, almost utopian political schemes: given the very clean nature of the new Constitution, I'd imagine that British Tories take to calling plans for Reform "Albish." They talk about how the British constitution is a thing of ancient wisdom etc, while the Albish lacking any such source had to invent one. Very fun dynamic I think.

Anyway, as always your TL. I'm just bored at work.

 

[Lord Grattan]

The British North West Company of Montreal, Quebec, which already had fur trading posts along the shores of Lake Superior and Georgian Bay in the Augusta Territory, opened several posts along the western shore of Lake Michigan in mid 1790’s. In 1796, to better position themselves in the increasingly global market, the company established an office in New York City. The following year, entrepreneur John Jacob Astor of New York purchased a 15% share of the company. Unfortunatly, the North West Company was at a distinct disadvantage in trying to compete for furs with the Hudson's Bay Company, whose charter gave it a monopoly in the Hudson Bay watershed, where the best furs came from, and through which the NWC had to transport its furs. There was often conflict between employees of the two companies. The company made several requests asking Parliament to either end the HBC’s monopoly or to at least grant the NWC transit rights so the company could ship the goods needed for trading for furs to the West. These efforts proved fruitless as the Prime Minister, William Pitt, refused to put the matter before Parliament. In September 1799 Astor asked King Edward to intervene on the company’s behalf with the British government. The king, who very much missed being directly involved with dispute mediation and conflict resolution was eager to help in any way he could.

The following April, King Edward and his wife Elizabeth made their last trip to London. Edward and his brother spent much time discussing politics and talking about their families. When Edward broached the NWC – HBC rivalry his concerns were brushed aside by his brother and the Prime Minister. Their unwillingness to discuss the subject changed when word came that several NWC traders and Métis trappers had been murdered along the Assiniboine River by HBC employees. Then, finally, George III and Pitt became willing to lay the fur trade issue before Parliament. Three years later, after much debate, delay, arm twisting and more violence in the region, Parliament passed the Assiniboia Act. This 1803 act transferred 118,000 square miles of land (the present day Provinces of Manitoba and Selkirk, plus portions of Mississippi note: This Mississippi is where OTL Minnesota is. The Mississippi down south in TTL & OTL will not exist after 1815.) from the HBC to the NWC. It also compensated the HBC for the lost land. In 1837 the North West Company’s Board of Directors voted to sell Assiniboia to the Albion federal government for $298,000.

Edward and George were together on May 15, 1800 in the royal box of the Drury Lane Theater when a man in the orchestra pit stood upon a box and fired two pistol shots at King George. The bullets missed by inches. King Edward was quite shaken by the assassination attempt. His brother however, was appeared unfazed by it. George ordered the show to continue and was so calm about the whole incident that he dozed off during the performance.

As the 19th Century dawned, a religious awakening was ignited in the realm by Christian preachers such as Lyman Beecher, Peter Cartwright, Charles Finney and Barton Stone. It manifested itself in individual sensitivity to one’s own personal piety and salvation expereince. It drew new converts into the Christian faith by the thousands. It prompted evangelists to move out into the frontiers of the realm: Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Ontario and Wabash. There camp meetings and revivals were held and the gospel proclaimed with vigor and zest. It also sparked the emergence of several non-traditional and quasi Christian sects. Among them the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Illuminarians and the Swedenborgians.

In general, this religious awakening incited a heightened social concern to well up within individuals. People became more deeply involved with great social causes such as prison reform, temperance, civil rights for new immagrents, Indians and free Blacks, and began to openly challenge the morality of slavery and antisemitism. Woman such as Mary Wollstonecraft (“A Vindication of the Rights of Women” 1792), Judith Sargent Murray (“On the Equality of the Sexes” 1790 and “On the Domestic Education of Children” 1790) and Lucy Mack Losey (“Bearers of Holy Wisdom” 1796 and “The Moral and Religious Upbringing of Children” 1800) began promoting equality of the sexes, woman’s sufferage and the role of women in society. It also underscored once again the important role that individual beliefs and personal faith play in illuminating needs and calling people to take action upon issues of concern to the larger society.

 

[sonicwind123]

interesting, the involvement with the French sounded a lot like the XYZ affair, but without Talleyrand asking for money. Overall it is still good.

 

[G.Bone]

So with Albion doing it's own thing - what is England doing?

 

[Lord Grattan]

So with Albion doing it's own thing - what is England doing?

Thank you for reading and asking. I will tell you ... soon.

******************************************

In 1801 another virulent wave of small pox afflicted the Huron, Wyandot Shawnee, Miami, and Delaware Indian tribes in the Augusta Territory. By the time the epidemic subsided, an estimated 45% of the native population had died. Several villages in the Maumee River and Detroit areas were completely wiped out. The survivors abandoned their villages and migrated west. Most settled near the confluence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers. Title to the abandoned land (today’s NW Ohio and SE Michigan) was signed over to the federal government through the Auglaize Treaty on August 17, 1802. The following year, on March 1, Congress established the Province of Ohio form the southeastern section of Augusta Territory (south of Lake Erie). At the same time, Congress also established the Wabash Territory from the region of Augusta just west of Ohio. In 1805, congress would establish the Michigan Territory, covering the peninsula between Lakes Huron and Michigan, from Augusta.

Swift Cloud and Black Hoof emerged as native leaders in the epidemic’s aftermath. They urged cultural adaptation and accomodation with Albion. They hoped to one day establish a native territory for their people within Albion as others had. Opposing this idea was another new leader, Tecumseh, who had fought with Blue Jacket a decade earlier. He urged rejection of White man’s ways and resistance to their encrochment onto Indian land. A nativist religious revival emerged around these ideas in 1805. It was led by Techumseh’s brother Tenskwatawa (“The Prophet”). He reinforced Techumseh’s words, saying that the disease and defeat suffered by the people was the Divine Spirit’s punishment upon them for forsaking the traditions and ways of their ancestors.

Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa denounced any chief who urged cooporation with Whites. Numerous Indians, many who were inclined to cooperate with the Albish government, were accused of sorcery and some were hanged. Whole villages were threatened with inhililation if they collaborated with the” interlopers”. By 1808, Techumseh had built a community of nearly 5,000 Indians from several tribes. Their village, called Prophetstown, was at the confluence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers. Inspite of the personal risk, Little Turtle and Black Hoof continued to enter into land deals and treaties of cooporation with the Albish military’s area commander, General William Henry Harrison. The largest land treaty signed was the September 30, 1809 Treaty of Fort Wayne. In this treaty, the Shawnee and Miami Indians sold over 3 million acres to Albion (portions of present day Wabash and Illinois). Previously, in 1807, the tribes composing the Council of the Three Fires (Odawa, Ojibwa and Potawatomi) sold their rights to ten million acres of land in the southern portion of the newly established Michigan Territory to the Albish government through the 1st Treaty of Detroit. In a 2nd Treaty of Detroit (1811) an additional eight million acres of land was sold. Territorial governor William Hull of Michigan and chiefs Okemos and Wasso were the chief signers of both treaties.

Tecumseh was outraged by these treaties. He began traveling from village to village and tribe to tribe, urging warriors to abandon accomodationist chiefs and to join the resistance at Prophetstown. The Treaty of Ft. Wayne left an especially bitter taste in Tecumseh’s mouth; he twice called upon Harrison to nullify it. Meanwhile, Tenskwatawa had visions filled with images of blood, death and scorched earth. These were used by Techumseh to rally the faithful and to win warriors over to their side. In August 1811, Harrison agreed to a face to face meeting with Tecumseh. The two met at Fort Vincennes. Tecumseh told Harrison that he and his brother “wished to live in peace with Albion.” The meeting, which began well, quickly deteriorated into a loud, intense argument. At one point, Harrison raised his fist and made a sudden move toward Tecumseh, who reacted by drawing his knife and stabbing Harrison in the left shoulder. In the chaose that followed, Tecumseh fled. The wound, though not life threatening, caused extensive blood loss and did enough damage that Harrison lost the full use of that arm. Harrison retired from the military soon afterward. He would later serve as governor of Wabash (1833-41) and then in the Albion Senate until his death in 1854.

Embellished accounts of Tecumseh’s “premeditated attack” and Harrison’s “courageous attempt to open a dialogue with the rebellous Indians” spread rapidly back east. Four weeks after the incident, the Royal Cabinet ordered Secretary of War William Eustis to take decisive action against the Indians at Prophetstown. Eustis ordered Colonel Jacob Brown to take a significant force from Vincennes to dispurse the Indians at Prophetstown and to capture Tenskatawa. Brown and a force of approximatly 1500 men arrived outside Prophetstown on November 6, 1811. Word was sent to Tenskwatawa that Brown wished to meet with him the next day. The prophet’s response was, “Tell your colonel, I will see him tomorrow.” At dawn the next day, Tenskatawa launched a preemptive strike against the royal army. Approximatly 1100 warriors attacked the army with lightning speed and intensity. In spite of being caught completely off guard by the attack, Brown’s men held their ground. After several hours of combat, Tenskatawa was killed. The surviving warriors (around 400) eventually surrendered. The victorious Albish army confiscated all weapons from the Indians and burned the village. Surviving warriors were given food and permitted to keep their horses. Of the survivors, some remained in the region, many migrated north, and a few went south to join Tecumseh. Brown was promoted and the following year received The Order of the Morning Star from King Edward.

 

[G.Bone]

So even with a kinder Albion/US, there are still the Indian Wars...

The question is, will those that formerly followed the radical prophet last longer & carry out their anti-white policy or not?

 

[Lord Grattan]

In April 1798, a group of Populist Party Members of Congress met with several provincial party leaders and elected officials in Annapolis, Maryland to discuss their concerns about the party’s direction. Some party leaders were pushing a rather radical individual liberties and freedom agenda, and were calling for Albion to detach itself from word affairs to a degree that was, in their opinion both unwise and unrealistic. A new political party was formed a result of that meeting. They chose name Patriot Party, after the Patriot Whigs in Great Britain.

In the November 1800 general congressional election, the Federalist Party won 11 Senate seats and 64 House seats. The Populist Party won 5 Senate seats and 35 House seats. The Patriot Party won 9 Senate seats and 22 House seats. That month, the Federal Congress held its first meeting in the new capital building in the new Federal City of Americus. After the election, John Adams was asked to serve a 2nd term as chancellor.

Albion’s political system during the 1790’s and early 1800’s was well organized and stable. The French political situation during that time was just the opposite. Food shortages and rising food prices due to several years of crop failures, coupled with high taxes, a large national debt due to France’s supportive role (money and troops) in the 1787 Austro-Turkish War, plus the extravagant life style of the royal family and court, sparked violent civil unrest in 1789. King Louis XVI was forced to cede much of his power, and subsequently forced to abdicate in 1792. He and his wife Marie Antoinette were later beheaded. In 1791, their two children supposedly drowned off the coast of France while being spirited out of the country by Swedish diplomat Hans Axel von Fersen. In 1800, following a bloody reign of terror, Napoleon Bonaparte participated in a coup against the French democratic government. He then quickly moved from being head of the Consulate, to Consul-for-life, to Emperor. He also began threatening Britain, Austria and other European nations. In response, Britain organized a coalition (the 3rd such coalition) to wage war against France.

In 1802-03, English fears that Napoleon was about to invade were feverishly high. Much of this fear was fueled by the British government itself, who sanctioned handbills and broadsides which warned of the carnage Napoleon’s invasion of Britain would visit upon the nation. This propaganda was designed to heighten and galvanize support for the ongoing wars against France and to spur enlistment in the military. Some of it was genuine concern however. Napoleon was rattling his saber in Britain’s direction. Also, there was evidence which suggested that Napoleon had sent agents into Ireland in order to stir up anti-English sentiments there. Albion, which until that time had managed to remain neutral, was finding that position more and more difficult to maintain. The Albish position that neither the Congress nor the King could dictate to private companies who they could and could not do business with, was growing old and irritating to the British. That position was also being used by the French as a way of aggravating the British.

 

[Nicomacheus]

So the French Revolutionary Wars don't break out TTL, but remain internal disturbances? It sounds like this is due to the slightly different treatment of the king, but he's still beheaded, so I would think that would trigger the same reaction from Austria it did TTL. I suppose that's plausible, but I think it requires Louis and Marie Antoinette successfully fleeing.

 

[sonicwind123]

I am somewhat curious to what Albion's response to the revolutions in the area, mainly Haiti and Mexico will be like.

 

[Lord Grattan]

For a century, Ireland’s ruling class had been composed of members of the Anglican Church, which was the State Church, who were loyal to the British Crown. Though only about 10% of the population was Anglican, this group governed Ireland through an institutionalized form of sectarianism codified in a series of Penal Laws. By the mid-18th Century this movement and time had become known as the Protestant Ascendancy. As the century advanced, liberal elements among the Irish ruling class were inspired by the religious tolerance found in the 1774 Quebec Act and the Ambish Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion, along with the writings of Englishmen Thomas Paine’s treatise “The Cry of Liberty”, to reach out to and seek common cause with the Catholic, Presbyterian and Methodist populace to bring about political reform in Ireland and greater autonomy from Great Britain.

In response to this growing movement, the Protestant ruling class put forward a plan for Irish home rule before King George III in 1788, one which would strengthen and preserve Anglican political dominance in Ireland. At the time though, George was descending into his first period of mental instability. As a result, the proposal languished for almost two years before being rejected. In 1789, the liberals’ effort at coalition building resulted in the founding in Belfast of the Society of United Irishmen. Four years later, the society developed a proposal for “limited self government which would respect the position of the Anglican Church, protect the rights of religious dissenters and preserve the authority of the British Crown in Ireland.” Shortly thereafter, reactionary elements within the Ascendancy formed themselves into an organization called The Orange Order. In May 1793, they began a campaign of intense violence designed to intimidate and strike fear in the hearts of all non-Anglicans in Ireland. Their tactics included house burnings, torture, kidnappings, rape, confiscation of personal possessions and murder. In spite of the risk and danger, the United Irishmen held together. With the help of the Duke of Leinster, William FitzGerald, Henry Grattan and Edward FitzGerald were eventually able to convince the King and the Prime Minister, William Pitt the younger, to lay the issue before the British Parliament. The king had strong political and religious objections about giving Dissenters (non-Anglican Protestants) and Catholics the vote and a voice in government, but the violence and bloodshed wrought by the Ascendancy and their Orange Order had made it necessary. Adding to this sense of necessity was the revolution in France, which had taken a radical and bloody turn, and neither the Prime Minister nor the King wanted such a situation to engulf Ireland.

Determined that Irish home rule not follow an “Albish path” George and Pitt insisted that the final act be limited in scope and specific in wording. The 1797 Ireland Act provided that:

• The Kingdom of Ireland may establish a parliament to pass laws for the common good of Irishmen, collect taxed for the common good and initiate programs that enhance the common good.
• The rights of all free men to practice their religion, to own property and to vote will be respected and free men, regardless of their religious beliefs may serve in the Irish Parliament, provided they swear an oath of allegiance to the king of Ireland.
• The Parliament of Great Britain has the right to veto any legislation passed by the Irish Parliament.
• The crown of Ireland shall remain united with the crown of Great Britain, whose king shall continue to be King of Ireland.
• That the Anglican Church shall appoint representatives to the Irish Parliament in sufficient number so as to equal to 10% of the Parliament’s membership

After he signed the act into law on June 3, 1797, King George was overheard grumbling to himself, “Damn you Edward (referring to his brother the King of Albion), this is your fault”. On paper the Ireland Act appeared to be a fairly good solution to the situation in Ireland. As it turned out however, it only drove the problem underground, where it festered, bled occasionally and oozed for a quarter century before erupting again in the 1828 Irish Civil War. During the 1st quarter of the 19th Century, around 8,000 Anglicans, 4,000 Catholics and 3,000 Dissenter Protestants emigrated from Ireland to Britain’s Newfoundland colony or to Albion.

 

[Lord Grattan]

In early 1802, Albion’s ambassador to France, Robert Livingston, learned that Spain had given the Louisiana Territory back to France. He recognized the importance of North America’s longest river to Albion’s future security and prosperity, and asked for permission from King Edward to speak with the French government about the possibility of their selling the Port of New Orleans to Albion. With some reticence the French agreed to discuss New Orleans’ possible sale. James Monroe was sent to France to lead the negotiations for New Orleans with Livingston. Together they negotiated a deal that in the end gave Albion possession of not only New Orleans, but the whole territory. For his part, Emperor Napoleon was motivated by the need for money and by a desire to drive a wedge between Albion and Great Britain, and thus distract her attention away from Europe.

The deal was sealed on April 30, 1803 and ratified by the Congress that August. Upon his return from France, James Monroe was placed in charge of overseeing Louisiana’s transfer to Albish sovereignty and selecting 2-3 men who would lead an expedition of exploration and discovery deep into the territory. In September, the Congress officially established the newly acquired region as the Louisiana Territory. With King Edward’s signature, the size of Albion was doubled. With that signature, the Anglo-Albish relationship was plunged into conflict.



Thanks for viewing and commenting. I appreciate it.

Below is a map showing the state of the realm in 1804. The provinces which were part of Albion at the time of independence are in green and unlabled. The light green ones are provinces established between 1789-1803. Don't take the pea green color of New Spain to infer that it's part of Albion. The color similarity only hit me this morning. Albion's territories are in yellow. The labled one are newly established (1790-1803) ones. The red area, labled, is the Louisiana Territory.