- Tlaotani Cuauhtémoc
Splendid update, as usual! It's always good to see this back. And I, for one, look forward to Round 2 of the Mexica-Spaniard feud.
The Jaguar's Roar - An Aztec Timeline
- Thread starter Vinization
- Start date
- Tlaotani Cuauhtémoc
Splendid update, as usual! It's always good to see this back. And I, for one, look forward to Round 2 of the Mexica-Spaniard feud.
Be interesting if this coming Mexica-Spanish War doesn’t end in either Aztec or Spaniard wins but rather a stalemate.
A situation into which Tzintzuntzan can step and assert their dominance over Mesoamerica.
I’d like that. Would it be possible for the Spaniards to switch from the Triple Alliance to the Purépecha Empire?
I believe they did significantly less human sacrifice, but they still did it.
Expansion and contact with the Aztecs and Spanish could push them either way.
I wonder how quickly they can get their weaponry up to scratch. The region has sources of iron which might be accessible and they already have smiths.
The update after the next one will focus on them, I ignored the Tawantinsuyu for way too long.
I imagine they’ve had a lot longer to recover from their civil war and the diseases, as the Spanish won’t really be in a good position to conquer them if they never did Mesoamerica (and would be less inclined to after such failures). They probably have been having limited trade with the Spanish though.
Part 13: Atlantic Hijinks
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Part 13: Atlantic Hijinks
Part 13: Atlantic Hijinks
Port of Marseille
September 1532
September 1532
Marseille had always been a busy place. Since its foundation by a group of ancient Greek colonists from western Anatolia, more than two thousand years ago, its shores were visited by ships of countless nationalities, no matter who ruled it: Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, Franks, Arabs (briefly), the counts of Provence, you name it. Now it was governed by the kingdom of France, and reaching a new level of prosperity following Francis I's great victory in the latest round of the Italian Wars by becoming a naval base of critical importance, one which linked Paris to its new conquests and allies in Italy. The inevitable result of this development was that Marseille's port had become busier than ever, with hundreds of vessels entering and departing it every day, carrying a patchwork of commercial and military goods with the purpose to sate their intended receivers' demand for this or that product.
But there was, in that one day in late September that was perfectly normal for the thousands of people who lived and worked in Marseille, a single ship, hidden in the forest of masts that covered the harbor. Though this vessel, the Pélerine (Pilgrim, in French), was an ordinary-looking carrack on the outside, the cargo her crew worked so hard to conceal from France's enemies betrayed the true nature of her mission - more than just a pilgrim, she was a thief too. At least in the eyes of the people who tried, and failed, to stop her in her long journey.
But there was, in that one day in late September that was perfectly normal for the thousands of people who lived and worked in Marseille, a single ship, hidden in the forest of masts that covered the harbor. Though this vessel, the Pélerine (Pilgrim, in French), was an ordinary-looking carrack on the outside, the cargo her crew worked so hard to conceal from France's enemies betrayed the true nature of her mission - more than just a pilgrim, she was a thief too. At least in the eyes of the people who tried, and failed, to stop her in her long journey.
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It's hard to overstate just how important the aftermath of the Peace of Toulouse was to the evolution of France's political, economic, religious and military characteristics in the tumultuous course of the 16th century. The accession of Charles V to the thrones of Spain and Germany (in 1516 and 1519 respectively) was an eventuality that could've brought about disastrous effects for the House of Valois: two of Europe's strongest countries were united under a single monarch, forming a superstate whose territories surrounded France in almost every direction, from the Netherlands to the Pyrenees. Not only did the result of the Italian War of 1521-1524 widen an already existing breach in this encirclement by consolidating French control over Milan and other lands in Padania, but the restoration of Neapolitan independence under Fernando d'Ávalos' and his new House of Pescara crippled communications between the two halves of the Habsburg empire to a serious degree, making any coordinated actions against Paris in a future conflict much more difficult than before.
With his position in Europe safe for the moment, Francis I was free to focus his energy and capital on something which was becoming more and more coveted by kings like him as time went by: a lasting foothold in the Americas. At this point everyone and their mother knew of Triple Alliance's existence, and wild stories of lost cities and kingdoms of unimaginable wealth laying just beyond reach became a constant in European thought, impelling countless ambitious men into sailing towards the unknown, and many more into sponsoring their voyages.
Bertrand d'Ornesan, an admiral as well as Baron of Saint-Blancard, was a prime example of the latter. Following the footsteps of Jean Ango, a wealthy merchant from Dieppe who funded the expeditions of Giovanni da Verrazzano and challenged Spain and Portugal's control of the Atlantic Ocean, receiving a letter of marque authorizing him to attack the latter's ships, he intended to shift France's activities in the Americas from intermittent smuggling and privateering to colonizing, which would ensure a permanent flow of goods from the New World to ports such as Saint-Malo, Bordeaux and Marseille. His target of choice was Brazil, a vast, mostly unexplored stretch of land in the South Atlantic that, despite supposedly being under Portuguese control due to the Treaty of Tordesillas, had no real Lusitanian presence other than some fortified trading posts (feitorias) scattered throughout the coast. Because of this, French ships became a common sight almost immediately after Pedro Álvares Cabral landed in 1500, "stealing" large quantities of brazilwood and other tropical products right under Lisbon's nose.
Brazilian natives felling brazilwood trees.
To accomplish this task, Ornesan outfitted one of his vessels, the Pélerine, with a crew of 120 men, 18 cannons, ammunition, goods to trade with the various peoples who lived in the Brazilian coast and the necessary materials to build a fort. The expedition, captained by Jean Duperet, left Normandy in December 1531, reaching the island of Itamaracá ("singing stone", in Tupi), on the coast of what is now Pernambuco, in March the next year. They were promptly attacked by the garrison of a nearby feitoria, comprised of six Portuguese men and several native allies, who were quickly defeating and forced to build a new fort, one over which the fleur-de-lis would fly over, rather than the Portuguese shield. This fortification, which the crew named Fort Saint-Blancard after their sponsor (1), became the Pélerine's stopping point for three months, while her men traded with the local natives and stuffed her with as much cargo as they could. When they finally chose to return to Europe, in June 1532, her cargo hold was laden with 300 tons of brazilwood, 1.8 tons of cotton, 3.000 jaguar skins, 600 parrots (many fluent in French) and various spices and medicinal oils, a haul worth an astonishing 62.000 ducats.
By the time Duperet and his men left for Marseille (leaving behind 70 men to garrison their fort), however, the Portuguese got word of what had happened to their ill-fated feitoria and mobilized a response. A fleet led by Pero Lopes de Sousa destroyed Fort Saint-Blancard after a fight that lasted more than two weeks, hanging several of its defenders in the aftermath, while ships scoured the Atlantic under orders to find and seize the Pélerine before she returned to France. They almost succeeded in this endeavor in early September, when Duperet stopped at Málaga to rest and gather supplies for the final stretch of the journey and only barely avoided capture at the hands of a Portuguese squadron in the process (2). Still, he landed on French soil safely, much to his relief and the joy of Francis I and Ornesan, who, dazzled with the profitability of his endeavor, made preparations for a second, much larger voyage.
Duperet stayed in his homeland for less than a year before being put in charge of this new expedition, a fleet of seven ships and 600 men (sailors and colonists alike) under orders to reinforce Fort Saint-Blancard (they were not yet aware of its destruction), clear the coast of as many Portuguese outposts as it could and found a permanent settlement. The armada departed in February 1533, reaching Itamaracá in May and finally learning of their countrymen's unfortunate fate, which they avenged by destroying the Portuguese base in Igarassu (on the mainland) a second time. With this accomplished, they searched for a place where they could establish the colony they were assigned to create - Itamaracá was decent, but perhaps there could be someplace better - eventually finding a spot near the mouth of the Capibaribe River ("capybara river" in Tupi) that provided easy access to the sea and the interior (3). It was there, on July 3 1533, that Saint-Thomas, birthplace of France Équinoxiale, was founded.
By the time Duperet and his men left for Marseille (leaving behind 70 men to garrison their fort), however, the Portuguese got word of what had happened to their ill-fated feitoria and mobilized a response. A fleet led by Pero Lopes de Sousa destroyed Fort Saint-Blancard after a fight that lasted more than two weeks, hanging several of its defenders in the aftermath, while ships scoured the Atlantic under orders to find and seize the Pélerine before she returned to France. They almost succeeded in this endeavor in early September, when Duperet stopped at Málaga to rest and gather supplies for the final stretch of the journey and only barely avoided capture at the hands of a Portuguese squadron in the process (2). Still, he landed on French soil safely, much to his relief and the joy of Francis I and Ornesan, who, dazzled with the profitability of his endeavor, made preparations for a second, much larger voyage.
Duperet stayed in his homeland for less than a year before being put in charge of this new expedition, a fleet of seven ships and 600 men (sailors and colonists alike) under orders to reinforce Fort Saint-Blancard (they were not yet aware of its destruction), clear the coast of as many Portuguese outposts as it could and found a permanent settlement. The armada departed in February 1533, reaching Itamaracá in May and finally learning of their countrymen's unfortunate fate, which they avenged by destroying the Portuguese base in Igarassu (on the mainland) a second time. With this accomplished, they searched for a place where they could establish the colony they were assigned to create - Itamaracá was decent, but perhaps there could be someplace better - eventually finding a spot near the mouth of the Capibaribe River ("capybara river" in Tupi) that provided easy access to the sea and the interior (3). It was there, on July 3 1533, that Saint-Thomas, birthplace of France Équinoxiale, was founded.
A painting celebrating the first mass in Saint-Thomas.
No longer incumbered by the colonists under his care, Duperet sailed down the Brazilian coast all the way to the River Plate, seizing several Portuguese ships and capturing or razing every feitoria in his path. Lisbon's slim but hard-earned presence in South America was obliterated in a single stroke, and despite the pleas of Pero Lopes and his younger brother, Martim Afonso de Sousa (4), the French offensive went unanswered, either militarily or diplomatically. The Portuguese Empire, which possessed territories in four continents and two oceans, was stretched to its limits: though the revenues they earned from the cod trade in Terra Nova grew every year, they weren't yet large enough to make up for the loss of their monopoly over Indian spices, ruined by Ferdinand Magellan's expedition to the Moluccas. To make matters worse, king John III sought to broker a marriage between his sister, the fabulously rich Maria of Viseu, and his French counterpart's heir, also named Francis, forging an alliance which would make Spain think twice before attacking its smaller neighbor (5).
Brazil would remain a French possession, and the displaced Lusitanians had no choice but to set up shop elsewhere.
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Notes:
(1) I didn't find an OTL name for this short-lived fort, so I made one up.
(2) IOTL the Pélerine was captured and her cargo confiscated, making Ornesan's attempt to create a Brazilian colony a complete failure.
(3) Pretty much where Recife is located IOTL.
(4) Who IOTL founded the first Portuguese settlement in Brazil, São Vicente.
(5) This plan was ruined by Dauphin Francis' sudden death at the age of 18. His health is a bit stronger here, since his three years' imprisonment in Madrid (caused by the aftermath of the Battle of Pavia) is butterflied away.
Brazil would remain a French possession, and the displaced Lusitanians had no choice but to set up shop elsewhere.
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Notes:
(1) I didn't find an OTL name for this short-lived fort, so I made one up.
(2) IOTL the Pélerine was captured and her cargo confiscated, making Ornesan's attempt to create a Brazilian colony a complete failure.
(3) Pretty much where Recife is located IOTL.
(4) Who IOTL founded the first Portuguese settlement in Brazil, São Vicente.
(5) This plan was ruined by Dauphin Francis' sudden death at the age of 18. His health is a bit stronger here, since his three years' imprisonment in Madrid (caused by the aftermath of the Battle of Pavia) is butterflied away.
Damn, the French got Brazil? Goodbye Carnival Rio.
The butterflies are multiplying... and it is good to see.
The butterflies are multiplying... and it is good to see.
Pretty good chapter overall, with French control and influence in Italy solidified and Charles V without the funds or will to disrupt it, we'll see a France that can focus more on its northern territory (read the Burgundian Inheritance and Calais) if the chance for it arises.
Also, with the French focusing on the colonial game more, it'll mean a much bigger and more well taken care of french fleet especially with the growing of Marseilles and other port cities, which considering how successful they might be in getting more of the Burgundian lands, may mean that is not Britannia who rules the waves...
Also the French are lucky for getting Brazil, good land for multiple monocultures in the northeast and parts of the southeast, down south is good for growing cattle in large quantities and of course, the literal gold and diamond mines there is Minas Gerais and the center of the country, and with their massive population, I don't see the French having problem with settling the colony faster than Portugal.
Also makes me wonder if the Frenchman may come in contact with the Incas and start trading, and suddenly, no one knows where the Frenchman have all this gold and silver they're using to fund fleets and armies...
Also, with the French focusing on the colonial game more, it'll mean a much bigger and more well taken care of french fleet especially with the growing of Marseilles and other port cities, which considering how successful they might be in getting more of the Burgundian lands, may mean that is not Britannia who rules the waves...
Also the French are lucky for getting Brazil, good land for multiple monocultures in the northeast and parts of the southeast, down south is good for growing cattle in large quantities and of course, the literal gold and diamond mines there is Minas Gerais and the center of the country, and with their massive population, I don't see the French having problem with settling the colony faster than Portugal.
Also makes me wonder if the Frenchman may come in contact with the Incas and start trading, and suddenly, no one knows where the Frenchman have all this gold and silver they're using to fund fleets and armies...
Which is the exact same holiday.... the more things change the more they stay the same... I guess.
Brazil will surelly look a lot lile Quebec, most settlers in Antartique were bretons and normands, like with Quebec. I'd expect a lot of Huguenots from La Rochelle who will hide their faith like with Quebec, aswell as people from Poitou. Early Brazil will probably be very normand but France will probably enforce standartization anyway, still would be feasible i think for normand to live on in pockets in south america, like those 'Talians' in Rio Grande do Sul who speak a veneto based dialect.
This tropical quebec will probably have a much bigger Mètis population too!
This tropical quebec will probably have a much bigger Mètis population too!
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And don't forget mulattos because the French will be using slaves in stuff like mining, cattle ranching and plantation.
It also makes me wonder if they'll get a foothold in Africa, the Cape is right there across Brazil after all...