The Land of Freedom

[Asami]

Well, if the same group of allies that helped America in OTL (France, Spain...the Netherlands) are still trading with North America ITTL, and if Britain tries to pull the impressment card on their shipping, I can see it blowing up into a separate war entirely (especially since those allies helped America to hurt Britain, more than anything else). Remember, this isn't the era of "Brittania Rules the Waves" yet, the French alone could inflict deep hurting on the RN if they put some effort into it, to say nothing of Spain. The Dutch might not be quite the maritime power they used to be in the 17th. Century, but their fleet was still no joke even in the latter 18th. Century, so who's to say the British will be able to stop them if they operate in conjunction (however unofficially) with those aforementioned powers? Furthermore, as I alluded to in my reference to ardently pro-Patriot Appalachia, why wouldn't the British want to rid themselves of potential troublemakers willingly in a sort of reverse-Canada situation?

Britain would try to stop them because the majority of the people fleeing are the ones Britain wants to see dangling from the gallows; namely the Continental Congress and their generals who escape the disaster that leads to Washington's death. But point made, if the British tried to push the letter a bit, a war would break out, if you coupled it with a war in Europe... hmmm...

 

[FleetMac]

Britain would try to stop them because the majority of the people fleeing are the ones Britain wants to see dangling from the gallows; namely the Continental Congress and their generals who escape the disaster that leads to Washington's death. But point made, if the British tried to push the letter a bit, a war would break out, if you coupled it with a war in Europe... hmmm...

Good point that the initial Trek* will be mostly those the British would seek to try for treason. Still, there's the matter of devoting the Royal Navy's forces in the Atlantic to their capture, when they still have to exert control of the Atlantic Seaboard, and deal with possible attack by hostile navies. The Royal Navy was built up into a juggernaut partially BECAUSE of the American Revolution and the Brits casting their gaze elsewhere abroad for territory (well, that and the Napoleonic Wars of course, but that's a few decades away), so while their navy was strong, again it hadn't gotten to be the Master of the Seas yet.

*Initially, at least: my bet is that there won't be just one Trek but rather a series of miniature ones over a prolonged period of time not just from Europe and their myriad revolutionary movements, but also North America (if for varying reasons). Maybe instead of out west, those settlers of OTL head to Georgia if their cousins in exile decide to advertise all that open, unsettled (sorta) land out there to take? Much of that depends on just how British North America shakes out, and if the Brits decide to take a "Canadian" approach to the Native tribes much further past the Proclamation Line.

 

[Asami]

Good point that the initial Trek* will be mostly those the British would seek to try for treason. Still, there's the matter of devoting the Royal Navy's forces in the Atlantic to their capture, when they still have to exert control of the Atlantic Seaboard, and deal with possible attack by hostile navies. The Royal Navy was built up into a juggernaut partially BECAUSE of the American Revolution and the Brits casting their gaze elsewhere abroad for territory (well, that and the Napoleonic Wars of course, but that's a few decades away), so while their navy was strong, again it hadn't gotten to be the Master of the Seas yet.

*Initially, at least: my bet is that there won't be just one Trek but rather a series of miniature ones over a prolonged period of time not just from Europe and their myriad revolutionary movements, but also North America (if for varying reasons). Maybe instead of out west, those settlers of OTL head to Georgia if their cousins in exile decide to advertise all that open, unsettled (sorta) land out there to take? Much of that depends on just how British North America shakes out, and if the Brits decide to take a "Canadian" approach to the Native tribes much further past the Proclamation Line.

The intent is that the Great Trek would be the largest mass movement, with thousands of Patriots fleeing the Americas in the wake of British victory, taking up exile in South Africa under the permission of the Dutch; later taking over the colony when the Netherlands falls.

The smaller Treks/migrations would follow suit afterwards, in waves more so than one big swell.

 

[FleetMac]

The intent is that the Great Trek would be the largest mass movement, with thousands of Patriots fleeing the Americas in the wake of British victory, taking up exile in South Africa under the permission of the Dutch; later taking over the colony when the Netherlands falls.

The smaller Treks/migrations would follow suit afterwards, in waves more so than one big swell.

I understand the first point, I was just asserting/suggesting that such migrations from both North America as well as Europe wouldn't really stop after Georgia is established after the Netherlands fall; even if BNA ends up not all that crappy a place to live, if the Brits remain true to their word about no expansion westwards in an en-masse settler capacity, those folks gotta go somewhere ().

But I digress, we're in agreement that you'd see the biggest one Trek during the Exodus as being that initial one (the "ohshitohshitohshit RUN!" migration, as it were). I guess I'm just getting ahead of myself . In the meantime, depending on how such a possible war precipitated by the Exodus could turn out, and how deeply it affects domestic goings-on, France could end up stronger than in OTL which would be a nice lead-in to Napoleon's rise to power (assuming it's anything like OTL's events, which isn't a given). I do have to wonder what the push factor for the revolutionaries in France would be, if they still end up with Nappy in charge of things?

 

[Darth_Kiryan]

The intent is that the Great Trek would be the largest mass movement, with thousands of Patriots fleeing the Americas in the wake of British victory, taking up exile in South Africa under the permission of the Dutch; later taking over the colony when the Netherlands falls.

The smaller Treks/migrations would follow suit afterwards, in waves more so than one big swell.

So....Draka?

 

[Asami]

So....Draka?

That's basically what this is. I mentioned I wanted to do an idea of a reverse-Draka, but fundamentally different FROM Draka. You missed on the discussion in the Map Thread.

 

[Darth_Kiryan]

What? Old Hickory Pro-British?

It would be like the most ultimate badass thing ever!

That's basically what this is. I mentioned I wanted to do an idea of a reverse-Draka, but fundamentally different FROM Draka. You missed on the discussion in the Map Thread.

any chance of a link to said discussion or world map?

 

[Asami]

Chapter Two: The Great War and Great Exodus​

Excerpt taken from The First Patriotic War: 1775 to 1795
Author: Dr. Hendrik van Buren, Georgian History Professor at Washington University
Published: 1995

The Great War​

Historians attribute the 1775-1783 Amerikaner Rebellion as the primary cause of the Great War, which fundamentally changed the world. After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Second Continental Congress assembled in the city of Philadelphia, seeking out a resolution to their grievances with London.

Issuing first, the Olive Branch Petition, the Great Revolutionaries, and later, Founding Fathers of our country, sent to His Majesty, King George III, a petition seeking a redress of grievances. However, their peaceful petition, calling on a mutual agreement was rejected outright, and soon after, all of the signatories names were marked to be hung for treasonous actions against the Crown.

Almost immediately after this, the British Royal Navy began to impose extremely oppressive naval blockades on the American coastline, and threatened any ship that neared it. While in the early days, it was not a problem, it became a problem later on, namely after the Battle of Quebec, in 1775. The Continental Army, commanded by the Noble General Montgomery, invaded British Canada with the intent of forcing Britain off the continent altogether. While the campaign was ill-fated, it set the stage for the Great War.

The Battle of Quebec began on December 31, 1775, and did not end until early 1777.

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress formally ratified the Declaration of Independence, which formally separated the Americans from Britain, and declared their own nation -- the United States. With news coming in of immense British slaughter of rebellious Quebecois residents of Quebec City and other parts of Canada in reprisal for their assistance of the Continental Army, Paris immediately recognized the independence of the United States, and reached out to European powers to assist in weakening the British Empire.

Britain's outrage over this recognition lead to a standoff between the British Channel Fleet, and France's fleet.

The sinking of the HMS Culloden in August 1776 is considered by modern historians to be the start of the Great War. The HMS Culloden was sunk by a French warship in the Channel after the British ship fired on it for approaching too close. The British navy pursued the French fleet into Ghent. Despite Austrian protests, the British navy launched a catastrophic attack on the port, sinking several French ships, and causing immense damage to the port itself. Austria, outraged, demanded an apology, but received lip-service from London.

Austria soon recognized the independence of the United States soon after, and joined France in declaring war on the British Empire. Opportunistically, Spain followed suit. The United Provinces, our greater mother country, remained neutral in the war, instead silently providing assistance to the anti-British coalition in the form of trade; as well as privateers to break the British blockade.

The Americans failed to take Quebec and retreated into their home soil in 1777, humiliated. With the British blockade tight, the American army contracted heavily, forcing them within miles of Philadelphia at the start of 1778. However, a rallying under the command of the Great Martyr, drove the British north back into New York.

In 1778, the British blockade began to weaken as the Austro-Franco-Spanish coalition continued to hammer Britain's ability to conduct war abroad. It seemed that the United States would infact win, however; this also meant that the Europeans could not send soldiers overseas to fight, as they were busy fighting on their own home soil.

The British and Americans dug in for the long-haul in 1778, when the northeastern frontlines barely moved. From 1778 to 1782, the war outside America raged on, with France, Austria and Spain causing great trouble for Britain. Spanish naval embargo and military force had retaken Gibraltar for the Spanish Empire, ending a sixty year British occupation of the region. France and Austria had made quick work of Hesse and Brunswick-Lüneburg, whom had sided with the British Empire in the war. Prussia, in all of the wisdom to be had, stayed out of the war, too concerned with the affairs in Eastern Europe.

Revival of Poland-Lithuania​

A major change in the balance of power in Europe was the successful staving off of partition in the late 18th century, giving the Polish-Lithuanian state time to reorganize. While Austria, Prussia and Russia had designs on Polish soil in the 18th century, the escalation toward, and outbreak of the Great War had changed all this. Starting in 1770, the growing tensions between the powers of Western Europe distracted Prussia, Russia and Austria from their designs on Poland, as did the tensions between themselves. With France's focus on the New World growing stronger in the 1770s, the partition of Poland, which had been planned according to documents recently found in the Parisian Library, never came to be.

Prussia's focus was now primarily on ensuring Austria did not use the tensions, and then war as an excuse to restart the Silesian War; while Russia was concerned with upheaval from the serf class which began after the American Revolution did, inspired on their struggle against a bigger, stronger power.

Austria, who was focused on the war against Britain, Hesse and Brunswick-Lüneburg, neglected their designs on Galicia-Lodomeria.

It was shortly after this, that Stanisław II and the Sejm began the process of reforming the nation, to strengthen it and give the Europeans no cause to do harm again. The process would take time, but it involved economic and social reforms, that they hoped would prevent the untimely demise of Poland. This reorganization did not, however, prevent the small territorial concessions to Prussia and Russia to maintain friendly relations -- Prussia gained a connection to her eastern territories, and Russia gained influence in the Baltic and outer regions of Poland-Lithuania.

The outbreak of the Great War, as well as the War of Bavarian Succession in 1778, put to bed any real attempts to partition Poland-Lithuania.

Trouble on the Homefront (1781-1783)​

Despite losing in Europe, the British grew stronger in the American region, gathering more soldiers to deliver a final blow to the Americans. This triggered a bit of a panic in Philadelphia, which lead to perhaps one of the most daring plans in history.

Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and a representative of the Dutch government, Karl Josef van Limburg-Stirum, negotiated the means in which the United States could possibly survive after a British victory. This gave way to the Trek.

The planning went over for about a year, before the infamous Second Battle of Germantown. George Washington and his men lead an offensive against the British at Germantown in the Spring of 1782. The offensive soon ran into trouble, as British reinforcements made quick work of most of Washington's men, and when Washington attempted to retreat, he was killed in a hail of musket fire. The Great Martyr died trying to set his nation free. When the news of his death broke some time later, the Continental Army began to disintegrate. Holdouts in New England and New York crumbled and surrendered. However, a large number of Patriots fled their homes and made their way south. As the British army began to push hard, closing in on Philadelphia, over 12,000 Patriots gathered in Philadelphia, to hear the plan that would save them from destruction.

In 1783, a large fleet of Dutch trade ships, aided by French and Spanish warships, departed America. When the British arrived in Philadelphia, they found none of the people they wished to hang.

On those Dutch ships, carried the Amerikaners, on their way to the land we call... Georgia. The body of the Great Martyr was, unfortunately, never found, except for his skull.

The Great Trek, as we now call it today, was the start of a new chapter in our history, one where we would fight against tyranny at all odds. Benedict Arnold, one of our greatest military leaders, wrote about this event.

"The death of Washington made me cry bitterly for freedom. Britain had in her ungodly perditious ways, killed freedom in the New World -- but we will find freedom in the Old World, in a place that no man dare traverse. America has died, but we, the Patriots, have not."
- Benedict Arnold, 1783

The arrival of 11,500 Amerikaners to Cape Town (now Washington City) in 1784 was hailed by the Dutch and Boers alike as a great momentous event. They were welcomed as brothers. In the following years, 1784 to 1788, after the fall of the United States, thousands more Amerikaners fled to Georgia to seek freedom from British oppression, which had worsened since the Rebellion.

The War in Europe was over in 1785, and with it, the very nature of it had changed. France had grinded the British navy at home down in a war of naval attrition. Austria had expelled British influence from the Holy Roman Empire, with Hesse and Brunswick-Luneburg being given off to new leaders. Brunswick-Luneburg fell upon a Hohenzollern prince, while Hesse went to a Wittelsbach prince.

Spain regained her lost territory, Gibraltar, and annexed Louisiana from Britain, a humiliating loss for the British, and yet they had still won -- they had snuffed out the Revolution -- for now.

 

[Teutoberg Forest]

Trouble on the Homefront (1781-1783)​

Aren't the times in this sction supposed to be 1781-1783, not 1761-1763. The times you posted were before the initial revolution.

 

[Asami]

Aren't the times in this sction supposed to be 1781-1783, not 1761-1763. The times you posted were before the initial revolution.

That has since been corrected. Sorry 'bout that.

 

[Teutoberg Forest]

With updates like this, you have nothing to be sorry for.

In fact, you have just earned the first smiley I have ever posted.

 

[FleetMac]

Indeed, I like how the format and content of this TL is shaping up already. The only quibble I can think of right now is that the events of goings-on in Europe (the Great War itself beyond the West) was glossed over, but that makes sense given both the scope of the timeline right now in setting up the OP, and the fact that we're looking at things through Georgian eyes which are focused on the early formation of their history. I am amazed to a certain degree how much of a cult of personality has been built up around George Washington and the final action he fought at Germantown, but that's not too surprising since it led to a much greater upheaval and changes than we'd expect to see if pro-Revolution Americans had just stayed behind.

As another quick aside, I have a linguistic question; how much influence do you think Cape/Boer Dutch will have on the Amerikaners, given the numbers of Trekkers during the Exodus we're likely to see? In any event, I look forward to seeing more!

 

[Teutoberg Forest]

I love when Poland stays around in TLs, or even becomes wanked (like Analytical Engine's Francewank). Maybe this TL will see Poland into space. Which reminds me of the desire to see Trekkers amongst the stars.

 

[Asami]

Indeed, I like how the format and content of this TL is shaping up already. The only quibble I can think of right now is that the events of goings-on in Europe (the Great War itself beyond the West) was glossed over, but that makes sense given both the scope of the timeline right now in setting up the OP, and the fact that we're looking at things through Georgian eyes which are focused on the early formation of their history. I am amazed to a certain degree how much of a cult of personality has been built up around George Washington and the final action he fought at Germantown, but that's not too surprising since it led to a much greater upheaval and changes than we'd expect to see if pro-Revolution Americans had just stayed behind.

A common problem in many TLs I had was that I tried to tell a narrative of lands that weren't relevant at the time to the events I was writing. Europe's situation shall be revisited in time, with more detail and focus. That, and I'm very... not great at European history in the 18th century. I don't think I'd do it very much justice (for example, I have not a damn clue how anything I said about P-L makes sense other than that I know that if the powers that be are distracted, the weak are given time to regroup and plot.) If someone wants to help me write about pre-Napoleonic Europe, and the closer details of Poland-Lithuania and such, please let me know, I'd love to have your assistance.

As another quick aside, I have a linguistic question; how much influence do you think Cape/Boer Dutch will have on the Amerikaners, given the numbers of Trekkers during the Exodus we're likely to see? In any event, I look forward to seeing more!

I've got it kind of put together that Afrikaans does have a grand influence on the Amerikaners, as evidenced by the fact they call themselves "Amerikaners" and not "Americans". While English never dies, Afrikaans very much becomes the lingua franca.

 

[Asami]

I love when Poland stays around in TLs, or even becomes wanked (like Analytical Engine's Francewank). Maybe this TL will see Poland into space. Which reminds me of the desire to see Trekkers amongst the stars.

Yes, I feel like I've never given Poland quite a chance in my timelines. I always seem to wank Germany... and create the cliche-ridden German Empire... I have some other ideas this time around, I think.

There are a few nations I never give love to on a list of nations I want to give a fighting chance. Mexico and Poland namely.

 

[Teutoberg Forest]

The one bad thing about Poland is that when it gets really powerful it becomes easy to root against (again, see AE's Francewank, which I just necroed after 2 and a half years )

 

[FleetMac]

A common problem in many TLs I had was that I tried to tell a narrative of lands that weren't relevant at the time to the events I was writing. Europe's situation shall be revisited in time, with more detail and focus. That, and I'm very... not great at European history in the 18th century. I don't think I'd do it very much justice (for example, I have not a damn clue how anything I said about P-L makes sense other than that I know that if the powers that be are distracted, the weak are given time to regroup and plot.) If someone wants to help me write about pre-Napoleonic Europe, and the closer details of Poland-Lithuania and such, please let me know, I'd love to have your assistance.

Fair enough, at least you've got a good reason for it (not that keeping the focus on Georgia is a bad thing). Sadly I'm not much of an expert on this period of European history either, but I guess I can do some footwork in terms of research if needed, like below;

I've got it kind of put together that Afrikaans does have a grand influence on the Amerikaners, as evidenced by the fact they call themselves "Amerikaners" and not "Americans". While English never dies, Afrikaans very much becomes the lingua franca.

I can agree on Afrikaans both A) continuing to exist as a co-official, major language of Georgia up till present day, and B) said language influencing Georgian English to a great deal given the fact that there were ~60k Afrikaaners in 1797 and in the region the Exodus would land in. However, lingua franca? I don't agree. Much of the reason why Afrikaans gained that sort of reputation in OTL, as a widespread common tongue was due to them trying to flee the areas Britain controlled, which entailed moving deep inland far and fast and being the main distributor of a common tongue if the native peoples didn't just stick to their own. If the Boers like the Amerikaners (as you've pointed out here and elsewhere, them "opening their arms" to the newcomers), and both jointly form the country out of the old Cape Colony....why would they push inland any moreso than the Amerikaners (who are also leaving by the thousands, and will likely either match or exceed the Boers in numbers by at least the mid 19th. Century through the various mini-Treks).

Furthermore, the way you set up your Infobox didn't denote Afrikaans having that lingua franca status given how the country itself ("Georgia" as a name wouldn't work in an Afrikaans context AIUI) and several cities take names like Washington and Sun City...those are straight up English titles. In the end, it comes off as English (if either with heavy Afrikaans influences and borrowings, perhaps even moreso than OTL, or even to the point of being closer to a separate Anglo-Dutch derived language) being more of a lingua franca than Afrikaans, which I don't see ranging as far itself over the land, given your description of how big Georgia gets.

 

[Asami]

Fair enough, at least you've got a good reason for it (not that keeping the focus on Georgia is a bad thing). Sadly I'm not much of an expert on this period of European history either, but I guess I can do some footwork in terms of research if needed, like below;




I can agree on Afrikaans both A) continuing to exist as a co-official, major language of Georgia up till present day, and B) said language influencing Georgian English to a great deal given the fact that there were ~60k Afrikaaners in 1797 and in the region the Exodus would land in. However, lingua franca? I don't agree. Much of the reason why Afrikaans gained that sort of reputation in OTL, as a widespread common tongue was due to them trying to flee the areas Britain controlled, which entailed moving deep inland far and fast and being the main distributor of a common tongue if the native peoples didn't just stick to their own. If the Boers like the Amerikaners (as you've pointed out here and elsewhere, them "opening their arms" to the newcomers), and both jointly form the country out of the old Cape Colony....why would they push inland any moreso than the Amerikaners (who are also leaving by the thousands, and will likely either match or exceed the Boers in numbers by at least the mid 19th. Century through the various mini-Treks).

Furthermore, the way you set up your Infobox didn't denote Afrikaans having that lingua franca status given how the country itself ("Georgia" as a name wouldn't work in an Afrikaans context AIUI) and several cities take names like Washington and Sun City...those are straight up English titles. In the end, it comes off as English (if either with heavy Afrikaans influences and borrowings, perhaps even moreso than OTL, or even to the point of being closer to a separate Anglo-Dutch derived language) being more of a lingua franca than Afrikaans, which I don't see ranging as far itself over the land, given your description of how big Georgia gets.

Fair points. The wikibox is a bad thing to go off of since I don't speak Afrikaans, and therefore I just slapped everything in English. But point taken -- I'd wager more on English with Dutch influences more so than straight Afrikaans/Cape Dutch -- as evidenced by the fact that in the wikibox, the President of Georgia was "Hendrik Jefferson", implying that the names were mostly made Dutch, except for ones like George, which retained their English naming scheme. Anyway. I think I'm going to follow up on the circumstances of Europe after the Great War's end. Huge change in political power.

 

[FleetMac]

Fair points. The wikibox is a bad thing to go off of since I don't speak Afrikaans, and therefore I just slapped everything in English. But point taken -- I'd wager more on English with Dutch influences more so than straight Afrikaans/Cape Dutch -- as evidenced by the fact that in the wikibox, the President of Georgia was "Hendrik Jefferson", implying that the names were mostly made Dutch, except for ones like George, which retained their English naming scheme. Anyway. I think I'm going to follow up on the circumstances of Europe after the Great War's end. Huge change in political power.

Again, don't get me wrong: Afrikaans (and likely either Zulu or Xhosa, one of the bigger Native African languages) are both gonna be pretty big deals in Georgia, and in one of their's case probably close in usage/distribution to OTL Spanish in the American Southwest. Maybe Afrikaans ends up being the biggest one language (even if by plurality) in what we know as most of OTL South Africa where languages like Lesotho or Swazi aren't entrenched (like OTL, only a bit bigger), but English is more widespread and "politically neutral" enough to become the unifying tongue as the country spreads northward and eastward? And one or more African tongues could have a similar situation to Quebecois French of OTL, in terms of not only being official but locally protected where their ancestral heartland(s) is/are?

EDIT: I'm sorry, I forgot to address the naming bit . That's a cool little detail, how we're seeing American-style names given an Afrikaner/Boer "twist", like switching "Henry" to the more etymologically accurate and Dutch-based "Hendrik"; I wonder if that's gonna apply to most naming schemes of the Amerikaners down the road, even if said names aren't ones used in the Netherlands like Celtic ones (i.e. Dylan, Connor, Megan, Jennifer, etc.), or if Biblical ones change all that much ("John" being a good example). Using the particular example of "George", I wonder if a different spelling scheme will be introduced to account for phonological differences over letters like "g" between English and Afrikaans?

 

[Asami]

Chapter Three: The Flame of Revolution​

​

Excerpt taken from The Bloody Summer and The Buonaparte Empire
Author: Prof. Willem Aarden, European History professor at Oranje State University
Published: 2007

Perhaps one of the most important men to European history is Napoleone di Buonaparte. Napoleone, in his lifetime, reshaped the face of Europe in more ways than one; and became an important icon for the freedom of men all over the world. His birthplace, the island of Corsica, had been a Genoan island for a very long time before in 1755, Corsica revolted from it's master and declared independence. However, after a short 15 years of independence, in 1770, Corsica was conquered and subjugated by the Papal State. Napoleon was raised under a rather harsh Catholic administration, which gave him a natural distrust for religious piety, which would follow him in his later life.

Though he was too young to serve in the Great War, given his age, and Papal neutrality, his life was shaped immensely by it.

After the end of the Great War, the sixteen year old Napoleone was contracted to work in Rome as an artisan. It was here he witnessed the beginnings of an Empire. While popular discontent in Rome hadn't been very high during the reign of Pope Pius VI, whom had died in 1784, only 9 years into his Papal reign. His successor, a very reactionary sort, Clement XV, was much harsher on the people, and extolled higher taxes and less "moral corruption".

While Romans were afraid to revolt against the Mouth of God, they resisted in many ways, mostly to annoy the Papal government.

However, while he was in Rome, Napoleone, and Europe, saw the Bloody Summer set in, starting with the events of June 13, 1787.

The Bloody Summer: The End of the Bourbon Monarchy​

The events of June 13, 1787 surprised many contemporaries, but at the same time, surprised nobody. France's economic hemorrhaging had been a serious issue despite their victory in the Great War. France was up to it's eyeballs in debt supporting a group of defeated Republicans, food was more scarce than it had ever been, and class conflict was escalating after the upper classes began to reduce the food supply for the lower classes to keep themselves in good food.

On June 13, 1787, a fire broke out, which ravaged the lower quarters of Paris, killing scores of citizens. This, coupled by the lack of royal response triggered a horrendous uprising, as thousands of citizens began looting shops and homes across Paris. When Louis XVI ordered the army to use force to quell the rebellion, a simultaneous mass desertion occurred, as thousands of soldiers joined the swelling peasant rebellion.

The rioting continued before Louis called a meeting of the Estates General on June 21, hoping to end the rioting by making concessions. However, the Third Estate boycotted the meeting, stating that the Estates General was not representative of the people. This culminated in the rioting spreading toward Louis XVI's palace. On June 24, 1787, the Palace of Versailles was invaded and sacked by disgruntled French citizens. Louis XVI and his family were taken prisoner by the system. On June 25, a similar attack laid to waste the Estates General, and the Revolutionaries took complete control of the French government in a matter of hours afterwards.

On June 27, the leader of the rebellion, a man named Renaud Daniau declared an end to the monarchy and the establishment of the French Republic, which would "serve as a means to wash away the old order and create one anew!" -- triggering panic in the halls of foreign nations.

While Louis XVI and his wife were locked away in the Bastille; their son, Prince Louis, was spirited away by Loyalists before the raid on the Palace of Versailles, and was taken to the court of Austria, where he was given exile.

The Bloody Summer began with the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antionette, and followed between June and September 1787 with the murder of several hundred noblemen, high class aristocracy and intellectuals, mostly in a surge of horrendous murder. In September, having thoroughly decimated some of the brightest thinkers and largest wallets of France, the Revolutionaries moved on to a new target -- Religion.

September 5, 1787 saw the sacking and destruction of the Notre Dame de Paris, one of the most memorable Christian churches in France, next to the Cathedral of Rheims, which was also sacked and destroyed two weeks later. These churches were reduced to scrap by makeshift gunpowder bombs and blunt instruments which destroyed large parts of the churches, leaving behind ruin.

This action alienated many moderate revolutionaries, who were soon purged by the radical ones under Consul Renaud Daniau.

Senatus Populusque Romanus​

This had nasty effects in Italy. Rome, chafing under horrible taxation and cultural oppression of Pope Clement XV, broke out into massive revolt as pro-Jacobin rioters made aim to create a revolution of their own. Napoleone Buonaparte was initially supportive of their means, until he witnessed the event known as the Rape of Lucia. Napoleone's diaries recall this event.

"The night we were to hold a grand demonstration for our cause -- liberty, justice, equality, things like that -- we found ourselves in the midst of violence. Jacobins, blood-thirsty like wild dogs, descended into the crowds spreading hate and misdeed. As I milled away from the violence, I had the misfortune to see a collection of Jacobin men violently sullying a woman. She cried out in agony and it seemed as if everyone around her bid silence to her struggle. I did not."
- Napoleone di Buonaparte, 1790

Accounts from that day show Napoleone taking up a blunt object, believed to be a stick of wood, and beating three Jacobin men to death. Several men in the crowd joined him in attacking the Jacobins. Violence erupted into the crowd before Napoleone and the men who came to his aid charged into the crowd and stormed the stage where the Jacobin leader was giving a hate-filled speech. Seizing control, Napoleone spoke.

"Men of Rome, I bid you listen! The Jacobin will do nothing but bring ruin upon us! While His Holiness has done us wrong, we cannot descend into French cannibalism and blood-shed! The deaths of thousands cannot be permitted, as the powers of Europe will descend here and force us to our own deaths! The Americans are an example of this! Strike against the Jacobins, and we shall have victory over the Papal State!"
- His speech shortly after hitting the revolutionary leader with a large stick.

The speech had many non-Jacobins in the crowd turning on those who were Jacobins. In a matter of minutes, the Jacobins had either been maimed or driven out of the crowd. Napoleone's speech increased his popularity immensely, and within two days, on September 9, 1787, a large number of people marched on the Vatican to drive the Pope out. The Swiss Guard attempted to halt the crowd, but was overwhelmed. Pope Clement XV escaped to Spain shortly afterwards, leaving Rome without a leader.

This lead to the gathering of the Revolutionaries at the Vatican, who decided that there should be a new form. Assembling the "Senate of Rome", they unanimously called upon Napoleone to be named Consul of the Roman Republic. Several men argued that Consul was a term used by the French Jacobins, and a counter-proposal was made and debated.

On September 10, 1787, the Roman Senate offered Napoleone di Buonaparte the title Augustus, and Emperor of the Roman Empire. Napoleone was informed by one of his close associates, Marzio Giotto Vespa. Napoleone traversed to the Colosseum to receive his crown.

Flag of the Roman Empire, or more colloquially, the Empire of Italy.​

The establishment of this Empire triggered alarm in the same circles that the French one had. However, almost in the immediate aftermath, Augustus Napoleone circulated letters across Italy, decrying the Parisian violence and stating that such violence was above the "civilized people of Rome". His letter was signed, "Augustus Napoleone di Buonaparte".

The letter reached the court of the Habsburgs, whom were interested in the concept of a moderate Empire in Italy. While it was a threat to their interests, they courted diplomats to Rome to talk to Napoleone about a possible coalition against France.

However, before the diplomats could arrive, the French Republic struck hard and quickly. In early 1788, the French army organized under Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, who had impressed the Jacobins, struck into Italy with speed, rapidly overrunning Savoy and Genoa by late Spring. Austrian and French soldiers clashed in Milano and other parts of Northern Italy through the rest of the year.

The 'White' King: King Ludwik II of Poland-Lithuania​

Stanisław II August suffered a massive coronary and died in May 1788. His death lead to a new election for the Polish-Lithuanian monarch. While Prussia, Austria and Russia remained interested in the affairs, Catherine the Great of Russia was growing ever more infirm and unaware of the world around her; Frederick William II was an incompetent monarch, barely capable of keeping Prussia together and strong in the face of hostile French movements near Germany; and the Austrian Emperor, Francis, was embroiled in a war against the French Republic in Italy and border skirmishes near the Holy Roman Empire's heartland, rendering all three powers once again, incapable of playing politics in Poland.

A number of candidates came up to the fore, however, none of them were deemed good enough to the Sejm, who wished to avoid a repeat of August the Saxon -- any Hohenzollern, Habsburg or Romanov candidates were dismissed outright or played around with. An idea came to the forefront from many liberal thinkers in the state -- a proposal that was horribly dark horse and was called by many a mistake waiting to happen was put forward. Prince Louis, the so called heir of the French monarchy upon his brother's death, was proposed to be named King of Poland-Lithuania on the condition that, if he was restored to France, he abdicate his crown.

Because of the fact that the child was still a toddler, barely 3 years old, he was in no condition to respond. However, this news was interesting to the Austrians, who were harboring the boy in Vienna. The Austrians accepted his appointment as King on the condition that Poland-Lithuania join the war against France.

The Sejm debated this, and agreed. Within a month of the death of Stanislaw, little Louis of Bourbon was transported to Warsaw to be named King of Poland-Lithuania. A Regency Council was assembled, this time being more liberals than conservatives, which began the process of continuing the planned reforms of Stanislaw II, hoping to turn Poland-Lithuania into a permanent part of European history.

King Ludwik II of Poland-Lithuania, pictured at age seven, 1792

Napoleone's Gambit: Rome At War​

Napoleone, having secured his own temporal power, spent the length of time leading into the war in Italy consolidating his hold over the Papal State's territory. However, he soon faced an immediate issue. the Kingdom of Naples, outright hostile to anything Revolutionary, especially with what Napoleone did to remove the Pope all together, joined with Spain and attempted to invade and evict Napoleone from Italy all together. Initial victories put Napoleone on the backstep, before he struck back hard, driving the Neapolitans back across the border into their own territory.

Calling upon Austria, Napoleone proposed that Rome would join the War against France upon the conclusion of a war against Naples, provided Austria recognize Roman rights to, at least, the Southern half of Italy, and provide support and diplomatic pressure on Spain.

Austria agreed, having lost ground in Lombardy and retreated toward Venice in the interim. France's army swung south and pushed toward Tuscany, threatening Napoleone's Kingdom. With haste, Napoleone invaded Naples with full force. Ferdinand of Naples and Sicily took flight from Napoli which fell to Napoleone's armies in a matter of four weeks, in October 1788.

Pushing further, Ferdinand's armies fell back into Sicily, where the fighting stopped for the moment. While Spain bided its time to strike back at Napoleone, France suffered a moderate famine in 1788-1789, as the winter was the harshest it had been in a while. To distract from this problem, the French halted their expansion into Italy and attacked Spain, forcing Spain into a frenzy. The French army burrowed deep into Spanish soil, forcing the Spanish King and his Sicilian ally to seek peaceful terms with Napoleone. Napoleone was, in the end, named King of Naples, with Ferdinand remaining only the King of Sicily.

After the end of the Neapolitan War, Napoleone's Imperial Army went north. In March 1789, France launched an offensive south, slamming full force into the Italian states in Central Italy. The reigning Princes there were either killed or imprisoned. Several fled south to Rome and begged Napoleone to save their realm from French looting, and swore fealty. Namely, the Grand Prince of Tuscany and the King of Savoy, as well as the Prince of Genoa, along with the minor princes in Austrian diplomatic orbit, yet independent.

Napoleone marched north and engaged France just south of Florence. The battle was a slogger, meaning Rome was now committed to a long haul war against the French Empire.

The Peninsular War, and the Five Years Offensive​

Despite abhorrent French overextension in Italy and Spain alike, Spain's armies, having been caught unawares, faltered in the face of renewed French offensives in 1789. Despite numerous attempts to cull the French invasion, Spain faltered, and the King of Spain and his family fled west into Portugal, seeking refuge. France, after establishing a puppet republic in Madrid, attacked Portugal. This lead into the United Kingdom declaring war on France, and pledging to end their nonsense once and for all.

The Portuguese Army halted France's invasion with ease, but was spread thin due to France placing soldiers on flank. The stalemate lasted for months on end, before France organized a retreat back to the original border in January 1790, and bribed Portugal into signing a white peace treaty. However, British forces arrived and took back Gibraltar which had gone back to Spain in the 1785 Peace Treaty, and began harassing France in Southern Spain, making it nigh impossible for France to dislodge them, nor for Britain to make an offensive. This problem distracted French manpower significantly, prolonging the so called "Peninsular War".

In 1790, France undertook one of it's final major offensives of the war, and one of it's most successful ones. The Five Years Offensive was launched in the Spring of 1790, with French forces surging into Southern Netherlands and Western Holy Roman Empire, intent on taking all of the French irredentist land. The offensive was slow, yet it made constant progress. From 1790 to 1795, the French army slowly but surely consumed the Habsburg territories in the west, and carved into the Rhineland.

In 1795, France descended upon the United Provinces, intent on ending their merchant power and gaining complete economic control of Western Europe outside of Great Britain. French naval ships, along with soldiers, attacked the United Provinces, and quickly made their way through the territory.

In April 1795, the United Provinces, and it's capital, fell to the French Republic, and ceased to exist. France declared itself the inheritor of all Dutch colonies, including South Africa.

However, a large number of Dutch ships and merchants, as well as nobility, escaped from the United Provinces on boat in the night, escaping French naval sorties. They arrived in South Africa in July 1795, and met with the local leaders, and soon realized that establishing a government in exile was significantly less possible than they thought...