The Revenge of the Crown : An Alternate 1812 and Beyond.
- Thread starter Sarthak
- Start date
Chapter 20: Rule Britannia!
Chapter 20: Rule Britannia!
***
Sir Isaac Brock, the 1st Duke of Auckland was certainly a happy man as he grumbled leaning on the sides of the ships he was on. The naval ensign of the British Royal Navy gleamed in the morning sun as the ship sailed at the forefront of an armada in all of its glory.
“Why must we even intervene in the United States?” Brock asked as he lit his cigarette and took a drag out of it. “I was quite happy in Guernsey thank you very much!”
“Lord Auckland, I must admit that when I heard I was going to be sailing with a legend in all forms, I did not expect you to be a man who whined so much.” Came the irritated answer from Sir Edward Packenham, a famous general himself from the Peninsular War and the War of the 7th Coalition, famous for his storming of the left flank during the Battle of Waterloo.
“Sir Edward, when I left North America a decade ago, I swore not to go back. I had stayed there for far too long.” Brock grumbled. “And now it seems that God has sent me there again, for what reason I know not!”
Edward Pakenham.
“The reason is pretty simple.” Packenham shrugged. “We are only going to be mobilizing our forces in North America, and then wait and see. Observe what the French are doing and if all seems to be in good order, then we come back to merry old England!”
“Bah, I am a Norman more than anything else.” Brock muttered under his breath but Packenham heard it.
“I hear some people in Guernsey still speak Norman. Is that true?” He asked.
“Yes.” Brock answered. “My accent also has a Norman ting to it if you listen carefully. The people are the vestiges of the almost dead language. I hope the government can protect the language, considering France doesn’t seem too worried about the fact that Norman is dying out in mainland Normandy.”
“Those bastards in Paris have only really cared about French haven’t they?” Packenham joked. “Considering what happened to Occitan, Breton, Corsican, the lot…”
“We aren’t much better are we?” Brock shot back. “What’s going on in the Highlands where Gaelic is being rooted out and the Irish folk find no opportunity in the kingdom should they not know English.”
“True enough.” Packenham shrugged. “But the Highland is being cleared of people in general, not Gaelic speakers. Economics dictates policy I am afraid. And the sad truth remains that English is the prestige language for the British Isles, and economically not knowing English is only going to hamper many Irishmen in their journey for work. Though I hear that some Irish lords, like the Duke of Wellington are trying to set up an all-Irish language factory estate in Meath. So it’s a start I guess.”
“A start, indeed. At least there’s some consolation in that. Though while I am not looking forward to going to North America again, I am keen on meeting some old friends I left behind.” Brock stated as he took another drag and looked at the sea and transport ships trailing behind their own ship.
“Like whom?”
“Well you may find this odd, but the vast majority of them are Native Americans……like Sir John Norton, Sir William Jackson etc….”
“Those are English names.” Deadpanned Packenham as he looked at Brock.
Brock clicked his tongue and shook his head. “They have English names, yes, but that doesn’t make them English…..Norton would cut your skull if you called him English.”
“Hah! We will see!”
***
“The British naval squadrons in Halifax were immediately ordered to shadow any and all French warships in North American waters, due to their intervention in North America, and whilst the government had no plan to go to war with the French Kingdom, they did want to send a message to Charles X of France, that they were indeed watching and would continue to watch.
Down in New Orleans, Louis Philippe’s landing in the dock was welcomed by the population of the city and he was brought inside the city’s great hall with great and lavish celebrations taking under his name. The French volunteer forces which had arrived a month earlier than him in the city guarded him and his family as they entered the great and magnificent city named after their house. Inside the Great Hall, the major leaders of the Louisianan Revolution and War of Independence, like Jacques Dupre and Bernard de Marigny met Louis Philippe. In the camp of the politicians, it seems that the Big 4 of Louisiana were divided on the monarchist cause. Jacques Dupre and de Marigny were amenable to a constitutional monarchy whilst both Roman and Waggaman were both neutral to the idea, something that de Marigny and Dupre weren’t approving of.
Nonetheless, amidst great celebrations, on December 5, Louis Philippe was crowned King Louis Philippe I of Louisiana in New Orleans to the Crown of St. Bernard, the patron saint of Louisiana. There was a war of independence going on, however everything stopped in Louisiana as December 5 was made into a national holiday.
The Coronation of Louis Philippe I of Louisiana.
However nothing was rosy in Louisiana at all. The Anglophone population had been divided on the issue about independence, and whilst a large group of Anglophones led by Waggaman were collaborating with the Francophones on the topic of independence, many did not like what the Francophones were doing. The Francophone population of Louisiana was centered on the major urban centers of the area, and whilst these cities were overwhelmingly Francophone, the rural areas were most certainly not. Bands like the American Brothers started to form up in the rural Anglophone areas of Louisiana and they started to act as Guerillas against the Louisianan cause.
These guerillas caused havoc on the supply lines of the Louisianan militias and Louisianan armed forces and their supplies. This precipitated a great problem for the men and the forces, and eventually in order to safeguard their rear, the Comanche troops now fighting as mercenaries for the Louisianans were deployed to hunt down these guerillas. This ended in brutal reprisals by the Comanche against the guerillas. The Comanche horsemen would gallop throughout the country and attack the guerillas massacring them in individual events and battles.
Nonetheless, despite this, and many other Guerilla bands operating on the American cause, the populations of the major urban areas, like that of Lafayette, New Orleans and St. Louis remained pro-Louisianan, even among the Anglophone population of the area. This was further supported by the fact that the Hispanic population of Louisiana, a significant minority also supported the Louisianans that made their base in the cities so powerful. In St. Louis, one Joseph Johnson led the Anglophone Group, stating in his memorandum:-
The Anglos of St. Louis are in favor of Secession with our Francophone brothers in the city. This group, called the Anglophone group is in agreement with the government in New Orleans that we must forge our own path, however this group is also being made in order to safeguard the rights of Anglos within this great country of Louisiana.
A curious picture of Anglophones celebrating the accession of Louis Philippe I to the Louisianan Throne.
Thus we can find a polarized opinion base, with the rural Anglophones being virulently anti-Louisianan and pro-Americans, whilst the urban Anglophones became very pro-Louisianan, as long as their rights were respected by the government, which they did……” The House of Orleans and the Struggle for an Independent Louisiana, University of Thurso, 1998.
“The first major engagement that the French had with the Americans during the War of Louisianan Independence would be the Battle of the Great White Heron on December 26th, 1825 when the French Navy consisting of 10 schooners and 3 Frigates encountered an American patrol in the region. The battle was short and the French, with their overwhelming edge in numbers and quality won the naval battle with ease. However the battle happened in Spanish waters, and the French were not able to capitalize on their victory quickly enough and the Spanish garrison and Spanish navy operating from Florida quickly arrived on the battle scene and told the French to leave immediately without them being able to take advantage of their win.
Spanish troops entering Eastern Florida with the American flag being brought down
Meanwhile from Pensacola, the Duke of Bailen decided that this was the best time, when America was in turmoil to end the question of East Florida once and for all, and with his 10,000 well armed veteran troops entered eastern florida, under American administration and planted the Spanish flag atop the city of Mobile without firing a shot. The city’s mayor opened the doors of the city without resisting after he saw the massive army that was gathering in front of his city. Nonetheless, this sudden seizure of East Florida was something that the Americans did not like, and only served to make the American position somewhat more dangerous in the civil war. Finally, recognizing that something needed to be done, on January 3rd, Calhoun contacted the Spanish and offered unilaterally to sell East Florida to Spain and the surrounding disputed lands to Spain for a good sum. Spain declined this offer. Spain knew very well that the American financial situation was horrible and that they would not be able to engage in any economic activity such as purchase and buying of land on such a wide scale anytime soon. However Spain also acted quickly and exacted a promise from Calhoun, that if the claims of Spain were recognized by the USA in East Florida, then the 10,000 troops in Florida would be reduced to 6,000 and Spain would not intervene in the American Civil War, unlike their French counterparts.
Calhoun begrudgingly accepted this offer.” Spain in the Civil War, University of Richmond, 1999.
Admiral Maitland.
“The Maitland Expedition was a diplomatic and military expedition to Tokugawa Nihon involving one massive voyage from the Far Eastern Fleet of the Royal Navy under Admiral Maitland, the famous admiral who took Napoleon’s surrender. The goals of the expedition were pretty simple and straightforward. They would go to Nihon, and open the gates of the country ending 150 years of self-imposed isolation and repeal the edict of the foreign expulsion that the Shogun had passed a year ago, and opening the country to trade with the United Kingdom. Opening contact with the government of Nihon was considered a top priority of the expedition, and was one of the key reasons for its inception.
Flag of the ryuku Kingdom.
On January 9th, 1826, the Royal Navy appeared of the coast of Ryuku and the Satsuma domains. The island was claimed by the Satsuma domain, however it was ruled by an independent kingdom, the Kingdom of Ryuku. Whilst the Kingdom of Ryuku did not have an isolationist policy like that of Nihon, it did like to keep to itself and its only real diplomatic negotiations took place through the Qing Dynasty, Korea and Nihon itself. There, Maitland landed ashore and asked the local Ryuku government about Nihon itself and how best he could contact the government. There, the officials of Ryuku told Maitland that his best objective would be to go to Edo and speak with the Shogun himself, alluding to the fact that the Nihon Emperor was nothing but a puppet to the Shogun who was described as a military dictator.
A Japanese depiction of the Maitland Expedition.
Thanking the Ryuku government, Maitland set sail again and on January 17th, 1826, HMS Wellesley and Maitland’s entire fleet consisting of 9 warships appeared on the horizon of Edo. Alongside Maitland was a group of Dutch officials who knew how to speak English and Japanese, and using the Dutch as their translators, Maitland demanded to speak with the Shogun. At first the Japanese laughed him off, however as the guns of the warships at port started to rear up, the Japanese took his demand more seriously. At last after three days of waiting, Tokugawa Ienari, the Shogun of Japan met Maitland, and there, Maitland demanded the end of diplomatic isolation of Nihon, the opening of relations between Nihon and the UK, as well as the end of the foreign expulsion edict as well as trade relations between the UK and Nihon to open. Tokugawa Ienari at first tried to stall for time asking for 6 months to decide his answer, but Maitland under orders to get an answer on his visit did not accept these stalls and bluntly threatened (bluffed) that saying no would mean war with the United Kingdom.
Tokugawa Ienari, the Shogun of Nihon.
Finally after a week of haggling with one another, Tokugawa Ienari reluctantly agreed to the terms placed by the British government and signed the Treaty of Edo with Maitland who acted as the diplomat for Great Britain and after one and a half century, Nihon was open again.” Nihon in the 19th Century, Imperial University of Kyoto, 1971.
“Central America had tried their own bid for independence when Mexico launched their independence war, however due to instability, the area was absorbed into the Empire of Mexico. Whilst many found their new lives as Mexicans content, with the personal charisma of Jose I playing a big role in that, many were not.
Manuel Jose Arce, a major Central American nationalist.
One Manuel Jose Arce was most certainly not pleased at all, and throughout the years, from 1822 to 1825 he had been building a solid base to work upon and in the year 1826, the Great Central American Uprising began as disillusioned Central American nationalists and republicans rose up against Mexico in the jungles of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Guatemala and El Salvador remained in firm Mexican hands whilst Honduras was contested between the Central American rebels and the Mexicans.” Central American History, University of Caracas, 1965.
***
***
Sir Isaac Brock, the 1st Duke of Auckland was certainly a happy man as he grumbled leaning on the sides of the ships he was on. The naval ensign of the British Royal Navy gleamed in the morning sun as the ship sailed at the forefront of an armada in all of its glory.
“Why must we even intervene in the United States?” Brock asked as he lit his cigarette and took a drag out of it. “I was quite happy in Guernsey thank you very much!”
“Lord Auckland, I must admit that when I heard I was going to be sailing with a legend in all forms, I did not expect you to be a man who whined so much.” Came the irritated answer from Sir Edward Packenham, a famous general himself from the Peninsular War and the War of the 7th Coalition, famous for his storming of the left flank during the Battle of Waterloo.
“Sir Edward, when I left North America a decade ago, I swore not to go back. I had stayed there for far too long.” Brock grumbled. “And now it seems that God has sent me there again, for what reason I know not!”
Edward Pakenham.
“The reason is pretty simple.” Packenham shrugged. “We are only going to be mobilizing our forces in North America, and then wait and see. Observe what the French are doing and if all seems to be in good order, then we come back to merry old England!”
“Bah, I am a Norman more than anything else.” Brock muttered under his breath but Packenham heard it.
“I hear some people in Guernsey still speak Norman. Is that true?” He asked.
“Yes.” Brock answered. “My accent also has a Norman ting to it if you listen carefully. The people are the vestiges of the almost dead language. I hope the government can protect the language, considering France doesn’t seem too worried about the fact that Norman is dying out in mainland Normandy.”
“Those bastards in Paris have only really cared about French haven’t they?” Packenham joked. “Considering what happened to Occitan, Breton, Corsican, the lot…”
“We aren’t much better are we?” Brock shot back. “What’s going on in the Highlands where Gaelic is being rooted out and the Irish folk find no opportunity in the kingdom should they not know English.”
“True enough.” Packenham shrugged. “But the Highland is being cleared of people in general, not Gaelic speakers. Economics dictates policy I am afraid. And the sad truth remains that English is the prestige language for the British Isles, and economically not knowing English is only going to hamper many Irishmen in their journey for work. Though I hear that some Irish lords, like the Duke of Wellington are trying to set up an all-Irish language factory estate in Meath. So it’s a start I guess.”
“A start, indeed. At least there’s some consolation in that. Though while I am not looking forward to going to North America again, I am keen on meeting some old friends I left behind.” Brock stated as he took another drag and looked at the sea and transport ships trailing behind their own ship.
“Like whom?”
“Well you may find this odd, but the vast majority of them are Native Americans……like Sir John Norton, Sir William Jackson etc….”
“Those are English names.” Deadpanned Packenham as he looked at Brock.
Brock clicked his tongue and shook his head. “They have English names, yes, but that doesn’t make them English…..Norton would cut your skull if you called him English.”
“Hah! We will see!”
***
“The British naval squadrons in Halifax were immediately ordered to shadow any and all French warships in North American waters, due to their intervention in North America, and whilst the government had no plan to go to war with the French Kingdom, they did want to send a message to Charles X of France, that they were indeed watching and would continue to watch.
Down in New Orleans, Louis Philippe’s landing in the dock was welcomed by the population of the city and he was brought inside the city’s great hall with great and lavish celebrations taking under his name. The French volunteer forces which had arrived a month earlier than him in the city guarded him and his family as they entered the great and magnificent city named after their house. Inside the Great Hall, the major leaders of the Louisianan Revolution and War of Independence, like Jacques Dupre and Bernard de Marigny met Louis Philippe. In the camp of the politicians, it seems that the Big 4 of Louisiana were divided on the monarchist cause. Jacques Dupre and de Marigny were amenable to a constitutional monarchy whilst both Roman and Waggaman were both neutral to the idea, something that de Marigny and Dupre weren’t approving of.
Nonetheless, amidst great celebrations, on December 5, Louis Philippe was crowned King Louis Philippe I of Louisiana in New Orleans to the Crown of St. Bernard, the patron saint of Louisiana. There was a war of independence going on, however everything stopped in Louisiana as December 5 was made into a national holiday.
The Coronation of Louis Philippe I of Louisiana.
However nothing was rosy in Louisiana at all. The Anglophone population had been divided on the issue about independence, and whilst a large group of Anglophones led by Waggaman were collaborating with the Francophones on the topic of independence, many did not like what the Francophones were doing. The Francophone population of Louisiana was centered on the major urban centers of the area, and whilst these cities were overwhelmingly Francophone, the rural areas were most certainly not. Bands like the American Brothers started to form up in the rural Anglophone areas of Louisiana and they started to act as Guerillas against the Louisianan cause.
These guerillas caused havoc on the supply lines of the Louisianan militias and Louisianan armed forces and their supplies. This precipitated a great problem for the men and the forces, and eventually in order to safeguard their rear, the Comanche troops now fighting as mercenaries for the Louisianans were deployed to hunt down these guerillas. This ended in brutal reprisals by the Comanche against the guerillas. The Comanche horsemen would gallop throughout the country and attack the guerillas massacring them in individual events and battles.
Nonetheless, despite this, and many other Guerilla bands operating on the American cause, the populations of the major urban areas, like that of Lafayette, New Orleans and St. Louis remained pro-Louisianan, even among the Anglophone population of the area. This was further supported by the fact that the Hispanic population of Louisiana, a significant minority also supported the Louisianans that made their base in the cities so powerful. In St. Louis, one Joseph Johnson led the Anglophone Group, stating in his memorandum:-
The Anglos of St. Louis are in favor of Secession with our Francophone brothers in the city. This group, called the Anglophone group is in agreement with the government in New Orleans that we must forge our own path, however this group is also being made in order to safeguard the rights of Anglos within this great country of Louisiana.
Thus we can find a polarized opinion base, with the rural Anglophones being virulently anti-Louisianan and pro-Americans, whilst the urban Anglophones became very pro-Louisianan, as long as their rights were respected by the government, which they did……” The House of Orleans and the Struggle for an Independent Louisiana, University of Thurso, 1998.
“The first major engagement that the French had with the Americans during the War of Louisianan Independence would be the Battle of the Great White Heron on December 26th, 1825 when the French Navy consisting of 10 schooners and 3 Frigates encountered an American patrol in the region. The battle was short and the French, with their overwhelming edge in numbers and quality won the naval battle with ease. However the battle happened in Spanish waters, and the French were not able to capitalize on their victory quickly enough and the Spanish garrison and Spanish navy operating from Florida quickly arrived on the battle scene and told the French to leave immediately without them being able to take advantage of their win.
Spanish troops entering Eastern Florida with the American flag being brought down
Meanwhile from Pensacola, the Duke of Bailen decided that this was the best time, when America was in turmoil to end the question of East Florida once and for all, and with his 10,000 well armed veteran troops entered eastern florida, under American administration and planted the Spanish flag atop the city of Mobile without firing a shot. The city’s mayor opened the doors of the city without resisting after he saw the massive army that was gathering in front of his city. Nonetheless, this sudden seizure of East Florida was something that the Americans did not like, and only served to make the American position somewhat more dangerous in the civil war. Finally, recognizing that something needed to be done, on January 3rd, Calhoun contacted the Spanish and offered unilaterally to sell East Florida to Spain and the surrounding disputed lands to Spain for a good sum. Spain declined this offer. Spain knew very well that the American financial situation was horrible and that they would not be able to engage in any economic activity such as purchase and buying of land on such a wide scale anytime soon. However Spain also acted quickly and exacted a promise from Calhoun, that if the claims of Spain were recognized by the USA in East Florida, then the 10,000 troops in Florida would be reduced to 6,000 and Spain would not intervene in the American Civil War, unlike their French counterparts.
Calhoun begrudgingly accepted this offer.” Spain in the Civil War, University of Richmond, 1999.
Admiral Maitland.
“The Maitland Expedition was a diplomatic and military expedition to Tokugawa Nihon involving one massive voyage from the Far Eastern Fleet of the Royal Navy under Admiral Maitland, the famous admiral who took Napoleon’s surrender. The goals of the expedition were pretty simple and straightforward. They would go to Nihon, and open the gates of the country ending 150 years of self-imposed isolation and repeal the edict of the foreign expulsion that the Shogun had passed a year ago, and opening the country to trade with the United Kingdom. Opening contact with the government of Nihon was considered a top priority of the expedition, and was one of the key reasons for its inception.
Flag of the ryuku Kingdom.
On January 9th, 1826, the Royal Navy appeared of the coast of Ryuku and the Satsuma domains. The island was claimed by the Satsuma domain, however it was ruled by an independent kingdom, the Kingdom of Ryuku. Whilst the Kingdom of Ryuku did not have an isolationist policy like that of Nihon, it did like to keep to itself and its only real diplomatic negotiations took place through the Qing Dynasty, Korea and Nihon itself. There, Maitland landed ashore and asked the local Ryuku government about Nihon itself and how best he could contact the government. There, the officials of Ryuku told Maitland that his best objective would be to go to Edo and speak with the Shogun himself, alluding to the fact that the Nihon Emperor was nothing but a puppet to the Shogun who was described as a military dictator.
A Japanese depiction of the Maitland Expedition.
Thanking the Ryuku government, Maitland set sail again and on January 17th, 1826, HMS Wellesley and Maitland’s entire fleet consisting of 9 warships appeared on the horizon of Edo. Alongside Maitland was a group of Dutch officials who knew how to speak English and Japanese, and using the Dutch as their translators, Maitland demanded to speak with the Shogun. At first the Japanese laughed him off, however as the guns of the warships at port started to rear up, the Japanese took his demand more seriously. At last after three days of waiting, Tokugawa Ienari, the Shogun of Japan met Maitland, and there, Maitland demanded the end of diplomatic isolation of Nihon, the opening of relations between Nihon and the UK, as well as the end of the foreign expulsion edict as well as trade relations between the UK and Nihon to open. Tokugawa Ienari at first tried to stall for time asking for 6 months to decide his answer, but Maitland under orders to get an answer on his visit did not accept these stalls and bluntly threatened (bluffed) that saying no would mean war with the United Kingdom.
Tokugawa Ienari, the Shogun of Nihon.
Finally after a week of haggling with one another, Tokugawa Ienari reluctantly agreed to the terms placed by the British government and signed the Treaty of Edo with Maitland who acted as the diplomat for Great Britain and after one and a half century, Nihon was open again.” Nihon in the 19th Century, Imperial University of Kyoto, 1971.
“Central America had tried their own bid for independence when Mexico launched their independence war, however due to instability, the area was absorbed into the Empire of Mexico. Whilst many found their new lives as Mexicans content, with the personal charisma of Jose I playing a big role in that, many were not.
Manuel Jose Arce, a major Central American nationalist.
One Manuel Jose Arce was most certainly not pleased at all, and throughout the years, from 1822 to 1825 he had been building a solid base to work upon and in the year 1826, the Great Central American Uprising began as disillusioned Central American nationalists and republicans rose up against Mexico in the jungles of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Guatemala and El Salvador remained in firm Mexican hands whilst Honduras was contested between the Central American rebels and the Mexicans.” Central American History, University of Caracas, 1965.
***
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Mobile is in West Florida. East Florida refers to the territory including the peninsula itself.
Mobile is in West Florida, but was disputed between the Spaniards and Americans with America taking control of it just after the peninsular war. The Spaniards would refer to it as East Florida, even though it isn't.
Wow. What did they call the part of Florida east of “East Florida”?
Crossing my fingers that Florida gets to become its own country too.
Poor America, it just can't catch a break as the Europeans break it up one state at a time.
florida as an independent nation would be interesting, not gonna lie.
Probably going to make USA from What Madness Is This? look tame in comparison
I am curious to see what happens to Alaska ITTL as in OTL the Russians sold it in 1867 to US, so without US the only people they can sell it to is Britain as they have the money and most likely the only people that can secure it I'd imagine and I wonder how much affect Louis-Phillipe being in the Americas will have as the only reason the revolution against the current French King does not turn to anarchy is because Marquis de Lafayette gave his support to Louis-Phillipe to be king and it's not like he was a good king as he kept getting more power from the french government so i wouldn't be surprised if he tries to take more power in America and gets deposed as they are more used to their freedom and they will be bordered by Mexico which may just decide to take the territory.
The US is truly being dogpiled. Is there any nation (of significance) that supports it?