Hello and welcome to my new timeline, The Spirit of Cato Haunts These Streets. It will start with the Cato Street Conspiracy in 1820 and continue until I think it has run its course. Suggestions and such are welcome as this is my first proper TL.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland emerged triumphant from the Napoleonic Wars that had plagued Europe for twelve years. Britannia seemed poised to dominate the world, and spread her empire from sea to shining sea... everything at the time seemed to indicate she would too. India was all but subjugated, the Colonials of America had been thrashed in 1812, and the French had finally been put in their place.
The domestic situation on the Home Islands were not as optimistic though. The country had suffered greatly from the years of near constant warfare on the continent and abroad. Famine and unemployment were rocking the British economy and discontent was common. The Corn Laws exacerbated the situation among the unemployed and urban poor, culminating in the Peterloo Massacre. Tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter's Field in Manchester to demand action from Parliament, and the situation quickly devolved into chaos. Details are murky and much exaggerated by Republican Propaganda, but from what we can gather, overeager Manchester Yeomen in the city were issued an arrest warrant for a member of the crowd, and the seeming hostility of the protest caused them to react harshly. In all, about 15 were killed and around 400-700 (i) people were injured.
The reaction around the nation was that of shock and horror. Protests swept over the North of England, and thousands turned out in the streets to call for the heads of those reponsible. One London newspaper jokingly remarked that the Yeoman responsible should be herded up and subject to a cavalry charge by the Royal Scots Greys (ii) The British Government quickly moved to pass an act aimed to minimize the chance of armed insurrection a la the French Revolution. These were called "The Six Acts" by Parliament, but were dubbed "The Six Commandments" by many. French Historian Élie Halévy deemed them to be “counter-revolutionary terror...under the direct patronage of Lord Sidmouth and his colleagues." (iii) They cracked down on large public meetings, radical newspapers, etc. and sought to reassert order to the country.
This state of affairs spilled over into 1820 and this was followed by the death of King George III. George IV succeeded to the throne, but the government was undergoing reorganization and was in a bit of a mess in the early months of the year. The unstable political situation drove a small group of men to take action in London. The conspirators were known as the Spencean Philanthropists (iv) and lead by the ex-soldier and radical Arthur Thistlewood. Travels in the US and France had exposed Arthur to republican ideals, and the political repression of his time drove him to hatch the plot. The group met in a barn on Cato Street to plot the assassination throughout January of 1820, and eventually they saw their chance. Group member In late February, George Edwards (v) took note that a cabinet dinner was to be held in the home of Lord Harrowby, and most of the heads of government were to be there. The conspirators armed themselves with an assortment of grenades, pikes, swords, pistols, and blunderbusses in preparation for the dinner. Conspirator William Davidson, who used to work for Harrowby, visited his former employer's home to find out details about the dinner. A servant greeted him at the door and informed him of the dinner on the night of the 30th. The plot was set to unfold with twelve men carrying out the massacre at Harrowby's, two Irishmen heading over to the Irish quarter of the city to incite revolt, and one man to be posted lookout on the street.
On the rainy night of February 29, 1820, thirteen men shuffled down the dark street, concealing all manner of weapons in their clothing. Arriving at the door of Harrowby's home, Arthur Thistlewood rapped hard on the door, and a soldier answered. The other conspirators were hidden just out of sight, so when Arthur handed a letter he had to the man, the soldier did not notice anything amiss. The remaining eleven men burst out from their concealed positions and ran into the house, overtaking the guard and the idle servants. By ten o'clock, the house was secured and the room where dinner was being served was surrounded by the plotters.
Arthur Thistlewood opened the door and strolled into the dining room where Lord Harrowby, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Sidmouth, Lord Castlereagh, Earl Liverpool, and various other guests were dining. Arthur drew his sabre and proclaimed the words that would become immortalized among the British Republican movement and the pages of history.
"Well, my lords, I have got as good men here as the Manchester Yeomanry! Citizens, do your duty!"
...and the slaughter commenced.
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i. The numbers have been inflated by subsequent Republican propaganda, but these are the generally agreed upon numbers.
ii. The massacre was ironically likened to the Battle of Waterloo, hence the reference to the Scots Greys Charge.
iii. The acts were not particularly tyrannical, but Élie Halévy, being French himself, exaggerated the impact of the Acts in his works.
iv. Named after the British Radical, Thomas Spence.
v. Thought to be a government spy erroneously by contemporary historians, George Edwards was a genuine conspirator as seen by his participation in the massacre.
(This is my first timeline, involving a successful Cato Street Conspiracy where the government agents in the plot are genuine conspirators instead, so the plan is not leaked to the authorities.)
The Spirit of Cato Haunts These Streets
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland emerged triumphant from the Napoleonic Wars that had plagued Europe for twelve years. Britannia seemed poised to dominate the world, and spread her empire from sea to shining sea... everything at the time seemed to indicate she would too. India was all but subjugated, the Colonials of America had been thrashed in 1812, and the French had finally been put in their place.
The domestic situation on the Home Islands were not as optimistic though. The country had suffered greatly from the years of near constant warfare on the continent and abroad. Famine and unemployment were rocking the British economy and discontent was common. The Corn Laws exacerbated the situation among the unemployed and urban poor, culminating in the Peterloo Massacre. Tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter's Field in Manchester to demand action from Parliament, and the situation quickly devolved into chaos. Details are murky and much exaggerated by Republican Propaganda, but from what we can gather, overeager Manchester Yeomen in the city were issued an arrest warrant for a member of the crowd, and the seeming hostility of the protest caused them to react harshly. In all, about 15 were killed and around 400-700 (i) people were injured.
The reaction around the nation was that of shock and horror. Protests swept over the North of England, and thousands turned out in the streets to call for the heads of those reponsible. One London newspaper jokingly remarked that the Yeoman responsible should be herded up and subject to a cavalry charge by the Royal Scots Greys (ii) The British Government quickly moved to pass an act aimed to minimize the chance of armed insurrection a la the French Revolution. These were called "The Six Acts" by Parliament, but were dubbed "The Six Commandments" by many. French Historian Élie Halévy deemed them to be “counter-revolutionary terror...under the direct patronage of Lord Sidmouth and his colleagues." (iii) They cracked down on large public meetings, radical newspapers, etc. and sought to reassert order to the country.
This state of affairs spilled over into 1820 and this was followed by the death of King George III. George IV succeeded to the throne, but the government was undergoing reorganization and was in a bit of a mess in the early months of the year. The unstable political situation drove a small group of men to take action in London. The conspirators were known as the Spencean Philanthropists (iv) and lead by the ex-soldier and radical Arthur Thistlewood. Travels in the US and France had exposed Arthur to republican ideals, and the political repression of his time drove him to hatch the plot. The group met in a barn on Cato Street to plot the assassination throughout January of 1820, and eventually they saw their chance. Group member In late February, George Edwards (v) took note that a cabinet dinner was to be held in the home of Lord Harrowby, and most of the heads of government were to be there. The conspirators armed themselves with an assortment of grenades, pikes, swords, pistols, and blunderbusses in preparation for the dinner. Conspirator William Davidson, who used to work for Harrowby, visited his former employer's home to find out details about the dinner. A servant greeted him at the door and informed him of the dinner on the night of the 30th. The plot was set to unfold with twelve men carrying out the massacre at Harrowby's, two Irishmen heading over to the Irish quarter of the city to incite revolt, and one man to be posted lookout on the street.
On the rainy night of February 29, 1820, thirteen men shuffled down the dark street, concealing all manner of weapons in their clothing. Arriving at the door of Harrowby's home, Arthur Thistlewood rapped hard on the door, and a soldier answered. The other conspirators were hidden just out of sight, so when Arthur handed a letter he had to the man, the soldier did not notice anything amiss. The remaining eleven men burst out from their concealed positions and ran into the house, overtaking the guard and the idle servants. By ten o'clock, the house was secured and the room where dinner was being served was surrounded by the plotters.
Arthur Thistlewood opened the door and strolled into the dining room where Lord Harrowby, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Sidmouth, Lord Castlereagh, Earl Liverpool, and various other guests were dining. Arthur drew his sabre and proclaimed the words that would become immortalized among the British Republican movement and the pages of history.
"Well, my lords, I have got as good men here as the Manchester Yeomanry! Citizens, do your duty!"
...and the slaughter commenced.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i. The numbers have been inflated by subsequent Republican propaganda, but these are the generally agreed upon numbers.
ii. The massacre was ironically likened to the Battle of Waterloo, hence the reference to the Scots Greys Charge.
iii. The acts were not particularly tyrannical, but Élie Halévy, being French himself, exaggerated the impact of the Acts in his works.
iv. Named after the British Radical, Thomas Spence.
v. Thought to be a government spy erroneously by contemporary historians, George Edwards was a genuine conspirator as seen by his participation in the massacre.
(This is my first timeline, involving a successful Cato Street Conspiracy where the government agents in the plot are genuine conspirators instead, so the plan is not leaked to the authorities.)
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