TL: Children of the Plains of Abraham Revised (A New France & more timeline)

[da Racontor]

N: Introduction​

“It made of them great nations.”
Children of the Plains of Abraham[1]

A View on the Assault of Quebec[2]​

The 13th of September AD 1759, New France, the night before a British army crossed the Saint Lawrence River and landed at L’Anse-au-Foulon. Thrice the British landing party tempted fate, and thrice fate allowed them to continue. When they were spotted by the French sentry the British were able to impersonate supply ships that were unexpectedly delayed. When a French officer left for his patrol of the shore, he found that his horse had been stolen. And when a messenger from a captured camp arrived to warn the French, the general’s aide turned him away thinking he was mad. The British were free to fortify their position just outside of the city of Québec.

The next morning, the Marquis of Montcalm was shocked at this news, especially since the Marquis of Vaudreuil had pointed out that L’Anse-au-Foulon was vulnerable, even though the Marquis of Montcalm assured him that it was impossible for the British to take the cove. The Marquis of Montcalm had two options before him, he could engage the British before they had a chance to fully fortify their position, or wait until the Count of Bougainville arrived with another column of French troops. The Marquis of Montcalm readied himself to give the order to attack as soon as possible.

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Endnotes​

1. The timeline share’s its name with an ATL historiography book​

2. OTL A View on the Taking of Quebec​

Spoiler: Citations

i. (Smith, 1797)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Smith, Hervey. A view of the taking of Quebec. 1797. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PlainsOfAbraham2007.jpg. Accessed 7 August 2021.​

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[da Racontor]

Part I: The French and Indian War​

Chapter 1: The Battle of the Plains of Abraham​

“We do, sir, we give way everywhere.”
A British soldier answering General Wolfe’s Lasts Words

Death of General Montcalm[ii]​

Despite making all the preparations to attack the British immediately, the Marquis of Montcalm hesitated until late morning[3]. When he finally did order his troops to engage, the British had finished entrenching themselves. The French militia and Amerindian warriors stayed in the trees harassing the British flanks. While the Marquis of Montcalm led his French regulars towards the center of the British line. Initially, both sides held their fire for a few minutes. The French were the first to fire, letting off two volleys, but both were too early and they made little impact. Then the British fired their volley and advanced. As they advanced the British fired a second volley shaking French morale as they struggled to return fire. During the British advance General Wolfe, who had positioned himself behind the 28th Foot Regiment, he was struck by two musket balls, the second mortally wounded him. The British troops’ hearts sank as they saw their general fall, but it did not cause them to break. But as soon as they collected themselves, the Count of Bougainville and his column arrived and engaged the British in the rear of their lines. Despite the Marquis of Montcalm’s troops wavering, fire from two angles in the front and rear caused the weakened leadership of the shaken British troops to withdraw to L’Anse-au-Foulon as they were outflanked. During the withdraw, various portions of the British army began to flee. As the British routed, a canister shot struck the Marquis of Montcalm from his horse. With the battle won, the Marquis of Montcalm was carried back to Québec where he would die the next morning.

Winter was soon to come; a thick ice pack forced the British fleet from the Saint Lawrence River and a they would not be able to mount another offensive to try and take Québec until spring. The Duke of Lévis was appointed the Marquis of Montcalm’s replacement as commander-in-chief, and General Murray was tasked with continue the British offensive. The Duke of Lévis was much more open to suggestions from the Marquis of Vaudreuil. And he attempted to incorporate the strengths of the New French militia and Amerindian warriors into his plans making them much more adaptable to the combat needs of North America than his predecessor’s.

The winter had been particularly harsh especially on the British, this forced them to fall back from enemy territory to winter their troops. In late April, Gen. Murray led another invasion force to the city of Québec, he set his forces to blockade the city as he did not have enough men for a full-scale assault. The city’s reserves had also been depleted because of the winter so it did not take long for Duke of Lévis to attack Gen. Murray’s blockade. The Battle of Sainte-Foy was the bloodiest battle in the American theatre. As the Duke of Lévis had left a significant portion of his troops in the city to guard it the British eventually pushed the French back and won the battle. However, the British lost too many men in the battle to maintain the blockade and left before the French could re-organize and begin a second battle.

While the British army was forced withdraw, the navy was able to maintain their blockade of the St. Lawrence River. Captain Vauquelin led a task force to break the blockade. Capt. Vauquelin met the blockade near the village of Neuville, he commanded more vessels than the British, but he lacked a ship of the line to counter the HMS Vanguard. Most of the French vessels were lost, the few that managed to escape would later be scuttled as they were too damaged to be repaired. But Capt. Vauquelin succeed in weakening the blockade enough for a few supply ships to run the blockade before the British were able to reinforce it.

After the Battle of Sainte-Foy, the French began to refortify their position by constructing a new fort to protect the city of Québec from further attacks. Work began on Fort Montcalm[a] on Isle d’Orléans to prevent further invasions over the St. Lawrence River. However, before the fort could be completed the British attacked. The French held off the British for several days but with support from the British navy the fort was destroyed. Many feared another attack on the city but it did not come. The British forces hoped to mount a surprise attack on the fort and did not have the supplies for a third battle at Québec.

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Footnotes​

a. The Marquis of Vaudreuil protested this name, however the Duke of Lévis attempted to use the Marquis of Montcalm’s death as a rallying cry for the defense of Québec​

b. Fort Montcalm was almost completed it only needs a few minor additions: more cannons, and more men etc.​

Endnotes​

3. The timeline's POD​

Spoiler: Citations

ii. (de Foy Suzor-Coté, 1902)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

de Foy Suzor-Coté, Marc Aurèle. Death of Montcalm. 1902. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sketch_for_The_Death_of_Montcalm.jpg. Accessed 14 August 2021.​

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[da Racontor]

Chapter 2: The Ohio Front​

“The friend of my enemy is my friend.”
Children of the Plains of Abraham

Chief Pontiac in 1763 Taking up the War Hatchet in the French and Indian War [iii]​

While France did manage to send some supplies and regular troops to New France, it was not enough. Not only did the British navy make sending large amounts of supplies difficult but the French war plan placed more importance upon the European theatre. It was clear to the Duke of Lévis and the Marquis of Vaudreuil that they could not maintain the status quo. They had to knock the British off balance and focus their attention away from Québec. The two men formulated a plan, the Duke of Lévis would maintain the French regulars and most of the militia and continue to fortify and defend their position. While the Marquis of Vaundreuil would take the rest of the militia and the allied Amerindian warriors secretly into the occupied Ohio County and attempt to convince the Amerindians there that attacking British supply lines were in their best interest. The goal of this plan was not to gain victory in the American theatre but to force a perpetual stalemate until the European theatre ended.

Once in the Ohio Country, the Marquis of Vaundreuil met with an Odawa chief named Pontiac[a] who was already attempting to rally men to fight against the British. Pontiac was not overly enthusiastic about working with Europeans, but the French had always been the lesser of two evils. The alternative was uncontested British control in the region, Pontiac, and the Marquis of Vaundreuil easily reached an agreement to work together. There was, however, one issue. The Marquis of Vaundreuil promised French aid and supplies to those who helped them, the catch was that to get the aid the participating tribes had to work together as an organized force. The Marquis of Vaudreuil knew that this condition would be contentious and difficult as it was not how the Amerindians were used to conducting warfare. But he also knew that a disorganized force had little chance of succeeding any goal against the British.

Luckily, the Amerindian tribes did not want financial support, France did not have the monetary resources to give them. Manufactured goods, weapons, and a promise of protection was enough for most. At first, most tribes would not agree to follow a central organization, but eventually most came to follow Pontiac as war chief with the Marquis of Vaudreuil working as an adviser and liaison to the French. It would be the small initial successes that Pontiac’s warriors would have in their raids that would draw more tribes under his leadership. Communication between the tribes was difficult and led to several problems with organizing battles and ambushes.

The raids did little physical damage to the British force; however, they would be considered a success. Attacks on the supply routes meant that British forces had to maintain almost constant access to the navy when operating in New France. And because many raids were conducted behind the front line the British colonials demanded more protection. Shortly after Pontiac and the Marquis of Vaundreuil began their raids on British behind the lines, Major General Baron of Amherst decided that the British were no longer going to negotiate with “Indian Terms”. The periodic gifts that the Amerindians saw as integral to treaties ceased, even those given to the Iroquois. Maj. Gen Amherst also made use of a plan intended to attack the Amerindian population through use of disease. Under his orders blankets were taken from a small pox hospital and were traded to Delaware and Shawnee villages. As a result, a small pox epidemic broke out in those two tribes decimating their population.

While the Iroquois were officially allied with the British, many Seneca fought separately for the French. These Seneca did not join Pontiac’s forces as they were already fighting the British and it was feared that if members of one of the Iroquois nations did join it would keep other tribes from joining. The Marquis of Vaudreuil would work on a separate deal with these Seneca; war chief Cornplanter[c] would lead any warriors from the Iroquois against the British coordinating with Pontiac indirectly through the Marquis of Vaudreuil and his aids. Meanwhile, Cornplanter’s uncle, Guyasuta[d] would travel between the different Iroquois nations recruiting more warriors for their cause. The six nations would officially stay allied to the British despite Guyasuta’s attempts to sway them, most fear retribution from the British if they did change sides. But there were many individuals from each nation willing to join. Many felt that when the Baron of Amherst ceased the gifts, he ended the alliance, yet he still expected the Iroquois to still supply warriors to the war. They were also insulted by the British’s apparent lack of being able to distinguish between members of the Iroquois and other Amerindians.

The Marquis of Vaudreuil, Pontiac, and Cornplanter’s actions did succeed in placing Québec out of reach, but it did not ensure that New France was safe. British forces still traveled in the occupied zones, and there was still the threat of the British navy. The Duke of Lévis tried to focus his efforts on defense but he could not avoid all engagements so he tried to spread the British thin making them fight everywhere from Newfoundland to Ohio. When the French did engage the British in skirmishes it was usually a loss.

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Footnotes​

a. Obwandiyag​

b. Meaning that they would treat the Amerindian tribes as European countries when negotiating (more so than they already did i.e., no more gift-giving, treaty renewals, etc.)​

c. gaiänt’wakê, John Abeel III​

d. kayahsotaˀ​

Spoiler: Citations

iii. (Unknown, 19th Century)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Unknown. Chief Pontiac in 1763 Taking up the War Hatchet in the French and Indian War. 19th Century. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pontiac_in_1763.jpg. Accessed 15 August 2021.​

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[da Racontor]

Chapter 3: The Tragedy of the House of Hanover​

"It was the darkest hour for the House of Hanover"
Biographical Collection of the

Hanoverians​

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham[iv]​

William Pitt the Elder[a], the prime minister of Great Britain, had developed a war plan. The first part of his plan was to divert as many troops and resources as possible to the North American theatre. With the focus of the British war effort focused there they would be able to finally capture all New France and close the theatre for good. Then the British would be free to focus solely on the European continent. While the British were focusing on North America Britain’s capable German allies would hold the line against the French forces keeping them from gaining any more ground but not taking any ground for themselves.

Up until now, William Pitt the Elder’s plan had not been implemented. The fear of losing Hanover to the French again was too great to allow the diversion on troops the plan required. But with the loss of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, continual New French and Amerindian raids into British America, and the belief that the French army on the continent had spent itself began to change some minds. William Pitt was allowed to conduct his plan and British forces were taken from the European continent and diverted to North America.

Even though the diversion of troops was unknown to the French, the Prince of Soubise launched a last-ditch effort to capture the city of Hanover. The redirection of British troops and supplies weakened the allied lines on continental Europe and the German allied forces had not been able to reorganize yet. At the Battle of Wilhelmsthal, the French were able to open the way towards Hanover and scatter the armies of the allied German states. After a lengthy and costly siege, the French were able to retake Hanover and immediate began to refortify the city.

As soon as the German armies reformed, they placed the city back under siege. By that time though the city’s defenses had been rebuilt. French diplomats immediately began to trying to engage diplomacy with the British and Prussians. While Britain sent word to recall the troops that had just left.

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Footnotes​

a. The Earl of Chatham​

Spoiler: Citations

iv. (Brompton, 1772)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Brompton, Richard. William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. 1772. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:...of_Chatham_after_Richard_Brompton_cropped.jpg. Accessed 15 August 2021.​

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[da Racontor]

Chapter 4: The Treaty of Paris​

“Pourquoi, pour les quelques arpents de neige ?”[a]
Voltaire

Portrait of Charles de Rohan, Prince of Soubise[v]​

It was not hard to get the countries to the negotiating table; no nation had the financial capacity to continue the war for too much longer. Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal would meet in Paris, in 1763 to discuss terms. Agreeing on terms though was another matter. France would not agree to anything that did not involve trading Hannover for their captured India territory. The British would try to stall the treaty until Hanover could be retaken but that was proving to take too long. In the end, the treaty did close with the trade. Several other nations would discuss their own terms at separate treaties.

The main goal of the Treaty of Paris was to return Europe to its balance of power. Outside of Europe was a separate story, Britain made large territorial gains in North America. The main terms of the Treaty of Paris outside of Europe can be summarized as:

• Re-organization of the possession of several Caribbean Islands,
• Britain would gain Florida, eastern Louisiana, and the Ohio Country,
• Britain would demilitarize British Honduras and allow the practice of Roman Catholicism,
• France regains lost territory in India.

British colonists in the thirteen North American colonies would see the treaty differently than their European counterparts. For them the war was about removing the French and Amerindian threats. With France maintaining control of Canada and western Louisiana, their threat was still present. Also, as the colonists moved into the newly incorporated eastern Louisianan territory, they displaced the Amerindians. In response, Amerindians increased their unorganized raids on civilian targets.

The Duke of Lévis and the Marquis of Vaudreuil had held on to Canada by a string. Many Canadians were just glad the war had ended, fears of an invasion from the south would continue but the people would be able to sleep for now. Amerindians still within French controlled territory were compelled to stop raids on British territory or lose the protection promised by the Marquis of Vaudreuil. Those in the newly gained British territory would still lose French protection. Chief Pontiac would continue to resist the British, but his resistance would be disorganized and much less effective.

***​

Seven Years War​
Date:	May 17, AD 1756–February 15, AD 1763
Location:	Europe, North America, South America, Asia
Results:	Anglo-Prusso-Portugues victory Treaty of Saint Petersburg​ Treaty of Hamburg​ 13th Treaty of Paris​ Treaty of Hubertusberg​
Territorial changes:	Europe status quo ante bellum Transferer of colonial possessions between Great Britain, France & Spain France ceded its continental possessions east of the Mississippi River, except Canada, New Orleans to Great Britain​ Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain​ Caribbean islands divided between Great Britain (St. Vincent, Tobago & Dominica) & France (St. Luce)​ Great Britain ceded the Circars to France​
Belligerents​
Great Britain Ireland​ British North America​ British East India Company​ Hannover Iroquois Prussia Portugal (from 1762) Brazil Portuguese India Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Hesse-Kessel Schaumburg-Lippe	France New France​ French India​ Abenaki Holy Roman Empire Austria​ Saxony​ Russia (until AD 1762) Spain New Spain​ Peru​ Sweden Mughal Bengal
Commanders & Leaders​
George II of Great Britain (until 1760) George III of Great Britain (from 1760) William Pitt the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham Frederick II of Prussia	Louis XV of France Duke of Choiseul Marquis of Vaudreuil Maria Theresa of Austria Wenzel Anton von Kauitz Elizabeth of Russia (until AD 1763) Peter III of Russia (AD 1762) Charles III of Spain Alam II of the Mughal

Figures​

Figure 1: Treaty of Paris AD 1763[vi]

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Footnotes​

a. fra: "Why, for a few acres of snow?"​

​

Spoiler: Citations

v. (Anonymous, 18th Century)​

vi. (Modified from source: Hadaril, 2018)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Anonymous. Portrait of Charles de Rohan, Prince of Soubise. 18th Century. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...e,_Marshal_of_France_-_Versailles_MV_1098.jpg. Accessed 14 August 2021.​

Hadaril. 1776 The American Revolution. “The NextGen OTL Worlda Series.” alternatehistory.com, XenForo Ltd., 22 February 2018. https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/the-nextgen-otl-worlda-series.436046/page-49. Accessed 8 August 2021.​

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[da Racontor]

Part II: An Armed Truce[4]​

"The king had many 'secrets' spread a crossed the globe."
Louis the Beloved

Siege of Fort Detroit[vii]​

Even though France had lost the Ohio Territory and had to inform the Amerindians there it could not provide protection for them anymore, it did not lose contact with those Amerindians. Louis XV would send an agent of the Secret du Roi[a] (French secret service) to continue dialogue with the Amerindians, especially Pontiac and Cornplanter in hopes that they would continue to raid the British colonies. As the French could no longer promise protection many of the Amerindians stopped supporting the raids. Those who did continue did mostly out of animosity towards the British, which there was no shortage of due to Maj. Gen. Amherst’s policies.

Pontiac’s raiders were more disorganized than during the Seven Years’ War. As these raids often target more civilian targets, men swarmed to the British colonial militias, and new groups form with the exclusive goal of terrorizing and enacting vigilantism upon the Amerindians regardless of their affiliation. To make matters in the British North American colonies worse, the colonials knew the French were supplying Pontiac and his war bands but there was never enough contemporary evidence. The colonists continued to request more troops to protect from a French invasion. A request the British ignored in the short term as they knew the French could not afford another war so soon. This, of course, led many colonials to distrust the government in Britain. Some even went as far as to blame the British government for ended the war too early and not conquering all French America.

Amerindian raids were not the only source of unrest in the British colonies. The war cost the Kingdom of Great Britain a great deal of financial strain. To help pay for the war debt the British Parliament agreed to levy taxes on certain goods in the North American colonies. The colonies, who had long been left alone in these matters, were incensed, and claim that their rights have been violated. To reduce Amerindian raids George III issued a proclamation restricting the settlement of British colonists beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The proclamation did work. With less incursions on their land by British colonists many Amerindians felt they had no longer need to attack. The colonists, however, were not happy. Many felt that expanding to Mississippi River was their right.

North America was not the only area that the French supported proxy conflicts against the British. Support of the Mughal Empire continued as another agent of the Secret du Roi was sent to India, but with much less success. France was not the only nation to try proxy conflicts. Britain attempted to incite revolts in French America. However, British attempts mostly failed. Some historians blame this on the natives having more autonomy in French controlled territory and so had less reason to revolt. More likely though is, the British treated the natives more subservient to the British “vassals” while the French at least pretended to treated them as allies when in negotiations.

§​

While New France had been severely weakened by the war, it still held two important trade commodities. The fur trade continued much as it did before the war. While the loss of the Ohio Valley did limit the area in which French fur trappers could operate there was still plenty of furs left to gather in the Louisiana Territory. The other major commodity was cod. The area around Newfoundland was rich in cod fishing, and while France lost its territorial holdings on the island it still maintained fishing rights from Cape Bonavista to Point Riche, known as the French Shore.

French fishermen, especially Bretons, would set up temporary fishing settlements on the mainland in New France. The island of St. Pierre and Miquelon were closer but they were too small to support the often-competitive settlements and already inhabited. Overtime these fishing settlements grew and began to host year-round populations becoming permanent villages. While the cod did sell well in European markets the destination for most of the catch was the French Caribbean where it was used to fuel the sugar plantations there.

§​

Louis XV died in AD 1774, his grandson Louis XVI took the throne of France. Some thought that Louis XVI would restore the parliaments to gain public favor. However, this never happened. While he expressed his desire to do so early in his reign it seems as though the many the problems in New France distracted his attention.

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Footnotes​

a. fra: King's Secret​

b. Regional judicial bodies in France​

Endnotes​

4. ATL vocabulary: “Armed Truce” (plural: armed truces) noun. cold war​

Spoiler: Citations

vii. (Remington)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Remington, Frederic. The Siege of the Fort at Detroit. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Siege_of_Fort_Detroit.jpg. Accessed 14 August 2021.​

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[da Racontor]

Part III: The Five Years' War​

Chapter 1: The Sons of Liberty​

"Taxes for Security"
Loyalist Propaganda

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill[viii]​

To add to the unrest caused by the new taxes and the Royal Proclamation of 1763, Enlightenment philosophies on governance had taken root in colonies particularly in the New England region. As they feared retribution the Enlightenment thinkers often met in secret societies to hold discussions, one such society was known as the Sons of Liberty which frequently found itself discussing full independence from the British Crown. Shortly after its founding, the Sons of Liberty began organizing protests the British taxes. The Sons of Liberty also excelled at spreading anti-loyalist propaganda, employing their own printing presses, and actively threatening those that willing published pro-loyalist material. In December of AD 1773, the Sons of Liberty organized the Boston Tea Party to protest new taxes. In response to this and several other incidents the British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts. By this time the Sons of Liberty were preparing for the possibility of a violent conflict with the British government. Something that they would get as colonial militia and British regulars would find themselves fighting several skirmishes.

While they were the most vocal group, the Sons of Liberty were not the only faction that disagreed with the British Parliament’s tax policies. Many of the colonials still wanted to stay a part of the British Crown whether it was out of loyalty or the belief that they needed British protection, still others wanted to do their part in paying taxes as a British citizen. Representatives from thirteen British colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss possible solutions. The First Continental Congress did very little, just attempted to counter the Coercive Acts with a boycott. Tensions continued to rise as colonial militia continued to skirmish with British regulars. It would become clear that a simple boycott would not de-escalate the situation, and a Second Continental Congress was called in AD 1775 to discuss an actual solution for the problems. Many members of the Sons of Liberty were present and all pushed for war and Independence from Great Britain. While the Sons of Liberty’s zeal made independence attractive to many until one flaw was presented. The colonies were surrounded by the French territory, French territory that only a few decades earlier they had attempted to conquer. Fear that the French would try to enact revenge upon the colonies was rampant especially if Britain was no longer able to protect them. Things could get worse if Britain would decide to reclaim the colonies after or during a French attack. The congress’s final decision was to draft the Olive Branch Petition to the King of Great Britain. The petition was a plea to the king to allow the colonies some self-governance and keep the empire together. The Sons of Liberty caused no small uproar at this decision, enough of an uproar that the congress drafted a secret contingency plan if the George III refused the Olive Branch Petition. The plan included a declaration of intended independence and drafting a frame work for the creation of a continental army.

At first George III had very little interest in the Olive Branch Petition, he was too occupied with his power struggle with Parliament and considered the problems in the American colonies to be a distraction. However, he took note of the fact that the petition was addressed directly to him, he began to wonder if he could use this in his struggle against Parliament. With an intent only to use the negotiations to gain publicity George III replied that he was open to negotiations. The Continental Congress chose a moderate Joseph Galloway to lead the diplomatic envoy. The Sons of Liberty became incensed at this, they believed that there was no way the king would consider the petition. In the few months before the arrival of the king’s reply, the Sons of Liberty had been slowly building up the Continental Army against the wishes of the Continental Congress. The Sons of Liberty then take matters into their own hands hoping to sabotage the negotiations. Declaring independence, a militia Captain Benedict Arnold led as much of the Continental Army he could in a surprise raid. Knowing that he could not take the British regulars in open combat he led his force towards the wilderness to survive long enough for the British Parliament to declare open war. After promoting himself to colonel, Col. Arnold met up with the Green Mountain Boys to take Fort Ticonderoga to serve as a temporary base of operations. Col. Arnold was not the only member of the Sons of Liberty to declare independence, numerous merchant ships flew the Sons of Liberty flag and began pirating other ships.

Fearing that this declaration would jeopardize any agreement with the king, the Continental Congress immediately called an emergency meeting. Many members did not attend, and it was assumed that they were members of the Sons of Liberty. Hoping to save the negotiations congress declared all of those still in rebellion to be traitors and organized as much of the militias they could to fight the patriots. The militias were placed under the command of Colonel Oliver De Lancey Sr[a]. While some in British Parliament wanted to exact revenge upon the colonies, the majority maintained the diplomatic talks. Without British Parliament escalating to full scale war Col. Arnold’s plan had failed despite taking fort Ticonderoga. When a combined force of loyalists and British regulars marched on the fort, Col. Arnold and most of his forces fled to New France. France eager to always counter the plans of the British offered them asylum.

***​

Flags of British North America​ Originally, the only official flag the British North America had was the Red Ensign. However, two distinct flags would come into use in colonies as unofficial flags. The first of these was the Grand Union Flag. The Grand Union Flag (Figure 1) was recognized by the Continental Congress and was first used by everyone in the North American Colonies regardless of politics. But when Colonel Benedict Arnold began his own rebellion, the patriots adopted the Rebellious Stripes Flag (Figure 3) of the Sons of Liberty. The Grand Union Flag had a problem though. It looked almost identical to the most common version of the flag use by the East India Company. Several high-profile people in the East India Company protested the American use of the Grand Union Flag because of this. But as the East India Company flag did have variants individual sea captains solved the problem for them. The flag that they began to use differed from the Grand Union Flag in three main ways. The use of a rectangle canton, a reduction to nine stripes, and switching the order of the stripes to be white on red (Figure 2). The leadership in the East India Company was not happy with this fix, but since it was no longer an issue and the British Government had bigger problems nothing else was done.

Figure 1: Grand Union Flag[ix]​

​

Figure 2: Standardized East India Company Flag[x]​

​

Figure 3: Sons of Liberty Flag "Rebellious Stripes"[xi]​

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Footnotes​

a. Command of the militia force was first offered to George Washington, as he was originally selected to lead the Continental Army if it was ever formed. However, he ultimately turned the position down. Col. De Lancey was not the original second choice for the army, but congress did not want to spend time finding another candidate so they offered it to someone they knew would accept the nomination​

Spoiler: Citations

viii. (Trumbell, 1786)​

ix. (Hoshie and Yaddah, 2006)​

x. (Modified from source: Wdflak, 2006), (Modified from source: Yaddah, 2006)​

xi. (Sarang, 2015)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Hoshie, and Yaddah. 13 February 2006. Flag of the United States (1776–1777). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_United_States_(1776–1777).svg. Accessed 19 August 2021.​

Sarang. US Sons OfLiberty 9Stripes Flag. 11 June 2015. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Sons_OfLiberty_9Stripes_Flag.svg. Accessed 1 December 2021.​

Trumbell, John. The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill. 1786. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Death_of_General_Warren_at_the_Battle_of_Bunker's_Hill.jpg. Accessed 15 August 2021.​

Wdflak. British East India Company Flag. 3 December 2006. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_East_India_Company_flag.svg. Accessed 19 August 2021.​

Yaddah. Flag of the British East India Company (1707). 4 June 2006. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_British_East_India_Company_(1707).svg. Accessed 19 August 2021​

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[da Racontor]

Chapter 2: Dominion of Columbia​

"For loyalty, and King!"
Loyalist Motto

Coat of Arms of Columbia[xii]​

In early AD 1776, Joseph Galloway and the other diplomats reached the London Agreement. The plan involved the colonies forming a confederation led by a Grand Council, however the council would be subservient to the British Parliament, though it would maintain limited veto power over certain matters. The king would also be represented by the confederation’s head of government, who would be appointed by the king and serve as the king saw fit. Many in the congress saw this as the perfect settlement, it allowed them to maintain their protection by Great Britain and maintain some level of autonomy as well as being able to choose which tax plans are enforced. Other were not so enthused. Several politicians left for self-imposed exile when their colony, or province as they were now called, ratified the constitution. Benjamin Franklin being the most notable example, who supposedly left the Pennsylvanian Assembly in the middle of the vote and would remain exiled in New France and France the rest of his life. By October 17, AD 1777 all thirteen rebellious provinces had signed the Galloway Plan. King George III appointed the Earl of Carlisle as the first President-General of Columbia.

***​

Columbian Conflict​
Date:	April 19, AD 1775–June 14, AD 1777
Location:	North America
Results:	British-Loyalist victory London Agreement
Territorial changes:	Formation of the United Provinces of Columbia
Belligerents​
Great Britain Columbian Loyalists​ Hannover Onodaga Mohawk Cayuga Seneca Mi’kmaq Cherokee Odawa Muscogee Susquehannock Shawnee	Columbian Patriots Sons of Liberty​ Vermont​ Oneida Tuscarora Catawba Lenape Chickasaw Choctaw Mahican Mi’kmaq Abenaki Cheraw Seminole Pee Dee Lumbee Watauga
Commanders & Leaders​
George III of Great Britain Thomas Cage Oliver De Lancey Sr.	Benedict Arnold Thomas Chittenden

United Provinces of Columbia​
Flag of Columbia[viii], Arms of Columbia[xii], and Location of Columbia (red)[xiii]​
Motto:	“Ē plūribus ūnum” (lat) (Out of many, one)
Anthem:	“God Save the King”
Capital & largest city:	Philadelphia
Official language:	English
Religions:	Protestantism & Roman Catholicism
Demonym:	Columbian
Government: King: President-General:	Confederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy George III Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle
Legislature:	Columbian grand council
Independence:	from Great Britain October 17, AD 1777
Population:	2,400,000 (estimate)
Currency:	Columbian pound (£)[a]

The Order of Pii​ The Order of Pii was created as a reward for those who fought for the king in Columbia. And while it was first only rewarded to veterans of the Columbian Conflict it soon took the place as the pre-eminent distinction in the dominion. While there were other fraternal organizations within Columbia that modeled themselves after chivalric orders this was the only one created and awarded by the king. The order was named after Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius. Who, continually displayed his loyalty to his father by constantly petitioning for revocation of his father’s exile.

Columbian Nobility​ In addition to the Order of Pii, several of the more prominent loyalist were awarded a title of nobility. This did cause complaints from the British nobility, as the old nobility did not want the Columbian nobility to be on an equal level as them. The solution to this was give the Columbian nobility a different set of titles that were immediately recognizable. For inspiration of the names of these titles Columbian history has looked to. And in the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina a nobility a separate system was found and repurposed: • Landgrave • Cassique Cassiques supposedly had equal dignity to a lord and landgraves were equivalent to earls. There was no title above landgraves. And for the longest time this was not an issue. The solution that would be developed much later would be to give someone a Columbian title and a British courtesy title.

Figures​

Figure1: Columbian Landgrave Coronet[xiv]

Figure 2: Columbian Cassique Coronet[xv]

---

Footnotes​

a. The Columbian pound was a unit of account, silver and gold coinage in the dominion was still tightly regulated and the Spanish dollar was the most common coin​

Spoiler: Citations

xii. (Modified from source: Auzac, 2008), (Benton, 1900), (Modified from source: Hoshie, 2005), (Modified from source: Glasshouse, 2017), (Modified from source: Morris, 2020), (Modified from source: Sodacan, 2010), (Modified from source: Id., 2011), (Modified from source: Ssolbergj, 2011), (Modifed from source: The Radioactive Box, 2021)​

xiii. (Modified from source: Hadaril, 2018), (Modified from source: Hadaril, 2018)​

xiv. (Modified from source: Heralder, 2013)​

xv. (Modified from source: Heralder, 2013)​

​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Auzac. Mantling Blue Red. 5 September 2008. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lambrequins-azur-gueules.svg. Accessed 16 September 2021.
Benton, Morris Fuller. Century. 1900.
Hadaril. Blank Worlda. “The NextGen OTL Worlda Series.” alternatehistory.com, XenForo Ltd., 22 February 2018. https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/the-nextgen-otl-worlda-series.436046/page-49. Accessed 8 August 2021.
Hoshie. Flag of Great Britain (1707–1800). 12 October 2005. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Great_Britain_(1707–1800).svg. Accessed 10 September 2021.
Heralder. Celestial Crown. 17 December 2013. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Celestial_Crown.svg. Accessed 5 September 2021.
Heralder Eastern Crown (Heraldry). 17 December 2013. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_Crown_(Heraldry).svg. Accessed 7 September 2021.
Glasshouse. Order of the Crown (Prussia). 18 November 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Order_of_the_Crown_(Prussia).svg. Accessed 16 September 2021.
Morris, Jack Ryan. Coat of arms of the State of Alabama. 12 November 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_State_of_Alabama.svg. Accessed 13 September 2021.
Sodacan. Crown of Saint Edward (Heraldry). 20 July 2010. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crown_of_Saint_Edward_(Heraldry).svg. Accessed 16 September 2021.
Sodacan Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom-Helmet. 21 August 2011. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Coat_of_Arms_of_the_United_Kingdom-Helmet.svg. Accessed 13 September 2021.
Ssolbergj. Coat of arms of the United States. 27 January 2011. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_United_States.svg. Accessed 10 September 2021.
The Radioactive Box. US Navy Medal of Honor. 21 July 2021. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_Medal_of_Honor.svg. Accessed 13 September 2021.

 

[da Racontor]

Chapter 3: War of Bavarian Succession​

"Because the emperor should rule an empire."
Attributed to Joseph II, Holy Roman Empire

Frederick the Great and Combat Medic[xvii]​

Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria died in the final days of AD 1777 without issue. Charles IV Theodore, Count of the Palatine on the Rhine was the closest heir of the electorate, however, he was not really interested in having two realms so far apart. He also had no legitimate heir and wanted his illegitimate children to have an inheritance. Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor offered a solution, Charles IV Theodore would exchange Bavaria for Austrian Netherlands and Further Austria. With which he would then be free to re-establish Burgundy with his illegitimate son Charles August as his heir. While the status of elector would be transferred back to the Palatine on the Rhine, and would be inherited by the legitimate heir.

There were several problems with the proposed deal. Prussia and Russia feared that it would upset the balance of power, Saxony feared that it would hurt its allies, and France wanted the Austrian Netherlands for itself. Joseph II was so eager to incorporate Bavaria though that he began to move his troops in before the deal was finalized despite the protests from other nations. This was until Frederick the Great, King of Prussia and Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia threatened to invade. Joseph II desperately pleaded with France to aid them. France knew that if they got involved it would force Great Britain to intervene, and another chance at defeating the British and reclaim French India was something the country desperately wanted. Louis XVI was unsure about offering support as he was worried about the French treasury, but his ministers assured him that if they could humiliate Britain and gain the Indian lands back the benefits would be well worth it. Officially, France agreed to send aid in case of war in exchange for parts of Namur and Luxembourg, Charles IV Theodore was not happy with this agreement but saw little choice, as Joseph II resumed moving his troops into Bohemia.

In early July of AD 1778, Prussian forces invaded the Kingdom of Bohemia. Prussian and unified Habsburg force mostly postured for a few weeks. By the end of the month France had declared war on Prussia and began mobilize its troops. Prussia hurried to divide its forces to defend against the French while the Habsburgs pushed the Prussians back at the First Battle of Náchod. Catherine the Great declared Russia as Prussia’s ally but she had not expected the conflict to escalate and had to ready her forces. Prussia found itself in a desperate situation, France and the unified Habsburg forces would soon overrun the Prussian forces if there was no aid, Russia would not be ready in time. Frederick the Great pleaded with Britain to join the war on their behalf.

§​

While the Columbian Constitution was useful to solve the rebellion, it became obvious that it was only a short-term solution. The constitution gave the Grand Council the ability to veto any tax plan they did not agree on, so the British Parliament would have to find a tax that would be acceptable. The problem was no tax plan parliament developed was found to be acceptable. Councilors from the northern provinces made sure any tariff would not pass. A tax on alcohol was defeated by a coalition of councilors from southern provinces etc.

To further the financial troubles of Columbia, while Britain did maintain a garrison, this garrison was a deterrent for other European powers not a protection from Amerindian raids. Raids from the south quickly decreased as the creation of Appalachia created a concrete border for the Columbians to follow. But raids from the north where French influence was still present continued. To combat this the Legion of Columbia was created with the intent to act as a unified defense against the Amerindian and act as the dominion’s military if war with the other powers did occur. The problem here was that funding for the Legion of Columbia came directly from the Grand Council, and the councilors preferred to fund their own provincial militia. Even though the militias had no obligation to help other provinces and often took advantage of that lack of obligation. To help the legion become combat ready Great Britain pledged to provide a portion of the needed equipment. To maximize the amount of equipment received Columbian politicians recorded the legion’s strength as what was proposed, not what it was. Much of the equipment was quietly moved to the provincial militias.

§​

While peace was welcome to the people of New France, it did not take long for the people to become concerned again. The British had almost conquered Canada in the Seven Years’ War, and the newly formed Columbia still had a larger population than New France making even an isolated conflict dangerous. Safety became most important to the colony. Fortifications were rebuilt and men trained for combat. The Regiment of Foot Chasseurs of Royal Canada was formed out of the more experience militiamen and many Acadian refugees, and the Governor General, the Marquis of Lotbinière, recreated the Governor General’s Guard. Many, many plans to resist invasions were drafted, the Canadian leadership wanted to be able to defend their land the best they could even if they were cut off from France.

***​

Figures​

Figure 1: First Sub-Legion of Columbia, Second Sub-Legion of Columbia, Third Sub-Legion of Columbia, Forth Sub-Legion of Columbia[xviii] (top to bottom)

​

Figure 2: Regiment of Foot Chasseurs of Royal Canada[xviii], Governor General of New France’s Guard[xix] (top to bottom)

---

Spoiler: Citations

xvi. (Steakley, 1793-1795)​

xvii. (Modified from source: Gypson), (Modified from source: McDonough), (Modified from source: McDonough), (Modified from source: McDonough), (Modified from source: Oldham), (Modified from source: Oldham)​

xviii. (Modified from source: McDonough), (Modified from source: Oldham), (Modified from source: Pato)​

xix. (Modified from source: Oldham), (Modified from source: Oldham), (Modified from source: Pato)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Gypson, John. Union Standards 1. “19th Century”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/UnionStandards1. Accessed 28 2021.​

McDonough, Sean. British 21. “18th Century”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/British21. Accessed 29 2021.​

McDonough, Sean. “18th Century”, https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/French4951. Accessed 29 2021.​

McDonough, Sean. US Troops 1 (1785-1795). “18th Century”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/USTroops178517951. Accessed 26 2021.​

McDonough, Sean. US Troops 2 (1785-1795). “18th Century”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/USTroops178517952. Accessed 24 2021.​

Oldham, Jon. French Standards 2. “18th Century”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/FrenchStandards2. Accessed 30 2021.​

Oldham, Jon. Hanover Miscellaneous. “18th Century”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/HanoverMiscellaneous. Accessed 24 2021.​

Oldham, Jon. Continental Army Flags 1. “18th Century”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/ContinentalArmyFlags1. Accessed 24 2021. Accessed 24 2021.​

Pato, Pedro. Weapons of the 18th and 19th Century. “Masters”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/Weapons18thand19thCentury. Accessed 29 2021.​

Steakley, James. Frederick the Great and the Combat Medic. 1793-1795. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Friedrich_der_Grosse_und_der_Feldscher.jpg. Accessed 24 2021.​

​

 

[da Racontor]

Chapter 4: British Intervention​

"But will she [France] be stable and happy?"
The Baron of Turgot

The Battle of the Saints[xx]​

Great Britain had hoped it could remain uninvolved in the conflict; however French involvement soon made that wish evaporate. A Franco-Austrian dominated continent was too dangerous, Great Britain had to intervene. While the government of Great Britain declared war, the government of Brunswick-Lünburg declared absolute neutrality and strengthened the defense of Hanover just in case. France would not attack though; it had been determined that France’s poor performance during the Seven Years’ War was in part caused by focusing too much on conquering the city-state when it provided so little actual gain.

As the French army advanced, the western army of Prussians had to face them alone. Their goal was to delay the French long enough for Frederick II to defeat the Austrians or for Britain to join in the defense. Prussia also sought to bring Saxony into the war, the state had mobilized its troupes at the same time. But after a secret meeting with a French diplomat Saxony declared itself neutral. In the battles of Ravensberg and Minden, the Prussians made the French pay for every inch they took, but the French continued to take. The French advance was only halted once British funded mercenaries, mostly Hessians, joined the fight. The economic strain quickly began to take its toll on Prussia, the state just could not handle another prolonged large-scale conflict so soon. To make matters worse, the economy and military were not the only things in Prussia that was failing, Frederick II’s health was as well. As the Russian army finally engaged the unified Habsburg forces, the Prussians fell back to reform its lines. The Russians overwhelmed the unified Habsburg forces and pushed them back to Bohemia only being halted at the Second Battle of Náchod.

§​

When Great Britain entered the war, so did her colonies and dominion. General Henry Clinton was given the position of commander-in-chief of the North Columbian theatre, this included command over the Legion of Columbia. This worried the Columbian Grand Council as their mismanagement of the legion left it greatly under manned and under supplied, to hide the problem several militia groups were drafted into the legion but given little to no extra training. Gen. Clinton’s orders were to use British regulars to reinforce the islands in the Caribbean and to engage the French defensively on the continent as they did not see them as a threat there.

The Count of Rochambeau was given the position of commander-in-chief of the French forces in the Americas. In addition to the French regulars and militia he had command over the allied Amerindian warriors and the Columbian Brigade. The Columbian Brigade was formed from patriot émigré[a] and under the direct command of now General Benedict Arnold. The French also coordinated with patriot partisan groups within America. Amerindian raids were something that Gen. Clinton accounted for, and the provincial militia were tasked with defending from them. Partisans he did not account for, regions of Connecticut, Pennsylvanian, Massachusetts, and New York fell to partisans and the Legion of Columbia had to supplement in the defense of those provinces. With the presence of partisan forces transferring the British regulars to the Caribbean and staying on the defensive was no longer ideal. Instead, the new plan was to capture Québec quickly to knock New France out of the war and then transfer troops to the Caribbean. The admiral, the Baron of Graves was sent to blockade the Saint Lawrence River.

At the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River the British fleet met the French fleet under the command of the Count of Grasse. Since the Seven Years’ War the French had been strengthening their navy and it showed, the Count of Grasse drove the British fleet out of the river protecting the supply-line. Without a blockade Gen. Clinton was forced to march an army quickly to the city over land. Because the action had to be carried out quickly it was decided that the he would take the British troops by Montréal while the Legion of Columbia would travel through eastern New York wilderness and take Québec by surprise. Brig. Gen. De Lancey would command the invasion force talking with him the Legion of Columbia while Gen. Clinton would move to capture Montréal and pretend to be the main invasion force, while militias would have to hold on if they could against the Amerindians and the partisans.

***​

Figures​

Figure 1: Columbian Brigade[xviii]

​

---

Footnotes​

a. fra: An emigrant in exile for political or societal reasons​

b. Formally known as the New Hampshire Grants​

Spoiler: Citations

xx. (Whitcombe, 1783)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Whitcome, Thomas. The Battle of the Saintes. 1783. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_battle_of_the_Saints_12_avril_1782.jpg. Accessed 4 September 2021​

​

 

[da Racontor]

Chapter 5: The Colonial Theatre​

"The drafts from the regiments at Montcalm are a miserable set;"
General Benedict Arnold

Defending Quebec from a Columbian Attack[xxi]
​

Gen. Clinton’s forces would proceed relatively unhindered as they took the city of Montréal and arrived at Québec in early December. Gen. De Lancey’s forces were less fortunate. The eastern New York wilderness was home to the Green Mountain Boys. The Green Mountain Boys were a paramilitary group located in that opposed the “annexation” of the New Hampshire Grants by New York. They had become dormant after the Columbian Conflict but with the legion’s arrival they began constant raids. And while the Green Mountain Boys were not officially allied with the French, they did draw enough attention to the area for the legion to lose the element of surprise. Once the legion left the eastern New York wilderness the raids from the Green Mountain Boys stopped, but the raids from the Regiment of Foot Chasseurs of Royal Canada began. The Regiment of Royal Canada quickly began to prove itself as the tactics of a chasseur regiment came naturally. Due to the constant raids Gen. De Lancey’s forces arrived at Fort Montcalm in early December, the same time as Gen. Clinton’s forces. Even with reinforcements from the Regiment of Arnold, Fort Montcalm could not hold out long against two armies. The garrison withdrew without much fighting to bolster the defenses at Québec.

Unlike the invasion by Gen. Wolfe twenty-three years earlier, Québec would have to be taken quickly as Gen. Clinton did not have the support of the British Navy. Winter had set in and many of the foraging parties were picked off by the Royal Canadian Foot Chasseurs. The Anglo-Columbian forces made repeated assaults against the walls of Québec; each were repulsed. Supplies were too low to maintain the assaults indefinitely and the invasion withdrew, stopping in Montréal to resupply, only to receive news that the Bahamas had fallen and Florida had been attacked. Even though Québec could not be taken the destruction caused by the invasion ensured that New France could not mount its own invasion. Any offensive actions would be carried out by Amerindian or partisan allies. After the failed invasion, the British military command overruled Gen. Clinton and most of the British regiments were transferred to the Caribbean leaving the Legion of Columbia to endure the most of the fighting. The legion was more successful fighting defensively on its own territory.

§​

Gaining Mysore as an ally was not difficult for the French. Hyder Ali was eager to fight against the British. Hyder Ali also sought Maratha and Hyderabad as allies, Maratha was already embroiled in a conflict with the British and welcomed the aid, and with promise of French support Hyderabad joined as well. The expansion of the Anglo-Maratha War to include Mysore and Hyderabad did not come as a surprise, the arrival of approximately 6,000 French regulars on Indian shores did. Even more surprising was the French naval victories at the Battle of Bengal and the Battle of Cuddalore which severely hindered British supplies and naval movements in the area. Under French lead, the Indian anti-British confederation began to push the British back. With the coalition of Indian forces keeping the British troops on the defensive, the French focused on conquering territories that were formerly under French influence.

The forces of the East India Company were further divided when the Republic of the Netherlands acted on their trade and shipping grievances and began the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War[a]. The entry of the Netherlands had very little effect on the European theatre, most of the actions were either naval or on the Indian subcontinent.

---

Footnotes​

a. The Fourth Anglo-Dutch War is not generally considered part of the Five Years’ War as the Netherlands never officially entered an alliance with any of the other powers​

Spoiler: Citations

xxi. (Wellingtion,1860)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Wellington, F.H. Defending Quebec from an American Attack, December 1775. 1860. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Invasion_of_Quebec.tif. Accessed 26 September 2021.​

​

 

[da Racontor]

Chapter 6: The European Theatre​

—c. AD 1778 – AD 1784—

"Even the best armies will not march without pay."
Chronicles of Prussia

Portrait of Charles Theodore, Grand Duke of Burgundy (1724-1799) [5], [xxii]​

France had been trying to convince Spain join the war since it began. But Spain was not interested until Great Britain began to show signs of financial stress and British troops began to replace mercenary units on the continent. Hoping to end the cycle of inconclusive wars with Britain, France and Spain devised a plan to invade the island. In preparation France invaded and overwhelmed the island of Jersey. However, the plan was dropped because it would draw French troops away from the eastern front leaving the Habsburg forces vulnerable.

The arrival of Russian troops and the entry of Britain saved Prussia from a land invasion, but it could not save the Prussian economy. Frederick II was forces to rebuild his country and sued for peace. Joseph II demanded the return of Silesia. Not even the French diplomats backed the annexation of Silesia as Austria did not actually conquer the area and there was no agreeable means to balance the annexation. Instead, Prussia was forced only forced to recognize Joseph II’s claim on Bavaria. With Prussia out of the war and Spain finally engaging the British, Russia was the only threat to the Franco-Habsburg-Spanish forces.

A proposal was made to Russia with the intent of preserving the balance of power. If Russia would recognize Joseph II as Duke of Bavaria, then they could increase the size of their partition of Poland without opposition from the other powers. Russia accepted these terms. Britain now being alone, making no real gains, and spending too much money on mercenaries sued for peace. On the third of September 1783, in Paris, the powers [a] met to formally agree on peace conditions, which included the French annexation of the Channel Islands through right of conquest, and Spain would regain Florida and Gibraltar in exchange for the occupied Bahamas. Joseph II was formally recognized as the Duke of Bavaria, and Charles IV Theodore became the Charles Theodore Grand Duke of Burgundy.

§​

With North America still split between Britain and France, proponents for the creation of an Amerindian buffer state west of Columbia gained more support. This idea had been nothing new, but had always been opposed until it was seen necessary for protecting British citizens. The problem was that not all the tribes in the area were allied with the British. As Britain began drawing up the specifics for their new protectorates, France also drew up its own plans for an Amerindian protectorate in the same area to counteract the British. To avoid another conflict from breaking out so soon after the Five Years’ War borders were created to allow both states to exist. In order to appease Columbia, which had many individuals that still claimed the “right” to expand beyond the Appalachian Mountains, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was revoked allowing Pennsylvania and New York to expand westward. This move was only partially successful as the southern provinces still wanted to expand but could not.

§​

The conflict in India would have a separate treaty at Mangalore in which the British East India Company would no longer have any direct official control in the politics of Mysore, Maratha, and Hyderabad, thought they would still find ways to influence those nations. France would also be free to spread its influence in the areas around French India. They would maintain a larger garrison and control than before but local leaders would still have more autonomy than they would under the British.

***​

Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece​ The Grand Duke of Burgundy was automatically awarded membership in the Order of the Golden Fleece since it was Burgundy that originally founded the order. The grand duke could also petition to the Archduke of Austria for membership on the behalf of his subjects. Charles Theodore saw this as the first step to fully restoring the order to Burgundy. Joseph II had no intent of allowing a Burgundian branch of the order, and very few awards were given to Burgundians.

The Five Years’ War​
Date	July 3, AD 1778–September 3, AD 1783
Location	Europe, North America, India
Results	Bourbon-Habsburg victory Treaty of Teschen 14th Treaty of Paris Treaty of Mangalore
Territorial changes	Duchy of Bavaria added to the Habsburg Crown Creation of the Grand Duchy of Burgundy from Austrian Netherlands and Further Austria France gains Luxembourg Spain regains Florida Russia gains Second Polish Partition Creation of the United Indian Nations Creation of Cherokee Hegemony Creation of Mississippi Confederation [6] French Shore moved to between Cape St. John and Cape Ray
Belligerents​
Holy Roman Empire Austria Bavaria France New France French India Mysore Maratha Hyderabad Oneida Tuscarora Catawba Lenape Choctaw Mahican Mi’kmaq Abenaki Cheraw Seminole Pee Dee Lumbee Watauga	Prussia Russia Great Britain Columbia British India Hesse-Kessel Hesse-Hanau Waldeck Brunswick Ansbach Anhalt-Zerbst Onondaga Mohawk Cayuga Seneca Mi’kmaq Cherokee Odawa Muscogee Susquehannock Shawnee
Leaders​
Joseph II Charles Theodore Louis XVI †Hyder Ali Tipu Sultan Mahadaji Shinde	Frederick II Catherine II George III

Grand Duchy of Burgundy​ Großherzogtum Burgund (due) Groothertogdom Bourgondië (nld) Grand-Duché de Bourgogne (fra)​
Flag of Burgundy [xxiii], Coat of Arms of Burgundy [xxiv], Location of Burgundy (pink) [xxv]​
Motto:	“Prīncipibus apostolōrum dicāta” (lat) (Dedicated to the chief)
Capital:	Brussels
Official languages:	German, Dutch & French
Religions:	Roman Catholic
Demonym:	Burgundian
Government: Grand Duke:	Absolute Monarchy Charles Theodore
Independence:	from Austria September 3, AD 1783
Currency:	Burgundian kronenthaler (χβ)

Figure 1: The Uniforms of Burgundian Infantry [xxv] and the Burgundian Dragoons [xix] (top to bottom)​

​

Figure 2: Treaty of Mangalor AD 1784 [xxvii]​

---

Footnotes​

a. Excluding Prussia, who had a separate treaty at Teschen a year earlier​

Endnotes​

5. OTL: Portrait of Charles Theodore, Electorate of Bavaria (1724-1799)​

6. No relation to the OTL USA state​

Spoiler: Citations

xxiii. (Therbusch, 1763)​

xxiv. (Modified from source: Buho07, 2012)​

xxv. (Modified from source: Baek, 2014), (Modified from source: Carlodangio, 2017), (Modified from source: Heralder, 2019), (Modified from source: Katepanomegas, 2013), (Modified from source: Kılıç, 2011), (Modified from source: Lemmens, 2011)​

xxvi. (Modified from source: Bignell), (Modified from source: McDonough), (Modified from source: McDonough) (Modified form source: McDonough)​

xxvii. (Modified from source: Entrerriano, 2021), (Modified from source: Hadaril, 2018), (Modified from source: Hadaril, 2018)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Baek. Heraldic Crown. 19 March 2014. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Couronne_héraldique_svg.svg. Accessed 2 February 2020.​

Bignell, J. Spanish Infantry. “American Revolution (1777-1783)”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/SpanishInfantry. Accessed 14 October 2021.​

Buho07. Cross of Burgundy (Template). 2010. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cross_of_Burgundy_(Template).svg. Accessed 28 September 2021.​

Carlodangio. Arms of Eudes de Bourgogne. 10 August 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arms_of_Eudes_de_Bourgogne.svg. Accessed 8 February 2020.​

Entrerriano. Second Polish Partition Patch. “The NextGen OTL Worlda Series”. alternatehistory.com, XenForo Ltd., 18 June 2021. https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/the-nextgen-otl-worlda-series.436046/page-92. Accessed 3 October 2021.​

Hadaril. Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars. “The NextGen OTL Worlda Series”. alternatehistory.com, XenForo Ltd., 30 January 2018. https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/the-nextgen-otl-worlda-series.436046/. Accessed 4 October 2021.​

Hadaril. Rivers. “The NextGen OTL Worlda Series”. alternatehistory.com, XenForo Ltd., 30 January 2018. https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/the-nextgen-otl-worlda-series.436046/. Accessed 3 October 2021.​

Heralder. Coat of Arms of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria (Order of the Golden Fleece). 3 February 2019. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...r_of_Bavaria_(Order_of_the_Golden_Fleece).svg. Accessed 30 January 2020.​

Katepanomegas. Generic mantle. 3 October 2013. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Generic_mantle.svg. Accessed 2 February 2020.​

Kılıç, Mevlüt. Lion Supporter of the British Heraldry. 7 July 2011. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lion_Supporter_of_the_British_Heraldry.svg. Accessed 2 February 2020.​

Lemmens, Tom. Ducal Hat. 7 August 2011. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ducal_Hat.svg. Accessed 2 February 2020.​

McDonough, Sean. Hessians 13. “American Revolution (1775-1783)”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/Hessians13. Accessed 14 October 2021.​

McDonough, Sean. Hessians 3. “American Revolution (1775-1783)”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/Hessians3. Accessed 14 October 2021.​

Therbusch, Anna Dorothea. Portrait of Charles Theodore, Electorate of Bavaria (1724-1799). 1763. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kurfürst_Karl_Theodor_(Bayern).jpg. Accessed 26 September 2021.​

​

 

[da Racontor]

Chapter 7: Amerindian Buffers​

—c. AD 1784—

“They came for land; they took it from whomever they could find.”
A minor Iroquois chief

Coat of Arms of United Indian Nations [xxiii]​

While the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was officially revoked, this did not mean that Columbians were free to settle land a crossed the Appalachian Mountains wherever they wanted. Britain considered the Iroquois Confederacy as an important defensive asset as they were next to the more heavily settled areas of New France. Some settlers from Pennsylvania and New York did attempt to encroach on Iroquois territory. Militia were formed to try and burn the Iroquois out, but British regulars were quartered in the major Iroquois towns. The Columbians did eventually change tactics and reverted to “buying” land from Iroquois. The thing was that the Columbians did not actually care who legally own the land if they had a signed contract. Unfortunately, all the garrisoned British regulars effectively ended any independence the Iroquois did have.

In and around the Ohio Valley, a collection of Amerindian tribes formed the United Indian Nations. The goal of the United Indian Nations was to create a protective confederation to halt Columbian raids and encroachment on Amerindian lands. However, the British government saw an opportunity. They offered the United Indian Nations protectorate status. The British would protect them from the Columbian and the United Indian Nations would act as a buffer state with France.

Even though the United Indian Nations was intended to be a pan-Amerindian state its influence did not stretch all the Indian Reserve [a]. The southern part of the Indian Reserve part of the original Amerindian protectorate discussion at the Treaty of Paris. So, the British government created its own protectorate in that area. To do this they chose the Cherokee tribe to represent their interests in the state. The British government brokered the Treaty of Hopewell; there all the major tribes in the area pledged loyalty to the Cherokee, and the Cherokee to the British. Signing the treaty was not optional and the British government was prepared to use force to make sure of this. But in the end, they did not need to. Any tribe that was large enough to cause a problem realized the danger in not going along and agreed to the treaty.

The last Amerindian protectorate to be created was given to France for protection. France tried to copy the government of Indiana; this did not work as planned. Indiana was originally created by Amerindians themselves and was only coopted by the British. On top of being artificially created, one of the major three tribes (the Chickasaw) viewed the French as a traditional enemy. Thus, the confederation was always in a state of chaos.

***​

North Amerindian Nobility & Statesmen​ The Europeans tried to enforce European style governments on the Amerindian protectorates. Most Amerindians did not notice any direct changes. The protectorates were too decentralized for the changes to affect them. The Europeanized governments of the Amerindians most often took the form of a crowned republic. The North American Amerindians did not have a strict noble class like the Europeans did. However, important Amerindians were awarded the rank of cassique. Cassique was considered the singular noble rank all other titles used by the Amerindians were state offices, religious positions, or cultural positions (e.g., clan mothers, although all clan mothers were also given the rank of cassique). North Amerindian nations would continue to use whatever title they would normally use. However, Europeans would usually translate the title into a few options; mostly taken from the Algonquin language. Werowance was usually (but not always) used for the leaders of multinational confederations. Sachem was used for the leaders of single nations. And sagamores were used for subnational leaders. The position of onontio was given to European viceroys attached to the protectorates.

North Amerindian Heraldry​ With the creation of noble titles came heraldry. The North Amerindians developed a tradition like that of Scotland. Each clan had its own arms, most personal arms were derived from the clan’s arms. And each member of the clan had the right to display the clan’s badge. Because North Amerindian heraldry followed a strict interpretation of Rule of Tincture, despite proper being the most common tincture for charges, it made use of uncommon furs and tinctures, buff being especially popular, to get around the rule. Much to the chagrin of English heralds the tincture of buff also came into use in Columbian heraldry. But buff brought another problem. Amerindians typically used buff as a metal, but Columbians as a color. Later, this problem would be solved by dropping buff as a term, when used as a metal it would be referred to as copper and most usages as a color were tinctured as tenné or brunâtre. The much later African tincture of ochre would suffer the same fate.

United Indian Nations​
Flag of Indiana [7], [xxiv], Arms of Indiana [xxiii], and Location of Indiana (pink) [xxv]​
Capital & largest city:	Kekionga
Languages:	English & various Amerindian languages
Religions:	Various Amerindian religions, Protestantism
Demonym:	Indianan
Government: Protector: Onontio:	Confederation George III Gen. Henry Clinton
Legislature:	Indianan Joint Council
Confederation:	from various Amerindian tribes Recongnized: October 22, AD 1784
Currency:	Indianan wampum (¤) [c], [8]

Cherokee Hegemony​
Flag of Cherokee [xxvi], Arms of Cherokee [d], [xxvii], and Location of Cherokee (pink) [xxv]​
Capital:	Chota
Languages:	English, Cherokee & various Amerindian languages
Religions:	Protestantism & various Amerindian religions
Demonym:	Cherokee
Government: Protector: Uku [e]:	Federal elective monarchy George III Raven of Chota [f]
Legislature:	Cherokee National Counsel
Confederation:	from Great Britain Confederation: September 3, AD 1783
Currency:	Cherokee wampum (¤)

Mississippi Confederation​ Confédération Mississippi (fra)​
Flag of Mississippi [9], [xxviii], Arms of Mississippi [10], [xxix], and Location of Mississippi (light blue) [xxv]​
Capital:	Fort Toulouse
Languages:	French & various Amerindian languages
Religions:	Roman Catholicism & various Amerindian languages
Demonym:	Mississippian
Government: Protector: Onontio:	Confederation Louis XVI Baron of Espérance
Legislature:	Mississippian Joint Council
Confederation:	from Great Britain Confederation: September 3, AD 1783
Currency:	Mississippian wampum (¤)

Footnotes​

a. The British name for the land west of the Appalachian Mountains​

b. The British administration was centered in Kekionga; the Amerindian leadership had no official capital​

c. The wampum was named by Europeans; it was mostly a unit of value not actual wampum shells​

d. The Cherokee along with several other Amerindian nations had two coats of arms, a war arms and a peace arms; pictured is the war arms (the peace arms was the mostly the same but with several elements and tinctures swapped)​

e. chr: “First Beloved Man”​

f. Savanukahwn​

Endnotes​

7. Indiana was used as an unofficial short name; no relation to the OTL USA state​

8. The currency sign “¤” was designed to look like a shell in ATL​

9. While the flag is generally considered contemporary it is doubtful that it was an official flag​

10. It is unknown where this coat of arms came from, and there are no contemporary sources for it​

Spoiler: Citations

xxiii. (Modified from source: AnonMoos, 2013), (Modified from source: Bibar, 2017), (Modified from source: BrCaLeTo, 2017), (Modified from source: Gazilion, 2018), (Modified from source: Heralder, 2013), (Modified from source: Jacques63, 2020), (Modified form source: Jimmy44, 2011), (Modified from source: Odejea, 2009), (Modified from source: Rinaldum, 2006), (Sodacan, 2012)​

xxiv. (Modified from source: Küchler, 2006), (Modified from source: Yaddah, 2006)​

xxv. (Modified from source: Hadaril., 2008), (Modified from source: Hadaril, 2008), (Modified from source: Hadaril, 2008)​

xxvi. (Modified from source: NuclearVacuum, 2016)​

xxvii. (Modified from source: Adelbrecht, 2011), (Modified form source: AnonMoos, 2013), (Modified from source: Odejea, 2009), (Modified from source: Sodacan, 2010), (Modified from source: Sodacan, 2010), (Modified from source: Syryatsu, 2008), (modified from source: Syryatsu, 2008), (Modified from source: Syryatsu, 2012)​

xxviii. (Modified from source: Hoshie, 2006), (Modified from source: Zscout370, 2006)​

xxix. (Modified from source: AnonMoos, 2013), (Modified from source: Disclaser, 2015), (Modified from source: Erlenmeyer, 2014), (GIBERT, 2019), (Sodacan, 2009), (Modified from source: Odejea, 2009), (Modified from source: Tchup2, 2009)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Adelbrecht. Toque of Counts-Senators of the Empire and of the Kingdom of Italy. 26 September 2011. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toque_des_Comtes-Sénateurs_de_l'Empire_et_du_Royaume_d'Italie.svg. 31 October 2021.​

AnonMoos. Heraldic Crescent. 5 February 2013. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heraldic_crescent.svg. Accessed 19 October 2021.​

Bibar. Heraldic Charge Deer Rampant. 17 July 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meuble_héraldique_cerf_rampant.svg. Accessed 19 October 2021.​

BrCaLeTo, Coat of Arms of Penaforte. 15 March 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brasão_de_Penaforte_-_CE.svg. Accessed 19 October 2021.​

Disclaser. 4 Pointed Star. 27 February 2015. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:4_Point_Star.png. Accessed 27 November 2021.​

Erlenmeyer. Lining - Vair. 10 March 2014. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forro_-_veros.svg. Accessed 23 November 2021.​

Jacques63. Heraldic Charge Turtle Passant. 26 March 2020. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meuble_héradique_tortue_passante.svg. Accessed 17 October 2021.​

Jimmy44. Ext Orn Knight of the Empire. 26 September 2011. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orn_ext_chevalier_de_l'Empire.svg. Accessed 1 November 2021.​

Hoshie. Flag of Guadeloupe (local) Variant. 18 November 2006. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Guadeloupe_(local)_variant.svg. Accessed 4 November 2021.​

Gazilion, Coronet of Knight - Portugal. 18 January 2018. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronet_of_Knight_-_Portugal.svg. Accessed 18 October 2021.​

GIBERT, Jean-Paul. Heraldic Furniture Tomahawk. 4 December 2019. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meuble_héraldique_Tomahawk.svg. Accessed 23 November 2021.​

Küchler, Gunter. Flag of the United States of America (1795–1818). 10 February 2006. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_United_States_of_America_(1795–1818).svg. Accessed 17 October 2021.​

NuclearVacuum. Proposed Flag of Canada (1930). 15 July 2016. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Proposed_Flag_of_Canada_(1930).svg. Accessed 25 June 2021​

Odejea. Circular Female Coat of Arms 3D. 18 November 2009. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blason_féminin_circulaire_3D.svg. Accessed 17 October 2021.​

Rinaldum. Heraldic Charge Crane. 24 August 2006. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Héraldique_meuble_grue.svg. Accessed 19 October 2021.​

Sodacan. Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1801-1816). 20 July 2010. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_Arms_of_the_United_Kingdom_(1801-1816).svg. Accessed 19 October 2021.​

Sodacan. Grand Royal Coat of Arms of France. 15 October 2009. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_Royal_Coat_of_Arms_of_France.svg. Accessed 23 November 2021.​

Sodacan. Torse of a British Gentlemen. 20 July 2010. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Torse_of_a_British_Gentleman.svg. Accessed 1 November 2021.​

Syryatsu. Heraldic Charge Horse Passant. 14 November 2012. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meuble_héraldique_Cheval_passant1.svg. Accessed 24 October 2021.​

Syryatsu. Heraldic Charge Wolf Passant. 12 June 2008. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meuble_héraldique_Loup_passant.svg. Accessed 24 October 2021.​

Syryatsu. Heraldic Charge Wolf Rampant. 12 June 2008. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meuble_héraldique_Loup_ravissant.svg. Accessed 2 November 2021.​

Tchup2. Flute. 7 April 2009. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flute.svg. Accessed 23 November 2021 2021.​

Zscout370. Flag of the Free State of Ikaria (1912). 16 July 2006. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_Free_State_of_Ikaria.svg. Accessed 27 November 2021.​

​

---

Just a small addition to the "Columbian Nobility" box back in III-2. Any Dutch patroons that were still around were aloud to continue calling themselves a patroon and would be referred to as such in documents, but legally they were classified as a cassique.

 

[da Racontor]

So I will apologies is I go a bit overboard with the chess variants. I recently found a computer program/phone app that lets you create you own variants and pieces so I have been playing around with that the past few days.

French Chess​ French Chess started as a popular house rule agreement in French cafes. It seems to have started because the bishops in are called “fou” (fra: “fool”) and the standard move set of a bishop seemed too powerful for a piece literally called the fool. At first, the piece’s movement was just shortened to one square while keeping the original directions. The evolution of the fool did not stop there. Whether or not the players tried to balance the fool more or it was replaced with combined with the medieval courier chess piece by the same name is unknow, but the fool soon changed began to be able to move one square in any orthogonal direction as well. The only other change was that pawns could only promote to pieces that were already captured. Latter in English it sometimes be referred to as a jester or standardized as a wazir mann. French Chess quickly displaced standard chess in France. The lack of the bishop made the queen slightly more powerful which some saw as representative of Marie Antoinette’s time as queen. While French Chess also displaced standard chess in New France, chess itself was less popular to the development of its own variant of checkers. In Anglophone areas, this variant was seldom played until the modern day. This was because many thought that the replacement of the bishop with a piece called the fool was an anticlerical move. (Which it was not. The name fou was derived from the piece’s older name in pre-standard chess, the “aufin” ultimately coming from the name “alfil” [“elephant”].) Figure 1: Symbol of the Fool [xxx]

Spoiler: Citations

xxx. (NikNaks, 2013)​

​

​

Spoiler: Credits

[NikNaks. Chess Flt26. 7 April 2013. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chess_Flt26.svg. Accessed January 11 2022./SPOILER]​

[Edit: Added a rule about pawn promotion.]
[Double edit: Nurfed the fool again.]
[Removed]

 

[da Racontor]

Part IV: The French Civil War​

Chapter 1: "New" French Reforms​

—c. AD 1783 – AD 1789—

“New France was safe again, but it still had not prospered.”
Children of the Plains of Abraham

Château Saint-Louis [xxxi]​

While the cod fishing industry had taken off in New France, the colony was still growing slowly. The colony’s low population prevented it from functioning at full capacity, especially since it needed such a large military presence to defend itself. Most families were quite large so the colony would eventually reach its capacity on its own, but that was taking a long time. There were also very few immigrants to New France. The cod fisheries attracted some, but most of these were seasonal workers not settlers. Louis XVI eventually concluded that he needed to encourage more settlers. What he did was open settlement to Catholics of other nations. His intent was to pull unwanted Catholics from protestant countries and naturalize them as good New French citizens. A few émigrés from Great Britain and Ireland did come, but most of the new settlers came from the various German states. Almost half of the German immigrants came from Bavaria even though it was still ruled by a Catholic duke. Most of them lost all they had in the Five Years’ War or disagreed with being traded to Joseph II on principle. Upon arrival the immigrants formed isolated communities with others from the same country. Overall, the plan did bolster New France’s population was not nearly as effective as Louis XVI had hoped.

The Edict of Versailles [11] did remove many of the restriction France’s non-Roman Catholics faced. But it still did not allow them to settle in New France. Several of the king’s ministers suggested it, but Louis XVI still would not allow it.

§​

Back in France proper, the Five Years’ War had drained the kingdoms treasury, and the countries archaic tax code was not up to the task. Under the direction of the Controller-General of Finances, the Count of Hannonville [a], Louis XVI implemented a series of reforms, such as:

• Spending cuts,
• Replacing the vingtième with a universal land tax,
• Instituting a nationalized salt tax,
• Instituting a nationalized tobacco tax,
• Allowing the sale of Church property,
• Instituting free grain trade,
• Abolition of internal tariffs,
• Instituting a nationalized property tax (in addition to the new land tax).

Unsurprisingly, these reforms did not make the Count of Hannonville or Louis XVI very popular. Both the First and Second Estates voiced their grievances at any opportunity, but they had no power to fight the changes. The Count of Hannonville stood his ground saying that the reforms were necessary for the health of the country.

§​

The question of Columbian taxes was still not solved either. An agreement was reached where the debt was proportionally divided amongst the provinces and the provincial governments were to raise the money and pay Great Britain directly. This arrangement looked good on paper but did nothing but move the problem down the road. The provincial governments did not like raising taxes to send overseas so they raised the money by asking for donations. The amount donations were never enough. Since the parliament of Great Britain had bigger issues to deal with during the war, this arrangement was left in place. With the war over they demanded that the Grand Council of Columbia fix the issue, parliament even began to draft plains to dispose of the grand council if necessary.

---

Footnotes​

a. Charles Alexandre de Calonne​

b. fra: a type of income tax​

Endnotes​

11. Basically, the same as OTL​

Spoiler: Citations

xxxi. (L'Opinion Publique, 1881)

Spoiler: Credits

L’Opinion Publique. Saint Louis Castle of Québec (1620-1834).3 March 1881. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chateau_Saint-Louis.jpg. Accessed 25 November 2021.

​

 

[da Racontor]

Chapter 2: A Third Fronde​

—c. AD 1789 – AD 1790—

“Vive les balles de la Fronde !” [a]
Parliamentarian Rally Cry

Tuiles Day of the Tiles on June 7, 1788 in Grenoble [xxxii]​

Talk about the Count of Hannonville’s reforms filled the country, and none of it good. While most of the lower commoners were content to just grumble and continue as usual; this was not the case for everyone. There were a select few clergymen that felt that they needed to do their part for the kingdom but most felt threatened by the reforms. And while Pope Pius VI did not denounce the reforms by name many of the individual clergy took every opportunity to voice their dissatisfaction. By far the most discontent came from the nobility and the higher commoners, particularly the bourgeoise. The anger filled every coffeehouse in every city and sometimes spilled into the streets. With the most notable riots eventually happening in and around Paris.

It did not take long for the anger over the economic reforms to turn into anger over not being able to do anything about it. The higher nobility directed the protests to a call for restoring the parliaments. In July of 1789, the Bastille Riot [12] was the first major riot in Paris. The bourgeoise and higher nobles used pamphlets and public protests to whip the lower commoners into a frenzy. The resulting mob was directed towards the Bastille where the riot took place. This tactic proved to be quite effective in the short term. In October, the same year was the March on Versailles [13]. This brought King Louis XVI and the royal family to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. The move to Paris was supposed to be a show of solidarity with the people of Paris and of France as a whole. But the move did not stop protests.

In 1790, Louis XVI agreed to restore the parliaments, though he was warned not to. Even though it was not often stated it was well known that they main goal of having the parliaments restored was to revoke the economic reforms in their region, which would place France back into economic crisis. And to the surprise of no one the first thing that every parliament did was declare that all the new reforms except the sale of Church property were illegal in their respective regions, and the tax exceptions back to the clergy.

§​

Individual nobles saw their chance to advance their positions. The realized that they can manipulate the king through protests and riots. So, the riots continued. After the restoration of the parliaments, they wanted control in the national government. Louis XVI was not, in principle, against creating a constitution and legislature. In July of the same year, Louis XVI revealed his plan for a constitutional monarchy and ended the Ancien Régime . Most of the plan was created by the Marquis of Lafayette, and an elected unicameral National Assembly was created. A plan was made to write a constitution soon was created.

Chaos erupted in the streets of France. The National Assembly claimed that its role as part of the national government meant is superseded the regional parliaments. While the parliaments claimed that they ancient rights superseded any national government. While everyone was pretty much united against the economic reforms now divisions were everywhere. Political clubs come to dominate the landscape and they congregated into several factions:

• Ultraroyalists: This faction was more Ultraroyalist than the king, they advocated for a complete return to the Ancien Régime.
• Royalist: This faction was technically two factions that just had very similar goals; the first was supporting King Louis XVI, second was supporting a more British influenced constitutional monarchy.
• Federalist [14]: These progressives wanted a more liberal constitutional monarchy and wanted each region of France to operate as its own state in a larger federation. They also called for the abdication of Louis XVI; many Federalists had ties to the Duke of Orléans (they are sometimes referred to as Orléansts).
• Republicans [14]: These radicals called for the complete dissolution of the monarchy in favor of a republic.

In Paris, the Federalists and Republicans were the dominate two factions. The riots in Paris now focused directly at the king himself. Feared seemed to paralyze the king and most of the decisions were left to the Marquis of Lafayette, the new legislature, or the queen.

***​

Figure 1: Ultraroyalist & Royalist Banner [xxxiii]

Figure 2: Federalist Banner [xxxiv]

Figure 3: Republican Banner [14], [xxxv]

Footnotes​

a. fra: “Long live the bullets of the Fronde!”​

b. fra: “Old Regime”​

Endnotes​

12. Despite taking place in the same location the Bastille was not demolished later in ATL​

13. Not lead women in ATL​

14. Most groups that made up these two factions mostly developed out of the Parliamentarians​

15. In ATL there is no shortage of conspiracy theories trying to explain why the Republican Banner looks so like the Sons of Liberty Flag​

Spoiler: Citations

12. Despite taking place in the same location the Bastille was not demolished later in ATL​

13. Not lead women in ATL​

14. Most groups that made up these two factions mostly developed out of the Parliamentarians​

15. In ATL there is no shortage of conspiracy theories trying to explain why the Republican Banner looks so like the Sons of Liberty Flag​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Debelle, Alexandre. Tuiles Day of the Tiles on June 7, 1788 in Grenoble. 1889. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Journée_des_Tuiles_(Alexandre_Debelle),_Musée_de_la_Révolution_française_-_Vizille.jpg. Accessed 28 November 2021.​

self-made. Flag of France (1790–1794). 7 May 2018. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_France_(1790–1794).svg. Accessed 1 December 2021.​

Slege. Catholic and Royal Army Flag of Vendée3. December 2019. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Filerapeau_Armée_Catholique_et_Royale_de_Vendée3.svg. Accessed 1 December 2021.​

​

​

 

[da Racontor]

Chapter 3: Flight of the King​

—c. AD 1790 – AD 1791—

“All Children spurn their father at some point.”
Attributed to Louis XVI

Arrival of Louis XVI and Family, 1791[15], [xxxvi]​

During the conflict between the National Legislature and the parliaments, many political treatises and propaganda was printed. The Federalists and the Republicans dominated the printings, spinning the narrative that the kings had always repressed the French people. And that it was up to the nobility or the people themselves, respectively, to throw off the chains of tyranny.

All the treatises, propaganda, and riots came to fruition on the 14th of July AD 1790. The Prince of Broglie with the support of many other nobles and some bourgeoise accused Louis XVI of treason by undermining the ancient rights of the parliaments. While the government took the Prince of Broglie’s accusation seriously no one new how to proceeded. It was decided that the royal family would remain under house arrest until the proceedings could be decided on. Knowing that any trial in Paris would have been controlled by the Federalists and Republicans, Marie Antoinette made plans to flee the country with her family. She had been in secret contact with her brother, Leopold II of the Holy Roman Empire. Leopold II had been quite worried about the unrest in France, both for his sister’s safety and the consequences an unstable France would have on the empire. And the Emperor pledged aid if a full-scale rebellion ever broke out. After the royal family was placed under house arrest, he issued a threat to government of France that if any harm came to the king and his family that they would have to suffer the “consequences”. This threat was successful in delaying any action taken by the government, though it did not release them from their arrest.

The king’s arrest effectively removed the royal family out of any policy decisions. Without Louis XVI as common enemy, the National Assembly and the parliaments began to directly attack each other. The parliaments consisted almost entirely of Federalists, while the National Assembly consisted mostly of Republicans and a few Federalists, with only a few royalist members. The National Assembly declared itself as temporary sole government of France under the presidency of Abbé Sieyès [a]. The parliaments did not recognize this declaration and began to administer their regions directly as if they were actual legislative bodies. A few major cities tended to favor listening to the National Assembly, while other parts country followed their own parliament (the exception were those areas that refused to recognize the legitimacy of the king’s arrest).

On the 20th of June AD 1791, under the cover of night, the royal family escaped the Tuileries Palace. Dressed as commoners and riding in a large, but unadorned, carriage the royal family began their journey to Montmédy, a royalist stronghold. Their flight was not a secret as they had hoped. While their route was still unknown, their absence was discovered and the Marquis of Lafayette sent scouts out to find them. After several close calls, some cause by Louis XVI’s trust in the common people, the family arrived in Montmédy. By the time they had arrived, soldiers from both the National Assembly and the Parliament of Paris were following them. But the royalist militia were able to drive them away from the city without incident.

Upon hearing that Louis XVI had fled his arrest, the National Assembly dissolved itself. In its place, they formed the French Republic. In truth, the French Republic had just a provisional government. The republic was led by the Committee of Public Safety. The Republicans who created the committee knew that there would be difficult times to come. So, they did not attempt to create a full government yet, the safety of the republic was most important.

---

Footnotes​

a. Abbot Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès​

Endnotes​

15. OTL: Arrest of Louis XVI and his Family, Varennes, 1791​

Spoiler: Citations

xxxvi. (Marshall, 1854)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Marshal, Thomas Falcon. Arrest of Louis XVI and his Family, Varennes, 1791. 1854. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arrest_of_Louis_XVI_and_his_Family,_Varennes,_1791.jpg. Accessed 18 December 2021.​

​

 

[da Racontor]

Chapter 4: The Paris Commune [a]​

—c. AD 1791—

“Liberté, égalité, fraternité”
Motto of the French Republic

La liberté [xxxvii]​

The French Republic was created directly by the former National Assembly to serve as the new government of France. While there were plenty of ideas thrown around for a fully functional republic, the former National Assembly did not create one right away. The republic had very little influence outside of Paris itself. So, they knew that there was going to be a great deal of fighting to come. A provisional government was created and called the Committee of Public Safety. In addition to reforming France’s government, the republic sought to reform France’s culture. The Roman Republic became the new basis for the republic’s culture.

The Committee of Public Safety was an elective body, but the committee controlled virtually all aspects of government. Because of this the committee had unlimited and unchecked power (at least within in Paris). The Committee of Public Safety was made of Republicans and only one or two of Federalists. As soon as the Federalists assembled their own government, they placed the city of Paris under siege. Fear of spies and traitors was everywhere. The republic declared martial law in the city of Paris. Anything was sufficient to have someone tried as a traitor to the republic, especially have strong ties to the Catholic Church. There was only one punishment for traitors and that was execution by guillotine.

The Committee of Public Safety’s martial law was soon very unpopular among the common people of Paris. For a long time, the only thing prevented riots was fear and the Federalist army outside the gates. When a riot did breakout, it was followed by an increase in executions and stricter laws.

§​

While mainland France was in the grips of a three-way civil war, Corsica tried something different. Led by Pasquale of Paoli, Corsica began a war of independence. While all three French factions would be at war with Corsica the Federalists would do most of the fighting. This was because they had the majority of the Mediterranean Fleet and most French supporters on Corsica were Federalists.

***



​

​	French Republic​ République française (fra)​
​	Flag of France [xxxv], Mark of France [xxxviii], and Location of France (light yellow) [xxxix]
Motto:	“Liberté, égalité, fraternité” (fra) (Liberty, equality, fraternity)
Anthem:	“It’ll Be Fine”
Capital & largest city:	Paris
Official language:	French
Religions:	Cult of Reason
Demonym:	French
Government: Head of State:	Unitary Authoritarian Republic None
Legislature:	Committee of Public Safety
Declared:	from the Kingdom of France 7 Fruitidor, Year I BRE BEL [18]
Population:	650,000 (estimate)
Currency:	French centime (¢) [19]

State Marks​ When the French Republic was proclaimed, heraldry was abandoned as a symbol of the monarchy and of nobility in general. But having a symbol to represent their government was useful. The stylized monogram that would come to symbolize the republic would form the basis for state marks. These emblems would also draw inspiration form house marks and mason marks and would come to be used by most anti-noble governments. While stylized monograms are common, they are not limited to them. They are intentionally left undecorated to differentiate them from heraldry. And while they are generally colored, these colors have no value and are only there for artistic effect.

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Footnotes

a. A contemporary informal name for the French Republic​

b. fra: “Liberty, equality, fraternity”​

Endnotes

17. In French the month is still named “Fructidor” it is just usually translated in ATL​

18. The Republican Calendar uses the establishment of the non-provisional government as its starting epoch, years before then are referred to as Before the Republican Era (BRE); the other era is the Republican Era (RE) Before the Era of Liberty (BEL) and the other era as the Era of Liberty (EL)​

19. Technically the centime was defined as a hundredth of a livre, but everything in the republic was written in terms of a centime​

Spoiler: Citations

xxxvii. (Vallain, 1793-1794)​

xxxviii. (Modified from source: Fry1989, 2010)​

xxxix. (Modified from source: Hadaril, 2018), (Modified from source: Library of Alexandria, 2021), (Modified from source: Library of Alexandria, 2021), (Modified from source: Library of Alexandria, 2021)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Fry1989. Monogram of the French Republic. 10 December 2010. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monogram_of_the_French_Republic.svg. Accessed 21 December 2021.​

Library of Alexandria. Departments of the First French Republic in 1801. “The NextGen OTL Worlda Series.” alternatehistory.com, XenForo Ltd., 12 November 2021. Accessed 9 January 2022.​

Library of Alexandria. Geometric Proposal for French Departments during the Revolution. “The NextGen OTL Worlda Series.” alternatehistory.com, XenForo Ltd., 27 November 2021. Accessed 9 January 2022.​

Library of Alexandria. Kingdom of France in 1792. “The NextGen OTL Worlda Series.” alternatehistory.com, XenForo Ltd., 9 November 2021. Accessed 9 January 2022.​

Vallain, Jeanne-Louise. La liberté. 1793-1794. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vallain-liberty.jpg. Accessed 10 January 2022.​

[Edit: I literally just found right after posting this that the Republican calendar was supposed to have calendar eras, so the name have been changed to those]

 

[da Racontor]

Board Games in the French Republic​ The French Republic did not just want to change the French government, it wanted to change all aspects of French life. And board games were just another thing the Committee of Public Safety sought to change. The face cards in a playing card deck had royal symbols on them and this was unacceptable. The committee passed a law banning the printing of new cards using royal imagery, preexisting cards were still allowed as the committee wanted to encourage gambling and other “immoral” behavior as much as possible. The solution to this was to replace the face cards with personifications of republican virtues. The kings became the spirits/genies of war, peace, the arts, and commerce. Queens became the liberties of culture, marriage, press, and professions. And finally, jacks became the equalities of duties, rights, ranks, and “colors” [a] [19]. Chess was also affected by these influences, though no law was ever passed by the committee enforcing it. Like cards the king and queen were renamed, spirit/genie and liberty respectively. The knights were replaced entirely. The new piece called a mann [20] which could move one space in any direction. Nothing else was changed about the game, although when translated into other languages bishops were sometimes called equalities. Neither of these changes would last too long. However, the French Republic did create a legacy with these changes. Almost every anti-monarchical government that came after would try to repeat these changes in some way. Though directory chess, as it would become known as, would be replaced in the late ninetieth century with a variant that would change the rules as well. Figure 1: Symbol for the Mann [xl]

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Footnotes​

a. races​

b. The spirit is assumed to be the spirit of something but that something is generally left undefined; the few instances where it is its usually called the spirit of revolution, or spirit of the republic​

Endnotes​

19. The renaming did happen in OTL; though it may not have been enforced by law​

20. An OTL fairy chess piece​

Spoiler: Citations

xl.(Modfied from source: Sunny3113, 2017)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

Sunny3113. Commoner Transparent. 23 July 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Commoner_Transparent.svg. Accessed 1 February 2022.​

​

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In addition to the playing card names, the chess game was inspired by chess set pieces I say that was made during the revolution. The only difference was that they removed the horse heads from the knights.

I promise that the next chess variant (probably in part VI) will actually have some bigger changes to it.

 

[da Racontor]

Chapter 5: September Monarchy​

—c. AD 1791—

“Liberté et ordre” [a]
Motto of the Federal Kingdom of France

Portrait of Louis Philippe d'Orléans, future King of the French (1747-1793) Ceremonial robes of the Order of the Holy Spirit [21], [xli]​

Once the king was out of the picture and the National Assembly declared a new republican government, the parliaments dropped the pretense about supporting the ancient laws of France. Each parliament declared itself the new sovereign government in their local area. Each parliament sent delegates to Versailles to create their own government. The first order of business was to affirm that the new government was to be a federal monarchy, which passed unanimously. Discussion about redefining the territorial divisions of France was deemed necessary, but was tabled for the time being. The parliaments were formally transformed into legislative bodies. And a federal senate was formed for the national government.

The next major vote was who would be king. While there were a few who voted for Louis XVI, Philippe Égalité I [22] overwhelmingly won. Philippe Égalité had been in open secret talks with the parliaments since the beginning of the riots. He promised to always respect their local autonomy so he was the obvious choice. Philippe Égalité would not be crowned King of France, but King of the French.

The next obvious action for the French Federation [23] was to declare war on the French Republic. The republic had control over the city of Paris and its entire garrison, its allies also controlled the city of Rennes. While a fair number of the military did defect, the federation had control of the largest portion of the army. And both the cities of Paris and Rennes were immediately placed under siege.

While every parliament had complete jurisdiction over their region, the federal government promoted deism. Unlike the republic, the federation did not originally attack Catholicism. But the clergy, especially the lower clergy, did not like their practices being subverted by ceremonial deism. They also saw Louis Philippe I as a usurper and denounced him as such. Because of the denouncement, the federal government encouraged deism and controlling the clergy on the parliamentary level.

***
​

	French Kingdom​ Royaume français (fra)​
	Flag of France [xxxiv], Arms of France [xlii], and Location of France (teal) [xxxix]​
Motto:	“Liberté et ordre” (fra) (Liberty and order)
Anthem:	“The Marseillaise” [24]
Capital & largest city:	Paris (de jure )
Official language:	French
Religions:	Deism, Roman Catholicism
Demonym:	French
Government: • King of the French​	Federal constitutional monarchy Philippe Égalité I
Legislature:	French senate
Declared:	from the Kingdom of France • September 3, AD 1791​
Population:	28,100,00 (estimate)
Currency	French franc (₣)

Figure 1: Uniforms of the French Federation [xliii]​

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Footnotes​

a. fra: “Liberty and order​

b. Marseille was the de facto capital after the first meeting in Versailles​

Endnotes​

21. OTL: Portrait of Louis Philippe d'Orléans, future Duke of Orléans (1747-1793) Ceremonial robes of the Order of the Holy Spirit​

22. Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans' regal name​

23. The official name was the French Kingdom, the French Federation is commonly used in modern ATL times to help distinguish it from the similarly named Kingdom of France​

24. Essentially the same song as OTL​

Spoiler: Citations

xli. (Callet, 1761-1800)​

xlii. (Modified from source: Sodacan, 2010)​

xliii. (Modified from source: Tyke), (Modified from source: Peto)​

​

Spoiler: Credits

[

Callet, Antoine-François. Portrait of Louis Philippe d'Orléans, future Duke of Orléans (1747-1793) Ceremonial robes of the Order of the Holy Spirit. 1761-1800. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fileortrait_of_Louis_Philippe_d'Orléans,_Duke_of_Orléans_(known_as_Philippe_Égalité)_in_ceremonial_robes_of_the_Order_of_the_Holy_Spirit_by_Antoine_François_Callet.jpg. Accessed 11 January 2022.​

Sodacan. Coat of Arms of the July Monarchy (1830-31). 29 March 2010. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_Arms_of_the_July_Monarchy_(1830-31).svg. Accessed 13 January 2022.​

Tyke, Old. French 5. “18 Century”. https://juniorgeneral.org/index.php/figure/view/French5. Accessed 20 January 2022./SPOILER]​