Commonwealth of Riviera
Riviera has one of the richest, most diverse demographics within the UAR. The area that comprises the realm was absorbed into the greater confederation following the six year long American-Louisianan War[2] in the early 19th century. The area was initially inhabited by a number of native people before the French incorporated it as one of their New World colonies. France claimed the area as part of its Louisiane Colony, where it was further distinguished as part of Illinois Country or Upper Louisiane. The region was slow to populate under the French, who began exploring and settling it in the late 17th century, before growth began to expand in the mid-to-late 18th century. The settlement of Riviera by the French was mainly centered along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers at first, with its early economy revolving around logging, fur trapping, mining and agricultural projects at a smaller scale than in other parts of French America. The population of the area waned somewhat from its initially settling by the French until the Six Years War[3], after which French settlers east of the Mississippi emigrated there en masse. Following the French Civil War[4] and the flight of the republicans[5], the population of Louisiane as a whole grew exponentially as a mass wave of French immigrated from Europe. Most of this immigration was centered around New Orleans and the Gulf, but what would become Riviera would also see substantial growth as a result. French authorities, eager to expand the population of its colony, also began encouraging American settlement particularly in the region. The invention of the cotton gin also spurred growth and would lead to a spike in slavery within the territory.
Henry V's invasion of the Rhineland and Savoy sparked the start of the First Great European War[6] in 1803, setting the stage for further upheaval in its colonies. With Louisiane's population having grown exponentially in the preceding decades, France called for its colony to send conscripts. The colonial leadership, however, was overwhelmed by local opposition. Their refusal to send men to fight on the continent led to the Louisianan War of Independence[7] and the breaking away of the last French colony on mainland North America. The new Republic of Louisiane covered significant territory that was within the sights of Americans from the UAR and important to the UAR's interests, including regions around the Great Lakes. When Louisiane imposed harsh tariffs on goods traveling down the Mississippi, the UAR issued its first joint war resolution and invaded the burgeoning republic. Select French settlers joined with American immigrants in present-day Riviera to support annexation and in the end most of Louisiane would be recognized as American territory. The local populace of Riviera was allowed to carve its own region by the UAR for its support during the war, and thus the modern borders of Riviera were born.
Though American settlement into Riviera began to grow, the area had developed a strong French founder population. After its incorporation into the UAR, nearly all Great Lake French populations in other UAR territories made their way to Riviera, including residents of Detroit and Chicagou. The population was boosted somewhat further during the Louisianan Civil War[8] when Louisiane abolished slavery, as some Louisiane slavers moved to Riviera's lands in the southeast. By the mid-1800s, Riviera had developed a strong and distinct culture that was mostly French speaking, with sizable "American" migrants as well, and had begun to attract German migrants. French was the lingua franca, though progressively efforts to teach English to all spread as well. The capital was moved to Assomption[9], named for Fort Assomption that was in the area, in 1841. Overtime, hispanic migrants entered the realm towards the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, escaping the economic troubles that had befallen Colorado in that period, further adding to the diversity of the realm. Despite the existence of slavery in the realm, the practice was largely centered in the southeast portions of Riviera. Outside of the territories near and east of the Mississippi, slavery was not huge. As such, Riviera ended up becoming one of the first of the slave realms to fully abolish the practice, doing so in 1867. In the 20th century, Riviera encouraged migration into its vast territories and saw such migration, be it from Americans from other realms in the UAR, or from across Europe during the 20th century.
Today, Riviera is home to a number of different people. Most residents claim Rivierien ancestry, a catch-all phrase for the descendants of the French colonists that settled in the region during the colonial period and after Riviera became part of the UAR. Individuals claiming Rivierien ancestry make up just over 60% of the realms population. Though the realm has extremely high levels of bilingualism due to English being taught to children and adolescents, the vast majority of those claiming Rivierien ancestry and identity continue to be taught Rivierien French as their first language and continue to speak it at home. Because of the prevalent use of Rivierien French, many residents who do not claim Rivierien ancestry nonetheless learn to speak the regional French dialect anyway, meaning that nearly 80% of the realm's population speaks it to some degree. In the UAR, it is encouraged that people mark as many ancestries as they wish to claim on their census so some individuals mark multiple. Over the years, many groups have become prominent in Riviera either by intermarrying with the Rivierien population or establishing their own distinct groups. The four ancestries most claimed, other than Rivierien, are German (21.3%), Hispanic (19.3%), African[10] (19.1%) and "American"[11] (18.3%).
[1] These other realms are East Florida and Canada.
[2] The American-Louisianan War occurred from 1814-20 and was the first war where the UAR as a whole engaged since the Independence War.
[3] This TL's version of the OTL Seven Years War, France does not lose its Louisiana Colony following the war, but loses everything east of the Mississippi.
[4] The French Civil War occurred from 1788-91, roughly, and resulted in a victory for the monarchists.
[5] Rather than outright kill the large segments of the population that sympathized with the revolutionaries, France's Henry V sought to pacify the situation by "granting" large areas of land to the rebels - in Louisiana, and forcing them to leave the motherland. This came to be called the flight of the republicans.
[6] A major, continental conflict in Europe that shifted the balance of power and preceded even worse conflicts over the next century and a half.
[7] The Louisianan War of Independence raged from 1804-09 and resulted in the independence of France's Louisiane colony.
[8] The Louisianan Civil War was a bloody civil conflict that occurred in the 1830s when Louisiane abolished slavery.
[9] Assomption lies roughly where the OTL city of Memphis, Tennessee is.
[10] Most residents who claim African ancestry also claim Rivierien ancestry or speak Rivierien French.
[11] "American" refers to English-speaking, American settlers in the region particularly from the 19th century. Despite early unity with the Rivieriens, the two groups grew rather hostile in the mid-19th century. Americans are the least likely to have intermixed with the Rivierien majority and the most likely to be adherents of the Church of Columbia.
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