WI: Thomas Cochrane sets Parliament up the Bomb?

Japhy

Banned
So, in 1810 Britain had a decent political crisis in London when the House of Commons had some radicals thrown in Prison, a Radical MP Francis Burdett denounced this and got himself tagged with an arrest warrant by the house.

Burdett responded to the declaration by barricading himself in his home. The people of London responded by supporting him. Mobs filled the streets, barricades were made, the Tower of London had to flood its moat. All troops with-in 100 miles of London were ordered to arrive the city, and some more conservative voices in Parliament suggest that Arthur Wellesley should be recalled from Spain to take command. Some units clash with rioters and such, over all its very unpleasant.

And then steps in one of the greatest living War Hero's Britain has produced so far in this war. Thomas Cochrane who at the time, is also a radical MP. He takes a rather drastic action. He arrives at Burdett's house with a case of Gunpowder, and the intent to mine the house, in the event of a raid by the Police or the Army to take Burdett into custody. IRL he was talked down, and asked to leave, taking his Gunpowder with him. But the question is what if he hadn't?

Had the Mined house gone off as Police finally slipped in to take Burdett, there would have been many dead police, and the only viable reaction by the goverment would be to call it an act of terrorism or treason. Cochrane would be the obvious target, with the support of the Mobs on London's streets. He would have little choice but to take command, and try to lead a revolution of sorts in London. If London becomes the site of a re-enactment of Paris a few years past, with a successful revolution or not, what would follow?
 

maverick

Banned
Oh, Thomas Cochrane, what a crazy bastard...if I told you of his shenanigans in South America.

Not knowing that much of the time period and British Politics, my first thought goes to his services during the Wars of Independence and the Greek rebellion of the 1820s. Actually, Greece might have a smoother war of Independence without Cochrane, but I don't know if there were other convenient mercenaries (Lord Fillibuster, as San Martin called him) willing to set up the Chilean Navy.

Would the Revolutionaries be able to end the Spanish dominance of the Pacific as they did without Cochrane? It of course depends on who replaces him, if he can be replaced at all.

But back to the OP, there's a few choices:

A. He leds the mob and marches on Parliament, inciting a mini civil war in London as nearby troops are called, and a massacre ensues;

B. Marches on Parliament and he is crushed, but panic spreads, and following Cochrane's trial and hanging, repressive measures follow?

C. He marches on Parliament, chaos ensues, government is unable to react properly, Wellington and his army is recalled from Spain as the local troops are reluctant or unable to crush the rebel mobs in London;
 

Japhy

Banned
I think, that- and I say this only as a silly American, that if Cochrane takes the mobs under his control we could see the start of a British Revolution of 1810. Which probably would really develop into a Civil War I think, considering that Wellesley's army can always be recalled to fight for the government.
 
England was experiencing a severe drought in the spring of 1810,
so blowing up Sir Francis Burdett's house with gunpowder might
potentially set that part of the city ablaze.
 
Ca va Boom?

...Allons-y, enfants, let's give Cochrane a chance.

He did rather well introducing steam gunboats in Greece - if the Greeks had had more skill in using them, goodbye the Ottoman fleet. As it was, they had to be run by British crews and commanders.

Cochrane would have needed to arm the mob from Woolwich Arsenal to have succeeded in taking London. It would take months to bring Douro back from the Peninsula and by then the House of Hanover might have gone home.

Long live the new Lord Protector of England!:D
 
Top