Legacy of the Revolution - Gameplay Thread (Turn 1 - 1802)

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Sweden requests the Kingdom of Prussia to rescind the Treaty of Breslau. If not the Kingdom of Sweden will be forced to take consequences.

[windjammer]

We are pleased to announce the wedding between Princess Augusta of Bavaria and the Crown Prince of Spain Ferdinand.

X Manuel Godoy

[Senator Spiral]

Treaty of Cape Town

The French Republic, United Kingdom, and Batavian Republic hereby agree to the following:

1. The Batavian Republic shall apologize and cease hostilities with the United Kingdom surrounding Cape Colony, committing to peacefully withdraw forces from the colonial territory until Batavian ownership is effective.

2. The United Kingdom shall publicly commit to the full transfer of ownership of the Cape Colony to the Batavian Republic, per the Treaty of Amiens, to be completed no later than December 31, 1803.

3. The rights of peaceful British shipping in the vicinity shall be guaranteed by all parties.

4. The French Republic shall provide financial compensation to the widows of slain British soldiers as a result of prior confrontations in the Cape Colony.

X First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, French Republic

[OBD]

Treaty of Cape Town

The French Republic, United Kingdom, and Batavian Republic hereby agree to the following:

1. The Batavian Republic shall apologize and cease hostilities with the United Kingdom surrounding Cape Colony, committing to peacefully withdraw forces from the colonial territory until Batavian ownership is effective.

2. The United Kingdom shall publicly commit to the full transfer of ownership of the Cape Colony to the Batavian Republic, per the Treaty of Amiens, to be completed no later than December 31, 1803.

3. The rights of peaceful British shipping in the vicinity shall be guaranteed by all parties.

4. The French Republic shall provide financial compensation to the widows of slain British soldiers as a result of prior confrontations in the Cape Colony.

X First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, French Republic

x King George III Hanover

[OBD]

Statement from the British Foreign Ministry
to be distributed to domestic and international press

On April 18, a serious misunderstanding occurred off the shores of the Cape Colony, where an overeager Dutch commander fired upon British sailors preparing to evacuate the Cape Colony in line with the terms of the Treaty of Amiens. To our great regret, twelve of His Majesty's loyal sailors lost their lives defending against this reckless attack. Thankfully, the Dutch government has proven willing to apologize for the rash behavior of their commandants, and through France is providing compensation to the United Kingdom as recompense for their actions. His Majesty personally extends his condolences to the families of the fallen sailors, and hails the continuation of peace on the European continent.

British forces will begin the process of preparing for the transfer of ownership of the Cape Colony and we anticipate being in full compliance with the Treaty of Cape Town by the date outlined in clause 2.

[GoTfan]

Statement from the Court in Berlin

The Kingdom of Prussia, as a sovereign nation, has the right to pursue diplomatic agreements with any nation it desires to. It is not the business of any nation to force the diplomatic policy of another.

Should the Kingdom of Sweden desire discussions with Berlin, they would be most welcome. However, the Kingdom is obligated to defend its right to make treaties. The Treaty of Breslau-a primarily economic agreement-will remain in effect.

Once given, the Kingdom of Prussia stands by its word.

[OBD]

Treaty of Agrigento (1802)

In the spirit of camaraderie between like-minded powers, and in the interest of the pursuit of peace and prosperity on the European continent, the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Naples, henceforth referred to as the “High Contracting Parties”, hereby agree to the following terms:

i. The High Contracting Parties hereby agree to a mutual defense pact. An attack on one will be treated as an attack on the other, effective upon the defending party submitting a written request for aid.

ii. The United Kingdom, in its tremendous generosity, will provide the government of Naples with a significant annual stipend. This stipend shall be used to further economic and social development within the Kingdom of Naples.

iii. The United Kingdom will furnish economic advisors to the Kingdom of Naples, to assist with the administration of grant funds provided from the British Treasury.

iv. The United Kingdom shall, in the spirit of naval cooperation between the esteemed navies of Britain and Naples, dispatch select Admirals of the Royal Navy to Naples to disseminate the latest naval tactics, training methods, and shipbuilding technologies. Furthermore, the British and Neapolitan navies shall engage in periodic joint exercises in the Tyrrhenian Sea to increase preparedness and regional security.

v. The Kingdom of Naples, in the interest of mutual security in the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas, shall grant naval basing rights to the United Kingdom in the ports of Palermo, Catania, and Sorrento.

vi. The High Contracting Parties grant each other the right to conduct business and trade within their territories. This right shall include the establishment of trade missions, offices, and warehouses. This clause shall not be construed to preclude the implementation of domestic trade policy, including tariffs.

vii. The High Contracting Parties further guarantee the free passage of the other’s shipping within their territorial waters.

viii. The High Contracting Parties declare their mutual opposition to the forces of extremism and disorder, and pledge to work in concert to ensure sanity and tranquility prevail across their realms.

ix. This treaty shall enter into force upon domestic ratification by both of the High Contracting Parties

x King George III Hanover

[Spamage]

Treaty of Agrigento (1802)

In the spirit of camaraderie between like-minded powers, and in the interest of the pursuit of peace and prosperity on the European continent, the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Naples, henceforth referred to as the “High Contracting Parties”, hereby agree to the following terms:

i. The High Contracting Parties hereby agree to a mutual defense pact. An attack on one will be treated as an attack on the other, effective upon the defending party submitting a written request for aid.

ii. The United Kingdom, in its tremendous generosity, will provide the government of Naples with a significant annual stipend. This stipend shall be used to further economic and social development within the Kingdom of Naples.

iii. The United Kingdom will furnish economic advisors to the Kingdom of Naples, to assist with the administration of grant funds provided from the British Treasury.

iv. The United Kingdom shall, in the spirit of naval cooperation between the esteemed navies of Britain and Naples, dispatch select Admirals of the Royal Navy to Naples to disseminate the latest naval tactics, training methods, and shipbuilding technologies. Furthermore, the British and Neapolitan navies shall engage in periodic joint exercises in the Tyrrhenian Sea to increase preparedness and regional security.

v. The Kingdom of Naples, in the interest of mutual security in the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas, shall grant naval basing rights to the United Kingdom in the ports of Palermo, Catania, and Sorrento.

vi. The High Contracting Parties grant each other the right to conduct business and trade within their territories. This right shall include the establishment of trade missions, offices, and warehouses. This clause shall not be construed to preclude the implementation of domestic trade policy, including tariffs.

vii. The High Contracting Parties further guarantee the free passage of the other’s shipping within their territorial waters.

viii. The High Contracting Parties declare their mutual opposition to the forces of extremism and disorder, and pledge to work in concert to ensure sanity and tranquility prevail across their realms.

ix. This treaty shall enter into force upon domestic ratification by both of the High Contracting Parties

x King George III Hanover

X- Queen Consort Maria Carolina von Habsburg-Lothringen, on behalf of her beloved husband, His Majesty King Ferdinand IV de Bourbon of Naples

[Dereich]

Treaty of Cape Town

The French Republic, United Kingdom, and Batavian Republic hereby agree to the following:

1. The Batavian Republic shall apologize and cease hostilities with the United Kingdom surrounding Cape Colony, committing to peacefully withdraw forces from the colonial territory until Batavian ownership is effective.

2. The United Kingdom shall publicly commit to the full transfer of ownership of the Cape Colony to the Batavian Republic, per the Treaty of Amiens, to be completed no later than December 31, 1803.

3. The rights of peaceful British shipping in the vicinity shall be guaranteed by all parties.

4. The French Republic shall provide financial compensation to the widows of slain British soldiers as a result of prior confrontations in the Cape Colony.

X First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, French Republic

x King George III Hanover

x Ambassador Schimmelpenninck on behalf of the Staatsbewind

[King Saul]

We are pleased to announce the wedding between Princess Augusta of Bavaria and the Crown Prince of Spain Ferdinand.

X Manuel Godoy

X Prince-Elector Maximilian Joseph IV .

[Lumine]

End of 1802

Bonaparte strikes west!

Anti-piracy coalition gives way to ambitious plans,
Multiple French expeditions storm Morocco, Western Africa,
Franco-American effort struggles in Saint Domingue hell

The Barbary War
The Bey of Tripoli, Yusuf Karamanli, knew instantly that his position could potentially be precarious. Though he dismissed the fledgling American navy as inexperienced and any Swedish naval commitment as "superfluous", he knew that a France not bound by the Royal Navy was to be a far tougher foe to put up it. If anything, there was a distinct lack of a fleet to defend Tripoli with, with the corsair fleets being excellent raiders but not having vessels designed for war. Against the Tripolitanian-aligned pirates, the French, Swedish and American squadrons gathered up in Marseilles for the big push. In the words of the First Consul in a proclaim to Europe, the odd coalition was sailing to defend Western civilization against barbarism and piracy.

Over the next few weeks and months, the Allied fleet systematically went about securing its hold on the Western Mediterranean, resulting in endless skirmishes and, whenever the occasion allowed, counter-raids by the pirates. Although the Allied squadrons could not be defeated in battle, pirate fleets could still harm merchants and even ambush and defeat isolated vessels, resulting in a long, drawn out naval campaign. In stark contrast to other French efforts during the year, the Mediterranean campaign was to be a source of much praise in European capitals, with the Pope himself offering words of encouragement in the struggle against piracy and the past enslavement of countless Christian souls.

The arrival of the Allied fleet to Tripoli to shell the port coincided with the arrival of envoys from Constantinople, which urged the Bey to reach some sort of settlement. Karamanli stalled, only for the shelling of several Tripolitanian ports and the escape of countless pirate squadrons to friendlier ports in Tunis and Algiers to turn the campaign into a hopeless prospect of sorts. The Bey, contrary to French expectations, refused to wave the white flag. Rather than surrender, Tripoli sent offers to Paris, Washington and Stockholm, proposing a settlement in which European hostages would be returned in return for a small ransom. Thus, the Allies face the issue of whether to settle with the Bey and avoid trouble with Constantinople, or gamble on an actual invasion of Ottoman Tripolitania.

The Invasion of Morocco
Bonaparte, alas, had far greater ambitions than a mere punitive expedition to Tripoli. Dreams of Empire were the talk of his inner circle, and the First Consul, already feeling a sense of an unfinished job after his dramatic expedition to Egypt, concluded that Africa was ripe for the taking. In unprecedented fashion, over 80,000 men were committed to a series of ambitious operations: twice the size of the original expedition to Egypt. General Berthier, Minister of War, and Gaudin, the Minister of Finance, were said to have gone pale just by picturing the logistical challenge and sheer financial cost of such an unexpected enterprise, which added to commitments in Saint Domingue and Tripoli entailed the mobilization of the military - and further recruitment - at a time of (technical) peace.

Carefully avoiding Spanish-owned Ceuta and Melilla, and aided by the earlier cleansing of the seas by the Allied fleet, General Bernadotte successfully landed the 50,000 strong Army of Morocco outside Rabat. Caught by surprise over the lack of a declaration of war - an act that harmed French diplomatic efforts elsewhere -, the Sultan of Morocco, Sulayman bin Mohammed, was forced to suspend his permanent feuds with local tribes to try and concentrate his forces. While challenged by the difficult terrain and unbearable heat, Bernadotte struck faster, all but destroying a 20,000 strong Moroccan army at the Battle of Meknes. Unable to hold Fez, one of the two capital cities, Sulayman fled south to Marrakesh.

Subsequent landings elsewhere during the rest of the year were slowed down by further piracy action, which only ended once the corsairs had to withdraw back to Algiers. Much of the Moroccan coastline was seized, but further advances proved impossible given the challenge of keeping such a large force fed and supplied from France. Sulayman has gathered his forces in Marrakesh and has successfully rallied the population in occupied zones, promising a religious war against the invader. Bernadotte, showing his skill as an administrator, has kept unrest to a minimum in occupied territory, but it remains to be seen for how long can that be sustained.

West African Tour
Perhaps the most spectacular - and incomprehensible to audiences - of Bonaparte's gambits took place across the Western African shores, with General Augereau being given 30,000 men and wide berth to conquer and colonize. European-held strongholds were left ignored as various African kingdoms, tribes and realms saw French bombardment followed by armed landings. Augereau, while puzzled by his task, proved every bit the aggressive commander, establishing multiple bases and leading daring raids inland. Multiple skirmishes have taken place, French expansion being mostly limited by terrain, disease and climate while the African monarchs - collectively outraged - desperately collect their armies in their deeper provinces.

Political efforts to divide and conquer, however, fell flat, the unexpected and unannounced French giving creating suspicions and distrust that papered over tribal differences. Europe, stunned by the unprecedented French assault on the African Continent, was to fail to notice more humble efforts by other powers, including a not-insignificant Portuguese expedition that expanded their Mozambique holdings before encountering significant native resistance.

To the shores of Saint Domingue
Undeterred by Louverture's desperate Declaration of Independence, the long-awaited French expedition to Saint Domingue sailed from Brest under General Leclerc, 30,000 men backed by the increasingly overstretched French Navy and, decisively from the logistical point of view, with ample backing and support by the American Navy. The encirclement of the island, expected to be a simple affair, proved a drawn out affair after the Allied navy encountered several corsairs flying under the new Saint Domingue flag. Not expecting the rebels to have even that, French and American admirals were forced to heavily guard their transport and supply convoys, successfully repelling most raids.

In another nasty surprise to Leclerc, the Saint Domingue forces were better armed than would have been expected, with artillery pieces at Cap Francais and Port-au-Prince preventing a swift capture. Instead of overrunning the island, the French General was forced into a long campaign. Still, overwhelming naval superiority and advantages in numbers and training enabled the French forces to win an early victory by expelling the rebels from the east of the island, a recent conquest of Louverture from the Spanish. Lengthy sieges of Cap Francais and Port-au-Prince, while costly, also resulted in surrender.

Louverture and the remnants of his armies fled deep into the island, biding their time. Yellow fever broke out almost instantly, drastically slowing down French movements as casualties mounted and skirmishes kept delaying any advance. By the end of the year, the return of slavery to the island had greatly bolstered the rebel President's will to resist, as well as the local population's will to endure. Though the American-backed French effort has the upper hand, it does not appear that there will be an easy victory in Saint Domingue.

Molasses to rum to slaves
Under normal circumstances, such expansive efforts across the world might well have bankrupted the French economy, which had only recently recovered from its nadir thanks to Bonaparte's early reforms. And though the prospect cannot be ruled out given the long-term nature of those commitments, and the relative unprofitability of many of the conquered lands, one major source of income has been found: human flesh. Rather than just bringing back slavery to Saint Domingue - an act that, while heavily resisted in the island, could be a major boon should the sugar plantations be restored -, the French Republic went all-in on the highly profitable yet somewhat controversial practice.

Replacing, co-opting, or engaging with the local African leadership that would originally handle such matters in areas like the Gold Coast, Augereau's conquests served as an umbrella for slave operations to act. Ships went in carrying troops, and they went out carrying precious slaves by the hundreds, crammed into overburdened cargo holds for their new destinations in Brazil, the Caribbean, and the American South. Although unforeseen consequences are already occurring, including the hardening of abolitionist sentiment in New England and Britain, and even accounting for the disruptions caused by the invasion and the backlash that has led African princes to resist, the aggressive French push has quickly gained a major foothold against the British, Spanish and Portuguese slave trade, helping fund much of Bonaparte's grand operations.

Absolutism and Reform

Reactionary backlash to surprise reforms in Europe,
Rulers challenged by nobility, clergy and even military,
In contrast, Naples and Sweden embrace White Terror

A perhaps unexpected and unintended effect of Bonaparte's achievements as a reforming First Consul has been the sudden drive by several European monarchies to pursue reforms of their own, perhaps in the hope of correcting past mistakes or address perceived weaknesses. However, many of these reforms have surprised and even shocked observers in several instances, particularly after being ordered from monarchs or ministers previously regarded as solidly conservative and/or even reactionary. Though the backlash varies from nation to nation and none appears yet to be threatening, headaches are soon to follow for a few crowned heads.

Austria: all eyes on the Archduke
Having suffered greatly at the hands of the late Emperor Joseph II (1765-1790) and his greatly resisted Josephinist philosophy and reforms, the bulk of the Austrian nobility and clergy greatly welcomed Emperor Francis's general reluctance to reform during the first decade of his rule. But the Emperor had seemingly concluded a different approach was required, with Archduke Charles - brother to the Emperor and a highly regarded commander - put in charge of a committee that was soon issuing enthusiastic recommendations.

Though the Emperor seemingly predicted that opposition could emerge, he was soon swamped by delegation upon delegation of irate noblemen and generals, complaining about the "meddlesome" nature of the Archduke. Many were mollified or temporarily assuaged through clever means, but many more demanded a halt to such "dangerous" acts. Ultimately, timely efforts by the Emperor and his entourage temporarily defused what could have been worse backlash, but it is undeniable that the nobility and clergy in Vienna has been thoroughly riled up under fears that their reliable monarch may be following on Joseph's footsteps.

Russia: Steady does it?
For Alexander I, it was to be a somewhat more muted affair than for many of his fellow monarchs. Buying time and understanding through neutrality in Europe and aggression in the Middle East, the latter of which being enthusiastically received by those who stood against the late Tsar Paul, Alexander was able to push through the replacement of the Collegium with new Ministries, all while making a series of private promises of his own that, seemingly, defused excessive tension directed towards his person. But if Alexander escaped the controversies on his own, his ministers got a worse deal out of it, with the Privy Committee being looked at with suspicion by the nobility, and Alexander Radishchev being outright hounded and harassed. Unable to show his face at certain social gatherings, many noblemen have began demanding that Radishchev be not just deposed, but sent into exile.

Prussia: Pride and Prejudice
In Prussia itself, the Hohenzollern King proved to be more cautious, but even he was not to escape the disappointment of conservative forces becoming suspicious. With the Junkers remaining utterly convinced of the nation's strong, perhaps even invincible standing, a demonstration of sorts presided over the Duke of Brunswick soon descended into a symbolic, mostly performative affair, with most of its participants questioning the need for it at such a promising time for the Kingdom. The barons, however, proved far more welcoming of other measures enacted in the new eastern provinces, an apparent sign that their King nonetheless understood where Prussia's place truly laid.

Naples: The White Terror
Maria Carolina would hear no tales of reform, liberty or anything with the stench of Jacobinism. In the Queen Consort's mind, any agreements signed Cardinal Ruffo were not binding to her if they betrayed the interests of the Kingdom, and being weak in the face of Jacobin threats was very much a betrayal. The Queen, ably backed by Sir John Acton, revived the secret police with ample funding and support, made plans, and, disgusting as it were to her, even looked for inspiration within Revolutionary France itself. Convinced that the Treaty guaranteeing amnesty would be upheld, liberals and former rebels were stunned and shocked by the Queen's day of retribution.

In a series of ferocious assaults by the secret police, terror was unleashed across Naples as scores of dissidents were beaten in the streets by loyalist gangs and publicly humiliated. High ranking dissidents were re-arrested, tried, and executed by the noose, the axe and the firing squad. Even more dissidents were pushed into Neapolitan merchants or Royal Navy vessels by the hundreds, shipped off for a months-long voyage to Australia not concluded by the end of the year. They would keep their heads, but they would also be sent as far away as possible from the King's pious sight.

Of course, there were limits to what could be done. Many dissidents fled into the French vassal states in Italy, begging the First Consul for refuge and rescue. A number of noblemen who were to have their properties seized rose in local revolts and press ganged their peasants into armed bands, forcing the army to intervene or engage in lengthy sieges. A few others fled with their fortunes to Etruria or the Papal States. The Queen Consort offered a few carrots through delivering conditional pardons and even making a point of asking for mercy in contrast to King Ferdinand, though few believed the King would act without the Queen's input and perhaps even encouragement.

(WORK IN PROGRESS)