[RFC Dawn of Civ] The Alternative History of France

[mayor]

, he does look a little creepy in the second screenshot

EDIT: I must say that I've never seen the Italians do so good.....

 

[Bocator]

Very interesting story !

, he does look a little creepy in the second screenshot

EDIT: I must say that I've never seen the Italians do so good.....

Same.

 

[heitorcccp]

Neither did I, and I'm not so glad for seeing that now

 

[strijder20]

Neither did I, and I'm not so glad for seeing that now

Must be the Germans collapsing and the Italians getting Vienna.

 

[trexeric]

This has earned the "trexeric Badge of Awesome Storytelling"!!!

 

[heitorcccp]

Chapter IV played, chapter V under play. Outside weekends, however, life can be a very busy and annoying thing

Trying to go with next chapter until friday or saturday. TRYING.

 

[heitorcccp]

In next minutes, posting the Chapter IV of the French History in my DoC game.

My apologies for the delay, as the last week days were busy enough to make me half-dead in Saturday But I'm back, and let you to appreciate the beginning of Modern Ages to the French people.

Still finishing whe would-be Chapter V in game, and running a history-candidate in another RFC style game

enjoy!

 

[heitorcccp]

Near the Halloween of 1675, the Low Countries War was finally over with complete French victory. The Dutch autonomous government was entirely disbanded and Netherlands ceased to exist as a sovereign nation.

But French leaders, specially the politicians at the Royal Council, were far from relaxed: Italy formally declared to be hostile to French Empire some years ago, but hadn’t still driven a major offensive against France or her allies. The Franco-Italian border at the Alps and Danube was still quiet, despite some few skirmishes, very limited even for an attrition war.

Secretly, the French military was of the general opinion that an all-out Italian invasion would be no less than a complete disaster: French war-weary, underequipped and tired troops were still recovering at Northern France and Batavia, and garrisons in the Lotharingian regions (the French formal name for German lands) were being hastily expanded and modernized at heavy costs. In the best scenarios, an Italian driving force could only be slowed down to give a chance for the bulk of French army to drive them out of core French areas.

The disaster turned to be very likely when, only five years after the Batavian annexation, a midsized Italian army broke through French Tyrol heading right to the fortified city of Francfort, prompting a full-scale mobilization of the French armies still standing at the Ardennes. Due to the well arranged road network in the French Empire, these troops were able to halt the Italian advance just before they could set foot in the Francfort’s countryside.

The Italian regiments enjoyed some initial successes, pounding the French armeé heavily and taking down some musket regiments, but were soon battered to death by remaining and valiant French troops and fresh reinforcements. The Tyrolese hills and highlands were then strongly occupied by French garrisons, and the commanding high officer of French armies there, Colonel LaFayette, was promoted to Maréchal de France for outstanding action in the defense of the nation and put in charge of the southern border defense and organization of the French Expeditionary Corps to teach the peninsulars a dire lesson.

To further Italian dismay, the Swedish allies of France still had fresh, brand new troops and plenty of resources to fight a full-scale war, and proceeded to do so right after the formal declaration of war in Oslo. They’ve amassed a full army of cannons and musketeers and proceeded right to the Italian Noricia, to seize the city of Vienna. The word among Swedish regiments was to “avenge our German brothers” and “bring back Deutschmark to rightful German rule”

The French initial advances (1675-1690) exhausted Italian armies in their north, just enough to allow the Swedes to wage a slow but successful advance into Noricia, and finally capture Vienna in 1718. The strong and somewhat oppressed German populace still residing there cheered and welcomed the Swedes as “liberators”.

 

[heitorcccp]

The French Colonization missions in America continued to act, founding the town of Chartres in the Caribbean Sea. The city was intended as an important commercial port to mediate trade in the area and generate profits and taxes for the French Crown

French economic scholars developed theories about trading and treasury-balancing, finding out that allowing freer market relations between people was the best way to led France to economic growth. This, however, aided to rise the heat of the political boiler in France, and it was in the verge of explosion...

The French society was growing unhappy about their government and it’s conservatism, morosity and incapability to handle the new, complex issues sparked by the new ideas about philosophy and government. The economic crisis resulted from a long state of war and the initial refuse of the King to implement the necessary reforms ultimately led to a deep crisis and, in 1710, to the demise of the Monarchy and the French Proclamation of Republic; the Provisional Republican council immediately took office at Besançon and started wide and important reforms to prop up the country's development.

The famed French scientist, Antoine Lavoisier, published many works in natural sciences and worked all his life in behalf of the scientific education to generations of French students. His efforts culminated, in 1730, in the creation of the French Academy of Sciences and Fine Arts, sponsored by the Republican government and directed by Lavoisier. Since its creation, thousands and thousands of French students started there their scientific and technical careers, maintaining France at the edge of scientific development in the world.

 

[heitorcccp]

The young Republic maintained in good shape the war effort, and in the eve of the 1720’s, finally managed to assemble a sizable expeditionary army and headed to Venezia, the commercial jewel of the Italian League in the Adriatic. The siege initially seemed to be ending in success, but the straining of the French supply lines, a relative lack of artillery pieces and the great effort made by Italians to reinforce their defenses resulted in stalemate and protracted attrition war in Northern Italia.

The French Military Academy at Besançon was also an important center for innovation, developing important theories in military science through 18th Century

After the fall of Vienna and a poignant episode where Italian housewives cared day and night for the lives of wounded Swedish soldiers, the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Consigliere Petruccio, sit at the table with the Norse plenipotentiary, Marshal Hjalmar Thorhammar, and settled peace between their nations. Eastern Poland, Austria and Silesia were to become Swedish lands, and Sweden was to remove its troops from Italian southern territories in Romania and Bulgaria.

The peace between Sweden and Rome disturbed the French Government, specially the current Liberal cabinet at the time. Voices for peace begun to get stronger.

Gustave Eiffel, a creative engineer and businessman from Southern France and a relative to the family of the former Royal lords of Marseille, was instrumental to the creation of the French Trading Company, overseeing major works to build a large shipyard, a fully-equipped trading dock and the administrative buildings for the Company. Himself was one of the Company leaders, which aided to keep the French treasure in good shape to help wage war against Italians.

In later stages of the war, in 1760’s, the Italian Army tried a breakthrough across Romandy and Northern Piedmont to reach the central regions of the Republic and menace the capitol, maybe to force the French Government for a capitulation. But the mobility of the French army was decisive to stop the Italian invading force, driving them back to Piedmont and even making counter-incursions in Northern Italy.

 

[heitorcccp]

The 1760’s also saw the rise of the German irredentist movement, which culminated in full scale rebellion against their Swedish and Italian overlords. German independence was fully complete by mid 1760’s, and the new sovereign state was recognized by most of European countries. The newborn monarchical state pledged to recover the heritage from the defunct Holy Roman Empire. However, no claims were made in French-ruled German areas, which remained in firm French control with no great rebellion – the appeasement policy of the Republic towards ethnic minorities surely played a part in this peaceful development for France.

Democratic policy-making resumed progress in France, with allowing for broader people’s role in political decisions in the 1760’s. The Chamber of Representatives was given greater powers, and it’s leader effectively ruled the Executive branch. Economic reforms were also made, allowing greater market freedom and leading to strengthening of the French economy. Government’s approval rose.

1776 saw the rise of the American nation, founded by European colonists in Northern America and wanting to build a prosperous and powerful democratic country in the Western Hemisphere. France welcomed the developments, as this could lead to weakening of its rivals' in that continent.

After years of attempts to mediate peace, the Liberal government of the French Republic and the war-weary Mercantile Council of the Italian League finally settled a peace treaty in status quo ante bellum, recognizing no victors. The Final Settlement for Peace provoked different reactions across the two countries and the world, as two important powers finally decided to, at least for a while, coexist in peace. French businessmen were alleviated to see a great drain to the country’s economy to be closed, and the plummeting economy begun to show signs of recovering. Italian politicians finally could handle with the due attention the increasing unrest and instability at their own Empire: the Italian League was in the verge of collapse at the time of the signing of the Settlement. Liberal and progressive politicians were glad to see the war ended, and praised their own men at the Government for that “outstanding accomplishment”; in other side, the hawks at the Traditionalist and Radical parties were outraged at they called “the filthy treason against France” and the “Shameful capitulation”, vowing to “punish the Treacherous bastards who sold out our country” and to remove the “spineless Liberals” from government. A vote-of-no-confidence was tried without success.

 

[hoplitejoe]

berserker in 1700

 

[heitorcccp]

A war-torn France finally was in peacetime after over two centuries of fierce and continuous war. Despite great sucesses (specially in Batavia) and the asserting of French sovereignty and integrity, little gains were made in the last wars and the economy was stiffled by the conflict. Governments fell and new forms of rule were created to alleviate tensions and to improve government's efficiency.

The post war years, told in full detail in Chapter V, were years of economic growth and scientific quick advancement, and affirmation of the French Republic as one of the world powers. But new and unprecedented changes were awaiting to play their role and modify deeply the French society.

 

[heitorcccp]

@hoplitejoe: Old but good equipment of previous wars: France also did good use from this old stuff!

 

[christos200]

Great update. Also create a communist france!!

 

[strijder20]

France! France!
Yay, we almost get congresses, which must be my favourite part of RFC.

 

[heitorcccp]

Solving some annoying college stuff (nearing conclusion YAY) and, then, proceeding to Chapter V.

Thanks for all views and comments, and stay tuned, I still have many French stuff to tell!

 

[j_mie6]

subbed

 

[thecaesar]

Wow, this is an amazing story! Great job - but don't hurt the Rom--Italians! Just let them kill the vikings...

 

[inohotep]

Oh for the love of.....
RAZE EFFFFING ROME!
(take that thecaesar)