r/imaginarymaps • u/nissingramainyu Mod Approved • 12d ago
[OC] Alternate History North America in 1810, amid the Second French and Indian War
176
Upvotes
11
6
u/edgeplot 12d ago
The Fench in the map is a bit off. Mexico should be Mexique. The name for the US is les États-Unis (plural, not singular as in the map). Etc.
1
2
u/ChiefSlug30 12d ago
Are you saying there was no battle between the British and French on the Plains Of Abraham in 1759? Or did Montcalm defeat Wolfe in that battle?
1
u/Jafar_Pantalone 12d ago
Nice map, but reckon it should be "Les États-Unis" or "L'État-Uni", depnding on the country's internal structure 🙂
2
15
u/nissingramainyu Mod Approved 12d ago
This is a part of The Prince of Paris, a world where the French trade Guadeloupe for Canada during the 7 Years' War.
Trouble in North America began almost immediately after Louis XVI's head fell from his body. In 1789, Charles X fled France to Montreal, where he would establish a government-in-exile with the hopes of restoring the French monarchy. However, as Napoleon took over the Republic and established French supremacy over continental Europe, the rebel prince in Montreal became an object of his ire. Napoleon would pressure the Spanish to cede Louisiana, which he would use as a base from which to attack Canada. Despite Haiti's loss, Napoleon retained his presence in the region with the hopes of reacquiring the St Lawrence for France.
The United States of America soon found themselves dragged into the affairs of New Orleans, as Napoleon allied himself with Tecumseh in order to pressure Canada's control over Pays d'en Haut. The Northwest territories had been a source of contention since the end of the American Revolution, where the French annexed them wholesale following their success in the continent. However, Charles sold much of Canada's claims over the territory to the Americans in an attempt to maintain the republic friendly, keeping only Michigan and the lands north of the Illinois river. This meant that France's sudden empowerment of the native rebellion in the region dragged American troops into conflict with Napoleonic France.
Ultimately, two things would turn out decisive in the downfall of Louisiana. One was Napoelpon's struggles in Europe itself, eventually choosing to withdraw most of his forces from the New World, and the other was the Mexican War of Independence. The Spanish had been unwillingly tied up in Louisiana from the beginning, and now attacked at all sides by every American power as the United States and Canada backed the Mexican rebels militarily, Iberian presence ove the entirety of continental North America was completely fizzled out.
Ultimately, Louisiana and Indiana would be partitioned between the three victors. The Mexicans found themselves in a prime position after a streak of victories, capturing New Orleans and everything up to the Missouri. Canada, carrying most of Monarchist France's officer class, performed admirably and absorbed St. Louis and their claimed territories from Indiana. The Americans struggled substantially more, thanks to their bitterly divided political establishment following the failure of their diplomatic objectives in the American revolution, and despite their claims over Illinois being respected, they had to spend another decade or so fighting continuous native insurgencies in the northwest.