Un Posto Al Sole

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

Un Posto Al Sole

(A Place in the Sun)

Italy: Once the seat of the Roman Empire, the stupor mundi (wonder of the world), it became, by 1900, a third-rate power. Italy has the distinction of the only colonial nation to lose a war in Africa, and has a reputation in pop culture surpassed only by the French.

To change this, we’re going to need a Great Man. One who would be ready to challenge the established order, and find his, and Italy’s, Poste Al Sole, their place in the sun. Is there such a man?

In 1768, the treaty of Versaiilles ceded the island of Corsica to France, from Genoa. Three months afterward, Napoleon Buonaparte (that’s the Italian spelling) would be born. Napoleon Buonaparte played some small role in history, but what if he had not ended up as a soldier of the King of France? What if the island passed to Sardinia?

Well, first and foremost, before we explore this intriguing alternative, Corsica cannot become French. The easiest way to do this would be to have Corsica become Sardinian. This isn’t that hard; the British were very opposed to the French getting an island in the Mediterranean, and it was only because of a political quarrel at home, and the surprise of the treaty, that nothing happened. In this TL, the British will offer to buy the island instead.

The French and British posture at one another, but in the end agree that Corisca shall not remain Genoan, but neither French. . The idea of giving it to Sardinia is tossed up, but it would give the kingdom too strong a position in the Mediterranean. This is an unpopular move; the British were in love, at the time, with the Corsican nation, which had become the most democratic nation in Europe over the last 14 years. But it’s better than giving the French a naval base. Which means, of course, that Napoleon Bounaparte is going to have to look elsewhere for his training.

1772-Carlo Bounaparte sends his sons to be tutored in Savoy.

1779- With French military academies not accepting foreign students, Napoleon Bounaparte is sent to the Austrian military academy in Vienna. He excels, and joins the highly trained, professional Sardinian army in 1785.

1776- Nothing happens different than OTL in the American Revolution. The Americans declare independence, and gain it in 1783.

This leaves the French, of course, with their debts.

1787- The French crisis worsens. An Assembly of notables is called by King Louis XVI, to discuss how to solve the financial burden. Charles Alexandre De Calonne, the French financial advisor, flees to England.

1789- King Louis XVI called the Estates General together for the first time in almost two hundred years. The three estates, nobles, clergy, and bourgeoisie, each present lists of grievances to the King. The lists are so long hat it becomes apparent that reform far exceeding Louis’s plans is demanded and expected. A pamphlet spreads throughout France, saying the third estate and the nation of France are one and the same.

The representatives of the third estate declare themselves the National Assembly. They invite members of the lower clergy and a few nobles to join them. The King closes their meeting place, and the members reform in an indoor tennis court. By July, the King has yielded to the legalization of the National Assembly. Note that we are still more or less in OTL.

The French mob isn’t satisfied, though, and they storm the Bastille on the 14^th. Marquis de Layafette leads the French National Guard, and chaos spreads throughout France. Peasants burn chateaus, records of taxes, and noble property in general. By August, out of fear, the clergy and nobles relinquish their privileges, abolishing the feudal structure in France. On the 26^th, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is published, listing the basic unalienable rights that all people have.

Things go from bad to worse. The Queen and King are taken by a mo to a palace in Paris. The mob as inspired by food prices.

1790- The French make Jews citizens, nationalizes church lands, and clergy are required to swear allegiance to the State’s constitution.

1791- Victor of Sardinia tries to form the League of Italian princes to resist the threat, but fails. Napoleon has risen rapidly in the ranks; as everyone knows the Savoyard army is the best trained in the world.

Louis XVI and Marie try to flee France, but fail. Astute oreaders may have noticed that this is a common occurrence. They are brought back to Paris in shame.

While France under its new assembly was pretty violent, there were also some good measures. The guild system is ended, and the French devise new infantry tactics.

England lets Catholics travel and go to mass freely.

1792- Things go to a boil in France. There is an insurrection in August, and an insurrectionary commune replaces the legal one. Suspected royalists are rounded up, and in September, killed. The King is imprisoned, and is killed in January of 1793.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Austria and Prussia make the declaration of Pillnutz, which pledges to restore the king to his rightful power. The Revolutionaries support the war, because they believe it will help inspire the revolution abroad. After initial setbacks, the French repulse the Austrians at Valny.Finally, by 1794, things are turning. The French have taken over Belgium from Austria, and have taken over Savoy, but not Piemonte. Napoleon acquits himself well in this campaign, winning a battle near Nice. This is the first major victory for the young Napoleon.

The French have decided, however, to invade Italy, by 1796. Charles Pigechru is chosen to lead the invasion. He arrives in Nice to see twenty five thousand unpaid, hungry troops. The army, without Napoleon’s leadership, does not move until June of 1796. The army occupies Genoa quickly, and crosses into Piemonte. Napoleon Bonaparte wins the battle of, Cuneo in Piemonte. Napoleon’s is ennobled in the Sardinian Kingdom. In August, he captures Genoa from the French, and ends the campaign there. Charles Emmanuel IV, a good friend of Napoleon’s, asks Napoleon to head the Savoyard army.

1797- The Republic Strikes Back. 50,000 men, led by General Jean Houchard, invade Italy. Moreau has to invade through the Alps, and Napoleon’s army conducts a fighting retreat. There are marginal effects on the war elsewhere; Moreau advances in Southern Germany; in OTL, he was poised to invade, but couldn’t, because an armistice was signed with Austria. Here, he’s able to do so, and advances across the Rhine into Baden, where he defeats Archduke Charles.

But Napoleon withdraws into Austrian Italy, and is a passionate orator. He convinces King Charles not to surrender to France, and continue the war from Sardinia. British subsidies pour into the kingdom’s coffers, and Napoleon (and Charles) form the nucleus of a pan-Italian movement. Without Napoleon, the conquest of Italy is not viewed as a liberation movement by its subjects; Napoleon disobeyed orders and encouraged the movement in Italy.

Napoleon occupies Florence, from the Austrians, and defeats the French near Faenza. French troops occupy Venice, but cannot push into southern Italy. The Doge of Venice, in an act remembered in Italian literature, puts down his symbol of office, and says, “Take it, I shall not be needing it again.”

1798- The Treaty of Salzburg. The Austrians and French agree to an armistice; the French gain Northern Italy, the Austrians Venice. The Austrian Netherlands also pass to France. The Ionian islands pass to France.

Napoleon, hearing the news, is in a fury. In “Call to the People’s of Italy”, he warns that the French will give no quarter to nations who “desire only trade and peace”, and that Italians must join together against them.

Pope Pius VII is convinced by Napoleon to name Charles “King of the Italians”, as, Napoleon warns him, “we must all hang together, or we shall face the guillotine alone.”

Charles proclaims Napoleon “Protector of Italy”, and Duke of Acona. To encourage solidarity among the peoples of Italy, Charles begins working on a constitution, modeled on the version created by the United States of America. The Bill of Rights, for instance, is copied, although obviously the King has an important role. There is also a strong degree of local self-government in the kingdom.
(Note: This isn’t too unhistorical. The Savoyards were always very, very, liberal, and were one of the first European nations to end serfdom).

Napoleon defeats French troops near Milan, taking the city. Moreau, meanwhile, overruns Switzerland and establishes the Helvetian Republic.

1799- The conquest of Switzerland by the French leads to the creation of a Second Coalition against them. The Russians, Austrians, and British join forces against the French, and the British expect the new Kingdom of Italy to join. Napoleon and Charles do so, although they are unable to agree on how large a role to play. Napoleon wants to commit decisively to war in Switzerland; Charles, worried about the recapture of Milan by the Austrians, wants the country to remain out of the war. In the end, the Italians merely move into Genoa, defeating the French forces there.

The Russians, meanwhile, attack the Netherlands. The Dutch navy refuses to fight against them, because the Russians also fly an orange flag. The Anglo-Russian army is defeated near Castricum, and pushed back by the French. In Switzerland, the Russians and Austrians are defeated by French forces near Zurich, and Murat reoccupies the region.

French forces push the Austrians and Russians out of Baden, and win a battle at Aying, in Bavaria. French artillery won the day, smashing the Russian infantry columns.

The British, meanwhile, make the stunning contribution of occupying… Malta. They do subsidize the Italians, however, and Napoleon continues to raise troops from Italy. He goes so far as to “liberate” southern Italy from its ruler, who was being swayed to the French side.

And without the Egyptian campaign, the French troops push Napoleon out of Piemonte and Lombardy, invading Veneto. Napoleon pulls back in face of the numerically superior French forces.

In France, the Consulate has taken over, being dominated by General Massena, Moreau, and Talleyrand.

1800- Napeolon reenters Lombardy, and near Cremona annihilates a French army thirty thousand strong. Moreau continues his advance into southern German, and menaces Vienna in August.

A modified version of the levee en mass is introduced in Italy. It does not rely on conscription, but rather on volunteers from the new subjects of the kingdom.

1801- in February, the Austrians and French sign the treaty of Luneville. The terms of the treaty are very similar to those of the Treaty of Luneville. Charles and Napoleon Bounaparte sign a treaty with France as well, gaining control of Lombardia, but ceding Savoy. The Kingdom of Italy is a good deal richer than OTL, because the French did not successfully loot the peninsula.

The Austrians glare across the border, but can’t really do much; the threat posed by the French is much greater.

And, of course, the British launch a surprise attack against the Danish fleet, destroying it, while the Swedes invade Norway.

1802- Napoleon begins updating the Italian army, and preparing for an invasion of Spain, with British assistance. After all, you might as well use the Neapolitan peasants for something.

Britain refuses to restore Malta to the Knights, keeping for England. Moreau and Massena engage in a power struggle for dominance, with Talleyrand on the side. Moreau is eventually found in the streets outside of his house, the victim of a “British assassination”.

The next few years pass by quickly, as the alliances coalesce. Napoleon, Lord-Protector of Italy, drills the army methodically. Charles is very coy about the possibility of an alliance with Britain, watching events. Finally, in 1805, the Third coalition is formed.

In March, the Russians, Austrians, and Prussians form the Third Coalition. Sweden joins with the promise of subsidies from Britain, and Italy does likewise.

The Austrians invade Bavaria, but the French, in concert with Baden, Wuttemburg, and Bayern ally with France. In October, General Murat marches on Vienna. Only the intervention of the troops of the Kingdom of Italy save the day, and Napoleon decisively defeats Murat in the Battle of Vienna. The Austro-Russian forces are defeated near Babice, in Bohemia, defeating the last Austrian army. Napoleon withdraws into Italy.

1806- With the destruction of the Franco-Spanish fleet in November at Trafalgar, the way is open for an Italian invasion of Spain Napoleon personally leads an invasion of Catalonia, in Northern Spain. The Catalonians revolt, and Napoleon sails to their assistance, defeating the Spanish army at Barcelona. British and Portuguese forces invade Spain from the west, and the French turn the King into a mere puppet.

In Germany, the Prussians are defeated at Weimar, and Mureau marches triumphantly into Berlin. Prussia is turned into a vassal state, and loses much of its land on the Rhine. It receives, in return, British Hannover.

The Austrians are forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Munich, and cede Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Eichstaett, Passau, Burgau, Brixen and Trient to Bavaria. The Holy Roman Empire is dissolved, and Italian soldiers occupy Dalmatia and Venice to “defend them from the revolutionaries”.

Finally, with the capture of Warsaw, the Russians are forced to acknowledge the creation of the Polish Republic, base in Poland. (This is the analogue to OTL’s Grand Duchy of Warsaw).

Mureau prepares to invade Italy.

1807- Three columns, numbering 240,000 men, enter Italy. One marches through the Swiss Alps, another through Bavaria, and another through Piemonte. The Lord Protector decisively defeats the armies, capturing or killing over a hundred thousand. The Papacy declares Charles to be the Protector of the Catholic Church

1808- Napoleon sails back to Spain, where he takes Valencia. He is joined by thousands of Catalonians and Spaniards, who hate the French revolutionaries. (Oppressing the Church will do that).

Economically, Italy isn’t doing as bad as you’d think. Certainly, the war’s hurting, but Italy is the center for smuggling into the continent, not being part of the French continental system, but having land routes to nations that are.

The Kingdom of Italy conquers the island of Menorca, and with it, the rest of the Baleares.

1809- The French Empire begins coming apart at the seams. Emperor Francis calls upon all Germans to revolt against the hated Consulate, and they do so.

Tyrol rises in revolt, aided by Austria and Italy; both nations continue the war against the French, as well. The Austrians score a major victory under Archduke Charles, at Wagram. This saves Vienna from French occupation.

The British and Italians take the Ionian Islands, with Corfu going to Italy.

Prussians under Ferdinand Von Schill provide a heroic example, and defeat the French in Saxony. Inspired by the victories of the allies, Prussia reenters the war in December.

1810- Napoleon, the Lord-Protector, captures Sargarossa, and advances down the Spanish coastline. Meanwhile, the British and Portuguese advance on Madrid.

In Germany, the Prussians overrun the Confederation of the Rhine, while the Austrians march into Bavaria. The Russians, meanwhile, merrily burn their way through the Grand Duchy.

1811- France falls back to the Rhine, and the Pyrenees. Italian troops cross the Alps, and retake Savoy for the King. Talleyrand assassinates Moreau, and offers peace, on the condition of the return of the constitutional monarchy. The other nations of Europe agree, and they agree to meet in Venice in 1812 to sign the treaty.

1812- The Congress of Vienna begins in March. The King of Italy, after a great deal of debate, is represented. It is undeniable, after all, that Charles played an invaluable role in defeating the hated French. There is a great deal of intrigue throughout the balls, and the treaties take over a year to be signed.

The Terms are as follows:

1) Italy gains Dalmatia, Istria, Veneto, and Lombardy, along with an acknowledgement of its possession of Liguria, Firenze, and Southern Italy. In Spain, it receives Catalonia and Valencia from Spain, with the Baleares going to Britain.

2) Britain received Ceylon, Malta, and Singapore. They are also given control of South Africa.

3) The Austrians gain Bavaria, to compensate them for Italy. After all, the ruler of Bavaria was a revolutionary, and in TTL he didn’t change sides fast enough. In addition, they gain Baden, Wuttemburg, and Bayern, either as kingdoms under a Hapsburg monarch or unified with the Hapsburg lands.

4) The French cede Corsica to Italy, along with Savoy.

5) Saxony is reduced to a rump state of Prussia, who gains territory in Poland. Poland is basically screwed over in the peace deals, because they are viewed as not having done much in the war. Italy, on the other hand, is viewed by the powers, especially the United Kingdom, as having played a crucial role.

6) Russia gains vast swaths of Poland, more or less on par with OTL.

7) Portugal gains the West Coast of Spain

1813- Europe is finally at peace, for the first time since 1790. But the Austrians are very covetous of Mantua and Lombardy, which have joined the new Kingdom. The Pope wants the Holy See back, although the Concordat with Charles did place the land under the Kingdom’s control.

At home, the Kingdom of Italy is experience unrest, because the liberated peasants are moving to northern cities for work. The lords of the various Italian Duchies want their lands back, and King Charles’s son, Victor Emmanuel, ascends the throne this year. He decides that the best way to solve domestic turmoil is a little foreign adventure.

Charles begins harkening back to the glory of the Roman Empire, refurbishing the Coliseum in Rome. The capital is moved to Rome, and Victor decides, with advice from the Lord-Protector, that perhaps he should try to retake the Venetian Empire.

Tsar Alexander of Russia has proposed to divide the Ottoman Empire between the nations of Italy, Austria, and Russia. Russia, according to a treaty signed in Venice, is to gain Greece, Constantinople, and Moldavia, and Wallachia. Austria is to gain Serbia and much of the Western Balkans. Italy make take Albania, Crete, Rhodes, and Cyprus.

The negotiations drag out for over a year. The Italians initially demand that the city of Constantinople remain a free city, but this idea is refused by the Russians. Napoleon next demands the right for Italy to take Egypt from Mehmed Ali, the Sultan’s vassal in Egypt.

1814- Preparations begin for the war designed to free Europe “from the yoke and vexations of the Turks”. The Italian fleet anchors at Corfu.

1815- The Greeks rise in revolt, as in OTL. Russian troops pour across the border into Wallachia, and take Silistria, a key fortress. The Austrians, meanwhile, overrun Bosnia and defeat an army of twenty thousand near Prisna.

Greece rises in revolt, to the tune of a popular song, “Not a Turk shall remain in Morea”. To celebrate their newfound enthusiasm, the Greeks kill very Muslim in Athens. The Sultan, in response, kills the Partriarch of Constantinople. Belgrade falls in August to Austria.

Meanwhile, the King personally leads the fight against the Turk in Albania. Landing at Parga, Victor swiftly overruns the region, defeating battle after battle. “I would take the City myself, had I ten thousand more men,” swears the King In a letter to his wife in July. The Italian navy also takes Crete, liberating it from Ottoman rule.

(Note: The Ottomans survived by virtue of being surrounded by weak powers. Their navy was a joke by 1750, never mind 1800. In fact, in 1776, the Russian fleet sailed from the Baltic to Greece, where it very nearly took Constantinople.)

Napoleon has one last trick up his sleeve. An Italian army twenty-five thousand strong lands in Egypt, after 6 weeks of sailing, lands in Alexandria.

Bounaparte and Victor want Egypt for several reasons. First, they hope to acquire a permanent French colony, and access to certain raw materials such as cotton. They hope to gain prestige at home, for conquering Egypt. They also hope to build a canal through the Suez, at some point. The army has problems almost immediately; Napoleon has to promise the sailors that they will earn enough to buy land of their own on this journey.

The troops land in August, in the last campaign of Napoleon’s reign. Quickly taking Alexandria, they defeat the two Mameluke Beys of the region. The Kingdom begins spreading propaganda against the Mamelukes, who rule Egypt, including pamphlets that say:

What wisdom, what talents, what virtues distinguish the Marmelukes, so that they have exclusive possession of everything that makes life sweet and enjoyable? Is there a fine piece of land? It belongs to the Marmelukes. Is there a beautiful slave girl, a fine horse, a handsome house? Those things too belong to the Marmelukes. If Egypt is their farm, let them show us the lease that God gave them on it!"

With Alexandria taken, Napoleon set his sights on Cairo. The march was walk through hell; the wells that were found were filled with sand or poisoned. Fortunately, in this time of the year, there is plenty of water from the canal they travel by, and the Italian army marches to Cairo quickly. When they reach the Nile River, the soldiers, who are half-starved, immediately gorge themselves on the watermelons growing along the banks.

Napoleon ‘s army continues upriver, and when he engages Mameluke gunboats, he blows them to bits with artillery on the water’s edge. The final battle of the campaign takes place near the Pyramids, and it is the most decisive of the war.

The Mamelukes charge the Italians, who have formed into a square. The Mamelukes are broken in a series of counter attacks, and at the end of the battle, there are thirteen thousand Egyptians, 5,000 Mamelukes, and 29 Italian and Catalan dead. Napoleon orders a memorial to these soldiers to be constructed at the sight, and the names of the soldiers of King Victor are placed on a simple plaque, before the river.

The soldiers do get their land, as most of them get literally hatfuls of gold coins, whicha re taken from the Mamelukes bodies.

On December 2, Napoleon enters the city of Cairo. Writing to his King in Rome, he says that “It is difficult to find a land more fertile and a people more impoverished, ignorant and degraded”. Napoleon does ingratiate himself on the local peoples, and winters in Cairo.

1816- The navy of the Kingdom of Italy captures Cyprus early in the year, and follows up with the capture of Rhodes. Russian troops appear unstoppable, as Dobruja is taken. The Greeks, meanwhile, have taken control of Thessaly. Britain finally offers to mediate, and the Lord-Protector, returning to Italy, convinces the King to accept the offer. After all, Reasons Victor, the British rules the waves, and they could easily take Egypt. Italy had best ingratiate itself with the British.

The British offer to mediate. Is accepted by the Austrians, who are by far the most exhausted. They lack the military schools of Italy and the manpower of Austria. With only Russia in the war, the Ottomans win a battle at Varna, and retake Silistria. Thus, they are able to negotiate from a position of (relative) strength. The Prussian threat to join the war on the side of the Ottomans brings the powers to the peace table.

1817- Treaty of Berlin. Serbia and Bosnia are passed to the Austrian Empire, while Russia gains Wallachia and Moldovia. Greece, under Prince Willhelm, extends to Macedonia. Italy is by far the greatest winner, gaining Egypt, Crete, Albania, and Cyprus. Rhodes is returned to the Ottoman Empire, but what of that? Has not the King given Italy its empire, and the Lord-Protector defended it?

Napoleon Bounaparte will die in 1819, but he dies as the Lord-Protector of “The Most Splendid state in Europe”, according to the British Prime Minister. He dies as the Lord-Protector of the New Roman Empire, and he is buried on Corsica. In the words of Emperor Victor, “He fought like a Warrior-Poet. He fought like an Italian”.