Chapter 292 The Flow of Events
Duke Alfonso de Castellano spearheaded an open rebellion against the Spanish Crown, founding the Spanish Reformist Party. In a matter of months, their ranks had swelled to hundreds of thousands of supporters.
Their mission was clear-cut: dethrone the incumbent monarchs, King Charles IV and Manuel de Godoy, and elevate Alfonso de Castellano to power.
Remarkable progress was witnessed across the nation, with major cities like Barcelona, Zaragoza, Aranjuez, Valencia, Seville, and Toledo joining the uprising.
This led to a full-blown civil war, as the royalist forces loyal to King Charles IV and Manuel de Godoy clashed with the rebel factions led by Duke Alfonso de Castellano.
In the midst of the Spanish Civil War, the great powers of Europe remained cautious, their industrialization efforts taking precedence over foreign entanglements. They recognized that any intervention in Spain would not only risk the ire of Napoleon's France but could also lead to a protracted and costly conflict.
France, under the leadership of Napoleon, had solidified its position as a military powerhouse. Its armies were battle-hardened and disciplined, and its strategic reach extended across Europe. The memory of France's military successes still loomed large in the minds of European leaders, making them hesitant to provoke the formidable nation.
As for Napoleon, he received personal letters from the King of Spain, asking for support to quell the rebellion. Napoleon responded with a flat no. After all, why would he help a monarch that he wanted removed? He is not even helping the Spanish Reformist Party that he encourages to rebel, concealing their involvement.
So instead, he explained to Spain that France was busy with its affairs overseas.
Speaking of affairs overseas.
When France won the war against Spain, France received a huge amount of land in North America, controlling most of modern Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Cuba.
Amazing as it may be, Napoleon can't rest on his laurels yet. There were loyalists among those colonies who didn't want to submit to their new ruler. So, Napoleon, doing what other nations would do, suppressed the rebellions in the newly acquired North American territories with an iron fist. His armies quickly moved to quell any resistance, and many of the local leaders who had initially opposed French rule found themselves imprisoned or executed.
The French Generals, Desaix, Dumas, and Leclerc, became Governor-General of Mexico, Cuba, and New France respectively.
And about Napoleon sending reinforcements and leading and joining the expedition? It was canceled due to diplomats from the United States negotiating with Napoleon, guaranteeing that France wouldn't invade the United States. To show their commitment to that promise, Napoleon sold Florida to the United States.
As for India, Napoleon found out that the ruler he wanted to establish relations with when he was leading a campaign in Egypt, Tipu Sultan, was killed by his ministers in 1799.
Now, you might be wondering, how did Napoleon miss that news? Well, the ship that is carrying the bearer of news was sunk by a storm. And Napoleon was occupied with his ambitious campaign in Italy and England. So there was not much attention to India until Napoleon won the war against Britain and the British East India Company had to transfer their ownership to the French East India Company.
It was a shame that the Sultan died, Napoleon had plans reserved for him where he would make Tipu Sultan his puppet to govern the Indian subcontinent but with him gone, that's no longer possible. So Napoleon decided that India shall be administered directly by the French East India Company and authorized the company to expand using the tactics used by Britain where they'll exploit existing rivalries among Indian princely states and communities. Since the British East India Company ownership was transferred to the French East India Company controlled by the French government, that means they inherited the Zamindari systems and revenue collection mechanisms that the British had established in India. This gave the French East India Company a significant advantage in terms of administrative infrastructure as they began their expansion across the Indian subcontinent.
Aside from North America and Indian territories, Napoleon also had to deal with their colonies in the Pacific and Oceania. In the Pacific, France controlled Indonesia. How? Indonesia is a colony of the Netherlands, or more specifically, the Batavian Republic, a puppet state of France. Napoleon simply let the Dutch continue the status quo and adopt a laissez-faire approach to governing Indonesia, as long as it continued to provide valuable resources and wealth to the French Empire.
In Oceania, the resulting Treaty of London forced the British to cede Australia, New Zealand, and the Solomon Islands to France. His plan for the region is similar to his plans in North America. Sign mutually exclusive treaties and establish friendly relations with the natives living in the region. Civilize them in a Western way and encourage French citizens to migrate to the new territories by passing a law of the Homestead Act of 1802.
The Homestead Act of 1802 is a law offering land to anyone who is willing to develop it, settle on it, and make improvements, similar to the historical Homestead Act in the United States. And there were many takers, French citizens who were looking for a fresh start in new and promising lands were the first to sail across the oceans.
October 5th, 1802.
Napoleon got his wife, Ciela, pregnant with a fourth child as part of Napoleon's wish. Also in the same month, Napoleon reorganized their colony across the globe with Napoleon establishing five dominions. Dominion of Canada, Dominion of New France, Dominion of North and South Africa, Dominion of Australia, and Dominion of New Zealand.
The motivation behind this restructuring was straightforward: governing such an extensive empire directly was a formidable task. To simplify the administration of their vast territories, Napoleon devised a plan to create five additional dominions. Under this new system, each dominion would possess a certain degree of autonomy in managing its internal affairs while maintaining unwavering loyalty to the French Empire. This approach allowed for a more localized form of governance and administration, one that could be adapted to address the distinct characteristics and challenges of each region.
In this new arrangement, Napoleon appointed a governor-general for each dominion, personally chosen by the First Consul of France. These governors-general would serve as the principal representatives of French authority within their respective dominions, ensuring that the interests of France were upheld and that the dominions continued to prosper and contribute to the strength of the empire.
How about the Dominion of Saint-Domingue? As for the case of Saint-Domingue, Napoleon and the people of Saint-Domingue already recognized Toussaint Louverture as the rightful ruler or governor-general of the island.
However, a critical question arose concerning the citizenship of individuals residing in these newly established dominions. Were they to be considered French citizens or not? The answer, in principle, was yes. Those born in French territories were typically regarded as French subjects, as Napoleon viewed colonies as extensions of the French Republic. However, whether they enjoyed the same rights as French citizens living in Mainland France depended on their descent. If an individual was of European descent, they were more likely to enjoy full French citizenship rights, while those of non-European descent might have faced different considerations which is something still debated in the Senate.
December 3rd, 1802.
The people of France have cast their votes on whether Napoleon should become an Emperor or not. Those who are in favor are 99.75 percent while 0.25 percent are those who didn't support the idea. With the referendum finished, Napoleon becoming an Emperor of France was now set in stone with the coronation to be held on January 1st, 1804.
December 16th, 1802.
The Spanish Civil War between the Royalists and the Reformists has come to an end with the latter winning a decisive battle in Madrid. Duke Alfonso de Castellano occupied the Royal Palace of Madrid while King Charles IV and Manuel de Godoy were sent into exile in the Spanish colonies of Peru.
Duke Alfonso de Castellano became the de-facto head of state of Spain and came with a declaration.
"With the Bourbons finally repulsed in the Kingdom of Spain, a new king shall be placed on the throne. No, it will not be me or my son, Fernando. It will be my daughter's son whose father is the future Emperor of France. Tristan Bonaparte!"
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