HOME | DD

SteamPoweredWolf — The French Counter Revolution

Published: 2014-04-20 15:16:01 +0000 UTC; Views: 16250; Favourites: 107; Downloads: 41
Redirect to original
Description

Following the French revolution of 1789, there were several counter revolutions in France.  One of the largest of these took place in the Vendée region from 1793 to 1796.   Despite British support, the counter revolution was eventually crushed.

However, in this timeline the counter revolutionaries were better equipped and enjoyed more success, including winning the Battle of Cholet in 1793.  The main army was supported by a popular guerrilla force, which managed to drive the Republican forces out of the Vendée by 1795.

Emboldened by the success of the revolt in the Vendée and with British support, other anti revolutionary forces in Brittany, Aquitània and Provence launched campaigns against the republic and, for a time, it looked as if the French Kingdom would be restored.  However, the republicans managed to check the royalist advance at the battle of Rouen.  A period of stalemate followed, where the Royalists held western France and the Republicans the east.

Following the execution of Louis XVI and much of the royal family, there was no universally accepted claimant to the throne.  This, combined with the local character of the counter revolutions and emerging Breton nationalism, led to quasi independent states emerging in western France.  These strongly catholic, anti republican states were linked in a loose alliance known as the Catholic and Royal Confederation.

The loss of much of the West weakened the French Republic.  The Dutch republic managed to repel a French invasion and, with no battle of Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Empire survived.   However, the revolutionaries have still been able to expand French influence to satellite states carved out of northern Italy and Switzerland.

It remains to be seen if the states of the Catholic and Royal Confederation will ever coalesce into a unitary state with a single monarch.  The republican government in Paris sees the Catholic and Royal Confederation as rogue provinces and wishes to re-establish control – but events in their own satellite states may soon distract their attention. The Helvetic Republic in particular is unpopular with the Swiss people, who may soon launch a counter revolution of their own.  Will the split of France become permanent? Only time will tell.

 
Notes

The Spanish flag in the bottom left hand corner is based on the Royal Standard of the Bourbon rulers of Spain.

Most of the flags used to show each state are pre existing flags, but I designed a new one for an independent state in the Vendée, which can be seen in more detail here: steampoweredwolf.deviantart.co…

Related content
Comments: 11

BaxElBox [2022-01-14 18:57:16 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Raptor-of-Paradise [2021-09-24 15:28:33 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Eleonoirelarenard [2020-05-04 11:01:08 +0000 UTC]

Beautiful great work

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Diforto [2015-04-06 19:15:04 +0000 UTC]

Isn't Loire-Atlantique in Bretagne?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

SteamPoweredWolf In reply to Diforto [2015-04-10 13:30:11 +0000 UTC]

Either I made a mistake with the border or the borders have been shifted slightly in this timeline.  Would you believe me if I said it was option b?

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

EdenianPrince [2015-02-16 22:34:26 +0000 UTC]

Vive le Roi !  

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

sewandrere In reply to EdenianPrince [2017-07-16 03:21:19 +0000 UTC]

Montjoie Saint-Denis !

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Wolflagang In reply to EdenianPrince [2016-09-28 20:17:17 +0000 UTC]

 

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

EdenianPrince In reply to Wolflagang [2016-10-01 18:21:42 +0000 UTC]

Yes. 

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Wolflagang In reply to EdenianPrince [2016-10-02 20:58:32 +0000 UTC]

 

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

mdc01957 [2014-04-20 15:37:32 +0000 UTC]

Did Sardinia take over Portugal?

👍: 0 ⏩: 0