Revolution and Reaction - A (very) French Victoria II Interactive AAR

[Noco19]

To Jean Paul, Comte de Saint-Germain @Shynka

Spoiler

"It has come to my attention of your desire for fraternity, to find guidance in the arms of Masonic thought. With this, I can greatly empathize with; in my darkest hours, I could rely on my brothers, and I only wished I had discovered this body sooner.

As I understand it, you have been in contact with my brother, the Monsieur de Bourbon - a newly initiated member who seems poised to be a vital member of our organization. And if you are within his good graces, then I can seldom cast any doubt on your goodness!

Speak with the Monsieur de Bourbon, and feel free to accompany him to a meeting. If it is within your liking, and the liking of the Worshipful Master of the lodge, then I welcome you with the widest of arms. In brotherhood, we are stronger and wiser, and I have little doubt you will only strengthen that sentiment."

- Hercule Vipond, duc de Piombino

 

[Syriana]

((Private - @Maxwell500 ))​

Addressed to His Serenity, Monsieur Claude-Joseph François Dieudonné Laurent de Béthune,
duc de Sully, marquis de Rosny, prince de Henrichemont et baron de Bontin;
​

Dear Monsieur,

It is in regards to the Order of Louis XVI that I am writing to you today. As I understand you to be the Grandmaster of the aforesaid order, I thought it best to express my sincere desires for membership of this esteemed society. Allow me to present my credentials. I am a loyal servant of His Majesty, having fought for his house abroad and now assumed service in the domestic sphere. I am untainted by any prior collusion with the revolutionary regime. Above all, I am a staunch Christian. Lately, it was my personal initiative to promote the candidature of King Louis XVI (of late and glorious memory) to that of beatification and sainthood.

Therefore, I would be most honoured should the Prince consider my candidature for membership of the Order.

Please receive, Monsieur, this expression of my humble sentiments,

His Majesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs

Marquis de Valence​

 

[Marschalk]

LA GAZETTE DE FRANCE

ON THE FAMINE AND CALL FOR NATIONAL ACTION
​

IN the times of Louis IX, the saintly King, and his August successors the approach towards charity and helping the poor was quite simple. First of all, the Holy Church was the ultimate instrument of mercy and benefaction. The property it held was used in order to aide the needy, the diseased, the weak, the abused. A cripple, not able to work, could always find a bed and a bowl of hot soup in a monastery. A leper would be cared for in a hospital run by the clergy. An orphan would be taught and given a job by the good monks or priests. The Church was a natural source of assistance to the miserable, as it was based on the principles set by our Saviour, Jesus Christ himself, since it was led by people who have devoted their whole life to serving God and the values set by him, values of love and mercy. None bureaucratic commission or ministry can ever be a proper replacement for this great and sacred entity.

But alas, the Church was robbed and dismantled in the years of the revolution, the profits from its patrimony being used to wage the foolish and bloody wars of jacobins and Napoleon.

On the other hand, the landowning nobles, since feudal times, had certain responsibilities regarding the local populace. Everybody knows that at the times of great hunger the gates of the castles were opened to harbor and feed these in need of help. Liegemen had the obligations towards their seigneur, but it was not a one way road, these duties and rights were mutual. An aristocrat was connected with the a certain area, his family lived there for generations and generations, the future of his house was tied to its prosperity and prosperity of the local folk - therefore, he could not ignore their misfortune.

But this paternalistic elite has gone with the revolution, being robbed and swept aside by the new class of proprietors - men of business. While we cannot judge all of them as equal, many of these new masters of the purse naturally have another mentality. The main aim of merchant is to make profit, not to give away. Selling and buying is his atmosphere, so when the prices on a certain product rise drastically - he naturally sees it as a business opportunity, not a sign of the common distress. In addition to that, these hurt by famine, the peasants, are not enfranchised, so many of these representatives of the liberal borgoiuse who now occupy top positions in elected institutions may not worry about their political future, should they ignore their needs.

Of course, in the old times the merchant could have been, first of all, a devout Catholic, for whom mercy meants more than profit. Such feelings are still alive among many of the bourgoise of the royalist persuasion, however, the godless and anticlerical ideals have installed the cult of the golden coin in too many a heart.

However, instead of lamenting on the situation, we, all people of good will, all good Frenchmen, should take an energetic course of action in order to stop the famine.

Therefore I encourage THE GOVERNMENT to do its best to stop the speculations in bread and wheat and set limits to the prices on such products. It is immoral that some may make profit from the hunger of the people. Bread and wheat is now the lifeblood of the nation and should be sold at reasonable prices, even if it hurts the business interests of certain wholesalers. The government should set maximum prices on these products. If it wants to compensate the merchants for forcing them to sell at limited prices in the future, so be it, but currently bread should is a merchandise of first need. Mayhaps it may be reasonable to have the merchants sell bread and wheat only to the government and then redistribute it among the populace.

Therefore I encourage the MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, should the internal efforts not be enough, to use the connections and contacts it built in order to accrue necessary imports of food from aboard. While we can buy such products, I must also add that charity knows no bound. Should the governments of Russia, Prussia and United Kingdom help the suffering people of France with no strings attached, as much as they can, it would greatly assist the cause of the European reconciliation and restoration of the friendship between the Crowns and the people of these realms. Surely one way or another necessary importations can be acquires

Therefore I humbly ask the COURT to take the necessary measures to encourage these of the rich whose hearts may be closed to mercy, but not close to vanity, to invest into the course of charity. Award them or reprimand them, but explain to them that at these times all should contribute to the battle against the national disaster. The wealthy borgouise should assist to heal the wounds on the body of the Kingdom, especially since the last several decades it has profited most.

Therefore I encourage all GOOD NOBLEMEN and CLERGYMEN and PEOPLE OF HEART AND REASON, in all departments and provinces of France, to join our efforts in the Most Christian Society of Isidore the Laborer and feed the hungry, contributing as much as we can and assisting to find new contributors. If the government cannot assist these who are in pain, then we would, in the name of King, God and France.

- B.d.S.A.

 

[Cloud Strife]

((Marshal Saint-Cyr arrives on the floor of the legislature to make remarks on the famine gripping France.))

"Esteemed colleagues, the time for debate is over. The King's subjects demand action but it must be action related to the crisis. So far we can categorize the proffered solutions to this famine into three trends; firstly that somehow reducing government revenue by lowering tariffs and taxes will have a positive effect on the famine, secondly that introduction of additional layers of bureaucracy will somehow addresses the famine in an ancillary fashion, and that handing over lands en mass to the Church will immediately provide relief. None of these proposed solutions--and colleagues, not that I talk here in generalities for the sake of debate--touch on the actual cause of this famine, which is a lack of transportation options to allow the produce of France to get to market in a cheap, reliable fashion.

"The War Department has produced a report on the state of France's canal and waterway system and the general state of disrepair and neglect prevents our proud French farmers from getting their produce to market, where it is now so desperately needed. Some of the greatest minds in France have been asked for input on this matter and the suggested response remains the same across the board, create a focused program to reward laborers with cash and food rations who are willing to work on restoring France's transportation options to full capacity. Let us use the tools we have at our disposal to immediately enact a solution. Thousands are perishing as we debate formulas, the scope of new bureaucracy, or re-litigate the nature of Church and State. Those are discussions that can be had when we have decisively solved this crisis.

"The people are clamoring for relief now and who are we to deny them relief!"

 

[Shynka]

*Printed in a newspaper radical and desperate enough to have it, under near anonymous initials*

On the principal failure of Church charity to
alleviate long term food shortages​

In recent days the Chamber of Deputies has finally conceded defeat in their grand effort to do nothing but debate technicalities. Noticing that the north-east of the country still very much exists, the deputies have begun seriously discussing methods to alleviate the famine. However, as the first dignitaries have spoken, it has very quickly become clear that the campaigns conducted by the Church and Nobility are not meant to offer long term solutions. The formation of the Most Christian Society of Saint Isidore the Labourer does not signify the end of hunger – it instead signifies the continued abuse of the Charter by the representatives of Rome and the Ultraroyalists. In a move carefully planned by the politically savvy priesthood, the Bishops and Nobles, overflowing in wealth, have now ensured that they can directly sway the public mind-set to their favour while using only a fraction of their fortunes.

The system, which the Society seeks to covertly establish, is convoluted to an onlooker, but becomes simple after even minimal investigation. The Church and Nobility have, as demonstrated in the recent election, very much lost favour with the people. The disaster in the Chamber of Deputies has shown that the French electors, despite being men of wealth and good standing themselves, are not blind to the plight of the lower classes. Thus, in order to regain some of their power, the kind people of the modern, political Church have decided to politicize the famine. By turning it into an object of debate and private charity instead of an object of grave urgency and long term policy, they have achieved two things;

1) Ensured that the sale of Church land is seen not as a must, but as a (unwanted) possibility.

It is akin to a drowning man being convinced that coming up to the top for air, while a good option, is not the only one – the man will drown while trying to invent another way. If the sale of bloated and unnecessary Church properties is not effected at once, the famine will spiral entirely out of control. By establishing a society designed on the surface to feed the poor, the Church has done very little to effect the famine but can now claim that a sale of Church lands is too risky to be possible, due to the reliance of the Society itself on the wealth created by these lands. But will all the copious wealth of the Church go towards alleviating the famine? The majority of the harvests in these lands will still be sold at large profits so that Bishops can receive salaries high enough to not only allow them to live at the very top of society but to also pursue their expensive hobbies. Why is the Bishop of Montabaun able to pursue politics with such a frenzied determination? For long we have been painted an image of the devoted and hardworking men of god, but is clear that while the idea may be true for small parish priests, it is not at all true for the higher echelons of the Church. Bishops are able to not only finance political careers but also seemingly have no interest in pursuing religion, instead filling their days with high level politics. Does the Bishop personally have time to be a devoted servant to the Lord, a politician and to also bother himself setting up foundations to act for his political interest?

2) Have ensured that they can now claim to have achieved the ‘first blow’ against the famine

While the urgency suddenly displayed by the Ultraroyalists on this issue is somewhat commendable, it shows clearly that the Society of St. Isidore Is a tool of politics, not charity. While the true administrators were busy working out feasible long-term solutions, the Ultra’s have immediately implemented, without consulting anyone, a temporary and at best ineffective solution to the problem. This was done not to help the poor of France but to better their own standing. By ensuring that the solution to a problem is in the control of a Political group instead of His Majesty and his government, they ensure that the King has no control over its goals or operations. As swiftly as the foundation has appeared following the outrage borne around the famine, it will disappear once the public interest shifts. A rash temporary solution only gives temporary benefits. Now that the high level priesthood and nobility have “done its duty” in alleviating the famine they can safely go back to ignoring the horrific effects it has had on the countryside.

The Society, answering ultimately to the Comte de Artois, is not a branch of charity but a branch of Ultraroyalist thought. How are we to trust that a society branding itself as ‘Most Christian’ provides aid to all the people of the Kingdom? While the subjects of His Majesty are overwhelmingly Christian, the Society seeks to alienate that small minority that is not. This is not only an assault on those of different faiths, but an assault on the very Charter which helps guide His Majesty’s rule. This is not an attempt by the Church to aid the poor but an attempt to create nothing short of a parallel state, dividing the French people. At its core the Ultraroyalist donations will be returned to the Ultraroyalists who have business interests in Spain. Instead of promising to purchase food from either the cheapest seller or the closest source, the Society mentions specifically one country. It is without a doubt to me that hidden business interests are in play. It is a clear sign of Ultraroyalist charity where the donators end up with more than they give.

~ Monsieur J. P. R.

 

[Cloud Strife]

((Marshal Saint-Cyr arrives on the floor of the legislature to make remarks on the direction of government.))

"Let the record reflect that my forenamed comments on the famine are not, and should not, be taken as an attack on government. They reflect an observation that stakeholders are talking past each other and are not an attack on the efficacy of the measures being proposed by the Minister of the Interior in regards to the agrarian crisis gripping our nation. I have every confidence the Cabinet has taken and will continue to take all necessary measures to respond to the crisis with all necessary vigor.

"I of course will give way with my own proposals should my colleagues call on me to do so."

 

[ThaHoward]

((Private letter to @Cloud Strife ))

Honored Marshall!

I recieved your letter, and I would gladly like to meet you and have a discussion with you. My home is open to you in the evenings, just let me know if you want to see me.

Now I have also heard of your speech. I say I must agree. We need to take the plight of the people seriously, it's not only our duty but our moral obligation. I agree that we are to improve our infrastructure, something I wholly support! If you bring forth a plan on how to finance and implement it, I would be happy to support it. Even if it is not perfect, a decent plan now is worth more than the perfect plan once the famine is over. It is a matter of life and death, and I believe both of us know much of that. And we need to act in a decisive manner to not silence our critics, but also gain the trust of the people and end her suffering.

Now I have also thought on how to implement the Armed Forces in this famine. The Armed Forces afterall have extensive logistic networks and experience in this matter. Could it be possible that the Army based upon material they posses, experience and network to help relief the starving people? To establish reliefs routes and to create convoys with food reliefs and distribute rations among the starving population. Also perhaps the soldiers could alternate on their duties between doing garrison duties, excercises and to help the farmers harvest their crops? The soldiers could also help in other matters. It might not help solve the problem, but it will at least provide relief to the starving population.

-Capitaine and Deputée Lothair Lécuyer.

 

[TJDS]

"Let the record reflect that the Stability & Reform Bill does directly take decisive action against famines in France through the selling of foodstuffs through the Commission of Agriculture to areas with low foodstuff self-sufficiency. Furthermore, I wish to clear up that the Stability & Reform Bill does not encourage the lowering of tariffs, but shall spearhead the contrusction of infrastructure, including but not limited to canals, in France.

 

[Cloud Strife]

"Let the record reflect that the Stability & Reform Bill does directly take decisive action against famines in France through the selling of foodstuffs through the Commission of Agriculture to areas with low foodstuff self-sufficiency. Furthermore, I wish to clear up that the Stability & Reform Bill does not encourage the lowering of tariffs, but shall spearhead the contrusction of infrastructure, including but not limited to canals, in France.

"I appreciate the Minister's clarification and certify that his proposals are not only in accordance with my own, but in accordance with what is good for our nation. That this bill proffered by the Interior does not seek to reduce tariffs comes as a relief to the farmers of France. I can wholeheartedly say that with the clarifications given it is the right direction to move forward on."

 

[ManuelD'Garkia]

- Alexandre was at La Petite, beside him where a lot of bags, each one of them containing some bread and wheat, not a lot, but every little thing could help the people of Paris at that time. He cleared his throat and proceded to speak.

- Brothers, we have published by this time various articles about the famine, about the shameful return of the oppresing church to our mighty nation. While our people suffers in the street the tyrants running France are meeting with the Pope, with the Germans, Russians and British, they don't care about the nation, they are not relieving our people, but I have to be sincere, we haven't done anything besides publishing in our newspaper and that must be corrected. I appreciate that all of you have put from your side, we have managed to buy enough food to relive, for a little while, some of the poorest parts pf Paris, we are going to show them that not everyone in this country has forgotten them, so go my brothers, bring relieve to our brothers and sisters that are suffering in the streets of Paris, as we don't forgett about them.

As he finished, the Legionaries started to pick up the bags, almost every man in the Legion had at least putted a little bit of money in their efforts to bring a little bit of relieve and hope to the suffering and poor parisians. As he was thinking, Jarrett got near him and said - Alex, the plan is almost ready, soon we will make our first strike to the tyrants, Should we go tonight? - To which Alexandre answered - No, let our brothers and sisters in the city enjoy what little we are going to give them today, but don't worry, soon, soon everybody will see that the flames of the Révolution and the memories of the République are alive, be ready for my call.

 

[ThaHoward]

De Moncey in a rare appearance in the Chamber of Peers:

"Most Noble Peers of the Realm,

The matter of starvation and famine is on everybody's lips and those who are not concerned about food riots and famine should be. It kickstarted the revolution in the late 18th century which led to the mess that we are forced to solve. We it in every major city, except Paris. Food riots. The winter storms and rains destroyed the fields so that the crops went bad and the storerooms were emptied by foreigners. One thing let to the other and France is in a situation in which there is need to take action. Drastic action. As every other country, we protect our goods via tariffs, which an excellent way to make sure we stay competiteve. They do however, make it so that all imported foods are extremely expensive and thus only the rich can buy them. To solve the food crisis without direct government intervention, we must suspend these tariffs so that the French people can buy imported food and that will ultimately keep the prices down and not lead to further crisis.
I hope the Chamber of Peers and the Government will heed this call to save the French kingdom from destruction.

Thank you."

"Dear de Moncey,

I wish it were better times I wrote to you. At least in this tragedy I am glad that you rise up and stand up for the common man of France. I must say that I agree with you on the need of lowering tarrifs. The issue I see, however, is that we will have less francs to spend on balancing our budget and indeed solving the famine. The other issue is that it would be most unpopular among the farmers and the middle class. But for the latter I am sure they will be pleased when they get bread in their bellies, and for the former I say it is more important that the people of France don't starve to death. It is our duty and obligation to provide for them. Now I would support you if you were to propose someting as radical to lower tolls and import taxes. I would also make some thoughts I have had on this matter. Britain seem more than ready to trade with us, their investors long to enter our markets. This would in turn not only help relieve the famine, but also improve our economy (as the investors would provide extra capital into our motherland, but also their technology such as their steam horses). Now I doubt the Germanic nations would be of much help as they rather want us to bleed, however Sweden may be a promising prospect. Afterall they have a liberal and French King! And with their annexation of Norway they have gotten some resources in foodstuff that are quite unique. From the coast of Norway they dry fish I have heard, from a Danish officer I met during the wars, dry and salt them. Then they can endure on long trips without rotting. Even in far away places like Portugal and Brazil (!) they have gotten alot of this dried fish. Now when it arrive they simply add water, and it is edible again! Think of how this could help us in our hour of need. Fish that don't rot and which we can store for long periods of times - and it could help our salt industry.

Those are my thoughts on who we could import food from to relieve the poor. I hope you find this letter in good health, and know that if you are to propose to lower the tolls I will support you in the Chamber of Deputies.

-Capitaine e Deputée Lothair Lécuyer.

 

[m.equitum]

(( @TJDS -- Private))

 

[Noco19]

​

A Need of Allies​

Hercule Vipond, duc de Piombino​

News from across France of a famine, of bread riots, and all manner of unrest begot an idea in the mind of the Duc de Piombino. The Masonic order prided itself as a civic organization - and so what better way for the Supreme Lodge de France to enter the public mindset than through charity. Writing to his brothers, he would pen a letter to be disseminated to all of those lodges associated with the Supreme Lodge and all its membership.

ON THE NEED FOR CHARITY
From the desk of the Grandmaster of the Supreme Lodge
​

"Good Brothers!

You no doubt have heard tale of many tragedies befalling those who cannot provide for themselves, an issue that no doubt is spoken on from the lowliest street corner to the halls of our national institutions.

I implore all of our membership to provide as much as can be afforded in these times towards the charitable assistance of the unfortunate; I myself will dedidcate funds for the hungry of Marseilles. We as a brotherhood hold in our grasp the great power of organization and coordination, means and status as well. So then we likewise have the responsibility to commit ourselves to good - even when other bodies are lacking.

If we stand alone in our good works, know at least we offer hope for some souls afflicted."

- Hercule Vipond, Grandmaster and Good Brother

 

[Nax24]

A Letter to Monseigneur Henri-Charles Victorin du Bourget ((@Eid3r))

Spoiler

Your Holiness

The famine has ravaged the countryside for too long. With the government struggling to find a conclusion, I find it necessary to draw into my own finances to help alleviate the famine in my department. As such, I wish to contribute 10,000 francs to the The Most Christian Society of St. Isidore the Laborer and an additional 5,000 francs to the The Diocese of Montauban in order to help those going hungry in La Gers. I hope that these funds aid in the relief effort your holiness is organizing.

-Colonel Nathanaël Barrande, Comte de L'Isle Jourdain

 

[Eid3r]

Letter from the Bishop of Montauban to the Duke of Piombino​

Your Grace,

In these gravest of times, with famine threatening the life of so many citizens, I write to you in order to appeal to your sense of Christian charity.

For some time now, the Holy Order of Saint Francis has been hard at work to gather the funds necessary to import wheat from Spain and then process it into the most humble bread to be distributed to the starving masses.

However, the Order of Saint Francis, like the Church of France, is not dotted with vast tracts of lands and the deriving income. Therefore, we rely on charity to continue this deed of compassion.

The Scriptures entices all of us to be generous to those in needs, as stated in Deuteronomy 15:8 “But you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.”

Should you be moved by the plight of the common man, and wishing to partake in this most valiant effort, the Most Christian Society of Saint Isidore the Laborer would be most appreciative to count you among its financial benefactors.

Avec vous dans la Foy,

Henri-Charles Victorin du Bourget
Bishop of Montauban

 

[Eid3r]

Letter from the Bishop of Montauban to the Count of l’Isle-Jourdain​

Your Excellency,

It is with the utmost joy that I have been apprised of your most recent letter. I must commend you for the tremendous act of Christian charity you have decided upon, and ensure you that the sums which you have committed to the care of our Holy Mother Church will be used solely for the purpose of feeding the poor hungry souls of France, and most specially, of our Department of le Gers.

With your permission, I would like to write your name as a public benefactor of the Society. I strongly believe that our brothers and sisters needs to know whose kindred spirit is generous enough to partake with his hard won earnings to assuage the difficulty they are in.

Moreover, it would be my pleasure to receive you in Paris, at the Hôtel de Neuilly. In these times, the meals are quite scarce, but I am told the company makes up for it.

Once again, let me offer my sincères remerciements for your generosity.

Avec vous dans la Foy,

Henri-Charles Victorin du Bourget
Bishop of Montauban

 

[Nax24]

Letter from the Bishop of Montauban to the Count of l’Isle-Jourdain​

Your Excellency,

It is with the utmost joy that I have been apprised of your most recent letter. I must commend you for the tremendous act of Christian charity you have decided upon, and ensure you that the sums which you have committed to the care of our Holy Mother Church will be used solely for the purpose of feeding the poor hungry souls of France, and most specially, of our Department of le Gers.

With your permission, I would like to write your name as a public benefactor of the Society. I strongly believe that our brothers and sisters needs to know whose kindred spirit is generous enough to partake with his hard won earnings to assuage the difficulty they are in.

Moreover, it would be my pleasure to receive you in Paris, at the Hôtel de Neuilly. In these times, the meals are quite scarce, but I am told the company makes up for it.

Once again, let me offer my sincères remerciements for your generosity.

Avec vous dans la Foy,

Henri-Charles Victorin du Bourget
Bishop of Montauban

A Letter to Monseigneur Henri-Charles Victorin du Bourget ((@Eid3r))

Spoiler

Your Holiness

I would be humbled to have my name be placed as a benefactor of the Society. I also graciously accept your invitation to meet at the Hôtel de Neuilly.

-Colonel Nathanaël Barrande, Comte de L'Isle Jourdain

 

[oxfordroyale]

THE MILITARY CAREER OF ALEXANDRE LOUIS DESROSIERS, 3RD BARON DE ROYBON

Part II: The Bourbon Restoration (1814-1815)​

"They had learned nothing and forgotten nothing.”
-- Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord​

Following the Peace of Paris and Napoleon’s defeat and exile to Elba, Alexandre had anticipated that the returning Bourbon dynasty would make great changes to the French military which had fought the Emperor’s wars for over a decade. As such, he was grimly prepared for the inevitable loss of his officer’s commission and his departure from the army. In the end, however, he would be quite mistaken -- while many of the higher-ranking generals whose exploits were significant and well-known found themselves targets of the new government, the rank-and-file junior officers were for the most seamlessly incorporated into the new military structure. Alexandre was no exception to this, and as a noble of the Ancien Régime who had amassed combat experience in lieu of languishing in comfortable exile, he was actually thought of quite favorably by the Bourbons. While the 13th Cuirassier Regiment was no more, he was permitted to retain his rank as a Lieutenant in the 1st Cuirassiers, referred to as the Cuirassiers du Roi. Alexandre was overjoyed at being allowed to remain in the army, for while he had been an admirer of Napoleon’s as a young boy, he had since become a great supporter of monarchy and aristocratic principles. Moreover, he took oaths of loyalty seriously -- he had fought for Napoleon till his abdication, and now he would fight for Louis. As fate would have it, this loyalty would soon be tested.

On 1 March 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte landed in southern France after engineering a daring escape from his forced retirement on Elba. In a startling short amount of time the resurgent Emperor managed to raise a significant army and seize control of the nation; the French army went over to him almost completely, an event which might have been avoided had the Bourbons cleaned house as Alexandre had thought they would. Alexandre opposed the Emperor in what would become known to history as the Hundred Days, his early views on Bonapartism having been soured by the disastrous impact years of fruitless fighting had had on the French nation and people. Furthermore, he was a staunch supporter of the Restoration for several other reasons, the most important being that, since childhood, he had harbored a deep resentment towards many of the ideals propagated by the Revolution, knowing his family had been made to suffer. In a way, he saw the Bourbon Restoration as a means of long-awaited restitution for the deprivation of his noble heritage and appreciated the reestablishment of the aristocracy as France’s leading political class. Furthermore, that Napoleon would seek to interrupt the long-awaited peace that had descended over the country was unforgivable. Resolving to fight for what the believed to be the just and improper cause, Alexandre fled northeast and joined the Bourbon Cavalry Corps under the Duke of Wellington, receiving an equivalent rank in the 3rd Volunteer Regiment.

Unfortunately, while Alexandre would earn commendations from his superiors for his success at organizing the volunteers and deserters under his command, the Bourbon Cavalry Corps would not see action at the pivotal Battle of Waterloo which brought Napoleon’s Hundred Days to a close. He would express his disappointment at this fact privately in many a letter to his sisters Lyra and Celeste, lamenting his inability to “prove my dedication to the Crown through blood and hard steel …”, though he recognized why the British chose not to commit them in the engagement. It was perfectly reasonable to doubt the loyalty of those who had fought for Bonaparte in the past, especially when those same soldiers might face their former comrades on the field. Nevertheless, while he did not manage to fight against the Emperor's army in battle, Alexandre’s loyalty to the Bourbons during this tumultuous time did not go unnoticed.

The 1st Cuirassiers would be disbanded following Napoleon’s second abdication, along with much of the army -- the Bourbons were not keen to be burned twice for the same reason. However, due to the virtue of his exemplary service Alexandre was still admitted into the French Royal Army in the summer of 1815. Specifically, he was made a lieutenant under major general François Paul Bournier, the 1st Cuirassier Regiment (newly christened as the Cuirassiers de la Reine) having been attached to his division after the Hundred Days. Alexandre and his fellow cavalrymen were stationed in Paris, though they were given little to do besides patrol -- much of the general security of the nation had been taken over by the Allied occupation forces, something which Alexandre viewed with a paradoxical mixture of anger and acceptance. For while he loathed seeing the presence of foreign boots on French soil, it was unlikely that the army in its current state could manage to secure the peace of the country alone. In a letter to his sister Celeste, he wrote that he "[prayed] for the day when France might be guarded by the French and not her neighbors, though it is likely several years away at least; such is the great humiliation Bonaparte has bought us, and one which we must unfortunately tolerate."

Once again, Alexandre's prognostications were grossly pessimistic, for it was no less than a month later that Frenchmen would be compelled to guard their own nation, though admittedly not against some foreign invader -- rather, the people of Toulouse and the south, in their anger and propensity towards violence, needed to be protected from themselves.

((Part III: The Occupation of Toulouse can be found here))

 

[Eid3r]

((Private - @oxfordroyale ))

Letter from the Bishop of Montauban to the Baron of Roybon​

Your Excellency,

I realize that we are not formally acquainted and I certainly hope you will forgive my outrecuidance in writing to you directly, but common relations have testified of your pristine morals and your compassionate nature towards the difficulties of the common man.

As you might have heard, the Holy Order of Saint Francis, through the Most Christian Society of Saint Isidore the Laborer, is gathering donations and expressions of support in order to purchase grain from Spain and provide bread for the hungry masses of the kingdom.

Keeping in mind the wisdom brought to us through Proverbs 19:17, which states that “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and he shall repay him for his good deed”, I would like to inquire as to the Society counting on your benevolence as a backer of this most worthy and noble cause.

Avec vous dans la Foy,

Henri-Charles Victorin du Bourget
Bishop of Montauban

 

[Michaelangelo]

In the small town of Morlaix on a sunny afternoon, Belle stood in line outside the bakery, waiting for a chance to buy some fresh bread. She'd been waiting for at least an hour already and it seemed nearly the entire town, or at least the womenfolk, had shown up this day to buy bread. Everyone around her was grumbling angrily, complaining about the wait, the short supply of bread, and other misfortunes plaguing them. Belle paid little heed to them all. As usual, she had her nose in a book. While everyone else was standing impatiently in line, she was off in another land.

The line moved a bit and Belle shuffled forward without looking up from her book. She had finally reached the doorway and was close enough now to hear those inside arguing with the baker.

"That's too expensive!"

"I'm sorry, madame, but I cannot charge any less. I do not have enough supplies to meet the demand for bread, and to charge any lower would see me ruined."

A pudgy woman shoved past Belle, a woven basket under her arm, noticeably empty. "Heartless wretch," the woman muttered under her breath as she hitched up her dress and stepped out into the street.

The constant droning sound of complaints grew louder behind Belle, not that she was paying much attention.

"What is taking so long?"

"Are they sold out?"

"If I don't get any bread, my family will starve!"

The general discontent lingering amongst the crowd changed immediately as a rock whistled past Belle's head and shattered the window. She jumped back with a start, her attention finally taken away from her book as shards of glass sprinkled down onto her. She was trying to brush bits from her hair when a rough hand forced her aside. A group of half a dozen men pushed past her and rushed into the bakery. A shout followed their intrusion in the bakery, and soon after the men ran out with loaves of bread under their arms. The people in line, seeing what had just happened, started to panic. Most of them gasped or screamed, running out into the street and fleeing the scene. Others, perhaps seeing their opportunity, stormed the bakery, seeking to plunder it for whatever bit of food they could. Belle found herself tossed into the street as more and more people forced their way into the bakery, some even going through the broken window. They all ran back out with baked goods in hand. The protests of the baker could be heard from within for a minute, but ended with a frightening shriek and wet gurgle.

A riot was in the making and Belle wanted nothing to do with it. Picking herself off the ground, Belle scurried away from the bakery, joining the growing throng of people trying to flee. As she found herself carried away in the fleeing crowd, she couldn't help but notice the growing mob back near the bakery. Men were now breaking into a tailor's shop next door and running off with his goods too. She left it all behind as quickly as she could, making her way home and locking the door behind her. She could hear the sounds of the growing riot in the distance, broken only by the growling of her own stomach. There would be no bread at dinner tonight, but at least she was alive.