((Warning! Picture Heavy!))
Chapter I- The Seeds of a New Revolution
Following the July Revolution, the decadent King became a symbolic figurehead, possessed with little real power. The power was now in the Parliament, hotly contested between the Ultra-Royalists, otherwise known as the Légitimiste led by Victor de Broglie and the Movement Party, otherwise known as the Républicain, led by Adolphe Thiers. However, there was also an independent faction, also called the Orléanist, led by Étienne Maurice Gérard. This faction had witnessed steady growth of Bonapartist sympathy and as such, the corrupt King of France, Louis Philippe I, feared them. Unfortunately for the King, the Orléanist were the only acceptable middle ground between the Légitimiste and the Républicain. He was forced to appoint Gérard as Prime Minister.
Demographic Situation by the time Gérard took power
Gérard saw the transformation of France. He immediately began asserting French authority in Italy, just like it ought to be, with an alliance with Sardinia- Piedmont and a gracious acceptance of an alliance offer by the Pope.
He began influencing Sardinia- Piedmont in order to gain a temporary buffer in the south. He enacted several comprehensive decisions, including recognizing the basic rights of every single human that was first proposed in Napoleon’s France. He also forced the King to tour the country in order to appease the masses and increase France’s standing in the world.
He began researching logical thought, otherwise known as Positivism, which would help France educate its people.
Old Dude Thinking Logically
Contemporary French Newspaper "Le Temps"
He called for the formation of the Old Guards, which Gérard hoped would eventually help Napoleon win the throne.
Old Guard Army
Because of these reforms, conservative and liberal strongholds started springing up in support of Gérard and his Orléanist. This showed that all of France supported the policies of Gérard, which were modeled after Napoleonic French policies.
Conservatives Support Napoleon
Liberals Also Support Napoleon
The Prussians repeatedly requested an alliance with France but of course, Gérard refused since Prussia was a reactionary, feudal monarchy that had backstabbed Napoleon. Not only that, but the jingoistic tendencies meant France might be legally bound to help Prussia in event in an offensive war.
Say no to the Reactionaries!
He also managed to balance the budget, educating the people, reducing corruption, and increasing governmental efficiency came before arming the army. Gérard wanted the army to be the army, not the secret police or a force for intimidation.
Budget Changes Daily so This may not be Representative of the Total National Yearly Budget
The Arc de Triomphe was finally finished, celebrating the glory, success, and victory of Napoleon France while Paris became a hub of commerce. That began a golden age of Paris that was first started by Napoleon. The Habsburgs saw which way the winds were turning and diplomatic relations began increasing.
Its an arch! Its a triumphant arch! First created by Napoleon!
Austria really likes ladies!
Alexis de Tocqueville published “Democracy in America” which called for a free, democratic France under a good monarch, which was sadly lacking at this time. Alexis was a firm supporter of the Bonapartes as evidenced by his second book, The Old Regime and the French Revolution.
What is DEMO- CRACY again?
Meanwhile, Gérard began modernizing French factories, expanding them to make more goods and employ more people. An example of this was the expansion of the famed furniture factory of Paris on August 27th of 1836.
Our people sit when they are tired.
Suddenly, crisis struck the court. Emir Abdel Kabir had attacked French settlements in Northern Algeria without provocation after uniting the Maghreb tribes despite the French liberating them from Ottoman rule.
This ignited a fierce debate, where the king, fearful of the growth of the Napoleonic Orléanist, declared that he was against invading the “sovereign” territory of Algeria. Supported by the Légitimiste, he fought bitterly in Parliament against the Orléanist and Républicain. Gérard, as prime minister, managed to outmaneuver the King and war was declared on October 18th of 1836.
As a former marshal in the First French Empire’s army, he had vast knowledge of military matters and hastily drew up a battle plan. It called for the French heavy cavalry in the west of Algeria to hold the main Algeria army while a large infantry army backed by dragoons and artillery advanced on the region of Constantine to defeat a secondary Algeria army. He also called in the Italian allies of Sardinia- Piedmont and the Pope. Thanks to the corruption in the King’s court, no skilled general was called up in the war so no army had a notable commander.
Plans, who needs them? Their just going to fail anyways.
Unfortunately, the plan immediately went awry. Algerian troops tried breaching the defense line set by the heavy cavalry and promptly encircled them. The heavy cavalry were outnumbered too heavily to charge and were forced to surrender. Meanwhile, the dragoons were too enthusiastic and thus charged into an ambush set by the tricky Algerians where they were massacred. Gérard decided the needs of the army were becoming more important so he temporarily cut the budgets to education and administration to give the army the supplies they needed.
Well this result was unexpected
Courageous French troops managed to inflict the first Algerian defeat despite a carefully planned ambush by the vile Algerians in the Second Battle of Constantine. They suffered heavy casualties but routed the Algerian secondary army.
A pyrrhic victory but a victory nonetheless.
Meanwhile, the main Algerian army foolishly decided to siege French settlements on the north of Algeria. They suffered steady attrition, attempting to break into Mustaghanim. When they finally broke into the French settlement, they massacred the settlers and looted the area before finally razing the place to the ground. They spared no one, not even fellow Algerians. This merely showed the barbarity the French were fighting against, spurring them to greater heights.
Meanwhile, the popularity of the war surged to new heights and when the new parliament was called into session on January 1, 1837, the anti- war Légitimiste suffered heavy losses, becoming a tiny minority in Parliament. Back in Algeria, in the Battle of the Scouts, French light- troops totally annihilated their counterparts in the Algerian army. The main force of the Algerians were routed after a desultory battle.
Meanwhile Italian troops from Sardinia- Piedmont and the Papal States had started an invasion of the capital of Algeria, Tlemcen. The barbarians from the main army of the Algerians fell upon the Crusaders and crushed them, exhortations by the pope to defeat the infidels notwithstanding.
Poor Italians
The secondary Algerian army was finally totally defeated by the French in the Battle of Sekol, in Laghwat after retreating far into the desert to lose the French army. The French troops were brave and industrious so they managed to pursue the enemy deep into the desert, therefore lowering the barbarians’ morale and crushing them. There was still one main Algerian army though. After the second invasion of Tlemcen by the Sardinians, they fell upon them like savage wolves and ripped the army apart. They beheaded everyone they captured, leading to the deaths of 9,000 humans.
Angered, the Sardinians decided for closer ties with France to defeat the Algerians. The French were all too happy to oblige them.
The Ottomans looked on in awe and shock at the French invasion of their former vassal state. The invasion had shattered their reputation as their former vassal was crushed by another European power when they themselves had failed to defeat them. The Ottomans also failed to protect their fellow Muslims, despite the fact that the Caliphate of Islam was Ottoman. This led to them not being considered as a Great Power by the international community.
The Treaty of London hasn't fired yet
Meanwhile, the main Algerian army was soundly defeated in French territory as Italian reinforcements sieged the capital and liberated parts of French Algeria. The blockade and constant warfare was taking its toll in Algeria, war exhaustion was creeping up to record heights and the pacifist section began campaigning to end the war on French terms to prevent a harsher peace. Emir Abdel Kabir overruled them, saying that Allah would grant them victory in the end (He is a fool, not only did he not follow Catholicism, but he did not recognize France’s might).
He soon regretted that action when the last remnants of the Algerian Main Army surrendered to French forces in the Battle of Medea. Algeria now had no army with which to defend itself.
Gérard, angered by the insolence of the Emir, declared that he desired the southern desert of Algeria along with Constantine to prevent the Algerians from ever causing harm to France ever again.
Papal crusader’s soon breached the walls of Tlemcen and captured it for the Pope.
With the fall of their capital, the barbaric Algerians decided that enough was enough and agreed to the peace deal with France. Constantine and North Central Sahara were ceded in perpetuity to France.
Diplomatic Negotiations
Aftermath of the Algerian War
Algeria now was too weak to launch any military campaign against France, Gérard hoped.
At home, positivism had finished being philosophized by French scholars. French industrialists were now encouraged to develop clean coal for use in many areas especially the industry.
Crown Prince Radama II of Madagascar meanwhile wisely ratified a treaty with France, greatly extending French influence and French corporate influence into the rich hinterlands of Madagascar.
The seeds of the new revolution to install the Bonapartes had been planted, the Pro- Bourbons had shown their unpopularity in France. Gérard, a Napoleonist, had become an extremely popular Prime Minister. He also openly sympathized with the return of the Bonapartes to the throne of France. The king however, was deeply hostile to Gérard. This would lead to a showdown later. ((Would you like shorter chapters? Also, how do you combine pictures? And do you want captions for the pictures?))