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Thread: [NTW Vanilla] War and Peace: Napoleon in Europe 1805-1812

  1. #1
    Gracchus Babeuf's Avatar Laetus
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    Default [NTW Vanilla] War and Peace: Napoleon in Europe 1805-1812

    On March 14, 1804, a group of French dragoons commanded by General Michel Ordener snuck into the neutral German princedom of Baden to capture Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien, a relative of the Bourbon monarchs. The dragoons took the Duke to Strasbourg and then to the Château de Vincennes fortress outside Paris where, after a brief trial, the soldiers executed the Duke by firing line. Napoleon, First Consul of the French Republic, had ordered the Duke’s death for allegedly conspiring with Georges Cadoudal and General Charles Pichegru (a former hero of the Revolutionary Wars) to assassinate Napoleon and place King Louis XVIII on the throne. Napoleon had intended the killing of the Duke, along with Cadoudal and Pichegru, to intimidate domestic enemies against intrigues against him, but it had a large impact on foreign policy as well: it destroyed the general uneasy peace that had existed in Europe since 1801.

    Great Britain was keen to go to war with France once more and was itself already in a de facto state of conflict since 1803, with battles fought in the West Indies and around the Mediterranean. Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger found in the Duke’s death the solution to the problem of forming another anti-French coalition. The aristocrats of continental Europe feared Napoleon intended to return to the anti-monarchist, anti-clerical extremes of the French Revolution. Even Russia, led by the reform-minded Tsar Alexander I, allied with Britain, despite that country’s recent support to the Turks.

    Meanwhile, in May 1804, Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor of the French. He was coronated in Notre Dame Cathedral that winter, with the Pope giving his blessing. He also declared himself the King of Italy, by implication laying claim to those parts of northern Italy – Milan, Venice, etc. – historically in the Austrian sphere of influence. It was also in northern Italy where Napoleon had made his reputation as a military genius during the Revolutionary Wars, capturing the stronghold of Mantua from Austria. None of this was lost on the Viennese court, who eagerly joined the coalition along with Britain and Russia, in the hopes of finally humbling the Corsican upstart and thereby starting the path of restoration for the crumbling vestiges of the Holy Roman Empire.

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    Napoleon had kept his La Grande Armée at Boulogne in preparation for an invasion of England that never materialized. With the outbreak of the War of the Third Coalition the Emperor consolidates his forces at Strasbourg in preparation for a eastward campaign. His main target is Austria but the Russians are also likely to be in the field and must be taken into consideration. Over his maps, he plots a southern swoop meant to liberate Venice and to add it to the French client state, the Kingdom of Italy. Along the way, he will liberate the Tyrol region as well and give it to his Bavarian allies. After that, it will be a matter of knocking the Austrians and the Russians out of the war. Then Britain can be dealt with...

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    Meanwhile, France's leading marshals -- Davout, Ney, Murat, Bernadotte -- are sent to Paris to defend the fatherland and to raise armies of their own as funds allow. They are entrusted with some artillery pieces leftover from the preparations for the English invasion to get them started. Additionally, surplus troops -- that is, units better than militia status -- are summoned from the provinces to the Imperial capital to be added to the reserve army. If the treacherous British invade France or the dithering Prussians muster the courage to enter the war, then at least Paris will not be unprotected, and our own forces could potentially move against Prussia's western holdings and allies.

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    The French Navy under Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, is no condition to take on the superior British Navy. It sails to harbor in Brest until such a time as the finances of the Empire enable France to build the sort of fleet it needs to go broadside-to-broadside with Admiral Nelson.

    More to come soon!

  2. #2
    Caillagh de Bodemloze's Avatar to rede I me delyte
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    Default Re: [NTW Vanilla] War and Peace: Napoleon in Europe 1805-1812

    It's great to see a new NTW AAR.

    This is a nice start - I'll look forward to seeing what happens next!






  3. #3
    Gracchus Babeuf's Avatar Laetus
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    Default Re: [NTW Vanilla] War and Peace: Napoleon in Europe 1805-1812

    With Napoleon's army at Strasbourg and preparing to move toward Austria through Bavaria, orders go out to France's special agents. A spy is sent toward Vienna to set up an intelligence network, since taking the Austrian capital is the key to their defeat. Meanwhile, one gentleman of note is sent to Prague in Bohemia to stir up Czech nationalists against Hapsburg repression. Another is sent to Orleans and the university there to assist in research and innovating new ideas. Speaking of which, the brightest young minds at the Sorbonne and elsewhere are tasked with making military advancements (specifically diamond formation for cavalry and fire-and-advance tactics for infantry).

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    Not only is France busy. The Ottoman Empire once more declares war on vulnerable Austria -- great news for the Emperor! The conservative Turks have no great love for Napoleon (they still bitterly remember his Egypt expedition) but they long to claim Austrian holdings in the Balkans, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Now facing a two-front war, Vienna has little hope to withstand the mighty French army while also protecting its eastern borders from the Ottoman legions. Better still, Russia itself might get dragged into war with the Turks as well!

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    For whatever reason, Hanover -- a minor German fief -- was in French possession. The Emperor decides to be rid of this exposed, isolated holding by "offering" it to another German city-state, Hesse-Kassel, in exchange for an alliance. Hesse-Kassel accepts, and now the bulwark of French client states in the Rhineland grows even stronger.

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    Finally, Napoleon approaches Innsbruck to the south of Bavaria. Tyrol is of great strategic importance to the Habsburgs because it controls several important Alpine passes. Bavarian nationalists have long claimed that northern Tyrol is more Bavarian and Austrian (although to us French it's hard to tell the difference...) and the Emperor has promised to expand the Bavarian territory by adding Innsbruck to their dominion.

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    Despite the winter weather, the meager garrison in Innsbruck is totally unready for Napoleon's forces. Their defeat is a certainty.

    Taking Innsbruck obviously upsets Prussia, but rather than declaring war on France directly, Berlin declares war on Hesse-Kessel. Obviously the Emperor decides to stand by his "ally," and Prussia enters the War of the Third Coalition, albeit indirectly.

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    Making good on his promise, the Emperor gives Tyrol to Bavaria. There are cries of celebration in Munich, along with cheers of "Vive le France!" and "Vive l'Empreur!" Or at least that's what the propaganda inside France says...

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    With the Alps now under French control, Napoleon drives south and east toward Venice. He besieges the ancient city, which like Innsbruck is woefully undefended. After some perfunctory resistance, Venice surrenders. The Emperor is much more hesitant to give up such a rich and historic city, but he knows that the Venetians would much prefer to be governed by fellow Italians than by France (even if the Emperor is Corsican...). So, after Venice is taken and its buildings repaired, the Emperor plans to add Venice to the Kingdom of Italy.

    More coming soon!

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    Gracchus Babeuf's Avatar Laetus
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    Default Re: [NTW Vanilla] War and Peace: Napoleon in Europe 1805-1812

    Quote Originally Posted by Gracchus Babeuf View Post
    With the Alps now under French control, Napoleon drives south and east toward Venice. He besieges the ancient city, which like Innsbruck is woefully undefended. After some perfunctory resistance, Venice surrenders. The Emperor is much more hesitant to give up such a rich and historic city, but he knows that the Venetians would much prefer to be governed by fellow Italians than by France (even if the Emperor is Corsican...). So, after Venice is taken and its buildings repaired, the Emperor plans to add Venice to the Kingdom of Italy.
    Forgot to include the screenshot:

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  5. #5
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: [NTW Vanilla] War and Peace: Napoleon in Europe 1805-1812

    I can't currently see your screenshots; I don't think you are doing anything wrong, I think it must be a problem with my browser or maybe a forum glitch. I have reported the problem in Questions & Suggestions, hopefully there will be a solution soon.

    However, I'm enjoying the unfolding events even without the images. It sounds like the Ottoman Empire's campaign in the Balkans (or elsewhere) will provide a decisive advantage for France. I like your phrasing, such as "the meager garrison in Innsbruck is totally unready for Napoleon's forces. Their defeat is a certainty". I can easily imagine the voice actor who plays Napoleon in the game reading that line. I'm intrigued by Napoleon's strategy, giving away a number of territories.

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