The Sovereign
Woo 20th chapter. Well it says 21st but for the readers who stuck around since the beginning you'll remember I started with 2 chapters up- the timeline and the first actual story chapter.
Just something I should note. I am not saying the the state Lelouch is trying to build here would actually work perfectly in real life. I'm no expert in politics and the economy after all. This is just me writing a cool fanfic, where one of the major conflicts of the time is political liberalism vs conservatism, meaning Lelouch retains some of that original rebellious character through his politics.
While political absolutism could give Lelouch a lot of power/agency, leading to cool stuff, I think Lelouch has more liberal ideals at heart- he reforged the original Code Geass world into a relatively democratic one. Not to mention how it helps this story's Lelouch appeal to the masses. Of course, he's 'liberal' in the more classical sense.
You may notice a segment of today's chapter that is a little different from usual. I enjoyed writing it- I like me some non-conventional story telling from time to time.
Lelouch vi Britannia was up late writing, Euphemia next to him. They had been debating the intricacies of what steps should be taken to protect the workers for hours now, and it was starting to get late. Honestly, they needed to be doing a lot more talking with the workers before Lelouch sent it to parliament (and he would try his damnedest to push it through this time), but hopefully it would serve as a good start.
The paper was covered in row upon row of tidy black writing, although in some ways it felt like the words were written in blood. These sorts of regulations were born from tragedy, tragedies which Lelouch had actively caused by encouraging rapid industrialization. Honestly, it seemed fairly likely that it was an issue in the homeland too, but he didn't know for sure- it wasn't like they didn't have swarms of workers to replace any who were… indisposed.
Admittedly, this whole situation wasn't too great, but there was a silver lining in the change it caused in Euphemia. She had always been a caring person, but now that she was taking more active steps to help the common folk in very noticeable ways, she would hopefully build up a good reputation. Winning over the masses was still different from winning over the Senate, though.
He was still a little bitter about them not passing female suffrage early on. The Corsicans did it before Washington's revolt, why couldn't they? That was part and parcel of the whole republicanism deal though, and it would probably be bad if Lelouch went around subverting the government- at least in noticeable ways. If he wanted to keep up his reputation as a liberal, he needed to pay proper respect to the government institutions he helped install.
Italy, while technically under Britannian control, was one of the largest republican states in all of Europe- collapsing in on themselves or falling into corruption wouldn't make them a good example. Styling themselves as a bastion of republicanism or at least constitutional monarchy in Europe would be a provocative stance, but it would hopefully win him favor among some circles.
"Do you think all the factories are like that, Lelouch?"
"Maybe- I'm not sure about the specifics of factories in the homeland… but you know our father. Would he pass laws to prevent this sort of thing?"
Euphemia frowned. "I don't think so." While she hadn't seen much fighting herself, she had spent years of her life on military frontiers with Cornelia, which exposed to her how belligerent the empire was, all the many fronts it fought on.
After a few moments of silence, Euphemia continued. "Lelouch… do you think father is a good person?"
Lelouch nearly choked on air at that, but at least it was Euphemia asking and not Cornelia. He was not prepared to have that particular conversation quite yet. "I think a line can be drawn between being a good ruler and being a good person. Sometimes you can have both- but I don't think that's the case for father."
"So… you think he's a good ruler?"
"You can't say he hasn't kept the Empire together, at the very least."
"The Empire has expanded tremendously during his rule, that is true." It was questionable if that was a good thing, though.
The Belgian Conference did not start off too well, with Britannia's great pride and imperial styling making things more than a little awkward. Stepping in and immediately expecting to share a table with the powers of Europe that had fought and bled to expel the revolution made the other European powers a little upset, even if they recognized Britannia's global sway.
On a more personal level, several of the Empire's ambassadors were hoping to get their own names in the history books; in particular, they hoped to replicate, in some small way, the Sicilian Prince's exploits on the continent. If Lelouch could pull it off, then perhaps it was a sign of impending domination over the European continent as well as the new world?
Securing a thin coastal slice of Belgium- either under direct rule or as a protectorate- would give Britannia more sway over the continent, along with a potential staging ground for invasion, on top of all the potential titles that could be up for grabs. It would also be a step on the path to restoring the French crown as a Britannian possession, but strangely enough they found themselves allied with the French at the negotiating table (of course, they didn't mention that particular hope).
Cutting up Belgium and splitting the pieces was a path that would almost certainly lead to another bloody European war to crush the revolution, but it could be appealing… if the great powers were promised gains. A piece of Wallonia for France, a slice of Flanders for Britannia, perhaps a touch of Luxemburgish land for the Germans (meaning: the Prussians, who held land on the Rhine), and the leftovers for the Dutch…
An appealing proposition for France, Prussia, and Britannia, not so much for the Netherlands, who were loosing out on land they regarded as theirs. Of course, this potential partition caused a few problems of its own, considering the way it disturbed the balance of power.
No one really wanted to see Britannia getting stronger, for rather obvious reasons, and the memories of the French rule in the Low Countries were still fresh. Even if the King of Spain (or rather, King of Castile and Leon and Aragon and Navarre and Granada and Toledo and Valencia and Galicia…) was a Bourbon just like his neighboring king over the Pyrenees, that didn't mean that Spain wanted France to be too strong.
Seeing new powers on the rise or seeing a superpower gaining a foothold in a region was an obvious threat to the balance of power. Letting Belgium make its way onto the world stage would cause political ripples- but would it be as bad as the political shockwaves of a partitioning?
Ideally, long days could be spent in careful contemplation of the results- but every day spent debating would directly translate into Belgian ditches and fortifications, not to mention what would happen if things broke down the point of complete and total international war. That was the nightmare scenario, and everyone knew it, for both good and ill.
Of course, the best solution for peace would just mean letting Belgium be- partitioning Belgium fundamentally required tearing the new country apart using military power. It would be so easy to just let them be, but that also meant setting a potentially worrying precedent- and dallying didn't help.
Out of all the various Viceroyalties that composed the Britannian Empire, Italy was special, in large part thanks to the special rights the Sicilians had won for themselves by inviting Britannia in with open arms. It was more republican, which was a particularly bitter pill for those who had grown fearful of French republicanism- it was a different breed of the same beast, rabid all the same. How long until it bit the hand that fed it?
However, while the new territories in Italy were certainly profitable, it meant that Britannia was facing a major issue: it now had continental territories, which could drag the country into a war over Italy. So the obvious solution to this problem was encouraging an Italian army that could hold off a potential invader, or at least delay them until the empire's reinforcements could arrive.
Still, all the prestige and power that came with holding Italy was dependent on actually managing to keeping the country under their control. Nationalism had led to the Italian unification, but at the same time it could lead to the end of Britannian rule in the region- the Italians now had a very specific idea of who they were as a people, and Britannia wasn't really in that definition.
Emperor Charles had sent Cornelia over to keep an eye on the Italian military and whip it into shape- both so it was a little more loyal to Britannia and so it could hold off any potential threats- but one woman (and her admittedly skilled, veteran guards) weren't enough to control any entire country. So the entirety of Britannian Italy was dependent on the leadership of Lelouch vi Britannia.
As long as he stayed a loyal son of Britannia, things were fine- but while he had earned himself fame among the court for his victories in Italy, the stigma of his confrontation with the Emperor was still in the back of many people's minds. Not to mention his conversion to Catholicism, which… wasn't the most popular of faiths in Britannia for obvious reasons.
Admittedly, being both half Italian and Catholic made Lelouch popular in Italy in a way no replacement (with the possible exception of his sister Nunnally) could ever really be. That was even more worrying- Lelouch held incredible sway and couldn't be replaced easily.
As nostalgic as Sicily was, Lelouch couldn't spend forever on the island, so in time they crossed the strait once more and began working their way up the western side of the Peninsula, heading back up to Rome. In time, he might eventually make his way up to the northern cities, but he wanted to start pushing for change in the Parliament.
Their visit to Naples was fine enough, he supposed, and he made sure to talk with the local authorities about their various issues- no reason in not fulfilling the objective of this entire trip, even if he was focusing on other priorities- speeches didn't write themselves, after all.
Prince Lelouch's "Labor Address" to the Italian Senate, Recorded in 1828
Gentlemen of the Senate, I came here today to plead a case: the case of humanity. I humbly plead that you will choose to act, for the good of the people of Italy.
It is quite apparent that the issue of our age is industrialization, the old modes of production pushed to the side by the new- and as with all new frontiers, there is danger alongside opportunity, terrible risks that must be faced.
I witnessed the dangers of the factories myself- with my own ears I heard the screaming of a worker in pain, and with my own eyes saw the mangled leg torn apart by bloodstained machinery. And how old was this worker who will never be able to walk without assistance again? Ten. I will repeat that: Ten!
That's a little more than half my own age, and I'm certain many of you esteemed senators have raised children as well- can you imagine the same happening to your own child? And this is no infrequent occurrence- the history of factories is one written in blood. As rulers of the Italian state, protectors of the Italian people, do we not have a duty to guard them inside the factory just as we do on the outside?
Some might say that such regulation would hurt the factory owner or hurt the productivity of the factories- and perhaps this is true. But we are not here to represent the interest of a select few, or to defend a manager's bottom line. Is it not more profitable to cast away the hand then see the whole body of the people thrown away?
Our duty is the people. The farmer who toils all day throughout the year, whose application of brain and muscle fuels all our endeavors- he is our responsibility. The miner, plunging deep into the earth to unearth all those hidden materials- his interests are ours. Why would the factory worker, who works to turn all the resources of Italy into manufactured goods, be any different? Is that not our sacred duty, to welcome the least among us?
Put simply enough, that is my argument, and it is where I stand. I hope that you, the gentlemen of the Senate, will choose to protect the dignity of the worker, especially those too young to even protect themselves.
The people are crying out- will you answer them, or will you leave them to perish, like a beggar outside the door?
Lelouch made sure that copies of his speech would be spread far and wide- even if he couldn't necessarily change the minds of all the senators, they weren't his only targets. At the end of the day an elected official's duty was to their constituents, and even if the speech didn't land as well as hoped in the Senate, he was also trying to sway the average Italian voter.
Admittedly, he didn't know the average voter really looked like (other than the fact that they were Italian and male, obviously) but it was likely that a man of voting age was either a father or hoped to become one eventually. Sure, there would be a few exceptions (priests or whoever), but saying that you were defending the children was practically unassailable from a political point of view and should give the idea widespread support among the voters.
It would also be more to show that he cared for the people, down to their little children. He wanted to make a more proactive approach as a ruler- sitting back hadn't worked out well for the Bourbons. Lelouch had to make sure that the average man associated charity and genuine compassion with the monarchy; he couldn't exactly pull out the divine right of kings card, even if he was (supposedly) a God fearing Catholic monarch- well, a viceroy, but still.
He had to wonder if the religious references he snuck in would really land in the Senate- hopefully, it would show the "depth of his belief" to the people. If he played it right, he could possibly drum up some support among the clergy… but at the same time he also wanted Euphemia to take a more initiative in the government. Maybe he could take a step back and let her take a more decisive role in the lawmaking that followed.
Hopefully, his speech would be in gazettes and newspapers all across the nation in time- he wasn't planning on oppressing the press, so the least he could do was leverage it to his own advantage. Perhaps it was a mistake to think of free press as something that could be contained, though- giving people the right to talk about whatever they pleased meant they could start talking about things that wouldn't necessarily paint him in the best light.
The press had dragged Louis XVI through the mud for his failings (along with spreading some… rather unfortunate rumors about the king's virility), not to mention that radical Marat. For a man who ran a magazine called L'Ami du peuple- quite literally, the Friend of the People- he was viciously bloodthirsty, calling for the deaths of those opposed to the revolution until someone did France a favor and murdered him. Any political radical running a newspaper would whip up their town into a frenzy- definitely not a good thing.
Short of cracking down on free press, all he could really do was present the best possible face he could- for the rest of his life, no pressure. Still, the press was obviously important, and would play a big role in shaping his image- he couldn't exactly go out and personally visit the millions of people living in Italy, so they would see him through the ink of newspapers.
Of course, newspapers and hearsay were also the main way the average Italian would perceive his father, and that was a complex issue. On the one hand, if rumors of the papers talking badly about his father reached the homeland, then that might evoke the Emperor's wrath- which could be useful for independence, long term. Honestly, getting the Italian people upset with the Emperor would be a good thing- as long as he could win an independence war, of course. If Lelouch threw a revolt just because the Emperor offended him personally, it wouldn't have that… feeling of national struggle. Could he really rally the people to a massive, brutal war if they weren't upset with Britannia?
Maybe he could. Who knew? In theory, it was possible that Italy could become a part of the Empire, but Lelouch doubted it. On a fundamental level, Lelouch couldn't control the actions of millions of people, only influence them in some ways- he just needed to plan as best he could for the outcomes that could potentially endanger Nunnally, like if all of those people suddenly decided that they weren't happy with Emperor Charles anymore. Lelouch certainly wasn't, and he was related to the man.
As Prince Lelouch struggled with his own Italian senate, the Prince of Corsica had begun to take a more active stance in his own parliament, which was something fairly unusual considering his usual laissez-faire attitude. At least at first, he left them well enough alone, determined not to appear as a foreign prince meddling in their affairs. Sure, Napoleon II was technically Corsican on his father's side, but he was fundamentally an alien to these people, born in Paris from an Austrian mother. That didn't mean he couldn't try to win them over, of course.
Of course, that was a slow process- he couldn't just expect to win over the people's hearts immediately, but he tried. Managing what state functions he could, attending parliament to see how his principality was run, and even struggling through the intricacies of the native language- Corscian was fairly close to Italian, which was convenient.
Corsica was in a strange place between France and Italy, both on a geographical level and a more cultural one. That had been under the French aegis for half a century, which had some obvious influence on the country, but at the same time their ties to Italy were obvious- and something that Bonaparte wanted to encourage in the parliament, if subtly.
Admittedly, part of the reason behind this was the simple fact that the King of France wouldn't like him very much, and the Principality was deeply tied to the Prince- unless they decided to kick him out, which was a possibility if he got too mouthy, he supposed. Still, Corsica was stuck with him, meaning that he made certain diplomatic options less feasible.
So that left him with Italy and Prince Lelouch- well technically it would also mean closer ties to Britannia by association, but that wasn't quite as important- as a potential ally on the world stage. (Who else was he going to ask? Spain?)
Sure, they could just sit in the Mediterranean and take an isolationist foreign policy, hoping that no great power would care enough to swallow up Corsica, but Bonaparte hoped to do something more than that. Perhaps he wouldn't quite live up to his father's legacy, but the least he could was help guide Corsica through these changing times.
Ruling Corsica certainly wasn't the worst job, but some part of him had to wonder if that would be it, if he would just stay as Prince until the island was swallowed up or he was succeeded by another Bonaparte- not that he had gotten married yet, but he would probably have to get around to it anyways. Maybe changing circumstances would give him a chance for great things, but for now all he could do was guide the state as well as he could, and wait to see what chances the world might give him.
After all, who would have guessed that the fires of the French Revolution would have lead his father to greatness? Circumstances were strange and unpredictable- but that didn't mean he couldn't seize his own destiny in some ways.
Pulling out his cipher, pen, and paper, he got work writing another letter to Prince Lelouch. He'd already changed the world the before- perhaps that Italian prince could do it again? Even if not, it would still be good to improve relations with him.
As useful as Braille was for Nunnally, letting her read and process information by herself, it still wasn't widespread to the point where she could read books- it wasn't like they had many publishers which accommodated the tactile typeset. Of course, this was a much bigger issue when they didn't know about Braille at all, but Lelouch would still sometimes read to Nunnally when she couldn't get her hands on something in Braille. It was something he had done before when she was younger- how else would she learning anything, get any culture, if she wasn't read to?
Of course, the sort of books that he read to her now were very different from the sort that he might have read to her when she was younger, and Lelouch certainly didn't regret it- his sisters were a joy to talk to, and having people to help him who were more closely aligned with his interests helped as well. The Parliament certainly helped run the country, but at the same time, they weren't family- Lelouch certainly wouldn't trust all of them without question.
Well, Lelouch also wasn't planning on sharing his specific plans for Italy with sisters (Cornelia in particular) any time soon, but on smaller matters of government, they were helpful. Nunnally and Euphemia may not have been the most… worldly, but that was something he could help with. So they talked and talked.
"It's hard to overstate how influential religion is in politics- do you remember the Statute of Restraint of Appeals, Nunnally?"
"That's… the one that made the King the sole religious authority in England?"
"Yes- but that was the moment that that the idea of an English empire was born, based on a… questionable claim of imperial descent from Troy."
Nunnally giggled. "Troy? As in, the Troy on the coast of Anatolia?"
"That's the one- the important thing was the imperial power- there's always been a strange connection between faith and empire. To be Roman Emperor was to be defender of Christendom- implying a control over all the Kings of Europe, a universal monarchy."
"Father certainly wouldn't agree to that."
"If he wasn't the Emperor." Lelouch chuckled. "The problem was when you had more than one emperor running around. The Holy Roman Emperor and the Byzantines never got along, and that grudge was inherited when the Russians started thinking of themselves as the Third Rome, not to mention their issues with the Kayser-i-Rum in Istanbul."
Nunnally's head quirked to the side in confusion. "But… the Ottoman Emperor is Muslim?"
"They still styled themselves as Emperors of Rome, and that's what mattered- we can't escape the influence of Rome."
"It makes sense- we're in the city, after all."
Lelouch smiled. "I suppose we are- why, I never knew!"
Nunnally smiled, but after a few moments she continued the conversation. "What about the Empire of the Danube?"
"From what I understand, the title was adopted once it became clear that the Holy Roman Empire wasn't long for the world- either that, because they were afraid good old Nappy would claim the title of Holy Roman Emperor- he was crowned Emperor of the French earlier that year."
"So… why not become Holy Roman Emperor?"
"Well, I can't say what was going through Napoleon's head… but it seems to me that he was looking further back, past Charlemagne's Empire, and styled himself after Rome."
Nunnally looked at Lelouch- if she wasn't blind, Lelouch would say she was looking him directly in the eyes. She was remarkable at figuring out where someone was just with sound. "What do you think, Lelouch? Was he just chasing an impossible dream, trying to style himself after Rome?"
"I think calling back to those ages was an obvious choice to make, but I don't think he could have ever truly reached Roman levels of influence. I'm not sure if anyone could achieve that- the Romans didn't have to deal with modern ideas of nationalism."
"Maybe- but we could all certainly use a new Pax Romana." Nunnally responded.
"Perhaps- but would all the bloodshed required justify the peace at the end, if it even lasted?" Dominion over the whole of Europe, or even the whole of the world, was a sweet dream, but at the moment, it was just that. A dream.
A potential canal through the Suez, while lucrative, was a long term investment that wouldn't pay off immediately, especially considering how it would have to be dug, by hand. The industrial revolution had changed the world in many ways, but they were still forced to dig by hand, over the course of some one hundred miles- a considerable stretch, but considerably shorter than circumnavigating Africa.
Still, the sheer opportunity of such a canal was worth it- even if it wasn't finished in Muhammad Ali Pasha's lifetime, he could recognize the value it would have when passed on to a successor. Of course, he would be passing on much more than a ditch- his son would inherit domains from Syria to the Sudan.
At least that was the hope- surely, the Sultan would have wanted to take the lands of the Levant back. Jerusalem of course, the home of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, but other cities as well: Damascus, Sidon, Aleppo, Tripoli-in-Syria.
The city of Tripoli in Syria was a different city entirely from the Tripoli which served as an administrative center in Libya, although the Pasha couldn't help but wonder if the Sultan had his eyes on Libya as well. Cracking down on the autonomy of the Beys was a logical idea, especially considering the way that the Sicilian Prince had hopped around the region, bending the Beys to his will- or swaying them to his side.
Honestly, the Pasha couldn't help but feel a little jealous that the other North African princes received a helping hand from Europe, practically being gifted an industrial foundation- well, the Pasha certainly wished that he could have had that, but what was he supposed to do about it? He would make the best of what he had, and hope that the Beys would be willing to trade in the future.
The sheer financial opportunity of the Suez, would be incredible, especially as industrialization ramped up (because the Pasha was certain something as powerful as mass production wouldn't just be a passing fad), as it would let all of those goods pour into Asia without a trip around Africa- although he knew full well Britannia wouldn't appreciate that.
He wasn't sure how long it could even be kept secret- at some point people were going to notice laborers, foodstuffs, and tools pouring towards Sinai. If Britannia decided to bring arms to bear to get the canal canceled, there wouldn't have been much that he could have done- without bribing them, of course. He did plan on taxing the canal, if he lived to its completion, of course, and if he had to take a slice out to pay off the… good Emperor, that was acceptable.
In the short term, the Pasha would try to fortify his holdings as best he could, waiting for the Sultan to strike while trying to encourage economic growth. God willing, peace would smile upon the Mediterranean for the remainder of his days- although he doubted it.
The Belgian conference had eventually led to two main parties, each pushing for different things: the Britannians, French, and less enthusiastically the Prussians for a partition, with the Empire of the Danube, Spain, Russia feeling a little more comfortable with keeping Belgium around, even if in a changed (read: more conservative) state.
Both sides debated, exchanging political promises in hopes of getting enough great powers on one side to conclude the debate- surely, with enough of them in agreement, the other side would fold. So the Danubian diplomats hesitantly plied the Prussians, trying to convince them to flip… however, Britannia and France managed to collapse their own side before that.
Both the French and Britannian representatives were of fairly good breeding, by their definitions: both were composed of nobility, although the former were largely restored emigres; that is, the emigrant nobility who fled the revolution when things got dicey. A fairly logical position to take if one liked their head attached to their shoulders, but not necessarily a brave one, especially from the perspective of the Britannians.
The Britannian's contempt was evident even without a translator, but that wasn't necessarily the end of negotiations- if people who hated each other couldn't negotiate, how would wars even be drawn to a close? The two nations were initially united by that great ambition: land-grabbing, which was certainly a goal that could unite states.
Funnily enough, the root of the issue was fairly simple, a minor matter of naming. France suggested that the potential state could be called the Antwerp Free State- fair enough, considering that the potential state would include the titular city. Hesitantly, one of Britannian ambassadors suggested it be called the County of Flanders- and that was the trick.
Such a County had existed in the past- it had been a peer of the old French crown, before falling under the control of many other powers over history: Burgundians, Habsburgs of both the Spanish and Austrian lines, etc… But the thing about counties is that they were widely understood to be part of another country- you didn't exactly have an independent County of Devon, or something.
The French found this quite reasonably disturbing. So they turned to the Britannian ambassadors and asked something to the effect of: You're calling it a county- do you plan on annexing it?
The Britannians reassured their French companions: Of course not, of course not. Just a potential suggestion for the fledgling state's name.
Still, even the worst diplomat could understand not to take what the other guy said at face value, and that got them thinking about why the Britannians might want an integrated part of their country in the Low Countries…
Especially considering the Britannian monarchy's dogged persistence in holding onto the title "King of France", it wasn't too unreasonable to assume that a Britannian base in Flanders might serve as a launching point for invasion- and immediately, the French ambassadors changed tune. As much as the French might want Wallonian land, paying for it by giving Britannia the staging grounds for a two front war was far too steep a price.
So the French informed the Britannians that such a partition was no longer in their interests, with all the grace and tact required of diplomats, and the Britannians accepted with that same amount of grace, even if both sides were internally seething. The Britannians had bitter taste in their mouth- betrayed by supposed continental allies yet again!- and the French nobility certainly didn't want to loose their stations so soon after getting them back.
With the Franco-Britannian plan for partition no longer supported by either party, the other European powers were free to pursue their plans for an independent Belgium. The Netherlands were quite understandably upset with this turn of events, but they couldn't exactly go up against all the great powers of Europe- the only question was how many would be willing and able to throw their support behind Belgium.
In theory, Russia could send their soldiers to support the Belgians if the Dutch decided to press an offensive, but at the same time… they were Russia. Sending thousands of men by boat through the Baltic, the Danish straits, and the North Sea was certainly possible- but convincing the Regent of Russia to burn precious political capital to get that done was a different matter entirely.
So that left Prussia, France, Spain, and the Danubian Empire as potential supporters for the new Belgian state, and a few of them would be more than happy to support Belgium. France and Prussia were close enough to smack the Dutch around within days and both had reason to support the state: Prussia and the Germans in general were happy to see another buffer state between them and France, while the French were inclined to see a friendly state to their north- one that could hopefully be brought close to France in time.
Of course, all the powers of Europe would keep a careful eye on Belgium to make sure that there weren't any… unfortunate excesses, but otherwise, things seemed hopeful. A peaceful agreement between the great powers of Europe could be made, territorial change accomplished without war. There was a slightly pleasant, excited buzz in the air for most of the diplomats- except for the Britannians.
They left the concert in a bit of a fuss, feeling rather upset that the dignity of the Britannian crown was being denigrated. So they stewed silently as they crossed the channel from the Low Countries, sailing to London… the residence of the Emperor.
Emperor Charles was tired. Ruling one of the greatest states on the planet was exhausting: he had to steer the ship of state, being the final authority on most matters of rulership, choosing whether or not to prosecute wars… He could almost understand why Charles V of Spain decided to split up his realm and head to a monastery- the French Revolution wasn't quite like the Protestant Reformation Charles V had to suffer through, but both were certainly trying times.
Still, he had inherited imperial power, and the great responsibilities to the state that came with it, and he was of the opinion that he had been a fine steward. The Empire had grown incredibly- the varied environs of India, their colonial gains smattered across the Old and New Worlds, Sicily and then eventually the Italian crown.
Ruling such an incredibly expansive domain meant that he had to talk with quite a few people, but none were quite as grating as the nobility who came from all over the Empire, buzzing around in his court like loathsome gnats, who he couldn't swat in spite of how irritating they were. (Well, he could probably deal out a bit of violence if he pleased, but at the same time that would probably lead to more annoyance down the line)
There were so few people he could tolerate in his court: his brother Venceslav, Marianne when she still lived and breathed, and some of his more responsible children, if and when they surpassed their immaturity. Some of his other spawn were downright insufferable, and many of the other nobles held that same childish preoccupation of trying to impress him.
Like this mess in Belgium- the nobles had the gall to ask him to take hostile actions in Europe, potentially provoking a war, so they could come to him holding Flanders like some sort of victory on their part. A bit of ambition in the nobility was tolerable as long as they didn't shoot for the crown, of course- what was that if not a part of the Britannian character? However, Charles didn't really like the idea of starting a European war for the nobility's sake.
Trying to use economic sanctions or even violence in order to carve out some Flemish holdings was a distinct possibility, but not one Charles wanted to pursue- with Italy at risk, a potential large scale war in Europe was not a good proposition.
Admittedly, Charles liked the idea of an independent Belgium- it would even help towards the end goal of restoring France (if that was something he chose to pursue, of course), by isolating the restored French monarchy. Lunging for France would be a bad idea- if this conference over Belgium had shown him anything, it's that they wouldn't be finding many friends on the continent, other than Portugal and eventually Russia, when the young Tsar took the throne and got married to one of Charles' children.
Charging onto the continent with hopes of retaking France would probably see most of Europe banding together to push his forces back into the sea- not to mention what might happen in Italy. Getting carte-blanche from the other powers to take France would be borderline impossible, even assuming he somehow managed to isolate France diplomatically- no rational ruler would want Britannia expanding on the continent anymore.
As tempting as a new Angevin Empire might be, with Britannian power projecting deep into Anjou and the Aquitaine, it was a far off dream, especially considering Italy. There was something he didn't quite like about the Italian crown- while many of his children held considerable sway as Viceroys, Italy was a beast unto itself, with a population to rival the home islands.
All that population would be worrying by itself, not to mention the fact that there was a very strong, established nationalist sentiment in the region. He would have to handle his Mediterranean crown with great caution- it certainly wasn't a given. One possible answer to this, tightening the reins, had a good chance of blowing up in his face: Italy had retained Sicily's rights and autonomy, even if he had hiked their taxes, so that restricted his potential answers.
Still, there were a few things that he could do. If memory served, Italy was making some amount of money by selling their goods to other countries in the Mediterranean… powers like France and the Empire of the Danube. Countries that had just happened to side against Britannia in the recent Belgian conference.
He would have to be careful about how he phrased it, but limiting exports to other countries could satisfy the nobility's anger about being scorned by the other powers, and to remind Europe of how fond they were of Britannian goods. It wasn't like Britannia didn't have a long history of mercantilism, and a good old fashioned embargo was an incredible weapon- especially considering his control over more exotic goods like spices and chocolate.
Of course, hitting what few allies they had with an economic sanction wasn't a great way to keep them as allies, but trying to trade with Portugal and Russia instead of France and the Danubians… well, it was a lot more difficult. Admittedly, this would also hurt their own manufacturing- but Britannia had colonies to sell their goods to- Italy could try to manage the same, he supposed, but Italy wasn't a thalassocracy, now was it?
It might irritate those who were in favor of free trade, but irritating that fraction of the population was better than general unrest among the nobility if he didn't do something to display Britannia's power. Even then, it wasn't like Britannian trade was truly free- the Corn Laws still restricted shipments of grain to the home islands, which had a convenient side effect of increasing the importance of land owners like the nobility (surprise, surprise), at least those who owned productive land in Britannia proper.
Still, just dropping on an embargo or heavy trade duties on Europe because the nobility were upset wouldn't be enough- he wanted an excuse, a political goal to push for through economic warfare. Perhaps he could push for increased Britannian sway in the Belgian region- hell, if he was feeling particularly ambitious, it was a possible a Belgian kingship was up for grabs, and he had adult male children to spare. Sparing the new Belgian state from sanctions might win him favor there, he would just have to see if the Belgians would make the choice to choose a king from the nobility of another country...
While Clovis could do simple things like laying off his Boer staff, that didn't handle the root of the issue- thousands of Boers. Large portions of the population were of Dutch descent, although there were some Britannian immigrants, along with Germans and French Huguenots- at least there was relative religious conformity, since they were all Protestants. At least, among the Europeans. The Europeans in the region were outnumbered by native peoples, both free and enslaved, and as bad as a Boer revolution would be, a native revolt would be even worse.
He did have a token army stationed at the Cape as well, which was good enough to fend off a potential native invasion (hopefully…), but not necessarily strong enough to fight off a majority of the colony's European population. Calling in for reinforcements was an option, of course, and it was also a potential weapon to hold over their heads… but that would still take time.
Bending the knee to the Boers would ruin his reputation back home, to the point of potentially cutting him off from royal power- which was unacceptable. In the best case scenario, he could just convince the Boers into leaving- killing thousands of decent, God-fearing Protestants would also drag his name through the mud back home. Of course, Clovis didn't think he could sweet talk thousands of people into heading off… somewhere else in Africa.
That left other forms of persuasion. But how to get them all out? What could possibly give them reason to leave for the rugged inland regions of Africa? Pushing English language in the administration would probably ruffle a few Dutch feathers, but was it bad enough to leave?
There were so many of the Boers that the only group that outnumbered them was the native Khoisan… Ah ha! From what he remembered of the Cape's economy (damn, why hadn't he paid more attention to his advisors?) many of the European farmers in the region were awfully dependent on using slave labor to grow their wines and grains.
Perhaps this was workable? Emancipating the slaves in the area would almost certainly win him the ire of the European farmers, but it would win him favor among the now freed natives. Admittedly, they were native Africans and not Europeans, but hopefully he could win them over by not treating them like total garbage.
Banning slavery would probably hurt the Cape wine trade, but they would probably manage to scrape by with good husbandry. As far as he knew, he had the power to do it, and considering that Father was in London, it wasn't like he would face much opposition.
In the best case scenario, he would encourage the Boers to leave and found their own states, and they would- hopefully, after much violence with the natives in the region. Add a sort of implication that he wouldn't be hunting them down and trying to annex any new Boer states, and voila!
The plan would probably require a bit more smoothing out, but letting the natives and Boers tear each other to pieces sounded like the best possible option. It would be bloody and nasty, certainly, but the world wouldn't see the blood as being on his hands (he hoped). Was he supposed to stop the Boers from emigrating en mass or subjugating the native people into slavery? Well, a better person would probably think so, but Clovis had larger priorities at the moment.
Was there a chance of this whole thing blowing up in his face? Absolutely. Still, unless he came up with something else, this was his best plan unless he suddenly figured out a way to cripple the Boers without it.
I wish I could meme as hard as history does. Seriously, I'm not fucking joking about the descent from Troy thing, it's bananas. And Troy is widely believed to have been on the shores of Anatolia- it would have even been a contemporary theory at the time, at least in OTL. The French-British plan for partition of Belgium was somewhat based on the Talleyrand partition plan- this story is a strange weave of total historical crack and some facts.
Lelouch's speech takes significant inspiration from William Bryan's Cross of Gold speech, although focused on labor instead of bimetallism. I hope to have captured even a small fragment of the original's persuasive power- that man went hard, goddam
I do eventually plan on having a chapter entitled "Currant Affairs" (that's not a typo, I assure you, see if you can guess what I might be planning, or at least who might be involved) and while I think the plot there is gonna be interesting it was also just a stupid pun I couldn't resist.
If you couldn't tell, I plan on starting the war with Britannia arc fairly soon… only most of the way through 100k words, without even touching on any post-independence conflicts. I've got 3 particular powers I want to see Italy going up against (or at least significantly changing/shaping them in the peace)- once again, I think you could probably guess who. The story has a way to go, but we're approaching a tipping point where Lelouch can stand on the world stage alone.
As always, thank you all for reading my fic. I hope that you're enjoying it, and maybe learning some history on top of it. I do hope on posting a sort of recap chapter soon- discussing what the world looks like, maybe with some experimental formatting- like, styling it after a textbook or something. Tell me if that sounds interesting. I'm sorry if this chapter feels a little... pointless or politicky, but you know... building up to the big moment in the fic, and all that.