Netherlands War (Washington Shot at Murdering Town!)
From Alternative History
| Netherlands War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 1812-1813 | ||||||||
| Result | German victory | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| This article covers a war or battle
|
Following the formation of the Batavian Republic, Stadholder Herman Willem Daendels consolidated his hold over the Netherlands.
[edit] Alliance with France
A series of secret treaties between the Republic and France were signed, for mutual protection against the resurgent power of the Holy Roman Empire. Later, in 1812, a pact to annex and partition the Austrian Netherlands was formed between them.
[edit] War against the Holy Roman Empire
Since the bulk of the Austrian and German armies were bogged-down fighting the Russians in Poland and Romania, the French and Batavian forces struck at the Austrian Netherlands in August. France was only able to commit a relatively small force to the war, however, because their main forces were assisting the Spanish during the Latin-American Insurrection, or suppressing unrest, both at home and in their own colonies (Saint-Dominigue had was in revolt at the time).
The war against Austria started well for the allies, but the early victories only agitated the other powers in Germany. It was only when Emperor Francis II swallowed his pride, and asked for Prussian assistance did the Austrians start to push the the French and Batavian armies back. However, the war dragged on, since the Russians were advancing their own armies through Moldavia, holding the German armies in eastern Europe.
Although the Prussians managed to defeat Batavia, and moved in to occupy Amsterdam (with the assistance of British troops and ships, fresh from the sixth Anglo-Dutch War, which was running concurrently), the battles against the French weren't as decisive as the Austrians would have liked. However, with Hessian and Bavarian assistance, and the bulk of the Prussian army (the remainder were keeping order in Batavia), the German troops finally defeated the remaining French army near Nancy.
[edit] Aftermath
The Estate General arrested Daendels on December 2nd, and he was jailed for eight months, before being hung. He died as martyr for French liberty. On December 5th, Johan Adriaan Thorbecke was elected as the new Stadtholder. Thorbecke was known to have tripled his inherited fortune in the Dutch slave trade.
