18th Century Full (Louisiana Revolution)

Early Louisianan History
In the winter of 1709, the harshest weather in over 500 years fell across Europe, causing widespread famine and disruption across the continent. France was hit particularly bad, and estimates of deaths from cold and famine range from 500,000 to 1.2 million, in addition to fighting an ongoing war. Because of this, when a colonist from Louisiana wrote the mainland speaking of a plemtiful harvest and milder conditions, thousands of people jumped at the opportunity to flee the hardships of France in favor of the new colony. Within a year, 100,000 people had reached the shores of Louisiana, and this number would exponentially grow as the years went by.

By 1750, Louisiana was one of the most prosperous colonies in Europe, with a population matching that of British America. This made Louisiana a very important bargaining chip for future conflicts, one of which just happened to be around the corner: the Fourth Intercontinental War, which broke out in 1754 and lasted nine years. Louisiana would play a key role in the defense of New France, but unfortunately they were not able to save the colony.

Fourth Intercontinental War
The Fourth Intercontinental War was fought in New France and British America. It was caused by border disputes between the two colonies, and tensions boiled over when George Washington's forces ambushed a French patrol at the Battle of Jumonville Glen. When the war broke out, King Louis XV of France decreed that the colonies must fend for themselves, and demanded that an army be formed out of the colonists in Louisiana. The colonial military had some successes at first, capturing Fort Necessity and repelling the British at Fort Duquesne. Their successes would continue throughout the early years of the war, until in 1758, their resources were expended and the British blockade of France prevented any aid.

In 1758, John Forbes and his men successfully took Fort Duquesne from French control, and from then on the war was a forgone conclusion. The French were surrounded and the British were closing in. In 1759, the loss of Fort Ticonderoga furthered this horrendous situation, and the British firmly established domination in the east. The Brits went on to claim victory at the major city of Quebec, followed by Fort Niagara, and culminating in the Battle of Montreal, where the French were slaughtered. The fighting didn't end there, however, and two years later, the French captured Newfoundland for a short time. Eventually, Newfoundland was retaken by the British and the French were forced to surrender.

Global Implications of the War
After the war, the French were forced to give much of northern New France to the British, and Louisiana to the Spanish in 1763. This was a horrific scenario for the French, losing all of their territory in the new world and losing the most important colony in the world. The people of Louisiana did not simply take this defeat though, they started a war. They made it clear they did not want to be under Spanish rule, and fought for 7 years to gain their independence from Spain. Europe saw the victory of Louisiana in securing is independence to be a sign of things to come from other territories, and this turned out to be right, as colonial America began resenting its European rulers. In 1776, the British even had to squash a revolution in the 13 colonies.

The Age of the Revolution
The Louisianans had ushered in what came to be known as the Age of the Revolution. Following the Louisianans, the 13 colonies revolted twice, gaining their independence in 1788 during the second war and forming the only democracy on earth at the time. This event was very important too, as several events that this revolution set in motion would come to a conclusion in the European War nearly 30 years later. After the Americans rebelled, the French Revolution came the following year, flipping the entire European mindset on its ear with its radical left-wing implications of personal liberties and spilling across the continent with the Revolutionary Wars and the European War.

The Age of the Revolution seriously concerned European rulers, and several tried to roll back these revolutions and their accomplishments with wars like the Spanish-Louisianan War in 1778. Despite the efforts of Europe's greatest nations, the revolutionary force kept its momentum and Spain was defeated that same year along with the first and second coalitions against Revolutionary France toward the end of the century.

North America
Louisiana was set up as a kingdom and the former governor of New France, Marquis Vaudreuil, was proclaimed king. He aided the successful American Revolution and established friendly relations and trade agreementswith his neighboring country and its first President, Patrick Henry, in 1788. Overwhelmingly, the people of North America (excluding New Spain) favored liberty and freedom, although Louisiana was still a monarchy. The southern United States was favorable toward slavery, however, which led to a bump in the road down the line.

In terms of relations with Europe, North America wanted nothing to do with Europe outside of France, which was a like-minded nation in several respects. When Marquis II came to power in 1791, he abolished the practice of slavery in Louisiana and had to crush a few rebellions, though he felt it was better to fix the issue early than to let it grow into a much larger problem later on.