Rhine War (Louisiana Revolution)

The Rhine War (German: Rheinkrieg) was a military conflict involving several European powers lasting from 1839 to 1842. The war pitted Napoleon II's France, Louisiana and the Spanish Republic against the Republican revolutionary forces in the Confederation of the Rhine, the British, and Nicholas I's Russia. The conflict chiefly took place along the Rhine River and in eastern France.

When the war broke out after riots in Hamburg, the French quickly moved to occupy the rebelling Confederation. Seeing an opportunity to spit in the face of their hated enemy, the British made the decision to assist the Germans in their fight for independence from France. Hearing this news, Napoleon II called on Louisiana and Spain to assist them in defeating the Germans and British. After a few weeks of fighting, France received a declaration of war from Russia due to a growing distaste for the French brought on by the European War, which turned the conflict into a bloody stalemate for nearly a year.

The British, having revitalized their navy, blockaded the French and Spanish coasts, cutting them off from aid from Louisiana and the United States. This tactic, combined with political unrest at home in France and Louisiana, eventually led to the exhaustion of the Western militaries and to the victory of the Central Powers. The conflict nearly bankrupted France, which was barely able to maintain authority over Austria and Prussia following the conflict.

The war also served to provide a balance and check to the power and influence of France in Europe. The British had reclaimed central Europe after the war culminated in the formation of the German Republic. The war also served to stabilize the Russian economic situation which had been suffering following the Treaty of Verdun. Spain fell into civil war following the conflict, fought between Republicans and royalists in a similar fashion to the French Revolution, while Louisiana felt the effects of defeat very little.