Cartierien Federation

The Cartierien Federation, or Cartierie for short, is Sikorski's official nation. After Christopher Columbus was hired by France to find a fast route to the Orient. Cartierie is named after the first governor, Jacques Cartier, who brought 300 people to North America, and expanded the colony until it had 100,000+ people when he passed away. Cartierie broke off from France in the 1800s, but is a faithful ally and a Francophone nation. Cartierie is currently an economic and military power.

Pre-Colonization (<1500):

 * 10,000 BC: The first humans arrive.
 * 10,000 BC-1488 AD: Different tribes form all along the American East and South coasts. Some of these tribes include the Cherokee, Natchez, Chickasaw, Yamassee, and Quapaw.


 * 1488 AD: Portuguese King denies Columbus fund for an expedition to the Orient after Bartolomeu Dias successfully navigates the Cape of Good Hope (S. Africa).


 * 1490: Columbus appeals to the Castilian Queen Isabella, but she denies, after receiving word of Dias’ trip a month prior.


 * 1492: Columbus is invited to Avignon by Pope Innocent VIII. While the Papal States refused to fund Columbus’ ventures, however the Italian met Count John III of Auvergne, who invited him to meet Charles VII


 * 1493: Charles VII accepts all of Columbus’ requests and has 3 ship built for him in Saint Nazaire


 * 1494: Columbus’ voyage to the Orient begins. After 2½ months of sailing, he reaches what is OTL Jekyll Island, Georgia. He charts down the Florida coast all the way to the Keys, before heading back to France. He also discovers the Bahama Islands as he sails East.


 * 1495: Columbus makes a second voyage to the new continent. He lands in what is IRL Charleston. Since it wasn’t swampy or highly inhabited by natives, his team camps there for a week. He sets back South for the Bahamas, in order to complete the first map of the New World. He finds Cuba, but after Natives began screaming and throwing fire, they quickly depart back home to France.


 * 1496-1500: Columbus makes 2 more expeditions, one to the interior of Florida, and one to Hispaniola, before dying of Influenza in France.

Discovery & Colonization (1501-1531):

 * 1501: France sends 300 people under Jacques Cartier to colonize the area now known as Baie de Gloire (Charleston) and Joseph Daillon was later sent with 400 people to resupply Cartier and set up a smaller town on Isle de Nouveau Monde (Hilton Head Island).


 * 1502: Smaller trips between the Atlantic continue, with an average of 50 people each being sent to the two new colonies every two weeks. A small crisis would happen for the colonies in October, when the ship La Batarie went off course and disappeared. In 1613 it was found at the bottom of the Bay of Biscayne.


 * 1503: The combined population of Charleville (Charleston) and New Lorient (H.H.Isl.) was estimated at 1,200. A new expedition, lead by Cartier was to find where Columbus first landed in the New World. Cartier found it, and made a small town of 50 people named Ville de Columbie. The town would be attacked by the Santee Natives, killing 13. However, the town was saved after a supply ship with swords and a cannon came in from New Lorient. Cartier would be stabbed in the leg, and left for Charleville.


 * 1504: A peasants revolt in the South of France gives Louis XII an idea. From the city of Bordeaux, and over the course of 6 months, 2,200 people would be sailed to the new colony, officially called Cartierie after Jacques Cartier. During this time, the town of New Lorient would be attacked by natives after a farmer shot a native trader. The town was destroyed, with many fleeing to Charleville.


 * 1505: Out of the 2,200 people sent to Cartierie, only 1,400 remained. Many were killed due to Influenza and from Piracy. While 300 decided to live in Charleville, and 200 in Ville de Columbie, the remaining 900 settled around IRL Savannah, Georgia. Cartier, upon hearing the news of the new town, decided to name it La Maladie. Malade means sickness in French, since there were rumors that the new colonists were sick.


 * 1506: The total population of the colony of Cartierie is estimated to be around 4,000-5,000. Joseph Daillon, one of the firsts explorers establishes peace with the Catawba tribe. Daillon was a strong Catholic and was able to baptize the leader of the Catawba tribe in Charleville.Cartier1506.png


 * 1506-10: Over the course of 4 years, more than 1,200 families would come to Cartierie. The first roads outside of towns were established. Charleville, La Maladie, and Ville de Columbie were all connected. Horses were brought in, and many farms were established. By 1510 the population rose to 7,100.


 * 1511: Cartier wages war against the Yamassee after a French farmer was killed by one of their arrows. He lead a group of 50 men, all armed with imported guns and knives, into their territory. They faced a group of 120 Natives. Around 10 Frenchmen were killed, but 60 Natives died, and the rest ran West. Later that month, the church in Ville de Columbie burnt down in the middle of the night, with a cross covered blood laying in the ashes. Many suspect a curse was placed on the town by the Yamassee.


 * 1512-1530: The population boom of 1510-11 begins to slow down. Some of the first colonists would be given Mayorship of towns. One of the most notable of these mayors is Frédérick Lemaître of New Lorient, who was able to construct a fortress around the inner city, and successfully charted the Savannah River all the way to Lake Hartwell. In 1514, Joseph Daillon, now Cartier’s second in command, begins making towns along the Braneau (Savannah) River and around Lake Merion. This would cause small issues with the Native Catawba, however Cartier offered the protection of the Cartierien Militias (of which there were 160 members) against other rival native groups. In 1514, the first African slaves were brought to the colony after farmers group rich growing cotton and corn. In 1520, new influx of colonists came due to the outbreak of mob violence in Central France. With the new cotton industry booming, the population did as well. Daillon would expand the colony more inland. By 1530, the total population was 30,200. 6,000 of which would live around La Maladie, the new capital after a fire destroyed half of Charleville in 1529.


 * 1531: Cartier would lead an expedition around the Florida coast and into the Gulf of Mexico to find more land. Discovering that Florida was much, much thinner than once thought, he leads an expedition to the Gulf through the new town of Saint John (Jacksonville). He would call the peninsula of Florida “Mysté” due to its relatively strange landscape and vegetation. On the Gulf of Mexico he would establish the town of La Brigante.

Colonial Expansion (1532-1549):

 * 1531-1540: Cotton became Cartierie’s main export, and did well in European markets. However, this would prompt the Portuguese to sail out the new world, as well. Hernán Cortés was sent with 4 ships on an expedition to the new world. He’d land in Brazil in 1534, but Portugal only establish a true colony in 1539. Back in Cartierie, Governor Cartier had an audacious plan. For years there were rumors that the Catawba Tribe were stealing crops from the town of Clementine. Cartier decided to demand the Catawba stop, but after they said they had no involvement, he lead his now 350 strong militia into the tribes territory. The Catawba were no longer. In 1537, the first large scale industry was made in New Lorient, which produced the first European rifles and artillery. In Ville de Columbie, the mayor decided to make it a tourist spot, advertising in France, Italy, and HRE, the beaches of his town. This would lead to Ville de Columbie needing a large port, and rich tourists flocked to the new world. Some of them would even become landowners, the most notable of which being Bartholomeus V. Welser, who would decide to fund an expedition through Florida to setup a large cotton growing town. In 1539 he set off with the help of Daillon to find the Strausse Bay (Mobile Bay).Cartier1532.png


 * 1541-1542: Welser would advertise the new town of Belisarius on the Strausse Bay in France and Germany. King Louis would be quite disgruntled that Germans were moving in, and ordered Cartier to stop the flow of German immigrants. Cartier didn’t want to anger the wealthy Welser who had already given Cartier free artillery. Cartier negotiated to stop advertising in Germany, for increased autonomy for his town regarding trade. Welser, who could benefit financially, agreed. In 1542, Cartier would ask for a secondary loan and 100 of the Elite French Guards to be sailed over for a great expedition into the center of the continent. Many peasants in medieval France started rumors about a great treasure and the pool of life in the New World, which caused them to immigrate over. The French Army and Bank agreed to give the funds to Cartier in turn for a 5% lower price on cotton.


 * 1543: The population of the entire colony grew to just under 90,000. There was soon a huge need to get out of the cities that spread across the river banks. Plantations were beginning to pop up everywhere, and everyone knew what had to happen. Invade the interior. In February the French loans arrived, along with the soldiers. Francis I of France gifted an extra 50 expert warriors, and 20 cavalry men, hardened from the Italian Wars. The 170 men were promised large lands out in the interior where the soil was fertile so they could make their families rich. Along with these 170 expert troops were 500 militiamen, 200 German mercenaries from Welser, and 130 regular troops (Daillon constructed a large military camp outside of La Blanche for training). With the combined forces of ~1,000 men, Cartier set off. (MORE INFO ADDED LATER)CartierWesternExpansion.png


 * 1544-1548: With all of this new land, many people now had their own plantations. The population would grow 7,000 in 2 years, not counting slaves being brought in. Welser would expand all along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, moving his own estate to Nouveau Orleans, which soon became the biggest city on the coast. With the colony growing, it became known in Europe. In 1546, England sent an expedition to the New World. They landed it what is today New Jersey in September. This alarmed not only Cartier, but Welser, and the new Henry II of France, who was far from friendly with the English. The English had a much smaller population than that of France, so a European war would result in French victory. But if England invested enough into her colony, it could possibly beat Cartierie. So, Louis II invested millions of shillings into the colony, and assigned Daillon to construct fortification along the Cape Fear River. 2 cohorts (1,600 men) were also sent to protect the nation. Welser was able to secure a deal with a Flemish Duke to give him 300 mercenaries. The population at 1548 was 117,300. The largest city was La Maladie at 12,000, with Charleville at 9,500. France alloted European materials to be imported to Cartierie for the construction of a local parliament, since it became extremely insufficient for Cartier or Daillon to keep sailing back and forth. The Parliament would be in La Maladie and would consist of 50 seats of European lords that migrated there and wealthy landowners.


 * 1549: Welser demanded a strip of the colony to be under his control, since at this point he was the one who financed the construction of roads, dockyards, and even entire towns. Cartier, not wanting to lose a valuable ally or have a rebellion, decided to split the colony roughly in half, with a large portion on Welser’s side dedicated to the Natives. Daillon was not a big fan of the Indian areas since it could limit exploitation of the resources. Cartier told him that it was to show that they could be peaceful with the natives. This would begin the time of troubles for the politics of the colony. Now there would be a division in the Parliament, between the landowners who feared the freedom of Natives result in the freedom of Africans, and the European Lords and Cityfolk who deemed it not Christian to oppress or enslave the Natives and Africans. The Parliament was split 48/47. The 5 members who were usually swing voters were the owners of the mines in the Appalachians, who were often bribed for the votes. While bribery is considered bad, this would enrich the mining industry, giving Cartierie two major items to export.Cartier1549.png

The Troubles (1550-1598):

 * 1550-60: Economic success would continue as a steady stream of French peasants would flood into the cities. This would cause the citydwellers, who’d now be in their middle ages or old age to go out into the countryside, starting farms and buying slaves or hiring French peasants. This cycle would repeat every 5-10 years. In 1557, Cartier would pass away due to Typhus. Daillon would take control of the colony after, and impose restrictions on Welser’s cities. Welser would take the charge of leading the political war against Daillon. The country was now divided between these two huge figures in Cartierien daily life. Both were admired Generals. Welser was a man of riches which he used to benefit the people, and Daillon was a great explorer who helped many people come to this land. Historians refer to this time as “The Troubles” because mob violence was rampant between the groups of supporters. After 39 people died in a skirmish in Vollerode, General Philipp von Hutten, a friend of Welser, decided to call on Charles IX of France. Louis II would agree to send a division to Hutten. Not to fight Natives or Englishmen, but to occupy. The troubles were only getting started.


 * 1561-70: There is not much to say about General von Hutten. He was a protestant, but was baptized as a Catholic in Charleville in 1542. He was from Germany, yet had no accent in his French. He was a general, he was a diplomat. People call him a peacemaker, others a dictator. Either way, von Hutten wanted to end the troubles in Cartierie. He had the full force of the French legions at his disposal, and reorganized the Parliament. There were now 100 seats, 20 of which were held by city dwellers, 20 by farmers, 20 by plantation and mine owners, 20 by merchants and artisans, 10 by natives, and 10 by French Lords. There were 3 extra seats. 1 was for Welser, 1 for Daillon, 1 for 1 for Ata'halne (shortened to Atah), a Native Elder. These men each had the power of 5 votes. Von Hutton would preside over the Parliament after Daillon was caught with a woman that wasn’t his wife. This new reestablishment would end the era known as the Troubles. However, they would certainly end when Welser passed away in 1568 and when Dillon's ship wrecked off the coast of Africa in 1569.


 * 1571-1589: Before his untimely death in 1573, von Hutton authorized timely reforms through the parliament. Since Welser passed away, La Valoisenne would be reincorporated into La Charleterre into one single province: Cartierie. A 20 foot statue was ordered to be built of Cartier in Charleville. Von Hutton loosened restrictions on non-Frenchmen immigrating to Cartierie, but had to pay a 10% higher tax than Frenchman. By 1572, Daillon’s northern wall was finished posthumously along the Peade (Great Pee Dee River) equipped with artillery and watchtowers. Von Hutton’s last reforms involved the distribution of land, encouraging of the immigrants to move into the farms instead of the cities, and also the bread distribution, which was spread out slightly more evenly among the populace. After von Hutton died, Duke Francis of Anjou was offered the Governorship. Hearing about the untapped riches in the hills, he agreed. Francis became Francis de Medici (he relinquished his Valois title to become Governor) of Cartierie. Francis cared little about the parliament. He was, to say the least, extravagant. Under Francis I, many parks and cathedrals were built. The most notable building would be the Palace of Columbia in Ville de Columbie. While he did spend a lot, his absence from the Parliament gave them more freedom. The city-dwellers and farmers would be elected every 5 years, and could have 3 terms. This began the political renaissance of liberty, and the identity of the Cartierien was born. However they were still loyal to France, especially in 1589, when the English colony of Cabotsland attacked.


 * 1589-1598: The English were outnumbered, but had the element of surprise. They broke through Daillon’s wall along the coast, and made a rush for Charleville. It would be Philippe von Hutton II, who became General after his father died, who would successfully defend Charleville. Francis I was able to arm some of the Shawnee to the north, who sabotaged many of the English’s supply lines, and even burned down the New Mercian capital, Norfolk. Francis I and Hutton II lead a counterattack against the English, making it all the way to Salisbury, New Cornwall, before being halted by the hurricane season. Francis wanted to march all the way to Manchester (Philadelphia), but von Hutton stopped him. In Francis got his way, the English colonies would have been crippled, even if a few Frenchmen died in the storm. From 1592-1594 there were many small skirmishes, and in 1595 the war ended in America. England and France would sign a peace treaty in 1598, giving Cartierie everything below the Pamlico River.