Napoleon in 1812 - Chapter 90
Chapter 90
14. End of the Second Hundred Years’ War – 6
The demands of the French side, represented by Armand Augustin de Caulaincourt, were clear and simple. This confused Viscount Charlton, Husley Collins, who was ordered to stop the French expansion by all means.
“There are exactly four Spanish territories that His Majesty the Emperor wants. Sardinia, Sicily, the Basque Country and Catalonia.”
“That’s too much to ask! You’re trying to take away one-sixth of the territory of the Kingdom! Besides, Sicily and Sardinia are islands where you haven’t even set foot in!”
“If this land cannot be obtained because the Empire has not occupied it… Then, may I claim ownership of this place as the Empire now occupies Madrid?”
“…”
There was nothing for Britain to oppose to this demand, as the French side said that this was a reasonable condition, asking for concessions in exchange for recognizing the Spanish throne.
‘No… rather, this isn’t bad.’
Husley Collins noted that France demanded Sardinia and Sicily. The members of the Whig Party, which took power with people’s anger, were also not fools. Sooner or later, the day would surely come when France and Britain faced each other again.
The sea belonged to Britain after all. The British could always occupy more territories. It was never really a loss if an enemy acquired islands that could become coastal bases. It was heartbreaking to give up the Basque Country and Catalonia to France, but there was no justification to prevent it.
“…The Kingdom supports the French demand. This seems to be a reasonable enough decision.”
“The Portuguese side agrees as well.”
Spain complained, but in fact, it was only to take the upper hand in the negotiations, and the French demand was not so bad in exchange for protecting their throne.
They thought that selling out one sixth of the country was acceptable to stop this war in which they were on the verge of complete defeat. As such, France gained four regions without much resistance from the other countries.
France’s diplomatic officials held on to the position of making generous concessions.
The officials from Spain, Portugal and Britain welcomed the winner’s tolerance. Thanks to this, the negotiations were able to proceed swiftly.
===
“April 19, 1813, at 3 p.m. I would like to announce the ‘Treaty of Madrid’, which was signed under consultation with the French Empire, the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal, under the observation of the United Kingdom.”
The final text of the agreement, issued by the French judge with the assistance of the clerk, was as follows.
1. France withdraws its troops from the occupied Spanish and Portuguese territories. This will be done as soon as the treaty is signed.
2. Joseph I renounces the throne of Spain. France supports Fernando VII as King of Spain and legitimate leader and will not claim the throne.
3. In return, Spain cedes the island of Sardinia, and the territories of Catalonia and of the Basque Country to France. Spain also gives the economic and developmental rights on the island of Sicily for 100 years to France.
4. France guarantees Portugal’s independence. In return, Portugal and its Brazilian colony will have a minimum tariff policy for French-made trade goods for 50 years.
In negotiations concluding an end-of-war agreement, winners and losers were usually clearly distinguished from each other.
But at the Madrid Palace, where the Treaty of Madrid was signed, not only the French, Spanish and Portuguese, but also the British observers were all trying to hide a satisfying smile.
What was the reason for this situation that could not happen in a zero-sum game? Napoleon somehow seemed to know that.
‘Everyone’s having a daydream.’
Every one of them was confident of having won the negotiations and was not showing any sign of struggle. Who actually won these negotiations would only be decided after a long time. Napoleon was sure that it would be France. He thought that Britain would especially regret it.
It was no exaggeration to say that Spain and Portugal had been in danger of being expelled from the entire peninsula when Britain withdrew from the war.
As France had suffered huge financial and human losses in the prolonged war, it would surely have sought a way to make up for it, and Spain and Portugal would have been forced to pay for it.
Especially, the Spanish thought that they would have to endure any harsh demand to protect their king, Fernando VII, and the decision of the British to observe was to prevent such excessive greed from the French.
The demands that France made in this tensed relationship were much unexpected for them. Sardinia, Sicily, Catalonia, the Basque Country.
And for Portugal, the lowest tariffs for imported goods. At that moment, Spanish and Portuguese diplomats thought.
‘The situation on the French side was not very good either. The British pressure worked.’
British diplomats also thought.
‘France was strongly conscious of the Eastern countries (Austria, Prussia, Russia, etc.).’
At France’s proposal, which was more generous than expected, the British changed their minds and urged the Spanish and Portuguese officials to make peace as soon as possible. That was how the talks were able to be concluded so fast.
Originally, it was usual for end-of-war agreements to end after difficult push-and-pull negotiations between countries, that could last for several days, weeks, or even a month.
However, the ‘Madrid Conference’ was concluded within a day and lasted just a few hours, with France’s generous concessions and the coalition that did not try to cut further.
“It was an opportunity to confirm the sincerity of Your Majesty about the balance, stability and security of Europe, on which you insisted the other day. Thanks to the Emperor’s broad concessions, the Iberian Peninsula will enjoy true peace and harmony!”
Viscount Charlton, Husley Collins, encouraged by the reduction of France’s requirements and rights beyond his expectation, praised Napoleon in a delighted voice. From his point of view, he must be excited to make an achievement that could appeal to the prime minister and the cabinet.
In addition, the Spanish and Portuguese diplomats seemed to agree with the fact that Napoleon made concessions, although they may have animosity against him. However, Napoleon’s thoughts when hearing those words were different.
‘We took everything we could.’
The war on the Iberian Peninsula began when Nabot appointed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain.
Perhaps if he had insisted on this, Portugal and Britain would have tried to resume war. Napoleon had no intention of doing such a misguided thing from the start.
He had a rough idea of what kind of agreement Nabot made with Joseph. But it was none of his business. Napoleon, as the Emperor of France, was only interested in promoting the nation’s interest.
‘The Basque Country and Catalonia, which have been dominated by pro-France and anti-Castilian people since the beginning of the Iberian Peninsular War, are areas that can join the French society without taking much administrative power. This is the kind of land we should take.’
Basque and Catalonia were the places where the ‘division operation’ secretly led by Napoleon had the greatest effect, with the largest number of landowners and local nobles joining the Iberian Standing Organization.
In addition, most of the population of these provinces could speak French. In other words, even if France ruled them directly, the risk of a wide resistance was very small.
Moreover, both provinces could bring many strategic and economic benefits to France. First of all, they were the center of trade between the Western Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic.
After the lifting of the trade blockade against Britain, France would compete or trade with Britain, increasing its share of foreign trade.
Commercial and industrial workers in Basque Country and Catalonia would greatly help France grow its foreign trade network.
These two provinces could also serve as a major stronghold for France, south of the Pyrenees.
By seizing them, France was now able to send troops into the Iberian Peninsula through them at any time.
This meant that the entire peninsula would be within the range of France and that Spain and Portugal would not be able to easily express their rejection of French oppression.
‘This certainly strengthens the leash on the Iberian Peninsula.’
“The meeting with Your Majesty was a very pleasant and glorious time. I hope to see you again someday. Although such meeting will always be welcomed in a party venue, not on the battlefield.”
It was the words of the Marquis of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, who broke Napoleon’s thoughts. He seemed to have gotten even brighter as he thought the French had made a lot of concessions.
“We can look forward to the Marquis’ dancing skills then. I enjoyed meeting you today. Have a safe trip.”
Marquis Wellington made his farewell to the French side. In addition, Napoleon left the conference hall while receiving the courtesy and greetings of many others.
The Treaty of Madrid, which had caused a stir in the world, was signed in a single day and ended the Iberian Peninsular War at once.
France would now set up new administrative bodies in the Basque Country, Catalonia, Sardinia and Sicily, while Spain and Portugal would be troubled to restore their war-torn countries.
The war was over, but another meaningful war to manage the aftermath and prepare for the future had just begun.
===
After the ‘Madrid Conference’, Armand Augustin de Caulaincourt was criticized by several figures, including the heads of the Empire. The French declared victory in the war and almost dominated the entire peninsula.
They had such an overwhelming position, and all they had taken from the negotiations were two islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Basque Country and Catalonia. In the Peninsular War, the Spanish territory occupied by the French alone was 450,000 kilometers square.
But the land gained was at most 90,000 kilometers square. This was the reason why suspicions were inevitable that they had been completely pushed back in negotiating power.
“How can I make an arrangement on my own without the orders of His Majesty the Emperor? The consequences of the Treaty of Madrid were all as His Majesty intended. If you’d like to discuss this, please ask him directly.”
They tried to hide their dissatisfaction and did not say more, as they could not argue with the Emperor. Perhaps officials in the Paris Cabinet and the media on the street would be angry, saying that this compensation did not pay the price for all the bloodshed. But Caulaincourt, who knew the essence of the negotiations, was not afraid of their criticism at all.
‘Sardinia and Sicily are the best things we can get without alarming the British. They think these two islands can’t bring much benefit to the Empire, so they will accept to give them to us. But the reality is different.’
The Emperor kindly explained to him why. In the dark forests of Sardinia and Sicily, there were many robur oak trees growing naturally, which were essential for the construction of sailing boats. That was right. It was for the navy.
In the future of France that the Emperor was seeing after the war, it was clear that the restoration of naval forces was deeply engraved. Sardinia and Sicily were necessities for that purpose.
The minimum tariff treaty with Portugal and its Brazilian colony also harbored the same shadiness and sharpness as a poisoned apple.
As the Foreign Minister, Caulaincourt was well aware of the new revolution that Napoleon’s government was currently carrying out.
Using machines that could exceed human labor efficiency, they were steadily preparing facilities to mass-produce uniformly sized products.
This would enable France to start explosive production and order huge volumes just as Britain did in the past.
Portugal and Brazil, where the minimum tariff treaty had been signed, would be the best markets to sell such French products with high margins.
‘Wherever you go in Portugal and Brazil, you’ll see plenty of French-made products. It’s my idea to destroy their hand-made markets and completely subordinate them to the Empire’s economy. Isn’t the United Kingdom, which can be a strong competitor, also struggling through an economic crisis? Starting with Portugal and Brazil, the Empire’s products will steadily eat up the British vacancy.’
When he heard the Emperor’s words, Caulaincourt felt goosebumps all over his body. It meant using the enemy ignorance, blocking information to induce misjudgment, and bringing the best cards for the best situation the French side could make.
Feeling the best catharsis to enjoy in the negotiations, Caulaincourt was greatly delighted.
When Britain realized all this, France would have built a castle that would never collapse. Caulaincourt was very curious about that time and looked forward to it.
