1912: The Night of Reparation

What if Brittany had still been independent when America was discovered?

Here is that story!
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Map 121
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Dynasties and rulers
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First time I use AI generated images to illustrate the story!

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In 1912, Hercule III Rohan Schneider (1849-1927) was the richest man in Argentina.

He descends from a German Protestant colonist, Johan Schneider (1592-1654). Having arrived with the Dutch in 1608 as a laborer, he rose to the rank of intendant to found Guanabara in 1625. He died when the city was taken by the Brazilians. One of his sons converted to Catholicism to stay.

The Schneiders would participate in the rise of Guanabara in the 18th century. Jean IV Schneider (1751-1803), a shipowner, was rich enough to marry Jeanne Rohan Corre (1769-1848), a bastard descendant of the royal family, in 1786. He thus became a member of the "Family".

In the 19th century, the Rohans Schneiders were one of the great families of Guanabara. These German Brazilians were in the progressive party and found themselves at the heart of the Revolution of 1873.

Hercule III Rohan Schneider fought as an officer during the civil war. Besieged in Guanabara, he had to flee to Argentina in September 1874 with the rest of his family who lost most of their fortune.

However, H. R. Schneider reconnected with the Brazilian government as part of the reconciliation policy of the 1880s. He obtained oil concessions in Venezuela that had just been discovered.In 30 years, he would build a commercial and industrial empire in the production, import and distribution of oil and its derivatives for all of Argentina. In 1906, he became the richest man in Argentina, the South American equivalent of the Yankee John Davison Rockefeller (1839-1937).

Unlike his American counterpart, H. R. Schneider likes to flaunt his wealth. His golden yacht sails on the Rio de la Plata carrying his harem of 12 wives and 42 children. His imposing, extravagant neo-Gothic mansion sits in the center of Argentina. He has great political influence and distributes part of his fortune to charity.

Brazilian King Jean X had already approached H. R. Schneider during the 1904 reunification attempt. In 1912 the billionaire would provide the men to liquidate the conservative clan.

In the early morning of May 1, 1912, more than 3,000 conservative dignitaries were arrested during the Night of Reparation.

The most dangerous, about 250, were executed within the hour. The others were judged quickly and met with varying fates, from death to hard labor or exile. A third were pardoned.

Jean X replaced the conservative executives with his men, who were in favor of economic liberalization. Social and political liberalization remained more distant.

In gratitude, H. R. Schneider obtained oil concessions in the Persian Gulf. He also got his hands on Brazilian state-owned companies in difficulty with other Argentine businessmen who were his allies.

Thus Jean X managed to reform his economy but also obtain at least the neutrality of Argentina. It was a serious failure for the Anglo-Saxons who did not see this coup d'état coming.