History Literature / HeWalkedAroundTheHorses

** In a partial subversion, Lord Castlereagh has been the British Foreign Secretary since 1804 in the parallel universe. In reality, Castlereagh held that position from 1812 to 1822 so he lagged behind his counterpart slightly.

"He Walked Around the Horses" is an AlternateHistory {{Novelette}} written by Creator/HBeamPiper which was published in the April 1948 issue of ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction''.

It was inspired by the true story of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Bathurst_%28diplomat%29 Benjamin Bathurst]], a 25-year-old British diplomat who disappeared in the Prussian town of Perleburg during the Napoleonic Wars on November 25, 1809. Later descriptions of the incident suggested that Bathurst's disappearance was very sudden and perhaps caused by supernatural forces, the most common such story being that Bathurst vanished into thin air after he walked around the horses which were harnessed to his carriage. More recent research indicates that these reports were greatly exaggerated and that Bathurst was most likely murdered. When a house was being demolished only 300 paces from Bathurst's last known location in Perleburg in 1852, a skeleton was found. A skull fracture indicated that the deceased had been struck from behind with a blunt object. Bathurst's sister Mrs Thistlethwaite travelled to Perleburg but was unable to confirm whether the skull was that of her brother.

* AlternateHistory: The ParallelUniverse and ours diverged at the Battle of Quebec on January 1, 1776 when Benedict Arnold is killed instead of wounded. Consequently, the British General John Burgoyne triumphs over Horatio Gates at the Battles of Saratoga on September 19 and October 7, 1777. In reality, the first battle was a PyrrhicVictory for the British and the second was a decisive American victory. Following the British victory at Saratoga, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington was killed at the Battle of Doylestown and UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution was eventually defeated. The remaining leaders of the Revolution are either dead or in exile in 1809. The consequences of the failure of the American Revolution were felt in Europe. During the March on Versailles on October 5, 1789, Louis XVI ordered his troops to fire on the crowd instead of capitulating to their demands and the French Republican movement was crushed. As such, Louis XVI is still the reigning monarch in 1809. Without UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution, the circumstances which lead to Napoleon's rise to power did not exist, meaning that there are no [[UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars Napoleonic Wars]].

* AlternateHistory: The ParallelUniverse and ours diverged at the Battle of Quebec on January 1, 1776 when Benedict Arnold is killed instead of wounded. Consequently, the British General John Burgoyne triumphs over Horatio Gates at the Battles of Saratoga on September 19 and October 7, 1777. In reality, the first battle was a PyrrhicVictory for the British and the second was a decisive American victory. Following the British victory at Saratoga, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington was killed at the Battle of Doylestown and UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution was eventually defeated. The remaining leaders of the Revolution are either dead or in exile in 1809. The consequences of the failure of the American Revolution were felt in Europe. During the March on Versailles on October 5, 1789, Louis XVI ordered his troops to fire on the crowd instead of capitulating to their demands and the French Republican movement was crushed. As such, Louis XVI is still the reigning monarch in 1809. Without the French Revolution, the circumstances which lead to Napoleon's rise to power did not exist, meaning that there are no Napoleonic Wars.

"He Walked Around the Horses" is an AlternateHistory {{Novelette}} ritten by Creator/HBeamPiper which was published in the April 1948 issue of ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction''.

* AlternateHistory: This universe and ours diverged at the Battle of Quebec on January 1, 1776 when Benedict Arnold is killed instead of wounded. Consequently, the British General John Burgoyne triumphs over Horatio Gates at the Battles of Saratoga on September 19 and October 7, 1777. In reality, the first battle was a Pyrrhic victory for the British and the second was a decisive American victory. Following the British victory at Saratoga, George Washington was killed at the Battle of Doylestown and the American Revolution was eventually defeated. The remaining leaders of the Revolution are either dead or in exile in 1809. The consequences of the failure of the American Revolution were felt in Europe. During the March on Versailles on October 5, 1789, Louis XVI ordered his troops to fire on the crowd instead of capitulating to their demands and the French Republican movement was crushed. As such, Louis XVI is still the reigning monarch in 1809. Without the French Revolution, the circumstances which lead to Napoleon's rise to power did not exist, meaning that there are no Napoleonic Wars.

!!"He Walked Around the Horses" provides examples of:

** Napoleon Bonaparte is a Colonel of Artillery in the French Army and a "most brilliant military theoretician" whose loyalty to the French monarchy has never been questioned.
** Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Philadelphia (i.e. the Declaration of Independence), escaped to Havana, Cuba after the American rebels were defeated and eventually settled in the Principality of Lichtenstein, where he died several years prior to 1809. In reality, Jefferson lived until 1826.
** James Madison, who was the US President in Bathurst's universe in 1809, is in exile in Switzerland.

* TrappedInAnotherWorld: Bathurst's fate. Unlike most other applications of this trope, however, he never becomes aware of the fact that he has left his normal reality nor do the inhabitants of the parallel universe come to that conclusion.

"He Walked Around the Horses" is an AlternateHistory ShortStory written by Creator/HBeamPiper which was published in the April 1948 issue of ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction''.

"He Walked Around the Horses" is an AlternateHistory {{Novelette}} written by Creator/HBeamPiper which was published in the April 1948 issue of ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction''.

* SharedUniverse: Or perhaps a Shared Multiverse would be more accurate. Although the story is not an official part of Piper's Literature/{{Paratime}} series, the first official Paratime story "Police Operation" (published only three months later) features an implicit reference to the events of "He Walked Around the Horses", describing the situation but not mentioning Bathurst by name. In that story, Tortha Karf says, "I picked up a fellow on the Fourth Level, just about where you're operating, and dragged him a couple of hundred parayears. I went back to find him and return him to his own time-line, but before I could locate him, he'd been arrested by the local authorities as a suspicious character, and got himself shot trying to escape. I felt badly about that."

* SharedUniverse: Or perhaps a Shared Multiverse would be more accurate. Although the story is not an official part of Piper's {{Paratime}} series, the first official Paratime story "Police Operation" (published only three months later) features an implicit reference to the events of "He Walked Around the Horses", describing the situation but not mentioning Bathurst by name. In that story, Tortha Karf says, "I picked up a fellow on the Fourth Level, just about where you're operating, and dragged him a couple of hundred parayears. I went back to find him and return him to his own time-line, but before I could locate him, he'd been arrested by the local authorities as a suspicious character, and got himself shot trying to escape. I felt badly about that."

In this short story, Piper asserts that Bathurst slipped into an AlternateUniverse after he walked around the horses, one with a significantly different recent history (relative to its 1809 setting) than ours. His "unrealistic beliefs about the state of affairs in Europe" results in the inhabitants of the other universe to conclude that he is either a spy or insane and he is imprisoned. Only three days after his arrival in the parallel universe, he is fatally shot whilst trying to escape from the prison.

''He Walked Around the Horses'' is an AlternateHistory short story written by Creator/HBeamPiper which was published in the April 1948 issue of ''Magazine/AstoundingScienceFiction''.

!!''He Walked Around the Horses'' provides examples of:

It was inspired by the true story of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Bathurst_%28diplomat%29 Benjamin Bathurst]], a 25-year-old British diplomat who disappeared in the Prussian town of Perleburg during the Napoleonic Wars on November 25, 1809. Later descriptions of the incident suggested that Bathurst's disappearance was very sudden and perhaps caused by supernatural forces, the most common such story being that Bathurst vanished into thin air after he walked around the horses which were harnessed to his carriage. More recent research indicates that these reports were greatly exaggerated and that Bathurst was most likely murdered. When a house was being demolished only 300 paces from Bathurst's last known location in Perleburg in 1852, a skeleton was found. A skull fracture indicated that the deceased had been struck from behind with a blunt object. Bathurst's sister Mrs Thistlethwaite travelled to Perleburg but was unable to confirm that the skull was that of her brother.

** At the end of the story, the same character notes that he has been completely unable to ascertain the identity of the Duke of Wellington, an English general frequently mentioned in Bathurst's papers, and comments that he hasn't "the least idea who this person might be." The letter is signed by Sir Arthur Wellesley, who was granted the title of Viscount Wellington in Bathurst's universe for his victory over the French at the Battle of Talavera on July 28, 1809. He was granted a dukedom in 1814.

In this short story, Piper asserts that Bathurst slipped into an AlternateUniverse after he walked around the horses, one with a significantly different recent history (relative to its 1809 setting) than ours. His "unrealistic beliefs about the state of affairs in Europe" results in the inhabitants of the other universe to conclude that he is either a spy or insane and he is imprisoned. A little over a month after his arrival in the parallel universe, he is fatally shot whilst trying to escape from the prison.

** Tallyrand, who was defrocked and excommunicated from the Catholic Church in reality, remained in ecclesiastical orders and eventually became a cardinal. In 1809, Cardinal Tallyrand is the Prime Minister of France under Louis XVI and is considered to be "the greatest King's Minister since Richelieu." One character mentions that he was quite amused that Bathurst's papers described Tallyrand as Napoleon's chief adviser and observes, "His Eminence, I have always thought, is the sort of fellow who would land on his feet on top of any heap, and who would as little scruple to be Prime Minister to His Satanic Majesty as to His Most Christian Majesty."
** At the end of the story, the same character notes that he has been completely unable to ascertain the identity of the Duke of Wellington, an English general frequently mentioned in Bathurst's papers, and comments that he hasn't "the least idea who this person might be." The letter is signed by Sir Arthur Wellesley, who was granted the title of Duke of Wellington in Bathurst's universe for his victories over Napoleon. In reality, Wellesley did not receive this title until 1814, meaning that this is probably another example of ArtisticLicenseHistory, this time due to the RuleOfFunny.

** Tallyrand, who was defrocked and excommunicated from the Catholic Church in reality, remained in ecclesiastical orders and eventually became a cardinal. In 1809, Cardinal Tallyrand is the Prime Minister of France under Louis XVI who is considered to be "the greatest King's Minister since Richelieu." One character mentions that he was quite amused that Bathurst's papers described Tallyrand as Napoleon's chief adviser and observes, "His Eminence, I have always thought, is the sort of fellow who would land on his feet on top of any heap, and who would as little scruple to be Prime Minister to His Satanic Majesty as to His Most Christian Majesty."