A few thoughts on CL and stall
Sometimes it helps to use the equations:
Lift = nW = 0.5 * density * wing area * speed^2 * CL
where n = load factor (number of g) and W = weight = mass x gravitational acceleration
Put simply, to sustain flight at a given load factor CLmax determines the minimum speed you must have. In the equation above you can use either TAS with actual air density or EAS with sea-level density. The relationship between speed and g is thus:
n proportional to V^2.
This is plotted on a V-n diagram; google for one if you need reminding!
CLmax is a factor of AOA and wing configuration, nothing else. It is the maximum CL the wing can produce and it occurs at the critical AOA specific to each configuration (i.e. flap and slat settings). However, what happens if you exceed the critical AOA varies massively depending on the aircraft: most GA aircraft will just pitch down a bit or "porpoise", perhaps with a bit of wing drop. Deltas and highly swept wing aircraft tend to increase sink rate and not much else. Many twin propeller aircraft and some swept wing jets will flick-roll on to their back and try to kill you, hence the need for a stick-pusher. But the common factor is that for every aircraft there is an AOA above which no more CL is available, so to sustain non-stalled flight you must reduce AOA.
CL vs AOA graphs can vary hugely with wing shape, even for an identical wing section, due to complexities such as spanwise flow. However, in simple terms the critical AOA is the point at which there is a reversal of the gradient of CL with AOA. On some aircraft the change is gentle, on some it is severe. The worst I know of is the F104 Starfighter, where the reduction of CL was extremely rapid above the critical AOA, earning the aircraft the nickname of "widowmaker" because a stall during the finals turn was often fatal.
When looking at the whole aircraft, remember that if it is longitudinally stable in pitch without a FBW computer helping you, then there is a down-force on the horizontal stabiliser. Thus for >1g flight the down-force will increase, needing greater CL from the wing to achieve a given load factor than if there was no tailplane. To avoid the pilot having to think about this, stall is determined by AOA. After all, even simple GA aircraft stall warners are activated by AOA exceeding a set angle, thus moving the vane on the leading edge.
Hope this helps, or at leasts adds to the discussion!