The Cosmonaut Cat
Banned
If Normans never conquer the British Islands would the islands develop an isolationist policy similar to Japanese Sakoku? Under what other conditions could "British Sakoku" arise?
AHC: British Sakoku
- Thread starter The Cosmonaut Cat
- Start date
I doubt it, the Anglo Saxon state didn't seem to be that centralized to restrict access to certain ports. Besides the conditions in which Sakoku in Japan arose could not happen in the Isles to even warrant it's consideration or implementation.
Now foreign policy might be a different ballgame. I could see the nations of British Isles being concerned with themselves instead of OTL Norman England. and France. Later on down line is a different story depending on how the geopolitical situation of Europe changes without a Norman England.
Now foreign policy might be a different ballgame. I could see the nations of British Isles being concerned with themselves instead of OTL Norman England. and France. Later on down line is a different story depending on how the geopolitical situation of Europe changes without a Norman England.
If you had the Romano-British left after Rome abandoned Britain actually manage to halt the Anglo-Saxon conquests, I think Britain would be far more isolated from the rest of Europe with far more focus on their own business (rather than attempts to get involved in France etc). All the parts of Britain would probably be drawn together faster and will less bloodshed than OTL, as the various cultures would have far more in common, being mostly Celtic with a Roman influence which would decrease with time. If I recall correctly, the Britons tended to be split that way in OTL after Rome left, half wanting to go their own way and the other half looking to Rome.
Someone who has time to actually check may disprove this, but
geography?
Isn't Great Britain in general closer to mainland Europe than Japan
is to mainland Asia (North Sea and the Korea Strait vs. Sea of Japan/East Sea
and the Englsih Channel)?
Not to mention that on the far side of the North Sea are more of mainland
Europe (and Scandinavia), rather than Manchuria, and that the local
maritime and mercantile powerhouse is not the not-very-enthusiastic-
about-foreign-trade China.
geography?
Isn't Great Britain in general closer to mainland Europe than Japan
is to mainland Asia (North Sea and the Korea Strait vs. Sea of Japan/East Sea
and the Englsih Channel)?
Not to mention that on the far side of the North Sea are more of mainland
Europe (and Scandinavia), rather than Manchuria, and that the local
maritime and mercantile powerhouse is not the not-very-enthusiastic-
about-foreign-trade China.
Britain is closer to the mainland in Europe but no enormously so.
North Sea distances are comparable to China -Japan stepping stones.
The Korea straits are narrower than the North Sea but wider than the channel.
There always was trade across water in northeast Asia.
But yes, the a British sakoku is hard to imagine just because in Europe from Roman Times on, European groups were always getting up in each other's grill far more often than East Asia.
North Sea distances are comparable to China -Japan stepping stones.
The Korea straits are narrower than the North Sea but wider than the channel.
There always was trade across water in northeast Asia.
But yes, the a British sakoku is hard to imagine just because in Europe from Roman Times on, European groups were always getting up in each other's grill far more often than East Asia.