I intend to take this up to the 21st century soon, with maps and a story set in the alternate world. As you can see, a lot changes besides North America.
1783 – United States recognized as independent country with the Treaty of Paris
1785 – George Washington dies after a sudden illness
1787, 1788 – Two attempts to reach agreement on a new constitution for the United States fail
1789 – Beginning of French revolution
1789 – 1794 – Quarrels between the various states of the US lead to that nation breaking into 3 nations – Federal States of America (FSA) is New York and New England states, United States of America (USA) is Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Independent States of America (ISA) is everything from Maryland south to Georgia
1796 – Philadelphia accords divide lands between the Appalachians and Mississippi between the 3 nations.
1801 – French First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte secretly forces Spain to “retrocede” the vast Louisiana territory to France
1803 – Napoleon decides against selling Louisiana, decides instead to send a larger garrison and settlers
1805 – British naval victories effectively cut Louisiana off from most outside French support
1806 – French governor of Louisiana, on his own initiative, ends all restrictions on settlers from the ISA and USA entering territory. As a condition, though, able-bodied male settlers must join territorial militia.
1808-09 – First British attempt to capture New Orleans fails
1811 – 1815 – Sporadic fighting between Britain and Spain vs. Louisiana and the ISA in Louisiana, Florida. Second major British campaign to capture New Orleans fails. British support for Indians leads to undeclared state of war between Britain and USA, FSA.
1815 – Napoleon narrowly wins at Waterloo. He is eventually defeated and killed later in the year Austrian, Prussian, and some Russian forces.
1816 – Second Congress of Vienna alters peace terms. France loses Alsace, which goes to Hapsburg Austria, and Lorraine, which goes to Prussia. In North America, the southern part of Louisiana territory is recognized as an independent nation, but Britain gets most of the northern and central parts of the former territory.
1815 – 1823 – Spanish colonies from Mexico to Rio de la Plata achieve independence after a series of wars. Brazil achieves independence from Portugal peacefully.
1822 – Britain purchases Florida from Spain.
1827 – 1828 – First Ottoman-Egyptian war. Britain supports Ottoman Empire, France supports Egypt, which is technically a vassal of the Ottomans but is acting like an independent power. Egypt fails to take control of Palestine and Syria but takes the Hejas region of western Arabia.
1828 – North German Customs Union formed – Prussia, Hanover, Saxony, and several other minor principalities
1830 – Revolution in France topples Charles X, replaced by King Louis-Philippe. Rebellion in southern Netherlands (Belgium) fails.
1831 – Slavery abolished in all British territories. Reform Bill extends franchise in Britain.
1832 – 33 – Major slave uprising in South Carolina, ISA, takes about a year to fully suppress. Smaller rebellions in other parts of the ISA and Louisiana are quickly crushed. Many states in ISA soon pass laws expelling free blacks.
1833 – 35 - Emperor Augustin I of Mexico invites free blacks to settle in Mexican province of Tejas. Thousands accept this offer.
1837 – 38 – First Tejas War – white settlers in northern Tejas, partly supported by Louisiana and ISA, against Mexico and black settlers in southern Tejas. Treaty of Vera Cruz partitions Tejas into independent northern part and southern part as a territory of Mexico.
1839 – Imperial Customs Union formed – Austria, Bavaria, Wurttenburg, Baden
1840 – Emperor Augustin I of Mexico begins encouraging immigration to the province of Alto (Upper) California to develop the region.
1842 – Anglo-Chinese War – Britain forces China to open up more ports to international trade.
1844 – Russia forces China to cede territory north of Amur River.
1845-46 – King Louis Philippe of France agrees to several reform measures that increase popular support for his government
1846 – Discovery of gold in California
1847 – British allow the Latter-Day Saints, a religious group with some highly unorthodox beliefs that faced widespread discrimination in the USA to the east, to settle in Iowa territory.
1849 – All transportation of convicts to New South Wales, Van Diemen’s Land, and King Edward’s Land (OTL Queensland) in Australia is ended. Transport on a smaller scale is shifted to West Australia.
1850 – Britain’s India Act confirms the East India Company in its role as effective ruler of much of India. Various internal reforms are carried out as the Company shifts into administration rather than commerce as its greatest role.
Discovery of gold in Australia
1851 – Port city of Alexandrograd (OTL Vladivostok) is founded to provide a base for a Russian Pacific fleet.
Britain opens portions of Florida to settlement by ex-slaves and free blacks from other colonies. Florida becomes a haven for runaway slaves from the ISA, increasing tensions.
1852 – Death of Tsar Alexander I, who has ruled Russia for more than 50 years. The fact that Alexander ruled for over twice as long as OTL has a major effect on Russia. In the second part of his rule, Alexander remains conservative politically but becomes increasingly supportive of adopting technology from western Europe. Unlike OTL, Russia is already building quite a few railroads and modern factories by around 1860. Alexander also becomes fascinated by the idea of expanding Russia’s power eastward, from Central Asia to the Pacific. His example sets the tone for future Russian rulers. He also becomes convinced that traditional serfdom must end, but is never sure enough to actually end it.
Alto California becomes independent of Mexico in an agreement mediated by the British that avoids an open war. California gets OTL Nevada and most of Utah as well. Mexican citizens are given full rights to settle in and participate in the economy of California.
1853 – Britain reorganizes its North American Colonies
1855-1858 North American War pits Britain and Mexico against Louisiana, the ISA, and the USA. The war begins largely due to anger in the slaveholding ISA and Louisiana that British and Mexican territory was becoming a refuge for fugitive slaves. The USA joins later due to a variety of disputes with Britain. The war itself surprises both sides with the number of casualties – all troops are now using rifles with Whittaker bullets (OTL Minie balls) but using old tactics appropriate to the old, much less accurate smoothbores. Breechloaders and even a couple of repeat-action rifle designs appear towards the end of the war. Railroads used to a limited extent to move troops, but a lot of the fighting takes place in areas with few or no rails. ISA and Louisana use lightly armored gunboats against the British, but not with any spectacular results. The only substantial change in territory is the US losing much of OTL Wisconsin to the British. There are minor territorial adjustments elsewhere.
1858 – 1861 Second Egyptian-Ottoman War Ottomans supported by British, Egyptians supported by France. The immediate cause of the war is a dispute over who controls the isthmus of Suez, and whether British or French-owned companies will construct a canal there. Khedive of Egypt declares himself a fully independent Sultan. Early Egyptian victories are reversed, and the Ottomans win control of the disputed land. Also, Ottomans eliminate Egyptian presence in the Hejaz (western Arabian peninsula) and take firm control of Mecca and Medina. This war reinforces many of the lessons of North American war, but also sees the first use of heavily armored ships (by the British).
1859 – Federal States of America passes restrictive immigration laws, largely designed to restrict Catholic immigration
1861 – Uprising in Naples forces the King to grant a Constitution
1862 – France takes Algeria as a “protectorate”. France’s ally Egypt does something similar with Tripoli in Libya.
1863-64 – Prussia and a couple of smaller German states defeat Denmark in a war that turns out to be surprisingly hard-fought. Schleswig and Holstein are detached from Denmark and join the North German Customs Union.
1866-68 – Paraguay conquered and partitioned between Brazil and Rio de la Plata (OTL Argentina)
1867 – Russian naval forces pressure Japan into opening trade with the outside world.
1868 – Suez Canal completed by British-Ottoman company
1869 – Brazilian government announces gradual abolition of slavery beginning in 1870. Attempted coup by slaveholder-backed forces is put down.
1870-72 China War – Conservative faction of China’s government attempts to end all trading privileges by outsiders, provoking a general war against several outside powers. Britain, France, Russia, North German Confederation, Austria, Japan, Spain, FSA, USA, Mexico, and California all send expeditionary forces against China. Largest contingent is sent by Russia, followed by Britain. Modest Chinese military reforms still leave a military much less effective than its enemies. China’s military is also inexperienced except against localized rebellions (no Taiping rebellion in this timeline). When the war is over, China is still officially a sovereign nation, but effectively divided into spheres of influence that almost amount to protectorates. Russia’s sphere is largest – Manchuria and most of northern and western China, including the capital of Beijing. Britain has the dominant sphere of influence further south.
1873 – France purchases Portugal’s African colonies at Angola and Mozanbique
1875 – Major worldwide recession causes labor unrest in Europe and North America. Repression of the unrest is especially fierce in the Federal States of America.
1876 - Laws are passed in the FSA taking the right to vote away from anyone who participates in an illegal strike.
1876-77 – Japanese Civil War between supporters of the pro-Russian Shogun faction and the pro-British Imperial faction. The Shogun faction is victorious. The current Emperor is forced to abdicate and is replaced by a relative. From this point onward, Japan looks to Russia as its main ally and foreign partner.
1783 – United States recognized as independent country with the Treaty of Paris
1785 – George Washington dies after a sudden illness
1787, 1788 – Two attempts to reach agreement on a new constitution for the United States fail
1789 – Beginning of French revolution
1789 – 1794 – Quarrels between the various states of the US lead to that nation breaking into 3 nations – Federal States of America (FSA) is New York and New England states, United States of America (USA) is Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Independent States of America (ISA) is everything from Maryland south to Georgia
1796 – Philadelphia accords divide lands between the Appalachians and Mississippi between the 3 nations.
1801 – French First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte secretly forces Spain to “retrocede” the vast Louisiana territory to France
1803 – Napoleon decides against selling Louisiana, decides instead to send a larger garrison and settlers
1805 – British naval victories effectively cut Louisiana off from most outside French support
1806 – French governor of Louisiana, on his own initiative, ends all restrictions on settlers from the ISA and USA entering territory. As a condition, though, able-bodied male settlers must join territorial militia.
1808-09 – First British attempt to capture New Orleans fails
1811 – 1815 – Sporadic fighting between Britain and Spain vs. Louisiana and the ISA in Louisiana, Florida. Second major British campaign to capture New Orleans fails. British support for Indians leads to undeclared state of war between Britain and USA, FSA.
1815 – Napoleon narrowly wins at Waterloo. He is eventually defeated and killed later in the year Austrian, Prussian, and some Russian forces.
1816 – Second Congress of Vienna alters peace terms. France loses Alsace, which goes to Hapsburg Austria, and Lorraine, which goes to Prussia. In North America, the southern part of Louisiana territory is recognized as an independent nation, but Britain gets most of the northern and central parts of the former territory.
1815 – 1823 – Spanish colonies from Mexico to Rio de la Plata achieve independence after a series of wars. Brazil achieves independence from Portugal peacefully.
1822 – Britain purchases Florida from Spain.
1827 – 1828 – First Ottoman-Egyptian war. Britain supports Ottoman Empire, France supports Egypt, which is technically a vassal of the Ottomans but is acting like an independent power. Egypt fails to take control of Palestine and Syria but takes the Hejas region of western Arabia.
1828 – North German Customs Union formed – Prussia, Hanover, Saxony, and several other minor principalities
1830 – Revolution in France topples Charles X, replaced by King Louis-Philippe. Rebellion in southern Netherlands (Belgium) fails.
1831 – Slavery abolished in all British territories. Reform Bill extends franchise in Britain.
1832 – 33 – Major slave uprising in South Carolina, ISA, takes about a year to fully suppress. Smaller rebellions in other parts of the ISA and Louisiana are quickly crushed. Many states in ISA soon pass laws expelling free blacks.
1833 – 35 - Emperor Augustin I of Mexico invites free blacks to settle in Mexican province of Tejas. Thousands accept this offer.
1837 – 38 – First Tejas War – white settlers in northern Tejas, partly supported by Louisiana and ISA, against Mexico and black settlers in southern Tejas. Treaty of Vera Cruz partitions Tejas into independent northern part and southern part as a territory of Mexico.
1839 – Imperial Customs Union formed – Austria, Bavaria, Wurttenburg, Baden
1840 – Emperor Augustin I of Mexico begins encouraging immigration to the province of Alto (Upper) California to develop the region.
1842 – Anglo-Chinese War – Britain forces China to open up more ports to international trade.
1844 – Russia forces China to cede territory north of Amur River.
1845-46 – King Louis Philippe of France agrees to several reform measures that increase popular support for his government
1846 – Discovery of gold in California
1847 – British allow the Latter-Day Saints, a religious group with some highly unorthodox beliefs that faced widespread discrimination in the USA to the east, to settle in Iowa territory.
1849 – All transportation of convicts to New South Wales, Van Diemen’s Land, and King Edward’s Land (OTL Queensland) in Australia is ended. Transport on a smaller scale is shifted to West Australia.
1850 – Britain’s India Act confirms the East India Company in its role as effective ruler of much of India. Various internal reforms are carried out as the Company shifts into administration rather than commerce as its greatest role.
Discovery of gold in Australia
1851 – Port city of Alexandrograd (OTL Vladivostok) is founded to provide a base for a Russian Pacific fleet.
Britain opens portions of Florida to settlement by ex-slaves and free blacks from other colonies. Florida becomes a haven for runaway slaves from the ISA, increasing tensions.
1852 – Death of Tsar Alexander I, who has ruled Russia for more than 50 years. The fact that Alexander ruled for over twice as long as OTL has a major effect on Russia. In the second part of his rule, Alexander remains conservative politically but becomes increasingly supportive of adopting technology from western Europe. Unlike OTL, Russia is already building quite a few railroads and modern factories by around 1860. Alexander also becomes fascinated by the idea of expanding Russia’s power eastward, from Central Asia to the Pacific. His example sets the tone for future Russian rulers. He also becomes convinced that traditional serfdom must end, but is never sure enough to actually end it.
Alto California becomes independent of Mexico in an agreement mediated by the British that avoids an open war. California gets OTL Nevada and most of Utah as well. Mexican citizens are given full rights to settle in and participate in the economy of California.
1853 – Britain reorganizes its North American Colonies
1855-1858 North American War pits Britain and Mexico against Louisiana, the ISA, and the USA. The war begins largely due to anger in the slaveholding ISA and Louisiana that British and Mexican territory was becoming a refuge for fugitive slaves. The USA joins later due to a variety of disputes with Britain. The war itself surprises both sides with the number of casualties – all troops are now using rifles with Whittaker bullets (OTL Minie balls) but using old tactics appropriate to the old, much less accurate smoothbores. Breechloaders and even a couple of repeat-action rifle designs appear towards the end of the war. Railroads used to a limited extent to move troops, but a lot of the fighting takes place in areas with few or no rails. ISA and Louisana use lightly armored gunboats against the British, but not with any spectacular results. The only substantial change in territory is the US losing much of OTL Wisconsin to the British. There are minor territorial adjustments elsewhere.
1858 – 1861 Second Egyptian-Ottoman War Ottomans supported by British, Egyptians supported by France. The immediate cause of the war is a dispute over who controls the isthmus of Suez, and whether British or French-owned companies will construct a canal there. Khedive of Egypt declares himself a fully independent Sultan. Early Egyptian victories are reversed, and the Ottomans win control of the disputed land. Also, Ottomans eliminate Egyptian presence in the Hejaz (western Arabian peninsula) and take firm control of Mecca and Medina. This war reinforces many of the lessons of North American war, but also sees the first use of heavily armored ships (by the British).
1859 – Federal States of America passes restrictive immigration laws, largely designed to restrict Catholic immigration
1861 – Uprising in Naples forces the King to grant a Constitution
1862 – France takes Algeria as a “protectorate”. France’s ally Egypt does something similar with Tripoli in Libya.
1863-64 – Prussia and a couple of smaller German states defeat Denmark in a war that turns out to be surprisingly hard-fought. Schleswig and Holstein are detached from Denmark and join the North German Customs Union.
1866-68 – Paraguay conquered and partitioned between Brazil and Rio de la Plata (OTL Argentina)
1867 – Russian naval forces pressure Japan into opening trade with the outside world.
1868 – Suez Canal completed by British-Ottoman company
1869 – Brazilian government announces gradual abolition of slavery beginning in 1870. Attempted coup by slaveholder-backed forces is put down.
1870-72 China War – Conservative faction of China’s government attempts to end all trading privileges by outsiders, provoking a general war against several outside powers. Britain, France, Russia, North German Confederation, Austria, Japan, Spain, FSA, USA, Mexico, and California all send expeditionary forces against China. Largest contingent is sent by Russia, followed by Britain. Modest Chinese military reforms still leave a military much less effective than its enemies. China’s military is also inexperienced except against localized rebellions (no Taiping rebellion in this timeline). When the war is over, China is still officially a sovereign nation, but effectively divided into spheres of influence that almost amount to protectorates. Russia’s sphere is largest – Manchuria and most of northern and western China, including the capital of Beijing. Britain has the dominant sphere of influence further south.
1873 – France purchases Portugal’s African colonies at Angola and Mozanbique
1875 – Major worldwide recession causes labor unrest in Europe and North America. Repression of the unrest is especially fierce in the Federal States of America.
1876 - Laws are passed in the FSA taking the right to vote away from anyone who participates in an illegal strike.
1876-77 – Japanese Civil War between supporters of the pro-Russian Shogun faction and the pro-British Imperial faction. The Shogun faction is victorious. The current Emperor is forced to abdicate and is replaced by a relative. From this point onward, Japan looks to Russia as its main ally and foreign partner.
