Map Challenge

[Diamond]

In part of my never-ending quest to start as many writing projects and not finish them as possible, here is a map for a story I'm currently plotting out.

Here are some things I've established so far:
--The British Commonwealth is a federal republic
--Virginia is a kingdom ruled by the Stuarts, who fled there after they were overthrown in Britain
--France & northern Italy are united as the Papal Dominion
--The current Pope is Leo XII, an 81 year old Corsican named Bonaparte

What I want from you guys is your thoughts on how this world came to be.

Right now, I'm thinking that the royalists won the English Civil War, instigating a later Puritan rebellion in New England, which won its independence. A financially destitute Britain suffered a 2nd civil war which saw the end of the monarchy (the Stuarts fled to Virginia).

What was France's role in this? Did Richlieu or Mazarin engineer the Papal Dominion over north Italy and France?

Thoughts?

[Condottiero]

Spain-Portugal-Naples are United. Perhaps the POD must be before 1640, during the thirty years war. Maybe Richelieu plotted in Spain causing the Duke of Olivares fall, then with spanish help he seized power in France getting Milan and spanish possesions in N. Italy...

[Max Sinister]

1. I guess that many of the Papal territories were acquired under the reign of the last pope?

2. Why did the Brits acquire the Western part of Australia alone? Without the rest, it's not quite attracting...

[JLCook]

That's where MECCA is located! The war would never stop!

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by Max Sinister

Why did the Brits acquire the Western part of Australia alone? Without the rest, it's not quite attracting...

Notice that Eastern Australia is Dutch and that the Netherlands seem to be a British ally in opposition to the Papal Bloc. Britain may in fact want Dutch Australia but probably not enough to piss off an ally.

[Duncan]

Originally Posted by JLCook

How does "Araby" become a Papal possession? That's where MECCA is located! The war would never stop!

Mecca looks to be in the Ottoman-ruled portion.

[Diamond]

Originally Posted by JLCook

That's where MECCA is located! The war would never stop!

Actually, no. If you look at the map, you can see that the strip of territory containing Mecca belongs to the O.E.

Landshark is correct r.e. British/Dutch Australia.

I like Condottiero's thought - I'll incorporate that. It actually fits well into the Catholic/Protestant us vs. them atmosphere that I want.
___________________________

So, any other thoughts? I'm really just starting out on this, and I'm still searching for the right 'feel' for everything.

The story itself revolves around Papal spies trying to stir up turmoil in the paranoid (and mostly Huegenot) republic of Louisiane amongst the native tribes, hoping they'll rebel and weaken Louisiane enough to keep them out of the major conflict with Britain that is looming. On top of that, Protestant revolutionary groups in Catholic Virginia are being funded by Lousiane, and the puritan Commonwealth of New England is also trying to nibble away at Virginia's northern borders. The whole continent is a powderkeg.

[GBW]

Hmm... I notice the Papal Dominion holds a portion of Germany. Does the Pope hold the title Holy Roman Emperor as well in this TL? Prussia and Austria would possibly be the only two German states able to assert their 'independence' of this new Pope/Holy Roman Emperor and absorb the smaller states that they have.

[Condottiero]

So, any other thoughts? I'm really just starting out on this, and I'm still searching for the right 'feel' for everything.

The story itself revolves around Papal spies trying to stir up turmoil in the paranoid (and mostly Huegenot) republic of Louisiane amongst the native tribes, hoping they'll rebel and weaken Louisiane enough to keep them out of the major conflict with Britain that is looming. On top of that, Protestant revolutionary groups in Catholic Virginia are being funded by Lousiane, and the puritan Commonwealth of New England is also trying to nibble away at Virginia's northern borders. The whole continent is a powderkeg.

Initially the spanish empire relied for the defense of the northern border of Mexico in allied indian tribes.

[Abdul Hadi Pasha]

Keeping to things about which I know something, I'm not sure why on earth the Papacy would have any interest in Arabia, which is totally worthless economically, full of nomads, and really, really hard to dominate. I would think they would be more interested in Abyssinia, which at least is Christian.

[Diamond]

Originally Posted by Abdul Hadi Pasha

Keeping to things about which I know something, I'm not sure why on earth the Papacy would have any interest in Arabia, which is totally worthless economically, full of nomads, and really, really hard to dominate. I would think they would be more interested in Abyssinia, which at least is Christian.

Eh, you're probably right. I was just going for a different feel to this TL than the usual run of the mill. Maybe the Papacy (especially considering who the Pope is) considered it a challenge. I dunno. Like I said, I haven't put much thought into it yet; I just did up a map quickly to get my first impressions of what might go into the TL into a viewable form.

[LordKalvan]

It is certainly a different approach. While interesting, it's not a TL where I would care to live. The only ray of hope is the Dutch Republic

[Condottiero]

Maybe you could convert Araby in a British or dutch protectorate. I can't understand either why there is an indian empire allied to the Pope...

[Diamond]

Originally Posted by Condottiero

I can't understand either why there is an indian empire allied to the Pope...

Maybe conversion to Catholicism in India was widespread in this TL? Like I said, I was going for something different.