A Report on an Counter-Factual Universe
Report from Colonel Jeffrey Twigg of the Universe-Converging Battalion; 2nd August, 2010; Earth
For the past three years I have spent my time moving between Universes, my particular fascination was caught by one in which the 'Commonwealth of England' survived to this very day (currently 2010 AD). While moving between Universes I gathered a lot of information from this 'counter-factual' Universe, also known as an 'Alternate History'. In this report I will file what happened within England, Scotland and Ireland and also in the wider world. I will include what I believe to be the 'POD's (Points of Divergence) that led to the Universe I travelled to so often coming about.
The first 'POD' within this Universe occurred on the 26th of January, 1644. It was the Battle of Nantwich and an up-and-coming General, George Monck, was fighting on the Royalist side. In our own timeline he survived this battle and was a key proponent in restoring the Monarchy to King Charles II, but in this 'Alternate Universe' a stray musket shot caught him, and hours afterwards he died from some rather horrible infections. In the other Universe barely anyone knows of this odd character dying, just another soldier. But, along with various other 'POD's that seem seemed more serious, I can see how a powerful figure such as George Monck dying would have catastrophic effects on any kind of future restoration.
Anyway, the 'timeline' of that Universe continued much as ours did, with the world not changing with an extra dead man on the field. Though seven years later, there would be another man who would be wounded in battle. This man fought in the Battle of Worcester on the 3rd of September, 1651. This man was Charles II. He was fighting against the Parliamentarian forces with both English and Scots Royalists. The man was fighting for his crown, though a stray bullet put an end to this. It had hit his upper thigh and hit one of the main arteries. He was losing blood rapidly, and by the time the Parliamentarian forces had found and captured the armored guard around the dying King, Charles passed away. It's been rumored this happened just as his and Cromwell's eyes met, though this is likely just a fanciful tale as it's unlikely Cromwell would've chased after him personally.
After the death of Charles II a lot of Royalist support slipped rapidly, with his brother staying on the continent and the only other claimants to the throne being women or young children the Royalists seemed to have a lost cause. This allowed for a substantial number of previous Royalists within the future 'Second Protectorate Parliament' to either become neutral of pro-Parliamentarian (the first still failing due to Levellers and Royalists whom still supported James II). This allowed for the 'Militia Bill' set forward by Major-General John Desborough to pass. Unlike in our timeline, which had the bill fail to pass and thus show the ineffectiveness of Major-General rule over England. This in turn led to the offering of the crown to Cromwell, who refused it after a delayed time.
Also after the death of Charles, Prince James was claimed to be King James II by Royalists, whom were now losing a lot of support as the royal family dwindled. Though he was technically a King, James still loved the battlefield, and now he could stay within the French army without his brother allying himself with the Spanish as Charles II did in our timeline. James tired to get King Louis XIV to support him monetary-wise in order to allow him to take back the English throne, James even promised to declare war on Spain if Louis did support him. However this was not to be, and Louis XIV couldn't afford to help an invasion of England alongside the Franco-Spanish War. Years later, James would be the head of a Royalist force 2000 men strong in the Battle of Valenciennes on the 29th of June, 1656. This would be yet another fateful day, James II rode out and led a charge of his Royalist forces at the Spanish. This proved to be the nail-in-the-coffin for most talks of Restoration of the English monarch. James II was cut down by Spanish musketeers, he died almost instantly.
This would cause huge ripple effects. Suddenly the next-in-line to the English throne was Prince Henry, or Henry IX, whom was serving in the French military. Henry was a great soldier and thus proved to be a much better leader-figure for Royalists at home. Though the Stuarts luck kept draining away. Henry IX served in the Spanish army in the Battle of the Dunes, in which on the opposing side were 3000 Parliamentarian forces led by Sir William Lockhart. It would be in this fateful battle that the steel reserve and sheer determination of the New Model Army would distinguish it in Britain, but also it would be the battle to break the back of the Royalist cause for the moment. In accounts of the battle it's said that Henry IX fell in mid-charge, a musketeer had hit his leg and shattered his leg bone. As Royalists tried to carry him away they were charged by the French and thus, while they didn't kill Henry directly, the lack of medical attention to him led ultimately to his young death.
After news of this filtered back to England and Scotland, the Royalists realized it was simply a lost cause at that point. It is at this point we see large numbers of Royalists immigrate to the Virginian colony in the Americas, though more on that later. Though the home-islands Royalist faction didn't totally die out, and would see a small revival years later when William III of Orange came of age, though again, more on this in later sections.
The final POD in this Universe, was that Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell chose a different heir to the Lord Protectorship. He officially declared (in writing and orally) that Charles Fleetwood, his son-in-law, would become the next Lord Protector. Charles was a staunch supporter of the English presence in Ireland, and also supported the Second Protectorate Parliament greatly.
This is just full of the PODs and their immediate effects, in later sections I will be examining further effects.
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