As the Granada War demonstrated, the proliferation of firearms had put Spain, as well as most of the Christian world, at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, the Spaniards now fully understood the importance that these new weapons played, and most European nations began stocking up on the new weapons. The war also showed the current fragility of Christendom; if a nation as small as Granada could wreak so much havoc on Castile, what could the Turks do? It was this fear that prompted Pope Alexander VI and the Catholic clergy to act more aggressively in converting people and expanding the Christian world. Spain was the most fervent in answering this call, persecuting thousands of Jews and Muslims within its borders and declaring an empire bent on bringing the word of Christ to foreign lands whether they wanted it or not.
Although not as passionate, Portugal also took on this duty, with its eyes set mainly on Africa. Now that the Muslim Sahelian Kingdoms were armed with guns from the Middle East, Portugal feared that Islam would spread into the tropical regions of West Africa, threatening trade routes to India. To counter any influence from further north, the Portugese traded firearms and other manufactured goods for slaves, which were sent to work in places such as Madeira, Formosa-Flora, and later São José. One of Portugal's largest clients was the Benin Empire, which gladly took up Portugal's mission and invaded the Hausa Kingdoms in 1517. The "Hausa Crusade", as it would come to be known, was only the beginning of a series of holy wars fought in northern Africa between Muslims, backed by Songhai and the Ottoman Empire, and the budding syncretism between Christianity and indigenous practices, backed by European powers like Spain. Instead of tearing each other down, however, these kingdoms only built each other up. An arms race began between the two groups, and many tribes rushed to form larger states to combat slavers and empires.
Meanwhile, in Europe, many were not taking the Pope's new influence lightly. The ideology of "Reformism" had formed in 1523 thanks to German scholar Klaas Richard, and had begun to take hold throughout northern Europe. It wasn't until the late Sixteenth Century that this ideological conflict evolved into a religious war, with rebellions occuring in the Netherlands, Bohemia, and Savoy, and the English Wars of Religion taking place from 1563 to 1590. The Hapsburg Monarchy, which siezed control of the Holy Roman Empire in 1557, was the Pope's main tool for crushing these rebellions and enforcing restrictions on the press.
One of the most destructive wars in Europe's history, the Great War of Religion, took place from 1622 to 1660, and pitted the Reformist powers of France, Sweden, and Scotland against the Catholic Spain, Germany, Poland and England. It began as a localized conflict in Savoy and ended in a Catholic victory, despite the Russians trying to offer aid. Not long afterward, Spain defeated Portugal after it tried to support England in the Anglo-Spanish War, siezing nearly all of Portugal's colonies east of the Atlantic. Spain had become a formidable empire, controlling swaths of territory in both the Old World and the New World. However, the glory of the Catholic empires wouldn't last forever. Cracks would show in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which would be eclipsed by Russia and Sweden by the end of the century. Inflation and reckless spending would also do a number on the overextended Spanish Empire. The only power to hold on would be England, and England would soon have a new rival...
France, which had lost 40% of its population in some areas, had no time to recover before it was plunged into a Civil War between the traditionalist government in Paris and the semi-theocratic regime installed in Avignon by the Habsburgs. Regardless, France was coming back with a vengeance, winning Savoy's independence in 1720 and causing other southern Habsburg territories (namely Helvetica and the Holy Italian Confederacy) to secede later on. England was taken off guard by France's rise, and tried to counter its influence in wars such as the Polish Civil War and the German War of Succession.
All the while, Africa had been going through a major transformation. Most sources of slaves in West Africa were now under the protection of one major empire or another, meaning that the coastal states had lost their main source of revenue. Additionally, it was hard to compete with Spain, which was still taking slaves from its various African colonies. In order to continue fighting/existing, states like Benin, Aja, and Denkyira needed to find a new source of income, which Portugal was happy to provide. Wanting to spite the country that stole their vast empire, the Portugese aided the West Africans in trading with the Orient, giving them the knowledge to build large ocean-going ships but requiring that they build them themselves. Thus began Africa's naval tradition, one that began unimpressively but slowly became comparable to that of China or Europe.
In 1794, the Spanish Empire finally succumbed to its internal problems and collapsed, creating a power vacuum in the Mediterranean that the Ottoman Empire was swift to take advantage of. More shocking, perhaps, was the Ottomans successful conquest of the Papal States, which had lacked a strong protector. Even Habsburg Germany, which had been united for centuries, was descending into chaos as the North (which held the center of power since the mid 18th cenutry) tried to overthrow the monarchy and create a radical government. It was in this hectic environment that the Moroccans invaded Spain, taking Madrid in 1808. With all of this happening, Britain and France went into a panic and forged an alliance to combat the Moroccans and German Radicals which threatened to turn Europe on its head. This alliance was short-lived, as the "Teutonic Republic" invaded France and imposed its radical system on it.
Britain was in dire straits. Most of Portugal and Spain (save for areas controlled by resistance) was controlled by Morocco, France and Germany were controlled by hostile dictators, Sweden had become isolationist, and any European country that still wanted friendly ties with Britain was inaccessible. In an odd twist of fate, the British Crown actually turned towards a former backwater -- Mali. Mali had recently been the victim of several attacks by Morocco, and wanted to crush the Moroccans just as badly as Britain did. The devoutly Catholic kingdom of Kongo also had a surplus of fighters after defeating a confederacy of rival tribes, and liked the idea of putting them to work elsewhere. Consuls from these three nations, as well as several observers, met in Sidadi, Caboverde to plan out a war not based on religion or power, but on restoring the old order in Europe. What made the Sidadi Conference so bizarre, however, was the leverage that Mali and Kongo got over Britain. The African ambassadors noted that the British were anxious and desperate, so they used this to their advantage and got Britain to grant them special privileges in any land they could conquer.
The coalition made landfall in 1812, with Mali's soldiers assisting the British in Normandy and Kongo's in Holland. While the Dutch theater was successful, the coalition faced fierce resistance from the French Republic. A ceasefire was reached in 1818, but war resumed sporadically over the next few decades. By 1835, it had become apparent that neither Mali nor Kongo still wanted to restore the monarchies of France and Germany, but it was too late for Britain to act. The West African kingdoms had borrowed many of Britain's new technologies and adapted them to their own environment, and West Africa had actually come to overshadow the increasingly frivolous Europe.
The year is 1855. While Sweden has finally broken its silence and supported a counterrevolution in North Germany, France remains a battlefield for colonials, restorationists, and radicals alike. Mali has been trying to play the European kingdoms against each other, but Britain will have no more of it. A war is brewing, and it will determine the balance of power not only in Europe, but worldwide...
This is me attempting to try a new style, hope you guys like the new traditional-ish map!