The Purple Reigns Supreme: A Map of the Month TL

This is a collaborative TL between B_Munro and I.


1300s:
The POD for this world comes in 1356, where, as OTL, after the Battle of Potiers, fremch King Jean II was captured. Like OTL, chaos ruled, with lords running rampant. However, in this timeline, The Black Prince exploited this chaos, taking Paris and becoming the major power in France. However, the English dream of ruling France was not fulfilled, though Brittanny was now under thir rule, they did not have the power to pacify the rest of France. So for the rest of the century, southern France was nominally English, but in actuality, a feuding group of statelets. Burgundy exploited this era by gaining influence in Eastern France, where they made allies, even vassals.

During this period, the Byzantine Empire, declining for centuries, saw itself lose more land to the rising Ottomans. Almost all land but Constantinople itself had been absorbed into the Ottoman domains. Still, the Ottomans expanded elsewhere, making inroads into Anatolia and fighting with the Serbians.

1400s:
During the early part of the 14th century, the Ottomans continued their expansion, defeating the Serbians with the help of the Bulgarians, who they promised to let survive. By 1422, the Serbians were defeated, with the Ottomans taking most of their land.


The 1460s saw a drastic change in the makeup of Europe. The French, disunited for a century, rallied under the Duke of Berry, Jean II. Jean claimed descent from the old Valois Kings, and, after subjecting major rivals with Burgundian help, his forces marched on the English in Paris, and he restored the old French Kingdom, becoming Jean III. England agreed to give up Gascony in exchange for Normandy and Brittanny. With this, England became surrounded by enemies, Burgundy, Scotland, France, and the little Irish statelets. By the end of the decade, the Burgundians and French were rearming to push England from the continent in full. However. They were saved by an unlikely event, the Ottoman Invasion of Italy. Having trapped the Byzantines into Constantinople and the surrounding region, the Ottomans, based in the Balkans, used their navy to land in Puglia, from where they moved north to take Rome. The Holy Roman Empire was quite surprised by this, and, despite their best efforts, could not immediately halt the Ottoman Invaders. The Pope, Urban VIII, declared a Crusade to halt the Muslims. France and Burgundy sent their contingrnts, who managed to hold off the Ottomans. Peace was arranged with the Ottomans gaining parts of lower Italy, but not Sicily. Despite a heavy loss for Christendom, England was saved.


While Christendom lost parts of Italy, they were doing well elsewhere. Under Portuguese, Castillian, and Aragonese leaders, the Muslim presence in Spain gradually decreased. By the end of the century, only a few square miles near the coast were held by Muslim rulers.


During this century, also, the Renaissance heated up. Having begun in the Italian City States, now on the frontiers with the Ottomans, many artisans fled north. They found homes in the Rhine Basin, where rich Burgundian Princes sponsored them. As a result, new inventions and art were centered in Burgundy.

1500s:
One of the most important events of the 16th century was the discovery of the New World, or Ringmannia, named after the German explorer, sailing for the Burgundians, that discovered these continents. This came after the Burgundians, having become somewhat used to spices imported through the Ottoman Empire, found that taxes had been raised, and wanted a source of their own. Alexander Ringmann theorized that he could sail from Burgundy around to China and Japan, which would be roughly 3,000 miles. The Burgundian King Robert III agreed, sending Ringmann on his way. Ringmann arrived in the islands of Guanahana (OTL Bahamas). He quickly realized he was in a new land. So began Burgundian colonization. Burgundian Conquerrrateurs subjugated Tlatoya (Mexico) in the 1530s, keeping the local Kings around, but giving them more power, in theory, but using them as puppets before deposing them in the 1700s.


In the late 1500s, a few new important crops were being grown in the south of Ringmannia by Burgundian slaves. Such crops as tobacco, sugar, and coffee had become popular in Europe by the end of the century, prompting other European leaders to look at the possibility of setting up their own Ringmannian colonies.


The Ottomans also expanded during the 16th century. Constantinople was finally taken in 1522, and from there, the Ottomans and their Bulgarian allies expanded north, into Transylvania and the Slavic regions to the west. By the end of the century, no lands were left in the Balkans where the Ottomans were not the rulers. However, their greatest gains were made elsewhere. In a few lightning quick campaigns between 1560 and 1580, the Ottomans conquered all of Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Finally, in 1595, the Ottomans took more of Italy, Rome included. The Pope then fled to the Holy Roman Empire, where he was taken in by the Holy Roman Emperor.


One of the most important developments was the creation of the steamship by Burgundian inventor Pieter van Trier. Trier managed to devise a ship that would power itself through the burning of coal. Used only by the Burgundians until the 1700s, it was a state secret.

1600s:
By the early 1600s, Persia, free of the Mongols, was a decent power again, under a native Persian Muslim dynasty. In 1609, Ibrahim Khel, an Afghan nobleman, joined the Shahs army. Khel gained experience fighting the Mongol Khanates to the north, many now Muslim. When the Persians lost against the Ottomans, seeing their enemies gain Azerbaijan, public opinion turned against the ruling dynasty, and, in 1633, Khel, now a general, was raised to the title of Shah by his comrades. Under Ibrahims rule, the Persians focused on eastward expansion. Being a Pashtun, Khel expected hard fighting in the mountains, and he was right. However, throughout that century, the Persian banner was raised throughout the Hindu Kush.


The 1600s also saw the Western Schism. With Rome taken by the Ottomans, many began to think of the Pope as a puppet of the Holy Roman Emperor. The first nation to leave the Catholic Church was Poland, historical enemy of Germany. King of Poland, Lithuania, and Ruthenia Stanisław III, beleiving the Pope was on the side of the Germans in a border dispute, set up an anti-Pope. By the middle of the century, National Catholicism had taken hold as a religion in that country. Despite vehement opposition to the Pope, there was little difference between the religions.


With the Pope now in Germany, and a series of strong Emperors under the House of Brandenburg, the Holy Roman Empire began on the road to centralization. Between 1620 and 1680, the Wars of Unification were fought, in which the House of Brandenburg managed to form a tight, centralized Kingdom. This move to solidify the Emperor, however, also managed to break the feudal system, and, these days, the middle class and literacy are growing.


In 1639, the King of Burgundy, Robert IV, threatened to leave the Catholic Church, sending France and Germany against it. The wars of religion then began, pitting the Anti-Papist powers of Burgundy, Scotland, Ireland, and Poland against Germany, France, and England with Portugal-Castile and Aragon sometimes joining in. In 1670, these wasr ended under the Treaty of Warsaw, with the Pope remaining around, but the anti-Papist powers now having their own churchs.


Despite this fighting, the European powers still managed to colonize Ringmannia. During the first half of the century, most of the powers attempted to colonize the area called the Centre Mar, where plantations were set up on the islands, and further south, on the Southern part of Ringmannia. Fighting between privateers and mercenaries was quite common until 1670, when the Treaty of Warsaw ended territorial disputes there, but the south of Ringmannia still was a jumble of claims.


Starting in the second half of the century, colonization of the northern part of Ringmannia began. There, the English, French, and Scots settled the eastern seaboard. However, the settlement here was different than in other colonies. Here, whole families moved, as opposed to simply a man. However, these colonies were not as successful immediately, though cotton did become an important crop with high demand in Europe. The Castilo-Portuguese, at first, appeared to have been unlucky. They were only left with a few colonies in the far north, only home to trappers and missionaries. Then, they discovered a river they called the Mississippi. Up the river they settled, importing slaves to work on plantations. The settlement here was a mix of the northern and southern Ringmannian styles.


One distinctly different place during this era is the island of Saint John-Baptiste, discovered by a French explorer, and named after a Saint he liked. The French King held the island as his private domain until 1695, when he gave it to the Pope after a crisis in which there was fear of France leaving the church. The island, controlled by the Pope, well actually the Archbishop of Ringmannia.


Settlement of the Ringmannian continent requires European settlers, but also involves many Africans. Europeans, at first, tried to enslave local natives, but many died of disease, so a new labor force was brought in. Africans. Each year, thousands of Africans are brought to the Americas and bought and sold as human property. It has acquired a disturbing racial sense in the north.


In other parts of the world, a Scottish ship captain, John Hamilton, managed to circumnavigate the world in 1636. Hamilton discovered Hamiltons Bay (OTL San Francisco Bay) after going north from Burgundian Tlatoya. Further expeditions were sent there, and a Scottish colony was set up around the Bay, with the capitol at Oakland. As the century went by, the Scots moved north, setting up colonies there. They had a lot of land there, but it was useless. But the Scots kept settling, despite that.


The Ottomans continued their expansion, as could be expected. Under a few lucky sultans, they took Egypt and began to move across the northern part of Africa. By the end of the century, though, they were done with expansion in Africa until the 19th century. In the late part of that century, they turned their attention to Arabia, working down the coasts, adding the interiors as vassals, a process that was not finished until after 1800. They also fought a few wars against the Germans, who were attempting to reclaim Rome for the Pope.


A decline of a major state also occurred during this century. For centuries, China, the Middle Kingdom, had been a major power, though it had little outside influence in recent years. In 1632, the Ming Emperor, considered incompetant, was overthrown by a Manchurian nobleman from the north. The new Qing dynasty attempted to conquer all of China, but governments loyal to the old Ming Emperor remained in the south. This group was called the Southern Ming, and their leader was based in Guangzhao. The Southern Ming kept up the fight until around 1690, when a truce was agreed to after near 60 years of fighting.


The islands to the east, collectively known as Japan, had a bad century. Since the 1500s, Europeans had been trading. However, in the 1640s, Japanese Shoguns thought acquiring European firearms would be a good thing. They were wrong. They merely invited European colonialism. Proxy-fighting as part of the Wars of Religion reached Japan, where, by 1700, almost the entire population was Christian. The Scots managed to take the north with the assistance of the Tartary Company. From there, they expanded into Siberia.

1700s:
The early 1700s managed to keep the peace seen after the Treaty of Warsaw. Fighting in Europe was nearly nonexistant between nations, though there was a bit of internal strife between religious groups, especially in Burgundy, where the majority follow Thomsonism, including the King. However, with Catholics on both sides, there is a large minority, which makes some dispute.


War broke out in 1749 over some little thing between the Holy Roman Empire and the United Kingdoms, which had now acquired Transylvania. The Polish called their Burgundian allies, tied through religion, and the common dynasty of Burgundy-Ostroda. The Holy Romans then called in the French, English, and Castilo-Portuguese, who found themselves at war with the Scots and Irish. Five years of war later, peace came. The Castilo-Portuguese found themselves handing over the Mississippi Colony to the Burgundians, who had overrun it early in the war. The Burgundians then gave it to the United Kingdoms as a sign of goodwill, but also because the Burgundians didnt want to overextend themselves. The Holy Romans also managed to acquire the Irish southern Ringmannian colony, and the French managed to acquire most of the Scottish colony. However, they only annexed the south, figuring the north was useless.


Since the war, the balance of power in Europe has changed only slightly. England and France broke their long-standing alliance with colonial warfare in Japan and Ringmannia. This has turned France towards Scotland, meaning England may need to seek new allies.


In 1757, the most important event of the 18th century occured. After the Five Years War, the northern Ringmannian colonies of the Atlantic Seaboard, well developed, faced new taxes and tariffs. Inter-colonial groups tired of this, and revolution broke out in that year. In 6 years, the colonies from New Ireland in the north to Fleuria in the south had revolted, creating a new state called the United Republics.


The United Republics is a confederation of 15 Republics, each with a good deal of self-determination. The Republics, however, share a common government, which meets at Libertyville/Libertéville/Saioerthecathair. Obviously, there are quite a few languages used, but French is used in the government. The radical Republicanism seen amongst the lower classes, and a revival of greco-roman architecture, military traditions, and even religions is a little creepy to European absolute monarchs. Religion is actually quite interesting here. Before the revolution, Catholicism and various forms of Anti-Papism were the majority, with non-practitioners being Jews. However, the Revolution saw worship of the Roman and Greek gods return. Nobody was quite sure why. After the war, the Society of the Cinncinnati, a club for former soldiers was established, and Mithraism spread through that group. The United Republics, as said before, are belligerent to perceived monarchist threats. The military remains large to the present day, especially after Castilo-Aragonese privateers became a big deal off New Ireland for a few years in the 1760s. Currently, the UR is under the rule of Consul Andrew O'Brian, the first Consul to have not fought in the War of Liberation.


To their west there are no allies for the United Republics. The Mississippi Colony, now Polish, is still ruled by Iberians, though many have Polish wives. The planters who dominate the government there are disliked by the UR for being "too patrician". There is also the New Israel colony, carved out of Mississippi by a Polish King who wanted the Jews out of the homeland for some reason. Jews are pissed at being there, and Christians are pissed at being in a Jewish country. Its really sort of a screwed up place, though the Jews have managed to convert some of the Comanche, who now speak a mix of Yiddish and Comanche. North of them are the Viejedor states. These were former lower class Mississippians who left the area after Polish rule came. These guys managed to set up Republics in the mountains and near the Great Lakes, and are disliked by the UR for being "anti-cosmopolitan". There are also native Ringmannians. At least there were. The UR, despite being a "state by the people, and for the people", apparently has a definition of people that does not include the natives. Consequently, there was a vast movement of them into what is now the native protectorate. Obviously, the UR and Castilo-Portugal do not get along well, and the Castilo-Portuguese have managed to use the natives against the UR. Conflict is brewing in the land known as Uysconsin (Wisconsin).


Like in previous centuries, the Ottomans have expanded, continuing movement into Africa, but, they are not the nation they used to be. Ottoman armies are worse, their rulers more corrupt, and recent fighting against the Persians has not always ended in victory.


China has gotten worse. The Qing resumed their attacks against the Southern Ming in the 1730s, but were met with Ming armies that had European weapons. However, Qing numbers managed to break the Ming. After the Ming defeat at Nanjing in 1745, the Ming state broke out into civil war. The various warlord factions that now rule there are often supplied by the Europeans.


European fears were proven correct in 1769 when Breton nationalists declared independence, creating the Breton Republic in 1773, inspired by the United Republics. The new Republic proved not as radical as the Ringmannian United Republics, but still, it shows a new age is upon the world.


As the year 1800 begins, there is kindling to begin a raging fire and there are new inventions coming out of Burgundy that will change the world. But what will happen next?