Hail, Britannia
- Thread starter LeinadB93
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LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
As a resident of OTL's Clarksburg, I can't wait for the infobox on Virginia...and Carolina, too
Is the culture of those two dominions recognizable to OTL American Southerners? Or do they more resemble some area of OTL England?
Carolina is probably the most recognisable to OTL Southerners, although in many ways it stands apart from the rest of Britain-in-America. It's still probably the most religious part of the U.K.E. and culturally and socially it's still a very stratified society.
Regarding sport, I was going to do a short post here answering your question. But as I got into it I realised I could do alot more about Sport in the U.K.E. So stay tuned for that post later today
Thanks
As outlined wth Nassouwen, the Province of New York City and Long Island was the rump remnants of the Province of New York in 1866. Politically It's dominanted by the centre-left Democratic Party, and the centrist Renew New York. Then there's the conservative socialist Non-Partisan League, the populist People's Voice and the progressive Working Families.
The Kennedys are around. They hold the title Duke of Barnstable in the Peerage of America, and are hereditary memebrs of the Imperial Council. JFK served as an Imperial Cabinet member under Pierre Trudeau, whilst RFK was First Minister of New England (1968-1981), then raised to the peerage as a Viscount. The current head of the family is Caroline Kennedy, 5th Duchess of Barnstable, who is currently the British Ambassador to the Empire of Japan.
Thanks
My thinking is that when you look at the OTL British Empire, many regional languages have survived to to the present day. French in Canada, Maori in New Zealand, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish (the later two are debatable). Whereas in America most of the regional variants, Louisiana French, New York Dutch, Midwest German, have vanished into the great melting pot of American culture.
ITTL I'm working on the principle that there is still a singular "British" identity that everyone buys into, but regional and linguistic variations are preserved and celebrated. There's a bit of handwavng going on in Nova Scotia, Florida and New York to get a stronger and longer lasting Gaelic, Spanish and Dutch population. Then the French more heavily settle the Ohio Country, and have a longer lasting presence in Louisiana giving two more Francophone regions (Acadiana and Detroit).
Most of these groups would probably also be mostly fluent English speakers as well, although I imagine Florida and Puerto Rico would be like OTL Puerto Rico, with only about 30% of the population speaking English fluently.
In conclusion, I'm assuming situations evolve similar to Canada post-Manitoba Schools Question. English is pushed as the official language nationwide, and in new settlements, but no attempt is made to anglicise existing non-Anglophone populations. However we still get Aboriginal language speakers in the Ohio Country and Louisiana, as well as German and Nordic-language speakers in Minnesota and Dakota (part of Missouri).
Hope this answers your question
As has been mentioned earlier this is not meant to be "Hard" Alternate History, so some areas will be radically different whereas others will be more similar to OTL. My early plans for the Soviets are that much of their history is as OTL, except in WW2 with China as the enemy rather than Japan, the Far Eastern Front is siginifcantly fiercer, and lasts longer than the War in Europe. This "exhausts" the Soviets enough to leave Europe (except the Baltics, Yugoslavia (minus Croatia & Slovenia), Albania and Czechoslavakia) free of Communism, although Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria are de facto aligned with the Warsaw Pact. Fast forward to the semi-collapse of the pact in the 1990s (reorganised as the CSTO) the USSR avoids the August Coup and the New Union Treay is a success, and the country becomes the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics.
Modern day the Soviets, Brits and Europeans have come to a somewhat uneasy agreement over EU expansion into Eastern Europe. Relations are cordial, but definitely better than OTL.
All in good time
I'm not an amazing map maker (unless they are election maps) but I've got a few I'm working on. The Ohio Country is very different to the OTL region.
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Thank you very much for the answer, the idea of these languages surviving in North America like this is fascinating, and one I've never seen before. Also have the Soveits fully democratised. And I'm very excited for the Ohio country. Sound like mix of Aboriginal people's and French and British settlers. I'm looking forward to that info box. Keep up the amazing work.
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
I'll be honest I have planned them out. I'd sort of assumed that most provinces of Columbia would be very similar to the federal politics. Centre-left Progressive Liberals versus centre-right Conservatives.
If you have any thoughts on it I'd be more than happy to hear them
There's the possibility of Dutch communities near New York and Swedish communities in southwestern Jersey.I'll be honest I have planned them out. I'd sort of assumed that most provinces of Columbia would be very similar to the federal politics. Centre-left Progressive Liberals versus centre-right Conservatives.
If you have any thoughts on it I'd be more than happy to hear them
All in good time
I must say, your election maps do look pretty bloody awesome, may I ask how you make them/what programme you use? Loving the timeline btw, subscribed the moment I read the first post!!
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
That's certainly a possibility, although both Bergen and Hudson counties are part of NYC-LI. I sort of imagined that there would be an arc of small Dutch settlements through New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland that are in a state of semi-permanent decline. Although there are some small Swedish communities in southwestern New Jersey, the bulk of the British Nordic-speaking populations reside in the Missourian provinces of Minnesota and Dakota. I have something interesing (I hope) planned for them
Thanks
I use Inkscape actually.
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
Not 100% sure on that TBH...
I had considered Dmitry Medvedev of the centre-right Democratic Party.
Texan Presidential Elections
Lyndon Johnson def. Bill Blakley
John Connally def. Jack Campbell and Frances Farenthold
Bill Clements def. Henry Gonzales
Lloyd Bentsen def. Harrison Schmitt
J. Fife Symington def. Toney Anaya
Ann Richards def. H. Ross Perot, Clayton Williams, Bob Stump, and José Ángel Gutierrez
Kay Bailey Hutchison def. Tony Sanchez
Rick Perry def. Tom Udall
Susana Martinez def. Chris Bell
Lyndon Johnson def. Bill Blakley
John Connally def. Jack Campbell and Frances Farenthold
Bill Clements def. Henry Gonzales
Lloyd Bentsen def. Harrison Schmitt
J. Fife Symington def. Toney Anaya
Ann Richards def. H. Ross Perot, Clayton Williams, Bob Stump, and José Ángel Gutierrez
Kay Bailey Hutchison def. Tony Sanchez
Rick Perry def. Tom Udall
Susana Martinez def. Chris Bell
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2013 Iranian coup d'état
A snapshot from abroad:
The 2013 Iranian coup d'état took place in July of 2013, and was the fifth coup in Iran since the Constitutional Revolution of 1905. On 7 July 2013, elements of the Iranian Armed Forces and National Police, led by General Qasem Soleimani, overthrew the elected government of Iran, led by Prime Minister Mohammad Reza Aref. Aref, whose reformist government had been suffering from defections and instability, was taken into custody, and the Iranian Majlis was dissolved. Upon the dissolution of the Majlis, the military formed the Iranian Stability and Rejuvenation Council, which declared its intent to "restore the strength and glory of the Imperial State". The Council suspended civil liberties, declared a nationwide curfew, and began arresting hundreds of pro-democratic activists and politicians. Shah Reza II quickly affirmed the coup (the second to have occurred during his rule), tacitly approving of the anti-dissident crackdown. While the coup was mostly bloodless, street fighting between police and protesters, along with several firefights between various elements of the police and armed forces, claimed several dozen lives. The Lim government harshly condemned the coup and imposed sanctions on the new government. In 2015, Foreign Secretary David Miliband met with Soleimani to discuss the possibility of sanctions relief, contingent on reform and the resumption of free elections. These talks have stalled, but the junta has announced plans for a referendum on maintaining military rule, scheduled for 2018.
The 2013 Iranian coup d'état took place in July of 2013, and was the fifth coup in Iran since the Constitutional Revolution of 1905. On 7 July 2013, elements of the Iranian Armed Forces and National Police, led by General Qasem Soleimani, overthrew the elected government of Iran, led by Prime Minister Mohammad Reza Aref. Aref, whose reformist government had been suffering from defections and instability, was taken into custody, and the Iranian Majlis was dissolved. Upon the dissolution of the Majlis, the military formed the Iranian Stability and Rejuvenation Council, which declared its intent to "restore the strength and glory of the Imperial State". The Council suspended civil liberties, declared a nationwide curfew, and began arresting hundreds of pro-democratic activists and politicians. Shah Reza II quickly affirmed the coup (the second to have occurred during his rule), tacitly approving of the anti-dissident crackdown. While the coup was mostly bloodless, street fighting between police and protesters, along with several firefights between various elements of the police and armed forces, claimed several dozen lives. The Lim government harshly condemned the coup and imposed sanctions on the new government. In 2015, Foreign Secretary David Miliband met with Soleimani to discuss the possibility of sanctions relief, contingent on reform and the resumption of free elections. These talks have stalled, but the junta has announced plans for a referendum on maintaining military rule, scheduled for 2018.
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
FleetMac asked me a similar question here:
I'd imagined that TTL's version of the Trans-Atlantic accent has become the accepted norm for the U.K.E. by which I mean it is the accent expected on news broadcasts, the stereotypical accent in films and television and probably the accent of the Royal and Imperial Family as well. Most mainstream Imperial-level politicians would probably try and cultivate the accent as well. Though dominion-level dialects and accents are still going strong and are in fact how the majority of the population actually speak! In terms of spelling though, it is dominated by OTL British spelling, except Missouri (and maybe Carolina) which I've decided to give OTL American just as a little quirk.
So although the "mainstream" of British culture speaks roughly the same accent, at the ground level there is a wide variety of accents and cadences. From Australian and English to Carolinian and Columbian
To wit, the BBC standard would resemble something like FDR or Vincent Price's accent, but each constituent country would have their own dialect(s) just like OTL.
Sport in the United Empire
LeinadB93
Monthly Donor
Well this ended up being significantly longer than I expected! It kind of got away from me slightly, and I realise there are a lot of sports that I didn't cover. If there's one in particularly that anyone would like to see that I missed just let me know and I'll try and add it in
EDIT: Credit to @BrianD for the ice hockey and basketball suggestions.
The United Kingdom and Empire has given birth to a range of major international sports including: association football, rugby football (union and league) and cricket, as well as some less internationally known, such as: gridiron football, baseball, Australian football, Imperial football and the various Gaelic games.
This has meant that in many of these international sports the U.K.E. is not represented as a singular entity, but instead by the national teams of its constituent countries. Some sports are represented on an all-Empire basis, and occasionally a combined team representing multiple dominions will compete at a high-profile event.
Association football, more commonly known as football or, rarely, soccer, is today the highest profile professional sport in Empire by a very wide margin. Association football emerged as a unified sport with a set of rules in the mid-19th century in England, with the oldest team being Sheffield F.C. in Yorkshire. As the most popular sport in the Empire, association football has a presence in virtually every dominion. Each dominion has their own league, and teams tend not to play in other leagues outside their home nation.
Internationally the Empire does not compete as a single entity, instead each dominion field their own team. The British Home Championship, which has been played annually since 1884, is an association football competition contested between the national teams of the U.K.E. The most successful team is England, although Florida is not far behind.
Association football is commonly played as a social sport across the entire Empire, usually amongst groups of men based around places of work or local areas, often with loosely organised teams and leagues. Typically these matches take place over the weekend and are followed by a trip to the local pub.
Gridiron football, also known as British American football, is a form of football primarily played in the nations along the East Coast of Britain-in-America. Gridiron football developed in the late 19th century out of rugby football and association football, with the first match being played on 6 November 1869 between the two university teams of Rutgers and Princeton. It is distinguished from other football codes by its use of hard plastic helmets and shoulder pads, the forward pass, the system of downs amongst others.
Although played by teams across the Empire, and growing in popularity amongst the millennial generation, the main areas where gridiron football is played is on the East Coast of Britain-in-America, namely New England, Columbia, Virginia and Carolina, as well as to a lesser degree in Canada and the Ohio Country, although it also a popular sport in Texas and California. Gridiron is most commonly played at the college/university level due to safety concerns around young players.
Unlike other sports, gridiron football has no organised imperial-level tournament or national teams, although the entire U.K.E. does compete internationally as a single entity. However the Six Nations Championships is the major tournament for gridiron, and takes place annually between the six nations where it is most popular (New England, Columbia, Virginia, Carolina, Texas and California).
Rugby football is a full contact sport divided into two codes, rugby union and rugby league, which emerged as a single sport in the early 19th century when the first laws were written by pupils at Rugby School in England. Rugby league split off in 1895 over the issue of payments to players, and has gradually changed the law with the aim of producing a faster, more entertaining game.
Rugby union is the more popular of the two, and has spread across the Home Isles, Australasia and Britain-in-America; although in the latter it is played primarily in those dominions where gridiron is less popular, such as Missouri, Oregon and the Ohio Country. Rugby league is a popular sport in Northern England, the Australian state of Queensland, New Zealand and across Louisiana. Both codes have imperial-level tournaments, the Home Nations and the Amateur Home Nations which take place every year.
Baseball emerged as a modern sport in New England during the early 19th century and was spread across the north of Britain-in-America by settlers and soldiers heading west during and after the Republican Rebellion. Although two competing versions of the game existed; Massachusetts and New York, the latter won out and formed the basis of the modern rules. Baseball is predominantly played in New England, Columbia and the Ohio Country, but there are prominent teams in Canada, Missouri and Oregon.
Softball or rounders is a variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. It is debated whether softball emerged from baseball or baseball emerged from rounders. Regardless softball and rounders have become two names for the same sport, the modern form of which was established in 1887 in Chicago. Originally an indoor sport, the game is now commonly played outdoors and is popular across the whole Empire mainly amongst school children as a semi-competitive sport.
Cricket can be traced back to Tudor times in later 16th century England and has evolved over the centuries to become the modern game, and is very popular across the entire Empire. Cricket was played in the British American colonies by the start of the 18th century, but its popularity amongst the growing aristocracy increased when Frederick, Prince of Chesapeake, exiled son of King George II and future King-Emperor, and his family arrived in Virginia in 1738. An avid supporter of the sport, Frederick encouraged it amongst his Court-in-Exile of colonial notables.
Although it was displaced in northern Britain-in-America by the growth of baseball, cricket became very popular amongst the societies of colonial Virginia, Carolina and Louisiana as a way of emulating the Home Isles. Today it remains incredibly popular in those three nations, and has made inroads into other parts of Britain-in-America, however the most surprising place to play cricket in North America is Texas. Anglo-American settlers brought the sport with them as they moved into Mexican territory and southern American soldiers solidified its popularity during the Mexican War.
Australian football is a contact sport most commonly played in the Pacific dominions that evolved out of both association and rugby football. First played in Melbourne in the mid-19th century, the rules of Australian football were first codified in 1859 and it has since grown to become the national sport of Australia, and it is widely played in both Westralia and New Zealand as well, although Tasmania has shown a recent trend of changing to association football.
Although brought to the Home Isles and Britain-in-America during the Second World War, Australian football has failed to catch on outside of its traditional homeland, a fate attributed to the already popular sports of association, rugby and gridiron football. However it is still played by a few amateur clubs across the Empire. There is no imperial-level tournament or national teams, and the most popular competition is the State of Origin which takes place every year between teams from the Australian states, New Zealand, Westralia and the territory of Ararat.
Gaelic sports, such as football, hurling and handball, have seen a growth in popularity across parts of the Empire over the late-20th century, tied in some cases to the rise of regionalist pride. Particularly prominent in Ireland, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, Gaelic sports are also played to a lesser extent in Scotland, the Ohioan constituent states of West Connecticut and Sciotoshire, and Oregon.
Imperial football, commonly known as Britannic football or Commonwealth football, is an original hybrid sport formed during the Second World War in Australia when Australian football, gridiron football and rugby football playing servicemen created the game in order to be able to play against one another. It is a purely amateur sport, usually played as a secondary game by new players of other types of football.
Basketball is a non-contact team sport played with five players on each team. The modern game emerged in the 1890s when it was invented by James Naismith, originally from Ontario, Canada, who taught in Massachusetts, New England and later Kansas, Missouri where he introduced the game.
Since then the game has evolved into the modern 5-on-5 variety played today. Basketball is contested as a winter sport, with seasons generally beginning in November and ending in March/April. Missouri is considered to be the birthplace of modern basketball, although it has grown in popularity across Britain-in-America, and other strongholds of the game include Virginia, Carolina, the Ohio Country and Oregon. It is also very prevalent in the nations of Texas and California.
Ice hockey is derived from the stick-and-ball games played throughout Europe, including the British Isles, which came over with soldiers and immigrants to Britain-in-America in the early 19th-century. Early games were played on ice and snow in modern Canada and New England.
The game began to evolve into its present form as the 19th century progressed, but the birthplace of modern ice hockey is generally considered to be Montreal, Quebec. The first indoor game was played in Montreal in 1875, and two years later the first ice hockey clubs were formed and the first official rules written.
The sport professionalised in the early 1900s, and eventually developed into today's domestic competitions and pyramids. Domestic leagues play from October through April; champions then move on to the continent-wide Stanley Cup competition in May, culminating in a best-of-seven championship series in June.
Every British American dominion, alongside California and Texas, has professional and amateur clubs. Generally, the sport is very popular in northern Brtain-in-America (Canada, Newfoundland, New England, Columbia, Ohio Country, Oregon, Missouri), and less popular in the southern dominions. Even so, there are southern and western 'hotbeds' of ice hockey (Dallas, Houston, Charlotte, Nashville, Tampa, Huntsville, Los Angeles, San Francisco).
Something else to note is the existence of the Home Nations Games, also known as the British Empire Games, held every four years between the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games. Every Home Nation sends separate teams and it is often used as a way of selecting athletes for inclusion in the Great Britannia team at the Olympics the following year.
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Awesome sports coverage, Lei! I'm intrigued by Imperial football, I wonder what the rules of it would be but a gridiron-rugby game sounds like my idea of a good time.
I'm assuming Texas still enjoys gridiron as well as cricket? Also, Sciotoshire sounds like an interesting part of Ohio Country, that place sounds curious and curiouser the more we see of it!
I'm assuming Texas still enjoys gridiron as well as cricket? Also, Sciotoshire sounds like an interesting part of Ohio Country, that place sounds curious and curiouser the more we see of it!
I'm assuming basketball and hockey never really took off in the Commonwealth.
List of teams in the Texas Cricket League:
List of teams in the Texas Cricket League:
- Houston Buffaloes
- Phoenix Diamondbacks
- San Antonio Missions
- Dallas Rangers
- Albuquerque Dons
- Sonora Vaqueros
- Beaumont Dockers
- Odessa Roughnecks
- Tucson Saguaros
- Harlingen White Wings