Part #4: The Isle of Rogues
Part #4: The Isle of Rogues
“As to mother to daughter, as to father to son. If Humanity is vile, cruel, and terrible at their hearts, then let me plainly say my heresy: God is vile, cruel, and terrible at His heart.”
“It is admittedly ironic that a great period of chaos and lack of control led to a period of increasing centralization in New England. The colonial governments had preferred autonomy to one another, and this partially derived itself from logistics; a lack of infrastructure, danger of natives, and general distance between settlements had all served as deterrents to greater unification. However, the aftermath of the First Metacom War changed things.
The devastation it had brought to the colonies led to most of the colonies barely able to limp along to survival. By uniting, common policy and trade was coordinated, especially as the more western and southern regions experienced a poor harvest, and eastern regions lost valuable trade hubs. And with the native threat (at least for the seeming immediate future) neutered, movement of needed goods brought needed profits. Initially, there was resistance to a singular New English colony, but soon enough the benefits became desired, especially when a New Hampshire group brought food to the New Haven region, as captured Benjamin Gillard’s The Charity of Union, and of course commemorated in the modern New English holiday of the Charity Festival [2].
But it was not merely the political organization of New England that began to unify. At first, it was merely a case of a uniting message; congregations across the region began to believe, truly believe, that God had sent disease to save them. They believed that God’s wrath had been turned on the heathen natives and that in doing so they had been spared. That is, of course, a simplification, one established by a modern day perspective. But this isn’t necessarily an untrue way of viewing things. If any pastors were delivering helliads [3] of God’s displeasure, they were quickly dismissed by those preaching hope and favor. While it would take several years, the first meeting of the Greater Congregation of New England occurred in 1681 in Plymouth.
While the details remain unknown to this day, due in large part to the Greater Congregations refusal to release early transcripts and records of their meetings, even those from centuries ago, what came from this first meeting would prove significant, if not immediately. Initially, it seems that an agreed message was sent out to various churches across New England, and a general encouragement of charity towards fellow New Englishmen as the colonies rebuilt. But in 1682, a second meeting was held, on the same day, in an apparent agreement of what would become a routine annual event. At this meeting, the Greater Congregation issued its first edict, from which it received its name, calling for the “greater congregation that is the people of the United Colony of New England” to work in solidarity to help one another rebuild. The group also took control of the coordination of new praying towns. That they also gave orders to the Rangers and wilders to intentionally harm non-converting novans through over-hunting their forests and even salting fields is officially denied, despite several sources to the contrary.
It wouldn’t be until 1698 that the organization would formalize, but by that point, it had become the most respected religious group in New England. Truthfully, within only a few years it had achieved that goal. The New English government, young as it was, was ultimately dominated by those who held the Greater Congregation’s opinion above all others [4]. However, it ought to be noted that at this point in history, the group was not considered a church in its own right. Instead, it was, at least in all reports to England, a simple yearly meeting of notable Puritan pastors to discuss colonial issues. As such it was written off by the Crown, and the few Parliamentarians attempting to spur on ideas of a Puritan conspiracy only cared about Puritans that remained in England; soon enough, other events would occupy the government’s mind besides the activities of a few colonial theologians...”
“In truth, it was inevitable that colonists of Rhode Island would find themselves at odds with the rest of New England. In 1636, their founder, Roger Williams established the Providence Plantation at the tip of Narragansett Bay, on land leased to him by the bay’s eponymous tribe. This was, however, after he was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His religious views were the cause for that banishment, and he had Providence declared a place of religious tolerance and freedom. As one can derive, this didn’t sit well with the Puritans of New England.
Outlandish tales of synagogues and mosques and even pagan temples, alongside altars to novan gods have little grounding in realityt [5], but the image is one that has pervaded in the New English mind of what Rhode Island was like. That they had less than fifty years of actual existence already dismisses such fantasy, let alone the other fallacies of logic the tale includes. But the ultimate lesson of the fable does remain; at their cores, Rhode Island and New England held differing beliefs as they were formed.
The actions of both the newly united colonial government and the English government didn’t help either. The First Metacom War had wounded Rhode Island as it had any other colony, but though ultimately the bulk of the proper fighting had occurred there, and though when Metacom’s army was broken, deserters had hit the colony, it came away relatively intact. And yet they did not join the call for unity with their neighbors. Instead, Rhode Island remained a separate, if disorganized entity. With Providence still damaged, some local towns and settlements were effectively without rule, but the size and culture of the community had meant that most viewed the rest of New England as distinct from them.
The New English Commission debated at its first proper meeting over the region's status; whether its sovereignty was to be respected, whether it should be occupied and integrated, or whether it should be cut off from trade and pressured into integration. The idealists, who viewed New England as an idea worth protecting, expanding, and championing, who saw it as the only means of survival, saw Rhode Island as an obstacle in their path. Their usual opponents, traditionalists who saw the United Colony as an informal confederation at best, and despised attempts at centralization, were actually harmonized with them, viewing Rhode Island as a nation of outcasts that had their punishment long coming.
But no agreement was reached on just what exactly to do, and the topic was tabled for another meeting in 1681, and the same thing happened, tabling it until 1682. By that point, Rhode Island saw its own population grow as criminals and social outcasts, once able to cross colonial boundaries, now made their way into Rhode Island after the agreement by the New English provinces to actively maintain communications on warrants and banishments [6]. Settling in to Rhode Islander communities under assumed names was safer and simpler. The Providence government would deny knowledge of these people, building resentment. That could have been the end of it, a small haven of outcasts that traded sporadically with the rest of the colony, but then word hit Providence of the Greater Congregation.
The idea of the religious radicals around them organizing like a proper church in themselves would have irked Rhode Islanders plenty, but it was Tynsdale the was the final straw. On paper, Tynsdale [7] was a standard praying town, organized to convert natives near the Massachusetts Bay-Rhode Island border. But, the town officially declared itself a part of Massachusetts Bay Province, despite its territory crossing the border. Additionally, the Puritan group that arrived to establish the town also made a point to proselytize in nearby Providence, and successfully convinced several people to move to their village alongside novans. Taken separately, this all seems like nothing of too much importance; a single township infringing on an admittedly vague border, some people freely choosing the mainline Puritan faith, and some then moving away. But when taken all together, the rumors churned Tynsdale into something sidious. Ideas flitted about, of a plot by the New English to chip away at Rhode Island’s already small territory, to poison their people with radicalism and intolerance, and to siphon away workers and farmers, all as a means of eventually forcing their unification. In response was the creation of the first of Rhode Island’s anti-Puritan militias; the Pawtucket Volunteers...”
“The Sacking of Tynsdale could not officially be blamed on the Pawtucket Volunteers, due to a lack of evidence and most of them having their claim of drinking in tavern outside Providence validated by witnesses; furthermore, even if they were guilty, the attack was technically on the Rhodean side of the border, given the town had grown further westward [8]. This was the reasoning given by the Rhode Island authorities who refused to allow the group to be arrested and sent to Massachusetts Bay. The Massachusite outrage was large, and it wasn’t long before a militia of young Puritan men formed, dubbing themselves the Baymen, and entered Rhode Island, intent on taking the Pawtucket Volunteers from their home town. Whether by fate, chance, or divine will, the Volunteers had just been on their way out for a hunt when the Baymen arrived.
Even in the modern day, accounts differ. Some claim the Baymen, unprepared to face the armed Volunteers, attempted a retreat into the forest, where their fewer guns would matter less. Others hold that it was the Volunteers who retreated, hoping to scatter in the forest rather than take any risk of capture. And of course, if one espouses one opinion, proponents of the other will accuse you of tarnishing the legacy of the ones you accuse of cowardice, and will then angrily argue for the other side [9]. But regardless of how it happened, the ‘battle’ ignited in the forest, and by the time it ended, only three men were left alive: two Volunteers, neither of whom had been members at the time of the sacking, and one Bayman. To Rhodeans it was a victory against invaders. To the Massachusites, it was also a victory, given all the supposed criminals were slain.
While border skirmishes of such magnitude would not happen for some time, the affair sparked a series of small events, namely accusations of hunters on both sides killing others as to gain the entire hunting ground for themselves, and cases of violent ‘toll collectors’ along transit routes in either direction. Word of this eventually reached England, and the King was asked for his opinion on the issue. Following the First Metacom War, the King had a general distaste for colonial affairs, given the cost rebuilding had become and how tedious the process was [10]. That he agreed to allow the unification of New England purely because it would make things simpler is not entirely a satirical comment. He had also, at the behest of several advisors, denied the William Penn’s petition for a colonial charter, and instead he and others of the Friends Church were directed to Maryland, and Maryland’s northern claims were extended along with those of New York and New Jersery, with Penn as co-propietor of this region, the hope being to foster the growth of a few prosperous colonies rather than a multitude of failing ones.
But, on this occasion, the King was seemingly outraged, and firmly on the side of the Puritans, holding that the refusal to hand over the Volunteers had led to the skirmish, and that Tynsdale had been rightful territory of Massachusetts Bay. And so, with a Royal decree, the charter of Rhode Island was declared null, and the territory was ceded to the United Colony of New England, which promptly established it initially as the Province of Rhode Island, and later as the Province of Tynsdale [11], the name change of course coming from the desire to erase Rhode Island and its legacy…”
“Alright, who can tell me one of the things that makes the Second Metacom War different from the first? Anyone? Anyone at all? Come on, folks, there a no wrong answers except the ones that are incorrect. Yes, Samuel?”
“Uhm...It was bigger?”
“No partial credit, Mr. Tannen; what made it ‘bigger’?”
“Uh, there were more novan tribes involved. And, there was Rhode Island.”
“There we go! Alright, can anyone else tell me either more about Samuel’s point or something else that makes the Second Metacom War distinct from the first? Janet?”
“There was foreign instigation. And on Sam’s answer, it was the only one of the wars with colonists fighting each other and tribals, but a lot of people count the Rhode Island Riots[12] as separate from the war.”
“Very good, Miss Walker. Anyone else want to add on before I begin writing this down and lecturing outright? Tell you what; anyone who can name the major novan group that was involved in the Second Metacom War gets bonus marks...Hugh?”
“The Hodeno [12].”
“Thank you, Mister Deckard. And I always appreciate your lack of enthusiasm.
Alright, so we have our four combatants. New England, versus Rhode Island, the Metacomans, and the Hodeno. But to say it was the Hodeno isn’t entirely accurate. The Hodeno were a confederation of tribes, and the only two that actually fought the New English were the Onyeita [13] and the Kanyenka, or Mohawk as you might know them, Daniel. For those of you that don’t know, the ‘Dutch Mohawk’ he’s sporting is a hairstyle that comes from the Hodeno [14]. But there. Oh wait! There is one or two more group we can add, although the were more attacked than attacking. More bonus marks for whoever can name both. Don’t lift your arm if you know only one of them………Mikhail? Do you think you know?”
“Yes, teacher. New York and the Rog—er, Maryland. Other colonies of the English.”
“Correct! I’ll have to write all your names down so I don’t forget to enter these into the books. Alright so allow me to just get those two colonies down over here to the side. Excellent. I see you’ve all been doing your readings. So, Janet mentioned foreign involvement. Specifically it was the French, or rather the Acadians, who agreed to supply goods and weapons to novans that had moved north of New English settlements, where many of Metacom’s allies had fled, plotting revenge. Now some think the Metacom that led them was the same Metacom, that reports of his death were never confirmed [15]. Others think it was a pretender, using his name to rally the novans. That really doesn’t matter though, just remember there was some doubt.
“So the Acadians are supplying them, encouraging them to attack the New English again. Why? Because no matter what, the French profit. Be that from the weakening of the English, or the weakening of the novans, who would have to buy from them more and more. In 1683, feeling ready to either win or die fighting, the Second Metacom War began. Now at first, the Metacomans had an advantage, being that the New English thought that they were safe from novans for a while longer. But once the Rangers [16] were ready for action again, things started turning quickly. The success of the Rangers is something you read about. Zipora? You think you know?”
“Well the Rangers kicked arse in the First War, and once New England was formed, the colonies were way better at strategic coordination. Plus the Rangers got more novans from the praying towns, and a lot of them were from formerly Metacoman tribes too, so they knew their tactics.”
“Good, good. Exactly what I wanted to hear. So what went wrong? Why wasn’t the war over by Christmas? I’ll tell you, no need to have your arms up. It was those Hodeno tribes. Sometimes ‘Hohdeno’ with an h. Now the inclusion of the Hodeno was accidental. Kanyenka scouts had heard about another war and had gone ahead to see what was going on. Had they encountered a Ranger unit, maybe things would’ve been different. But instead, they met militia, who thought they were Metacomans. A few corpses later, and the Kanyenka leadership is demanding war. Most of the Hodeno disagree, seeing it as too large a risk, spooked by stories told to them by Metacomans who had journeyed to their lands. That the most bitter of those refugees had settled with Kanyenka to act as a sort of vanguard also influenced opinions with that tribe. The Onyeita, however, agreed with them, and the pair agreed to wage war, but the rest of the Hodeno remained neutral [17]. Their mistake was assuming that the New English would understand that the two members of their Confederation were acting independently. But that comes later. [18]
“Now the New English weren’t the only ones who acted in ignorance. The Kanyenka assumed that colonies of England as a whole were against the Metacomans. And what was a nearby colony they could strike? New York. But first they had to deal with the Delaware Lenape [19], novans who lived along the Delaware river. The Lenape denied aiding the Hodeno, saying they had let their war band trounce through their territory out of fear, but there’s more than a few scholars who think the Lenape gave them food and supplies, happy to let another tribe give the colonists hell while they remained an innocent party.
“Now you read about the raids and eventually the Burning of New York City. I won’t bore you with the details. But it effectively destroyed the colony for a while. Not that it was really a successful raid. Everyone died, and really their attack wouldn’t have gone anywhere if someone hadn’t knocked over a lamp and started the fire [20]. But because of that, the trade was slowed, the docks were gone, most of the buildings outside of the original city were ruins, and with most smaller settlements in the colony raided, no real relief was incoming. So what does that mean for some merchants and sailors that lived in New York? It means they’re options are limited. And some saw only one option: piracy. They went down to Maryland and hoped they could hit some fishing villages for food and goods, and either use it themselves or sell it for their own gain. A lot of these people just wanted to take care of their families, but they were pirates all the same…”
“The Metacom Wars were very important for the colony of Maryland and for the nation it would become. In only a few short years, due to the events of the first war in New England, and due to the new colonial policy it had seeded in the English government, the demographics of the colony had changed completely. Once, the number of Puritans had been on a steady climb, Protestants to soon greatly outnumber Catholics, and with that fact had come a rise in religious tensions [21]. However, the Friends Church then entered the mix.
A sizeable population of colonists had come, being of a belief in tolerance and peace. While many settled in the newly expanded Maryland frontier, others settled in townships along the Chesapeake, and William Penn himself purchased property in St. Mary’s City, becoming a prominent part of its political world [22]. The Friends, or ‘Quakers’ as some called them, were soon seen as a neutral party between Catholics and Protestants, resulting in many of them entering government as compromise candidates. During this period, more laws concerning religious tolerance were passed, and the vote was given to all land-owning men, regardless of any religious affiliation. While such language was likely intended to refer to Christians, this meant that, in the future, total religious freedom for non-Christians was a part of the colony’s law.
But, of course, this was not a panacea for the problem of religious tensions. It let things calm down, but ultimately the divides were swimming to the surface again, with the Puritans against the now influential and powerful Friends. But any chance of anti-tolerant rhetoric seizing the day was crushed by the New York brigands. These pirates, seeking sustenance after the burning of their city, raided the shores of Maryland. The effects of these raids, however, were soon mitigated, thanks to the Friends. William Penn himself had championed their careful approach to relations with nearby tribes, and it resulted in enough trade to provide for those hurt by the pirate raids, and the general danger of the times helped create a sense of solidarity, with William Penn and his follower’s standings ever cemented in the Marylander mind as heroes and brothers.
If that didn’t solve the religious societal conflict in Maryland, then the arrival of the Rhodeans did the rest…” [23]
“‘Mary’s arrival was well documented in her journal…’
MARY: The dock smelled like a rotting corpse, and all the people looked like they were unsure whether they to be polite or just show me how unfriendly, cruel, and downtrodden they were. England is just as I pictured it.
‘Her journal is one of the reasons why Mary is one the world’s most well-known and well-studied killers. Essentially, thanks to her consistent, daily entries, Mary is the first well-documented serial killer. And her trail of blood covers England like a flood.’
‘Some believe that it was the death of her family that made Mary snap. However, her own diaries imply heavily that she may have killed her strict and abusive father…’
MARY: After father passed, Joseph and Grandfather Patrick took over his duties, and mother helped him while I looked after Margaret and Peter for her. We were happy. His death was a blessing really, and I was happy, at the time, to know I acted as God’s will.
‘But the family, living somewhere in New England, would fall prey to a novan raid during the First Metacom War. Her eldest brother and grandfather would die defending the women and children, while her mother would be raped and killed. Mary herself was violated but left alive with her younger siblings. But though the three had survived, Mary’s mind certainly hadn’t, by her own admission...after this break.’
[A chipper theme plays as a calm ocean fades into view]
‘Do you like to relax? To feel at ease after a long day's work? Do you need to? Don’t just sigh and wish you could; come and spend a holiday at our sandy beaches. Florida — a haven away from home. Sponsored by the Floridian National Bureau of Tourism.’
[A creeping tune as the words Uncaught & Unsolved shine on screen]
‘Mary and two of her youngest siblings survived a novan raid, but not her sanity, if she had it to begin with…’
MARY: I can still remember. Fingers around tiny necks, little faces turning blue. I almost didn’t. I almost wanted to stop myself. But really, the world is too cruel for innocent creatures. I did for them what any would’ve done if they knew the things I know. I count it a blessing I at least learned to enjoy such things then…
...
‘Once in England, Mary would gain a list of murders to her name of frightening length. [24] She roamed the country, never satisfied to stay in one place for too long, though she eventually made her way back to every major town at least twice. And at every stop, she’d prowl the streets, looking for a kill, and many times, she found it. However, most dismissed the murders, or, due to distance and time, never even knew they were all connected. One of the only cases to ever gain major attention was that of Titus Oates, a vicar who became posthumously notorious for having lied his way into priesthood without a degree [25]. His death was only widely known, however, because though he had been murdered in the usual fashion—a strangling, with posthumous stabbings all over the body—he had been found in a church, corpse devoid of clothing and with a strange, assumedly ‘Satanic’ symbols carved into his forehead. Mary’s diaries tell us that, for the most part…’
MARY: I added the runes on the priest for fun. People of Kent were quite rude; they deserve a good shock when the awaken.”
- Uncaught & Unsolved, test instance
--|--
[1] A posthumous collection of his personal writings from before any of his other books.
[2] Think Thanksgiving but with presents.
[3] Jeremiads
[4] A gross overstatement. They trusted their own pastors and treated them with high regard, and many of those pastors then attended the Greater Congregation. The loyalty is through proxy, not directly.
[5] OTL, the oldest known colonial synagogue was built in Rhode Island in the 1700s
[6] You wouldn’t be banished from all of New England now, but the local government and eventually the people would know who had just been banished from another province.
[7] Named for William Tyndale (also spelled Tynsdale) a Protestant Reformer and a translator of the Bible into English
[8] It helps that the RI courts also recognize the town as their property.
[9] A bit like the US Civil War
[10] Recall that Charles II has still dissolved Parliament before as a political tool and is still a very active monarch
[11] Given Massachusetts Bay’s size, the other provinces sure weren’t going to let them annex RI
[12] The Iroqouis, from their term Haudenosanee. Mentioned them earlier, felt like saving the note for until now
[13] Oneida, from their word for themselves, Onyota'a:ka. OTL term comes from the same, but TTL had a different common transliteration.
[14] The Mohawk (duh), derived from Kanien'kehá:ka, they’re name for themselves. The hairstyle of TTL is an actual style of theirs unlike OTL Algonquin hairstyle, namely a square of hair at the crown, all else shaved/plucked.
[15] Is this a Spartacus reference or a Mandalore one? You decide!
[16] Recall that the Rangers are already a much more prominent and organized group TTL
[17] This has happened before in OTL. The Seven Years’ War and the American Revolution are good examples of a divided Iroqouis.
[18] There is certainly some debate over whether it’s that they didn’t understand, or that they didn’t care.
[19] Another one I don’t think I need to explain.
[20] At least it wasn’t a cow like Chicago!
[21] OTL this culminated in a Protestant uprising that stripped Catholics of their vote and doubled their taxes.
[22] Given Virginia and Carolina’s Anglican backgrounds, Maryland was the logical choice for them to go to.
[23] “Our colony founded on ideals of religious tolerance is gone, where should we go?”
[24] Quick note; Mary is not the only way England is affected by New English returns to England, I just wanted to have a bit of fun with the idea of a serial killer. The very presence of new people, the interactions they’ll have, the impacts (especially the merchants and traders) they’ll have on the economy, the bacteria and pathogens they transmit to other around them, the immense amount of crime an influx of poor frontiersmen (all likely with their own weapons) would cause, all of that is now in play.
[25] We know him as the maker of the Popish Plot. Without him, Tonge only ever writes his own poorly constructed rants against Catholics, and this means far less anti-Catholic hysteria in England at the time, as the pamphlet is never openly circulated and supported by MPs, nor makes it to the King's desk for official investigation. That last part about him lying about a degree is also entirely true OTL.
“As to mother to daughter, as to father to son. If Humanity is vile, cruel, and terrible at their hearts, then let me plainly say my heresy: God is vile, cruel, and terrible at His heart.”
- Xander Cross, Musings of Youth [1]
--|--
“It is admittedly ironic that a great period of chaos and lack of control led to a period of increasing centralization in New England. The colonial governments had preferred autonomy to one another, and this partially derived itself from logistics; a lack of infrastructure, danger of natives, and general distance between settlements had all served as deterrents to greater unification. However, the aftermath of the First Metacom War changed things.
The devastation it had brought to the colonies led to most of the colonies barely able to limp along to survival. By uniting, common policy and trade was coordinated, especially as the more western and southern regions experienced a poor harvest, and eastern regions lost valuable trade hubs. And with the native threat (at least for the seeming immediate future) neutered, movement of needed goods brought needed profits. Initially, there was resistance to a singular New English colony, but soon enough the benefits became desired, especially when a New Hampshire group brought food to the New Haven region, as captured Benjamin Gillard’s The Charity of Union, and of course commemorated in the modern New English holiday of the Charity Festival [2].
But it was not merely the political organization of New England that began to unify. At first, it was merely a case of a uniting message; congregations across the region began to believe, truly believe, that God had sent disease to save them. They believed that God’s wrath had been turned on the heathen natives and that in doing so they had been spared. That is, of course, a simplification, one established by a modern day perspective. But this isn’t necessarily an untrue way of viewing things. If any pastors were delivering helliads [3] of God’s displeasure, they were quickly dismissed by those preaching hope and favor. While it would take several years, the first meeting of the Greater Congregation of New England occurred in 1681 in Plymouth.
While the details remain unknown to this day, due in large part to the Greater Congregations refusal to release early transcripts and records of their meetings, even those from centuries ago, what came from this first meeting would prove significant, if not immediately. Initially, it seems that an agreed message was sent out to various churches across New England, and a general encouragement of charity towards fellow New Englishmen as the colonies rebuilt. But in 1682, a second meeting was held, on the same day, in an apparent agreement of what would become a routine annual event. At this meeting, the Greater Congregation issued its first edict, from which it received its name, calling for the “greater congregation that is the people of the United Colony of New England” to work in solidarity to help one another rebuild. The group also took control of the coordination of new praying towns. That they also gave orders to the Rangers and wilders to intentionally harm non-converting novans through over-hunting their forests and even salting fields is officially denied, despite several sources to the contrary.
It wouldn’t be until 1698 that the organization would formalize, but by that point, it had become the most respected religious group in New England. Truthfully, within only a few years it had achieved that goal. The New English government, young as it was, was ultimately dominated by those who held the Greater Congregation’s opinion above all others [4]. However, it ought to be noted that at this point in history, the group was not considered a church in its own right. Instead, it was, at least in all reports to England, a simple yearly meeting of notable Puritan pastors to discuss colonial issues. As such it was written off by the Crown, and the few Parliamentarians attempting to spur on ideas of a Puritan conspiracy only cared about Puritans that remained in England; soon enough, other events would occupy the government’s mind besides the activities of a few colonial theologians...”
- Raul Paolo, New England: A History
“In truth, it was inevitable that colonists of Rhode Island would find themselves at odds with the rest of New England. In 1636, their founder, Roger Williams established the Providence Plantation at the tip of Narragansett Bay, on land leased to him by the bay’s eponymous tribe. This was, however, after he was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His religious views were the cause for that banishment, and he had Providence declared a place of religious tolerance and freedom. As one can derive, this didn’t sit well with the Puritans of New England.
Outlandish tales of synagogues and mosques and even pagan temples, alongside altars to novan gods have little grounding in realityt [5], but the image is one that has pervaded in the New English mind of what Rhode Island was like. That they had less than fifty years of actual existence already dismisses such fantasy, let alone the other fallacies of logic the tale includes. But the ultimate lesson of the fable does remain; at their cores, Rhode Island and New England held differing beliefs as they were formed.
The actions of both the newly united colonial government and the English government didn’t help either. The First Metacom War had wounded Rhode Island as it had any other colony, but though ultimately the bulk of the proper fighting had occurred there, and though when Metacom’s army was broken, deserters had hit the colony, it came away relatively intact. And yet they did not join the call for unity with their neighbors. Instead, Rhode Island remained a separate, if disorganized entity. With Providence still damaged, some local towns and settlements were effectively without rule, but the size and culture of the community had meant that most viewed the rest of New England as distinct from them.
The New English Commission debated at its first proper meeting over the region's status; whether its sovereignty was to be respected, whether it should be occupied and integrated, or whether it should be cut off from trade and pressured into integration. The idealists, who viewed New England as an idea worth protecting, expanding, and championing, who saw it as the only means of survival, saw Rhode Island as an obstacle in their path. Their usual opponents, traditionalists who saw the United Colony as an informal confederation at best, and despised attempts at centralization, were actually harmonized with them, viewing Rhode Island as a nation of outcasts that had their punishment long coming.
But no agreement was reached on just what exactly to do, and the topic was tabled for another meeting in 1681, and the same thing happened, tabling it until 1682. By that point, Rhode Island saw its own population grow as criminals and social outcasts, once able to cross colonial boundaries, now made their way into Rhode Island after the agreement by the New English provinces to actively maintain communications on warrants and banishments [6]. Settling in to Rhode Islander communities under assumed names was safer and simpler. The Providence government would deny knowledge of these people, building resentment. That could have been the end of it, a small haven of outcasts that traded sporadically with the rest of the colony, but then word hit Providence of the Greater Congregation.
The idea of the religious radicals around them organizing like a proper church in themselves would have irked Rhode Islanders plenty, but it was Tynsdale the was the final straw. On paper, Tynsdale [7] was a standard praying town, organized to convert natives near the Massachusetts Bay-Rhode Island border. But, the town officially declared itself a part of Massachusetts Bay Province, despite its territory crossing the border. Additionally, the Puritan group that arrived to establish the town also made a point to proselytize in nearby Providence, and successfully convinced several people to move to their village alongside novans. Taken separately, this all seems like nothing of too much importance; a single township infringing on an admittedly vague border, some people freely choosing the mainline Puritan faith, and some then moving away. But when taken all together, the rumors churned Tynsdale into something sidious. Ideas flitted about, of a plot by the New English to chip away at Rhode Island’s already small territory, to poison their people with radicalism and intolerance, and to siphon away workers and farmers, all as a means of eventually forcing their unification. In response was the creation of the first of Rhode Island’s anti-Puritan militias; the Pawtucket Volunteers...”
- Mortimer Atkins, Gone Rogue: National History
“The Sacking of Tynsdale could not officially be blamed on the Pawtucket Volunteers, due to a lack of evidence and most of them having their claim of drinking in tavern outside Providence validated by witnesses; furthermore, even if they were guilty, the attack was technically on the Rhodean side of the border, given the town had grown further westward [8]. This was the reasoning given by the Rhode Island authorities who refused to allow the group to be arrested and sent to Massachusetts Bay. The Massachusite outrage was large, and it wasn’t long before a militia of young Puritan men formed, dubbing themselves the Baymen, and entered Rhode Island, intent on taking the Pawtucket Volunteers from their home town. Whether by fate, chance, or divine will, the Volunteers had just been on their way out for a hunt when the Baymen arrived.
Even in the modern day, accounts differ. Some claim the Baymen, unprepared to face the armed Volunteers, attempted a retreat into the forest, where their fewer guns would matter less. Others hold that it was the Volunteers who retreated, hoping to scatter in the forest rather than take any risk of capture. And of course, if one espouses one opinion, proponents of the other will accuse you of tarnishing the legacy of the ones you accuse of cowardice, and will then angrily argue for the other side [9]. But regardless of how it happened, the ‘battle’ ignited in the forest, and by the time it ended, only three men were left alive: two Volunteers, neither of whom had been members at the time of the sacking, and one Bayman. To Rhodeans it was a victory against invaders. To the Massachusites, it was also a victory, given all the supposed criminals were slain.
While border skirmishes of such magnitude would not happen for some time, the affair sparked a series of small events, namely accusations of hunters on both sides killing others as to gain the entire hunting ground for themselves, and cases of violent ‘toll collectors’ along transit routes in either direction. Word of this eventually reached England, and the King was asked for his opinion on the issue. Following the First Metacom War, the King had a general distaste for colonial affairs, given the cost rebuilding had become and how tedious the process was [10]. That he agreed to allow the unification of New England purely because it would make things simpler is not entirely a satirical comment. He had also, at the behest of several advisors, denied the William Penn’s petition for a colonial charter, and instead he and others of the Friends Church were directed to Maryland, and Maryland’s northern claims were extended along with those of New York and New Jersery, with Penn as co-propietor of this region, the hope being to foster the growth of a few prosperous colonies rather than a multitude of failing ones.
But, on this occasion, the King was seemingly outraged, and firmly on the side of the Puritans, holding that the refusal to hand over the Volunteers had led to the skirmish, and that Tynsdale had been rightful territory of Massachusetts Bay. And so, with a Royal decree, the charter of Rhode Island was declared null, and the territory was ceded to the United Colony of New England, which promptly established it initially as the Province of Rhode Island, and later as the Province of Tynsdale [11], the name change of course coming from the desire to erase Rhode Island and its legacy…”
- American History At a Glance, by J. Hewitt and K. Pritchard
“Alright, who can tell me one of the things that makes the Second Metacom War different from the first? Anyone? Anyone at all? Come on, folks, there a no wrong answers except the ones that are incorrect. Yes, Samuel?”
“Uhm...It was bigger?”
“No partial credit, Mr. Tannen; what made it ‘bigger’?”
“Uh, there were more novan tribes involved. And, there was Rhode Island.”
“There we go! Alright, can anyone else tell me either more about Samuel’s point or something else that makes the Second Metacom War distinct from the first? Janet?”
“There was foreign instigation. And on Sam’s answer, it was the only one of the wars with colonists fighting each other and tribals, but a lot of people count the Rhode Island Riots[12] as separate from the war.”
“Very good, Miss Walker. Anyone else want to add on before I begin writing this down and lecturing outright? Tell you what; anyone who can name the major novan group that was involved in the Second Metacom War gets bonus marks...Hugh?”
“The Hodeno [12].”
“Thank you, Mister Deckard. And I always appreciate your lack of enthusiasm.
Alright, so we have our four combatants. New England, versus Rhode Island, the Metacomans, and the Hodeno. But to say it was the Hodeno isn’t entirely accurate. The Hodeno were a confederation of tribes, and the only two that actually fought the New English were the Onyeita [13] and the Kanyenka, or Mohawk as you might know them, Daniel. For those of you that don’t know, the ‘Dutch Mohawk’ he’s sporting is a hairstyle that comes from the Hodeno [14]. But there. Oh wait! There is one or two more group we can add, although the were more attacked than attacking. More bonus marks for whoever can name both. Don’t lift your arm if you know only one of them………Mikhail? Do you think you know?”
“Yes, teacher. New York and the Rog—er, Maryland. Other colonies of the English.”
“Correct! I’ll have to write all your names down so I don’t forget to enter these into the books. Alright so allow me to just get those two colonies down over here to the side. Excellent. I see you’ve all been doing your readings. So, Janet mentioned foreign involvement. Specifically it was the French, or rather the Acadians, who agreed to supply goods and weapons to novans that had moved north of New English settlements, where many of Metacom’s allies had fled, plotting revenge. Now some think the Metacom that led them was the same Metacom, that reports of his death were never confirmed [15]. Others think it was a pretender, using his name to rally the novans. That really doesn’t matter though, just remember there was some doubt.
“So the Acadians are supplying them, encouraging them to attack the New English again. Why? Because no matter what, the French profit. Be that from the weakening of the English, or the weakening of the novans, who would have to buy from them more and more. In 1683, feeling ready to either win or die fighting, the Second Metacom War began. Now at first, the Metacomans had an advantage, being that the New English thought that they were safe from novans for a while longer. But once the Rangers [16] were ready for action again, things started turning quickly. The success of the Rangers is something you read about. Zipora? You think you know?”
“Well the Rangers kicked arse in the First War, and once New England was formed, the colonies were way better at strategic coordination. Plus the Rangers got more novans from the praying towns, and a lot of them were from formerly Metacoman tribes too, so they knew their tactics.”
“Good, good. Exactly what I wanted to hear. So what went wrong? Why wasn’t the war over by Christmas? I’ll tell you, no need to have your arms up. It was those Hodeno tribes. Sometimes ‘Hohdeno’ with an h. Now the inclusion of the Hodeno was accidental. Kanyenka scouts had heard about another war and had gone ahead to see what was going on. Had they encountered a Ranger unit, maybe things would’ve been different. But instead, they met militia, who thought they were Metacomans. A few corpses later, and the Kanyenka leadership is demanding war. Most of the Hodeno disagree, seeing it as too large a risk, spooked by stories told to them by Metacomans who had journeyed to their lands. That the most bitter of those refugees had settled with Kanyenka to act as a sort of vanguard also influenced opinions with that tribe. The Onyeita, however, agreed with them, and the pair agreed to wage war, but the rest of the Hodeno remained neutral [17]. Their mistake was assuming that the New English would understand that the two members of their Confederation were acting independently. But that comes later. [18]
“Now the New English weren’t the only ones who acted in ignorance. The Kanyenka assumed that colonies of England as a whole were against the Metacomans. And what was a nearby colony they could strike? New York. But first they had to deal with the Delaware Lenape [19], novans who lived along the Delaware river. The Lenape denied aiding the Hodeno, saying they had let their war band trounce through their territory out of fear, but there’s more than a few scholars who think the Lenape gave them food and supplies, happy to let another tribe give the colonists hell while they remained an innocent party.
“Now you read about the raids and eventually the Burning of New York City. I won’t bore you with the details. But it effectively destroyed the colony for a while. Not that it was really a successful raid. Everyone died, and really their attack wouldn’t have gone anywhere if someone hadn’t knocked over a lamp and started the fire [20]. But because of that, the trade was slowed, the docks were gone, most of the buildings outside of the original city were ruins, and with most smaller settlements in the colony raided, no real relief was incoming. So what does that mean for some merchants and sailors that lived in New York? It means they’re options are limited. And some saw only one option: piracy. They went down to Maryland and hoped they could hit some fishing villages for food and goods, and either use it themselves or sell it for their own gain. A lot of these people just wanted to take care of their families, but they were pirates all the same…”
- Kyle Freedman, teacher at James Westerfield Academy
“The Metacom Wars were very important for the colony of Maryland and for the nation it would become. In only a few short years, due to the events of the first war in New England, and due to the new colonial policy it had seeded in the English government, the demographics of the colony had changed completely. Once, the number of Puritans had been on a steady climb, Protestants to soon greatly outnumber Catholics, and with that fact had come a rise in religious tensions [21]. However, the Friends Church then entered the mix.
A sizeable population of colonists had come, being of a belief in tolerance and peace. While many settled in the newly expanded Maryland frontier, others settled in townships along the Chesapeake, and William Penn himself purchased property in St. Mary’s City, becoming a prominent part of its political world [22]. The Friends, or ‘Quakers’ as some called them, were soon seen as a neutral party between Catholics and Protestants, resulting in many of them entering government as compromise candidates. During this period, more laws concerning religious tolerance were passed, and the vote was given to all land-owning men, regardless of any religious affiliation. While such language was likely intended to refer to Christians, this meant that, in the future, total religious freedom for non-Christians was a part of the colony’s law.
But, of course, this was not a panacea for the problem of religious tensions. It let things calm down, but ultimately the divides were swimming to the surface again, with the Puritans against the now influential and powerful Friends. But any chance of anti-tolerant rhetoric seizing the day was crushed by the New York brigands. These pirates, seeking sustenance after the burning of their city, raided the shores of Maryland. The effects of these raids, however, were soon mitigated, thanks to the Friends. William Penn himself had championed their careful approach to relations with nearby tribes, and it resulted in enough trade to provide for those hurt by the pirate raids, and the general danger of the times helped create a sense of solidarity, with William Penn and his follower’s standings ever cemented in the Marylander mind as heroes and brothers.
If that didn’t solve the religious societal conflict in Maryland, then the arrival of the Rhodeans did the rest…” [23]
- Monique d’Fontaine, Chesapeake Rising
“‘Mary’s arrival was well documented in her journal…’
MARY: The dock smelled like a rotting corpse, and all the people looked like they were unsure whether they to be polite or just show me how unfriendly, cruel, and downtrodden they were. England is just as I pictured it.
‘Her journal is one of the reasons why Mary is one the world’s most well-known and well-studied killers. Essentially, thanks to her consistent, daily entries, Mary is the first well-documented serial killer. And her trail of blood covers England like a flood.’
‘Some believe that it was the death of her family that made Mary snap. However, her own diaries imply heavily that she may have killed her strict and abusive father…’
MARY: After father passed, Joseph and Grandfather Patrick took over his duties, and mother helped him while I looked after Margaret and Peter for her. We were happy. His death was a blessing really, and I was happy, at the time, to know I acted as God’s will.
‘But the family, living somewhere in New England, would fall prey to a novan raid during the First Metacom War. Her eldest brother and grandfather would die defending the women and children, while her mother would be raped and killed. Mary herself was violated but left alive with her younger siblings. But though the three had survived, Mary’s mind certainly hadn’t, by her own admission...after this break.’
[A chipper theme plays as a calm ocean fades into view]
‘Do you like to relax? To feel at ease after a long day's work? Do you need to? Don’t just sigh and wish you could; come and spend a holiday at our sandy beaches. Florida — a haven away from home. Sponsored by the Floridian National Bureau of Tourism.’
[A creeping tune as the words Uncaught & Unsolved shine on screen]
‘Mary and two of her youngest siblings survived a novan raid, but not her sanity, if she had it to begin with…’
MARY: I can still remember. Fingers around tiny necks, little faces turning blue. I almost didn’t. I almost wanted to stop myself. But really, the world is too cruel for innocent creatures. I did for them what any would’ve done if they knew the things I know. I count it a blessing I at least learned to enjoy such things then…
...
‘Once in England, Mary would gain a list of murders to her name of frightening length. [24] She roamed the country, never satisfied to stay in one place for too long, though she eventually made her way back to every major town at least twice. And at every stop, she’d prowl the streets, looking for a kill, and many times, she found it. However, most dismissed the murders, or, due to distance and time, never even knew they were all connected. One of the only cases to ever gain major attention was that of Titus Oates, a vicar who became posthumously notorious for having lied his way into priesthood without a degree [25]. His death was only widely known, however, because though he had been murdered in the usual fashion—a strangling, with posthumous stabbings all over the body—he had been found in a church, corpse devoid of clothing and with a strange, assumedly ‘Satanic’ symbols carved into his forehead. Mary’s diaries tell us that, for the most part…’
MARY: I added the runes on the priest for fun. People of Kent were quite rude; they deserve a good shock when the awaken.”
- Uncaught & Unsolved, test instance
--|--
[1] A posthumous collection of his personal writings from before any of his other books.
[2] Think Thanksgiving but with presents.
[3] Jeremiads
[4] A gross overstatement. They trusted their own pastors and treated them with high regard, and many of those pastors then attended the Greater Congregation. The loyalty is through proxy, not directly.
[5] OTL, the oldest known colonial synagogue was built in Rhode Island in the 1700s
[6] You wouldn’t be banished from all of New England now, but the local government and eventually the people would know who had just been banished from another province.
[7] Named for William Tyndale (also spelled Tynsdale) a Protestant Reformer and a translator of the Bible into English
[8] It helps that the RI courts also recognize the town as their property.
[9] A bit like the US Civil War
[10] Recall that Charles II has still dissolved Parliament before as a political tool and is still a very active monarch
[11] Given Massachusetts Bay’s size, the other provinces sure weren’t going to let them annex RI
[12] The Iroqouis, from their term Haudenosanee. Mentioned them earlier, felt like saving the note for until now
[13] Oneida, from their word for themselves, Onyota'a:ka. OTL term comes from the same, but TTL had a different common transliteration.
[14] The Mohawk (duh), derived from Kanien'kehá:ka, they’re name for themselves. The hairstyle of TTL is an actual style of theirs unlike OTL Algonquin hairstyle, namely a square of hair at the crown, all else shaved/plucked.
[15] Is this a Spartacus reference or a Mandalore one? You decide!
[16] Recall that the Rangers are already a much more prominent and organized group TTL
[17] This has happened before in OTL. The Seven Years’ War and the American Revolution are good examples of a divided Iroqouis.
[18] There is certainly some debate over whether it’s that they didn’t understand, or that they didn’t care.
[19] Another one I don’t think I need to explain.
[20] At least it wasn’t a cow like Chicago!
[21] OTL this culminated in a Protestant uprising that stripped Catholics of their vote and doubled their taxes.
[22] Given Virginia and Carolina’s Anglican backgrounds, Maryland was the logical choice for them to go to.
[23] “Our colony founded on ideals of religious tolerance is gone, where should we go?”
[24] Quick note; Mary is not the only way England is affected by New English returns to England, I just wanted to have a bit of fun with the idea of a serial killer. The very presence of new people, the interactions they’ll have, the impacts (especially the merchants and traders) they’ll have on the economy, the bacteria and pathogens they transmit to other around them, the immense amount of crime an influx of poor frontiersmen (all likely with their own weapons) would cause, all of that is now in play.
[25] We know him as the maker of the Popish Plot. Without him, Tonge only ever writes his own poorly constructed rants against Catholics, and this means far less anti-Catholic hysteria in England at the time, as the pamphlet is never openly circulated and supported by MPs, nor makes it to the King's desk for official investigation. That last part about him lying about a degree is also entirely true OTL.
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THAT SAID, there'll be a huge culture clash between the northern half of Maryland that's OTL Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Northern Maryland that were settled by Quakers, versus the Southern Maryland/Eastern Shore sections settled by English West Country Cavaliers and the Appalachian areas colonized by Northern English/Scots-Irish (who will tilt with the Cavaliers in this case).
