Map Thread XVIII
- Thread starter FesteringSpore
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Is there an actual Historical map thread? I know there is an OTL map thread, but that mostly looks like infographic maps.
A fun little project I did because I noticed a lack of Confederate ISOTs. Also fueled by the amazing pixel art that has been showing up on maps recently have inspired me.
A write up I wrote because @Ephraim Ben Raphael asked me to.
The first couple decades were very hard for this world. The Confederate cash crop economy disappearing over night along with a weak constitution lead to a collapse about 10 years post ISOT. Originally most individual states were independent, but it would take over 30 years for borders to crystallize into stable nations and alliances. During this time, many people would try to leave the war torn nation to the North.
In Mexico the War of Reform was just heading to a close when the event happened. With the debts of the outside world gone, the conservatives would no longer have the French to lean to for help. While guerrillas still fought, most were too shocked to fight giving liberals solid control of the government. Using their new power base, they built an empire over the time. Few who opposed the government and had the money to do so would run off to set up minor nations. With the only other nation of similar size collapsing at its seams lead to a Mexican dominated world. With no real competition in the Pacific besides Nicaragua(financed using a canal completed in 1937) will lead to a future Mexican hyper power if they can keep their act together. Under the hood Mexico still has minor corruption and population density problems. Socially Mexico is more conservative by our standards but liberal by this world.
To the North of Mexico is the remnant of the United States led out of St. Louis. The nation was briefly under Confederate occupation before its collapse. While owning a lot of land most of it is sparsely populated with the only major cities being St. Louis and Quebec City. The nation did receive a big boost of various criminals,refuges, and free slaves escaping north. These days the United states are attempting to colonize Northern France and the Central Plains with healthy competition with Mexico. They no longer think they can get a pacific port, but they do believe they can get to the Rockies.
The small Republic of Eire is an African American state mainly made up of slaves escaping from North Carolina and Virginia. They try to stay neutral, but mostly side with the USA. To the east is the small coastal nation of the American Military Republic. This is from the remnant of the naval blockade. For the first couple decades the nation had major problems with rape and crime as its gender imbalances of an all male navy would lead to. These days it has condoned its dark history and is a strict but fair democracy. All citizens must spend time in the military to participate in government. There were talks in the 1890's of reuniting with the United States, but at that point the differences in culture and government had become too pronounced. While the nation is small it has big plans of an empire and the moral to do it. Some are even suggesting going around the Cape of Africa and competing with the Mexicans in the Indian Ocean.
In the center of the continent are various small states that can range from a mix of Mexican, American, African American, and Native American. These states are currently in a tug of war between the Columbian Republic and Mexico. Their governments range from democracy to "democracy". In the gulf is the Columbian Republic with its capital in New Orleans. Originally a minor power that ruled from the Mississippi she has grown rich from trade in Brazil and Africa. The nation has become a regional power in her own right. While during the rough post Confederate years there were African American designated states that acted more like ghettos than states. These days race relations are better with these states even being able to get corrected representation in government. Good days are upon this nation.
On the east coast two nations compete for control. The Carolina empire has been going hard trying to cement their claim to the Mediterranean. They were rightfully angered by the American's, southern France outpost with minor threats of war. Yet with land so plentiful what's the point? While less democratic than Columbia they are leagues better than the Georgian State. Centered on the power structure of Joseph E Brown's all about the states' rights to do as it pleases. Weirdly led to an authoritarian like nation. This idea of the state above all else has spread in recent decades. Already Florida and the Appalachian have fallen to "Statism" Panama looks to be the next to fall as the Georgians are negotiating the price to open their own canal in Panama.
In South America, Colombia and Venezuela only had a fraction of their population make the jump in the event. While they were mostly backwater in the world for decades. This changed when the Venezuelans found oil. They are now the regional power of the continent with plans to start sending colony ships to Africa and Argentina. Most of the minor states in South America range from religious theocracies to small communes.
Technology in this world is behind our world and currently sits at about a 1910 level. Yet some areas are starting to catch up such as sailing tech. The world mourns for the eons of history and culture that it lost and must be content with the books that made the journey over. In the art world most of the top artists paint in a style reminiscent of the Futurism and religious symbolism. Culturally this world is much more conservative. Race relations can vary, but are more positive than you would think for this world. The nation with the best race relations is surprisingly the Georgian State. This is more for a reason of all people being looked at as cogs for the machine that is the state though. Around the world, people are tense at the 100 year anniversary of the event passes. Most of the people of this world have been born in this empty world than those that have traveled to it. Yet the curiosity of why this happened has not faded with some people turning to religion or science. Yet the world must keep on turning and there appears to be an exciting century ahead!
Also included is a tangled mess that my brain found appealing. Think of this like an "empire mode" of this world that shows influence and colonies.
Last edited:
Ephraim Ben Raphael
Banned
Any chance of a more detailed write-up? I love these sorts of scenarios, and this one looks like it's got a lot of a great detail worked in.
No, they only controlled the majority at the very start of the Third Age, once Sauron came to Dol Guldur in T.A. 1000 the Elves were driven beyond the Forest River in the north of Mirkwood.
Good stuff. Found this quite innovative too. Definitely taking notes.
A fun little project I did because I noticed a lack of Confederate ISOTs. Also fueled by the amazing pixel art that has been showing up on maps recently have inspired me.
A write up I wrote because @Ephraim Ben Raphael asked me to.
The first couple decades were very hard for this world. The Confederate cash crop economy disappearing over night along with a weak constitution lead to a collapse about 10 years post ISOT. Originally most individual states were independent, but it would take over 30 years for borders to crystallize into stable nations and alliances. During this time, many people would try to leave the war torn nation to the North.
In Mexico the War of Reform was just heading to a close when the event happened. With the debts of the outside world gone, the conservatives would no longer have the French to lean to for help. While guerrillas still fought, most were too shocked to fight giving liberals solid control of the government. Using their new power base, they built an empire over the time. Few who opposed the government and had the money to do so would run off to set up minor nations. With the only other nation of similar size collapsing at its seams lead to a Mexican dominated world. With no real competition in the Pacific besides Nicaragua(financed using a canal completed in 1937) will lead to a future Mexican hyper power if they can keep their act together. Under the hood Mexico still has minor corruption and population density problems. Socially Mexico is more conservative by our standards but liberal by this world.
To the North of Mexico is the remnant of the United States led out of St. Louis. The nation was briefly under Confederate occupation before its collapse. While owning a lot of land most of it is sparsely populated with the only major cities being St. Louis and Quebec City. The nation did receive a big boost of various criminals,refuges, and free slaves escaping north. These days the United states are attempting to colonize Northern France and the Central Plains with healthy competition with Mexico. They no longer think they can get a pacific port, but they do believe they can get to the Rockies.
The small Republic of Eire is an African American state mainly made up of slaves escaping from North Carolina and Virginia. They try to stay neutral, but mostly side with the USA. To the east is the small coastal nation of the American Military Republic. This is from the remnant of the naval blockade. For the first couple decades the nation had major problems with rape and crime as its gender imbalances of an all male navy would lead to. These days it has condoned its dark history and is a strict but fair democracy. All citizens must spend time in the military to participate in government. There were talks in the 1890's of reuniting with the United States, but at that point the differences in culture and government had become too pronounced. While the nation is small it has big plans of an empire and the moral to do it. Some are even suggesting going around the Cape of Africa and competing with the Mexicans in the Indian Ocean.
In the center of the continent are various small states that can range from a mix of Mexican, American, African American, and Native American. These states are currently in a tug of war between the Colombian Republic and Mexico. Their governments range from democracy to "democracy". In the gulf is the Colombian Republic with its capital in New Orleans. Originally a minor power that ruled from the Mississippi she has grown rich from trade in Brazil and Africa. The nation has become a regional power in her own right. While during the rough post Confederate years there were African American designated states that acted more like ghettos than states. These days race relations are better with these states even being able to get corrected representation in government. Good days are upon this nation.
On the east coast two nations compete for control. The Carolina empire has been going hard trying to cement their claim to the Mediterranean. They were rightfully angered by the American's, southern France outpost with minor threats of war. Yet with land so plentiful what's the point? While less democratic than Columbia they are leagues better than the Georgian State. Centered on the power structure of Joseph E Brown's all about the states' rights to do as it pleases. Weirdly led to an authoritarian like nation. This idea of the state above all else has spread in recent decades. Already Florida and the Appalachian have fallen to "Statism" Panama looks to be the next to fall as the Georgians are negotiating the price to open their own canal in Panama.
In South America, Colombia and Venezuela only had a fraction of their population make the jump in the event. While they were mostly backwater in the world for decades. This changed when the Venezuelans found oil. They are now the regional power of the continent with plans to start sending colony ships to Africa and Argentina. Most of the minor states in South America range from religious theocracies to small communes.
Technology in this world is behind our world and currently sits at about a 1910 level. Yet some areas are starting to catch up such as sailing tech. The world mourns for the eons of history and culture that it lost and must be content with the books that made the journey over. In the art world most of the top artists paint in a style reminiscent of the Futurism and religious symbolism. Culturally this world is much more conservative. Race relations can vary, but are more positive than you would think for this world. The nation with the best race relations is surprisingly the Georgian State. This is more for a reason of all people being looked at as cogs for the machine that is the state though. Around the world, people are tense at the 100 year anniversary of the event passes. Most of the people of this world have been born in this empty world than those that have traveled to it. Yet the curiosity of why this happened has not faded with some people turning to religion or science. Yet the world must keep on turning and there appears to be an exciting century ahead!
Also included is a tangled mess that my brain found appealing. Think of this like an "empire mode" of this world that shows influence and colonies.
Beautiful. I adore the pixel art.
Marvelous, but you have a double whammy of misspellings. You have Colombia spelled as Columbia on the map and in the attached text you refer to it as Columbia in South America and Colombia in North America. There is also the issue of how that South American state is itself the Republic of Colombia. Half surprised the ones on the Mississippi River didn't just call themselves Dixie.
Part 4 of an occasional series; Failed States.
The Kingdom of Aragon
Aragon originated in 1137, when the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona, including the Counties of Provence, Girona, Cerdanya, Osona and other territories, merged by dynastic union upon the marriage of Petronilla of Aragon and Raymond Berenguer IV of Barcelona, the first ruler of the united dynasty, called himself Count of Barcelona and Prince of Aragon.
Aragon looked to expand south, contesting with Castile for the control of the middle valley of the Ebro.
Barcelona looked to expand north to its origins in Occitania. Through family ties it had significant influence, especially in Provence and Foix.
Jointly they looked south along the Mediterranean coast and out into the Mediterranean Sea.
King Peter II
Pedro or Peter II the Catholic was King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1196 to 1213.
Pedro II appeared before the Pope Innocent III in 1205 to feudalise Aragon to the Papacy in order to consolidate his monarchy, thus he is known as “the Catholic”.
He married Marie of Montpelier, heiress of William VIII of Montpelier, in 1204, by whom he had a son, Jaime. Pedro soon repudiated her but Marie was popularly venerated as a saint for her piety.
Pedro II participated in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 which marked the turning point of Muslim domination in the Iberian Peninsula.
Albigensian Crusade
The Crown of Aragon was dominant in what is now south-western France. At the time it was under the control of vassal local Princes, such as the Counts of Toulouse.
The Cathars or Albigensians rejected the authority and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Pedro was faced with defending the interests of Rome against his own vassals beyond the Pyrenees.
Pedro's reluctance meant Pope Innocent called upon Philip II of France to suppress the Albigensians. Under the leadership of Simon of Montfort the Albigensian Crusade was launched.
Begun in 1209, the Crusade led to the slaughter of approximately 20,000 men, women and children, Cathar and Catholic alike. Over the course of twenty years, military campaigns essentially destroyed the previously flourishing civilization of Occitania and by 1229 brought the region firmly under the control of the King of France, and the Capetian dynasty from the north of France.
By mid-1209 around 10,000 Crusaders had gathered in Lyon. Mainly from the northern French lands they were attracted by the Papal dispensations given for limited-time service. Marching south their first target was the lands of the Trencavels, powerful lords of Carcassonne, Béziers, Albi and the Razes. In June, Raymond VI of Toulouse was “persuaded”, by the threat of excommunication reinforced by a public whipping, to stand to one side whilst the Crusaders attacked the Trencavel lands. Raymond VI promised to act against the Cathars, and his excommunication was lifted.
Raymond Roger de Trencavel sought an accommodation with the Crusaders but was refused a meeting; he raced back to Carcassonne and prepared its defences. The town of Béziers was besieged, Catholic inhabitants of the city were granted the freedom to leave unharmed, but many refused and stayed to fight alongside the Cathars. Asked how to tell Cathars from Catholics, Arnaud Amaury, the Cistercian abbot-commander replied, "Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius" -"Kill them all, the Lord will recognise His own". The city of Béziers was sacked in July and its population massacred.
Carcassonne was well fortified, but vulnerable and over-populated with refugees. The Crusaders arrived outside the town on August 1, 1209. As vassal of Pedro II of Aragon, Raymond Roger had hoped for protection, but Pedro was powerless to oppose Pope Innocent III's army and could act only as a mediator.
The siege did not last long. With the town's access to water cut, Raymond Roger negotiated terms in the Crusader camp. At their conclusion he was taken prisoner, while still under safe conduct, and imprisoned in his own dungeon, where he died several months later.
Simon de Montfort was granted the Trencavel lands by the Pope and did homage for them to the King of France. This incurred the enmity of Pedro II of Aragon.
Simon attempted to hold on to his gains in the winter months when the crusading forces were depleted, with only a small force of confederates operating from the main winter camp at Fanjeaux. Local lords who had sworn fealty to him out of necessity deserted.
Summer campaigns saw him not only retake, sometimes with brutal reprisals, what he had lost in the "close" season, but also seek to widen his sphere of operation. After the massacre of Béziers, capture of Carcassonne and the death of Raymond Roger Trencavel, Raymond VI of Toulouse again shifted allegiance.
The Crusaders were now within his territory and attacking Lavaur. He was again excommunicated and tried to organize resistance against the Crusaders. More of a diplomat than a soldier, he was unable to stop the advance of Simon de Montfort, who conquered Toulouse.
Finally the lords of Occitan, almost as one swore allegiance to Pedro of Aragon and put together a substantial army.
Upon Pedro's return from Las Navas in autumn 1212, he found that Simon de Montfort had conquered Toulouse, exiling Count Raymond VI of Toulouse, who was Pedro's brother-in-law and vassal. Pedro crossed the Pyrenees where he was joined by Raymond of Foix and Raymond of Toulouse with their forces.
Raymond of Toulouse tried to persuade Pedro to avoid battle and instead starve out de Montfort's forces. The suggestion was rejected.
They trapped the Crusaders at Muret. The Battle of Muret began on 12 September 1213. Although the Crusaders were hopelessly outnumbered, the Aragonese forces were disorganized and disintegrated under the assault of Montfort's squadrons. Pedro himself was caught in the thick of the fighting, and died as a result of a foolhardy act of bravado. He was thrown to the ground and killed. The Aragonese forces broke in panic when their King was slain and de Montfort's crusaders won a crushing victory.
The nobility of Toulouse and Foix, vassals of the Crown of Aragon, were defeated.
The conflict culminated in the Treaty of Meaux-Paris in 1229, in which the integration of the Occitan territory into the French crown was agreed upon.
Upon Pedro's death, the Kingdom of Aragon passed to his only son by Marie of Montpelier, Jaime I.
The defeat of Pedro II had forced to the Crown to renounce to their interests beyond the Pyrenees and direct their energy expanding into the Mediterranean and the Levant.
The County of Provence had become virtually independent but found itself in conflict with a resurgent Raymond of Toulouse. Before Raymond's death in 1222, he had succeeded in recovering most of his territories. In 1229 his son Raymond VII signed the Treaty of Paris recognizing him as ruler of Toulouse in exchange for his fighting the Cathars, returning all church property, turning over his castles and destroying the defences of Toulouse.
Afterwards
In the first half of the 13th century Jaime I conquered Majorca and the Kingdom of Valencia. He also conquered the Kingdom of Denia, the limit of conquests agreed under the Treaty of Cazola with the Kingdom of Castile.
The Treaty of Corbeil in 1258, agreed natural frontiers with France which renounced its feudal overlordship of Catalonia.
Jaime co-operated with Castile in 1266, conquering Murcia but handing it over to Castile in accordance with the terms of Cazola.
In his will, in 1276, Jaime I created the Kingdom of Majorca for his son Jaime, consisting of Roussillon, the Balearics and Montpelier, but the Kingdom proved very unstable and, so became a vassal of Aragon in 1279 and was re-absorbed in 1344.
Angevins and Vespers
Charles brother of Louis IX of France was named Count of Anjou and Maine. Charles married the heiress of the County of Provence, Beatrice of Provence, inheriting the county in 1241.
After fighting in the Seventh Crusade, Charles was offered the Kingdom of Sicily by Pope Clement IV this comprised the island of Sicily and the southern half of the Italian Peninsula. At the Battle of Benevento Charles gained the Kingdom from the ruling Hohenstaufens, this was cemented by victory at Tagliacozzo. French rule soon assumed a repressive and ferocious character.
Charles' ambitions mimicked that of the Norman creators of the Kingdom of Sicily to carve out new lands in the Balkans. Dynastic marriage gained Angevin possession of Corfu and cities in the Balkans such as Durazzo, as well as suzerainty over the Principality of Achaea and sovereignty of the Aegean islands. Charles had fully solidified his rule over Durazzo by 1272, creating a small Kingdom of Albania for himself, out of previously Despotate of Epirus territory; he was supported by local chiefs.
For a while Charles was preoccupied helping Louis IX in the unsuccessful Eighth Crusade to Tunis. He then, once again, focused on Constantinople, but his fleet was wrecked in a freak storm.
In 1282, the Sicilians rose up against the Angevins in the Sicilian Vespers and massacred four thousand Frenchmen over the course of the next six weeks across the island. Peter III of Aragon responded to their call, and landed in Trapani to an enthusiastic welcome. Messina held out for Charles but after diplomatic errors by the commander, Messina revolted.
Pope Martin IV excommunicated Peter III, placed the island of Sicily under interdiction, and offered the Kingdom of Aragon to a son of Philip III of France. The Pope declared a crusade against Peter III on the grounds that Sicily was a papal fief.
Catalan admiral Roger of Lauria pursued the war in Italy on behalf of Peter. He ravaged the Calabrian coast and kept a strong naval presence. A fleet from Provence set out for Naples. Roger took Malta and defeated the Angevin Provençal fleet near the islands in the Battle of Malta. Roger then drew Charles the Lame, the heir of the Neapolitan King Charles, out of Naples' port.
Roger utterly routed him, destroying the whole Angevin navy in the Battle of the Gulf of Naples. Roger took the Prince and 42 ships captive to Messina. Charles the elder arrived in Italy at that time, but died soon after in 1285 and the war in Italy was put on hold due to lack of leadership on both sides: Charles' successor was a prisoner and Peter III was dealing with a new menace, the Aragonese Crusade.
Pope Martin IV bestowed Aragon on Charles, Count of Valois, son of the French king, Philip III, and nephew of Peter III.
The crusade soon caused civil war within Aragon, as Peter's brother, King James II of Majorca, joined the French. James' Kingdom included the County of Roussillon and thus stood between the French and Aragonese. Peter had opposed James' inheritance as a younger son and reaped the consequence of such rivalry in the crusade.
Peter's eldest son, Alfonso, was placed in charge of defending the border with Navarre, ruled by Philip III's son, Philip the Fair. Although Peter feared a full-scale invasion from Navarre, there were only some cross-border raids. Philip the Fair joined the main invading army under his father.
French armies under Philip and Charles entered Roussillon. Though they had James' support, the local populace rose against them. The city of Elne was valiantly defended but eventually it was taken. The cathedral was burned and the population massacred.
In 1285, Philip the Bold entrenched himself before Girona besieging it. Resistance was strong, but the city was taken. Charles was crowned there, but without an actual crown. The Cardinal placed his own hat on the Count's head. For this, Charles was derisively nicknamed “Roi du chapeau” "King of the hat".
The French soon experienced a reversal at the hands of Admiral Roger de Lauria. The French fleet was defeated and destroyed at the Battle of Les Formigues. The French camp, including Philip, was hit hard by dysentery.
Philip of Navarre opened negotiations with Peter for free passage for the royal family through the Pyrenees. French troops were not offered such passage and were decimated at the Battle of the Col de Panissars.
Philip III died at Perpignan and was buried in Narbonne. Peter III did not long survive him.
The Treaty of Tarascon of 1291 officially restored Aragon to his heir, Alfonso III, and lifted the ban of the church.
With the Treaty of Tarascon, the war with Aragon ended, but it had little effect following the death of Alfonso within months. Alfonso's brother, James I of Sicily, inherited Aragon and united the two realms. In 1295, James signed the Treaty of Anagni whereby he gave up Sicily to the papacy, with Pope Boniface VIII granting it to Charles the Lame. However, Peter III's third son, Frederick, the regent of Sicily, refused to acquiesce in the treaty, the Sicilian populace proclaiming him King.
The war was renewed between Aragonese Sicily and Angevin Naples. The treaty, however, obligated James to enter the war assisting Charles. He sent his fleet from Catalonia to harass his brother's coasts. Frederick went on the offensive quickly and invaded Calabria in 1296. He seized several towns, encouraged revolt in Naples, negotiated with Tuscany and Lombardy, and assisted the house of Colonna against the pope.
James was serious about fulfilling his part of the treaty of 1295 and enforcing a peace. In this he had the support of John of Procida and Roger of Lauria, his father's ablest men. On 4 July 1299, James himself led his fleet with Roger of Lauria and defeated his brother at the Battle of Cape Orlando. Meanwhile, Charles' sons, Robert (who had married James' daughter) and Philip, had landed in Sicily and captured Catania.
Philip moved to besiege Trapani, but was defeated and captured by Frederick at the Battle of Falconaria. On 14 June 1300, Roger of Lauria defeated the Sicilians again at the Battle of Ponza. Frederick himself was captured in battle.
In 1302, Charles of Valois came down into Italy at the request of Pope Boniface. He landed in Sicily, but his army was ravaged by the plague and forced to sue for peace. The Peace of Caltabellotta was signed and Frederick was recognised as King in Sicily, with the title of King of Trinacria. Charles was recognised as King in the peninsula, with the title of King of Sicily, usually rendered as "King of Naples," his capital.
What If?
I consider Aragon to be a failed state despite its obvious success and dominance in the Western Mediterranean.
The union with Castile slaved Aragon to Madrid, what would have happened if Pedro II had not died in battle?
Simon de Montfort died himself in 1215 and Louis IX of France struggled to resist Raymond of Toulouse's resurgence.
Could Pedro II have defeated the Crusade, dealt with the Cathars and brought Provence back into obedience?
I believe he could. Without the Angevin inheritance of Provence the Pope may have turned to Peter III to oust the Hohenstaufens from the Kingdom of Sicily.
The wider implications of Pedro's survival;
No Angevin Dynasty in Hungary or interfering in the Balkans conflicts [that's not to say the Aragonese would not].
Simon de Monfort’s younger son (also called Simon) was confirmed as the Earl of Leicester and made Seneshal of Gascony, thereby ensuring that there would be no attack by Crusaders. Without this what happens to the start of the modern Parliament?
No Aragonese Crusade, Philip the Fair is said to have gained his, almost anti-Papist, stance during this campaign, would he be the same if Pedro II survived? Would the Templars have survived a changed Philip?
Would the Eighth Crusade have aimed at Tunis without Sicily being Angevin?
Lastly, how would another powerful potential ally have affected the Hundred Years War and the Castilian Civil War?
The Kingdom of Aragon
Aragon originated in 1137, when the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona, including the Counties of Provence, Girona, Cerdanya, Osona and other territories, merged by dynastic union upon the marriage of Petronilla of Aragon and Raymond Berenguer IV of Barcelona, the first ruler of the united dynasty, called himself Count of Barcelona and Prince of Aragon.
Aragon looked to expand south, contesting with Castile for the control of the middle valley of the Ebro.
Barcelona looked to expand north to its origins in Occitania. Through family ties it had significant influence, especially in Provence and Foix.
Jointly they looked south along the Mediterranean coast and out into the Mediterranean Sea.
Pedro or Peter II the Catholic was King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1196 to 1213.
Pedro II appeared before the Pope Innocent III in 1205 to feudalise Aragon to the Papacy in order to consolidate his monarchy, thus he is known as “the Catholic”.
He married Marie of Montpelier, heiress of William VIII of Montpelier, in 1204, by whom he had a son, Jaime. Pedro soon repudiated her but Marie was popularly venerated as a saint for her piety.
Pedro II participated in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 which marked the turning point of Muslim domination in the Iberian Peninsula.
The Crown of Aragon was dominant in what is now south-western France. At the time it was under the control of vassal local Princes, such as the Counts of Toulouse.
The Cathars or Albigensians rejected the authority and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Pedro was faced with defending the interests of Rome against his own vassals beyond the Pyrenees.
Pedro's reluctance meant Pope Innocent called upon Philip II of France to suppress the Albigensians. Under the leadership of Simon of Montfort the Albigensian Crusade was launched.
Begun in 1209, the Crusade led to the slaughter of approximately 20,000 men, women and children, Cathar and Catholic alike. Over the course of twenty years, military campaigns essentially destroyed the previously flourishing civilization of Occitania and by 1229 brought the region firmly under the control of the King of France, and the Capetian dynasty from the north of France.
By mid-1209 around 10,000 Crusaders had gathered in Lyon. Mainly from the northern French lands they were attracted by the Papal dispensations given for limited-time service. Marching south their first target was the lands of the Trencavels, powerful lords of Carcassonne, Béziers, Albi and the Razes. In June, Raymond VI of Toulouse was “persuaded”, by the threat of excommunication reinforced by a public whipping, to stand to one side whilst the Crusaders attacked the Trencavel lands. Raymond VI promised to act against the Cathars, and his excommunication was lifted.
Raymond Roger de Trencavel sought an accommodation with the Crusaders but was refused a meeting; he raced back to Carcassonne and prepared its defences. The town of Béziers was besieged, Catholic inhabitants of the city were granted the freedom to leave unharmed, but many refused and stayed to fight alongside the Cathars. Asked how to tell Cathars from Catholics, Arnaud Amaury, the Cistercian abbot-commander replied, "Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius" -"Kill them all, the Lord will recognise His own". The city of Béziers was sacked in July and its population massacred.
Carcassonne was well fortified, but vulnerable and over-populated with refugees. The Crusaders arrived outside the town on August 1, 1209. As vassal of Pedro II of Aragon, Raymond Roger had hoped for protection, but Pedro was powerless to oppose Pope Innocent III's army and could act only as a mediator.
The siege did not last long. With the town's access to water cut, Raymond Roger negotiated terms in the Crusader camp. At their conclusion he was taken prisoner, while still under safe conduct, and imprisoned in his own dungeon, where he died several months later.
Simon de Montfort was granted the Trencavel lands by the Pope and did homage for them to the King of France. This incurred the enmity of Pedro II of Aragon.
Simon attempted to hold on to his gains in the winter months when the crusading forces were depleted, with only a small force of confederates operating from the main winter camp at Fanjeaux. Local lords who had sworn fealty to him out of necessity deserted.
Summer campaigns saw him not only retake, sometimes with brutal reprisals, what he had lost in the "close" season, but also seek to widen his sphere of operation. After the massacre of Béziers, capture of Carcassonne and the death of Raymond Roger Trencavel, Raymond VI of Toulouse again shifted allegiance.
The Crusaders were now within his territory and attacking Lavaur. He was again excommunicated and tried to organize resistance against the Crusaders. More of a diplomat than a soldier, he was unable to stop the advance of Simon de Montfort, who conquered Toulouse.
Finally the lords of Occitan, almost as one swore allegiance to Pedro of Aragon and put together a substantial army.
Upon Pedro's return from Las Navas in autumn 1212, he found that Simon de Montfort had conquered Toulouse, exiling Count Raymond VI of Toulouse, who was Pedro's brother-in-law and vassal. Pedro crossed the Pyrenees where he was joined by Raymond of Foix and Raymond of Toulouse with their forces.
Raymond of Toulouse tried to persuade Pedro to avoid battle and instead starve out de Montfort's forces. The suggestion was rejected.
They trapped the Crusaders at Muret. The Battle of Muret began on 12 September 1213. Although the Crusaders were hopelessly outnumbered, the Aragonese forces were disorganized and disintegrated under the assault of Montfort's squadrons. Pedro himself was caught in the thick of the fighting, and died as a result of a foolhardy act of bravado. He was thrown to the ground and killed. The Aragonese forces broke in panic when their King was slain and de Montfort's crusaders won a crushing victory.
The nobility of Toulouse and Foix, vassals of the Crown of Aragon, were defeated.
The conflict culminated in the Treaty of Meaux-Paris in 1229, in which the integration of the Occitan territory into the French crown was agreed upon.
Upon Pedro's death, the Kingdom of Aragon passed to his only son by Marie of Montpelier, Jaime I.
The defeat of Pedro II had forced to the Crown to renounce to their interests beyond the Pyrenees and direct their energy expanding into the Mediterranean and the Levant.
The County of Provence had become virtually independent but found itself in conflict with a resurgent Raymond of Toulouse. Before Raymond's death in 1222, he had succeeded in recovering most of his territories. In 1229 his son Raymond VII signed the Treaty of Paris recognizing him as ruler of Toulouse in exchange for his fighting the Cathars, returning all church property, turning over his castles and destroying the defences of Toulouse.
Afterwards
In the first half of the 13th century Jaime I conquered Majorca and the Kingdom of Valencia. He also conquered the Kingdom of Denia, the limit of conquests agreed under the Treaty of Cazola with the Kingdom of Castile.
The Treaty of Corbeil in 1258, agreed natural frontiers with France which renounced its feudal overlordship of Catalonia.
Jaime co-operated with Castile in 1266, conquering Murcia but handing it over to Castile in accordance with the terms of Cazola.
In his will, in 1276, Jaime I created the Kingdom of Majorca for his son Jaime, consisting of Roussillon, the Balearics and Montpelier, but the Kingdom proved very unstable and, so became a vassal of Aragon in 1279 and was re-absorbed in 1344.
Angevins and Vespers
Charles brother of Louis IX of France was named Count of Anjou and Maine. Charles married the heiress of the County of Provence, Beatrice of Provence, inheriting the county in 1241.
After fighting in the Seventh Crusade, Charles was offered the Kingdom of Sicily by Pope Clement IV this comprised the island of Sicily and the southern half of the Italian Peninsula. At the Battle of Benevento Charles gained the Kingdom from the ruling Hohenstaufens, this was cemented by victory at Tagliacozzo. French rule soon assumed a repressive and ferocious character.
Charles' ambitions mimicked that of the Norman creators of the Kingdom of Sicily to carve out new lands in the Balkans. Dynastic marriage gained Angevin possession of Corfu and cities in the Balkans such as Durazzo, as well as suzerainty over the Principality of Achaea and sovereignty of the Aegean islands. Charles had fully solidified his rule over Durazzo by 1272, creating a small Kingdom of Albania for himself, out of previously Despotate of Epirus territory; he was supported by local chiefs.
For a while Charles was preoccupied helping Louis IX in the unsuccessful Eighth Crusade to Tunis. He then, once again, focused on Constantinople, but his fleet was wrecked in a freak storm.
In 1282, the Sicilians rose up against the Angevins in the Sicilian Vespers and massacred four thousand Frenchmen over the course of the next six weeks across the island. Peter III of Aragon responded to their call, and landed in Trapani to an enthusiastic welcome. Messina held out for Charles but after diplomatic errors by the commander, Messina revolted.
Pope Martin IV excommunicated Peter III, placed the island of Sicily under interdiction, and offered the Kingdom of Aragon to a son of Philip III of France. The Pope declared a crusade against Peter III on the grounds that Sicily was a papal fief.
Catalan admiral Roger of Lauria pursued the war in Italy on behalf of Peter. He ravaged the Calabrian coast and kept a strong naval presence. A fleet from Provence set out for Naples. Roger took Malta and defeated the Angevin Provençal fleet near the islands in the Battle of Malta. Roger then drew Charles the Lame, the heir of the Neapolitan King Charles, out of Naples' port.
Roger utterly routed him, destroying the whole Angevin navy in the Battle of the Gulf of Naples. Roger took the Prince and 42 ships captive to Messina. Charles the elder arrived in Italy at that time, but died soon after in 1285 and the war in Italy was put on hold due to lack of leadership on both sides: Charles' successor was a prisoner and Peter III was dealing with a new menace, the Aragonese Crusade.
Pope Martin IV bestowed Aragon on Charles, Count of Valois, son of the French king, Philip III, and nephew of Peter III.
The crusade soon caused civil war within Aragon, as Peter's brother, King James II of Majorca, joined the French. James' Kingdom included the County of Roussillon and thus stood between the French and Aragonese. Peter had opposed James' inheritance as a younger son and reaped the consequence of such rivalry in the crusade.
Peter's eldest son, Alfonso, was placed in charge of defending the border with Navarre, ruled by Philip III's son, Philip the Fair. Although Peter feared a full-scale invasion from Navarre, there were only some cross-border raids. Philip the Fair joined the main invading army under his father.
French armies under Philip and Charles entered Roussillon. Though they had James' support, the local populace rose against them. The city of Elne was valiantly defended but eventually it was taken. The cathedral was burned and the population massacred.
In 1285, Philip the Bold entrenched himself before Girona besieging it. Resistance was strong, but the city was taken. Charles was crowned there, but without an actual crown. The Cardinal placed his own hat on the Count's head. For this, Charles was derisively nicknamed “Roi du chapeau” "King of the hat".
The French soon experienced a reversal at the hands of Admiral Roger de Lauria. The French fleet was defeated and destroyed at the Battle of Les Formigues. The French camp, including Philip, was hit hard by dysentery.
Philip of Navarre opened negotiations with Peter for free passage for the royal family through the Pyrenees. French troops were not offered such passage and were decimated at the Battle of the Col de Panissars.
Philip III died at Perpignan and was buried in Narbonne. Peter III did not long survive him.
The Treaty of Tarascon of 1291 officially restored Aragon to his heir, Alfonso III, and lifted the ban of the church.
With the Treaty of Tarascon, the war with Aragon ended, but it had little effect following the death of Alfonso within months. Alfonso's brother, James I of Sicily, inherited Aragon and united the two realms. In 1295, James signed the Treaty of Anagni whereby he gave up Sicily to the papacy, with Pope Boniface VIII granting it to Charles the Lame. However, Peter III's third son, Frederick, the regent of Sicily, refused to acquiesce in the treaty, the Sicilian populace proclaiming him King.
The war was renewed between Aragonese Sicily and Angevin Naples. The treaty, however, obligated James to enter the war assisting Charles. He sent his fleet from Catalonia to harass his brother's coasts. Frederick went on the offensive quickly and invaded Calabria in 1296. He seized several towns, encouraged revolt in Naples, negotiated with Tuscany and Lombardy, and assisted the house of Colonna against the pope.
James was serious about fulfilling his part of the treaty of 1295 and enforcing a peace. In this he had the support of John of Procida and Roger of Lauria, his father's ablest men. On 4 July 1299, James himself led his fleet with Roger of Lauria and defeated his brother at the Battle of Cape Orlando. Meanwhile, Charles' sons, Robert (who had married James' daughter) and Philip, had landed in Sicily and captured Catania.
Philip moved to besiege Trapani, but was defeated and captured by Frederick at the Battle of Falconaria. On 14 June 1300, Roger of Lauria defeated the Sicilians again at the Battle of Ponza. Frederick himself was captured in battle.
In 1302, Charles of Valois came down into Italy at the request of Pope Boniface. He landed in Sicily, but his army was ravaged by the plague and forced to sue for peace. The Peace of Caltabellotta was signed and Frederick was recognised as King in Sicily, with the title of King of Trinacria. Charles was recognised as King in the peninsula, with the title of King of Sicily, usually rendered as "King of Naples," his capital.
What If?
I consider Aragon to be a failed state despite its obvious success and dominance in the Western Mediterranean.
The union with Castile slaved Aragon to Madrid, what would have happened if Pedro II had not died in battle?
Simon de Montfort died himself in 1215 and Louis IX of France struggled to resist Raymond of Toulouse's resurgence.
Could Pedro II have defeated the Crusade, dealt with the Cathars and brought Provence back into obedience?
I believe he could. Without the Angevin inheritance of Provence the Pope may have turned to Peter III to oust the Hohenstaufens from the Kingdom of Sicily.
The wider implications of Pedro's survival;
No Angevin Dynasty in Hungary or interfering in the Balkans conflicts [that's not to say the Aragonese would not].
Simon de Monfort’s younger son (also called Simon) was confirmed as the Earl of Leicester and made Seneshal of Gascony, thereby ensuring that there would be no attack by Crusaders. Without this what happens to the start of the modern Parliament?
No Aragonese Crusade, Philip the Fair is said to have gained his, almost anti-Papist, stance during this campaign, would he be the same if Pedro II survived? Would the Templars have survived a changed Philip?
Would the Eighth Crusade have aimed at Tunis without Sicily being Angevin?
Lastly, how would another powerful potential ally have affected the Hundred Years War and the Castilian Civil War?
I blame Victoria 2 with all the various spellings. I definitely need to proof read more. I have a bad habit of making these late at night
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Ephraim Ben Raphael
Banned
Great writeup @Selvetrica !
Is was Freedonia founded by escaped slaves? Who's in the Kingdom of God? What's Jerusalem like? Does the United Kingdom have a king? Where's their capital? Are those Columbian colonies in Brazil? How French is the French Republic? What does the American Military Republic's form of government look like?
Is was Freedonia founded by escaped slaves? Who's in the Kingdom of God? What's Jerusalem like? Does the United Kingdom have a king? Where's their capital? Are those Columbian colonies in Brazil? How French is the French Republic? What does the American Military Republic's form of government look like?
Freedonia is a nation with an identity crisis. Originally founded by Natives in Oklahoma to hunt the now booming Bison industry. It has seen waves of migrants first from the Confederate collapse and recently Mexican immigrants. While the northern area is still very nomadic the southern area is being settled. The name comes less from what the original natives called the land and more from the idea of escape as people fled the CSA.
The Kingdom of God is a small state founded by Evangelicals about 30 years past the event. Originally a small commune, it has received a steady stream of migrants over the decades. Many of them have come from Venezuela over the years as territory near them gets settled. Not a bad place to live as long as you are a devout follower.
Jerusalem is a mostly christian state with a small but growing Jewish population. While the city has been rebuilt most of it has been changed as the settlement was not as organized as one would think. With a small trickle of migrants over the years has led to much more shacks than grand buildings. There is talk in Raleigh of annexing by force or economic means to get in on the growing religious groups.
While the United Kingdom does not have a King, Jamaica does. Currently the Bahamas have a Parliament with a capital still in Nassau. They have a great trading relationship with Venezuelan oil ships heading North. While they do have small colonies in the home isles they do not grow much as they are a victim of low population and stiff competition of the best real estate in Europe.
Columbia has had trade outpost in Brazil for a long time. With recent navigation into the Amazon for logging stations. On the coast plantations dot the areas between with few cities. Most of the people who wish to start a new life are heading to the African colonies these days, leaving the Brazilian lowly populated. The French Republic was mostly founded by a rich Cajun who was dissatisfied with the English majority. Originally had an independence streak when it was founded. It has since fallen back into orbit, but still maintains its French language with pride. How much of the language a French speaker of our world could understand is little as the language evolved.
The government of the Military Republic a unique form to this world. It has a President that is elected by all actively serving or retired military members where voting is mandatory. The upper house is made up of a council of generals while the lower house is elected by the people. Most services from police to clothes manufacturing are under the military. While you are not forced to join the military at 18; the culture and fines encourage it greatly. While economically strict, the nation is surprisingly socially moderate with woman allowed to serve and vote.
I have created a separate thread for my historical maps, but I would like to finish the series on this thread.
Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
Mostly trial and error. What I did was look up various interpretations of city pixel art to get a feel for the style. Then I started playing around with it finding what I liked and didn't. I will admit I was listening to Vaporware and it may of influenced it a lot.
Apex Earth: 2080 - Sea Level +10m and places that remain dry and protected below sea level in grey-pink. So far it's just the Mediterranean that has this.
The Mediterranean was dammed to protect these coastlines, with estimates for the costs far lower than protecting each individual city or port. There were many investors, the European Union, the North African States, Israel, Turkey, and Russia.
Next step is showing the 'Dammed Cities', places that were protected in smaller projects (New York, Singapore, London, Paris, Tokyo), the 'Sunken Cities', places that were abandoned (Hamburg, New Orleans, a few more) and figuring out where else we'd actually change the world map in the next sixty years. It looks like something could be done in northeast China, near Shandong, and maybe something to protect the Delaware Bay, Delmarva, area. I was also thinking about a failed project to protect the Baltic Sea coast, not sure how to depict it on the map yet.
In this setting, 2080 is fifteen years after hyperspace technology is discovered, and five years before first contact / alien invasion.
The Mediterranean was dammed to protect these coastlines, with estimates for the costs far lower than protecting each individual city or port. There were many investors, the European Union, the North African States, Israel, Turkey, and Russia.
Next step is showing the 'Dammed Cities', places that were protected in smaller projects (New York, Singapore, London, Paris, Tokyo), the 'Sunken Cities', places that were abandoned (Hamburg, New Orleans, a few more) and figuring out where else we'd actually change the world map in the next sixty years. It looks like something could be done in northeast China, near Shandong, and maybe something to protect the Delaware Bay, Delmarva, area. I was also thinking about a failed project to protect the Baltic Sea coast, not sure how to depict it on the map yet.
In this setting, 2080 is fifteen years after hyperspace technology is discovered, and five years before first contact / alien invasion.
- Status