"Agreement of the People" - A Leveller TL
- Thread starter TheNordicBrit
- Start date
1658
March (cont.)
- The governance of Iceland is reformed, the official 'capital' is made Thingvellir while the natural port of Akureyri is invested in by the English government so as to allow it to grow, while previously populated by Danes now it's got a range of Icelandic and English merchants. Also construction begins on an official 'Parliament building' for the Althingi to meet in. A Governor is posted to the position in Iceland while the Althingi deals with internal issues surrounding Icelandic people, the Governor and English parliament control the external affairs and any internal affairs surrounding English settlers. The first governor of Iceland is George Ayscue (previous Governor of Barbados), he's made Governor due to his role in the blockade of Iceland which was secondary only to Robert Blake. Instead Blake took on the newly-made position 'Lord Admiral of the Republican Navy' through which he has heavy influence on the running and development of the Navy alongside automatically getting a seat in the House of Councilors.
August
- For the first time in 8 years the Levellers lose the majority of the House of Commons, the Moderates take the House with 179 Moderates being elected. The secret-Royalist numbers decrease however to only around 28 MP's, the Levellers are reduced to having just 78 MP's though the Religious Radicals manage to just about keep their 65 MP's. However they re-elect John Lilburne as the Lord-President due to his success over the years.
September
March (cont.)
- The governance of Iceland is reformed, the official 'capital' is made Thingvellir while the natural port of Akureyri is invested in by the English government so as to allow it to grow, while previously populated by Danes now it's got a range of Icelandic and English merchants. Also construction begins on an official 'Parliament building' for the Althingi to meet in. A Governor is posted to the position in Iceland while the Althingi deals with internal issues surrounding Icelandic people, the Governor and English parliament control the external affairs and any internal affairs surrounding English settlers. The first governor of Iceland is George Ayscue (previous Governor of Barbados), he's made Governor due to his role in the blockade of Iceland which was secondary only to Robert Blake. Instead Blake took on the newly-made position 'Lord Admiral of the Republican Navy' through which he has heavy influence on the running and development of the Navy alongside automatically getting a seat in the House of Councilors.
August
- For the first time in 8 years the Levellers lose the majority of the House of Commons, the Moderates take the House with 179 Moderates being elected. The secret-Royalist numbers decrease however to only around 28 MP's, the Levellers are reduced to having just 78 MP's though the Religious Radicals manage to just about keep their 65 MP's. However they re-elect John Lilburne as the Lord-President due to his success over the years.
September
- The English Parliament passed legislation that gave the English East India Company "the rights to autonomous territorial acquisitions, to mint money, to command fortresses and troops and form alliances, to make war and peace, and to exercise both civil and criminal jurisdiction over the acquired areas."
- The beginnings of the 'Grand Starvation' are seen in Ireland within Connaught. For an unknown reason the fertile regions (and most densely populated) of Connaught began to suffer from famines, while the effects may not have been as bad as they were due to the Protestant Anglo-Scots land-owners refusing to allow the selling of food to the Irish alongside refusing the migration of the Catholic Irish outside the effected area the deaths were magnified greatly. The 'Grand Starvation' continued for around 2 years and is one of the worst blots in Irish history due to the deaths of around a third of Ireland's Catholic population during this time as well as the migration of around a quarter to mainly Germany and Basque (in Spain).[1]
[1] - I'll explain about the 'Grand Starvation' more now. The Lord Deputy of Ireland at the time was Charles Fleetwood whom IOTL was particularly hateful of the Catholics. In the defense of the English government Fleetwood kept the famine secret for about a month, and when he did tell them they attempted to send aid in the form of money and some food. However Fleetwood redistributed the food among the Protestants in Ireland (particularly English Religious Radicals), barely any of the aid made it to the Catholics. Fleetwood managed to keep the continued famine a secret for 2 years with the help of numerous Protestant Radicals, when the English government finally learned of the purposeful continuation of the famine they immediately forced Fleetwood out of office and attempted to remedy Connaught however it was too little too late. Fleetwood was put on trial and found guilty of disobeying Parliament and causing the mass death of hundreds-of-thousands, while not usually a death penalty offense it was used here due to the severity of his actions.
- The beginnings of the 'Grand Starvation' are seen in Ireland within Connaught. For an unknown reason the fertile regions (and most densely populated) of Connaught began to suffer from famines, while the effects may not have been as bad as they were due to the Protestant Anglo-Scots land-owners refusing to allow the selling of food to the Irish alongside refusing the migration of the Catholic Irish outside the effected area the deaths were magnified greatly. The 'Grand Starvation' continued for around 2 years and is one of the worst blots in Irish history due to the deaths of around a third of Ireland's Catholic population during this time as well as the migration of around a quarter to mainly Germany and Basque (in Spain).[1]
[1] - I'll explain about the 'Grand Starvation' more now. The Lord Deputy of Ireland at the time was Charles Fleetwood whom IOTL was particularly hateful of the Catholics. In the defense of the English government Fleetwood kept the famine secret for about a month, and when he did tell them they attempted to send aid in the form of money and some food. However Fleetwood redistributed the food among the Protestants in Ireland (particularly English Religious Radicals), barely any of the aid made it to the Catholics. Fleetwood managed to keep the continued famine a secret for 2 years with the help of numerous Protestant Radicals, when the English government finally learned of the purposeful continuation of the famine they immediately forced Fleetwood out of office and attempted to remedy Connaught however it was too little too late. Fleetwood was put on trial and found guilty of disobeying Parliament and causing the mass death of hundreds-of-thousands, while not usually a death penalty offense it was used here due to the severity of his actions.
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Does the Republic still have bills of attainder?
If so, Parliament could pass a law condemning Fleetwood to death (after a fair trial of course).
Plus several million counts of murder is doable.
I guess so yes, I'm not an expert on law however I believe this would be used against him.
And after having reviewed the population of Ireland at the time I've changed it to the deaths of hundreds-of-thousands... Much better
And after having reviewed the population of Ireland at the time I've changed it to the deaths of hundreds-of-thousands... Much better
Yeah. IIRC the Great Hunger killed one million people and caused one million more to emigrate, and that was centuries later.
1658
July
- King Henry I officially takes the throne of Scotland as he comes of age and alongside this Henry I is officially married to Catherine of Braganza.
- The 'Conference of Paris' meets, diplomats from all over Monarchist and Catholic Europe convene to discuss the Republic of England and its future. It was a rare occurrence of the Spanish meeting with both the Portuguese and French, both of whom they were at war with. The only non-Catholic nation that met in the Conference was Denmark whom had recently lost huge chunks of land to England, Scotland and Sweden. During the Conference many call for a temporary peace to be made between France and Spain in order to create a united front against the growing Protestant powers of England, Holland, Sweden and Scotland. Not only this but the Spanish wish to rid South America of the Scots colonies in Nova Scotia that they argue is "interfering with trade".
August
- The Treaty of Andorra is signed bringing the Franco-Spanish War to an abrupt end. With neither side winning any major battles there are no territorial acquisitions. There's simply a trade of prisoners of war and various monetary transactions between the nations. Many in Europe are confused as to why these warring nations would choose to end the war so abruptly though through the spy network of John Thurloe (Secretary of State in England) the English managed to find out that the Peace was made in order for a united Catholic front to be used against England, Scotland, Holland and Sweden. Thurloe also finds out that the reason for no such peace between Spain and Portugal is due to the Portuguese being unwilling to go against the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, especially with a Portuguese Princess being recently married to the King of Scotland.
December
- Off the coast of Nova Scotia a large Franco-Spanish fleet appears and they demand the surrender of the colony from Scotland to Spain, however the hardy-Highlanders of Charles Town flatly refuse to abandon the Stewart's. While the Spanish don't invade the settlement they do bombard it for an hour and thus destroy most of the infrastructure that had been built up, there were 10 casualties (3 dead, 7 wounded).
- The Massachusetts Bay Colony is given a new Governor, William Rainborowe whom lived there in the 1630's. Alongside this the Connecticut Colony is given a new Governor, Thomas Rainsborough (brother of William Rainborowe). These two men are religiously tolerant and wish to truly create a 'New England', they are pro-New England unification and also wish to create a New England nearly totally loyal to England.
July
- King Henry I officially takes the throne of Scotland as he comes of age and alongside this Henry I is officially married to Catherine of Braganza.
- The 'Conference of Paris' meets, diplomats from all over Monarchist and Catholic Europe convene to discuss the Republic of England and its future. It was a rare occurrence of the Spanish meeting with both the Portuguese and French, both of whom they were at war with. The only non-Catholic nation that met in the Conference was Denmark whom had recently lost huge chunks of land to England, Scotland and Sweden. During the Conference many call for a temporary peace to be made between France and Spain in order to create a united front against the growing Protestant powers of England, Holland, Sweden and Scotland. Not only this but the Spanish wish to rid South America of the Scots colonies in Nova Scotia that they argue is "interfering with trade".
August
- The Treaty of Andorra is signed bringing the Franco-Spanish War to an abrupt end. With neither side winning any major battles there are no territorial acquisitions. There's simply a trade of prisoners of war and various monetary transactions between the nations. Many in Europe are confused as to why these warring nations would choose to end the war so abruptly though through the spy network of John Thurloe (Secretary of State in England) the English managed to find out that the Peace was made in order for a united Catholic front to be used against England, Scotland, Holland and Sweden. Thurloe also finds out that the reason for no such peace between Spain and Portugal is due to the Portuguese being unwilling to go against the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, especially with a Portuguese Princess being recently married to the King of Scotland.
December
- Off the coast of Nova Scotia a large Franco-Spanish fleet appears and they demand the surrender of the colony from Scotland to Spain, however the hardy-Highlanders of Charles Town flatly refuse to abandon the Stewart's. While the Spanish don't invade the settlement they do bombard it for an hour and thus destroy most of the infrastructure that had been built up, there were 10 casualties (3 dead, 7 wounded).
- The Massachusetts Bay Colony is given a new Governor, William Rainborowe whom lived there in the 1630's. Alongside this the Connecticut Colony is given a new Governor, Thomas Rainsborough (brother of William Rainborowe). These two men are religiously tolerant and wish to truly create a 'New England', they are pro-New England unification and also wish to create a New England nearly totally loyal to England.
So France and Spain have caught on to what England's doing but are going for Scotland? Nice to see the Auld Alliance meant so much to the French. I can see the reason with Scotland being the weaker link and all in all easier to eliminate but still I can see Hetalia fans frothing with rage at this.
1659
January- In North America the French two-thirds of Newfoundland begin an attack against the British third, by the end of the month St John's is under siege by the French.
February
- The English government finally hears of the French attack in Newfoundland and thus the Anglo-French War begins, a theatre of war in the larger '20 Years War'.
- Not long after the Anglo-French Wars began the Scots got wind of the Spanish attack on the Scots colony in Nova Scotia, thus they declared war on Spain at which point France declared war on Scotland and England went to war with Spain.
- The already Anglo-phile Dutch government declares war on both France and Spain in order to support the English and Scots but also to take the Spanish Netherlands.
March
- The English order a blockade of Cadiz, Sir Robert Blake leads the blockade and successfully sets it up with a vast English fleet. The English government consider an attack on Cadiz and taking it. Blake favours simply blockading the city however he also admits there would be benefits to capturing it later in the war.
- In Newfoundland the French successfully take St. John's and thus the British third of the island, France now rules the whole of Newfoundland.
- Stories of atrocities carried out in Newfoundland by Catholics and French alike spread throughout the English colonies in North America (some true, some false). However in the English colonies (especially Quebec and Acadia) there are stories (many true) of English Protestants killing waves of French settlers and Catholics. It's estimated that the French population of Quebec shrank by around 65% in just 2 weeks, however even some Royalists whom are associated with Catholicism in the Colony of Virginia are massacred. This is known as 'Black March' for centuries.
- The Anglo-French War has led to a surge in Huguenot migration to England. While the Anglo-Spanish War has had the opposite result in the increase of Irish Catholics migration to Basque.
January- In North America the French two-thirds of Newfoundland begin an attack against the British third, by the end of the month St John's is under siege by the French.
February
- The English government finally hears of the French attack in Newfoundland and thus the Anglo-French War begins, a theatre of war in the larger '20 Years War'.
- Not long after the Anglo-French Wars began the Scots got wind of the Spanish attack on the Scots colony in Nova Scotia, thus they declared war on Spain at which point France declared war on Scotland and England went to war with Spain.
- The already Anglo-phile Dutch government declares war on both France and Spain in order to support the English and Scots but also to take the Spanish Netherlands.
March
- The English order a blockade of Cadiz, Sir Robert Blake leads the blockade and successfully sets it up with a vast English fleet. The English government consider an attack on Cadiz and taking it. Blake favours simply blockading the city however he also admits there would be benefits to capturing it later in the war.
- In Newfoundland the French successfully take St. John's and thus the British third of the island, France now rules the whole of Newfoundland.
- Stories of atrocities carried out in Newfoundland by Catholics and French alike spread throughout the English colonies in North America (some true, some false). However in the English colonies (especially Quebec and Acadia) there are stories (many true) of English Protestants killing waves of French settlers and Catholics. It's estimated that the French population of Quebec shrank by around 65% in just 2 weeks, however even some Royalists whom are associated with Catholicism in the Colony of Virginia are massacred. This is known as 'Black March' for centuries.
- The Anglo-French War has led to a surge in Huguenot migration to England. While the Anglo-Spanish War has had the opposite result in the increase of Irish Catholics migration to Basque.
Excellent Timeline, just caught up today and its a facinating world you are building. My only concern is that the English Republic seems to be winning significant victories all the time, perhaps some wars were they fall short of their aims or white peace out so to speak.
Of course with this 20yrs war developing I expect whoever is in power may suffer at elections solely due to the populations exhaustion.
Anyway I can't wait for more!
Of course with this 20yrs war developing I expect whoever is in power may suffer at elections solely due to the populations exhaustion.
Anyway I can't wait for more!
Ah thank you, though I haven't updated for a while which I must do.
England is winning a lot yes, however in the wars I mentioned previously you will notice that in the much larger pitched battles generally the English forces are merely a portion of the overall force (especially seen in the Dutch Civil War). The 20 Years War will obviously have both some English losses and victories, and the group in power will suffer at various times however there's going to be a lot of to-ing and fro-ing.
I might update tomorrow, however I'm nearing exam time so I'll be revising a lot.
TheNordicBrit
Catching up on return from hols. Agree that with the population of Ireland at the time hundreds of thousands is more accurate than millions. How much of this is OTL, in terms of the deaths, Fleetwood's deceit and Parliament's reaction when they find out? [I was presuming you were bringing the Potato famine forward initially but actually not sure about how important the potato was at the time in Ireland so it could be something else?]
Good to hear about the political changes. The fact the government can change peacefully and that it went to moderates rather than more extreme groups bodes well for the republic as it sets a tradition for government by law. Given that Lilburne is maintained as President and presuming this term goes reasonably well [could be awkward with co-habitation] he could well end up with a status similar to that of Washington in the US OTL.
Steve
Catching up on return from hols. Agree that with the population of Ireland at the time hundreds of thousands is more accurate than millions. How much of this is OTL, in terms of the deaths, Fleetwood's deceit and Parliament's reaction when they find out? [I was presuming you were bringing the Potato famine forward initially but actually not sure about how important the potato was at the time in Ireland so it could be something else?]
Good to hear about the political changes. The fact the government can change peacefully and that it went to moderates rather than more extreme groups bodes well for the republic as it sets a tradition for government by law. Given that Lilburne is maintained as President and presuming this term goes reasonably well [could be awkward with co-habitation] he could well end up with a status similar to that of Washington in the US OTL.
Steve
TheNordicBrit
Some concerns about the attack on Nova Scotia.
a) Given the distances involved, the limited government infrastructure of the time and problems with maintaining a fleet away from main bases I think that only 4 months is too short a time. [OTL it was only about 1670s that Britain started to become capable of maintaining a navy in operational status during the winter months and even later doing so further afield]. Also given the strength of the English and Scottish navies and possible Dutch support plus the relatively small size of the colonies I would think a relatively small force, very likely accompanied by troops possibly from the La Plata colony region, would be used. They would want to keep the bulk of their navies close to home to face the main threats.
b) Given the the Scots 'colonists' were basically deportees and that OTL Catholicism stayed important in the Highlands for some time, a major factor in the region's support for the two Pretenders, I wonder if the colony would be that willing to resist the Spanish?
Steve
Some concerns about the attack on Nova Scotia.
a) Given the distances involved, the limited government infrastructure of the time and problems with maintaining a fleet away from main bases I think that only 4 months is too short a time. [OTL it was only about 1670s that Britain started to become capable of maintaining a navy in operational status during the winter months and even later doing so further afield]. Also given the strength of the English and Scottish navies and possible Dutch support plus the relatively small size of the colonies I would think a relatively small force, very likely accompanied by troops possibly from the La Plata colony region, would be used. They would want to keep the bulk of their navies close to home to face the main threats.
b) Given the the Scots 'colonists' were basically deportees and that OTL Catholicism stayed important in the Highlands for some time, a major factor in the region's support for the two Pretenders, I wonder if the colony would be that willing to resist the Spanish?
Steve
TheNordicBrit
Again some concerns about details.
a) Timing again, especially with the Scots learning about the attack on their colony in Patagonia. That's a hell of a way to hear in a couple of months. Just about possible that the English might hear from Newfoundland in this time period but that would be pushing it. Of course they may be hearing about it by indirect means, if say there's a Spanish/French dow with some details there but I doubt if the enemy would be that informative about details.
b) As I said in my previous post the English navy at this time was struggling to maintain forces both in British waters during the winter and in hostile European waters for more than a couple of months at any time. [In terms of finance, organisation and simply maintain healthy men and functioning ships]. Hence Parliament may order Blake to blockade Cadiz and he may attempt it but it's likely to be difficult and destruction to the English navy.
c) It might be that the Dutch will support the English and Scots. However this means a clash with two huge continental powers on their doorsteps. [With possibly also the danger that at least one of them will seek a 4th column by supporting the deposed Orangist faction]. It should be noted that even with the Dutch the Protestant powers are very heavily outclassed at this period. Their navies can contest the seas with the Catholic powers but their economies are not really strong enough for extended large scale warfare, except for the Dutch, and they definitely can't begin to match the land armies the Catholic powers can raise.
The other point here is what is the view of the empire in this? [More specifically the Austrian Hapsburg's]. A lot of the empire's power was sapped by the 30 years war and they could be facing a threat from the Turks but it's likely that they would be able to send some forces and that would almost certainly be against the English alliance. [Common family links for the Hapsburg's, common religious links and mutual dislike of regicidial republics].
d) Things sound very bloody in N America, with the levels of massacres that makes it sound like this will be a nasty war. Also just to check has England already conquered Quebec else something sounds wrong? [May be the case. As I say just back from hols so details of the earlier parts of the TL are rather incomplete in what passes for my memory].
Steve
Again some concerns about details.
a) Timing again, especially with the Scots learning about the attack on their colony in Patagonia. That's a hell of a way to hear in a couple of months. Just about possible that the English might hear from Newfoundland in this time period but that would be pushing it. Of course they may be hearing about it by indirect means, if say there's a Spanish/French dow with some details there but I doubt if the enemy would be that informative about details.
b) As I said in my previous post the English navy at this time was struggling to maintain forces both in British waters during the winter and in hostile European waters for more than a couple of months at any time. [In terms of finance, organisation and simply maintain healthy men and functioning ships]. Hence Parliament may order Blake to blockade Cadiz and he may attempt it but it's likely to be difficult and destruction to the English navy.
c) It might be that the Dutch will support the English and Scots. However this means a clash with two huge continental powers on their doorsteps. [With possibly also the danger that at least one of them will seek a 4th column by supporting the deposed Orangist faction]. It should be noted that even with the Dutch the Protestant powers are very heavily outclassed at this period. Their navies can contest the seas with the Catholic powers but their economies are not really strong enough for extended large scale warfare, except for the Dutch, and they definitely can't begin to match the land armies the Catholic powers can raise.
The other point here is what is the view of the empire in this? [More specifically the Austrian Hapsburg's]. A lot of the empire's power was sapped by the 30 years war and they could be facing a threat from the Turks but it's likely that they would be able to send some forces and that would almost certainly be against the English alliance. [Common family links for the Hapsburg's, common religious links and mutual dislike of regicidial republics].
d) Things sound very bloody in N America, with the levels of massacres that makes it sound like this will be a nasty war. Also just to check has England already conquered Quebec else something sounds wrong? [May be the case. As I say just back from hols so details of the earlier parts of the TL are rather incomplete in what passes for my memory].
Steve
The attack was made by the French and Spanish on the islands of Nova Scotia and it was a minor fleet, the Franco-Spanish governments assumed the small insignificant colonies would surrender but for the reasons I give below they were forced to turn back from the region.
You're quite right that the anger and annoyance at the Scots government alongside the common religion shared by the Highlanders and Spaniards would be enticing for a surrender, however the hardiness of the Highlanders alongside the huge language barrier prevent the colony from surrendering.
I see your point, however it's been three months since the attack and a transatlantic voyage from England to East Coast of America only took around a month IOTL so I'd say that it wouldn't be too implausible to have such news be brought to the Scottish governments attention.
IOTL during the Anglo-Spanish War the English managed to maintain a blockade of Cadiz (led by Blake) alongside a campaign in the Caribbean that managed to capture Jamaica even after a failed attempt on Hispaniola.
Good point on Holland, however this allows for the Dutch to wipe out Spanish influence to the west of them. Also IOTL during this time period the English and Dutch Navies were some of the, if not the best in Europe. So this would mean collectively they could severely damage the Spanish economy alongside (to a lesser extent) the French economy by halting any treasure fleets, this would have further knock-on effects as to the Catholic powers ability to fight etc. While land armies may by lopsided in this war don't forget that the English have an excellent standing army that the Dutch will have attempted to copy. So perhaps we see a slightly more even war on sea and land.
You'll see foreign reactions to this new war in the next few updates, but Europe will slowly awaken.
England was ceded Quebec after the previous Anglo-French War, it only had a few hundred settlers around this time. Also this war is bloody in North America as it's much more like the Thirty Years War, a religious based war on the face of it and with Puritan extremists in English colonies facing off against Catholics it's going to be a bloody war.
Oops missed this comment.
With a sudden spurt in population alongside English neglect of the needs of the Irish this will act as a catalyst for a horrible famine. IOTL during the Great Famine the overall population of Ireland fell by about a quarter, this was with some help from the British and foreign governments in a larger area. We're talking about a much smaller area without any support and a natural famine that has been artificially magnified by Fleetwood.
Well IOTL Fleetwood disagreed with the Second Protectorate Parliament, so a disagreement with Parliament isn't implausible in my opinion. Also Fleetwood disliked simple Protestants and detested Catholics, especially Irish Catholics so his disregard for Irish Catholics lives is quite plausible as well. I'm unsure as to the necessity of the potato in Ireland at this time, however throughout history Connaught has been subject to numerous natural famines as it's not very fertile and has a very rugged landscape.
With a sudden spurt in population alongside English neglect of the needs of the Irish this will act as a catalyst for a horrible famine. IOTL during the Great Famine the overall population of Ireland fell by about a quarter, this was with some help from the British and foreign governments in a larger area. We're talking about a much smaller area without any support and a natural famine that has been artificially magnified by Fleetwood.
You're quite right about how Lilburne will be like Washington IOTL, a man who won wars and stabilized England.
1659
April
- The majority of the remaining French settlers in Quebec are forced out into the vast North American wilderness, around 30% of these forced out die within the month however many survive and disperse westwards and begin to associate themselves with Native Americans.
- Fleetwood catches wind that many Irishmen in Connaught are managing to escape to Basque thus he steps up his control of the region, without Parliaments permission he begins to order his troops to kill anyone whom was captured while attempting to flee the island. This was without trial and was instant, he even (of the record) said that the troops could kill anyone even if they merely suspected them of wanting to leave.
- In return for the English massacres on the mainland of North America the French in Newfoundland begin to kill off large numbers of English settlers on the island, around 40% are killed off while 30% fled the island to the mainland in makeshift boats. About 40% of these boats sank.
- Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire took an intrigue into the war that was on his doorstep, on the one hand he wished to join the war however on the other hand whom should he support? He felt a certain amount of affinity with the Spanish Hapsburg's due to their relations, however by supporting Spain he'd also support France and thus strengthen King Louis XIV of France, a nation he didn't wish to see grow stronger. However if he supported the Protestants he'd be seen as weak against Protestant influence as well as rebellious Republicans which may further weaken his Empire, then again he could put France in its place and thus enhance the power of the HRE against the Ottomans as he wouldn't have to be so wary of France.
May
- The English government transport an English force of 5000 men to Portugal in order to support the Portuguese in the 'Portuguese Restoration War', this has the added effect of furthering the pains of Spain on the Iberian Peninsula thus weakening their ability to project power outside Iberia.
- The Swedish launch a preemptive strike against the Danish and a large Swedish force sails across the Sound and the large army numbering some 12,000 men begin a siege of Copenhagen, the Danish look around for some kind of support however their previous allies in Holland are now allied with Sweden.
- In the Americas the English plan an attack on the Spanish West Indies, however they cannot decide where to attack. Many argue the rich island of Hispaniola should be attacked but the Dutch advise them not to as the Dutch attacked the island some years ago and the defenses would be much improved.
- In Brandenburg-Prussia the Elector Frederick William I has called for an army to be created rapidly. He wishes to rid Swedish influence from his own Duchy of Prussia alongside taking Swedish Pomerania.
- King Henry I of Scotland orders an army of at least 6000 men (and at most 9000) be created to sail for the Republic of Holland where they would support the Dutch in the future attack on the Spanish Netherlands, this would be Henry I's first true military experience out of training and would test his leadership and warrior skills.
April
- The majority of the remaining French settlers in Quebec are forced out into the vast North American wilderness, around 30% of these forced out die within the month however many survive and disperse westwards and begin to associate themselves with Native Americans.
- Fleetwood catches wind that many Irishmen in Connaught are managing to escape to Basque thus he steps up his control of the region, without Parliaments permission he begins to order his troops to kill anyone whom was captured while attempting to flee the island. This was without trial and was instant, he even (of the record) said that the troops could kill anyone even if they merely suspected them of wanting to leave.
- In return for the English massacres on the mainland of North America the French in Newfoundland begin to kill off large numbers of English settlers on the island, around 40% are killed off while 30% fled the island to the mainland in makeshift boats. About 40% of these boats sank.
- Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire took an intrigue into the war that was on his doorstep, on the one hand he wished to join the war however on the other hand whom should he support? He felt a certain amount of affinity with the Spanish Hapsburg's due to their relations, however by supporting Spain he'd also support France and thus strengthen King Louis XIV of France, a nation he didn't wish to see grow stronger. However if he supported the Protestants he'd be seen as weak against Protestant influence as well as rebellious Republicans which may further weaken his Empire, then again he could put France in its place and thus enhance the power of the HRE against the Ottomans as he wouldn't have to be so wary of France.
May
- The English government transport an English force of 5000 men to Portugal in order to support the Portuguese in the 'Portuguese Restoration War', this has the added effect of furthering the pains of Spain on the Iberian Peninsula thus weakening their ability to project power outside Iberia.
- The Swedish launch a preemptive strike against the Danish and a large Swedish force sails across the Sound and the large army numbering some 12,000 men begin a siege of Copenhagen, the Danish look around for some kind of support however their previous allies in Holland are now allied with Sweden.
- In the Americas the English plan an attack on the Spanish West Indies, however they cannot decide where to attack. Many argue the rich island of Hispaniola should be attacked but the Dutch advise them not to as the Dutch attacked the island some years ago and the defenses would be much improved.
- In Brandenburg-Prussia the Elector Frederick William I has called for an army to be created rapidly. He wishes to rid Swedish influence from his own Duchy of Prussia alongside taking Swedish Pomerania.
- King Henry I of Scotland orders an army of at least 6000 men (and at most 9000) be created to sail for the Republic of Holland where they would support the Dutch in the future attack on the Spanish Netherlands, this would be Henry I's first true military experience out of training and would test his leadership and warrior skills.
1659
July
- The comparatively huge Scots army finally lands in Holland, Henry I wishes to have the army sent to the front-lines of the war in the Spanish Netherlands immediately, the Scots King is keen to make his mark and Scotland's mark on the continent finally after centuries of having focused on the British Isles.
- The capital of Denmark finally falls to the huge Swedish army and the whole Northern section of the country is overran, after catching news of this the Prussian Elector Frederick William I leads a quick and highly successful Prussian attack on Pomerania that he takes with ease.
- In a Parliamentary vote the English government votes in favour of a daring attack on the Spanish colony of Cuba, a large Caribbean island that makes huge amounts of money for the Spaniards through tobacco and sugar.
- Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire and King Louis XIV of France continually come to blows over the Empire's territories alongside whom Leopold should support in the current war, thus the English press on with their courting of Leopold I to join what they call the anti-French Coalition. Also the prospect of putting the rising star of Brandenburg-Prussia down after its invasion of Sweden is highly appealing to Leopold whom could make this war a way of putting two rising stars down rather than a war of supporting Protestants.
- In the Battle of Cadiz the blockading English fleet encounters a Spanish Treasure Fleet that's attempting to bring a horde of treasure into the Spanish port, this huge and relatively undefended fleet couldn't defeat the huge English fleet just off the Cadiz coastline and was either sunk or captured, it's estimated the Spaniards lost around £3,000,000.
August
- In the Battle of Bruges the Scottish army clashes with Franco-Spanish forces in the first proper battle in the Low Countries. The Scots perform very well considering their relative inexperience on the Continent, King Henry I proves himself to be an astounding commander considering his age.
- With the Prussians having taken SwedishPomerania the Swedes step up the invasion of Denmark, however they hit a problem as the Danish Navy not only begins to fight back but the Danes actually rally together and prove to be an effective fighting force to release the King from capture alongside having some Prussian support to bolster their forces.
July
- The comparatively huge Scots army finally lands in Holland, Henry I wishes to have the army sent to the front-lines of the war in the Spanish Netherlands immediately, the Scots King is keen to make his mark and Scotland's mark on the continent finally after centuries of having focused on the British Isles.
- The capital of Denmark finally falls to the huge Swedish army and the whole Northern section of the country is overran, after catching news of this the Prussian Elector Frederick William I leads a quick and highly successful Prussian attack on Pomerania that he takes with ease.
- In a Parliamentary vote the English government votes in favour of a daring attack on the Spanish colony of Cuba, a large Caribbean island that makes huge amounts of money for the Spaniards through tobacco and sugar.
- Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire and King Louis XIV of France continually come to blows over the Empire's territories alongside whom Leopold should support in the current war, thus the English press on with their courting of Leopold I to join what they call the anti-French Coalition. Also the prospect of putting the rising star of Brandenburg-Prussia down after its invasion of Sweden is highly appealing to Leopold whom could make this war a way of putting two rising stars down rather than a war of supporting Protestants.
- In the Battle of Cadiz the blockading English fleet encounters a Spanish Treasure Fleet that's attempting to bring a horde of treasure into the Spanish port, this huge and relatively undefended fleet couldn't defeat the huge English fleet just off the Cadiz coastline and was either sunk or captured, it's estimated the Spaniards lost around £3,000,000.
August
- In the Battle of Bruges the Scottish army clashes with Franco-Spanish forces in the first proper battle in the Low Countries. The Scots perform very well considering their relative inexperience on the Continent, King Henry I proves himself to be an astounding commander considering his age.
- With the Prussians having taken SwedishPomerania the Swedes step up the invasion of Denmark, however they hit a problem as the Danish Navy not only begins to fight back but the Danes actually rally together and prove to be an effective fighting force to release the King from capture alongside having some Prussian support to bolster their forces.
I'm going to be starting this TL up again to go with my 'House of Cromwell' TL. However I'll need some time to just read over the TL, I may even decide to re-start it, if not does anyone have any ideas of what to do next in the war?