Chapter 57
Chapter 57
1574
London
Queen Elizabeth I of England was surprised to find that she was pregnant again. She was getting a bit too old for this. However, she was pleased.
The nation was doing fairly well in the peace. However, the merchants and nobility, which had made such money during her grandfather's seizure, now sought more opportunity in the western world and Asia. One of her Ministers, Edward Courtenay, the Duke of Exeter, would encourage the Queen to do such. Exeter was in favor as he married one of Elizabeth's aunts, the infamous daughters of Henry VIII and Catherine Willoughby. His strong hand kept the woman's Zwinglist leanings in check (Exeter was a staunch Catholic and his return to power coincided with the union of the Roman and Anglican Catholic churches).
With so much of Brazil so wide open, the canny English realized the lethargic Spaniards were wasting the opportunity. The Portuguese proved that sugar was profitable, if only someone would govern the plantations.
However, the Queen was hesitant. She had a profitable peace and any moves into the western realm would no doubt lead to war with Spain. As the French "Alliance" with Ireland, Scotland, etc threatened to strangle England, she dare not offend a potential ally or at least counterweight to French hegemony.
Elizabeth agreed to investigate settling vacant islands in the West Indies but not to set foot in Brazil, no matter what.
The Queen of the Burgundian Netherlands, on the other hand, was more interested.
Brussels
Queen Joanna was no longer young but remained ambitious for her nation. She desired to move into profitable colonialism but knew that both the French and Spanish were well-entrenched by now along the coasts of Gallia and America.
She was tempted to try her luck in Brazil against her brother, the King of Spain, but family ties prevented this. However, like Queen Elizabeth of England, Johanna saw opportunity in Asia and the West Indies.
By happenstance, both England and the Netherlands would dispatch fleets to the barely touched islands of Jamaica and Barbados within a week of one another.
The response of Spain and France was predictable.
The Vigayanagara Empire
The southern Empire of the Indian subcontinent remained relatively peaceful throughout the religious wars that rocked the northern regions. Hinduism remained dominant in all areas except the far northeast and northwest.
When the first Dutch and English traders started to arrive, the King thought little of it. Their Portuguese trading partners and pseudo-allies, however, would be livid.
Ankara
Having been forced out of his capital three times - once by the Janissaries, once by the Alevis and finally by his cousin - Sultan Mustafa was driven south into the hills of southern Anatolia. By the 1570's, a bizarre stalemate now ensued among the dozen or so main factions of Anatolia and the Levant.
Mustafa would not see its result as he was murdered by assassins employed by his cousin, whom promptly declared himself the new Sultan in Ankara. Mustafa's sole son, a seventeen year old, would assume power in the south near the Syrian border.
Cairo
The Dey (or "Sultan" depending on his mood) sought to elevate himself as the true ruler of Islam. Did not the Dey rule Mecca and Medina?
Yet the Moorish states of North Africa continued to defy his authority.
As the Christian Kingdoms fought, the true reason why the Barbary pirates did not take advantage of the situation was that the Egyptians continued to harass the coastline in a vain attempt to create a true North African Empire for the first time since the Roman days. Even the Islamic conquest was never a unified affair.
1574
London
Queen Elizabeth I of England was surprised to find that she was pregnant again. She was getting a bit too old for this. However, she was pleased.
The nation was doing fairly well in the peace. However, the merchants and nobility, which had made such money during her grandfather's seizure, now sought more opportunity in the western world and Asia. One of her Ministers, Edward Courtenay, the Duke of Exeter, would encourage the Queen to do such. Exeter was in favor as he married one of Elizabeth's aunts, the infamous daughters of Henry VIII and Catherine Willoughby. His strong hand kept the woman's Zwinglist leanings in check (Exeter was a staunch Catholic and his return to power coincided with the union of the Roman and Anglican Catholic churches).
With so much of Brazil so wide open, the canny English realized the lethargic Spaniards were wasting the opportunity. The Portuguese proved that sugar was profitable, if only someone would govern the plantations.
However, the Queen was hesitant. She had a profitable peace and any moves into the western realm would no doubt lead to war with Spain. As the French "Alliance" with Ireland, Scotland, etc threatened to strangle England, she dare not offend a potential ally or at least counterweight to French hegemony.
Elizabeth agreed to investigate settling vacant islands in the West Indies but not to set foot in Brazil, no matter what.
The Queen of the Burgundian Netherlands, on the other hand, was more interested.
Brussels
Queen Joanna was no longer young but remained ambitious for her nation. She desired to move into profitable colonialism but knew that both the French and Spanish were well-entrenched by now along the coasts of Gallia and America.
She was tempted to try her luck in Brazil against her brother, the King of Spain, but family ties prevented this. However, like Queen Elizabeth of England, Johanna saw opportunity in Asia and the West Indies.
By happenstance, both England and the Netherlands would dispatch fleets to the barely touched islands of Jamaica and Barbados within a week of one another.
The response of Spain and France was predictable.
The Vigayanagara Empire
The southern Empire of the Indian subcontinent remained relatively peaceful throughout the religious wars that rocked the northern regions. Hinduism remained dominant in all areas except the far northeast and northwest.
When the first Dutch and English traders started to arrive, the King thought little of it. Their Portuguese trading partners and pseudo-allies, however, would be livid.
Ankara
Having been forced out of his capital three times - once by the Janissaries, once by the Alevis and finally by his cousin - Sultan Mustafa was driven south into the hills of southern Anatolia. By the 1570's, a bizarre stalemate now ensued among the dozen or so main factions of Anatolia and the Levant.
Mustafa would not see its result as he was murdered by assassins employed by his cousin, whom promptly declared himself the new Sultan in Ankara. Mustafa's sole son, a seventeen year old, would assume power in the south near the Syrian border.
Cairo
The Dey (or "Sultan" depending on his mood) sought to elevate himself as the true ruler of Islam. Did not the Dey rule Mecca and Medina?
Yet the Moorish states of North Africa continued to defy his authority.
As the Christian Kingdoms fought, the true reason why the Barbary pirates did not take advantage of the situation was that the Egyptians continued to harass the coastline in a vain attempt to create a true North African Empire for the first time since the Roman days. Even the Islamic conquest was never a unified affair.