Alternate Andorras and San Marinos?

Valdemar II

Banned
If there was a clear heir to the Danish throne, we would likely see Schleswig-Holstein staying "part" (in union) of Denmark, and that could have resulted in Mecklenburg, Lübeck and Hamburg staying outside the North German Confederation (if it still happened) and the later empire. Of course a German Empire without Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck and Mecklenburg would be interesting, military it's not much weaker (it was only 5% of the Empire's population). But it's going to have interesting effects on the development of the German navy and merchant marine.
 
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Berwick on Tweed
Dublin
Orange
Avignon

P.S., Mecklenburg was once a kingdom (of the Obotrites).
 
There seems to be an attitude both amongst the 2008 post and the new ones that contested or exclave cities could become independent city-states. Essentially I'm referring to the Calais and the Berwicks and to a lesser extent the Dublins of this thread. I'm not sure how this works. These cities (possible exception of places like Dublin) were all cities which were wanted by several countries, were fought over repeatedly by them, and crucially though possibly attractive and flourishing mercantile cities, they are places which massively depended on the protection and trade of their owning nation for their survival.

Calais, for example, boomed under English trade. If the English no longer own it, why would they trade through it? And why would the French? Suddenly it loses its only money-maker. Now, what's stopping the French from simply rolling in and annexing the place? The land is technically French, it has no claim to independence, and no-one would so much as blink an eyelid at the move. In fact it would cause decidedly greater stirrings for Calais to declare independence because...well, what possible use has it got for independence? It would be a good way to turn the city into a run-down wasteland, assuming it could actually stay independent. Berwick also. Why would it ever declare independence when it has such an important role to play in Anglo-Scottish relations? Why would it want to be independent when its citizens must surely have found common identity with one nation or the other on their borders. It's a bit like suggesting that, say, Bristol would one day up and decide it didn't want to be English any more. And again, if Berwick ever did declare independence, who can actually see England and Scotland actually allowing it to survive as an independent city-state when it makes far more sense to conquer it and continue using it as a vital military outpost on the border.

Better ideas for potential city-states come in areas of weak authority over long periods of time, in locations of no strategic importance, and where the concept of a nation-state was slow to form. Perhaps a more chaotic Teutonic secularisation could result in an area (say, Livonia) fragmenting, with a few states forming, one of which being an insignificant town somewhere, perhaps on an island. If events can be manipulated to somehow make the reconquest/reunification of that area take a long time, it's a possibility one of them could stay independent. Other possibilities include somewhere like the Pirate Republic of Bou Regreg down the Atlantic coast of Morocco, or possibly other parts of Italy.
 
Interestingly enough, I once had a TL where the Arab-Israeli conflict is cut off at its head with Palestine being partitioned between a Jewish and Arab state, and the city of Jerusalem is made an independent kingdom to prevent national struggle between the two ethnic states over ownership of the city. King George VI is made King of Jerusalem in that one, and Jerusalem becomes a Commonwealth Realm. :D
Objection, by law he is Defender of the Faith and the Governor of the Church of England... that alone would make him objectionable to Muslims. Not that I would object, of course:)

Best bet would be a secular city government under international supervision
 
There seems to be an attitude both amongst the 2008 post and the new ones that contested or exclave cities could become independent city-states. Essentially I'm referring to the Calais and the Berwicks and to a lesser extent the Dublins of this thread. I'm not sure how this works. These cities (possible exception of places like Dublin) were all cities which were wanted by several countries, were fought over repeatedly by them, and crucially though possibly attractive and flourishing mercantile cities, they are places which massively depended on the protection and trade of their owning nation for their survival.
Luxembourg was very much the same thing.
In fact its independance largely came about due to a compromise between the French and Prussians.
 
Dublin, Aquileia, Mainz, Lemnos, Constantinople, Geneva, Cologne, Acre, Fiume, Tallinn, St-Malo, Stettin, and Nice would all have been interesting. Although, many never actually were city-states in our timeline.
 

The Sandman

Banned
Hong Kong, assuming the British agreed to the "give Weihaiwei to China in exchange for permanent control of the New Territories" idea.

Jerusalem, if both sides agree to the 1947 Partition Plan under the assumption that the other will reject it and end up stuck with the results.

Zanzibar, as some sort of East African Singapore.

Any of the old HRE Free Cities in a looser EU-style German Confederation.

Brussels, if or when Belgium finally gets a divorce from itself.

New Orleans; while it would take a weird geopolitical situation to cause it, the idea of New Orleans as a neutral port serving American, British, French and Spanish interests in the Americas would be fascinating.

Lisbon, in a world where Napoleon wins everywhere else but fails to take it before some sort of final peace occurs.
 

Cook

Banned
Gaza as part of the Camp David Accords.


Perfectly located to out-Singapore the Singaporeans. All it lacks is stable government and a deep water port; the latter takes a couple of year to build, the former somewhat longer.
 
Perfectly located to out-Singapore the Singaporeans. All it lacks is stable government and a deep water port; the latter takes a couple of year to build, the former somewhat longer.

and a vulnerable yet profitable trade lane to bottleneck, and stable politics, and start-up money?

would the west really want it becoming a Singapore and stealing their profits?

for my own ideas I think the Talleyrand plan would've created an interesting Antwerp city state. I also love the HRE and will forever wish it still existed, though as independent states that area would simply collapse. the former genoese possessions in the black sea are also interesting but again they would never stay independent if they could ever become independent in the first place
 
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Vitruvius

Donor
Neuchâtel, if it remains a separate Principality outside the Swiss Confederation. Same thing for Ajoie and potentially the rest of the old Bishopric of Basel (modern Canton of Jura). Both just require some minor changes at the Congress of Vienna.
 
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